It took a moment for Gary's words to get through the deep fog of my sleep deprived brain, but when they did, I was fucking flabbergasted. And I know it's stupid to feel that way about someone who just almost died because hunters tried to kill him, but I couldn't help it. Two attempts at murder in one week? Come on. Who had that much of a grudge against Lacroix?

"Who is it this time?" I asked in the silence of the meeting room.

The vampires in the room all looked uncomfortable, like they didn't really want to be here, answering this question.

Molly was the one who decided to speak. She stood up and put a hand on my shoulder, trying to be comforting, but it only made me antsy. And impatient.

'Spit it out,' I thought, 'I don't need sympathy. Sympathy won't save him.'

"Juliet, we'll help in any way we can," she said in a low voice, "but we think the people responsible for this will probably succeed."

She dropped her hand from my shoulder.

My mind rejected the thought instantly, pushed away the beginnings of nausea and fear.

"Who is it?" I said, more forcefully this time, "The hunters again?"

"No," Gary answered, "Several of the anarchs."

I instantly thought of Nines and his crew, of course. But who else? Then a terrifying thought presented itself.

"Are they down stairs now? At the party?" I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.

Gary shrugged, "Yes, I suppose Strauss is."

"Well then what the fuck are we doing up here?!" My voice was all squeaky and high. I sounded like a cartoon mouse.

"You need to calm down if you want this to work, Juliet," Molly said, and her hand was back on my arm, but tense now, as if threatening to restrain me if I tried to make a mad dash to the door.

"If we just storm down there screaming bloody murder, it will give them the upper hand. They'll know that he knows. And they'll know that we want to help him," Molly's voice was soft and reasoning.

"But what if they try to-"

Gary cut me off, "They won't. Not in here."

I sighed, deciding to believe him. It wasn't like I had any other choice anyway. Besides, the quicker this meeting was over, the quicker I could get back to Lacroix. I almost laughed aloud at that train of thought. What did I think? That I could protect him? I could barely protect myself.

"So you have a plan then?" I asked quietly, "Why don't you think it will work?"

"Our plan is foolproof. It's that pig headed Lacroix who will be responsible for his own demise, Princess," Gary said, but his eyes weren't as hard and unforgiving as they usually were, and his voice lacked some of its usual venom, "He won't go along with it."

"That's why we were hoping you could talk him into it," Molly said quietly beside me.

I couldn't help it. I started giggling madly. I mean, really. Me, talk Lacroix into doing something? There was probably a better chance of pigs flying… or even more likely, flying pig zombies attacking… or… you know.

Everyone stared at me like I was malkavian or something.

It slowly subsided, and I blinked the tears out of my eyes.

"Look, I couldn't talk Lacroix into sitting on a golden throne," I explained.

Gary made something that sounded halfway between a snort and a scoff.

"The only person I've ever seen him get into an argument with and lose is…" Eliza.

I stopped myself from saying her name, looking around at all their interested faces. I didn't even know half the people in this room. Maybe they didn't know about Eliza. Maybe they didn't need to.

"…is…someone I know." I finished lamely.

The nosferatu pair looked like I'd just slapped them or something. Like I'd just taken away their infant child and said that I was a cannibal and I was going to eat him.

"What do you want in exchange for that information?" Gary's voice was hilariously strained. Was he gonna cry or what?

I shrugged, trying not to laugh, "Nothing I guess. I mean, I just have to talk to this person first and make sure its okay. I'm not trying to blackmail you or anything."

"There's a phone in the conference room," Molly informed me, a little too eagerly.

"I want a secure line," I said.

Gary and Molly exchanged looks, and I realized that they were completely planning on listening to my phone call. I silently thanked Lacroix for inadvertently teaching me to be paranoid.

Molly smiled sheepishly. Gary reached in his pocket, pulled something out, and tossed it to me. I promptly dropped it.

I picked it up from the floor. A cell phone.

"There you go, princess. My own line. Secure enough for you?"

I shrugged. It could still be traced, but I'd try not to say Eliza's name. The situation at hand was a little more pressing than waiting for a secure line.

I dialed in Eliza's number, silently thanking God that I remembered it.

It rang five times, then went to voicemail.

"Hi, you've reached—" I hung up quickly before the voicemail Eliza could reveal herself. How good were these vampires hearing? I didn't know but I didn't want to risk it.

The vampires stared at me.

"Uh, they didn't answer," I said.

Everyone sighed in disappointment, seemingly in unison.

"Then I suppose it's up to you."