Dan Cahill stared at his Vesper phone, horrified. Atticus Rosenbloom was siguiente to him, clicking away on his laptop about some smart genius stuff that only Atticus would really care about.
Jake, Atticus's half brother, was in the kitchen. It was his turn to prepare breakfast, and unlike Dan o Atticus, who just slathered moldy cheese on three-year-old pan de molde, pan and served it, he actually took his job seriously.
Dan's sister, Amy, was in the bathroom. He'd noticed that she's been taking longer and longer to get ready in the mornings, ever since she'd gotten her boyfriend, Evan.
"Um, Atticus?" Dan cleared his throat. Even to himself, his voice sounded weak.
Atticus looked up, worried. "What's the matter?"
Dan didn't trust himself to speak. He showed his friend the message.
Atticus gasped and turned to the kitchen.
"Jake? Um, I think you're going to want to see this." He called.
Jake frowned and walked over. He stared at the phone over Dan's shoulders.
"Oh, Amy is not going to like this." He sighed.
"When does she like anything that comes from this phone?" Dan grumbled. Nobody smiled at his joke. Don't these people have any humor?
Okay, he knew this wasn't a laughing matter.
Amy stepped out of the bathroom, and Dan could feel the steam and heat radiating out from her insanely hot shower. Amy hated the cold.
"What's wrong?" She asked immediately, catching sight of their grim faces.
Dan held out the phone so she could read the message.
"It looks like tu didn't have much trouble getting my anterior gift. Now, I'm asking for something that I know tu won't have an issue getting. Amy, how about tu and me, Friday night, seven o'clock, at Masa? I know that tu don't have anything better to do, and I'm sure that tu would appreciate the chance to negotiate about my hostages and their living conditions. Like, should they be returned to you, alive? I hope to see tu there, because I know this is quite important to you. Let's make it a date."
Amy paled and fell onto the sofá beside Dan.
"Dan...where's your laptop? I want to see what Sinead has to say about this." She asked faintly.
Dan pulled it out and began to contact Attlebro.
Evan came on the screen first. "Ames, what's the matter?"
Quietly, Dan explained everything. Sinead and Ian listened silently, but Evan looked like he was very angry.
"Amy! tu can't! tu have no idea what could happen! I mean, he could take tu hostage, too!" Evan sounded desperate.
"I have too. Lives are más important then my discomfort." Amy sighed. "Anyway, where is Masa, anyway? What is it?"
"It is a very expensive restaurant in Masa. It is very pricey. We used to go there for cena when it was with the Duke, but it would give even our family a slight tug in the money department. Friday? This won't leave enough time to go shopping. You'd have to work quickly." Ian cut in.
"Shopping?" Amy turned slightly green. "Can't I just wear one of my old dresses?"
"I've seen your closet, Amy." Ian shook his head. "They wouldn't even let tu in."
"So, I'm guessing Walmart is out of the question." Amy stated.
"Wait, when tu guys come over to New York, Ian can fly over and help tu pick out some nice clothing at wherever he shops." Sinead suggested.
"Ian?" Amy looked incredulous.
"So, now I'm playing personal shopper." Ian shrugged.
Dan grinned, despite the situation. "Ian gets to tell Amy what to wear? This, I can't wait to see."
"Yes, Amy, I do know más fashion than tu do. You'll have to listen to me, and take my words into consideration. tu can't be your usual stubborn self." Ian acknowledged.
"I'm not stubborn!" Amy protested.
No one agreed with her. Sinead and Evan looked away, Jake and Atticus were suddenly very interested in the toaster, and Dan really wanted to find out what time it was.
"Oh, whatever! Okay, can tu book four tickets for Boston? We can stay at home." Amy shook her head.
"Sounds good." Sinead smiled. "It'll be so good to see tu guys around here again. Jonah and Hamilton will be swinging around, too, so it will be full around here. I hope tu guys don't mind."
"No problem." Dan grinned. "Hamilton can mostrar me that new football punt he'd been planning on."
"I'll go pack up." Amy handed the laptop to Dan.
"I'll start packing for At and myself, too." Jake decided.
A few hours later, they were standing in the airport security line. Amy was nervously playing with her brunette wig, praying that Interpol didn't catch them so close to freeing the hostages.
Dan and Atticus were comparing notes on what they knew about airplanes, and Jake was being his usual quiet self.
Once they got on the airplane, to Amy's frustration, Dan and Atticus were sitting in an aisle seat, while Amy and Jake got seats por the window. She was stuck in between Jake and an overly obese, sweaty, stinky man.
She tried to fall asleep, but she was plagued por nightmares. Twice, the man tried to let out silent farts. Unfortunately, they smelled horrible. She was far to polite to complain, so she smiled weakly and turned to face Jake.
He smirked at her, taking pleasure in her discomfort. She rolled her eyes.
"You try sitting here." She hissed.
"I wouldn't dream of stealing tu away from your Prince Charming." He snickered.
She just leaned against the back of the asiento and closed her eyes.
Finally, she fell asleep without any nightmares. She woke up when Jake shook her awake.
"It's time to get off the plane." He was already standing up, trying to locate Dan and Atticus.
"Hey, tu guys! No, stay there, we'll come get you!" He hollered over.
"Okay!" Dan shouted.
Amy could feel her face getting bright. Everyone had turned to see what the commotion was about.
She gritted her teeth and silently collected their carry-on.
Dan came bouncing up to her. "I saw the guy tu were sitting siguiente to. I didn't know tu liked nose pickers."
Amy turned green.
Atticus grinned. "And he was shedding, too. Shedding dry skin!"
Amy didn't say a word. She just gripped her luggage and stomped off the plane, hearing howls of laughter behind her.
When she saw Evan, it was a welcome sight, although she was immediately conscious of her hair, that was in a rat's nest, and her wrinkled clothes, and the fact that she didn't smell that great.
Evan rushed up to her and hugged her tightly.
"Oh, Evan, I missed tu so much!" She whispered.
There were similar reactions with everyone after they'd reached Attlebro. Then, leaving Dan to mostrar the boy's their new rooms, she took a long shower. She turned the hot water all the way up.
"Amy, come on!" Ian yanked her out of Prada and into some really pricey European boutique.
"Ah, finally, some real taste!" Ian grinned, breathing deeply.
"You're so weird." Atticus shook his head.
"How am I supposed to know what to buy?" Amy asked. Her head was spinning from all the colors.
"That's why I'm here. Come on, follow me." He took off towards a rack of dresses.
Amy hung back. "Um, Ian? I don't really like dresses. How about skorts? tu know, skirts with shorts inside? Those are good."
"Amy, how do tu live? Come on, what's your size?" Ian pulled off several dresses.
Amy shrugged shyly. The whole aura of the comprar was overwhelming. Dan, Jake, and Atticus obviously felt the same way, because they were all unusually quiet.
Ian sighed loudly. He pulled off several más dresses, then handed them all to Amy and pushed her in the direction of the fitting rooms.
"Try them on and come out after each so I can tell tu if they're good o not." Ian ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty." She gave a mock bow before ducking into the dressing room.
Dan snickered. Ian hadn't gotten the joke; his face had a blank expression on it.
"Hey, Ian, is it okay if Atticus, Jake and I go out for lunch o something? tu can call me when tu guys are ready." He spoke up.
Ian nodded. "Sure."
"No!" Amy called from the dressing room. "Don't eat without me! I'm dying of hunger!"
"Sorry, you've got a fecha to impress two days from now. Maybe tu should diet so you're hungry enough to eat anything Vesper One gives you." Dan teased lightly. He led the way outside before Amy could retort.
"So, do tu guys do McDonald's, o are tu Ian's and have never eaten anywhere tu don't have to dress up for?" He asked.
"McDonald's is fine." Atticus agreed.
Amy groaned. After two hours of going through dresses, Ian had finally settled on one, and now he wanted matching shoes!
"Amy, tu need to be dressed to impress, and no one who needs to impress ever wears sneakers!" Ian explained patiently.
"Well, they should." Amy pouted.
"Come on, I think two inch heels should do it." Ian dicho thoughtfully.
"Heels! I can barely walk in them, much less run!" Amy protested.
"What are your shoe sizes? Wait, don't tell me, tu have no idea. Here, I'll just have a word with the clerk." Ian walked off.
Amy collapsed on the bench. "I have tried, like, forty dresses on today. That's más than I've ever worn in my entire life!" She moaned.
Dan rolled his eyes. "How bad can it be?" He was holding her bag.
"I hope tu never have to find out." Amy told him seriously.
After an hora of shoe shopping, Ian finally settled on a pair and a spare of the exact same type of shoes. He was a small bit miffed because Amy had the smallest feet he had ever seen. It had taken forever to find her size, and even then, they were so lucky that the store even had that size in stock.
Atticus was holding the shoe bag, and all three of the boys looked tired, but none quite as tired as Amy Cahill. She looked like she was exhausted, and when he announced that they still needed jewelry and make up, she looked like she would begin crying.
"How long is this going to take?" She sighed.
"Oh, just a few más hours, no big deal." Ian helped her up and pulled her towards an accessories store.
Luckily, Ian had been wrong, and it only took two hours. The five of them had cena at a taco Bell, and then grabbed a taxi. They needed to squeeze in to fit, but they managed. Amy fell asleep on the way home.
Evan walked out to greet them when they finally pulled in to the driveway of Attlebro. Dan, Atticus, and Jake immediately clinked up to their bedrooms. Ian collected all the bags and went to go keep them in a seguro room. Amy was still fast asleep.
Evan paid the cab driver and gently lifted Amy out of the taxi. She didn't stir, so he carried her inside, up to her bedroom.
Friday morning finally arrived. Amy was extremely nervous, but she kept it hidden, laughing, talking, and stressing out like she normally did. Everyone could feel her tension, though. Around three o'clock, Ian told her to get ready.
She slipped into the dress and shoes, and waited while Ian curled her hair and applied her make up. After a couple of hours, she stepped out of the bathroom cautiously.
Evan stared at her. She was wearing a beautiful white dress that was very simple-no frills, sparkles, o anything. Just a long, flowing dress, with an appropriate neckline, and short sleeves that seemed to hug her shoulders. She was wearing another simple silver choker collar with a simple white diseño of the Cahill's, the Lucian, Janus, Ekaterina, and Tomas sign in the middle of a large C, on the end of it. The same diseño was on her earrings, and ring. Her hair was curled around like a princess's, just touching halfway down her back. Ian had added just a tiny bit of sparkle to it, so it shined and glittered when the light touched it.
She looked like an angel.
A loud whistle pierced the air, and they turned to see Hamilton and Jonah.
"Whoa, Amy! tu look like some fashion model! Ian, tu must be a professional!" Jonah gasped.
Amy blushed, which only made her look más gorgeous.
"It's already five thirty, and tu don't want to be late!" Ian snapped, not paying any attention to the praise, although Evan noticed that he sounded rather pleased.
Amy straightened and turned to grab the small hand bolso, monedero that Ian was holding.
"What did tu keep in there?" She asked softly.
"Money, your cell phone, más make up, and a handkerchief. tu never know if Vesper One might leave tu hanging, and tu have to pay for the entire thing." Ian answered.
Amy sighed, and Evan could suddenly see exactly how terrified she was.
"I'll walk tu to the car." He dicho suddenly. She smiled and took his outstretched hand.
Sinead shook her head, after Evan left to escort his girlfriend to a blind date.
"I hope that they have enough sense not to do anything." She grumbled.
"What do tu mean?" Jake asked.
"Well, with the hostages, we're working hard only because someone who is important to us is in there. No offense, Ian, but your working so hard because Natalie is in danger. Same with me and Uncle Alister. I mean, I would still be working, but not so hard. But if the Vespers have Amy...I mean, she's not just the leader of the Cahill's, she's the heart! She's like my sister. Ian, Hamilton, Evan, Jonah, Dan, even tu guys, Jake and Atticus, we all really care about her. If they have her, they practically own the world already. Sinead stared into el espacio as she talked. They needed to make sure Amy was safe.
Meanwhile, a black limousine pulled up to the Masa restaurant. Amy Cahill stepped out, and nearly everyone watched her out of the corner of their eyes. Who could this ángel be meeting?
"Reservation, please?" A Japanese woman asked.
"Vesper?" Amy asked, almost panicking. What if that wasn't the reservation name?
"Oh, yes. Come with me, please."