Cassie understood and tried to repair the damage. “Did I say we? I meant me.”
“Will I see you again?” Hannah asked anxiously, fearing her one ally might disappear for good.
Cassie gave her a comforting pat on the back. “No worries. I come around here all the time. Faye’s a really great cook.”
The girl relaxed slightly.
“They won’t find you here,” Maddie added emphatically. “This is the last place they’d think to look.”
Hannah smiled with relief. “Then I would be happy to stay and help with the chores if I can.”
Faye laughed. “An extra pair of hands in the kitchen. Now that is good news.”
Hannah stood immediately. “Here, let me help you clear the plates.”
***
Maddie and Cassie watched as the other two walked back to the kitchen.
The operations director lit a cigarette, took a long drag and exhaled with a grateful sigh. “I was dying for a smoke all through that little chat.” She chuckled ruefully. “But after the first impression I made on that poor kid, I knew she’d faint dead away at the sight of me smoking.”
“No lie,” Cassie agreed.
Maddie paused to contemplate the rear door of the house through which Faye and Hannah had disappeared. “You’re going to have to tread carefully with her.”
The pythia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We don’t want her knowing anything about the Arkana if we can help it. As far as she’s concerned, Faye is just a kindly old lady who’s helping you soldier on after your two comrades in arms were brutally murdered by Hunt.”
“At some point, she’ll start to wonder what a kindly old lady has to do with ancient artifacts,” Cassie countered.
Maddie cocked her head to the side to consider. “Right now, the only thing on her mind is how to keep herself off the Nephilim’s radar.”
“True, but sooner or later she’ll feel safe enough to start asking some pretty awkward questions.”
The operations director grinned. “Then we tap dance like mad.”
Cassie folded her arms truculently. “I hate dancing.”
“Look, kiddo, keeping her in the dark is as much for her protection as it is for ours. Imagine what the Nephilim would do to her if they thought she was part of some secret organization bent on thwarting their plans.”
The pythia sighed. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I’ll be careful what I say to her.” She paused. “I still think having her here is a good thing. She can give us the scoop on life inside the compound. You have to admit that’s a plus.”
Maddie ground out her half-smoked cigarette and immediately lit another. “Maybe,” she agreed guardedly.
“We can’t send her back to them,” Cassie insisted. “Think about what her life was like.”
The operations director blew a smoke ring. “Of course not. That isn’t even a question. I just mean that her disappearance must have stirred up one hell of a hornet’s nest among the BN.”
“So?”
“Let’s hope we aren’t the ones who end up getting stung.”
Chapter 14 – A Change in the Wind
Daniel stole quietly up behind his father. The old man was kneeling at the prie-dieu in his prayer closet, head sunk into his hands, sighing and muttering to himself. The words were unintelligible, but the urgency of the tone was unmistakable. He seemed to be using the room for its nominal purpose. He was actually praying in it. The scion had never known the diviner to do that before.
In the past few days, Abraham had displayed any number of uncharacteristic behaviors. He was more distracted and less decisive than usual. Hannah’s disappearance had shaken him to the core. Perhaps it wasn’t so much her disappearance as it was the interpretation Abraham had placed on the event. By spiriting Hannah away, the devil had harmed the diviner personally. Although Abraham had spent countless hours in the pulpit exhorting his congregation to beware of Satan’s attacks, he must have felt himself to be above the reach of the Evil One. The devil had just demonstrated that his arm was quite a bit longer than the diviner had anticipated. Daniel speculated that this affront made his father feel vulnerable—an entirely new sensation for him. No wonder Abraham was praying so hard. The devil had thrown down a gauntlet at the old man’s feet. The only question was how the diviner intended to answer the challenge.
“Father?” Daniel laid a hand tentatively on the old man’s shoulder.
“What!” Abraham jumped to his feet and whirled about. He seemed disoriented until his eyes fastened on his visitor. “You shouldn’t sneak up like that when I’m at prayer!” He adjusted his suit coat, smoothing the lapels.
“I... I tried knocking, sir, but you didn’t answer.”
“I was very deep in prayer,” the old man countered self-righteously. He gestured for Daniel to take a seat at the little table below the scowling portrait of his grandfather. “What did you want to see me about?”
Daniel forced a smile. “I wanted to tell you I have good news. I’m ready to set forth on the relic quest once more.”
“Oh, that,” the old man said vacantly. His eyes traveled back to the prie-dieu.
The scion was nonplussed. Ordinarily, an announcement such as he had just made would have made his father quiver with delight. Instead, Daniel was treated to an empty stare. Strange behavior indeed.
Perhaps Abraham’s distraction was a blessing in disguise. His son’s reasons for launching the quest at this particular time wouldn’t bear close scrutiny. Daniel couldn’t very well reveal that his principal motive was simply to get as far away from the compound as possible. The continued search for Hannah was making him nervous. He didn’t know how long he could manage to feign innocence every time the topic of her disappearance came up. Whenever he was engaged in a conversation with one of his brethren, someone would invariably begin to speculate about how she got out and where she had gone.
His anxiety about being caught in a lie was further compounded by his concern for the girl herself. Daniel had gone back to the maternity
