All Just Glass - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes [71]
“What’s your plan?” Zachary asked.
“By now, I figure they’ll know we’re here, but Kendra’s line is arrogant enough, and takes their theater seriously enough, that they won’t—”
“Wait,” Zachary interrupted. “They know we’re here, why?”
“I cleared it with Kendra,” Michael replied, utterly blasé. “She has given us a green light. If Sarah or the twins present us with an opportunity, we have carte blanche to take them down. Sarah knows the way we work. If she wants to make it through the night, we won’t have a clear shot. If she is being held against her will, though, we’ll have a chance.”
As plans went, it wasn’t much, but Adia enjoyed improvisation. She was a little uncomfortable with the bit about having the approval of a two-thousand-year-old vampire, however. Granted, Michael was an Arun, but seriously—how many of her crew were in bed with the vamps, figuratively speaking?
“Could you clarify the part about your having permission from Kendra?” she asked. Michael had vaguely referred to that part on the phone, but she wanted to be very clear on the details before jumping into a fight.
“She doesn’t want a war,” Michael said. The words were an eerie echo of what Jerome had said earlier. “No one does. So we have one night to end it, however it goes, and a promise of no future retaliation from Kendra or her associates. She is somewhat unsure how Kaleo will react should the twins die, but she owns the theater we’re going to hit, so she mostly gets to decide what can be done to people and vampires inside it.”
“I believe Adia was looking for an explanation of the fact that you seem to be able to predict movements and contact vampires in a surprisingly friendly manner,” Zachary said.
A bit hypocritical, aren’t we? Adia thought cynically. Zachary was the one who had vampiric friends showing up and pulling him out of fights, after all. On the other hand, it was one thing for Zachary to have some kind of low-level patron who liked to play with him. It was quite another for Michael to be making deals with the head of the line.
“I know New York,” Michael replied, not bothering to get defensive. “If you want to hunt here, you have to know the territory. Be grateful.”
Jay said, “Okay, let’s not start bickering. If Sarah wants to turn herself in, she’ll get a message to us tonight, and we’ll … do what needs to be done, what she asks of us. But what if she doesn’t?”
“Then we’ll deal with that tomorrow night,” Zachary said.
Jay shook his head. “We need some kind of decision tonight. Dominique won’t drop her claim just because we decide Sarah has a right to live. We need to know if we’re planning to try to fight the law. We’re representing three lines here. Is there some kind of plan to—”
“I’ve got it covered,” Adia interrupted. “I’ll make sure Dominique accepts however things come out tonight.”
“Care to tell us this plan?” Zachary asked, but this time Adia didn’t want to share. He probably wouldn’t approve, and given what she had learned recently, he certainly wouldn’t have the guts to do what needed to be done even if he agreed.
Jay gave her a long, even look. She didn’t know what he could hear in her mind. After a moment, he said, “If you’re sure.”
“Whatever,” Michael said. “As long as the Vida line gets rid of the hooks it’s using to play with the rest of us, I’m fine with it.”
“By sunrise,” Adia assured him, “the Rights won’t be a factor. But for now …” She let out a long breath as she focused herself. Where should the pieces go? “Jay, you wait with Michael on the street outside the theater. That’ll put you close enough that you can try to pick up a sense of how Sarah