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"I think you've beat it now," Adam said. "Definitely if you include the Nast dungeon."
"That was an arrest, not a kidnapping." I looked at Elena. "What exactly did Roni say?"
"Well, that's the problem, and the cause of the poor operator's angst. Because we've got every Cabal line tied up on these missions, Veronica called the real business line and got a guy who's accustomed to dealing with laypeople trying to submit resumes or get corporate contact information. When he realized what was going on, he panicked and forgot to turn on the tape."
"Ouch."
"According to him, she gave her name and said she needed to talk to you. She insisted on leaving a message, which he jotted down. She gave the name and the address of the Houston target and said you needed to get there because, quote, 'It's all gone wrong. He won't listen to anyone.' Then some garbled stuff about the virus and the targets, which he didn't get verbatim. The upshot is that they're striking in Houston tonight and she wants you to stop it."
"Any return number?"
"It was blocked and she hung up before he could ask for it. But the name and address matches the secondary Houston target Asmondai mentioned. I gave Aaron a heads-up. Nothing so far."
Elena sidestepped a pile of horseshit without even a glance down. Her nose kept her shoes clean. Mine hadn't been so lucky.
I walked along in silence for a moment, then said, "And you guys?"
"Lucas needs Clay and me in Dallas. He's had a tip that the target's whole family was infected. They're not showing any symptoms, though, so he doesn't want to act yet, but he wants us there for when he does."
THIRTY-SIX
When we got to the airport, the jet was waiting, cleared for takeoff. I could tell Elena was debating whether to follow through on Lucas's request for them to continue on to Dallas. Having been a victim of Roni's last cry for help, she didn't like sending us into the breach with only vampires and a skeleton tactical team for backup. But before we could land in Houston, the situation in Dallas changed. At least one family member--a grown daughter--was definitely infected. They'd managed to capture her and were quarantining the others, but a second daughter and her fiance had been out clubbing and had lost their Cabal tail. Jeremy was on it, but he needed Elena and Clay.
So Adam and I got off the plane in Houston alone. We'd just left the private hanger when we saw Cassandra hurrying toward us. Her boots clicked across the pavement as her long jacket snapped behind her. Sunglasses were perched on her sleek red hair, as if she'd pushed them up there and forgotten them after darkness fell. Cass forgets a lot of things these days. As far as anyone can figure, she's passed the end of her semi-immortal lifespan and is hanging on by her fangs . . . and sheer stubbornness.
"Shit, Cass, you're practically running to see me," I called. "Missed your detecting partner, didn't you?"
"Actually, I was hoping to send you on your way again before it's too late." She peered toward the runway. "Has the jet left?"
"It has."
"Damn it. Aaron tried calling. He texted, too. Both of you."
I took my cell phone out. "We had them off for landing. What's up?"
"Nothing, which is why I was trying to stop you from getting off the jet." She waved us to a rental car illegally parked along the sidewalk. "After the outbreaks in Austin and Dallas, Benicio decided we should take secondary targets into custody, to be safe. Cabal operatives did that twenty minutes ago."
"Are we sure that solves it?" I said. "The Dallas guy's family was infected, too."
Her arched brows shot up another half inch. "Did you read this man's file? I know Lucas e-mailed it to all of you earlier."
"Details," I said. "I left that to Research Guy here."
When Cassandra handed Adam the keys, he grinned and waggled them at me. "Gotta love the old-fashioned ladies. They know who belongs in the driver's seat."
"No," Cass said. "We know who belongs in the chauffeur's seat."
I laughed and we climbed in, Cass and me in back.
"This guy doesn't have family," Adam said as he started the car. "His ex-wife lives back east. No kids. That's why I think the group put him on the backup list. He's influential and powerful, but there aren't any family ties to exploit."
"Oil?" I asked.
Cassandra fluttered her fingers. "Some kind of politician."
"Lobbyist, actually," Adam said.
"Yes, yes," she said, as if it were the same thing.
