I sat back, my chest heaving, my head throbbing. That was not how I'd envisioned this moment playing out. But then again, when did anything ever go according to plan?
I glanced over at Andrews, who was staring at the darkened TV screen with a shell-shocked expression. "Well," I said, my tone wry. "That was certainly… unexpected."
13
RISSA
I pressedthe speakerphone button and held the phone out. "Luce, tell your sister to back off."
Luce's unmistakable voice crackled through the speaker. "Jeanette, stand down. Rissa and I are working together now."
Jeanette scowled, her hand still gripping the door frame. She looked like she wanted to rip the phone from my grasp and crush it. I met her glare with a challenging stare.
After a tense moment, Jeanette stepped back. "Fine. But I'm watching you."
Luce sighed audibly through the phone. "Rissa, I apologize for my sister's rudeness. Let's focus on the task at hand, shall we?"
I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. Luce was right, we needed to put aside these petty squabbles and figure out our next move. Still, I made a mental note to keep an eye on Jeanette. She clearly didn't trust me, and the feeling was mutual.
"Luce, grab Rey's phone and take this off speaker," I said, glancing warily at Jeanette. Her amber eyes narrowed as she watched me, arms crossed.
A rustling sound came through the line. "All right, it's off speaker."
I turned my back to Jeanette and walked several paces away, letting distance muffle our conversation. The cool sea breeze tugged strands of my short black hair in all directions. "Step away so we can talk privately."
"One moment." His voice grew distant as he moved, sand crunching beneath his feet. In my mind's eye, I could see him striding across the beach in long, confident strides, phone pressed to his chiseled jaw.
I shook my head, banishing the distracting mental image.
"I'm alone now," Luce said. "So, where do we meet? We need a secure location to regroup and strategize."
I had to trust him. And I kind of wanted to.
"Listen carefully," I said, my tone low and urgent. "I have a secret hideaway that we can use as our base of operations until we get this sorted out.” I rattled off the address. “But Luce, you can't breathe a word of its location to anyone. The more people who know, the greater the risk that the Council could torture it out of them."
Luce let out a low chuckle, the sound sending a tingle down my spine despite the seriousness of the situation. "Of course. My lips are sealed."
I heard the rustle of fabric and the beep of buttons as he presumably pulled out his phone. "I've got my phone out, ready to plug the address into the GPS. Where am I headed?"
"No." The word came out sharper than I intended. "Luce, you can't use the GPS. It’s trackable. You need to leave your phone behind. Lock it and give it to Rey for safekeeping."
Silence stretched between us for a long moment, broken only by the distant crash of waves and the cry of seagulls. I could practically hear the gears turning in Luce's head as he processed my request.
"Okay," he said at last. "I'll give my phone to Rey. What if they track it and then hurt Rey?"
I snorted. "I'll be upset I'm not there to see it, to be honest. Rey would kick their asses."
"Okay, then what?" Luce asked. "I’ll give him my phone."
I nodded, already mentally plotting out our next move. "I'll throw my phone in the ocean on the way. Meet me at the grocery store on the corner by my driveway. You can just follow me to my hideout."
Luce's voice hardened. "Got it. I'll be there."
A shiver ran down my spine at the intensity of his tone, but I pushed the sensation aside. Now wasn't the time to get distracted. We had work to do.
Later, though…
"I'll be there in less than five minutes," Luce said confidently.
