Wolf Ways (The Madison Wolves Book 9)

by Robin Roseau

  It was cozy, but Elisabeth took my hand, and I relaxed in place.

  “You look nice,” she whispered into my ear. I squeezed her hand.

  “Well,” Michaela said. “We were just talking about some of the more colorful history of Key West.” She then continued her story.

  A moment later, Rory leaned over from behind me and presented me with my own cosmo. I accepted the martini glass with a nod of thanks then watched as he collected empty glasses. Over the next several minutes, several people received fresh drinks.

  I sipped at mine and realized I wouldn’t be drinking more than one. Rory’s cosmos packed quite a punch!

  Then I noticed Rory hand one to Monique. I leaned over to Elisabeth. “Isn’t she a little young?”

  “I’m sure it’s a virgin,” Elisabeth said.

  Michaela finished her story and then looked at me. “So, Zoe.”

  “Yes, Michaela?”

  “I’ve heard bits and pieces of a certain arrest, but never the entire details.”

  “Oh?” I asked. “Which one. There have been so, so many.”

  I earned chuckles.

  “I think perhaps the most prominent one.”

  “Ah, so you want to know about the sit in at the capital building? We had the press there in droves, and I don’t know how many cops were summoned — in full riot gear — to break up a protest staged by such lethal, vegan, tree-huggers. It was quite dramatic.” I paused. “I got tased.”

  “What?”

  “Well, the governor’s wife was vexed with me. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn fur to a rally of environmental activists, or, as she called it, expletive tree-huggers. Speaking of which, GreEN is endorsing the Green Party candidate for Governor.”

  Lara chuckled. “Was that a hint?”

  “No. It was a blatant request for support.”

  “Well, as intriguing a story as that sounds,” Michaela said, “especially if you were a victim of police brutality, that’s not the arrest I had in mind. I wanted to know about your events at a nuclear power plant.”

  “Oh, that,” I said. I knew it’s what she had really meant. Protests at state capitals happen every day, but if you tell people you broke into a secure nuclear power plant facility, that gets their attention. “That wasn’t remotely as prominent. The corporate overlords and their oligarchic political slaves didn’t want to bring attention to what we had done.” Yes I had really called the district attorney a slave. To his face.

  “Well, perhaps you can tell us anyway,” Michaela said.

  “All right.” I paused. “This was about ten years ago. There’s a nuclear power plant they built in the 70s in a dicey location on the Illinois River. The plant was running out of space for storing their waste, which is a problem the environmental movement has warned about since the dawn of nuclear energy. We had been trying, quite unsuccessfully, to bring attention to the issue.”

  “Was this GreEN?” Lara asked.

  “This was before I was associated with GreEN. We decided to do something dramatic. We waited until there was going to be a press briefing. And then we dropped in. Literally.”

  “Literally?”

  “I was part of a group that included a few X-games kinds of guys.”

  “Oh no,” said Karen. “You went in via parachute.”

  “We sure did!” I said with a grin. “Four people, two parachutes. And we dragged a couple of banners along behind us. The press got real good photos. One banner said, ‘We’re Just Treehuggers’ and the other said, ‘But what if we were terrorists?’ We dropped down right next to the existing storage facility.”

  “Oh, I bet that drew some attention,” said Portia.

  “Oh yes. It took them about fifteen seconds to surround and arrest us. They tried to label us terrorists and hit us with the Patriot Act, but we hadn’t damaged anything, we surrendered peacefully, and the district attorney was adverse to looking like a fool. We got a rap on the wrist, a lecture from the judge, and a quiet conversation with the facilities manager for the plant.”

  “Oh?” asked Lara.

  “He related activist break-ins with the boy who cried wolf and asked us whether we wanted security to view all such break-ins as peaceful. He also pointed out that if he were a terrorist, he might stage a break-in to look like environmental activists in order to lull the security forces. I don’t know about my compatriots, but I realized he had a point. I haven’t broken into any more nuclear power plants since then.” I shrugged. “Maybe I just got tired of being arrested.”

  There were a few chuckles.

  “So, sort of a boring story,” I said. “The governor’s wife was far more exciting, what with being tased and all that.”

  “What happened at the plant?” Michaela asked. “Did you stop their request?”

  “Oh hell no,” I replied. “They’re just piling up more and more waste. It’s not going to stop until big business stops buying politicians.” I didn’t say more. I’d made my point. Instead, I sipped my drink and leaned against Elisabeth.

  * * * *

  Leaving for dinner was a production. It was a four-block walk to the restaurant. While they couldn’t all run there in fur, I didn’t think such a short walk would require such military precision.

  It started with Karen giving a nod to Elisabeth. Elisabeth got to her feet, squeezed my hand, and then whispered to me, “Stay here.”

  A few minutes later, Rory, Angel and Karen slipped from the house. Elisabeth nodded to Lara, who stood up then pulled Michaela and me to our feet. A moment later, I found myself flanked by Portia on one side, Monique on the other. Portia turned me to face her.

  “Have you had a bodyguard or security detail before?”

  “No.”

  “You don’t have to do anything special, but I’m going to ask you to avoid sudden movements. If I try to steer you, go where I nudge.”

  I nodded.

  “And don’t try to distract us.”

  “All right.”

  “If there’s an emergency, don’t fight us.”

  “Like it would do me any good.”

  “It wouldn’t, but it might slow us down. If we’re facing real violence, stick to Monique and do whatever she tells you.”

  I leaned closer. “She’s a child.”

  “She knows her job. You do not.”

  I nodded.

  “All right. Are you going to be offended if I touch you?”

  “Of course not.”

  And so, I found a hand on my shoulder. She turned me towards the door. I saw everyone else waiting for us; they hadn’t needed a last-second briefing.

  Nora held hands with Rebecca and Celeste. Lara and Michaela stood behind them, a hand from each on a young shoulder. Serena hovered immediately off Michaela’s flank, a position she maintained. She had a hand on Michaela’s shoulder the same as Portia’s was on mine.

  The other enforcers were arrayed around us. Elisabeth stepped outside for a moment, then leaned in. She frowned and shook her head.

  “Kids in the middle,” she said. “Michaela, are you armed?”

  “Of course I am,” the fox replied.

  “All right. I want Zoe up here, in front of the kids.” Elisabeth rearranged us, and then she said, “All right, step outside. We’re following Rory and Angel.”

  Portia applied just a tiny bit of pressure, and I began moving. Elisabeth held the door, but she barely glanced at me as I stepped past her.

  It was still hot out, and I had gotten used to the temperature in the house. I immediately turned to Portia. “I didn’t bring a hat, and I’m going to need one tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

  “I have one you can borrow tomorrow, Zoe,” Monique said from my other side.

  “Thank you, Monique.”

  “I’ll arrange something after that,” Portia said.

  Rory, Angel, and Karen were facing outward, watching the street. Once everyone was outside, Elisabeth said, “All right. Let’s go.”

  Rory and Angel, looking quite
casual, stepped forward, and then Portia nudged me into motion. I watched the two enforcers in front of me, and they looked like a couple of friends on a stroll. But I realized they were watching everywhere.

  Portia kept me a few steps behind them, and the three of us walked side-by-side down the sidewalk. When I glanced behind me, I saw Nora and the two kids with Emanuel and Scarlett flanking them. Lara and Michaela were after that with Serena following closely. Karen trailed at a distance, and Elisabeth spent the entire four blocks moving up and down our main group, sometimes moving well ahead to scout the path. She even held up a hand once, and our group came to a stop.

  “Stay here,” Portia said. “Take her, Monique.” Monique grabbed my arm, and then Portia released me and moved quickly to Elisabeth, but somehow made it look casual.

  When I glanced over, I saw Monique looking around. I thought she’d look at me, but I realized she was watching for danger. She didn’t watch me, she watched for threats to our group.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Elisabeth sees something she doesn’t like,” Monique said. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what. Be ready to move.”

  “Of course.”

  A moment later, Rory separated from Angel. Angel moved backwards until she was just barely in front of me, close enough to touch. We all watched as Rory and Portia disappeared around the corner in front of us.

  They were gone for about two minutes. Elisabeth spent the entire time looking in almost every direction, and when I looked around, the wolves were all tense. Michaela had stepped up to the kids and was talking quietly to them. Serena had a hand on Michaela’s shoulder but was facing outward, scanning the streets.

  It felt like we were moving through a war zone, the way they were acting, not one of America’s most iconic cities.

  “Okay, we’re moving,” Angel said. “Let’s go.” She stepped forward, and Monique tugged me along. We got to the corner, and Elisabeth gestured for us to take the left. As soon as we did, I saw what had bothered Elisabeth.

  A car was parked in a driveway, blocking the sidewalk. There wasn’t a sidewalk on the other side of the street. Rory and Portia were standing near the car, looking exceedingly alert. Elisabeth moved forward with us, walking along the edge of the street.

  “I don’t trust the car,” Elisabeth said. “Angel, lead us across the street. Monique, tighten your hold. Angel, go.”

  Angel turned left, looked both ways, and then quickly began crossing the street. Monique, with no ceremony, tightened her grip on my arm and nudged me to follow Angel, then hurried me until we were practically running to the far side. There wasn’t a sidewalk, so we stepped onto the grass. Angel glanced to see where we were then continued along our scheduled path.

  We skirted the car widely then repeated the maneuver to cross back to use the sidewalk again. A minute later, the wolves relaxed, and Portia was at my side again.

  “I’ve got her, Monique,” she said, and I found Portia’s hand on my shoulder and Monique released my arm.

  “That was dramatic,” I said.

  “99 percent of the time, something like that means nothing. But the car could have held a bomb. Or it could have been a minor distraction and impediment to movement while the real threat came from another direction. It could have been an attempt to convince us to take another route.”

  “But it was nothing.”

  “Not necessarily. It was probably nothing. Or it could be the same car will be there on our way back, and they hope we’ll be more complacent. We have the entire alpha family with us, and we have enemies. We will not be complacent.”

  I shook my head. I had never worried about things like this before.

  Of course, we arrived at the restaurant without incident. Most of us milled around outside while Karen and Rory slipped in and checked on our reservations. A minute later, Elisabeth took a phone call, spoke briefly, then informed us we would just be a few minutes.

  Finally we were seated on a patio with four tables for the fifteen of us. We weren’t the only occupants of the patio, but we had a little separation from the other diners. I found myself at a table with Elisabeth, Portia and Monique. We sat down, and I checked out the view.

  “This is beautiful,” I said with a gesture. We had a lovely view of the Gulf of Mexico.

  Elisabeth made a monosyllabic response, little more than a grunt. I glanced over at her, and she wasn’t looking at the ocean. She was gazing around the restaurant. So were Portia and Monique. When I looked at the other tables, Michaela and Lara were talking to their kids, and Nora had her nose in the menu, but all the enforcers were looking at anyone but their tablemates.

  It took me a minute, but I also realized that they were all facing subtly different directions.

  Well, this promised to be an entertaining dinner.

  I picked up my menu.

  It was, in a way, fascinating. At our table, Monique was the first wolf to pick up a menu. It took her about a minute to make her selection. When she was done, she set her menu back down and said, “Got it.”

  Portia didn’t pick hers up until she glanced at Monique and found the girl back on duty, watching for danger. A minute later, she set her menu down, and Elisabeth picked up hers.

  The same little menu dance was happening at the other tables.

  The server stopped by, a young man named Ricky. I was only mildly surprised when the wolves all ordered various forms of steaks. There were vegetarian choices on the menu, but very little in vegan fare, and so I stuck with a salad after making sure it was safe.

  Once the server had taken orders from all four of our tables and disappeared, Elisabeth said, “Monique, identify the threats, beginning with the nearest.”

  “One of our subjects could choose to act up,” Monique said. “Michaela could have a fight with Lara and storm off. The kids have had a long day and could become problematic. I’m not sure what Zoe might do.”

  “Good,” said Elisabeth. “What is your responsibility for that?”

  “Stick to Zoe unless ordered otherwise.”

  “What will you do if Michaela orders you to manage one of her kids during a retreat?”

  She glanced at Elisabeth for a moment, but then returned to looking out over the restaurant. “My orders come from you.”

  “Michaela is Alpha,” Elisabeth pointed out.

  “Um.” She glanced at Elisabeth again.

  “Eyes on the threats, Monique,” Portia said quietly.

  “Yes, Portia,” Monique replied. “Um. Would Michaela do that?”

  “She certainly would,” Elisabeth said. “If she does, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “The chain of command for security is Lara, me, then the head of whatever detail you’re on. In this case, that is Portia. Michaela is after that, and the heads of the other security details after Michaela. The remaining enforcers after that, then you. Then, last, whoever you are protecting.”

  “I stay with Zoe unless you, Lara or Portia tells me otherwise. What if Serena tells me something different?”

  “Sometimes you have to use your judgment,” Elisabeth said. “Serena knows your orders, so if she countermands them, she has a good reason, and you should probably do what she says, but if you have a choice, you should tell her what your existing orders are.”

  Monique nodded.

  “All right. Next closest threats.”

  “The wait staff. And, I suppose, the food and drinks they bring. We expect the staff to weave between the tables, and one of them could have foul intent. But they’re all clearly humans, and no one smells funny.”

  “Good.”

  “After that, the other diners. They are also human, and I haven’t seen anyone pay particular attention except for the occasional half curious glance.”

  “What’s the biggest danger from the diners?”

  “Distraction,” she replied. “Physically unless they use heavy weapons, they are unlikely to be a significant threat.”

/>   “Unlikely doesn’t mean impossible.”

  “No,” she admitted.

  “After that?”

  “New arrivals, and people appearing to depart can also be a bigger threat than while dining.”

  “Keep going,” Elisabeth said.

  “We aren’t in a position to protect against it, but someone could drive a car bomb into the building. We didn’t place anyone outside watching for that. Also, we could be at risk of an RPG from a boat out in the bay or something dropped from an airplane. I suppose we could be swarmed via helicopters.”

  “Good,” Elisabeth said. “And of course, there are other unlikely events like a neurotoxin released in the air.”

  “Neurotoxin?” I asked. “Seriously?”

  Elisabeth glanced at me for just an instant. “As I said, an unlikely event.” She resumed watching the crowd. “How would you identify an immediate threat, Monique?”

  “Someone moving in an unexpected fashion. Someone smelling funny. Someone causing a distraction. Too many people coming too close to us. The wrong sort of people coming too close.”

  I thought by that she meant other werewolves.

  “What will you do if anything like that happens?”

  “Make sure you see it and follow your lead.”

  “And if a threat turns real?”

  “Protect Zoe. That probably means keep her with the alpha. It may mean retreating to the house where we’re staying, the airport, or somehow get her back home.”

  “If you got hopelessly separated, and for some reason, you couldn’t reunite with us, how would you get her home?”

  “Rent a car and drive.”

  “Look at what she’s wearing,” Elisabeth said. “Do you believe she brought a driver’s license and credit card? Take a good look.”

  I actually had my license, some cash and a credit card, and my phone.

  Monique looked over at me. I was tempted to help her, but I kept my mouth shut. She studied me for a while. “I’m sorry, Elisabeth. I don’t know.”