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"Everything else we will agree to," I said, for Jack's benefit.
Dia nodded. "Then I will give you the plans to study, but destroy them afterward. The bus for our recruited fighters leaves the old St. Kilda train station at two this afternoon. A man named Roscoe will meet you."
I raised my eyebrows. "You're not going to be there tonight?"
She smiled thinly. "No. I have one more night of whore recruitment. But I will see you tomorrow."
"Why is he collecting so many women this time?"
She hesitated. "Because it is a gathering."
"A gathering?"
She nodded. "Every major person in his cartel will be there."
"Holy crap, we've hit the jackpot," Jack said. "This is fantastic!"
If it was so fantastic, why did I suddenly feel sick? Maybe because Starr wouldn't be taking such a risk unless the prize at the end of it was worth it. Or maybe it was simply a matter of the shark-infested pond I was diving into suddenly getting a whole lot more dangerous. And I wasn't sure if I was ready for a mission of that magnitude.
Not that I intended backing out. Even if Jack would let me back out.
"Why is he calling in his generals?"
"Because he plans his war against the other syndicates."
"In a month," I said, suddenly remembering Dia's message to Gautier. "When the Directorate lies in your control."
Her gaze swept me. "How did you guess?"
"Fledging clairvoyance skills," I muttered, and rubbed a hand across my eyes. "We have to stop him."
"Yes." She hesitated. "Starr and his lieutenants have their very own, very secure floor under the mansion, and it is fitted with all the latest scanners. It is there he'll meet his people and plan his war. You will not get anywhere near it. Your best bet is the arena, winning the attentions of Alden and Leo, and reading their minds every night. If you can."
And that "if" seemed to be getting bigger and bigger every time I thought about it. I grabbed my backpack and stood up. "The plans?"
She rose and moved to the mantelpiece to pick up a notebook and several rolled-up sheets of paper. "Everything I know about security is in here." She handed me the book and the papers. "The other item is the contract you are supposed to have signed on recruitment. It's basically a work agreement and terms. The others will have read it."
"Then I'd better, too."
She nodded. "And in answer to your earlier question about my sight, I have assistance to help me see when I am outside the boundaries of this house."
I raised my eyebrows. "What type of assistance?"
"If you knew Misha as well as you have said, then you will know of the Fravardin."
I nodded. The Fravardin were guardian spirits Misha had met and enlisted when he'd been in the Middle East. "He never did tell me how he'd managed to get their services, though."
She smiled. "He saved them. Now they are indebted to him, and honor bound to following his wishes, even after his death."
One of his apparent wishes was the Fravardin protecting me, but I hadn't sensed the creatures, let alone met one face-to-face. If you could meet a spirit creature face-to-face, that was. "How is that related to your sight?"
"One of the Fravardin was placed in my service. Whenever I go beyond the four walls of this house, he is with me. I am able to connect through his mind and use his eyes."
I snorted softly. "So you were never in clanger last night, even if those vamps hadn't been a setup?"
"No. The Fravardin would have taken care of any real threat."
Which was a warning as much as it was a statement. "Then why couldn't you use the Fravardin to take out Starr and rescue your daughter?"
