Page 32 of Tell Me Why
The fact that Tell didn’t even consider Kirsten reliable enough was significant, and it wasn’t lost on Tina that he was doing a lot more of the work on his own, getting the details arranged.
Tina wandered the house the next night as they stayed in, moving things here and there for the party, seating and entertainment, more expensive decorations, things that people would have to move around that at some point they would start tripping over, instead. It was quiet work, unpressing, and she sat with Tell at the end of the night feeling like she’d done comparatively little.
“I don’t like having the workers here while we’re down,” he said. “But even starting late, they have to be allowed to get in and get things set up. I’ll be letting them in at dusk. You shouldn’t feel pressed to get up any earlier than you would have.”
Tina nodded.
“What’s going to happen?” she asked, and he shook his head.
“Likely nothing. We may have to run three or four of these before it gets back to her that we’re here…”
“Or I could have much better contacts than you expect,” a voice said from outside. Tell went still, but not stiff.
“Isabella,” he said.
“Are you going to open the door like a good host, or are we going to fight?” Isabella asked.
“You’re a poor guest,” Tell said, standing and indicating that Tina ought to stay there at the counter where she was. “You’ve come before I even sent out invitations.”
Tina turned her head to watch a woman in jeans and a midriff-tied button-up walk up the stairs toward the patio doors.
She was beautiful in the way of most vampires, moving with a confidence and strength that you had to have felt to completely understand it.
She had long, auburn hair that was dark at the scalp, and raised her hand to the doorknob as Tell came to unlock it, opening the door for herself as he let her in.
Her eyes went across Tina, but didn’t stay.
“Oscar,” she said with humor. “Were you trying to make sure I would recognize you, or did you not think I would remember?”
“Wasn’t hiding from you,” Tell said, kissing her cheek. “Hiding from everyone else.”
“And this is how you do it?” she asked, lifting her head to look around the house. “You wouldn’t have a lower profile if you were an actual mountain.”
She had the most subtle of accents, but she sounded more like the locals than Tina and Tell did.
“They aren’t looking for mountains,” Tell said with humor. “They’re looking for missing vampires.”
She shrugged lightly, looking directly over at Tina, now.
“I’d heard you’d taken someone on,” she said, approaching. She sniffed dramatically. “Oh, but this one is stillwet.” She looked at Tell. “Why have you brought her?”
“Because your father wanted me to,” Tell said. “He wanted me to have a daughter in play, if his was going to be in play, as well.”
“She is a threat,” Isabella said.
“A hostage,” Tell answered, just a mild correction. “I also think that she is a message to you, but I haven’t been guessing at that, so far.”
Isabella shrugged again, going to sit down in the seat next to Tina where Tell had recently been.
“Why have you come?” she asked. It was a question for Tell.
“Because Keon hinted that I might finally be done with my debt to him, if I could find you and deliver a message.”
Isabella sighed.
“You know it isn’t that easy,” she said. “Not nearly so simple.”
“We’d guessed,” Tell said. “May I formally introduce you, at least, before this becomes… tangled?”
