Slayers: Friends and Traitors

by C. J. Hill

  “Lipstick,” Tori said.

  “Lipstick?” Jesse repeated. “Why do you need that?”

  “It’s part of my cover. If I was really going to Ryker’s house to hit on him, I’d touch up my lipstick first.” She ran a hand over her hair. The wind had made it a mess. “I’ll need a brush, too.”

  Jesse tapped the pen against the paper. “That’s not worth a trip to the store. You’ll have to manage without it.”

  “No, you won’t,” Bess whispered. She patted her jacket pocket. “I was going to a party with hot guys. I’m prepared.”

  Eventually the planning was done, and then everyone got up and made a second trip through the food cabinets. Everyone except for Jesse. He sat by himself, looking out his window. Tori grabbed a few things and went and sat next to him.

  She offered him a soda. He shook his head. She held out a package of cookies. He shook his head at those, too. He had to be hungry. She was starving and she hadn’t flown as far or as long as he had.

  “Well,” she said, surveying the food she brought over. “We know one thing about Sam: He isn’t into health food.”

  Jesse didn’t comment. The lines of his face were hard, angry.

  “Are you thinking about Dirk?” she asked.

  “I’m thinking about Alyssa.”

  He was angry at himself then.

  Tori put her hand on his arm. “It wasn’t your fault—telling Dirk about the tracking program. We all trusted him.”

  “But I’m the one who told him. Now we only have one healer. How many lives do you think that will cost?”

  “If Dirk hadn’t been a traitor, telling him that information could have saved all of our lives.”

  “Could have doesn’t matter.” Jesse went back to staring out the window. His gaze was fierce and determined. And worried. He didn’t look at her, didn’t speak again.

  “I’m trying to make you feel better,” she said. “You’re making it hard.”

  “Sorry.” He kept staring out the window.

  She opened the packages of cookies and bit into one. Her stress made everything taste bland and chalky.

  “You probably think it’s ironic,” he said. “I refused to break the rules with you during the school year, and then broke a rule that nearly got us all eliminated.”

  Tori hadn’t thought of it that way. Now it stung. “You’re right.” She took another bite of the cookie, crunching it extra hard between her teeth. Jesse had trusted Dirk enough to tell him important secrets, secrets he’d never told her. Jesse wouldn’t even show up at the Natural History Museum to have lunch with her.

  And Dirk wasn’t any better. He’d used Tori to get information about Ryker. He’d played her. “When you come right down to it, guys are jerks.”

  Jesse finally gave her his full attention. “Tori, you stink at making people feel better.”

  “Sorry, I stink at a lot of things.” She took a cookie from the package and handed it to him. “Eat it,” she said. “You’ll need your strength.”

  CHAPTER 29

  It was almost nine o’ clock by the time Dr. B pulled onto Ryker’s street. His house was on the east side of Rutland in a neighborhood that backed up to a forest. The yards were so large and the pine trees so big that you couldn’t see one house from the next. Tori had hoped Ryker lived in a tract-home neighborhood, one that would be hard for Overdrake’s men to converge on without being noticed by neighbors and trick-or-treaters. This house—an entire SWAT team could have hidden in the trees.

  Dr. B parked down the street. Tori and Bess walked to the house, both of them surveying the area. The night was even colder now. Tori was grateful the simulator energy helped keep her warm. She would be shivering otherwise. The only jacket she had was the Kevlar one, and she couldn’t very well wear that while pretending to be a trick-or-treater.

  “I’m Courtney, you’re Britney,” Bess told her. “You’re the pathetic stalker girl. I’m your normal friend that you brought along for support.”

  “I’m always the pathetic stalker girl,” Tori mumbled.

  “Also,” Bess went on, “when you’re off your medication, you do impulsive things. It can’t be helped.”

  “Thanks,” Tori said. “Thanks a lot.”

  Bess rang the doorbell. A few moments later a woman holding a bowl of candy answered the door. She was tall and trim with shoulder-length blonde hair and perfectly applied makeup. She had a professional air about her and looked so young Tori worried they had the wrong house. Could this woman be the mother of a seventeen-year-old? The woman held out a couple of miniature Snickers to Tori and Bess, then noticed they didn’t have bags.

  “Hi,” Tori said sheepishly. “We’re not trick-or-treaters. We were actually wondering if Ryker was home.”

  The woman didn’t look confused or surprised by the name. They had the right house.

  Before Mrs. Davis put the Snickers back in her bowl, Bess reached out and took one from her hand. “We’re friends of his.”

  “Oh,” Mrs. Davis said, looking them over more closely. Her eyes lingered on Tori’s miniskirt with a twinge of disapproval. “He’s not home right now. He went to a party at Jason’s house.”

  “Jason?” Tori repeated, fishing for more information.

  “Jason Ferguson,” Mrs. Davis said.

  A teenage girl walked up to the door. She was also tall and blonde, with high cheekbones and a build like a ballerina. Ryker’s sister, most likely. She looked them over, probably expecting to recognize them and seemed perplexed that she didn’t. Rutland was such a small city all the teenagers probably knew one another. Time to switch stories.

  “You’re Ryker’s friends?” the girl asked.

  “We’re actually from Burlington.” Tori said. “Ryker and I met at a football game, and he told me if I was ever in Rutland to stop by.” She said it too fast, wasn’t sure if it even sounded believable. If Ryker had a steady girlfriend, the next few moments were going to be very awkward.

  Tori smiled and silently hoped Ryker’s sister didn’t ask anything about Burlington’s football team. It wouldn’t help their story if Ryker’s family realized that Tori didn’t know certain key facts, like the name of Burlington’s high school or the name of their team.

  “Oh,” Mrs. Davis said again, and made another survey of Tori’s costume. This time her eyes stopped on Tori’s bare midriff. “What were your names?”

  “Britney and Courtney,” Bess said. She ripped open her Snickers and took a bite. “Since we’re not from here, could you tell us how to get to Jason’s house?”

  The teenage girl stepped around Mrs. Davis onto the porch. “I can give you directions.”

  “Don’t leave with them, Willow,” Mrs. Davis said. “You’re staying in tonight.” The sentence was said in the tone of a parent who had grounded their child and wanted to make sure they remembered that fact.

  “I won’t,” Willow replied, exasperated.

  Mrs. Davis shut the door. Willow waited a moment, then glanced behind her to check that they were alone. She walked down the steps with Tori and Bess and lowered her voice. “Actually, Ryker’s not at that party. So don’t waste your time going.”

  “Oh. Okay,” Tori said. “Where is he?” A chill breeze blew against her legs. No wonder Ryker’s mother had kept staring at her costume. Clearly only crazy people and trampy girls would wear this little clothing on such a cold night.

  “Probably on his way home … or maybe he just had to come back to town for something…” Willow seemed like the friendly type, not overly suspicious. That was good. She pulled out her phone and texted the words, “Where are you?”

  Tori tried to catch sight of Ryker’s number but was only able to glimpse a few numbers. “Don’t tell him I’m here,” she said. “I want to surprise him.”

  Bess leaned back on the heels of her cowboy boots, casually glancing around the front yard. “He’s not out on a date, is he? That would be embarrassing. I mean, if he is—tell us where he’s going so we don�
�t accidentally run into him.”

  “He’s not on a date,” Willow said quickly. “He’s just … out.” She was withholding information. “Sometimes it’s hard to get a hold of him. If he’s not answering it probably means he’ll be out until late.”

  Tori looked down at the ground and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, pretending to feel reluctant. “I don’t get to Rutland very often and I was really, really looking forward to seeing him. Can you at least tell us where he was going?”

  Bess leaned toward Willow with a confidential air and motioned to Tori. “They’re soul mates. Britney talked about Ryker the entire car ride up. Please help her see him or I’m going to hear about it all the way back to Burlington.”

  Willow fiddled with her cell phone, looked uncertain, then typed out another text. The way she held her phone, Tori couldn’t see what she was writing. “Okay,” Willow said, “but I’ll have to ruin your surprise. It might be the only way to get him to reply.”

  Tori’s stomach lurched. When Ryker texted back and said he didn’t know any Britneys from Burlington, she was going to look really stupid. What could Tori do then? Laugh and joke about what bad memories guys had? Burst into tears?

  “Are you Ryker’s sister?” Tori asked, because it seemed like she should say something.

  “His cousin. I’m staying here while my parents are working in India.” Willow cast a look back at the door. “It’s sort of like a prison sentence. I keep thinking it’s going to be over and then find out that, no, I didn’t make parole.”

  Bess nodded sympathetically. “Your aunt and uncle are strict?”

  “Yeah,” Willow said, like it was an understatement. She tilted her head, giving Tori a meaningful look. “Before you sign on as Ryker’s soul mate, you might want to ponder his parents as your in-laws. Just saying.”

  At that, the door opened again. Mrs. Davis stuck her head out. “Willow, what’s taking you so long?”

  “I’m just telling them who to avoid at Jason’s party,” Willow called back.

  “One more minute, and then you need to come inside.” Mrs. Davis shut the door.

  Willow’s phone chimed. She glanced at it. “He’s up at the ridge on Bird Mountain—the one where he goes hang gliding.” She seemed to think Tori should know where that was, and perhaps a soul mate would. Willow headed back up the stairs, unconcerned. Either Ryker only answered Willow’s first text message, or Willow’s second text message didn’t tell Ryker who was looking for him.

  “Wait,” Bess called to Willow. “How will we find him?”

  “Look for his truck”—Willow put her hand on the doorknob—“and he’ll find you.” She went inside without another word.

  He’ll find you? Did that mean he would be waiting for them? And what was he doing up on a ridge on Halloween night anyway? Was he by himself?

  Bess and Tori turned and walked toward the van, hurrying. Bess pulled off her bandana and shoved it into her jeans pocket. “Willow didn’t think it was strange that you came from Burlington to see Ryker. You know what this means, don’t you?” She smiled happily. “Ryker is totally hot. This is awesome. I am so ready to meet a Slayer who doesn’t feel like a brother.”

  They climbed into the van. Dr. B moved it a little farther down the street so the Davises wouldn’t see them parked in front of their house and become suspicious. While Tori and Bess put on their body armor, neck mikes, and earpieces, they relayed what they had learned about Ryker.

  “And depending on what Willow texted to him,” Tori finished up, “he might be expecting stalkers. Bess told her that I think Ryker is my soul mate.”

  “Well,” Jesse said so softly that he probably didn’t mean for Tori to hear him, “that’s about how fast you move on to the next guy, isn’t it?”

  Tori shot him a sharp look to let him know that she’d heard him.

  “We’ll need to divide into two teams,” Dr. B said. “One will guard Ryker’s house in case Overdrake’s men show up, the other will look for Ryker. Captains?”

  At first Tori thought Dr. B had forgotten Dirk was gone. When she raised her gaze to Dr. B, he was staring back at her. He was waiting for her opinion.

  She shook her head. She wasn’t going to lead.

  “I’ll stay here to guard,” Jesse said. “I want Kody and Bess with me. They’ll be the most useful against Overdrake’s men.”

  Bess let out a groan. “Seriously? The other three girls get to meet Ryker, while I have to stay here?”

  “Sorry,” Jesse told her. “No one else can throw a shield up that protects against bullets.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Bess adjusted her neck mike, then put in her earpiece. “If my fairy godmother shows up with a gown and some cool shoes—I’m totally out of here.”

  Dr. B had downloaded directions to Bird Mountain on his phone. “Depending on where Ryker is on the ridge, he’s probably seven or eight miles away. That means while we’re gone, Jesse’s team will be out of range for part of the time.” Dr. B frowned, unhappy about this fact. “I can’t leave the simulator here, though. Tori’s team might need their night vision to find Ryker. And besides, they’ll need to show him their powers in order to convince him they really are Slayers.”

  Jesse strapped his rifle sling onto his shoulder. “If it looks like you’ll be out of range for longer than a half an hour, drive back down here close enough to give us a recharge.”

  Dr. B nodded in agreement. “Bess, keep me apprised of any developments.” Taking in Kody and Jesse with his gaze, he added, “If Overdrake’s men show up, be careful where and what you shoot. You don’t want to inadvertently hit trick-or-treaters.”

  “We’ll try to remember that.” Bess opened the van door and stepped out. “No sniping small children, guys.”

  Jesse and Kody joined her without comment. Dr. B turned in his seat so he could see Tori. He motioned to the passenger seat beside him. “Come sit next to me.”

  She did so reluctantly. He was going to talk to her about being A-team’s captain and she didn’t want the responsibility. She had thought it would always be Dirk’s. He was so much better suited to that sort of thing—no, she wouldn’t think about him. She looked out the window at homes, trees, and the occasional trick-or-treater.

  As they drove through Rutland, she waited for Dr. B to bring up the subject of A-team’s captain. He didn’t speak, though. In the backseat, Lilly and Rosa were discussing Alyssa. “She’s not as far gone as Leo and Danielle,” Lilly said. “We just need to make sure she doesn’t start going to keggers. We should be with her every weekend. I can take Friday nights. You shadow her on Saturdays.”

  “We don’t even know where we’re going to live now,” Rosa pointed out.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Lilly said. “We’re her friends.”

  Finally Dr. B glanced at Tori. “It’s hard to lose a counterpart,” he said softly. “Perhaps it’s even harder for you. Dirk…”

  He didn’t have to finish. They couldn’t hope for a way to restore Dirk’s powers like they could for Alyssa. Dirk chose to leave and betrayed them in the process. Tori didn’t answer. She couldn’t.

  “When you met Dirk’s family, how did his mother look?”

  “Young, pretty, and rich.”

  The answer made Dr. B smile in a sad sort of way. “Bianca always was beautiful. Did she seem happy?”

  Tori hadn’t realized until then that Dr. B knew Dirk’s mother. It made sense, she supposed. He and Overdrake had grown up together on St. Helena. “I met Dirk’s stepmother,” Tori clarified. “Overdrake divorced his first wife when Dirk was six. He hasn’t seen her since.”

  A flash of surprise crossed Dr. B’s expression. “I can understand why Bianca would divorce Brant Overdrake, but it’s not like her to abandon her son.”

  “I don’t think Overdrake gave her a choice.”

  Dr. B let out a disapproving grunt and shook his head. The van turned from one tree-lined street onto another. “I can’t believe that Dirk is Bianca Fenton�
�s son. I feel like I should have known, like I should have seen some part of Bianca in him. If I could have only…” He let the sentence drift off into a ragged, painful silence.

  They had all loved Dirk. How did a person get over that sort of gaping loss? To stop her sadness, Tori concentrated on what Dirk had done. She concentrated on Alyssa, who couldn’t help them anymore. On Jesse, who’d been attacked by Overdrake’s men. On Ryker, who was in danger now.

  Thinking of all of this only made her feel angry at herself. “I should have figured out the truth about Dirk last summer,” she said. “We were together every day for months and not once did I ever feel like he was an enemy. When he was practicing with us—none of it felt like a lie. How could I have missed that?”

  Instead of making excuses for her, Dr. B brightened. “Really? You never sensed any malice from him?”

  She shook her head. “I knew he was hiding things sometimes, and I knew talking about his family made him tense, but I figured that was normal stuff.”

  Dr. B smiled. “That’s wonderful news.”

  “That I’m clueless?”

  “No. You couldn’t have missed that much betrayal. That means after Dirk helped us escape from his father’s compound, his loyalties were with us. For the rest of the summer he intended to help us, not fight us. His heart isn’t as dark as I feared.”

  Tori hadn’t considered this. She wasn’t sure whether it made her feel better or worse. It made it harder to erase Dirk from her own heart. “What do you think changed his mind?”

  “His father,” Dr. B said simply.

  “Why didn’t he just tell us the truth last summer? We could have kept his father away from him.”

  Dr. B’s gaze remained on the road. “I’m sure Dirk loves his father. Which of us doesn’t? And when you’re looking for approval from someone you love, well, sometimes you do things you shouldn’t.”

  Over the last few months, Tori had done things that she knew she shouldn’t have. Asking Jesse to meet her, giving Dirk her phone number, telling him about Ryker—they had seemed like little things at the time. Now the weight of them pressed down on her. “I should have followed your rules. I’m sorry”