by Geonn Cannon
That night at dinner, they gathered at the table as had become their habit. They all pitched in shopping, cooking, and cleaning up, and tonight it was Dale’s turn to make the meal. When she put the plates in front of Gwen and Milo, they were surprised to see she’d made lamb chops.
“What’s the occasion?” Gwen asked.
“I’m going home.”
Gwen’s smile fell. “Dale, you’re more than welcome to--”
“I know. You’re not pushing me out, I’m making the decision on my own. I miss home. I miss Neka. I miss... normal. And I know it’s not going to be normal, because Ari isn’t there and I’m not going to the office every day, but it will feel more like real life than living here. Living here is starting to feel like the new normal, like my life has changed so much that I’m living in this big house by the lake. I need to go home to make sure Ari has the life she remembered when she gets out. I appreciate everything you’ve both done for me. The sacrifices you’ve made. And I really hope we can keep having dinners like this even when I’m staying across town. But it’s been over a month. It’s time.”
“If you’re sure.” Gwen stood up to hug Dale. “You’re welcome back here any time. I mean that.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
Milo reached out with her good hand to squeeze Dale’s fingers. “You’re a good wolf, Dale.”
“Thanks, Milo.”
She packed the next day and was gone after lunch. Gwen fled the suddenly cavernous house and went into the backyard. There was a squat stone wall at the edge of her property where she could sit to watch the boats on Lake Washington. Milo found her there and offered her a cup of coffee. Gwen smiled, took the mug, and sipped it as Milo settled beside her. Milo let her plastered arm rest across her lap like a piece of driftwood she’d picked up on the beach.
“This is perfect,” Gwen said, lifting the mug in a toast. “Thank you.”
“You spent the last month taking care of me and Dale. Can it be your turn now?”
Gwen said, “I take care of people.”
“Alphas are bullshit. The pack takes care of the pack.”
“I’m...” Gwen’s voice caught on the next word, so she shook her head. “I’m afraid if I... let go just a little, I’ll lose my grip and I’ll never get it back. The day after I was attacked, I knew I had to fight. When I found out I was pregnant, I found a purpose. Ariadne became my whole life. The idea of losing her, of outliving her... I’m...” She balled her hands into fists and looked away from the water. “I can’t risk losing my grip.”
“Let me hold on for you,” Milo said. “I might only have one good paw at the moment, but it’s yours.”
Gwen looked at Milo, gratitude in her eyes, and leaned in to kiss her. She put her head down on Milo’s shoulder and put her hand on top of Milo’s cast.
“Maybe I can let you take care of me. Just for tonight.”
“Good enough for now. Baby steps.”
Gwen smiled and watched the water as her coffee grew cold.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ari and Dale sat across from each other, nine weeks into their forced separation. They were holding hands, silent, letting the white noise of the other prisoners and their visitors fill the air between them. When the guard who was making the rounds moved out of earshot, Dale began speaking again. She kept her voice low so it wouldn’t travel to the other tables.
“Greer.”
Ari thought before shaking her head.
“Hansen.”
“Louise?”
“Jenny.”
Ari shook her head. “No one here named Jenny Hansen.”
Dale tried not to look despondent. She was running out of names. “Ford.”
“There are a couple of Fords,” Ari said.
“Lisa.”
Ari thought again and finally gave a slow shake of her head. “Doesn’t sound familiar.”
Dale sighed. “That’s all I have this week. I’ll keep digging.”
Ari nodded. “You’re doing great. One of these names is bound to mean something.”
“Yeah. But there’s bound to be a limit to how many I can find.”
She had been spending her days digging as deep into GG&M’s records as she could without being discovered. She was looking for any and all clients defended by the firm for relatively minor crimes, anyone who had benefited from their inexplicably generous pro bono work and then ended up in prison for a severe crime. It didn’t make sense for GG&M to defend someone on vandalism charges only to remain silent when the same person went to court for murder. She also noticed the person always pled guilty or no contest, essentially walking themselves directly into a prison cell.
Once she had those names, she looked into their families. Sarah Calvert. Multiple possession charges dismissed, sentenced to fifteen years for murder. Three months into her sentence, her cousin received a kidney transplant after three years of being on the wait list. Anthony Short, six counts of armed robbery and domestic violence, currently in prison for a double homicide but, as a man, probably not relevant to their investigation. If GG&M did have a man trying to kill Ari in the prison, he would be a guard and not a prisoner.
Ari glanced to make sure the guard was still out of earshot. “You should keep yourself safe. If Cecily finds out you’re still looking into it...”
“She won’t. I covered my tracks well. I move on little cat’s feet.” Ari couldn’t resist a smile at that. She bent down to kiss Dale’s fingers. “The important thing is that everyone else is safe. We’re the only ones in danger.”
“You and me against the world, huh?” Ari said with a smile.
“What else is new?”
Ari ran her thumb over Dale’s knuckles. “This drug I’m on... I’m kind of getting used to it. Maybe when I get out of here, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world...”
Dale furrowed her brow. “What? You want to keep taking the drug?”
“It would give you the chance to have a normal girlfriend.”
“Pass,” Dale said.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I. I fell in love with you knowing full well everything about who and what you were. You can have butch short hair or super-long freak hair, you can be sickly thin or get some damn curves, I don’t care as long as you’re still you. That includes the wolf. Living with Milo and your mom proved that I need a wolf in my life, and you’re it, baby.”
Ari said, “If you insist.”
“I do.”
Ari bit her bottom lip and let her mind wander. “You know... the people GG&M send to prison probably aren’t actually doing the murders. They’re most likely just taking the fall.”
“So somebody has to be killing all these people,” Dale said.
“Maybe the firm has a hit squad? Maybe that’s why they wanted a wolf on their payroll.”
Dale squinted. “I don’t know about that. Cecily never saw you being particularly bloodthirsty. I mean, I know you can go Big Bad Wolf when you want to, but how would she know you’re capable of it? No, she wanted you for your brains. But there could be a GG&M hit squad. It might be who was really responsible for Shannon Hardy’s death. I could look into it.”
Ari said, “Safely.”
“Of course safely.” She smiled. “I’ve missed this so much.”
Ari winked at her. “We’ll get it back.”
When their time was up, they kissed goodbye. When they hugged, Dale said, “Eleven tonight?”
Ari smiled. “I’ll be thinking of you.”
They separated and Dale went back to the real world while Ari slipped back into her routine. The only time she felt like herself, or like a real person, was the hour she spent with Dale every week. She didn’t even pay attention to the book covers as she shelved them. The food was an anonymous gruel. Salisbury steak, green beans, mashed potatoes, chicken, broccoli, it didn’t matter what the menu said because it all tasted the same. She liked Segura and the canidae she’d grown to think of as friends, but part of
her kept them all at a distance. Getting too close would mean she was settling in. It would mean surrendering to her fate.
She liked spending time with them. She liked hearing stories from the older canidae, and sharing experiences of being wolves in Seattle with Henning and Frankie. They ever put stashes of clothes in public parks, and neither of them had a partner like Dale who would come get them in the middle of the night after a transformation.
“And she’s human?” Frankie said, still unable to believe it.
“Yeah,” Ari smiled, “a hundred percent human.”
“I’m not judging. To each their own. I’ve dabbled from time to time, but I could never be with someone who was incapable of understanding what I’m going through.”
Ari laughed. “I agree with you on that. I’d never be with someone who didn’t understand me.”
“But...”
“Dale understands. She’s never been through a transformation, but she knows as much as any wolf I’ve ever met.”
Frankie looked skeptical but didn’t fight her on it.
Elise was the only member of Ari’s new circle who didn’t know about her status as canidae. She enjoyed having one little area of her life that wasn’t overwhelmed with the threat of Cecily Parrish. One evening the guards made an announcement that both inmates assigned to laundry duty had fallen ill and they needed volunteers to take over the next day. Elise raised her hand almost immediately and Ari remembered she was assigned to the cafeteria. Any assignment had to be better than waking up at three in the morning.
“Thank you, Gilpin,” CO Burke said. “Anyone else?”
No one raised their hands. Ari felt bad for her, like watching a kid being shunned when it was time to choose kickball teams. Elise tried not to look around but it was clear she was feeling pretty unpopular at that moment. Ari decided to save her future humiliation and raised her own hand.
“Willow just saved someone from being forcibly reassigned. Thank you, Inmate Willow. Everyone else, back to your bunks.”
Segura said, “I doubt the kennel club can get any of your bodyguards reassigned to the laundry on such short notice.”
“Elise will be there. She’s like an honorary member of the club.”
“You really trust her to watch your back? She looks like a strong sneeze would knock her down.”
Ari said, “She’s tougher than she looks. She’s in here for assault.”
Segura laughed and stretched out on her bed. “Yeah, sure. I’d get the whole story there before I used it as proof she can kick some ass.”
“Even if she’s not imposing, she’s security just by being there. Whoever is after me probably won’t take a chance of having a witness around.”
“That just means she’ll have to take Gilpin out, too. You want someone getting seriously hurt just to keep yourself alive?”
Ari couldn’t help thinking of Diana and Milo. “No. I really don’t.”
“Just food for thought,” Segura said.
“Right...”
She spent most of the night thinking about it, distracted only when she made good on her promise to think about Dale at the predetermined time. She was surprised by how easily she got used to the idea of masturbating with someone else in the room, but needs must.
In the morning, after breakfast, she and Elise followed a guard into the laundry room. She was hit by the scent of bleach, detergent, and warm linen, but the effect was muted. She’d never realized how acute her sense of smell was, or how much of it was because of the wolf. Now she could smell the way normal people did, and she understood why Dale never complained about that mildew scent in their kitchen. If it was faint to her, then there was no way Dale could smell it.
The guard gestured vaguely at the machines. “I assume you ladies know how to run one of these.”
“I think we can figure it out,” Elise said. When he was gone, she looked at Ari. “Was that a sexist comment?”
“I’m going to say yes.” Ari went to the double-level table in the middle of the room. There were piles of clothes on top and gallon bottles of bleach on the bottom. A huge dumpster-sized cart was placed to one side with even more clothes inside. “I guess we should just get started.”
“Is it just the two of us?” Elise said. “None of your bodyguards?”
Ari smiled. “No, I think we can get by a day without them. We’ll watch each other’s backs.”
“Cool.” She went to one of the washers and examined its controls. “This is slightly different from the Maytag I have at home. But between us, we can figure it out.”
“I like the optimism,” Ari said.
They got to work, Elise humming just loudly enough to be heard over the rumble of the machines. Ari watched her and couldn’t help smiling.
“I hope you take this as a compliment,” Ari said, “because I definitely mean it as one. But I find it kind of hard to believe you’re in here on a real charge. What was it, forced entry, assault...?”
“Grand theft auto,” Elise said.
“Right. I’ve gotten to know you sort of well, and I can’t see you actually doing any of that. So be honest, am I the only wrongly-accused woman in the room?”
Elise smiled and continued sorting shirts. “Sad to say it’s true. People adapt to their environment, you know? And this is prison. Prison. There’s killers in here! I might kick someone’s ass when I get mad, but I’ve never killed anyone. And even when I did get nabbed, I never actually had to do any time.”
Ari had her back to Elise. Her mind clicked to what she and Dale had been talking about. “Friends in high places?”
“Something like that,” Elise said. “When I’d get in trouble, I could always wriggle out of it. But I knew I was just borrowing from a well that would eventually run dry. I guess I could’ve been preparing better for it.” She sighed heavily. “It’s different in here. I wasn’t expecting that. I’ll fight when I feel like I’ve been shortchanged or insulted. But that’s defense. That’s just smart. In here you have to be on the offensive all the time so no one fucks with you. I can’t do that.”
Ari turned slowly to face Elise. “So the people in high places who would get you out of trouble. They didn’t help you this time?”
“This time was different. I don’t really want to talk about it, though.”
Ari said, “This time was different because... why? Someone told you who to go after? And I’m sure getting yourself arrested and sent to prison was part of the deal. What did you get in exchange? I know it’s selfish, but I hope it was something more than just money. I’d like to think I’m priceless.”
Elise had gone still, staring at a spot on a wall. When Ari stopped talking, Elise slowly turned her head to look at her. The silence hung between them as Elise appraised Ari, then sighed and stood up straighter.
“Son of a bitch. You figured out the whole thing?”
“Dale did.”
Elise nodded carefully and rolled her head back to look at the ceiling. Her entire demeanor changed, her shoulders straightening and both hands curling into fists. In an instant she had gone from a victim to a boxer waiting for the bell. She pushed her jaw forward and lowered her head to glare at Ari.
“I guess you’ll be happy to know I didn’t sell my freedom for anything as small as money. My sister is trying to get into the country. Immigration issues. She has a record. GG&M is greasing the wheels to get her through with my niece. It’s a matter of life or death. Your life for theirs.”
“And Shannon Hardy,” Ari said.
“She was going to die anyway. She was marked a long time before you even met her. Cecily just elected to wait until her death could serve a greater purpose.”
“So the meek little mouse act...”
Elise shrugged. “I needed to get close to you. At first I just thought we could be friends, and then you surrounded yourself with the goon squad, so I had to mix things up a little. I figured you wouldn’t suspect me if you pitied me. I didn’t plan on getting you alone down he
re, but sometimes things work out.” She slowly moved forward. “The truth is, I like to fight. Usually I like to have a good cause, like my sister and my niece. Nothing personal against you, Willow, but you aren’t family.” She held her hands out to the sides. “Want to make this easy? Just put an end to the whole thing now, get it over with?”
“You tried to kill me in the damn toilet,” Ari said.
“I would have dragged you back to the cell, geez.”
“Still.”
“Fine. I’m getting paid for the hard way anyway. Might as well earn it.”
She threw herself forward. Ari swung her leg out to the side and knocked a bottle of bleach off the table’s lower shelf, then kicked it at Elise. She swatted it away but ended up splashing the bleach up into her own face. Ari lunged and grabbed the back of Elise’s head with her left hand to pull her forward. Elise was thrown off-balance so Ari twisted at the waist and cracked her elbow across the bridge of Elise’s nose. The move made them both stumble in opposite directions. Elise hit the machines while Ari grabbed hold of the table to keep from hitting the floor.
Elise recovered first. Ari’s attempt to flee was hindered by the bleach suddenly pouring across the tile under her feet. Elise grabbed Ari’s shoulders with both hands and threw her against one of the washing machines. Ari’s head bounced off the glass and left her dazed long enough for Elise to get an arm around her neck. She turned it into a choke hold and squeezed hard.
“I actually did like you, Willow,” Elise said, out of breath. “You were kind when you didn’t have to be. That’s a good quality. But it can only get you so far.”
Ari could see their reflection in the washing machine’s door. Her eyes were half-closed and her face was turning an awfully dark color.