Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1)(39)

“You pulled a gun on us,” she said. “Your discomfort is your own doing.”

“I’m trying to teach Alia to be more cautious,” he complained.

“Lesson learned, big brother. Was it worth it?”

Diana stepped back and Alia’s brother turned, straightening the collar of his shirt.

“Happy?” he asked.

“Reassured.”

She expected another round of recriminations, but instead Jason turned to Alia. He crossed the short distance between them and pulled her into a tight hug. “I thought…We had word the Thetis had lost contact. I didn’t know what to think.”

“I’m okay,” Alia said, but Diana could hear the wobble in her voice.

Diana was embarrassed by the acute pang of envy she felt. She would have liked someone to lean on, to tell her she hadn’t made a terrible mistake, that she wasn’t in this alone.

Then Jason broke the hug and held Alia at arm’s length. “How could you be so stupid?”

“I’m not stupid,” she said, knocking Jason’s hands away and folding her arms.

“Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? The Thetis lost radio contact almost a week ago.”

“A week?” said Alia.

Diana’s heart lurched. A week gone? They must have lost time when they left the island. Hekatombaion began with the rise of the first visible new moon after the summer solstice—the slender white scythe of the reaping moon. How long did they have?

“When was the last full moon?” said Diana.

Jason stared at her as if she’d gone mad. “What?”

“I need a calendar.”

He scowled and handed over the boxlike device she realized was his phone.

She touched the screen tentatively. “I don’t—”

He snatched it from her and jabbed at it a few times before holding it up. They’d reached the end of June. According to the screen, the last full moon had been on June twentieth, and that meant Hekatombaion would begin on July seventh. They had less than a week to get to the spring.

Jason shoved his phone back in his pocket. “You disappeared,” he said to Alia. “They sent out search parties. I thought…” His voice broke. “For God’s sake, Alia, I thought you were dead.”

“But I’m not, Jason. I’m here.”

“How is that even possible? They said you boarded the boat in Istanbul. Did you change your mind?”

“I—”

“Everything okay up here?” The Bulgarian from the front desk stood panting at the end of the hall. It had taken him long enough to come investigate.

As one, they moved to block his view of the demolished door. “Everything’s great!” said Alia.

“You bet,” said Jason.

“Vsichko e nared. Molya, varnete se kam zanimaniyata si,” said Diana as reassuringly as she could.

The Bulgarian made an unconvinced “huh” sound and started back down the stairs.

“Should I even ask?” said Alia.

“I just told him that all was well and instructed him to return to what he was doing.”

“Not suspicious at all,” said Jason. Diana saw Alia bite back a smile.

She bristled. “It was a perfectly reasonable thing to say.”

“Let’s get inside before he changes his mind and comes back to take a closer look,” said Jason. “Help me with the door.”

“Diana can just—” Alia began, and Diana gave a frantic shake of her head. It was one thing for Alia to know how strong she was, but the less Jason knew about where she was from or what she could do, the better.

“Just what?” said Jason, already hefting one side of the door.

“Just help,” Alia finished weakly.

They shuffled into the passageway and got the door wedged shut behind them. Somehow the room looked smaller and shabbier with Alia’s brother standing inside it. Despite the fact that he’d just been in a fight, he looked unrumpled and immaculate, the white of his shirt unsullied, a heavy watch glinting at his wrist. Could she convince this boy of her cause? Could she convince Alia? She’d thought she would have time to make her case and get them to Greece. Now she had only a few days.

Jason turned a slow circle, taking in the room’s bleak furnishings, the plastic bags of candy. “I’ve been trying to call in favors with the Turkish government, and you’re having a slumber party.”

“That’s not what this is,” Alia objected.

Jason threw his hands up in exasperation. “Then what is it? What are you doing in a place like this, Alia? And how did you get here?”

Diana sat down on the bed. Alia had lied to her. “You said you wouldn’t call him.”

“I didn’t,” said Alia.

“But you knew he would trace you.”

“I thought he might.”

“What difference does it make?” asked Jason irritably. He turned to Diana, touching his hand to his shoulder as if it still pained him. “Who are you? And what right do you have to keep my sister from contacting me?”

Diana felt her temper rise. “It was for her own protection. Gods,” she said shooting up from the bed as realization struck. “You could have been followed. We should leave this place immediately.”