My shoulders stiffened at his tone. “What have you done?”
“We haven’t done anything yet,” Rob said. “But in Wicked, we are planning to enact a city-wide curfew soon. We will be entering into a state of high alert.”
“That hasn’t been done for... decades.”
“Newton and I believe that it’s our only option,” Rob continued. “We’ll be issuing every household standard defensive spells. It’s a precaution, but we’re better being safe than sorry.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. It could cause panic, which would only make things worse.”
“Either that, or we will go straight to a State of Emergency when the inevitable happens. At least this way, we will have a chance to start gearing people up for the next steps.”
“What are the next steps?”
“I don’t know!” Rob slammed his hands down on the table, rattling our coffee mugs. It was the first hint of anger I’d seen in him. “That’s the problem. That’s why I can’t have you waltzing around in the Dead Lands.”
“That’s not what I’m doing, and you know it. There’s a reason we need Sienna back.”
“There’s a reason I need you here,” Rob argued. “Whoever is behind the attack on the borough—and that’s what this is, Dani, there’s no use denying it anymore—has more knowledge of dark spells than we do.”
“We can defeat them. But we’ll need Sienna’s help.”
“I’m the acting chief for the NYPD, and Newton and I are in agreement. We need our focus here, saving the thousands of people who depend on us. We don’t have time to run after one person, an adult who chose to leave of her own free will. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”
“I see you’ve made up your mind.”
Rob exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. My eldest brother had always been the most beautiful of all the DeMarcos. A playful smile seemed to permanently toy on his lips, and his hair had always been handsomely disheveled. He’d always had any number of female suitors at his beck and call, if he’d wanted to take advantage of it.
It was different, seeing Rob like this. Concerned and distraught, responsible for making tough decisions that could affect our entire borough. Despite my frustration, a part of me was proud of him. He’d traded in his ways of tight-rope walking the line between good and evil for a solid stance on the side of good. For that, I was relieved. But as a sister asking a favor, I was frustrated.
“Fine,” I said. “I’m sorry I came here. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”
“Dani, I know you’re upset. I’m sorry I can’t help you.” Rob softened, reaching over and resting his hand on my forearm. “I know you’ve been through a lot, and frankly, I can’t imagine what you’re feeling. If there was more I could do to help you, I would.”
I made a noise in my throat, but I refrained from arguing. I could tell my brother was sincere, and I decided to hear him out.
“But I have to make decisions as the acting chief of the NYPD for the moment. That means we need to get defensive spells into as many peoples’ hands as possible. It means I need all of our best resources on the job, and that includes you.” He leveled his gaze at me. “It also means we need Felix’s time and energy solely directed toward dissecting that spell.”
“He hasn’t made progress in two months.”
“You think we don’t know that? You don’t think that fact is killing him?” Rob shook his head. “We know the stakes. Felix knows the stakes. If the other side can kill Matthew like that...” Rob snapped his fingers. “What chance do the rest of us stand?”
“I just feel...” I gazed out the window at the thousands of people below. “A little lost, I guess.”
“Of course. That’s natural.”
“Why would somebody do this?”
“There are some twisted minds out there. People who revel in power and black magic. To turn the borough evil would be...” Rob shook his head. “It’d be a mighty task. But we’re up against people who think that’s possible. Desirable, even.”
I waited a beat. “Do you think we can win this? Do you really think we can come out on top?”
“At this point, I don’t know,” Rob said. “We’ll need a miracle by the time the attack comes. If not, then our only hope is to flee.”
“Are you—”
“Yes,” Rob interrupted. “We are working on evacuation plans at the moment.”
“You won’t need them,” I said firmly. “We will figure this out. We always do.”
“I hope so,” Rob said. “But I hope you know that’s not an invitation to go galivanting into the Dead Lands.”
“I can hardly walk in there alone,” I said, standing and rubbing my clammy hands on my jeans. “I’d get two steps inside before suffocating. And nobody is willing to help me, so it seems you’ll get your way.”
Rob stood too. “I just want to see you safe.”
“Er, hi there,” a voice said from behind us. “I’ve been trying not to listen, but is this a good time to interrupt?”
Rob and I stepped away from one another.
“Hey, Poppy,” I said. “Good to see you. Sorry it’s under such dire circumstances.”
“Agreed,” she said. “I’m sorry to hear you’ve lost another friend, even if she’s just gone somewhere else. It’s miserable seeing someone you love in trouble. I know. I’ve been there.”
“Thanks, Poppy. What brings you to the city?”
“I’m trying to help where I can,” she said. “They’re running some tests on potions to stop the other vampires, and it helps to have an insider’s opinion. And sometimes my blood.”
“That’s kind of you,” I said. “We appreciate your assistance.”
“Anytime.” Poppy crossed the room and pulled me into a hug. “Take care, sweetie.”
I found the hug somewhat odd. All in all, I didn’t know Poppy very well, yet she’d gone well out of her way to cross the room just to grab ahold of me. If Rob thought it was strange, he didn’t show it. He went about gathering up the coffee mugs and depositing them into the sink.
My suspicions weren’t unfounded, I soon discovered. As Poppy pulled back from me, she gave me a small wink. Not a friendly, fun wink, but a nod, a warning. She patted my hand, then slipped a tiny piece of paper into my palm.
I closed my hand around it. With my other hand, I gave my brother an exaggerated salute. “I’ll be getting back home. It’s late. But let me know if there’s anything I can do for either of you.”
I didn’t dare look Poppy or Rob in the eyes again before leaving. My heart was racing as I felt the piece of paper in my palm, but I forced myself to stay calm all the way to the ground level, until I could safely review the information that Poppy had handed over to me.
As I stood on the streets of New York, jostled by strangers, I stared down at the slip of paper. On it was a time, a place, and a date. I looked at the clock. The time and date were hardly twelve hours away, and the location was a specific spot on The Isle. There was no name, no information. I wondered if Poppy was setting up a meeting for me? But if so, with whom? And why would it be so imperative to keep it a secret from my brother?