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My spot was across the street from the factory, behind one of the end houses. No one was home—the driveway was empty and the windows dark.
I crouched behind a shed watching the front delivery gate, ready to whistle at the first sign of the guys. At 9:45 an SUV passed in front of the factory, moving at a crawl: it was the same Edison Group vehicle Derek and I had run from on Saturday night.
As it rolled past, I saw Mike in the driver’s seat. Beside him sat Tori’s mom, watching out the side window. The SUV continued to the corner, then made a right, heading for the back of the factory yard.
I waited until it was out of sight, then leaped up. As I moved, a shadow loomed over me. My fists flew up, but before I could turn, hands grabbed me, one clamping over my mouth, the other around my waist, yanking me back behind the shed.
“It’s me,” a deep voice rumbled.
The hands released me and I turned. There stood Derek, all six foot something of him. Maybe it was just the thrill of seeing him, but he looked better than I remembered. His black hair was still lank, and his face was still dotted with acne. But he looked…better.
“I am so glad to see you,” I said, grinning up at him.
His snort said the feeling wasn’t necessarily mutual. Maybe I should have been a little disappointed, but I was too relieved to care. At this moment, Derek’s trademark scowl was better than any smile.
“I am so glad—”
“Got that,” he said. “Stop bouncing, Chloe, before they notice you. ”
“They’re gone. That’s why—” I looked behind him and my grin faded. “Where’s Simon? H-he’s okay, isn’t he?” I fumbled to pull out the insulin pouch. “I know he needs this. It was—”
“That’s his backup. He had another one in his pocket. ”
“Oh. Right. Um, good. So where—?”
“Around back. I smelled Tori so I thought it was a trap and—”
“Tori! Her mom—The car—We have to warn her. ”
“What?”
I wheeled, motioning for him to follow. I crossed the yard, darting from hiding place to hiding place as I headed for the road the SUV had taken. Derek tried to keep up, his harsh whispers of “Chloe, get back here!” mingled with harsher curses when I slid into spots he couldn’t fit.
Finally, as I dashed along a row of hedges, he caught me by the jacket collar and swung me off my feet, letting me dangle there like a puppy.
“I know a better route. I’ve been here for two days, checking things out as I waited for you. ” He plunked me down but kept his grip on my collar so I couldn’t take off. “Now what’s this about Tori and her mom?”
“No time. Just—Liz. We need Liz. ”
“Liz is alive?”
I hesitated, reminding myself how much he’d missed. “No. I mean…her ghost. I was right about her being dead. She’s been helping me, though, and we need her to scout the way. ”
I broke from his grip and dashed to a break in the hedge. I slid sideways into it and peeked out. Liz stood in the middle of the road two blocks down. I gave a whistle that I thought was just fine, but Derek sighed, put his fingers in his mouth, and whistled loud enough to make my ears ring. I couldn’t tell whether it got Liz’s attention—he made me duck while he listened, in case it got anyone else’s attention. After a moment, he let me peek around the hedge.
“She’s coming,” I said.
Derek nodded. He scanned the yards around us, making sure all was clear.
“You wanted to lead,” I said. “So lead. She’ll catch up. ”
He didn’t move. When I tried to walk away, he caught my sleeve.
“I gotta know what I’m walking into. ”
“Two Edison Group guards discreetly patrolling the yard—”
“Edison Group?”
“And Tori’s mom, plus the guy who shot at you Saturday night. But of all of them, Tori’s mom is the one to watch. ”
“Tori’s mom? Edison Group? What’s—?”
“Derek?”
“What?”
I looked up, meeting his gaze. “Do you trust me?”
I honestly had no idea what the answer would be, but he didn’t hesitate, just grunted, “Course. ”
“Then, yes, I know you want details. But we don’t have time. Not if Simon’s back there and Tori’s mom’s on her way. She’s a witch, and she’s not afraid to use her spells. Good enough?”
He looked off across the yard. Maybe he did trust me, but for Derek, not having all the facts was like sticking a blindfold on him and telling him to follow.
“Stay behind me,” he said, and we took off.
Seventeen
LIZ SCOUTED THE WAY, running ahead and whistling us onward. Derek’s mouth stayed set in that way that let me know he wasn’t happy…which was pretty much his normal expression, so I ignored it.
The SUV had gone down a service road beside the factory. Along it were smaller industrial buildings, with more at the back, which is where we’d entered with the Edison Group yesterday and where Tori now waited. It was also where the SUV had headed.
We were still in the residential blocks to the north of the factory yard, now standing behind a minivan at the neighborhood’s edge. As we peered around it, we could see the SUV parked behind another vehicle. Tori’s mom, Mike, and the balding driver stood beside it, talking.
“Where’s Simon?” I whispered.
“On the other side of them. Tori?”
“I left her over there—” I pointed. “She went around back to watch the rear entrance. Hopefully, she’s lying low and staying put. ”
“If it was you, yeah. Tori?” A derisive snort. I’d have basked more in the compliment if I didn’t know Derek considered Tori only slightly smarter than plankton.
“We can slip across this road and cut through the next yard,” I said. “Then we can circle—”
Derek caught my arm again as I started to move—at this rate, it was soon going to be as sore as my injured one.
“Dog,” he said, jerking his chin toward the fenced yard. “It was inside earlier. ”
Expecting to see a Doberman slavering at the fence, I followed his gaze to a little puff of white fur, the kind of dog women stick in their purses. It wasn’t even barking, just staring at us, dancing in place.
“Oh, my God! It’s a killer Pomeranian. ” I glanced up at Derek. “It’s a tough call, but I think you can take him. ”
A glare. “That’s not—”
The wind changed and the dog went rigid. Derek swore, and pulled me backward. The dog gave one low, piercing whine. Then it went nuts, jumping and twisting and barking, a whirlwind of white fur battering itself against the fence.
Derek yanked me behind the minivan. We were out of the dog’s sight, but it continued yelping and snarling, the wire fence twanging with each hit.
“It smelled me,” Derek said. “The werewolf thing. ”
“Do they always do that?”
He shook his head. “I used to just make them nervous. They’d steer clear, maybe bark a bit. Now?” He waved toward the racket. “I get this. We need to shut it up. ”
“I’ll—Wait. Liz!”
She was already running over.
“Could you distract that dog?” I asked her. “I think he wants to play fetch. ”
