by Geonn Cannon
"That was weird."
"Like the cramps you used to get after a run? Those seem to have become really infrequent lately. It's almost like once we started dating, you stopped complaining about how much you hurt."
Ari winced. "I have a good workout partner these days."
"Ari, if you're hurting, you have to tell me. Okay? I worry about you regardless. At least if I know you're in pain I can try doing something about it. No more secrets, no more grinning and bearing it. If that thing with your hand happens again, I want to know. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," Ari said.
"Good girl." She rested her hands on the steering wheel. "So what did you see in there?"
"It's some kind of club. Venatorial?"
Dale narrowed her eyes. "Latin, I think. It means hunting."
"Thanks, college girl. Keighley was in there with Lorne, who was sharing our offer of peace. The mayor's chief of staff showed up."
"Scott Levitt?" Dale said. "He's on my list."
"What list?"
Dale took out her phone and handed it over. "I played connect the dots and found a group of people I think are possibly the... council or whatever. Lorne said there was sort of a committee who was overseeing things in the Pacific Northwest? I think this is them, or at least the Seattle branch of them."
Ari nodded. "These people make sense. I'm not sure where Mr. Microsoft fits in, though. Is he sticking wolfsbane in people's computers?"
"I don't know. Maybe he's just the numbers guy. But whatever... these other people are in good positions to spread the drug around. Cabs, restaurants, the mayor's staff. We're lucky there's not an epidemic."
"That's what I was telling Lorne earlier. The hunters talk a big game, but when it comes down to an actual war they're all gun shy. Even with the so-called justification of wolfsbane they're just not pulling the trigger. I think we can calm everyone down. Lorne saw me in there. He saw me and opened the door so I could get out."
Dale turned in her seat. "Really? That's huge."
"I think he's just got nothing left to lose. The hunters are pissed at him, he's got that bite getting worse and worse. I guess he figured there was no upside to sounding the alarm."
"Still, I think it's a breakthrough."
Ari shrugged. "Even so, Keighley won't be easily convinced. This guy has walked the walk since thirty years ago when he attacked my mother. He's been waiting all this time for the rest of the hunters to start up wolf manoth again." Another car passed them, and Dale looked at the driver while Ari slid down so she would be less visible. "Could you tell who it was?"
"I saved pictures of the group... this guy was blonde with a big chin." She scrolled with her thumb and then held the phone up for Ari to see. "Adam Beck. He had that cooking show for a while, and now he has the restaurant downtown."
"Glad I never took you there."
"Me too. I think it's a dating-don't for your girlfriend to attack your waiter."
"Only at the real hoity-toity places, and even there people turn a blind eye if he screwed up your drink order."
Dale laughed and reached into the backseat. Ari took her hand, curling her fingers around Dale's to prove she could.
"I love being with you, Ariadne."
"Where did that come from?"
"I don't know. Just the two days we were apart, and just now... we're sitting here talking about something that could kill you or get you killed, and you still manage to make me laugh. I want to say, about the fight we had the other day? You can say whatever you want to me. I know how you feel in your heart, and I know that sometimes you speak before you think. You love me. I'll never doubt that."
Ari bent down and kissed the back of Dale's hand. "When this is all over, I want to take you somewhere. I don't care where, as long as it's just the two of us without cases or clients."
"Granddad's cabin? We could buy a week's worth of groceries, hide out on the island... you could go for runs on the beach, through the woods..."
"That sounds fantastic."
Dale rubbed her thumb in a circle on Ari's palm. "I'll pencil it in. And you know, in all honesty, when it comes to meeting the parents, things could be going a whole lot worse."
Ari laughed. "Is that so?"
Dale said, "Yeah. I could have ripped the seat of my pants right before dinner, or introduced myself as Fale Drye because I'm too nervous to remember my real name."
Ari grinned. "Both of those things really happened to you, didn't they?"
"A good girlfriend wouldn't ask me that."
Another car passed while Ari was chuckling, and Dale took her hand back to look at the phone. "Vaughn Wakefield. He owns the Orarian Group."
Ari frowned. "Levitt, Lorne, Huxley, Keighley, Beck. Now him? They're war rooming."
"What does that mean?"
"It means within the next few minutes, anyone on that list who isn't already in the house is going to show up. It means whoever is calling the shots is anxious about losing the wolfsbane."
"This is good, right? They're scrambling to find a plan B."
Ari nodded. "Yeah, but that also means everyone who could end wolf manoth is going to be in that castle in the next hour."
Dale glared at her. "Ariadne, no. Don't even think about going in there alone."
Ari said, "Who said anything about going in alone? I have to make a few phone calls."
She wasn't sure how long it would take to set up the plan she had in mind, but she doubted the hunters were planning a short meeting. She had time to get all her ducks in a row and put her plan in motion without worrying they would finish up and scatter before she was ready.
Chapter Sixteen
Tyson Warwick was the final member of the Venatorial Club to make an appearance. Ari and Dale observed him park well away from the other vehicles in the parking lot and then angrily stalk across the parking lot to the front entrance. Ari checked her phone to make sure everything was in place, then squeezed Dale's shoulder before she stood up and jogged to catch up with him. She approached from an oblique angle so that he didn't see her until she was right beside him. He flinched and she pretended not to notice, mirroring his angry demeanor as she fell into step beside him.
"You have any idea what this bullshit is about?" she asked.
"No. I'm about ready to tell them to shove my membership. I don't have time for this."
Ari laughed humorlessly, thrilled by his attitude. Hopefully his fellow hunters would be equally put-out. "You and me both, buddy. I haven't seen you around. I'm Adrian Wall."
He shook her hand. "Tyson. Ty."
He held the door open for her and she nodded her thanks as she stepped inside. She let him get ahead of her so he could lead the way, pushing open the door through which Keighley and his first guest had vanished. Ari closed the door behind her and scanned the room. All eight members of the club were present, with Lorne stretched out on the divan while Keighley and Huxley huddled near the window. Everyone else looked like frustrated passengers who had just been told their flight was delayed.
Vance frowned at Ari. "Since when do we allow huntresses in this club?"
Keighley's eyes flashed. "Ariadne."
Tyson looked at her. "I thought you said your name was Adrian."
"I lied about that. Go sit down with your pals." He moved away from her with some confusion and took a seat next to Adam Beck. Lorne had sat up at the sound of her voice and glared at her from the couch. Keighley started toward her but Ari held up a finger. "Hold on, Papa." She narrowed her eyes and looked toward the ceiling. "Right about..."
A car alarm began wailing from the parking lot, and half the men turned toward the window. When a second alarm joined it, Scott Levitt rose and looked out the window.
Ari smiled. "Nothing too criminal. No vandalism, just a little nudge to set off the sound effects. Some of you in this room know me. Some of you don't. So let me get us all on the same page. My name is Ariadne Willow, and I'm a private investigator. I'm Jacob Keighley's daughter, on a te
chnicality. I was born when he assaulted and raped my mother thirty years ago at college. Now, I know what you're all thinking. ‘Jake is no rapist.' He would agree with you. He doesn't consider it rape since she is canidae. I get that from her. Well, that and my eyes. People say we have the same eyes. Mostly it's the wolf thing, though."
Huxley looked at Keighley. "What's she talking about, Jake?"
"He's been looking forward to this day for most of his life. He's a true believer, someone who really carries the banner of hunting like nobody's business. I bet there hasn't been a hunter as dedicated as him since... God, probably since the Napoleonic Wars." She walked across the room to the wet bar and picked up one of the bottles. "Wow. This is the really good stuff. I was in here earlier and I smelled cigar smoke, brandy, all kinds of stuff. It's ingrained into the texture of the carpet. The walls and the ceiling, this place just reeks of dude.
"That's when I realized. That's what this is. You guys are the top of your respected fields. Mr. Levitt, you work for the Mayor. Adam Beck, celebrity chef. It's really hard not to ask for your autograph right now. My girlfriend used to watch your show religiously. So it makes sense you needed a place like this to unwind. Get away from the cloying public and their cameras. This is your haven. And then one day Jake Keighley came along and reminded you why this place was built. He reminded you of those trips with your papa, those stories he told. Werewolves are real! Werewolves are a menace! And it's up to you to stop them from spreading."
Huxley said, "He reminded us of our heritage. Our responsibility to the people of this world. We were entrusted with the safety of humanity against this scourge--"
"Hogwash," Ari said. "Maybe in the year eleven-hundred, when we were just a bunch of tribes hitting each other with swords because we had a tiny little island to fight over, maybe then I could believe this whole extermination bullshit. We've spread out a bit since then. Wolves take the forests and humans have the cities. To be honest, if anyone needs to be exterminated to protect land, it's you guys and your urban sprawl. But I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm just here to talk."
The door behind her open and Milhous stepped into the room. Ari hooked a thumb at him.
"If anyone needs to be hurt, I'll let him do it for me."
"Gentlemen," Milhous said. A few of the hunters shrunk away from the giant.
Ari laced her fingers in front of her. "We have the wolfsbane. The vast majority of it, anyway. Mr. Wakefield, I know your Orarian Group is in the process of making more, but they have to do it quietly without raising any eyebrows. So it's going to take a while for you to have enough to make a difference, and by then wolf manoth will be over. And I think that's the only thing justifying what you guys are doing. When this month ends you're going to shake hands, pat each other on the backs, and go back to your real lives."
Levitt said, "What is your point, young lady?"
"I'm here to say... stop. Stop this war right now. It's archaic, it's pointless, and none of us want this." She looked at Keighley. "Well. Almost none of us. You were all born hunters, but it wasn't a tradition for you. It wasn't engrained the way it was with Mr. Keighley. He truly hates wolves. I bet he was the one who brought up reinstituting wolf manoth. I bet he convinced all of you to throw in your specific contribution. The restaurants, the cabs, the mayor, the police. He took this place you men had turned into your refuge and he turned it into a war room. He convinced you that the wolfsbane would justify whatever damage you caused."
Huxley said, "What makes you think the wolfsbane was his idea?"
"Oh, it was him. The rest of you built lives, empires. You found something with purpose and you followed it through. Captains of industry, leaders in your fields. Not Keighley, though. He had a sporting goods store. A place where hunters could equip themselves for battle against the true enemy."
Footsteps thudded on the floor overhead. When the men looked up, Ari snapped her fingers.
"Pay attention now, because this is where it gets important. You followed him because he said your hands would be clean. You weren't slaughtering people in cold blood, you were killing monsters. That's some heroic shit. But without the wolfsbane, we're going to go back to being normal, everyday citizens. You won't be able to shrug and point to the havoc we've wreaked to rationalize violence. You'll have to make a conscious effort to kill another human being.
"But that's not the only thing you need to think about. For the past week, we've been defending ourselves. We've spread the word about wolfsbane, and we've taken measures to make sure we and our loved ones aren't exposed. That's the only reason there hasn't been a slew of vicious attacks throughout the city. As of right now, that changes."
Lorne said, "You're threatening us?"
"No. You threatened us. Wolves generally don't like to fight unless they're provoked or their territory is invaded. You invaded our territory. You poisoned our food. This war has been one-sided up to this point. If you continue to come after us, we're going to go on the defensive."
Something crashed in the hallway. Adam Beck stood, but his posture was more fearful than threatening.
"There are wolves in your house, Keighley. One of them is the partner of a wolf Detective Lorne shot the other night. One of them is a woman whose home was turned into a bunker in anticipation of an attack. We're done running. We're not going to hide anymore. We took the wolfsbane so this will be a fair fight. A fair fight you will all lose."
Keighley said, "You're asking us to stop. Just... asking."
Ari met his eye. "Jacqueline Ramsey. Who in this room was getting updates from her?"
After a moment Huxley raised his hand. "She's in Ireland."
"She's dead in a garage out on Yarrow Point. She was killed by the wolf she was assigned to watch over. And..." She looked at Lorne. "Sorry about this, Kyle. But your friend here isn't just sick. He was bitten during the robbery. Look at his arm."
Lorne stood up. "That's bullshit. We're..."
"Kyle... shut up." Huxley crossed the room and pushed up Lorne's sleeve. The bandage was evidence enough that she was telling the truth. Huxley looked angry, but his expression quickly faded into grief. "You could have told us."
Lorne pulled his arm away and tugged the sleeve down.
"How many friends are you prepared to lose in this fight?" Ari said softly. "End this war right now. Today, in this room. Call off the hunters you have hiding all over the city. Have them get rid of whatever wolfsbane they have left in a safe manner. We go back to our lives, you go back to yours, and neither one of us has to worry about being hunted."
Huxley said, "And if we refuse?"
The door behind Ari opened and Milhous stepped aside. Gwen entered, followed by Milo, Paige, Owen, and Mia. They formed a wall behind Ari, blocking the exit.
"If you refuse, then we bring the war to you."
Milo said, "The hunters become prey."
Owen said, "We'll track down your families and make sure the hunter line ends."
"And we'll make sure this is the final wolf manoth ever," Mia added.
"No wolfsbane," Gwen said. "No excuses. Just wolves versus hunters." She lifted her chin, eyes locked on Keighley. "Are you confident you would come out victorious?"
Tyson Warwick stood up and fished his phone out of his pocket. Huxley watched him as he dialed. "What are you doing, Ty?"
"I'm calling my restaurant and telling them to get rid of that wolfsbane shit. I wasn't exactly keen on putting it in my food in the first place. This?" He shook his head. "This is too far. We're ending this, just like they said."
Keighley said, "Put down the phone, Ty."
Tyson ignored him and turned his back to place the call. Once he began speaking, Adam Beck took out his phone as well. Ari looked at Colin Vance, the Microsoft employee.
"What exactly did you bring to the table?"
Vance looked at her, looked at Huxley, and then sighed. "I accessed profiles and private information of people who we believed were genetically hunters. I brought them into the
fold. But I'm done. This? This is madness, Keighley. Even you have to see that."
Keighley said, "Even me? What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're delusional," Wakefield said. "This has gotten out of hand."
Huxley grabbed Wakefield's arm. "This is exactly what we signed up for."
"This is what you talked us into. There's a pretty big difference, Patrick."
"You cowards..." Keighley stalked forward into the center of the room and turned to face his men. "This is what we've been working for. What we've been waiting for all our lives."
Vance said, "It's what you've been waiting for, Jake. You just conned us into going along with it for a while. We're done."
Keighley didn't telegraph his punch when he swung at Ari, he simply spun on the ball of his foot and brought up his arm. The blow glanced across her chin and knocked her back, forcing Milhous to catch her before she hit the ground. Keighley sidestepped the bulky bouncer, but he was stopped by an outstretched arm across his chest. Gwen was on top of him before he hit the ground, her weight forcing him down even faster. She put her arm across his throat and leaned in until their faces were inches apart. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a low growl.
"If you ever raise a hand to my daughter again, I will not hesitate to make you bleed."
He grimaced as Gwen grabbed his collar and hauled him onto his feet. She closed her hand around his arm just above his elbow, squeezing hard enough that Ari figured his hand would go numb in a matter of seconds.
"What exactly is the plan now?" Wakefield asked.
Gwen hauled Keighley back to his feet and shoved him toward the couch. "Now we do something that is reprehensible, but may be for the best. We let you go. Despite the deaths you've caused, despite the harm you've done and the wolves you've killed... we will let you walk free. Consider it a gift for laying down your weapons and leaving us alone. I think it's a fair deal. It's one way we can walk out of this room and we all get to keep our lives."
Levitt said, "We need to discuss this."
"Do you?" Milhous said. "Do you really?"
Tyson shook his head. "No. We're finished with this." He looked down at Keighley. "This has gone on far too long. People have died, and more people will die if we allow it to carry on. You called us all here to try talking sense into Mr. Lorne, but the truth is he was right. I would suggest a vote, but I doubt that will be necessary. Anyone disagree? I think we know how Mr. Keighley will vote..."