Thirteen (Otherworld 13)

"Holy shit," Severin said.

"Not possible," Sierra said. "There are exactly three Aspicios living and we know where they all are."

"Do you?" Mom said. "Seems Lord Balaam doesn't track his conquests as carefully as he should."

Now even Sierra stopped scowling. I'm sure she was thinking of how delighted Balaam would be if she presented him with this gift. A long-lost child. Ready to join the fight when his granddaughter was being such a bitch and refusing him.

Sierra waved for the guy at the door to take the girl from me. He did, then radioed inside for someone to come get her.

"So what's this news you need to tell Giles?" Sierra asked.

"Do you know Toby White?" Mom asked.

Their expressions said they did.

"Shawn Roberts?" she said.

Same reaction.

"What about them?" Severin said.

"I'm not sure if you've been listening to the news, but there was a problem at a cop shop just outside the city. A problem involving a whole lotta dead bodies. One of them was Shawn Roberts."

"And White?" Sierra asked.

"A different but connected issue."

Severin swore under his breath.

"We'll take you inside," Sierra said. "If Giles is there, he might talk to you. He might not. Either way, remember that he's a very busy man."

FOURTEEN

As they led us through the side door I surreptitiously texted Elena to let her know where we were. Mom was busy explaining the bow case--she'd put it down to deal with the girl and only now did Severin and Sierra notice. Mom said it was exactly what it looked like--a bow. We'd been on the way to her archery class when we'd decided to swing past the meeting house and scope it out, and just happened to catch the escapee and win an introduction Was it a good excuse? No. But if we were trying to smuggle in weapons, we'd do something a little less obtrusive--and a little more deadly--than a bow.

When we got inside, I looked around. The last time I'd been in a SLAM meeting house, what struck me most was how serene it was. Like what I'd imagine from a cult or a commune.

Throw a bomb in the mix and that serenity gets blown to hell.

People darted from one door to another. I heard voices raised in irritation, in anger, in anxiety. Somewhere someone was shouting that he didn't give a shit if it wasn't possible to clear out in two hours--make it possible.

When Sierra and Severin came through, people slowed down and lowered their voices, clearly trying not to get noticed. As soon as we passed, the chaos rose in their wake. Finally we reached the one silent door in the hall. Sierra knocked. A woman cracked it open from inside. She was about my age, and so mousy she made the twins look like supermodels. Veronica Tucker, better known as Roni.

Roni had been my first introduction to SLAM, back when I'd been solving the murders Leah had committed. She'd been a witch hunter who just "happened" to be in town at the same time. There were no such coincidences, of course. She'd hunted me, then pretended she'd been set up, to lure me in and hand me over to Giles.

"He's not seeing anyone," Roni whispered. "You'll need to--"

Severin slammed his open hand into the door, sending her stumbling back. Sierra pushed through and shoved Roni aside when she squawked.

The room was small and empty. Sierra headed to a second door. She rapped on it, and waited for a "yes?" then blocked the opening so I couldn't see inside.

"There are a couple of new girls here. They--"

"Recruits?" a woman said. "In this mess, you bring us recruits?"

"No," Sierra said, her voice chilly. "I bring you information. Potentially important information. Giles? The girls say that trouble at the police station has something to do with Shawn Roberts and Toby White. Do you want to speak to them?"

"Yes, yes." Giles's voice. "Of course."