Okaaay.
“And Mircea?”
“I find I like the idea of knowing something the master does not.”
“Me, too.” I looked around to see Fred’s head poking in through the shutters that separated the kitchen from the lounge, eating an apple. He must have been kneeling on one of the bar stools so he could spy on us. I scowled at him.
“Where did you come from?”
“My mother always said I came from heaven—”
“Fred!”
“—although others have occasionally expressed a different point of view.”
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?” He munched at me. “Oh, the silence thing?” He shrugged. “It’s a muffling spell, not a shield. And I get curious when the splashy splashy suddenly stops.”
“Get less curious!”
“I won’t have to be, ’cause I’ll be along.”
“You’re not going.”
“Of course I am.”
“And why should I let you?”
&n
bsp; “’Cause you’re smart? You’re gonna need someone to watch your back, and Rico can’t do that and crack the safe at the same time.”
“Who says I can’t?” Rico looked offended.
“I do. Anyway, you’ll need an alibi. I’ll tell everyone we’re going shopping.”
I frowned at him. “I never go shopping.”
“Well, you ought to. Your closet is full of ball gowns and ratty old T-shirts. You need normal clothes.”
“I need my head examined.”
“Don’t we all? So, when are we leaving?”
• • •
I staggered a little and went down to one knee. But said knee hit polished marble instead of kitchen tile, so I was pretty sure we’d made it. I breathed a sigh of relief.
And then I threw up.
“Cassie!” Fred grabbed me, which didn’t help, because I was already down. But then Rhea held my hair back, which did. And Rico took up a position in front of us, gun out, looking grim, giving me time to get it together.
Damn, I knew I shouldn’t have tried shifting four. Four sucked. But all four were needed: Rico to crack the safe, Fred to watch his back while he did it, me in my usual role as taxi-through-time, and Rhea . . .
Rhea to give me a boost so I could get us all back, because I was bottomed out.
I wiped the arm of my shirt across my lips and looked up.