I glance at Sophie to see if she makes the connection, if she knows that the Vanderbilt girl Leroy is referring to is Jamie, but her expression doesn't change.
"I want you to come back so we can chat in person," Leroy repeats matter-of-factly.
Sophie's sitting on the edge of her desk. Her arms are crossed over her chest, her eyes focused on the floor as she listens in on our conversation. "Absolutely not." She shakes her head.
I clear my throat, trying to muster up as much confidence as Sophie. "Uh, I can't do that." Oof. I sound like a child whose mother said no to them going to their friend's sleepover, not the confident vampire I'm trying to be.
Leroy clicks his tongue. "Gwendolyn." He lets out a long sigh. "Would you be a dear and go somewhere private?"
I don't answer right away. Sophie and John wait for the obvious answer.
"Okay." It shocks me as much as it shocks them.
John and Sophie shoot to their feet at the same time, watching me with wide eyes as I duck out of the room. I continue walking until I'm in the parking lot, leaning against John's truck. I'm not sure I'm far enough from John and Sophie for the conversation to be completely private but I'm too scared to venture outside of the gate. "Go ahead," I say, my tone still holding a hint of resentment.
"You nearly killed one of our own tonight," he states. "To be completely transparent, if Leah hadn't pulled your mask off, I wouldn't have believed it was you. You know... With your empathetic nature and all."
Hot rage boils inside my chest. He doesn't know me. How dare he act like it. "What do you want?"
He sighs again and it makes him sound old. "I'm afraid that..." He clears his throat. "I'm worried that we are the ones at fault for the sudden change in your behavior."
I scoff. "Isn't this what you wanted?" I'm picking at the peeling paint on John's truck. "A killing machine?"
"No." I can picture him shaking his head. "No, that's not what we wanted at all. That's what Sophie is. I'm assuming she's the one with you? She's the one who's put you up to this?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He laughs gently. "Gwendolyn, the reason—"
"Stop calling me that," I order.
"My apologies." He sounds genuine, and I hate him for it. Hate him for making me feel bad after what he did to me. "Gwen," he corrects. "We would be willing to let bygones be bygones if you would like to join us over here at the vampire council as a guard. You have immense potential and... I'm afraid we need someone like you to help us put an end to all this senseless killing." When I don't respond he continues. "I know you're not like the rest of them. You know what they did to those kids on the beach was wrong."
He's trying to pit me against Sophie and the others. He's trying to make it seem like he's on my side but he's wrong. I'm not on Sophie's side. I'm not on his, and as much as it hurts to admit, I'm not on John's either. I'm here to keep Jamie safe. I've known that since the beginning, whether I refused to admit it or not.
"You don't care about human life," I say. "Why would you care about 'putting an end to senseless killing' if you don't care about humans?"
"That's not entirely accurate. We couldn't exist without them. I'm sure you're aware of that though."
"You're insane if you think I'm going to enlist in your little army."
"Now, Gwen—"
"You tortured me for weeks." My voice shakes as a single hot tear manages to stream down my cheeks before I can wipe it away.
"And for that I am truly sorry." His words are quick. "You have to believe, I tried to put a stop to that."
"You didn't try hard enough."
Another long pause. "I know. I've written a request to the rest of the council to have Leah placed on administrative leave with close observation." In a lower voice, he says, "Leah is too jaded to be holding a position of power here. You and I have both seen that firsthand. Now, if we ever manage to get her back from your friends..."
My chest clenches. I was so panicked by my attempt at murdering her, I hadn't realized we took Leah hostage. I thought Sophie would have someone kill her, but I can't imagine the pain she's going to inflict on her after everything Leah's done. My mind races back to Sophie that night on the beach when she'd told me about her friend Ricky. The elders murdered her friend for no reason. She's been waiting to get back at them for months and now is her chance.
"Sorry, Leroy. You're crazy if you think I'm going to help you after everything you guys did to me. Go find someone else to do your dirty work."
I pull the phone away from my ear, moving to hang up when I hear a faint "Gwen, wait!" from the other line. There's a pause while Leroy checks to see if I've hung up or not. "Think about my offer. It still stands if—"
"Do you hear yourself?" I ask. "Why would I help you?"
"Well... For starters, I can keep you and Jamie safe. You two are..." He clears his throat. "There's obviously something between you two considering Jamie is trying to convince her mother you're dead." He pauses a moment to let that sink in. Even though I'm outside, under the wide open sky, I can't breathe. Leroy knows about us. He knows about Jamie and her family. He knew about Jamie when he ordered me to execute her.
"You... knew?" I barely choke the words out. "You knew Jamie's a hunter when you sent me to..." I shake my head, start over. "What was this all about?"
Leroy sighs. "It was a test. A test you failed if we're being frank." He chuckles to himself. "We wanted to see what you're capable of but that obviously didn't go as planned."
I'm not listening anymore. Sophie was right about them. They never cared about keeping vampire kind safe. They knew Jamie wasn't a threat from the beginning. They know she's a hunter. They sent me after her hoping I'd mess up. They wanted a reason to execute me. Just like Sophie said on the beach.
Leroy has circled back to his original point. "You see, Gwen. I could keep you two safe. You're in danger over there. Sophie and the others won't be so keen on keeping either of you around once they find out your..." He clears his throat. "Once they realize Jamie's a Vanderbilt."
I hate to admit it but he's right. I could barely convince Sophie to leave Jamie alive before I found out she's a hunter. There's no way I could sway anyone once they could blame her for the death of their friends.
"How would Sophie find out about Jamie?" I ask, daring Leroy to turn his warning into a threat.
There's a smile in his voice as he says, "Consider it, won't you? I know you don't have many options as it is. You can look at this as my way of apologizing for everything that took place under my jurisdiction."
As much as I'd like to take Leroy's offer, I don't trust him. There's no perfect world where Jamie and I can live happily ever after as vampire and vampire hunter. But if I say no, he'll tell everyone about Jamie. She'll have a target on her back before midnight.
"What do you say, Gwen?" he pushes.
"Fuck you, Leroy." I hang up before he responds.
My stomach turns on itself. No matter what I do, I'm screwed. I can't find a reality in which Jamie and I get to live through this and continue seeing each other. Not with the elders breathing down my neck and her mom breathing down hers. Not with Sophie and the others waiting for a reason to kill her. The only way she's going to get out of this alive is if she runs. I have to get to her before Leroy tells the others. I walk through the dark warehouse fast, my breathing unsteady as I push through Sophie's office door.
"I need to go," I say but she grabs my hand before I turn to leave.
"What's going on, girlie? What did Leroy say?"
"He offered me a job as a guard," I answer, leaving out the part about Jamie being a hunter.
"And you're going to take it?" Sophie's voice takes on an edge I haven't heard her use with me before.
I pull out of her grip, frustrated by everyone attempting to pull me different directions.
John rises to his feet slowly, his hands shoved in his pockets, but his expression is hardened as he shoots Sophie a look. His demeanor is clear. He'll protect me if it comes down to it. Something I hadn't expected from John after everything that's happened.
"No," I answer.
"They extended the same offer to Gunner," John says, his voice near a whisper. "That's why I'm here... He took the job."
"They're getting ready for a war," Sophie says knowingly, and then, with more anger than before. "If you're not going to join them then where are you going?"
I glance at John and back to Sophie, making sure she understands the importance of my words. "He threatened Jamie."
John stands taller, his muscles tense. "Jamie? The girl you...?"
I look at him, wait for a reaction but instead of saying anything, he looks to Sophie for an answer.
She shrugs.
"Goddamnit, Gwen." He rubs his forehead. "A human?"
"Don't," I warn.
"Gwen," he groans. "Humans are sustenance. Not... Romantic interests!"
"You know there's more to it than that," I tell him.
"The elders will execute you, Gwen."
I take a step toward him, motioning to myself as I do. "Do I look like I give a fuck about the elders anymore?"
John opens his mouth to speak but Sophie puts a hand up.
"As much as I'd love for you guys to have your father-daughter moment where Gwen comes out of the vampire closet and you guys hug, we don't have time for this right now." She looks at me. "What did he say about Jamie?"
I suck in a sharp breath, looking between the two of them while I debate coming clean. Sophie hasn't given me a reason to lie to her, but I know her nature. She's a vampire. She's not going to take this news well. I didn't take the news well when Jamie showed me the wooden stake under the driver's seat in her car. But maybe if she'd be willing to help me, I can pull this off. Every time I've tried to manage things on my own, it's blown up in my face. Maybe this is the only way. Maybe I have to trust them.
"He told me... If I don't take his job offer, he'll tell everyone that Jamie's last name is um..." I clear my throat. "Vanderbilt."
John looks confused but Sophie knows. I can tell by the way she pushes her tongue into her cheek.
"And what the hell's that supposed to mean?" John asks.
Sophie and I are staring at each other, neither of us moving. There's fire behind her eyes. The muscle in her jaw clenches. "You're not going to tell him?" she asks calmly. When I don't respond, she looks at John. "Gwen's girlfriend is a notorious hunter."