Silver Smoke (#1 of Seven Halos Series) (42 page)

Annie asked, a twinge of knowledge in the corners of her eyes.

Brie bit her lip, unsure how to answer. How did Annie know about them?

"Oh, come on," Annie said, taking in the look on Brie's face. "I'm not blind. I see the way Rykken looks at you."

Brie's eyebrows flattened across her forehead. "How does he look at me?"

Annie laughed. "Like you're the only person in his world."

Brie felt her expression softening. "We
just
started dating, and it's not serious." Annie scoffed, chuckling to herself.

Brie clasped her hands together, entwining her fingers. She twisted sideways in her seat to face Annie. "Please don't tell James yet. I'll tell him soon. But I don't want Rykken to get kicked out of another home... it'll destroy him."

Annie reclined her head, glancing up at the ceiling of her car. "You know I'm risking my job by keeping your secret."

"If James finds out, you don't have to tell him you knew. I won't tell him. We won't even tell Pilot you know."

Annie tilted her head the other way. "So Pilot knows... I wondered how he would take it."

"He understands," Brie said, even though she was fairly sure Pilot was still freaked out about her dating his best friend.

Annie smirked, getting out of the car. Brie felt her face heat up; it was obvious that Annie didn't believe her. Maybe she'd heard Pilot yelling at them when he first found out? Annie noticed
everything
.

As she circled around to the trunk, Brie wondered if Annie had noticed something useful; something that could help her understand Kennedy's motives.

"Speaking of Pilot," she said casually, "he told me I could borrow this book from him,
Hawaiian
Myths and Legends
." Brie watched Annie's face, but her expression didn't change at the mention of the book. "I can't find it anywhere in the house though. Have you seen it?"

"Nope," Annie said. "The last time I saw it was when Pilot asked for it."

"Oh," Brie said, playing dumb. "Maybe I'll just get a copy of it. Where did you buy it?"

Annie sighed. "Honestly, Brie, I don't remember anymore." She grabbed grocery bags from the trunk.

"That's weird." Brie said. "I thought you had a good memory for those things, since James is so particular about what comes into the house. Isn't that the reason he hired you?" Brie looked at her middle finger casually, like she was examining her manicure. "Unless you borrowed it from someone, or someone you knew gave it to you..."

Annie set a bag of groceries on the cement garage floor. "What do you want, Brie? I already said I wouldn't tell James about Rykken."

"I'm not threatening you." Brie smiled, hoping she could prove her sincerity. "I just need to know how you got that book, especially since it's missing."

Annie was quiet for a moment. "There was a girl, okay? I met her at a bar on my night off right after your mom died and right before you and Pilot came here."

Brie clamped her mouth shut, utterly shocked.

"The girl came over afterwards to talk, and have a drink. I know James doesn't like strangers in the house, but nothing happened—I cannot stress that enough to you. She was just a friend." Annie put her hands together in front of her like she was praying, but Brie guessed she was actually incredibly embarrassed.

"Anyway," Annie continued, "she was from out of town and she noticed our collection of books about Hawaiian legends. A few weeks later, she sent the book." Annie shrugged. "It was a nice gesture, so I put it on the shelf with the rest of them."

"Are you gay?" Brie blurted out. She couldn't believe no one had mentioned it and Annie hadn't told her.

Annie rolled her eyes. "My sexual preferences are none of your business, Brie."

This gave Brie pause, as she considered why Annie would keep this a secret from them. "You know my sexual preferences," she said.

"No, I know you're dating the guy James just agreed to foster. Let's be clear that this
entire
conversation is in confidence. I'll keep up my end as long as you keep up yours."

"I'm not going to rat you out." Brie heaved with exasperation. "I was just wondering... anyway, what did the girl look like?"

"She was pale blonde, skinny, dark skin... why do you care so much?"

"No reason," Brie said, a sinking dip in her tummy. "Please, if you see her again, just stay away from her."

"What? Why?" Annie's expression turned to stone. "Do you know this girl?"

"I can't explain right now, but for your own safety..." Brie felt weak and disgusted. She couldn't believe Kennedy had penetrated their lives so deeply without getting noticed. What did she want? Brie didn't know how to get ahead of this girl and whatever her sick plans were.

Annie gave Brie a moody look, and thrust a bag of groceries into Brie's arms. "Your boyfriend is waiting." She picked up a bag and stalked toward the house.

Brie ran to catch up to her, but Annie stopped short, right next to a wall of bushes, one of the many walls scattered over the property.

"Do you hear that?" Annie whispered.

Brie listened and heard familiar voices arguing near the steps of her home.

"We have to turn Brie in." Thessa's animated voice was laced with shadowy fury.

At the mention of her name, Brie ducked behind the bushes, hoping they hadn't heard Annie and her coming.

She set the bag of groceries down and tugged Annie to the ground. Annie knelt down quietly, keeping her sense about her. They locked eyes as they strained to listen, trying not to make a sound.

"This is the New Order we're talking about." Sirena had an urgency about her voice that Brie had never heard before. "Whose side are you on?"

"What's the New Order?" Annie whispered. Annie set her bag down next to Brie's bag, her eyes sharp.

Brie hushed her and peeked through the bushes. Thessa had papers in her hand, and Sirena looked...

scared.

Thessa's aggressive stance startled Brie. "You know what the blood results mean," Thessa said, speaking very quickly. "You know the rules that Michael set out. If Brie is the first sign, we have a duty to put our differences with the New Order aside and work for the greater good of the Hallows."

"They are expecting a
Nephilim
," Sirena said. "Do you really think they will keep Brie alive?"

"It's not my choice!" Thessa said. "If Brie's death is what's best for the Hallows, then so be it."

Brie gasped, pulling away from the bushes. She let herself fall back into the dirt, soiling her clothes, but she didn't care. Annie's eyes were wide, but she didn't ask Brie any more questions. In the yard, there was a stint of silence.

"You swore you would keep my family safe," Sirena said, finally breaking the tension.

"This is bigger than your family and you know it," Thessa retorted. Brie worked up the nerve to peek through the bushes again, only to see Sirena with the most dangerous look Brie had ever seen.

"If you give them Brie, I will give them you. I don't care if they kill me in the process."

Thessa scoffed. "I know you care little for your own life Sirena, but you're mistaken if you think I care for mine."

"Clara and Cora will go down with you though. You care about them, correct?"

Silence. Brie squinted, but she could only see Thessa's back. "They will choose what's best for the Hallows too, even if it means self-sacrifice."

"At least wait until—"

"No," Thessa boomed. "I can only go so far against the New Order. We will make them understand who she is, and they can help her fulfill her role in the sacrifice."

Then Brie heard something she couldn't reason with: crying. She couldn't imagine either girl shedding tears—they were both so strong and sure of themselves. When she peaked through the bushes, she saw Sirena burying her face in her hands.

With a steady voice, Thessa said, "You're making this unnecessarily difficult. If we work together, we can come up with a story that protects everyone. If we rat each other out, we'll all fall."

Sirena sniffled. "Go tell Clara and Cora then. I'll get Brie and meet you at your house."

There was a pause, then Thessa sighed. "Fine. Tell Brie however you want to. But you know if you run, we'll just find you."

Sirena's voice was small. "I know."

Brie heard a whoosh sound, then footsteps. Her phone beeped and she quickly silenced it. There was a text message from Sirena with three words: "Ready to go?" Brie heard the doorbell to her house chiming, once, twice, then three times. No one was answering.

Brie took that as a good sign. "Annie," she whispered. "Use the gate in the back yard to get out of here.

I want you to go to one of the hotels on the strip and charge a room under the name 'Kate Rosalind.' Wait for me to call you or find you for further instructions. Do not call me. Do not call the police. Do not tell anyone what you are doing or why you're there."

Annie nodded; she seemed to sense the seriousness of the situation. "Where are you going?"

"I need to find the boys. Pilot's car is gone and no one's answering the door, so they must be out."

Brie opened a new text message, filling in two names in the recipient box. She typed her message and hit send, hoping they could move fast enough.

Pilot felt numb as he sunk into James' desk chair, helpless, seconds after Kennedy disappeared. He heard the doorbell ringing, but he refused to answer. The person he needed the most was gone, and anyone else who he could tolerate had a key to the house.

He didn't know what Kennedy planned to do to Rykken, or why she needed him out of the way in the first place. Pilot wished he hadn't gotten angry with her. If he could have just kept her here and gotten the whole story from her, he might know what to do now. Instead, he only knew that he couldn't save Rykken himself and that he didn't trust the Hallows to help him.

He quickly sent a text to Rykken, warning him about Kennedy. What a pathetic way to help a friend! But nothing he did would make much of a difference. Like Kennedy said, if she wanted Rykken dead, he would be. Pilot didn't doubt her abilities to do whatever she wanted.

Finally, the ringing doorbell stopped, only to be replaced by his phone buzzing. He pulled it out of his pocket, checking the screen.

The message was from Brie.
SOS. I'm coming to you.
The text message was only sent to him and Rykken.

Did Brie know where Rykken was? What Kennedy planned for him? Pilot doubted it mattered. Brie and Rykken would be no match for Kennedy anyway, and Kennedy said she needed Brie's help. Brie was safe, Rykken was not, and Kennedy could find either of them in a heartbeat.

Before he could untangle Brie's message, Pilot heard a faint female voice down the hall. "Brie?" The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't Annie. He heard footsteps padding toward him. The light! James'

study must have been the only room lit up in the entire house.

Hallow, Nephilim, Trinity. This wasn't an ordinary burglar, it was someone who could move through walls undetected and unchecked. When the girl ran into the room, a mess of dirty blonde hair that contrasted with her tan skin and brown eyes, Pilot didn't even bother hiding or trying to evade her.

"Pilot!" she said, gasping. Pilot sat up straighter.

"What are you doing here Sirena?"

Sirena hesitated, a hint of distrust in her eyes. "Brie," she said. "I need Brie. Where is she?"

Pilot paused. He had no idea where Brie was, and only the faintest clue where Rykken was. Odds were that they were together now, with Kennedy on their heels. Would Kennedy hurt Brie if she stood in the way?

Pilot stretched out his back, twisting his neck around.

Sirena eyed him warily. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Pilot tasted blood in his mouth from where he bit the inside of his lip.
Focus
, he thought. What did Brie's text say? Just that she was in trouble. But she had only sent it to Rykken and him. Could she be running from Sirena and the other Hallows?

"I don't know where Brie is," Pilot said in the most nonchalant voice he could muster. He could hear the baritone in his voice trembling. "Let me text her."

He opened his phone again to text Brie.
Held up by Sirena. Kennedy after Rykken.
He wished he could say more—give Brie instructions, like 'save Rykken' or 'leave without me,' but he couldn't think straight enough to give his sister directions that he could be confident about. He left it at that and hit send.

Sirena eyed him curiously, and he knew he spent too much time hesitating to fool her. She said nothing though; she just paced the room the same way he had an hour earlier.

"What's the emergency with Brie?" he asked.

She glared at him. "Who did you really text?"

Pilot flexed his torso, coming to his feet. "Brie, like I said. Your turn." The way Sirena stalked around the room raised his anxiety level.

Sirena sighed, hunkering over. "Thessa is looking for Brie and I'm trying to reach her first. I need to keep them away from each other. Thessa..." Sirena's cheeks flinched. "I don't think we can trust Thessa anymore."

Sirena's eyes pleaded with him. She was desperate.

Pilot tried to act surprised. He felt exposed, like Sirena knew about Kennedy's bomb. "Why does Thessa want Brie?"

"It would take too long to explain." Sirena stopped pacing and threw up her hands. "Pilot, if you know anything about where Brie is—"

"How can I trust you if you don't tell me what's going on?" he asked. "Maybe you're on Thessa's side and this is a trick."

Before he knew it, his chair had toppled over backwards. Sirena had tackled him and the chair; she now straddled him, pinning him down. She grabbed his phone from him.

He yelped, trying to swipe it back, but she was across the room already.

She flipped open the phone. "Kennedy is after Rykken? Why didn't you tell me?"

Sirena swore all the way across the room, grabbing Pilot.

"You have a lot to learn about this world, earthlie, and the first is that I'm on your side!" She pulled Pilot along with her the way Brie had before; the only difference was that Sirena moved much slower. As the scenery changed from James' study, to the front gates at the van Rossum estate, to a blur of houses, one after the other, Pilot was happy he hadn't eaten. He was almost sure he'd be chucking it if he had.