She straightened up. She pulled in another breath, this time to brace herself. “Listen, Sam. There’s something I need to—”

  Sam held up a hand, stopping her words. He stared up the ramp to the next level. “Did you hear that?” he whispered.

  She held her breath and listened. Voices, muffled and indistinct.

  “Someone’s up there,” Sam said.

  “You think it’s Anthony?”

  “If it is, he’s not alone. Unless he’s talking to himself.”

  “Could be police or security guards. I don’t know how fast I can run right now.”

  “That’s the floor where the walkway is.” He tugged her arm. “Come on.”

  They crept up the ramp to the next level. June’s heart hammered in her ears from exertion and trepidation. They didn’t go all the way up the ramp, just far enough they could peek over the wall to the next floor.

  The level was empty like the others. This one had a big arch in the middle that opened onto a walkway stretching across the street.

  A group of people was standing in front of it.

  She and Sam quickly ducked down behind the wall and looked wide-eyed at each other.

  “Maybe it’s guards,” June whispered. “Making sure people don’t go across.”

  They inched back up. June stood slightly farther up the ramp, so she and Sam were the same height.

  If these were guards, they weren’t in uniform. Four men.

  One was Anthony.

  She and Sam looked at each other again.

  “We have to make sure we don’t interact with them,” Sam murmured. “Or he’ll see it.”

  Across the distance, their conversation was impossible to make out. Anthony seemed nervous, rubbing his hands together, shifting from foot to foot. The other three men surrounded him. One was talking to him, gesturing in his face practically.

  Sam eased down behind the wall. He frowned, brow furrowed.

  June eased down too. “What?”

  “I recognize one of those guys. The other two seem vaguely familiar as well. Members of the Paranormal Alliance. Past tense, I’m assuming.”

  “That means…”

  “Robbie’s people. What are they doing here? What’s Anthony doing here?”

  The answer could only be found in the men themselves, so they peeked back up over the wall.

  The conversation seemed to grow heated. The man talking raised his voice, and June caught a few words: “prove it,” and “orders.” Anthony backed off, hands lifted, shaking his head. One of the other men grabbed his arm.

  Anthony struggled. He shouted, “Okay! All right!”

  The men filed into the walkway. As they did, all three hunched down, ducking below the windows. Anthony walked in last.

  “What’s going on?” June whispered.

  The men disappeared down the walkway. June and Sam sank behind the wall.

  “Why are they going into the Institute?” Sam spoke to the air. “And if it’s so easy to get in that way, why isn’t it being guarded?”

  June had no answers. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to creep into the Institute, let alone Robbie’s minions. Maybe they were stealing things? Maybe paranormal people were still inside and they were liberating them?

  “We better get out of here,” Sam said. “If Robbie’s people are around, I’m more concerned about running into them than the police.”

  * * * *

  “What would Robbie’s people be doing inside the Institute?” Cindy paced the kitchen floor, swishing back and forth like an agitated cat. “How the hell would they even get in there?”

  “I don’t know.” Sam stood at the counter. “Robbie’s machinations are beyond me.” He picked up his phone. “I haven’t heard back from Anthony yet. I texted him and asked him to stop by tonight.”

  The tracking device showed Anthony had left the Institute an hour after he entered it and returned to his house.

  “We have to be careful,” June said. “You can’t say too much when you interrogate him. See if he gives up the information himself. If he does, then we know we can trust him.”

  “And if he is trying to betray us to Robbie,” Sam said, “I’m going to string him up with his brother. In fact, I’ll string him up to lure his brother out.”

  Cindy stopped pacing. “None of this makes sense. When the hell is all this convoluted bullshit going to end?”

  June glanced at Sam. “Can I talk to you out on the patio?”

  Sam put his phone down and looked at Cindy. “I want a list of all the Paranormal Alliance members who jumped ship to Robbie.”

  Cindy frowned. “That might be hard. Some we know for sure; some we’re not quite clear on. Some just fled Chicago, trying to get away from this mess. They haven’t jumped to Robbie, but they’re unaccounted for too.”

  “Then get a list of everyone unaccounted for. Confirm things. I want a clear picture. Get the others off my campaign and on it too.”

  Cindy nodded and left the room.

  “Come on.” June motioned Sam toward the patio.

  Sitting in the slanting afternoon sun, June gazed into the overgrown foliage around the patio, collecting her thoughts. Sam sat beside her.

  “I have to tell you something.” She clenched her hands on her knees. “It might be difficult to hear, but it might give us some kind of clue.”

  “Okay.” Sam arched an eyebrow.

  She spat out before she lost her nerve, “I saw Muse.”

  He blinked slowly.

  “This morning, at the beach. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought someone was outside the tent, but… I guess it could have been a dream.” She tightened her fists, her newly manicured nails digging into her palms. “I came out of the tent this morning and… She was there. Sitting by the water.”

  “Her ghost?” Sam whispered.

  She nodded. “I wish it hadn’t happened. I mean, surely it means she’s not at peace, the way Rose isn’t. I haven’t seen Rose in a while, though. I suppose Micha is her concern and… Well, we know how that sits.”

  Sam looked at the floor, then back up at her. “She spoke to you?”

  “Yes. It was a lot of ghostly nonsense, the way Rose talks to me, but maybe it’s about this. It didn’t make sense at the time, but now that we know Robbie’s people are sneaking into the Institute….”

  “What did she say?”

  June tried to recall the exact words. “She said ‘he’s in the home of the enemy. He’s in their fortress.’”

  Sam stared at her.

  She let out a breath. “It must mean the Institute,” she said. “She was trying to tell me that someone—Robbie, Anthony—is inside the Institute. I’m sure of it now.”

  Sam looked down again. “Why—and how—would they be inside the Institute?”

  “I know.” June glanced around. “I figure this means I’ll be getting another visit from her.” She decided not to mention Muse had possibly been trying to manifest inside the house.

  Sam was silent, staring at the floor. June didn’t move or speak.

  Finally, he lifted his chin. “You can control Rose with Micha’s wedding ring, right? You can make her appear?”

  June held up a hand. “I’m not making Muse appear. Ghosts are not that helpful, trust me. Even with the ring, Rose speaks in riddles. I’d rather get the answers on our own.”

  “Maybe we can’t find the answers on our own.”

  “I’m not making her appear, even if you can give me something that works. Let her rest, if she can.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “How did she look?”

  “Dead. Because she’s dead, Sam. Her ghost isn’t her. Even if I summon her, you won’t be able to see her.” She paused. “I’m sorry she’s still restless. It’s not fair, after everything she went through.”

  Sam stared across the patio. “It’s unfair you have to deal with ghosts, too, after everything you’ve been through.”

  “Occam believes it’s because of my power. He says I’m a necromancer now. I can talk to the dead. One of the perks of having a terminal case of superpowers.”

  “Muse would sometimes have bursts of telekinesis. Nothing she could control, much like you seeing ghosts.”

  “Makes me worry what other powers Robbie is developing.” The thought chilled her to the bone.

  “Maybe if you summon her just once, you could ask—”

  “No.” June got to her feet.

  “You can’t deny Rose has given you guidance in the past.”

  “I’m not doing it, Sam.” She opened her arms. “She doesn’t deserve that. This is our shit now, and we have to deal with it. She doesn’t have to anymore.”

  Strain showed in his features, a deep pain in his eyes. “This isn’t about me seeing her. It’s not like that.”

  “And this is not about me being jealous. This is about having some respect for the dead.” She turned toward the house. “No, Sam. Just no.” She went inside.

  Cindy and the rest of Sam’s crew worked in the dining room, put to their new task. Anthony finally texted Sam, saying he would stop by at seven.

  “Keep your cool,” June warned as Sam paced in the living room. “Let him tell you. If he doesn’t, we know we can’t trust him, and we’ll figure out what to do.”

  “If he lies to me, I can’t allow him to leave here. It means he’s playing us into Robbie’s hands.”

  “It’s not like Robbie doesn’t know exactly where we are. Anthony doesn’t know anything that Robbie wouldn’t already know.”

  He stopped pacing, his eyes stormy. “I’m tired of being played for a fool. This ends here.”

  She sighed. “Then let me be there when he comes over. If he does something shady I can—I’ll use my voice on him or something. He can see it coming, but it’s not like he can stop me, right?”

  “I don’t know how much he’ll want to talk with you there. He’s afraid of you, remember?”

  “If he legit wants to help us, he’s got nothing to be afraid of.”

  He raked his fingers through his hair. “Fine. But don’t spook him. Let me take the lead. This could get ugly.”

  “I have a feeling it’s going to get ugly no matter who takes the lead.”

  They waited in Sam’s office for Anthony to arrive. June checked out the encyclopedia-thick books in Sam’s bookcases: books on politics and government, books about law and democracy, books about supernatural sciences.

  “You don’t like the Institute.” She studied the spine of one titled Paranormal Biology and Physiology. “But you still respect the science?”

  Sam sat at his desk. “Of course I do. If people like Trina were the only ones studying it, I wouldn’t mind.”

  “How do you manage to hide that you’re a shapeshifter? I realize it’s to your advantage, but how on earth do you do it?”

  “There’s no law saying I have to disclose what I am. Certain people in the Paranormal Alliance always knew and vouched for my validity. Our mission and intent has nothing to do with what I am. It’s my work people admire and follow. My work has nothing to do with me being a shapeshifter.”

  “What about the normals? If you won’t tell anyone what you are, how do they know you really are anything?”

  “They don’t. And that’s to my advantage too. You can’t persecute me for being paranormal if you don’t even believe that I am.”

  She turned from the bookcase. “Now do you understand why I denied what I am for so many years? Why I hid it?”

  He stared at his computer screen. “We all get outed, sooner or later. I’ve just managed to hold on this long.”

  Anthony announced his arrival via text. Sam went to let him in through a side door, far away from the rest of his guests. She remained in the office. She had sneaked into boy’s houses when she was a teenager with far less drama.

  When Anthony entered the office, he was visibly tense: jaw tight, eyes wide, shoulders hunched. He eyed June, though surely he must have seen she was there.

  “Hi, Anthony.” June kept her voice polite and even. “I thought we should try to be friends. We’ve had a lot of misunderstandings.”

  Anthony didn’t speak, wrapping his arms around himself and glancing around the room. His eyes flashed.

  No matter how it went, no good could come from this conversation.

  Chapter 19

  Sam leaned against the desk. “I was wondering if you had any updates on Robbie.”

  Anthony swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Yeah. I got an update for you all right.”

  June held her breath.

  “Robbie is planning something big.” Anthony shifted from foot to foot. “I talked to him. Directly. I met with him today.”

  Sam stepped away from the desk. “You saw him?”

  Anthony nodded. “I…yes. I convinced some of his guys to take me to him. I pretended I’m thinking about joining him.”

  The air crackled with tension. Suddenly, Anthony lurched back, jerking his shoulders up around his ears. This was a precursor to Sam rushing forward and grabbing him by the arms. June gritted her teeth. So much for playing it cool.

  “Where did you meet him?” Sam demanded. “Where is he?”

  “Sam,” June warned.

  “Tell me where he is.” Sam spoke in his face.

  “He’s inside the Institute!” Anthony yelped.

  Sam released him. June stared at Anthony, relieved but chagrined. She had some apologizing to do. She also had a hell of a lot of questions.

  “What do you mean he’s inside the Institute?” Sam asked.

  Anthony huddled in on himself. “He’s hiding inside the Institute. His guys took me in to see him.”

  “How the hell is he inside the Institute?” Sam took a step back. “That place is locked up. There’s cops everywhere. No one can get in.”

  “You underestimate my brother.” Anthony shuddered. “I mean, not that you’re not smart—”

  “He did underestimate your brother,” June said. “I think everyone did. Are you going to tell us how the hell you got inside to see him?” This was a back-up test, another layer of reassurance. If he told the truth, he was good.

  “There’s this walkway.” Anthony looked warily at her. “They took me through it from inside a parking garage, after they made me wait forever while Robbie was busy. He had to make sure I was reminded we always do things on his time.” He grimaced. “Remember I heard him say something about hacking into a security system? Him and his people have taken over the security system inside the Institute. No one knows they’re there. They can get in and out, and they can move around unmonitored.”

  Anthony’s eyes flashed. He scrunched up his face and touched the back of his arm. June walked over to him.

  “We put a chip on you.” She gripped his shoulders and turned him around. “We’ve been tracking you.”

  She brushed her fingertips down the back of his arm. He cringed but didn’t pull away. She found the edge of the chip and carefully peeled it off. He turned back around.

  “Remember when I grabbed your arm?” She lifted the thin piece of plastic in front of his face. “We had to make sure you weren’t playing us, that you weren’t working for Robbie.”

  Anthony gaped at the chip.

  “I’m sorry.” June handed the chip off to Sam. “I’m also sorry that I’ve doubted you and treated you badly. You can understand why I had misgivings.”

  “I guess.” Anthony spoke tightly. “You had to be pretty clever to get that on me without me seeing it.”

  “Yeah. We’ve learned to be clever. Survival.”

  “How did your brother get inside the Institute?” Sam asked. “Did he tell you?”

  Anthony nodded. “Robbie has always had people inside the Institute feeding him information, helping him. Some were in the Paranormal Alliance.”

  Sam clenched his jaw. “So Robbie used his inside men to get in?”

  Anthony nodded again. “He said this has been in the works for years. He said he let you do all the grunt work. His plan was to get the Institute shut down—which you did for him—and then get inside. They’ve locked the place up, but his ways in were left open. His people made sure.”

  “That’s insane.” June marveled at the information. “That’s a hell of a lot of moving parts. Risky too.”

  “He’s smart, and bold.” Anthony looked down. “The people guarding the Institute right now are his people. No one is going to get inside without him knowing about it. Not cops, not FBI, not anyone.”

  Sam turned in a slow circle. “All right… So he’s inside. I unwittingly helped him get in there. I’ll accept that. But.” He turned back to Anthony. “Why? Why is he inside the Institute?”

  Anthony looked up. His eyes flashed.

  “Because he’s going to blow the place up.”

  June stared at him. Sam stared at him. For a moment, June was sure she’d stepped into some cheesy action movie. Blow up a building?

  “What?” Sam said. “Blow it up?”

  “He bragged about it the entire time I was there. He hasn’t changed a bit, except he’s a lot more powerful than I remember. I can feel it rolling off him, see it under his skin. It’s terrifying.”

  “He’s going to blow the building up?” June tried to wrap her mind around it. “How is he going to manage that?”

  “They’ve got the place wired. He said it’s not ready yet, but it will be soon.”

  “While I support the idea of that place falling into ruins,” Sam said, “isn’t that a bit grandiose, even for him?”

  “He says it’s all part of the plan to ensure his place among his followers.” Anthony chewed his lower lip. “He’s giving them a gift. He’s putting a real end to the Institute. He says they’ll follow him to Hell and back when he’s done. Or to war.”

  Sam walked over to the windows. “This is absolutely insane….”

  “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it.”

  “I believe it,” June said. “This sounds exactly like his brand of megalomania.”

  Sam turned from the windows. “Did he give you any idea when this Bond villain scheme of his is going to take place?”