Pru was already typing rapidly on another, smaller laptop, a little MacBook Air instead of the Pro she seemed to favor.“I can track their movements in real time now that I know the demons are using the city’s emergency frequencies to monitor response times.If they stick to their pattern, the next attack should be….”
She paused, appearing to cross-reference several screens of data.“The Venetian’s wedding pavilion.They’ll probably hit it within the next hour.”
Ty nodded.“That gives us enough time to get into position.We can set up surveillance and try to intercept them when they arrive.”
“Or we could turn the tables completely,” Caleb said as an idea began to form in his mind.“Instead of trying to stop them from completing individual attacks, what if we gave them a target they couldn’t resist?”
They all stared at him, and he could see Delia’s expression morph into one of even deeper worry as she began to guess where his thoughts were heading.
“You want to use yourself as bait,” she said flatly.
“Not just me.All of us.”Caleb moved closer to the map displayed on Pru’s MacBook Pro, then pointed to the center of the ritual circle.“They need Angel’s Dream for the final stage of whatever they’re planning.If we can draw their attention there, force them to make their move before they’re ready, we might be able to disrupt the entire operation.”
“That would be unbelievably dangerous,” Ty said at once.His frown had only deepened, and it was obvious that he thought Caleb had lost his ever-loving mind.“If we’re wrong about the timing, or if they have more resources than we realize, we could end up walking into a situation we wouldn’t be able to escape.”
“So…what, then?”Caleb returned.“We just stand back and let them complete a ritual that could open a permanent gateway to Hell in the middle of Las Vegas?”Before anyone could respond, he went on, “Sometimes the risky play is the only one that makes any sense.”
Pru pushed her chair away from the dining room table a few inches so she could get a better look at all of them.“Actually, that might work.There’s a way to get into the city’s response system so I can create enough false emergency signals to confuse their monitoring systems.That would make it look like we’re hitting multiple sites simultaneously, when in reality, we’re really only concentrating our efforts on Angel’s Dream.”
Delia put her hands on her hips, and Caleb could tell she was dubious at best.“You can really do that?”
“Well, on my own, no,” Pru responded with a grin.“Let’s just say I know a few people who owe me favors.You don’t need to be a hacker if you’ve already got people on the inside.”
And what Prudence Nelson had on those “people,” Caleb wasn’t sure he wanted to know.A private investigator probably had all kinds of dirt that could be used for persuasion.Or maybe they were just grateful former clients, like the assistant city manager with the cheating wife.Either way, it sure looked as if they had an in.
Delia still looked somewhat disapproving, but it seemed she’d decided the stakes were too high to worry too much about how they were accomplishing their goals.“Okay,” she said.“I think I could probably create some barriers around the chapel to contain whatever supernatural energy they’re trying to summon.”
“You’re sure about that?”Ty inquired, expression openly skeptical, and she shrugged.
“I’m not ‘sure’ about anything,” she said.“But I know my abilities were getting stronger anyway, and after being exposed to that portal in Laughlin….”The sentence died away, and her shoulders lifted again.“It just feels like I might have gotten an additional boost.So that means I might be able to hold a containment field long enough for you two to disrupt the ritual directly.”
Ty nodded, but he still appeared less than enthusiastic.“I suppose it could work.But we’ll have to coordinate perfectly.One mistake, and we could end up making the demons’ job easier instead of harder.”
“Then we won’t make any mistakes,” Caleb said.
By mid-morning, they thought they were ready to move.The attacks had continued across the city, each one adding another point to the growing ritual circle.According to Pru’s calculations, they had maybe three hours before the demons would be ready to attempt the final summoning at Angel’s Dream.
“Remember,” Caleb said as they prepared to leave Pru’s condo, “the goal is disruption, not confrontation.We go in fast, hit the key points, and get out before they can coordinate a response.”
“And if they’ve set up more defenses than we’re expecting?”Delia asked.
“Then we improvise,” he replied.Not a very good answer, he supposed, but the only one he was able to give.They had to be flexible, since they were walking into a situation with way too many unknown variables.They didn’t know how many demons they were actually facing and what kind of backup plans their enemies might have.And they had absolutely zero idea whether their own abilities would be sufficient to counter whatever supernatural forces were currently surging in the city.
But they also didn’t have the luxury of waiting for more information, not when the circuit was due to close sometime right at high noon.Sometimes the only thing you could do was act…and hope for the best.
“Do what you can to stay in contact,” Ty told everyone once they were inside the elevator and headed down to the ground floor.“If any of us runs into more than we can handle, then we’ll abort and regroup.”
They split up, with Delia and Caleb and Ty going toward the guest parking lot to retrieve their vehicles and Pru heading toward her car in the parking garage under the building.After that, they all scattered to their assigned positions around the city.
Caleb pointed his E-Class toward Angel’s Dream, taking a circuitous route that would allow him to scout the surrounding area for signs of supernatural activity.As he got closer to the chapel, the uncomfortable buzzing sensation in his demon blood grew stronger until it felt like every nerve ending was zinging with unwanted energy.
Whatever was happening here, it was big.
He parked three blocks away and approached on foot, doing what he could to scan for any demonic presences nearby.The chapel itself looked the same from the outside as it had when he and Delia had visited here for the first time — a white-painted clapboard structure meant to mimic a charming church that might have been plucked from somewhere in America’s heartland.But the spiritual atmosphere around the building was thick and oppressive, like the air before a thunderstorm.
A text came through from Delia.
I’m in position.Energy readings are off the charts here.
