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«Is there anything else you've done that might make them decide to kill you quicker, like before I can get there?»
I thought about the fact that I might be a panwere. I thought about a lot of things, then sighed. Then I thought of one thing that we'd done that might bother the other Masters of the City in the United States enough to cry for council help. «Maybe.»
«How 'maybe'? Anita, can you wait for me to get backup, or do I need to get a plane and get my ass to St. Louis? That's what I need to know.»
«Truth, Edward, I don't know. Jean-Claude and I did something back in November that was pretty powerful. It might be enough to scare the Harlequin.»
«What did you do?»
«We had a little private get-together with a couple of the visiting Masters of the City. The two that Jean-Claude calls friends.»
«And,» he said.
«And Belle Morte interfered from all the way in Europe. She messed with me and the Master of Chicago.»
«Augustine,» he said. «Auggie to his friends.»
«You know him?»
«Of him,» Edward said.
«Then you know how powerful he is.»
«Yes.»
«We rolled him, Edward.»
«Rolled how?» he asked.
«Jean-Claude and I fed off him; we both fed the ardeur off him. We fed on him, and through him we fed on every person he had brought to our lands. We did this massive feed on them all. It was an amazing power rush, and all of us, vamps, beasties, anyone tied to either Jean-Claude or me by metaphysics, gained power from it.»
«I'll contact the backup I want; they can join me later. I'll be on the ground in»—he paused as if checking his watch—«four hours, five at the outside. I'll be in St. Louis before sundown.»
«You think it's that serious?» I asked.
«If I were a vampire, and you had a vampire servant, I might kill you just for that. But if you guys rolled Augustine, one of the most powerful masters in this country, then yeah, Anita, they'll be nervous. I'm just surprised the Harlequin didn't hit St. Louis earlier.»
«I think they needed the excuse of Malcolm and his misbehaving church. The council is truly divided about Jean-Claude and his power base. I think maybe the council wouldn't agree to let the Harlequin near us, but now that they're here checking out the Church of Eternal Life, well, two birds with one stone.»
«Sounds reasonable,» he said. «I'll be there as soon as I can, Anita.»
«Thanks, Edward.»
«Don't thank me yet.»
«Why not?»
«I'll see you in a few hours, Anita. Watch your back like a son of a bitch; if these guys are masters they may have wereanimals and humans to do their daywalking. Just because the sun is up doesn't make you safe.»
«I know that, Edward. I probably know that better than you do.»
«Maybe, but be careful until I get there.»
«I'll do my best.» But I was already talking to an empty phone line. He'd hung up. I hung up, too.