“Why aren’t you calling Sean?”

“Because this isn’t . . . I don’t want . . .” Another swallow. “I can’t bring him into this. You’re in L.A., right?”

“No, Miami.”

“Shit. Shit, shit, shit . . .”

“Where are you, Bryce?”

“New Orleans. I guess it’s about the same distance. I’m just—” He gave a long, wheezing cough. “I’m confused.”

“You’re sick.”

“Yeah. No way can I get on a plane or a bus like this, even if I had money, which I don’t. And I shouldn’t anyway. You need to come here. See this.”

“See what?”

“Need see it.” He started clipping his sentences, as if full ones took more energy than he had. “Shouldn’t come alone. That vampire still with you?”

“Cassandra?” He wanted me to bring Cassandra. A trap. It had to be a trap. “No. But I could get her.”

“Someone else then. Someone—”

“Savannah?” Adam called.

I turned as he walked over. I mouthed, “Bryce.”

“Who’s that?” Bryce asked.

“Adam. Wondering where I disappeared to.”

“Oh. Sean said you two weren’t . . .” He trailed off. I didn’t correct his assumption, just pulled the phone from my ear so Adam could listen in as Bryce continued. “Okay. Adam. The Exustio. That’ll work. Okay. Bring Adam or anyone who can watch your back and—”

A soft shout from Bryce’s end, a woman’s voice, tight with alarm, words indistinguishable. The phone clattered, as if Bryce was hanging up.

The woman’s voice came closer. “You’re supposed to be in bed, sir.”

“I just wanted to let them know I’m okay. I didn’t—”

“You can’t be outside. Boys, please take Mr. N back to his room.”

More noises, protests from Bryce, but faint, as if he couldn’t summon the energy to fight back. The click of heels on pavement. Then they stopped. The steps came back and the receiver rattled, as if she’d realized it hadn’t properly disconnected.

Adam motioned for me to hang up fast. I shook my head and waited.

“Who is this?” the woman said.

“That’s my question,” I said. “Who the hell is this? Do you have any idea what time it is? Four in the fucking morning and some drunken moron calls thinking I’m his brother. Do I sound like anyone’s brother? Starts babbling about how he’s fine and I shouldn’t worry. He’s not fine. He’s so sloshed he can barely speak. He should be in a drunk tank somewhere. If you’re a friend of his—”

“I’m not, ma’am. He’s a patient and he’s unwell.”

“No shit.”

“I’m sorry he disturbed you. Obviously he’s confused and had the wrong number and I apologize for any—”

“Whatever. Don’t let it happen again.”

I hung up. Then I turned to Adam.

“It’s a trap, isn’t it?” I said.

“I’m not sure. Come on back to the lounge. I’ll make coffee while you explain.”

I was done with my coffee—and wide awake—by the time I finished the story.

“I don’t trust my judgment on this one,” I said. “Not with Bryce.”

Adam took the last slug of his coffee before answering. “I’ll admit it sounds like a setup. A really bad, really obvious setup, which makes me think it isn’t. Everyone knows you and Bryce aren’t on speaking terms. Now he’s coming to his estranged little sister, of all people, and asking her to fly to his rescue? As a setup, it sucks.”

“Then that still begs the question. If it’s real, why did he call me?”

“Because you reached out to him. He’s in trouble and you’re used to dealing with trouble, and he’s sick and confused, and the last thing he remembers is you offering to help him out of this. The guy might deny you’re his sister, but apparently he has your number on his cell.”

He headed for the coffeemaker. “That interruption sounded legit. He wasn’t cut off in the middle of a dire pronouncement. The woman was careful to call him Mr. N. When the phone was off the hook, no one said Bryce was in danger or said anything designed to make you come running to his rescue. They didn’t even tell you where he was.”

He refilled his mug. “He didn’t insist you come alone. He didn’t insist you bring someone specific. He just wanted you to have backup. That sounds real to me.”

“Okay, so how do I find him?”

“We can locate the pay phone easily enough. Not a lot of them these days. Tracking him from the phone will be the problem.”

“I know a way.”

Two hours later we were on a single-engine four-passenger plane from the Cortez fleet, one Benicio had put aside for our use. Adam and I weren’t alone. I’d asked Jeremy to join us. A werewolf’s nose would get us from the pay phone to wherever Bryce was being held. Jaime had come, too. That was her idea—she could ask my father to join us when we got there. A ghostly scout was an asset. One who understood Bryce would be even more valuable.

Jeremy had called Paige and explained that Jaime had gotten a lead in New Orleans. When they stopped by headquarters, they found that Adam and I had crashed there overnight. We’d offered to go with them as backup so he didn’t need to call in Clay and Elena.

Paige bought it. Like Lucas, Jeremy was an expert liar. It’s always the quiet ones you need to watch.

We flew into a small airport where a rental car waited. As we drove into the city, I said to Jeremy, “Okay, so you’ll track Bryce’s scent from the pay phone to wherever they took him, then you’ll wait outside with Jaime while Adam and I break in.”

He gave me a look.

“You’re special, remember?”

“Sucks being special,” he said.

Adam lifted his brows, as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly.

I laughed. “Old joke. Luckily, being all grown up, I am no longer special and do not need to stay behind with you, Jeremy. I will, however, order your pizza. Mediterranean, right?”

“You forget that I’m also older, and have an Alpha-elect trained to take my place. Therefore, I’m no longer special either. However, I’ll make a note of the fact that you advised me to stay behind, avoiding any fallout with Clayton. I presume that was the point of the suggestion?”