by Cathy Clamp
He let out a harsh laugh. “Be pissed at me if you want. I could care less. You know it’s the truth. What I want to know, what Ahmad wants to know, is, what is he up to? Why is Lagash in Luna Lake? Why integrate and live quietly for a decade? Why suddenly kill a waitress and blow up her house just when I arrive? Something deeper is going on and it’s been going on for a very long time.” He paused to let it sink in. “Lagash was Sargon’s cupbearer, Amber. He was Sargon’s planner. His war planner, his schemer, the one who made the bodies of Sargon’s enemies disappear. Akede became an empire because of Lagash, not Sargon. Of the two, I would much rather face Sargon.”
Her entire body stilled, and he couldn’t even hear her heart beating. “You’re serious.” Her words were a whisper, as though she didn’t want to say it too loud.
“No,” he said with sarcasm dripping from his voice and skin, “I’m just here for fun. I will probably die doing this, Amber. Ahmad and I are both aware that this is likely a suicide mission. I’m doing it because I know what Lagash is capable of, how dangerous he is to both Sazi and humans. Right now, I need to figure out why Lagash wants Anica and her brother dead. Because make no mistake … no matter who did the actual job, he planned it.”
The next words out of her mouth dropped his jaw, because it was something he hadn’t considered. “Maybe his plan was simply to kill your mate. In a new mating, it could easily kill you too. Clean and simple way to get rid of you without confrontation.”
It was clean and simple. Almost too clean. “Possibly, but there’s an equal chance it would drive me insane with grief and make me impossible to defeat.” He shook his head. “No. There’s something deeper at work. I just need to figure it out.” He tapped his fingers against his blue jeans. “I need to interview this family … see what threat they could possibly pose to someone like Lagash.”
Amber had given in. He could sense it in his skin. She sighed and said, “Dalvin still has the mediation files. He planned to turn them over to Charles when he arrives next week. Read them first. It’ll give you a lot of background on the family and cut down the number of questions you need to ask.” She paused. “I’ll be talking to Charles tonight. Should I tell him to prepare for battle when he comes?”
Tristan considered that. Charles was a hell of a fighter but was likely out of practice. Formerly known as Sasha, the Great Bear of the North, he was one of the oldest Sazi in the world, and one of the few who had been worshiped as a god. Could Charles take Lagash, one-on-one? In his youth, absolutely. Without breaking a sweat. Possibly even today. But—
“Lagash never fights alone. He’s always preferred sneak attacks and overwhelming force. It’s how Sargon became an emperor instead of just a minor tribal leader.”
If Lagash wasn’t alone, it could easily be a trap. “If he knows you’re here, he knows Charles isn’t far behind. That he hasn’t run means he isn’t worried, which means he has a plan. It might not be wise for Charles to come right now. He barely survived the plague. There’s no guarantee he would survive another dose. Or something worse—”
That made her nervous. Bobby had told him that Amber had nearly drained herself permanently while healing Charles. She was still powerful, but she wasn’t the healer she had once been. The whole damned Council had become watercolor versions of the original oil paintings he remembered. “Let me look over what he has. And speaking of Dalvin, he probably needs to keep an eye on the brother. Zarko can take care of himself.”
Amber used the back of her hand to push back her hair several times, looking for all the world like she was grooming in animal form. “What about Anica? Mating or no, she’s a three-day. She’s damned lucky she survived an attack like this. I still can’t believe she survived being thrown into a house. That impact was the equivalent of falling off a ten-story building. But I checked her out. She’s fine. More than fine, actually. She’s in perfect health.”
He knew. Tristan couldn’t help but look back at the house. He could feel her, right at the edge of his senses. “Can you watch her? I don’t like to ask, but … I don’t dare keep her with me.”
She nodded. “She can stay with me at the apartments until Charles arrives. But just so you know … Zarko told me both of the kids were denied visas. They’ll be returning to Serbia unless we can find someone at a level to help her. We lost a lot of people at the federal level during the attacks. It’s been hard to rig the system like we used to.” That actually might not be a bad thing. Lagash would have no reason to chase Anica to Serbia, and perhaps that much distance would allow him to break the tie. She would be safe, could be happy. He looked over to see Amber watching him. “I know that smile, Ris. Speaking from experience, mating ties don’t work that way.” He’d been smiling? “You can’t just send her away and have it all disappear. It sneaks up on you, overwhelms you.”
“You escaped your mating tie. Charles is your choice, not your mate.”
She replied in a soft voice that had iron bindings wrapped tightly around, “And every day … every single day I have to fight the urge to run to the man I’m mated to … Raphael. Or to kill myself.” She let him get a glimpse at the pain just below the surface of her skin. Her hands were clenched into fists and the tension extended into the muscles of her forearms until they disappeared beneath the soft tan and gold shirt. Her voice lowered to a whisper. “It sneaks in, Ris. As quiet as the night … and as relentless as the tide.” Pain was carved in the lines of her face, in the hollows beneath her eyes. “You’re strong. But not strong enough.”
“Hey, you guys okay?” Bobby walked toward them, his movements tentative. He might not be able to see her face, but he could probably smell the open wound in her soul. Then, like a cloud had passed to reveal the sun, her face was normal again. A calm illusion.
“Just going over the clues. Did you find anything new inside?”
Bobby had good intuition, but he also respected boundaries. His eyes took on an expression of disinterest in their business. “Does a bomb count?”
“What!?” Tristan turned and started forward. How did he not feel her panic?
The taller man let out a small chuckle and put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Easy, boy. The intruder didn’t have time to arm it. It’s likely that’s what Anica interrupted. It was in the dryer. Nobody probably would have noticed it until they came to investigate the murders. I have no doubt that’s what she’d planned for Bojan and Anica.”
This wasn’t making any sense. “But why try a second murder, less than a day after the first? She had to know we would be watching for a pattern. And for a bomb.”
Bobby shrugged. “This was a woman. The first was a man. Maybe they’re unrelated.”
Except when they weren’t. His nephew-in-law paused and stared at him long enough his inner eyelids blinked up at the same time the outer ones blinked down. One of the things Tristan liked best about Bobby was his brain. And one of the things he hated about him was the same thing. “You’re lying to me, Ris. Spill.”
He tried to brush it off. “How can I be lying to you? I haven’t said anything.”
“Less than nothing, I’d say.” Now Amber was watching him too. “Your scent has vanished and you only do that when you’re hiding something. Your glands were the source of the Wolven cologne, if you recall, which means we both recognize when it’s used.”
“And I’ll repeat again what I already told you. I report to Ahmad. He gets first shot at any information I’ve found. But it’s all right there for you to find too.” He waved at the house. “Have at it.”
Bobby blinked and put his hands on his hips. He laughed then, a sound of pure joy. His snow-white teeth were nearly blinding. “A race to the finish it is, then. You have your experience and I have my training. But we face the final threat together. Your word.” He held out one broad hand, his golden watch flashing in the morning sun. Amber let out a snort and a scent of angry cat that said she wasn’t at all pleased by the turn of events.
Tristan took the offered han
d of his python cohort. “If I have any say in when that happens.”
Shaking her head in resignation, Amber walked back toward the front door. “I’ll talk to Zarko about new sleeping arrangements for the duration of this … mess.” She turned so she was staring at them, walking backward in her high-heeled short boots. “By the way, we’re a little short of beds in town. That means you and Bobby get to sleep here with Anica’s papa, Ris. Have fun!” She laughed all the way through the door and slammed it shut before either of them could object.
CHAPTER 15
“I am glad I can stay with you again, Rachel,” Anica said as she unpacked her toiletries onto the counter. “And thank you for the clothes. I will be careful with them. This time.”
“Happy to have you!” her friend called from the next room. “And don’t worry about it. I put all your clothes in the washer downstairs to get rid of the smoky smell. Dalvin told me down there that he and Bojan will be bunking in Alek’s apartment and Amber will be just down the hall in Tammy’s old place. Anyone trying to get at you will have to get through a bunch of pretty tough alphas to do it.” Rachel stood in the doorway and leaned against the jamb. Her hair was longer than the last time Anica stayed here, nearly to her shoulders. It brushed the collar of the burgundy satin shirt that made her skin glow. Rachel was a very good dresser. It always made Anica feel a little self-conscious about her functional but plain wardrobe. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
Anica nodded. “Of course.”
“What’s up between Bojan and Scott? He has a hell of a shiner.”
She stopped unpacking her shirts and looked up, confused. “I do not know this word, ‘shiner.’”
“Black eye. Someone punched Scott. He wouldn’t say who, but I think it might have been Bojan.”
Anica let out a breath. She wasn’t sure if she should betray her brother’s confidence, but Rachel was very smart and she knew Scott very well. But Anica lowered her voice, just to be safe. She motioned for Rachel to come in the room and sit next to her on the quilted bedspread that had a bridal ring pattern in a pretty shade of blue and white. “Bojan did hit Scott. He was angry, but I think it is not Scott he is angry with, but himself.”
Rachel likewise whispered, keeping her head close to Anica’s. Her hair smelled like mint, which would have made her smile at a different time. “What’s up? I thought they were friends.”
“Yes,” Anica conceded. “But Scott maybe thinks it is more? He kissed Bojan. Like boyfriend. Bojan … he has never thought of himself for such a thing.”
Rachel’s jaw dropped so far, her mouth was a wide o. She covered it with a hand before speaking from behind her palm. Her voice lowered even further until it was an astonished hiss. “Holy shit, are you kidding me?” There wasn’t a need to respond, so Anica just shrugged. Rachel leaned back on the bed and seemed to be sorting through events in her head. “But it actually makes a lot of sense.”
Now Anica nodded agreement. She turned to where she could look at Rachel and the other woman mirrored her motion, each of them putting a knee on the bed with the other foot on the floor for balance. “It does to me as well. Bojan has always been very … sensitive for a man. He has many more friends who are girls than boys when he is young. Samit always had friends who were rough, masculine. They race cars, watch rugby, fistfight for fun. Bojan’s friends cook and write poetry and hate to watch fights.” She raised a finger, not wanting to give Rachel the wrong impression. “Bojan can fight. He is very strong. But he fights to defend. Other mothers in town, they ask Bojan to walk their daughters home or take them to festivals, for protection. Never would they ask Samit that. He was who girls needed protection from. You see?”
Rachel had been witness to that side of Samit, so she didn’t have to go into detail. She had seen Samit at his worst, when he went rogue and tried to kill her with a rifle. “Yeah, I get that. Scott has really been enjoying hanging out with Bojan. They have a lot in common. This past month has been the happiest I’ve seen him in … forever.” All of a sudden, Rachel smelled sad, like she realized, as Anica had, that the two men could be throwing away their own happiness in exchange for silly pride.
It made Anica shake her head with frustration. “Bojan too. I tell him this when he is so angry, with swollen fist. I tell him I fear that Samit tease him so much, for whole life, that he would never consider another man to be someone to … be happy with.” She picked up the last item from the suitcase, the novel she was reading, and looked at the cover, where two people were embracing with need in their eyes. Why could it not be two men, instead of a man and woman, who saw each other in that way?
“Well, that explains why when Dalvin suggested Bojan room with Scott he snapped at him and told him to mind his own business. Dalvin couldn’t figure out what made him so mad.” Rachel stood up. “We need to get them together. For their own good.”
Anica winced. “I do not think this is such a good idea. Bojan can be stubborn.”
Rachel walked to the doorway and tapped a finger on the painted wood trim. “Scott’s like that too, trust me. But I’ll think of something.” She spun on her heels and nearly skipped from the room. “I’ll get some dinner started and then you can tell me about that hottie, Tristan.”
Anica opened her mouth to respond, but Rachel was already in the kitchen. She bent down and flipped her hair over her head and bound it in a yellow band. When she stood up, it floated over her head like a pom-pom. “His scent is all over your neck. I can’t wait to hear how his spit wound up in your ear.”
Heat rose into Anica’s face and even made the tops of her ears hot, which made Rachel laugh lightly. Anica remembered that Bojan had interrupted her bath before she could finish scrubbing with the mint. And she’d hugged Papa. He didn’t say anything, but oh! Tristan was going to be sleeping there. She should warn him. Of course, it might already be too late. She didn’t worry that they would hurt each other, but there could be much yelling.
It might be good to talk to Rachel, especially since her stomach was sick with the thought that Papa would make Tristan angry enough to leave. Yes, she would tell her. She needed to say some of it out loud, and not just in her mind.
There was a knock on the door and Anica presumed it would be Amber. “I’ll get it.” She walked to the front door and opened it. But instead of the bobcat doctor, it was Claire Sanchez. She hadn’t seen Claire in nearly two weeks! She reached out and gave the other woman a quick hug. “Claire! It is good to see you.”
“Hey, girls. I didn’t realize you two were back to rooming together.”
Rachel let out a little squeal and ran across the room to give the blond Texas wolf a big hug. “You look great, girl! Come in, come in! The sorority meeting is complete. How was the trip across the Bering Strait? Did you find the island? How’s Alek? Did you find Sonya? Did you get to eat fresh crabs?” Her words were spilling over themselves to get out. Claire laughed and came inside. Anica shut the door behind her.
When she sat down on the couch, Rachel returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Anica noticed Claire’s face was burnt and her lips still chapped from the harsh ocean winds. “You have been on the ocean for many hours. Your skin is very red.”
Claire touched her face gingerly and nodded. “We just flew in from the coast this morning. It should be healed by tomorrow. But yeah, I should have worn a face mask like Alek did. But I grew up in Kansas and Texas. I’d never seen glaciers! I wanted to have the experience of standing on the bow watching the icebergs while we were at full steam. It was totally worth it.”
“Ooo!” Anica said, sitting down next to her on the brown-and-green-patterned couch. “I have never seen icebergs. Always we would take boat from Dubrovnik when Papa wanted to fish. The Adriatic Sea had many storms that would chap my skin, but never were there icebergs to make it worth pain!”
Rachel came back and handed them bottles of soda. “Sorry, I’m out of liquor. The grocery is totally empty. Your papa needs to send someone shopping in S
pokane pretty damned quick. I’m down to crackers and tuna.”
Anica winced. “That will be difficult. There is no money. Papa has been trying to find ways to pay for food for the people. He has such worry about it. He has been paying from the money we travel with to feed the older people. But do not worry. When the moon is full, we will do big hunt and fill freezers. But there is no more food until then.”
Rachel’s jaw dropped, while Claire’s shut tight, causing one of the cracks on her lips to break open. A spot of blood pooled in the crack and grew to fill it. “Are you kidding? That’s more than a week!” Rachel asked with outrage making her voice harsh. “What about all of the Council members who have been wandering through here? There isn’t any money anywhere?”
Anica shook her head sadly, staring down at her fingers as she twisted the fabric of her pale blue cotton top. “I should probably not say, but Papa has already borrowed all he can from Council, just to pay off the debts to the food stores the town already had when the former mayor died. The doctor has given much money of her own for last month’s food run. We must find other ways to get money or town will have to close down and people move to other towns.”
Claire let out a small sigh. “The Tedford pack gave too. We don’t have much, though. We own our land and raise our food, so the only money we get is during hunting season. We’re strapped.”
Rachel fell back in her chair. “Well, hell. I have no idea where to get a job around here. It’s not like there’s a help wanted section of the bulletin board at the Community Center. And even if there was … they get their money from the same place. It’s robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
Anica couldn’t help but agree. “Papa is looking to see whether there are computer jobs elsewhere that could be done here, without travel, since only a very few residents could keep a full-time job without sick days for moon.” She took a deep breath. “But let us not talk of sad things.” Patting Claire’s hand, she tried to put happy in her scent. “Tell us of icebergs and finding Alek’s sister, yes?”