by Leela Ash
She just prayed nothing would happen to Walker, and everything would work out to the greatest potential. Otherwise, they would really have a problem.
10.
“I’m sorry, but who are you? Forgive me for my ignorance, but frankly, I just don’t associate with people of your status.”
Walker prickled, the wolf within him ready to brawl. It wasn’t every day that he found himself in the area of Stonybrooke reserved specifically for shifter royalty, and being there now made him feel pretty damn disgusted. They were serious snobs. He had no idea what the appeal of them happened to be for a human like Marcus, who seemed to wish, with everything he had, that he might, one day, be accepted into their judgmental legions.
“My name is Walker Abrams. I’m here on behalf of my friend Marcus…,” he said, tapping his foot on the porch impatiently. He almost wished he was still speaking with the old woman’s servant. At least he had some manners.
“You mean that silly little human who is good with computers?” the unpleasant old woman said, her thin lips pressed so tightly into a line that it almost looked as if she had no lips at all.
“That’s the one,” Walker sighed. “Seems he has found himself in some trouble and I was hoping you might have information that could help me.”
“Oh, what a wretched little man, stirring up a scene when he really doesn’t need to do such a thing!”
“He isn’t the one causing the trouble, ma’am,” Walker said, doing his very best not to succumb to the evils of the wolf’s temper. “He is being persecuted because of the work he is doing on the database. I believe he called it Crawlers?”
“Oh,” the woman said, her back growing rigid. This had apparently struck a nerve with her. Crawlers was something she understood; something that affected her directly. “What’s wrong with Crawlers?”
“There are some people out there who want your money and information. I was wondering what you could tell me about Luthor Mays.”
“Oh, he’s even more dreadful than that human boy you consort with,” the woman said, waving her hand dismissively.
“And yet, you’ve worked with him.”
Walker stared at the woman assertively, and she seemed, at first, surprised and then indignant. She avoided his gaze and her tight lips nearly disappeared as she folded her arms in front of her chest, looking anywhere but at Walker.
“Mrs. Galvin, I really need you to cooperate with me here. I’m not here to pass judgment or to get you into trouble. I just need some help understanding Luthor and what it is he’s working at.”
“Well, like I said. He’s dreadful. Now, get off my property.”
“Mrs. Galvin…do you really want the Council to know what you’ve been up to? You could lose this property in a second if you were banished from the pack.”
In truth, the Council already knew Mrs. Galvin had a tendency to consort with the lowlife. That was how Walker had found out. But they had advised him to use the knowledge as a bargaining chip to ensure she agreed to a conversation, if nothing else. He had to do whatever it took to protect his daughter. Even if that meant lying to stuffy shifter royalty.
Once they were inside Mrs. Galvin’s house, she eyed Walker coldly.
“Let’s sit in the parlor and discuss the matter,” she said, turning to the servants lining the foyer. “In private.”
The servants scrambled away and she led Walker through a winding corridor and into a huge room. They sat down together and she frowned at him.
“I would offer you a beverage but you’re not what I would call an expected guest. I’m sure you understand. Now, tell me. Exactly what is it that you want from me?”
“I just need to know more about Luthor Mays and who he works for. What is their agenda? I have to know these things. It’s very important.”
“I understand you have leverage over me, and I want you to know that is the only reason I’m going to be helping you at all. Do you understand that?”
Walker grinned, which seemed to infuriate the old lady. “I understand perfectly. Now, tell me what I need to know so we can get this over with as quickly as possible. You don’t want me to be here any longer than I have to be, right? And trust me, as…big…as your home is, I have places I would rather be.”
This seemed to incense the old woman even further, but instead of continuing with the insults, she sighed and nodded.
“Very well. Luthor Mays is a distant nephew of mine. We have known each other for a very long time, though we don’t associate very frequently. I am his only living relative left, and every once in a while, I am forced to honor those ties.”
“My condolences,” Walker said, eliciting a sarcastic smile from Mrs. Galvin. “There’s more to it than that, though, isn’t there. What else?”
“Well, young Luthor and his friends are a troubled bunch…we are related by blood, technically, through my oldest half-brother, may he rest in peace. But his mother was a tramp, and part of a pack that, we as royals, could not abide by. You understand.”
Walker nodded. He understood perfectly. The royals could not abide by anyone different from themselves. But he was going to keep his mouth shut this time. He didn’t want to make it any harder to get the information he needed than it already was. Clearly, neither he nor Mrs. Galvin were enjoying themselves. It was better just to let her talk without commenting on it.
“The girl was despicable, really, and raised my poor nephew to be the same way. And, of course, his friends were just awful. Bad influences. But they all knew about his ties to the royals, of course. They wanted to capitalize off it.”
“Well, the relationship was apparently mutually beneficial,” Walker pointed out. “You used Luthor to gain an edge over your competitors, didn’t you? Pretty underhanded things, too…”
“That is none of your business,” Mrs. Galvin said, her face growing tight and pinched. Once again, her thin lips disappeared and she avoided his gaze. She was clearly ashamed of what she did, but being called out on it didn’t seem to be getting either of them anywhere. Still, he had to understand exactly what was going on or he could lose his life. Or worse, his daughter’s. He wasn’t going to go easy on the old bat. Not with Erin’s safety at stake.
“It’s actually completely my business,” Walker said, allowing the frustrated growl to slip into his voice. “I need to know everything. Why you did it. Why he agreed to help. Who helped him. Every single thing you can think of, I need to know more about. Do you understand me?”
The old woman sighed, the sour look on her face growing deeper still. And yet, she seemed to understand the logic in his reasoning and resigned herself to speaking. She wanted him to leave; that much was obvious.
“He agreed to help me because I can give him things he doesn’t get anywhere else. I am his only family. I invite him to special occasions at times. And not only that, but I can give him information about the other royals. Things he needs so he can live the most comfortable life possible. It’s simply not fun to be orphaned at such a young age; both of his parents died when he was quite young. It’s tragic, really…”
“Why didn’t you take him in?” Walker blurted, confounded by the depth of the woman’s selfishness. It reminded him of his ex-wife.
“Oh, but I had a child of my own! And besides…he was so scruffy.”
She said this last part with a wrinkled nose, and Walker felt a sharp burst of rage swell in his chest. Luthor was a piece of shit, but he had just been a kid when he’d lost his parents, from the sound of it. That would have been plenty of time to give him a life full of opportunities to become more than the hardened, bitter son of a bitch he was today. This old bat was partly responsible for Walker’s problem, from the sound of it.
“All right,” Walker said, trying to keep his voice even. “We all know you’re not into scruffy guys like me and Luthor. Now, tell me more about his pack. What are they after and how willing are they to get it?”
“Luthor has done pretty well for himself. He’s an alpha personal
ity, oddly enough, and he works as the right-hand man of the pack’s alpha.”
She said this with an air of pride, as if rank and status were the only things she could be happy about. It was disgusting.
“So, what’s their plan? What are they like? How strong is the alpha?”
“Oh, he doesn’t leave their turf. He’s the kind of guy who sends someone to get you so you go to him and not the other way around. Luthor is the guy who gets people, you know. The muscle.”
“I see,” Walker said, the wheels in his head turning. “Do you know where I can find their turf?”
The old woman chuckled. “Well, they’re on the outskirts of Stonybrooke. They resent us here, you know. Most of them were children of damaged and outcast parents. They want revenge on anyone who seems more normal than they are. It’s pathetic, really. We should all just accept our lot in life and move on.”
Easy for her to say. She had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She was royalty, an elite who had never wanted for anything. What reason would she ever have had to be unhappy?
“How do I get there?”
“Past Route 80,” she replied with a bored sigh.
“And how big is the pack?”
“Oh, not very big, to be honest with you. It’s just a handful of angry little boys who feel like the world owes them something.”
“They’re dangerous, though, you know. If they get their hands on the information in Crawler, then the world will start to owe them something. You and the other royals will have nothing left, and you’ll be the first to go.”
Walker stood. He knew exactly what he needed to know now, and decided he couldn’t care less about the old woman’s motivation to have Luthor on her side. She was just a selfish old bat who wanted everything she coveted and would do whatever it took, without dirtying her own hands, of course, to get it.
“You keep that in mind. You’re not safe, and now, you probably never will be.”
He wasn’t sure whether this was true or not, but he felt a dark and cruel desire to leave the selfish hag alone in fear. She could have helped Luthor when he needed her; shaped him to become at least a well-adjusted enough man that he didn’t think it was okay to go around killing whoever he wanted to further his own agenda. But she hadn’t, and now, there was just one more monster in the world Walker was going to have to take care of.
He saw his way out of the huge mansion and shifted, needing more than ever, to blow off some steam. He had all the information he needed at that point. Now all he had to do was put it to use. Luthor and his pack weren’t going to take over Stonybrooke. Not on his watch. And especially not now that Walker knew exactly where to find them.
11.
“Ms. Maxwell! How have you been? The children ask after you often!”
“Oh, I’ve been fine, thank you,” Riley said. “I’m pleased to hear that!”
“Oh, they adored you. Sometimes, I wonder if they even liked you more than they liked their father and me!”
“Oh, Mrs. Greer, I highly doubt that,” Riley said, chuckling. “Children are prone to the vice of novelty, that’s all. Nannies are fairly novel, wouldn’t you say? Fleeting.”
“Oh, quite right,” Mrs. Greer said, a light, delighted laugh escaping her lips. It made Riley smile. She had always really liked working with the Greers. They were kind-hearted and fair people. She knew how snobby some of the shifter royals could be, and they always seemed to turn that truth on its head and act in ways that continually surprised her.
“Mrs. Greer, I’m actually calling because I have a favor to ask of you,” Riley said, glancing around the kitchen nervously. She could see the girls in the living room from where she was sitting, and she hoped they would stay put so nobody could hear what she was about to say.
“Oh? Most people come visit in person if they want a favor,” Mrs. Greer said, her voice a little more serious now. “It would be awfully good to see you.”
“I would love to! It’s just, right now isn’t such a good time…”
“Well, when it’s a good time, then I promise you I will listen to your favor and, if it’s within my power, grant it for you. But you must understand. There is a proper way to conduct such matters, you know. An official invitation to a lunch, and then chatting afterward. It’s just more civilized, you know.”
“Yes, I agree,” Riley said, feeling the crushing weight of her entrapment. She wanted, so badly, to explain to Mrs. Greer just how precarious her situation was, but there were some things you just never said to a royal; things like troubling them with your problems unless you were imploring them for help. And she would never even think to implore them about Luthor. Walker was taking good enough care of things in that regard.
“All right, dear. Well, then, I would like to invite you officially to a dinner. Can you attend tonight?”
Riley stammered. “I…I would love to.”
“Perfect! Then let us just get everything prepared. Can you arrive at a quarter to six? That would be just perfect.”
“Of course, Mrs. Greer. Thank you so much for your invitation!”
“Absolutely!” she said, her voice light and airy again. “It will be such a pleasure to see you again! I think you will be shocked by just how much the children have grown! Oh, they are going to be so excited to see you again! Their regard for you is nothing but the highest!”
“I’m looking forward to it! See you tonight!”
“Yes! Take care!”
The line went silent and Riley hung up the phone and slumped down in her chair, her face contorted in regret. What had she just done? Walker had told her explicitly to stay in the house. To stay put. But what she wanted to do seemed to outweigh any potential for danger toward herself.
“Hello?”
“Tara, hi,” Riley said, trying to keep the nervous waver out of her voice. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Yes?” Tara asked.
Riley cringed. She was asking for an awful lot of favors today. She didn’t really like it. “Can you come over and watch the girls for about two hours today? I have an appointment I forgot about and I just can’t miss it. I can’t get a hold of Walker, but I don’t think he would mind.”
“Oh, no problem. What time?”
“Can you be here by 5:30?”
“Sure. See you then.”
“Thanks!”
Riley peeked in at the girls one more time. Erin was draped on one of the couches, staring down at Lily, who was “reading to her” about a princess from a book that was clearly centered on a male protagonist. Erin was mesmerized by the story, and Riley chuckled softly to herself before heading to her bedroom.
It had been a long time since she had attended an event with the royals. She had been dressing casually ever since she had gotten this dream job with Walker and Erin, but now it was time to look into the rest of her wardrobe.
She opened the small trunk full of elegant clothing that had been donated to her by Mrs. Greer herself. She had seen a need to make sure the human was fit with exquisite attire in the event of company arriving, and she had worn these outfits, mending and replacing some of them with her own savings, in order to keep up appearances while minding the shifter pups of the royal families.
She looked through all the gowns fondly, wondering what was in fashion these days in the Greer household. Working with the Lewinskis had given her some idea, so after going through the gowns quickly, she chose one that was the most contemporary and studied the beautiful, intricate patterns on it. The shifter seamstresses seemed to have a special knack for making clothing beautiful. In fact, everything shifters created had a special little something that made it pop and set it apart from the human world. She felt lucky to have been included in any of this culture over the years, even if she was a human and knew humans were looked down upon by the shifter royalty, whether the Greer family treated her well or not.
She had forgotten just how complicated it could be to put on those gowns, though, and found it nearly imp
ossible to get herself zipped up. Fortunately, the doorbell rang just as she was finishing and she hurried downstairs to let Tara inside, hoping maybe she would be able to get the help she needed to finish her transformation.
When she came downstairs to answer the doorbell, the girls gasped and rose from their position in the living room, hanging in the doorway to gape at the way she looked in the elaborate gown. It was beautiful, even Riley, who had simple, scientific tastes had to admit. The gown itself was a deep maroon, with beautiful vine patterns creeping up the material in gold. It was a full bodied gown that rivaled those of the Victorian era, and she usually felt ridiculous putting it on. And yet, there was something magical about it.
“Wow, look at you,” Tara exclaimed, clearly shocked by the transformation. “What kind of appointment did you forget about? A ball?”
“No…well, maybe something like that,” Riley said, sighing deeply. “Do you think you could help me zip this up?”
“Of course,” Tara said with a small laugh. “I never expected to see you in something like this. You’re always so…practically dressed.”
Riley laughed. She had seen Tara off and on over the past few weeks, and it was true, she hadn’t had the need to dress up in Walker’s house.
“Trust me, I don’t dress like this by choice.”
“Well, where are you going?” Tara asked, just as she finished up with the zipper.
“That is confidential,” Riley said, glancing at the girls and winking at Tara. “You understand.”
“I bet it’s a date,” Tara whispered to the girls, who giggled, though Lily looked concerned.
“When are you coming home, Mommy?” she asked, clearly not liking the idea of her mother going out alone. She knew the rule that Walker had made. No leaving the house. “Walker is going to be mad.”