"I did see him,' cried Joe. He was visibly sweating. Adrian had been right: Lissa was using too much spirit. It was physically hurting Joe. "I just ... I just ... I don't remember the time ... I don't remember any of the times. That's what I told the other guy, too. She paid me to put a time on when you were there.'
Adrian didn't like that, not at all. To his credit, he remained calm. "What do you mean you told "the other guy'?'
"Who else?' repeated Lissa. "Who else was with her?'
"No one! Lady Ivashkov just wanted to make sure her son was clear. I fudged the details for her. It was the guy ... the other guy who came later ... who wanted to know when Hathaway was around.'
There was a click from the foyer, the sound of the front door opening. Lissa leaned forward, cranking up the compulsion. "Who? Who was he? What did he want?'
Joe looked like he was in serious pain now. He swallowed. "I don't know who he was! No one I'd seen. Some Moroi. Just wanted me to testify about when I'd seen Hathaway. Paid me more than Lady Ivashkov. No harm ...' He looked at Lissa desperately. "No harm in helping them both ... especially since Hathaway did it ...'
"Adrian?' Daniella's voice rang down the hall. "Are you here?'
"Back off,' Adrian warned Lissa in a low voice. There was no joking in it. Her voice was just as soft, her attention still on Joe. "What did he look like? The Moroi? Describe him.'
The sound of high heels clicked on the hall's wooden floor.
"Like no one!' said Joe. "I swear! Plain. Ordinary. Except the hand ... please let me go ...'
Adrian shoved Lissa aside, breaking the contact between her and Joe. Joe nearly sagged to the ground and then went rigid as he locked gazes with Adrian. More compulsion--but much less than Lissa had used.
"Forget this,' hissed Adrian. "We never had this conversation.'
"Adrian, what are you--'
Daniella stopped in the living room's doorway, taking in the strange sights. Christian was still on the couch, but Adrian and Lissa were inches from Joe, whose shirt was soaked with sweat.
"What's going on?' Daniella exclaimed.
Adrian stepped back and gave his mother one of those charming smiles that captivated so many women. "This guy came by to see you, Mom. We told him we'd wait until you got back. We're going to head out now.'
Daniella glanced between her son and Joe. She was clearly uneasy about the scenario and also confused. Lissa was surprised at the "heading out' comment but followed Adrian's lead. Christian did too.
"It was nice seeing you,' said Lissa, attempting a smile to match Adrian's. Joe looked totally dazed. After Adrian's last command, the poor janitor had also probably forgotten how he'd ended up at the Ivashkov home.
Lissa and Christian hastily followed Adrian out before Daniella could say much more. "What the hell was that?' asked Christian, once they were outside. I wasn't sure if he meant Lissa's scary compulsion or what Joe had revealed.
"Not sure,' said Adrian, expression dark. No more cheery smile. "But we should talk to Mikhail.'
"Rose.'
Dimitri's voice was gentle, bringing me back to him, Sydney, and the car. He'd undoubtedly recognized the expression on my face and knew where I'd been.
"Everything okay back there?' he asked.
I knew "back there' meant Court and not the backseat. I nodded, though "okay' wasn't quite the right word for what I'd just witnessed. What had I just witnessed? An admission of false testimony. An admission that contradicted some of the evidence against me. I didn't care so much that Joe had lied to keep Adrian safe. Adrian hadn't been involved with Tatiana's murder. I wanted him free and clear. But what about the other part? Some "ordinary' Moroi who'd paid Joe to lie about when I'd been around, leaving me without an alibi during the murder window?
Before I could fully process the implications, I noticed the car had stopped. Forcing the Joe-info to the back of my mind, I tried to take stock of our new situation. Sydney's laptop glowed in the front seat as she scrolled through something.
"Where are we?' I peered out the window. In the headlights, I saw a sad, closed gas station.
"Altswood,' said Dimitri. By my estimation, there was nothing else but the gas station. "Makes our last town look like New York.'
Sydney shut her laptop. She handed it back, and I set it on the seat beside me, near the backpacks she'd miraculously grabbed when leaving the motel. She shifted the car into drive and pulled out of the parking lot. Not too far away, I could see the highway and expected her to turn toward it. Instead, she drove past the gas station, deeper into darkness. Like the last place, we were surrounded by mountains and forests. We crept along at a snail's pace until Sydney spotted a tiny gravel road disappearing into the woods. It was only big enough for one car to go down, but somehow, I didn't expect we'd run into much traffic out here. A similar road took us in deeper and deeper, and although I couldn't see her face, Sydney's anxiety was palpable in the car.
Minutes felt like hours until our narrow path opened up into a large, dirt-packed clearing. Other vehicles--pretty oldlooking--were parked there. It was a strange place for a parking lot, considering all I could see around us was dark forest. Sydney shut off the car.
"Are we at a campground?' I asked.
She didn't answer. Instead, she looked at Dimitri. "Are you as good as they say you are?'
"What?' he asked, startled.
"Fighting. Everyone keeps talking about how dangerous you are. Is it true? Are you that good?'
Dimitri considered. "Pretty good.'
I scoffed. "Very good.'
"I hope it's enough,' said Sydney, reaching for the door's handle.
I opened my door as well. "Aren't you going to ask about me?'
"I already know you're dangerous,' she said. "I've seen it.'
Her compliment offered little comfort as we walked out across the rural parking lot. "Why'd we stop?'
"Because we have to go on foot now.' She turned on a flashlight and shone it along the lot's perimeter. At last, it flickered across a footpath snaking through the trees. The path was small and easy to miss because weeds and other plants were encroaching on it. "There.' She began to move toward it.
"Wait,' said Dimitri. He moved in front of her, leading the way, and I immediately took up the back position in our group. It was a standard guardian formation. We were flanking her the way we would a Moroi. All earlier thoughts of Lissa flitted from my mind. My attention was totally on the situation at hand, all my senses alert to the potential danger. I could see Dimitri was in the same mode, both of us holding our stakes.