The smiling faces indicated they were all enjoying Tobias's defeat. Ari wondered how soon the bl.u.s.tery wolf would realize he'd been had. Too funny. A secret video of the moment of revelation would be priceless, guaranteed to go viral.

Ari sobered and nodded at Robert. "It's time. Be careful." Her words chased any humor from the room, replaced by spiraling tension. This was the most dangerous part of the plan, and Robert had volunteered to go first. As each leader left, they would be alone, unguarded, vulnerable to attack during the transition from here to the Magic Hall.

Robert morphed into wolf form, and the group exited into the main hall, where the lights were now off. Robert trotted to the back door, scratched twice. It was opened from the outside, a signal the area was clear, and Robert slipped into the dark. Ari and the other wolves joined Lilith on the porch. Fifteen minutes later, Jena left them and repeated Robert's actions, then Warren and finally Vita. The rest of the party spilled into the yard and grew louder, as Lilith and Ari wandered toward their car.

"Why don't you stay, Ari? The night is young," Gilbert called, as she neared the Lexus.

"Another time. I still have evening patrol. Take good care of our friends," she shouted back. If anyone within five miles didn't know she was leaving, they were deaf.

"Same here," Lilith yelled. "I'm all partied out."

They waved a cheery good-bye and jumped into her car. Andreas's car. She really should return it one of these days.

To Ari's immense relief, the Magic Hall looked dark and deserted when she and Lilith approached on foot a half hour later. They'd left the Lexus outside Ari's apartment, about ten minutes away. The large medieval-style hall towered among the trees, its commanding presence caught at the edges of the street light. Ari had worried that too many lights inside the building would attract unwelcome attention, but the others had obviously thought of that. She pulled out her pa.s.skey, unlocked the door and they slipped inside. A weretiger loomed out of the darkness to block their path. The tigress relaxed as soon as she recognized Ari.

"Did everyone arrive safely?" Ari asked.

"Yes. The last came almost an hour ago. You'll find them in the Deliberation Room with the wizard."

"What about security? How many guards do you have?"

"Nine of our best weretigers. Several of the Magic Council members also stayed to provide additional protection, so we have a couple of elves, some dwarfs, and two or three panthers scattered throughout the building. Four tiger sentries and a troll are outside." Her demeanor said the added security from the Council wasn't necessary. The tigress was young, yet steady and confident. Perfect type for an operation like this. The tigers were good. On the way in, Ari hadn't seen any of the sentries. Of course, she had sensed them all.

Before Ari reached the Deliberation Room she could feel the agitation. "Has something gone wrong?" she asked, as she and Lilith entered.

"Oh, it's Tobias," Jena said with disgust. "He's ranting and raving. Calling Chicago, calling Wisconsin, calling each of our packs and who knows who else about our running out on him. We're afraid someone's going to tell him where we said we'd be, and he'll show up at Steffan's house. That would blow our cover pretty quick."

"Where is he now?"

"Don't know. He's tried calling each of us. No one answered when we saw who it was," Robert said. "But he's going to keep trying. What if the kidnappers can't get through because he's tying up the lines? Should one of us answer? What would we say?"

Ari thought about it. She could ask Ryan to arrest him, except she wasn't sure where Tobias was and Ryan would demand a whole h.e.l.l of a lot of explanation. Maybe Homeland Security would do them another favor. Unless she could think of a good enough story to distract him. "Jena, can I see your phone? I need Tobias's number."

Once Ari had the number, she used her own cell to call him. She wanted him to see her name pop up on his caller ID. He answered immediately.

"What the h.e.l.l have you done with the wolf leaders, Guardian?"

She ignored his question and asked her own. "What do you think you're doing? I heard you were interfering with my investigation. Agent Jones told me he'd get your cooperation. Are you reneging on the deal with Homeland Security?"

Tobias stopped sputtering for a moment and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm simply trying to verify that we have a deal. 'Cause I'm sure not seeing it."

"What deal? What agreement? I think you're making this up." Tobias's voice was wary but uncertain. Ari chose her words with care, for she had no idea what he and Jones had really discussed. It wasn't likely it had much to do with Steffan. Something else, then. Maybe if she stayed vague enough...

She searched for a topic that would catch his attention. "I'm sure he explained the problem, your problem. The CIA, and the records?" Ari hoped it wasn't just profiling to figure that gangsters kept a second set of doctored books or other illegal records they were hiding from authorities.

"What records are you talking about? My records? The CIA is interested in my records?"

Now he sounded more than uncertain. Frightened. Ari grinned at the panic in his voice. Was he choking over gang records or personal doc.u.ments? Tax forms? Pay-offs? This might actually work. "Don't tell me you didn't make the deal? Your cooperation for calling off the audits?"

"Audits? I haven't heard about any audits." Tobias was no fool, and he was getting angry. Ari would lose him if she pushed further.

"OK, never mind. I wonder why... Uh, sorry I brought it up. My mistake, I guess. But it doesn't change the fact that you need to stay out of my case. You should pay more attention to your own business."

"What's that supposed to mean? What business?"

"It's nothing. I told you, I must have been mistaken. Forget I mentioned the records, but stay out of my hair."

"What records are they after?"

Ari smiled when she heard the hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

"I don't know, Tobias." She hung up and rang Jones, repeating her recent conversation.

Jones's laugh was unrestrained. "You are quite an inventive young lady, Ms. Calin. Would have made a good agent. I take it you want me to call Tobias and feed the flames. Convince him the feds are after his hidden records. I believe I would enjoy that." He chuckled again. "He may forget all about you and go running for home."

"That would be perfect, but I'd be satisfied if he spends the rest of the night arranging to hide or destroy his files. I bet he has a lot of things he doesn't want the government to find."

"I wouldn't bet against you." Jones's voice grew speculative. "He's shrewd, that one, and greedy. I'd kind of like a look at those books myself. Hmm, yes, I think you can leave Tobias to me."

She read off Tobias's phone number. Considering the job as good as done, Ari ended the call with a feeling of accomplishment. Horatio was probably right. Within the next hour Tobias would be hotfooting it for Chicago to protect his precious records.

She turned to look at the waiting wolf leaders and Council president. "I think that crisis is averted. Next?"

The old wizard nodded his head with approval. "Nicely done. I believe we're back to our chess game with the kidnapper. It's his move."

"I wish he'd hurry up," Jena grumbled. "This has been a long day already, and we're just getting started."

Jena was showing the stress of waiting. Following Ari's suggestion, the leaders had designated her as spokesperson for the kidnapper's calls. She was the most easy-going, and Ari was counting on her to follow instructions without going off on some tangent of her own.

When Ari's phone rang, everyone turned to look at her. She hoped Tobias wasn't calling back. She checked caller ID.

"Private," she said. She stepped into the hallway, closed the door behind her, and clicked the phone b.u.t.ton. "Hi. Everything OK?"

"h.e.l.lo, cara mia. You sound tired." Andreas's beautiful voice floated across the airwaves like the calm in the midst of a hurricane.

"I guess I am," she admitted. "As long as there was something to do, adrenaline kept me going, but now we're just waiting for the kidnappers to call."

"Kidnappers? So you have heard from someone? What do they want?"

She went over the events of the last several hours, from breakfast on, including Tobias and the drunk wolves, the great escape, Horatio's help. Andreas was still chuckling over Tobias's audit fears when she finished.

"An eventful day," he said. "I wish I were with you, cara mia, but I cannot leave Toronto until the transition is settled."

"I know you can't, but it would be nice." Ari's voice held a wistful note.

"Do not lose heart. I know you will find Steffan soon."

She'd better. Noon was less than twelve hours away. Even thinking about it seemed to make the clock sprint forward.

"I hope you're right. Now tell me what's going on with you. How bad are things?" she asked. She almost missed his slight hesitation.

"Nothing I cannot handle. I met with the nest leaders and am slowly learning the varied backgrounds of those who reside inside the court. Sebastian collected an unusual group around him."

"Are they still accepting your leadership?" His hesitation was more noticeable this time, and she jumped into the silence. "Andreas? Has something gone wrong?"

"No, you do not need to worry. A few vampires have left the court, which was probably a good thing. The rest are waiting to see what I do next, and I am surrounded by friends. Gordon and six more vampires arrived from Riverdale, so I sent Marcus home to manage Club Dintero."

"He's awfully young for that much responsibility," Ari said, picturing Marcus's youthful face.

"Listen to who's talking."

"You know what I mean. Can he really run it by himself? Long term, I mean?" Until a year ago, Marcus had been one of a group of young waiters at the club, new to vampirism, eager but inexperienced. Then he'd become a target of Sebastian's tangled plots and suffered a near-death experience. He'd come out stronger and had grown up a lot since then, but it still didn't give him the years of hands-on practice to run a major supper club.

"He has been a good student. There will be mistakes, but he is honest and will try to do the right thing. Eventually I will make permanent arrangements. I do not know whether those will put Marcus fully in charge, but for now he will do fine. The Club is not my top priority at the moment."

"When this thing with Steffan is over, I'll check on him and do what I can. Maybe offer moral support, if nothing else."

"I am sure he would appreciate that, but I hope you will return to Toronto."

Andreas's words sat there like the elephant in the room. Ari didn't know what to say. He must know she couldn't return on a permanent basis. Of course she'd return to help for a while, if he needed her. And then maybe visits-or maybe not. Phone calls were hard enough. Would a clean break be better?

"Arianna, are you still there?" The magic of his voice curled around her, offering unspoken promises, asking for promises in return. And her magic reached across the airways, until she pulled it back. How could he do that over so many miles?

"Stop the magical stuff, Andreas, or I'm going to hang up. I'll be back, but you know I can't stay. Even you can't weave a fairy tale for us to live in. Real life doesn't work that way."

"It would, if you let it," he said. "I do not want you to hang up, so I promise to behave, but I will not deny that I want you here with me."

Oh, Andreas. Her throat tightened. "What can I say? I want to be with you, too, but my job, my life, is here. People depend on me. When Steffan's found, I'll come but only until things are settled. Riverdale is where I belong."

His sigh echoed across the phone. "Let us not worry about that decision now. It is enough that you will come. Sometimes time and circ.u.mstances have a way of taking care of these things."

Or they build insurmountable obstacles. "I hope-"

The sound of a phone ringing in the Deliberation Room interrupted.

"I have to go," she said. "A call is coming in, and it could be the kidnappers." Her words tumbled over one another, as much from relief at the interruption as urgency to pursue the in-coming call. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to call you back tomorrow. We'll talk more then. I promise. Take care of yourself."

"You, too. Good luck to us both." The line went dead. Ari frowned, suspicious his last words might have meaning beyond the obvious. Was he keeping something from her or was she over-a.n.a.lyzing?

The door opened behind her. "It's him," Vita whispered. "The kidnapper's on the phone, and Jena's talking to him."

"I'm coming." Ari forced her concerns about Andreas to the back of her mind and stepped inside the council room, her cell phone already at her ear as she set up the trace.

Jena's end of the phone conversation was heated.

"You didn't think we would sit and wait for you to kill or kidnap the rest of us, did you?" Jena listened a moment, then snapped, "A safe place." Then came a series of short responses: "Yes... I get it... I'll try... One hour..." And finally, "I said I'll try but I can't guarantee anything."

The voice on the other end yelled so loudly that everyone in the room heard his chilling words: "You d.a.m.n well better try. If not, Steffan is a dead man." The loud click as he disconnected brought an ominous silence to the room.

Jena looked at Ari. "Was it long enough?"

"I sure hope so." She waved her phone. "Gilbert's checking. He'll call as soon as he knows."

Three minutes later they heard the good news.

"We have the location, and I've sent two scouts to see what we're getting into," Gilbert said. "The call came from fairly close, no more than fifteen miles from here. Our people can cover that amount of ground pretty quickly. What did the kidnapper have to say?"

Ari put her phone on speaker and they listened as Jena repeated her conversation to the wizard and wolf leaders.

"He wanted us to know Steffan was unharmed." Jena grimaced. "I guess he got the information we spread. Anyway, he promised Steffan would be released immediately if we agreed to drop the coalition, completely abandon the idea."

"And how did he hope to enforce that once Steffan was released?" Ari demanded.

Jena shook her head. "I don't know, but I think he meant it when he said he'd kill him. He sounded frustrated, like he was running out of patience. I'm not sure he's going to agree to anything else. Should we give him what he wants?"

"G.o.ddess no!" Ari said, frowning at Jena. Why was she caving to his demands so quickly? "It's too early to make that kind of decision. Let's see what happens during the next call." She gave Jena a pointed look. "Are you sure you can go through with this?"

"Yeah, I can. I'm just worried about Steffan."

"Did he say anything else?" Robert demanded.

"Not really, but I thought it was odd he didn't push me to tell him where we are. He asked, and then let it drop. I expected him to try harder."

"I'm not surprised. He thinks he already knows," Vita offered. "If the decoy plan worked, he believes we're at Steffan's house."

It was a reasonable explanation. In fact, that had been part of the plan, but somehow it didn't feel right. It was too easy. Her witch senses were twitching, but why wouldn't they be? The air was charged with tension, Otherworld energy, and negative vibes.

"Are you hearing all this?" Ari asked, taking the phone off speaker and moving to a quiet corner to talk with Gilbert privately.

"Most of it. Jena seems worried."

"Yes, and I'm not sure why," Ari said. "But we'll proceed as planned. When he calls back, Jena is going to refuse his terms and make a demand of our own. I can't tell you what it will be right now, but it may p.i.s.s him off. So expect anything, and be extra careful."

"No sweat. I'm always careful, and everyone is out of the house now. If he comes here, he'll find it empty until we close in on him."

"Good. Have you seen anyone yet?"

"Only neighbors. Which is weird. If he thought they were here, wouldn't he have sent someone to check?"

Good point. Ari rubbed her neck. If the kidnappers had fallen for their ruse, they would at least be watching Steffan's house. "Maybe we've figured this wrong."

"Hold on, Ari, my line's beeping. Could be our scouts reporting back." He clicked over to the incoming call.

Ari walked back toward the others. "We may have our answer coming now," she said.