“Because it’s only five A.M.” I said.

“No way. Your watch must have stopped.”

“Didn’t Lucas suggest you bring a magazine? He said it’d be boring.”

“He said tedious.”

“Which means boring.”

“Then he should have said boring.” Adam shot a mock glare at Lucas, who sat beside him, watching Weber’s house through binoculars.

“Boring means something which is dull,” Lucas said. “Tedious implies both long and very dull, which, I believe you’ll agree, this is.”

“Yeah? Well, remind me to pack my pocket dictionary next time you two drag me along on one of these ‘tedious’ adventures.”

“Drag?” Lucas said, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t recall any arm-twisting involved.”

“Hey, brain-flash,” Adam said. “Why don’t I slip out for a closer look? Make sure he’s still there.”

“He is,” Lucas said. “Paige cast perimeter spells at both doors.”

“Yeah, well, no offense to Paige, but—”

“Don’t say it,” I said.

Adam opened the driver’s door. “I’ll go check.”

“No,” Lucas and I said in unison. When Adam hesitated, door still open, I added, “Close the door or we’ll put my spell-casting ability to the test.”

He grumbled, but closed it. Another two hours passed. Two hours during which I had cause at least every ten minutes to wish we’d left Adam behind. Finally, at seven-thirty, a light went on in Weber’s bedroom. Adam lunged for the door handle. Lucas put out a hand to stop him.

“We’re not jumping him the moment he gets out of bed,” I said. “There’s no rush.”

Adam groaned and sank into his seat.

We’d prepared our plan of action before leaving the Vasics. I’d remembered what the gang punks in the alley had said on seeing us, which also reminded me of my own impression the first time Lucas showed up on my doorstep, clean-cut and funereally earnest in his department-store suit. With the right choice of clothes and a couple of books from Robert’s library, we were set.

Lucas and I gave Adam time to sneak around and cover the rear door, then we climbed the front steps. Lucas rang Weber’s doorbell. Two minutes later, a thin, dark-haired man answered. Weber matched his Cortez Cabal employee photograph, right down to the black shirt.

“Good morning,” Lucas said. “Do you know where you’ll be spending eternity?”

Weber’s gaze dropped to our Bibles. He mumbled something and tried to shut the door. Lucas grabbed the edge and held it fast.

“Please,” I said. “We have an important message for you. A message of hope.”

Now, we reallydidn’t expect Weber to let us in. My religio-babble was only intended to give Lucas time to ready his knock-back spell, which would send Weber reeling away from the door so we could get inside. But as the words left my mouth, Weber’s eyes widened.

“You’re the ones,” he said. “The ones Esus said would come.”

I blinked, but Lucas nodded and murmured an affirmation. Weber ushered us inside, then cast a nervous glance out the front door before closing it.

“Go on in,” he said, wiping his palms against his pants. “Sit down. Oh, wait, let me clear that chair. I’m sorry the place is such a mess. I’ve been—”

“Busy,” Lucas finished.

Weber nodded, head bouncing like a bobble dog’s. “Busy, yes. Very busy. When Esus told me…well, I wanted to run, but he said I shouldn’t, that it would only make things worse.”

“He’s right,” Lucas said.

“He’s always right.” Weber cast a nervous glance around. “He said it’s not safe here. He said you’d take me someplace safe.”

My gaze shot to Lucas, trying to gauge his reaction, but he gave none.

“That’s right,” Lucas said. “Just let me call our driver.”

Lucas reached into his breast pocket for his cell phone, to call the extraction team. Obviously Weber wouldn’t be comfortable talking here, so there was no use trying. Time to skip to the next phase and take him in for questioning.

Lucas only had time to press the first button when a sharp crack rang out, followed by a tremendous crash. A metal canister hit the floor between us. Lucas lunged, grabbing me by the shoulders and throwing us both to the ground. The canister began to smoke.

“Cover your—” Lucas began, but the sound of breaking wood drowned him out.

I turned to see the front door slam open and three men dressed in black barrel through. All three turned their guns on us, then disappeared as smoke filled the room.

They Always Grab the Girl

SOMEONE STARTED SHOUTING ORDERS, BUT I WAS DOUBLED over, hacking my lungs up, unable to hear anything but my own coughing. I pulled my shirt over my nose, but it didn’t help. My eyes teared up from the gas; between that and the smoke, I was blinded. Fingers grabbed my arm and tugged me forward. Trust Lucas to keep his calm, whatever the situation.

I stumbled behind Lucas’s dark shape. A doorway loomed before us. As we moved through it, the smoke lessened, but my eyes still streamed tears. I wiped my free arm across them. Lucas kept pulling me, presumably toward the back door and clean air.

“Paige!” Adam’s voice. Through the smoke I could make out his outline running toward us.

“Get outside,” I rasped. “It’s—”