“If I remember correctly, it should take about twenty-four hours before he starts exhibiting some side-effects. Staying overnight should do it.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Find a way to bar the door, and guard it,” I say, grabbing the book off my desk and replacing it on its shelf.
“And what about you?”
“I’m going back into the city. There are few things I need to take care of.”
“You’re going to check the penthouse, aren’t you?”
“Among other things.”
“Can’t you guard the door and let me go check?”
“No.”
“What if Valentine shows up?”
“Then perhaps I can throw in a few carefully phrased mentions of Evi.”
“You bastard,” Seven says with a widening grin. “You want him crazy for her.”
“Of course, I do. It’ll only help our plan.”
“Fine, I’ll deal with Luci. You deal with whatever the hell it is you aren’t telling me.”
“Good. I’ll be back before tomorrow night.”
“I should hope so, otherwise you may not find us all in one piece.”
I snort at this, shaking my head as I press a button on one of the shelves to reveal a hidden compartment.
Seven appears over my shoulder, his fingers twitching at the sight of the crossbow, knives, guns, and ammunition carefully placed within.
“Not today, Seven,” I say before he has a chance to open his mouth, and I grab one of the black jackets hanging within.
“Oh, come on, Dante. Haven’t I proven myself by now?”
“Not by a long shot. Now go deal with Luci before he has a chance to get out of that room,” I say, pulling a thick metal rod off the back wall of the hidden compartment and handing it to him.
Seven grumbles as he takes the metal piece from me, but does as he’s told after allowing himself a moment longer to admire the weaponry.
Listening to Seven’s footsteps as he makes his way back toward Luci, I pull on the jacket and re-adjust my shirt before adding a pair of gold cufflinks. As soon as I’m sure Seven’s gone, I reach into the back of the compartment to reveal another hidden compartment.
Reaching inside, I pull out Anna’s diary and slip it into my jacket’s inner pocket before resetting the hidden compartment in the wall.
I know it was a cheap trick to pretend that I’d burned it, but I can’t be too careful these days. Especially with Seven showing signs of hunger that even he has yet to notice. He’s growing feral far quicker than I expected.
We all are.
As much as I hate to admit it, if Luci really is using again, he might be the only one of us actually capable of keeping her safe.
Glancing around the room, I walk back to my desk to grab one of my gold pens and scribble a note before plucking out the black envelope containing Evi’s contract.
Better safe than sorry.
I slide both the note and the envelope in with Anna’s diary before finally exiting the office and making my way out to my car.
Now, all I have to do is hope this plan actually works.
Revving the engine, the tires screech as I loop around the drive and out of the estate.