I fought to control my emotions and not be as happy as I felt, or not show it. Bernardo was too observant, and wereanimals were way too observant.
“You don’t smell like wolf anymore,” Rick said. “How can you smell of tiger one moment and wolf the next?”
“Your Master of the City knows the answer to that question. If he didn’t share with you, not my problem.”
He nodded, as if that made perfect sense.
I didn’t hear Edward bang on the door, I felt the vibration of it. Rick glanced at the doors, then pressed his hand on a panel he’d been standing in front of; it was a fingerprint scanner. The doors leading farther into the penthouse whooshed open.
32
EDWARD WAS YELLING in our ears. “Anita, Bernardo! Damn it!”
“We’re here,” I said.
“We’re cool,” Bernardo said.
“What happened?” Edward asked.
“The first room is a box that’s soundproof and electronics proof. We had to play twenty questions before they let us in.” I was looking around us as I spoke. It was a living room, just a living room. It was white and elegant, with windows that gave an amazing view of the Las Vegas Strip. There were huge white couches with cream and silver cushions. There were even a few touches of shiny gold in small cushions. The coffee table in the middle of the couches was glass and silver. I realized that it looked like a bigger version of Jean-Claude’s living room. It didn’t make me feel at home. It actually kind of creeped me.
“Talk to me, people,” Edward said in my ear.
“We’re in the living room,” I said.
“Nice view of the Strip,” Bernardo said.
“Thank you,” Rick said. He walked back to a hallway that was on the other side of the room. But before he got there, Ava walked out. They spoke low together, then she came on into the room, and Rick walked back until he vanished through the door at the end of the short hallway. It was like a changing of the guard.
I called after Rick and to Ava. “Where’s Crispin?”
“He’s safe,” Ava said, “I promise. We just want to talk to you without him for a few moments.”
“More tests?” Bernardo said.
“Not exactly.”
“Ava,” I said, partially so Edward would know she was here, “when do we get to talk to Chang-Bibiana?”
“Rick will tell her what you said in the outer room. Then either she will come out to meet you, or we will take you in to meet her.”
“What decides who goes where?” I asked.
“Chang-Bibi does.”
“When does Crispin join us?”
“When Chang-Bibi wishes him to.”
“She is the queen,” I said, and fought to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. I probably failed.
“She is,” Ava replied. “Would you like to sit down?”
Bernardo and I exchanged glances. He shrugged. “Sure,” I said.
We took opposite corners of the couch. It put neither of our backs to a door, and it gave us the maximum view of the surroundings. We did it without asking each other. Bernardo looked at me as we settled into the overstuffed couch, and I looked back. He gave a small smile, not his flirting smile, but I think a smile at how we’d divided the room up.
“Would you like coffee, tea, water perhaps?” she asked.
“Coffee would be great,” I said.
“Water for me, if it’s bottled.”
“Of course.”
She left us alone in the huge, pale room, with the Vegas sun beating against the nearly solid wall of windows. Even with the air-conditioning blasting, you could feel the heat pressing in against the room, like something almost alive and with malevolent intent.
“Why bottled water?” I asked.
“Because if you travel, the new water is the thing most likely to make you sick. Stick to bottled and you can eat almost anything.”
“Makes sense, I guess.”
Bernardo began to report the room through the headset. Which direction the windows were, the lay of the land, including doors and all exits.
Edward spoke in my ear. “You want to add anything, Anita?”
“Nope. He covered everything I see.”
“Thank you,” Bernardo said.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
A disgusted sound came through the earbud. “I wish you were in here with us, big guy,” Bernardo said.
“Yes,” was all that deep voice said, but it was enough to make me shiver, and not in a good, happy way.
“How do you really feel about Otto?” Bernardo asked.
I gave him a disgusted look. “Oh, right, like I’m going to discuss my personal feelings about team members over an open radio.”
He grinned at me. “I had to try.”