Reaching an intersection, I jogged diagonally across and hurried down a sidewalk that ran parallel to a white wall topped with Asian-style tilework. Walking toward me was a familiar man—dark hair, a short beard threaded with silver though he didn’t look older than thirty-five, and hands tucked in his pockets. We passed each other without acknowledgment.

Tori?

The vaguely familiar voice whispered in my mind and I almost tripped and fell on my face. Catching my balance, I kept walking as I formed a clear thought in my mind. Bryce?

Right, we’re locked. Everyone is in position. You’re good to go.

I shivered at hearing another person’s voice in my head. It was freakin’ weird. We’d done a test run at the guild, so I knew how it worked. Sort of. While “listening” to my mind, Bryce would hear any loud, clear thoughts. That meant if I wanted to keep secrets, I needed to not think about them—like how I’d been making out with Aaron barely five minutes ago and how embarrassing it would be if Bryce found out.

Ever notice how as soon as you try not to think about something, you immediately think about it more?

Focus, Tori.

Goddamn it.

Ignoring the laughing note in his telepathic voice, I glanced up and down the street. Seeing no witnesses, I cut onto the grass and approached an electrical box beside the white wall. Brushing my hands together in preparation, I grabbed the metal and heaved myself onto the box. From there, I reached for the tiled top of the wall and climbed onto it. Lying on my stomach, I peered over the edge.

Enclosed within was a beautiful Chinese garden with a large pond bordered by willow trees, their leafy branches trailing in the water. A gazebo built in traditional Asian architecture sat on the pond’s edge, opposite my location.

In the daylight, the garden was lush with greenery, but at night, the shadows clung to everything. I’d visited this place while checking out the city’s best tourist destinations. The private park was closed at night, inaccessible unless you climbed the wall like I had.

I can’t see anyone, I thought loudly. I’m going in.

Roger that. Zora and Taye have eyes on you.

Resisting the urge to scan the rooftops for the watching mythics, I slid off the wall and landed on the grass with a thump. My heart rate kicked up as I ventured cautiously between two trees. Crossing the manicured grass, I stopped at the pond’s edge and inspected my surroundings. No movement. No sign of life. Would the Ghost come?

Part of me was terrified he would. An equal part of me was terrified he wouldn’t. I couldn’t fail Nadine.

I followed the pond to a footpath, and my feet crunched on the fine gravel, the sound echoing in the darkness. The park was open while still providing privacy, but even then, it struck me as a strange place to send teens to be abducted. I would’ve expected a dark alley where he could throw his victims into a car trunk—or into one of those child-napper vans with no windows. Yeah, one of those. I could totally picture it.

Before I got too distracted by that tangent, I focused. Any sign of him, Bryce?

Not yet. A pause as though he were checking with someone else. Keep moving but take it slow.

I almost nodded then realized that would look weird. Keeping my pace as leisurely as I could manage, I continued along the path. Out in the open, the downtown lights reflected off the pond and illuminated the park, but back in the trees, the darkness was absolute. Anyone could be hiding in there.

The path led to a wooden bridge that crossed the narrowest part of the pond. On the other side, the small gazebo with white posts and a sharp-peaked tile roof stood like a lonely sentinel at the water’s edge.

The wood thumped hollowly under my shoes and I glanced at the still water. Creepy, creepy, creeeepy. Despite the warm evening, gooseflesh covered my bare arms and I wished I’d worn a jacket. I stepped onto the gravel path, the dark gazebo just ahead.

Tori. Bryce’s voice cracked in my head. Where are you?

Adrenaline shot through me. Right here. I just crossed the footbridge.

Zora can’t see you. Taye—a pause—Taye’s lost you too.

Taye had lost me? How could he lose me? Tracking people was his psychic ability. If they could see me on the path before, they should be able to see me now. I was still in the open.

Something is wrong, Bryce barked. Don’t move. Just wait.

My heart hammered against my ribs. Elegant trees and carefully shaped shrubbery surrounded the gazebo, obscuring my view. I squinted into the structure. A shadow, darker than the others, lurked beneath the peaked roof.

Tori? Bryce asked. I can sense your fear. What is it?

The answer to his question bloomed in my mind, so overpowering I almost whispered the words out loud.

He’s here.

Chapter Seven

My racing pulse thudded in my ears, then Bryce’s terse whisper. What?

He’s in the gazebo. He’s waiting for me.

I could see his silhouette—darkness, too solid to be a shadow, in the rough shape of a man. Now that I’d spotted him, prickles ran over my skin, my instincts belatedly informing me I was being watched.

Bryce’s voice filled my head. We still can’t see you. Go back to the bridge.

The Ghost had spotted me. I’d spotted him. If I retreated, he would know something was off. I’d already been standing here for too long. I squared my shoulders and took a step—moving closer to the gazebo.

I’m approaching him. Tell everyone to get ready.

Trepidation buzzed through me—Bryce’s emotions leaking through the link between our minds. Standing by.

Now for the tricky part. I would approach the Ghost, engage him in conversation, and keep him focused on me while the team closed off any escape routes. Then I would put as much distance between me and the Ghost as I could, right before Aaron, Kai, and Ezra attacked. From this point onward, I didn’t need to consciously update Bryce. Speaking and thinking were simultaneous processes, so if I stayed focused, he’d “hear” our conversation.

I minced toward the gazebo, my stare fixed on the dark shadow that was the Ghost. He leaned against the white railing, arms folded, clad all in black with a long villainous coat, its hood pulled up. He even wore black gloves, every inch of his skin hidden.

Stepping onto the wooden floor, I searched the shadows beneath his hood. I should have been able to make out something of his face—the gleam of his eyes, the shape of his chin—but I saw nothing, the darkness impenetrable.

I stopped with the full length of the gazebo between us, but four paces weren’t anywhere near enough to protect me. Gregory’s promise that this man wouldn’t harm me were so many meaningless words—not that I’d believed them in the first place.

“Victoria Dawson.”

A shudder ran over me. That voice. Deep. Raspy and rumbly at the same time. Quiet and dangerous.

And … not as old as I’d expected. How young, I didn’t know, but he wasn’t a croaky senior.

“That’s—” The word came out in a squeak. I wet my lips and tried again. “That’s me. Who are you? Mr. Stern didn’t … he didn’t say … exactly.”

I couldn’t form a coherent sentence, but that probably wasn’t a bad thing. Victoria the orphaned diviner would’ve been just as terrified as Tori the guild bartender.

“Why are you here?”

The question cut through me, the words delivered with quiet, cutting precision.

“I … huh?”

“What do you want?”

Shit. He was testing me. I thought he’d persuade me to come quietly with a “special safe house” story like Gregory’s, but it looked like I needed to convince him—and if I gave the wrong answer, our interview would be over. That would be bad news for Nadine and for me.

Had he asked her the same question? How would she have answered? If sixteen-year-old me had found herself here, what would she have said?

“I want to start again,” I whispered hoarsely. “I want to leave everything else behind and start a new life.”

The team is over the wall. Keep him distracted, Tori.

I tried in vain to find the Ghost’s eyes through the unnatural darkness beneath his hood. “Did Mr. Stern tell you about my tarot cards? My mom and grandma taught me, but they’re—they’re dead. He said you’d be familiar with my … abilities.”

The Ghost pushed off the railing and straightened to his full height—a couple inches taller than I’d realized. Enough to tower over me even several paces away.

“I would be,” he rumbled, “if you had those abilities.”

My racing heart screeched to a halt. “W-what?”

“You fooled him. You can’t fool me.”

Oh shit.

Tori! Bryce’s voice made me start. Where are you?

In the gazebo!

Kai can see into the gazebo. He says it’s empty!

I’m right here! I shouted in my head, inching backward. Out loud, I mumbled, “What are you saying?”

“Victoria Dawson, you are no diviner.” He regarded me from under his dark hood. The night was too still and silent, like only he and I existed inside the gazebo and everything beyond it was no more than a dream—or a nightmare.

Abort mission.

I sucked in a breath.

Abort mission! Bryce’s command thundered through me. Disengage now, Tori.