by Bianca D’Arc
Charlie Gantry had a near perfect record, Cade had told her, and was considered one of the best of the best. Before he’d retired to do Escort work, he’d been some kind of operative for the government. Elaine had been surprised to learn that some shifters were utilized in key positions throughout human society.
“I did a little checking after what you told us at dinner.” Charlie nodded in Elaine’s direction.
They’d asked her questions about the men who’d come to her apartment, but she hadn’t thought there’d been enough time to really do anything with the information she’d provided. Apparently she’d been wrong.
“I’ve got a friend with a small bodega near Elaine’s apartment building. I asked him to check his security camera footage. Do any of you recognize this guy?”
Charlie passed around a grainy black and white blown up picture of two guys walking down the street in front of her building. Elaine could tell right off that he’d isolated the right men.
“That’s them. Figueroa and Bimley.” She fingered each of their images as she spoke the names.
Cade took the photo from her and swore. “Is this who I think it is?” His finger poked at the man Elaine knew as Sergeant Bimley. “Tell me I’m wrong. Please.”
“You’re not wrong. It’s Billy Bob all right. Son of a bitch was supposed to be dead.” Steve cursed as the photo was handed to him.
“Who’s Billy Bob?” Elaine asked.
All eyes turned toward her, but it was Ria who spoke. “At one time, he was a friend. An emissary from the were Lords who preferred city life and decided to stay. We took him in when he ran into trouble from some rogue wolves who’d already staked out his chosen territory.”
“We even helped him find a part of the city that wasn’t already claimed by canines of any kind,” Cade added. “We went out of our way for the bastard, and then he betrayed us. Hell, he’s still betraying us!” His fist pounded on the table making it shake. “Why isn’t he dead?”
“I have no idea,” Molly spoke from the other side of the table. “I swear to you, I saw him go down. Nobody could have lived through that. His throat was ripped out. I can’t believe he’s not dead.”
“Who took him out? Do you remember? Did you see?” Steve bombarded her with questions.
“Matilda. She shifted and knocked him down before he had a chance to shift. You know how fast she was,” Molly said. “She had his throat in her teeth before anyone could say boo. She trashed him. I saw it.”
“She died a few weeks later as I recall, in an accident. She was run over by a truck on her way home from a local bar. I was always suspicious about that,” Charlie put in. “She was too fast to get hit by anything, even if she was drunk.”
“Hell!” Cade muttered curses under his breath. “Matilda was sleeping with Billy Bob. I confronted her about it once, and she got defiant with me. She swore they were mated, and they loved each other. I relented when I realized the little fool actually believed it. She wouldn’t have killed him. She had too soft a heart.”
“So you think she only wounded him to get him out of the fight?” Steve asked sharply.
“Come to think of it, there wasn’t any time to clean up the bodies. We took our wounded and ran once the fighting ended,” Molly clarified. “I guess we assumed they’d done the same. Nobody ever saw Billy Bob again.”
“Maybe Matilda took him home and nursed him. It certainly would fit the timeline,” Cade said. “She went into hiding for a while after the blow up. I always assumed it was because she was embarrassed she’d been duped so badly by her lover.”
This casual talk of some past battle confused Elaine, but she caught the gist of what they were saying. Sergeant Bimley was really a traitorous werewolf they’d known as Billy Bob. One whom they’d thought was dead.
“So if he knew you guys so well,” Elaine dared to interrupt. “Doesn’t that put you all at a disadvantage?”
“A huge one,” Cade agreed, covering her hand with his on top of the conference table. “But after that last big battle we changed our locations. We got new safe houses, encryption, passwords, vehicles, communication devices…everything. All the places and numbers he knew were changed.”
Molly picked up the explanation. “We knew we had a leak, but we didn’t know who it was until Billy Bob very publicly went over to the dark side during the fight. Little bastard almost got away with it, but Matilda was at his side and faster than any of us. She tackled him and put the odds back in our favor.”
“And more than likely paid the ultimate price for her soft heart,” Ria said in a sad tone, reminding them of what had probably happened to Matilda after Billy Bob was well again.
The room was silent for a moment as everyone digested that information. Finally, Charlie took hold of the photograph again, drawing attention back to it.
“I’m glad we figured out what happened to Matilda. She didn’t deserve to die for her compassion, but even more distressing is the identity of this other man.”
“What have you been able to find out about him?” Cade was instantly on alert. Elaine felt tension in the hand that covered hers, their fingers intertwined.
“I ran his face through some databases I used to have access to.” Charlie winked, and Elaine understood from his sly expression that he’d probably hacked in. Very little surprised her where mild-mannered Charlie was concerned. She’d realized at some point during Cade’s explanation of his Escort job that Charlie had to have more than a little James Bond in him. Cade seemed to think he could do just about anything.
“And?” Steve was as impatient as Cade.
“He’s known by more than one name.” Charlie consulted some papers in the file before him. “The one alias that he seems to favor most is Fidelio.”
“Isn’t that the name of the only opera Beethoven ever wrote?” Elaine asked, hoping to lighten the suddenly dark mood. They looked at her as if she was crazy. “I took some classical music courses in college,” she explained, uncomfortable under the weight of their collective stares. “So sue me.”
“Miss Spencer is correct about the opera,” Charlie allowed with a slight smile. “But the somewhat distinctive name, Fidelio, also correlates to a known magic user. I hacked the Altor Custodis database for the rest of the information since this kind of data isn’t in any of the regular civilian repositories.” Charlie shuffled some papers. “Fidelio—if this is the same guy the AC are watching—is supposed to be a high-level mage. His element of choice is fire.”
“Son of a bitch!” Cade cursed.
Charlie went on despite the upset around the room. “Fidelio’s been credited with dozens of kills in arson fires all over the world. Most recently, the AC thinks he’s been operating in the U.S., with confirmed sightings in Florida, Utah and New York.”
“And I had this guy in my apartment?” Elaine felt her knees tremble.
“He was probably scoping you out,” Steve said. “Learning the layout of your place and the building for when he sprung his trap.”
“If he’s not were, then why was he sniffing me?” Elaine asked, puzzled by that. “And what’s this AC thing you’re talking about? Can their information be trusted?”
“The Altor Custodis is an organization that has been watching supernaturals for as long as we’ve been keeping records. They predate Michelangelo’s time, but how far back they go is anyone’s guess. They watch and record anything about us we let them see. And actually a lot of things we’d prefer they not see,” Charlie answered with a rueful grin. “Their resources are far reaching and better than almost anything we have, I’m sorry to say. Their field reports have to be witnessed by two of their brethren, co-signed and cross-verified, so the information is usually as solid as it comes.”
“Are they magicians too?” Elaine asked, astounded by the idea that someone was watching and recording the doings of so many people who remained hidden from the rest of the world’s population.
“They’re not supposed to be,” Ria said, drawing the
attention of the room. All eyes rested on her, alert and questioning. “They’re supposed to be a strictly human organization, but I’ve seen things lately that worry me. It’s nothing specific, but I can’t help the feeling that their time as impartial observers might be at an end. Somehow weres are involved and I don’t know who, or what, else.”
Elaine could feel the tension level rise in the room. Although she didn’t fully understand the implications of what Ria had just revealed, Elaine sensed the others were alarmed by the Nyx’s words. Silence reigned for a long moment as the information was digested. Finally, Cade spoke, his voice low, strong and reassuring in the pall of swirling uncertainty.
“If the rules have changed, we need to adapt. The AC has information sources we can only guess at, but from anecdotal evidence, we need to assume they’re watching everything we do and everyone we’re associated with. If our enemies have somehow infiltrated the AC, we have to believe they’ll have access to those same databases Charlie has found a way to hack—and more. I’m not doubting your skill, Charlie, but I’ve never been comfortable with how easily you get to their data. An organization as old and complex as the AC has got to have more than just the layers of protection you’ve been able to compromise. I think there’s got to be a deeper level of security—quite possibly eyes-only hard copy records somewhere that can’t be hacked.”
“Your instincts are good, and I’m inclined to agree with you,” Charlie admitted. “I’ve noticed curious gaps in the data stream as if certain records and cross-references had been deleted, or more likely, banned from the beginning. Still, what I have managed to glean over the years has been helpful.”
“I’m not disputing that,” Cade agreed. “I’m just saying there’s probably more we don’t have a way to see, and we have to contemplate the idea that our enemies might have infiltrated far enough into the organization to be one up on us.”
Steve cursed under his breath, and Elaine could see the sentiment was shared by everyone at the table. They wore expressions with some mixture of fury, frustration and determination.
“It might explain some of their recent successes.” Molly’s tone was both angry and forlorn.
“So if I’m following you,” Elaine spoke when the silence had stretched long enough to make her uncomfortable. “This guy Fidelio the fire freak and his furry friend might have access to information from the AC. This is bad. I get that. However, I don’t understand why he was sniffing me. Could someone be both were and a magic user?”
“Not likely,” Ria answered. “I can only guess that he’s one of those mages that can smell magic. Some can, from what I’ve heard. Maybe he was checking to see if you had magic of your own.”
That made a weird sort of sense to Elaine.
“So how do we deal with these guys? And is there any chance I’ll ever be able to go back to my old life?” Unspoken was her worry about Gina.
If Elaine was now on the AC’s radar because of this mess, would they discover Gina’s secret? Had Elaine outed her best friend to a group that might harbor a nest of killers in its ranks? The thought was too terrible to contemplate, and Elaine didn’t want to talk about Gina in front of these other cats. Cade knew Gina’s real identity, as did Mitch, but beyond those two and Elaine herself, Gina was still an unknown shifter who just happened to be available to help Mitch out when he needed it.
Elaine would do everything in her power to keep it that way. Gina didn’t want to be found. That much was obvious. And it wasn’t Elaine’s place to tell the world her best friend was some kind of tiger queen. Gina would come forward—or not—by her own decision. Elaine hoped. But if these AC guys already knew about her, all bets were off.
Cade turned Elaine’s hand over in his, gripping it tight, drawing her attention. “You stay safe while we handle the were and the mage,” Cade said, his stern glance brooking no argument. “You did well against Billy Bob when he cornered you, but I think you’ll agree he was more than you can really handle. You caught him unprepared to deal with a human with teeth, but he’d be a fool to make the mistake of underestimating you again.”
Elaine had to admit Cade had a point but it stung to realize he thought she was too weak to fight her own battles.
“He was bigger and stronger, but I was faster.” It was a matter of pride that she’d managed to outmaneuver a shifter who had fast, instinctive, animal reflexes.
“That may be, but I doubt he’ll be as easy to defeat a second time. And you have no defense against a fire mage.”
Knowing he was right didn’t make it any easier to accept.
Cat's Cradle: String of Fate, Book 1
Chapter Ten
Cade hated hurting her. He could tell his words were landing like slaps in the face, but there was no way he’d let her come into contact with Billy Bob again. Not if he could possibly prevent it.
Billy Bob had been a friend of sorts. It had been a shock when he’d turned traitor on them. Cade cursed himself for not looking closer at the lone wolf who’d come to them with good credentials and a black heart.
Elaine’s silence bothered him. He had to find a way to soften the harsh reality of their situation while still impressing upon her the seriousness of it. Even Molly was frowning at his blunt words.
“Look, Ellie, there are a lot of things you don’t know about this situation. Shifters have some natural immunity to magic. Not a lot, but enough to give us some protection against Fidelio. Humans rarely have anything like it.”
“They say some psychic humans have natural shielding,” Ria added helpfully, frowning even more than Molly had at him.
“But that doesn’t help me,” Elaine admitted. “My grandfather was the strongest psychic in my family but I’ve never been clairvoyant.”
It didn’t help matters that Cade didn’t know much more about Elaine than he’d been able to observe in the few days since they’d first met. He’d never even seen her fight. He’d never watched her practicing blocks and kicks with Harris down at the dojo. Cade regretted not attending more of those classes while he’d had the chance. He also regretted not investigating Elaine’s background more.
He’d been in denial, plain and simple. Leaving her that first time had nearly broken him. He’d longed to give in and call her or go see her, but he’d fought against the attraction. He’d fought so hard in fact, that he couldn’t even bring himself to do the routine background check he would have normally performed after their encounter. He’d wanted to put her from his mind completely but even going to such lengths as to ignore his duty, he’d been woefully unsuccessful.
She’d been in his mind constantly, in his dreams—waking and sleeping. He couldn’t run fast enough to outrun the memories of their short time together.
And then she’d called. Her quaking voice over the phone as she had run for her life would be forever embedded in his memory. She’d very nearly died that night and he would have never seen her again. Never been able to hold her. Never been able to kiss her. Never been able to claim her as his mate.
That the last thought gave him pause. He still couldn’t reconcile the instincts driving him to claim her with the harsh truth that humans and shifters rarely succeeded as mated pairs. Cade didn’t feel particularly lucky enough to believe that he and Ellie could be the exception to the rule. That kind of thing would be too good to be true.
“Please, Ellie, for my sake.” He squeezed her hand, imploring her. “I need to know that you’ll be safe if we end up in another confrontation with our enemies.”
“You can’t keep her under lock and key, Cade,” Ria broke in.
He grimaced at his cousin. “I can try.”
Ria only shook her head.
“And there’s the matter of how we’re going to draw out Billy Bob and Fidelio,” Charlie added calmly from the other side of the table.
“Don’t even think it.” Cade saw red. He knew without being told what the Escort was getting at. No way would they use Ellie as bait. They’d have to kill him first. Cade
couldn’t control the growl that sounded deep in his throat.
“This is getting us nowhere.” Ria verbally stepped between the two men. “I suggest we adjourn and take this up in the morning. Cade, don’t forget you have to explain a few things to Elaine.” Ria’s pointed look at Ellie’s neck only caused his annoyance level to rise.
First Ellie wanted to step in where angels fear to tread, then Charlie had the nerve to suggest putting her in the line of fire and now this. He was being told how to run his love life by his younger cousin. Cade felt like he couldn’t catch a break and everything was designed to annoy him. Not a good frame of mind for discussing life and death matters with the woman, who against all odds, might somehow end up being his mate. If the gods weren’t finished playing games with his life yet.
“I’m sure I can dig up more information overnight.” Charlie directed his words toward Ria, but Steve and Molly nodded in agreement. Cade knew they’d have their network of street informants activated within the hour.
The Underground boasted a worldwide network of shifters and sympathetic folks who had contacts that were far reaching and well informed. If any of them had heard anything useful about Fidelio or Billy Bob, Steve and Molly would soon know.
Cade waved to the others as they exited the room. Ria looked like she wanted to stay and talk but Charlie, thankfully, persuaded her out.
Cade could feel Ellie’s displeasure with him and the way the meeting had ended. She sat silent at his side, steaming. He could almost feel the heat of her annoyance as a tangible thing.