I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried not to focus on the fact I was standing in Max's kitchen wiping his kisses off my neck. "Yeah, it's me."

There was a long, heavy pause. "It's good to hear your voice."

My throat went dry. I will not cry, I will not cry. But my emotions were too raw. The alcohol left me with nothing to buffer them. I wiped at my eyes and prayed my voice wouldn't fail me when I spoke. "It's good to hear from you, too."

"I tried to get ahold of you earlier. You must have been out." He probed gently at the edge of the blood tie, and I shut him out firmly. He laughed softly. "Got something you don't want me to know?"

"I'm a little tipsy, is all. We just got in."

"Ah." Nathan didn't sound as though he believed me.

He hadn't yet offered any information about Bella. The suspense had me twisting the phone cord around my arm.

It would be better to do it like a Band-Aid, I decided—as quickly as possible so the pain wouldn't last. "I tried to call you earlier."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, that's what Bella said."

I rolled my lips over my teeth, pressing them until they were numb.

"She said you hung up."

I managed a tight laugh. "Yeah, I thought I had the wrong number. I didn't expect her to be there. Do I still have a room?"

My chuckle sounded so lame, if it had been a horse, some farmer would have shot it.

"Of course you do," Nathan said, his voice so soft I had to strain to hear it over the static. "Listen, has Max heard anything from the Movement?"

I tried to stay out of Max's personal business, but I did remember the comment he'd made on the Ferris wheel. "No, he said he hasn't heard anything lately."

"Bella has." His casual use of her name sent spears of agony through my heart. "There's too much to explain on the phone. We're headed down there right now."

I imagined her in the seat next to his, looking gorgeous think he'll be happy about her coming here.

"Why not?" Apparently, Nathan had gone brain dead. Then I remembered he'd been possessed by the Soul Eater's evil spell the whole time, and probably missed the weird dynamic going on between Bella and Max. Still, she should have had the common decency to clue Nathan in "No reason. Forget I said anything."

"Okay… " He cleared his throat again, "Listen, we're about an hour out of the city. We're hoping to get to Max's before sunrise, but if we can't, is there a parking garage or something nearby I can shelter in?"