by Layla Nash
"Always a pleasure, Edgar." The investigator studied Ivy closely but hid it well as he pressed her fingers with his, then shook Benedict's hand. "And you brought your lawyer, so I know it's not a social call."
Edgar cleared his throat and nudged Ivy toward one of the chairs closest to the desk, taking the one next to her and leaving Benedict to sit against the wall. "This is my friend Ivy. She's got a project and could use some help."
Smith nodded and arranged some of the papers on his desk so he could take notes. "I'm at your service, young lady."
And he waited. They all waited.
Ivy froze. Her arms tightened around the file folder and her mouth worked soundlessly. Color crept up her throat until her entire face flushed. Edgar sensed her rising panic and tried to head it off before his lion or her wolverine decided to end the meeting before it really began.
Edgar touched her arm to calm her down and leaned back in his chair. "While Ivy gathers her thoughts, can you fill me in on what you've found out so far from the Frasers?"
Smith didn't skip a beat, pulling a manilla folder from inside the desk. "Of course. I sent one of my investigators up to Michigan to speak with the Frasers and the rest of the shifter population that was involved in the incident. They were able to provide a location for the facility where the medical experiments took place, as well as blueprints for the facility itself. We've got more names now, more kids who went missing. We've located a few as simple runaways, but the majority are still ghosts in the wind."
The lion grumbled as Ivy went still and silent, getting small in her chair as she stared at Smith. Edgar stroked the back of her hand, wanting to drag her into his lap and hold her closer, but it was a business meeting, after all. Smith didn't comment, didn't slow or even seem to notice the girl's panicked breathing.
Smith tossed a few papers across the desk so Edgar could pick them up, and he tilted them so Ivy could see the surveillance photos as well. A pained keen escaped from between her teeth, but she only shook her head. Smith waited until Edgar nodded to go on. "We thought we'd narrowed down the main players in the set-up. Humans, all of them. Nine total. The Midwest shifters came closer to capturing at least four of them, but all the men — save one — have died in car wrecks, house fires, and hunting accidents."
Benedict leaned forward to slap Ivy's back. "Good job, champ."
Smith's eyebrows rose but he didn't ask. Edgar gestured for him to continue, and the investigator took a deep breath. "The last piece is still the most difficult. We're still looking for the financier and idea man. We thought there were two, but it turns out to be one man. So far he's beyond us, faceless and nameless. None of the records we were able to dig up identify the man. It may take more time, but we'll find him."
Edgar sighed, rubbing his shoulder, about to tell Smith they needed to turn the heat up when Ivy moved. She opened the file folder, the sound of rustling paper loud as a gunshot in the silent room. She pulled out a much-folded photograph and set it on the desk in front of Smith. She spoke only to him, an intensity in her eyes that almost made Edgar jealous. "His name is Markus Keller. He lives near here, I don't where. He's head of Keller Pharmaceuticals."
Smith took the photograph, grainy and smudged, of a heavy-set man with a dark mustache and empty eyes.
Ivy's fist tightened around a scrap of newspaper, almost tearing it, but she smoothed it carefully and held it out to Smith. "They do a lot of research. They've made great strides in tissue regeneration. For burn victims." Her mouth twisted and her tone twisted with it, grew bitter and hard. "Tissue regeneration based on the shifter kids he stole and cut apart."
For once, Benedict sat speechless. Edgar would have enjoyed the silence if not for the subject matter and Ivy's gaze burning a hole through Smith's head.
The lawyer finally said, "That guy is... really powerful. He's got big friends. I don't think you can just cut the brake lines on his car, Ivy."
"I wasn't planning on it." Her eyes narrowed. "I have other plans for him. I want to take everything from him. Everything. His reputation, his family, his money, his company, everything he owns. And I want him to live long enough to know it's all gone, that I took it from him as partial payment on everything he took from us. I want him to suffer."
A chill ran through Edgar as he watched her, but he understood. If there had been someone to blame for Anna's death, he would have done exactly the same. Maybe worse.
The investigator cleared his throat and leaned his elbows on the desk. "You're one of his victims?"
"I'm a survivor," she said, fierce, and her hands clenched the arms of the chair. For a moment, her features sharpened and Edgar saw a hint of a wolf in her face.
Smith nodded. "Of course." He made a few notes, then picked up the photograph of Keller to study it closely. "Another human."
"There had to be a shifter helping them." Ivy stared at the paper in his hands. "There's no other way he could know where to find us. They hunted us down, killed packs and prides. It couldn't have been just humans."
"Believe me, I had the same thought." Smith ran a hand over his iron-gray hair and Edgar raised an eyebrow; that was the first time he'd ever seen the investigator fidget or groom. Ever. Smith shook his head. "We've found no records, no evidence to link the facility or the experiments to any shifters, either here or in the Midwest. And Sophia's family searched, with rather... draconian measures. If the perpetrator lived among them, the Frasers would have found him."
"Which means the perpetrators are here," Benedict said slowly, taking a deep breath. "Maybe among us."
"No." Edgar wanted to break something. There couldn't be a traitor among them. "That's not possible."
"Anything is possible," Benedict said, echoing Carter from only the day before, and the urge to punch his brother returned.
Ivy caught Edgar's arm before he could follow through. Her voice sent shivers through him from head to toe. "But if he's here, then you're in charge of justice, right? You get to end it. You hunt him, you finish it. Isn't that worth something?"
Edgar didn't like it, but the possibility of taking his rage out on someone who really deserved it settled the lion. He squeezed her hand, and Ivy turned her attention back to Smith. "Do you know where Keller lives? Where he goes to the gym? Pattern of life?"
"I can get it easily." The man's voice turned grim and his eyes flashed gold, the pupils elongating. "Give me a day or two so we have a complete picture. I don't want to leave it longer. I'll have a packet for you late tomorrow."
"Thank you." Edgar stood, a touch uneasy with the sight of Smith losing his iron control. Edgar wasn't entirely certain what type of shifter Smith was, but he had to be both scary and old, given the way he moved in the world. Edgar stood to shake his hand. "We'll be back tomorrow."
"I'll bring it by the house, if that's acceptable." Smith didn't wait for Edgar to answer, instead gently taking Ivy's hand once more. "And if it is acceptable to you, young lady, I would very much like to be there when you dispose of this man."
She gripped his hand with more force, expression grim. "Of course. If he runs, we might need you to chase him down."
A hint of a smile touched Smith's face and revealed disconcertingly sharp teeth. Benedict raised an eyebrow as he traded looks with Edgar, but recovered enough to grin as he shook Smith's hand. "Always a pleasure."
In the elevator, the lawyer glanced at Edgar. "What the hell kind of shifter is he, anyway?"
Before Edgar had to admit he didn't know, Ivy shook her head. "He's not a shifter. He's fae."
"Fae?" Benedict snorted. "A fairy? You think he's a fairy?"
She didn't bother looking back as they walked into the garage and she strode toward the car. "Call him a fairy to his face and see what happens."
In the car, as Benedict called Eloise and argued about the merits of fleeing to an unnamed Caribbean island, Edgar leaned on the console to ask Ivy, "Why do you think he's fae?"
"The eyes give him away." She glanced at Edgar, about to sa
y more, then just shook her head.
The ride back to the house was silent, and rain fell in a downpour around them. It suited Edgar's mood perfectly.
Chapter 17
My thoughts raced too fast to even consider conversation on the drive back to the mansion, though I sensed Edgar had something to say. He never spoke, though, and only excused himself to his office as soon as we were back. Benedict stormed off to deal with another 'allegation' against Eloise, and so I found myself standing in the cavernous foyer of the mansion, alone.
I might have stood there forever if one of the butlers hadn't appeared from a side room, raising his eyebrows when he saw me. "How can I help you, Miss Ivy?"
Turning in a circle didn't help me orient. "I, um... If I wanted to go back to my room, how would I do that?"
He coughed politely to cover a smile, then held out a white-gloved hand. "I'm happy to show you the way. The house can be quite confusing, can't it?"
"You ain't kidding," I said under my breath, exhaling with relief. I followed as he made a right and then a left, heading down a wide corridor that looked almost familiar. It took another ten minutes before I finally recognized where we were. Before he left, I asked him where to find the gym. I had a lot of energy to work off and a long day to wait before we heard back from the investigator.
I stashed the file folder and changed quickly, before I forgot his directions. I only made two wrong turns before I found an enormous room filled with workout equipment. Half the space housed treadmills and ellipticals and other machines, while the other half was split between free weights and wrestling mats. It looked like heaven.
Only one other person used the gym — Ruby jogged on a treadmill but didn't look up as I walked in. I held my breath. She was the last person I wanted to see. Well, maybe Eloise was the real last person, but Ruby was a close second. I chose an elliptical as far from her as possible, and got to work. There was too much to plan to waste time worrying about what she might say.
If Smith were able to find Keller, then everything would be over in a matter of days. Edgar and his brothers would help take him down or the fae investigator would, and then the men responsible for my family's murder would all be dead. The thought left me breathless. Finally, it would be over.
My legs ached and sweat drenched me by the time Ruby got off her treadmill and strode over, wincing as she stretched her hamstring. I slowed my pace so I could hear her over the hum of the machine, and she handed me a bottle of water taken from a nearby fridge. I took it, waiting.
She put her hands on her hips, studying me. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened when we first met. In Edgar's office. I wasn't expecting to see a wolf and I was already amped up from a conversation with my brother. So I over-reacted, and I'm sorry."
My stride faltered and I nearly face-planted into the console of the elliptical. She snorted, patting her face with a towel. "Is it that surprising that I would apologize? Jesus."
"Sorry," I said, and stopped running. I winced and pressed on the small of my back. Muscles ached in all these strange places, like I'd been doing weird crunches. "It's just been a weird morning."
"Welcome to life with the Chase brothers," Ruby said. She studied me, then tilted her head at a couple of benches near the wall. "Talk with me for a moment?"
"Sure." I waited for the other shoe to drop, suspecting some kind of trick, even though she looked tired more than devious. If she was the alpha of her pack, she was hard as coffin nails and just as dangerous. I'd never heard an alpha apologize to anyone in my life. But I followed her to the benches, grabbing a towel from a stack on a shelf so I could wipe sweat off my face.
Ruby, face still red from her run, didn't face me head-on but instead focused on the the mats in front of her. "Carter told me you've had a rough time, and after what you told Sophia at dinner, I think that's the understatement of the century. I'm sorry you went through that. I'm sorry you lost your pack and your family. I can't even imagine that."
Tears flooded my eyes and I used the towel to hide them, furious with myself that the emotions lay so close to the surface. The thought of catching Keller, of finally being done with the list, dragged everything up again until I could hardly think about my family without wanting to sob. I gritted my teeth until I could face her again, though I didn't face her either. Too much challenge in it, and we were both of us too sensitive to the topic at hand. "Thanks."
"He said, and so did Edgar, that you're a lone wolf and want to stay that way." She took a deep breath as I started to emphasize that, and held up her hand. "Hold on. I just wanted to offer for you to run with our pack on full moon nights. I don't know if you got to do that with your family, before you were taken, but the pack runs every month. You're welcome to join us whenever you want, with no obligations or responsibilities in the pack. I'll give you visitor status so no one can challenge you."
I blinked, frowning down at my hands. "Thank you. I don't think I'll be around long enough to take you up on that offer, but I really do appreciate it."
"Good meeting with the investigator?"
"Good enough for now." I didn't want to jinx it. The towel twisted in my hands. So close.
Ruby nodded, thoughtful, then exhaled in a sudden gust. "Before I forget. There's another wolf pack in the city. Miles Evershaw is the alpha. He's easy on the eyes but he's a total asshole. Try not to go around the city without Edgar or me or the bears, otherwise Evershaw might get ideas. You're cute and there's a dearth of lady wolves around here."
"But aren't you working with those guys against someone else?" I arched an eyebrow and stole a glance at her. She wasn't so tough, maybe. Or maybe she could relax around a lone wolf since it didn't matter what I said or did. Pack was all that mattered.
She made a face, a spike in her ear flashing as she shook her head. "Enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Evershaw loves his power, and he'll do anything, cooperate with anyone, in order to keep it. Since the outsider pack is threatening SilverLine's turf first, Evershaw asked my brother and I to help fend them off, under the assumption that if they beat him, they'd beat us as well. And since Logan is pushing this cooperation bullshit, we agreed to work with Evershaw to settle disputes among the wolves. The outsiders aren't playing, though. It's getting ugly."
"How ugly?"
"No one's died yet, but there have been some close calls." Ruby rubbed her forehead. "They tried to steal a girl. Probably bride-napping, but no one likes the implications."
My heart sank. Stealing kids. Maybe this pack was the one cooperating with Keller. We would know soon enough. I drained the bottle of water. "That's no good at all."
Ruby pushed to her feet and started stretching, bending down, though she kept a wary eye on me. "So where are you going, after this is finished? You said you wouldn't be around long."
"I don't know." I leaned my elbows on my knees and stared at my hands. "Somewhere quiet and peaceful, I think. Maybe the mountains out west."
She made a thoughtful noise, then straightened and retrieved her towel. "You might consider staying here. Edgar likes you. Even if you don't want to shack up with him, they want you to stay. They're a good family."
"Sophia doesn't need the stress of me being here." I got another bottle of water and eyed the treadmill, needing another half hour of work before I felt settled. Or some serious weight-lifting. "It's better if I go."
Ruby only shrugged. "Just talk to Edgar before you go, okay?" She started to go on after I made a face, but her phone rang and she sighed. She held it up as she turned to go. "See you at dinner, Ivy."
I waved her off and turned toward the machines again, but stopped short as Natalia shuffled in, followed by half a dozen women. Giving them a tour of the maze, no doubt. Maybe she could draw me a map. I recognized them from the Auction, and my heart sank as one, long blonde hair done back in a complex braid, stared at me. "Isobel? Are you Isobel?"
I cleared my throat, nodding to Natalia as I headed for the door. "Not anymore."
"Bu
t you —"
Her voice faded behind me and I focused on getting back to my room. I didn't have anything to say to her, and hoped she gave me the same courtesy.
Chapter 18
I felt off-balance the rest of the day and into dinner. Even sitting next to Edgar didn't steady my nerves. I kept waiting for that woman to pop into the room and accuse me of destroying families and bringing chaos with me wherever I went. So my heart jumped every time the door opened to admit one of the servers, carrying dishes, but the rest of the family focused on Eloise's recent indiscretions.
Logan scowled into his wine glass, his free hand resting on Natalia's pregnant belly. "I thought our agreement was that you would get — and keep — a legitimate job. Not help the coyotes break the law and piss off the rest of the alphas in the city."
"I need to make a recording of me saying 'I didn't do it,' and just play that every time someone brings this up." Eloise's hair curled into the air, defying gravity, and I held my breath. I'd never seen anything like it.
Natalia raised an eyebrow. "Honey, I want to believe you, but what other explanation is there?"
"Someone put that shit in my locker."
Edgar sighed next to me, pouring more wine into my glass. "So now you're saying one of Kaiser's guys not only had the steroids and blood in his possession, but planted them on you deliberately to incriminate you?"
"Not one of Kaiser's guys. Probably one of Evershaw's." She scowled and reached for more mashed potatoes. "He's still pissed about the coyotes. I wouldn't put it past him to try to get back at you guys through me."
"So you're just a victim," Logan said. His patience wore thin and the irritation started to shine through, along with a gold sheen across his eyes.
"Mind your words," Natalia said under her breath. She leaned her elbows on the table, frowning as she studied Eloise. "Could it be that other pack, Ruby? The one outside the city? They've been causing all kinds of trouble for you guys in other ways. Maybe they're branching out?"