TO MY SURPRISE, Dane didn’t insist on accompanying me, but he did insist that I use his extra car and driver, which he just so happened to have on hand. More than a little presumptuous, but I didn’t argue. I was tired of fighting him. Fighting myself.
After we parted ways, I walked across the square, halfway in a dream. I couldn’t believe my brother was working with Spencer, but I saw the proof with my own eyes. Was he so angry with me that he wanted to kill every immortal? I felt like those people you always read about in the papers: family members of serial killers who had no clue. But Rhys wasn’t just my brother. He was my twin. Did I somehow turn him into this?
As I trudged up the stairs to the dingy room, Beth was waiting on the landing, our backpacks at the ready.
“How did you—”
“Oh, I knew two days ago that we’d be going to his castle.”
“Castle?”
“I’m excited to see it, you know, not just up in here,” she said as she thumped her finger against her forehead.
After telling Dane’s driver that we had a quick errand, we ditched our bags in the trunk of the car and went over a few cobblestone blocks to meet Timmons at a quaint hole-in-the-wall café, tucked away off a small square.
Timmons was hunched over his phone, his knee bouncing up and down like a jackhammer. That’s when I noticed the empty espresso cups littering the table. He could never handle his caffeine. My mom used to tease him about it mercilessly.
As soon as we approached, he jumped up, practically knocking over the table.
“Un altre?” the waiter asked.
“Nope. I’m cutting you off,” I said as I made him sit back down.
“Thank God, you’re okay. I was worried sick,” Timmons said as he perched on the edge of his seat. “I’ve been doing some digging into the council, and it’s worse than I thought. There are heads of state—royalty—captains of industry—these people are not to be tangled with. And as far as the council is concerned, there is no Dane. It’s only Coronado in Dane’s body . . . and they hate him.”
“So I’ve gathered.”
“You know how there was talk of retiring him—well, apparently, there’ve been several members over the years who have fallen out of favor with the council and they’ve just disappeared. Poof. Never to be heard from again. Oh, and it gets better.” He took in a shallow breath. “Rumor has already spread throughout the community that Katia is coming back; he went ahead and told them you were coming before you even agreed. You don’t find that troubling?”
“Dane knows I would do anything to find my brother.”
“And then what?”
“Well, Dane has a body on hand—”
“Of course he does. Body or not, do you really think they’re just going to let you go? The most powerful witch in the world? They have every resource at their disposal. They’ll find you.”
“But that’s where you come in.” I patted his hand. “No one can hide money and assets better than you. We’re going to need an exit plan.”
“You’re basically doing this to keep me busy, aren’t you?”
“Possibly. But you’re right. We need to prepare for every scenario.”
“I’m assuming Dane told you that, in exchange for your services, the council has agreed to release Dane to you. Is that how he got you to agree to this? Emotional manipulation?”
“No,” I whispered, replaying our conversation in my head. “He didn’t mention anything like that. Are you sure?”
“Dead sure. My source said they’ve been trying to get rid of Coronado for decades, but his connection to you is the only thing that’s kept him around. Forgive my Spanish,” he said as he looked at his notes. “Besat per la foscor. ‘Kissed by darkness.’”
A shiver of recognition pulsed through my blood. Why wouldn’t he have told me that?
“Did he also neglect to mention that the three dead council members voted to retire Coronado early, with or without Katia’s consent?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“There are a lot of moving parts here. How do you know you can trust him? After everything he’s done to you and your family? Dane or Coronado . . . or whatever he is.”
“Danado,” Beth and I answered in unison.
He gave us a weirded-out look, but continued. “Funny how he seemed to do perfectly fine without you for the past year. It’s only now, when his life is in real danger, that he reached out. Maybe Rhys has his reasons . . . maybe Danado deserves to die.”
“Timmons,” Beth shushed him.
“It’s okay, Beth,” I said as I pushed the sugar bowl over to her to calm her down. “It’s a valid question. Are there glimpses of Coronado in there? The cockiness . . . for sure. Do I know exactly what I’m dealing with? No. But Dane and Coronado both know how much Rhys means to me. They owe me this. If pretending to be Katia can throw the council off the trail long enough for Dane and me to find Rhys first, it’s worth it.”
Timmons gave me a look.
“I get your concern, I really do. But I can handle him this time. I’ve changed. Besides, I’ll have Beth.”
We looked over at Beth, who was staring off into space as she poured sugar packets onto her outstretched tongue.
“Yes. That’s a real comfort,” Timmons said. He looked around before tucking a small phone under his napkin and sliding it over to me. “It’s a burner. Untraceable. Keep it hidden. You need to check in with me every day. If something happens and I don’t hear from you . . . Well, I know I can’t kill them, but I can cause a hell of a scene.”
“Got it,” I said as I slipped the phone into my pocket.
“As your lawyer, I’m telling you to run; as your friend, I’m telling you to watch your back.”