I SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED to see the setup on the kitchen table-Rattler’s cell phone was attached to a sleek compact speaker-except the technology was so incongruous with the worn, sparse old furnishings.
“Y’all’ll be able to hear ’im just fine,” Rattler promised. “And more important, he’ll be able to hear you, too.”
“I need a li’l somethin’ before we start,” Derek said, and I noticed that his hands shook as he opened an old metal cabinet and took out a bottle. He splashed liquor into a brown coffee mug and took a greedy drink.
“Hell, you don’t even need t’be here, you don’t want,” Rattler said impatiently.
“It’s my house,” Derek protested, half angry, half forlorn.
Rattler nodded and his lips curved in a slight smile. “That it is, buddy,” he said softly while he waited for Derek to cap the bottle and put it back.
When we were all sitting down, Rattler picked up the phone and thumbed a few keys. Instantly we heard the ringing as though it was right in the room; almost immediately the call was picked up, but after the click of the connection being made, there was silence.
“It’s me,” Rattler said, not bothering to mask his drawl. “Your good friend Rattler Sikes. And this had better be the man in charge, or I’m hangin’ up. I don’t mean to speak to nobody else.”
“Don’t hang up,” a deep, clipped voice said. “This is Alistair Prentiss speaking. I am the man in charge, as you say. Thank you for calling, Mr. Sikes.”
“Well now, it just seemed like the right thing to do, after y’all sent them folks to pay me a visit th’other day.”
Prentiss coughed slightly, and Rattler caught my gaze and winked.
I felt a shiver of nerves run through my body. I’d expected Rattler to be furious, given the way I had injured him, the damage I’d done to his eye. At best I’d expected him to trade me to Prentiss, to sell me for whatever he could get them to pay. But he’d treated me well enough since finding us pulled off the road.
I didn’t trust him, of course. I figured he’d go after Kaz first, maybe see what he could get for him, a Seer with a great deal of power, before starting to negotiate for me.
“About that…,” Prentiss said. “You do understand, Mr. Sikes, that was only business.”
Rattler laughed, a hearty, rich laugh from deep in his chest. “You sent a couple guys to drag me out of my own home, threatened to put me in the ground if I didn’t go with ’em. That all in a day’s work for you?”
“Yes, Mr. Sikes, in your case. But it seems I underestimated you.”
Rattler had been sitting tipped back on an old kitchen chair, but at Prentiss’s words he slammed the chair down on the floor and laid his forearms flat on the table, glaring at the speaker as though it had offended him. “Hell yeah, you did. And your hired men paid the price. That don’t speak to a whole lot a balls, you ask me.”
“Indeed. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Rattler let the moment lie, his thick black brows knit in fury. Slowly, he relaxed, getting control over his emotions. Across the table, Derek looked from Rattler to the speaker and back, mouth slightly open as he tried to keep up with the conversation.
“So, Prentiss, I got somethin’ I believe you want. Got the Healer y’all were trying so hard to get your hooks into, little gal called Hailey. Say hello, Hailey.”
I pressed my lips together. I didn’t want to speak.
“Aw, come on, now, sweetheart. Just say hello to the man, nothin’ more. He don’t need to know any of your… private stuff. This is just business, like he says.”
Rattler’s expression stayed neutral as he spoke, but he was staring at me intently, and I knew exactly what he meant by “private stuff”-like the fact that I was his daughter. No one knew that besides Prairie and Anna and Kaz.
“It’s true,” I muttered. “My name is Hailey Tarbell.”
There was no response from Prentiss, and I imagined him assimilating this new information. In my mind’s eye he was a large man, only slightly diminished by age, broad shouldered and muscular, wearing an immaculate uniform with medals on his chest.
“Ms. Tarbell,” he said after a long pause. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance.”
Acquaintance-I bristled at the word. He made it sound as though we had met at a party in a fancy restaurant, as though we were shaking hands, when he had been behind a plan to imprison me, to force me to create zombies. I remembered how Prairie’s eyes used to waver with fear whenever she mentioned the General; she was even more terrified of him than she was of Bryce.
“Now, Prentiss, I’ve got one other person here might be of interest to you,” Rattler continued. “Young man’s a full-blood.”
“Well, that is good news,” Prentiss said smoothly. “I am assuming you refer to Kazimierz Sawicki. I have already had the pleasure of making Mr. Sawicki’s acquaintance, though only over the phone. I do look forward to meeting him in person.”
If Rattler was surprised, he covered it well. “You’ll meet him if’n when I say so.”
“As you and I have discussed in the past, I am sure we can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement wherein you provide… subcontractors, for a generous finder’s fee.”
“Yeah, for your research studies,” Rattler said sarcastically. “Aw, now, don’t go gittin’ ahead of yourself. Boy’s doin’ just fine here, for now. I’m sure you realize that my terms are up for a major renegotiation. My people are worth a hell of a lot more to you than the few thousand bucks you threw my way last time. I mean to make sure you appreciate that fact before we do business again.”
“Mmm,” Prentiss said. “I do agree that these are precious resources, of course, Mr. Sikes, and we do intend to compensate them-and you-appropriately.”
“Now hang on a minute,” Rattler said, his voice going deadly. The manic fury that always swirled underneath the surface threatened to emerge; he sat up straight and gripped the edge of the table in one strong hand. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be callin’ the shots here.”
“Oh, did I forget to mention-I’m sorry, Mr. Sikes, there’s one additional piece of information that may make you a bit more amenable to my proposal.” His voice was cold, almost bored. “You see, a little earlier today, several of my… associates stumbled onto an unexpected opportunity to bring a person of interest into our little family. And we’re delighted to have her, of course.”
“What are you saying?” Rattler demanded, the color draining from his face.
He knew, even before Prentiss answered.
“We’ve got Prairie Tarbell.”