Snared (Kaliya Sahni Book 2)
Page 16
“We’re done for today,” I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Hopefully, it was news to help handle another one of the numerous problems on my list. Cael nodded while I watched him jog away, probably to tell the others not to bring anyone else for interviewing. I checked the text with one hand while rubbing my temple with another.
“News?” My roommate was now hovering over my shoulder. I tilted the screen so he could read too. “Ah, fuck.”
“Pretty much.” I sighed, rereading the text over and over.
Hasan: Pack lost Wesley’s trail. They smelled another naga in your condo, so be careful of Nakul roaming Phoenix. Coven is close to finding Levi. Another hour, max. Start heading back to the city if you haven’t yet. Vampires report no incidents. Executioners and Investigators worldwide report no strange activity.
Hasan: And call me back if there’s anything we need to know about the investigation.
It was essentially news about nothing, but at least Hasan had a timetable.
“He’s right,” I said. “If they’re close to Levi, we need to get back and be ready to jump into action when it’s time. I hate this, jumping back and forth on two different fronts, but there’s nothing else to do.”
“We’ll clean this up,” Raphael said confidently. “Obviously, the big guys think you have this under control.”
“Yeah, their confidence is appreciated,” I muttered, half believing it. I led the way toward the exit to the parking lot, unsurprised to see Korey when we got there. I had wanted her and Eliphas to visit me after being attacked, but they never came, which didn’t look good for them. It was a blatant disregard for the safety of people in the prison. It also meant they wouldn’t care what I had to tell them.
“We’re heading out to handle things in Phoenix, but we’ll be back.” I wanted to make sure she knew this wasn’t the end of the investigation. Truthfully, it was only the beginning when it came to the problems in the prison. I was certain she knew something that could come down on her head, but it was more pressing to stop the immediate danger now that I had a timetable.
“Of course. How are your injuries? I heard you were attacked by an inmate at the end of an interview.” She seemed calmer now, her body language more professional and less tense with anxious energy. It was her eyes that gave away her still hostile nature to my poking around.
“Good. It was resolved. I haven’t heard if the inmate made it. I stabbed him a few times, but I don’t know what I hit. I never even got his name.”
“He was taken to the infirmary for care,” she answered, not telling me his status or his name. I didn’t need to know, but I wanted to know. I wished I had Cassius, knowing this would have been easier with him on the case. His prestige would have put the entire prison in line. I had a deadly reputation, but not many respected the leader of a dying people. Cassius was royalty of a major species with vast numbers and power.
They would have given him the world.
“That’s good. I hope he makes it.” I crossed my arms, watching her eyes narrow. She probably hadn’t been expecting that from me, which was fine. Most didn’t know me well enough to know I had a problem with killing people not in their right mind or who did something against their will. The clear example was Wesley versus someone like Sinclair. Wesley was obviously under magic, and it had to be against his will. Sinclair did something dangerous and went crazy with the intent to kill us that night.
One deserved to die, one didn’t.
“Is there anything you need before you leave?” Korey asked, still blocking the door.
“Was there anything strange or off-protocol going on here at the prison before the breach? And I don’t mean yesterday. I mean in the last several months or years if that gets me an answer.”
Korey’s mouth pursed tight, her lips thinning in anger.
“No, nothing was going on,” she said with a bite.
“What about the team that helped with Wesley? Can you tell me about them?”
“He’s not an inmate, therefore not your—”
“Korey, I’m trying to keep more people from dying,” I snapped, stepping up to her. We were a similar height, making staring her down easy. “I understand you are a new Alpha, and your instincts are telling you to no longer allow anyone to order you around, but this hostility has to stop. I need to know everything.”
“Then give me something,” she growled back. “You’ve walked in here and told us nothing. No one here believes you’ve told the Tribunal everything.”
“Wesley was spelled. Did they tell you that I suspect that? That they believed me? Who the fuck could get to Wesley and spell him, Korey? Who? And for that matter, the inmate who attacked me? He was clearly under some sort of magic. His eyes were blank while he tried to kill me. I know what that means. Now, someone has come into your prison and spelled your inmates to kill me. Either cooperate or get the fuck out of my way.”
She stepped back, her eyes wide. She seemed shell-shocked, her mouth working for a moment before she formed a proper sentence.
“I didn’t…They…They didn’t tell me about Wesley.”
“Now you know. They’re still looking for him.” I searched the werewolf’s face, hoping I finally had her. I was glad none of her wolves or Eliphas had come with her to meet me. Getting her alone like this was better. There was no one for her to try to impress.
“Tarak and Eliphas picked the private research team who helped Wesley,” she finally said, looking away. “I didn’t know anything about them, and I never got their names, but it wasn’t the same group the Tribunal initially had working on Wesley’s case. They would meet Eliphas and Tarak outside and come in with them.”
I wanted to groan.
“Mygi?” I asked, trying not to sound pissed off.
“No, no. More private than that. Tarak didn’t want some big corporation coming in. He doesn’t like them. This was like a single healer and his team or something. A guy who works on lost cause type of things? That’s all I know, but I can ask Eliphas about it. I’ll also try to learn why they didn’t use the team the Tribunal originally hired. I think it was because that team made no progress, but…”
“Please do and send me whatever you find. Now, I need to get out of here. There’s a witch trying to drown Phoenix, and the local coven might have his location soon.”
“Good luck with the Leviathan,” Korey said, stepping out of my way.
“His name is fucking Levi,” I muttered, walking past her.
Deeper into the mystery I go. Now there’s an unnamed healing team, hired and brought in by two of the Wardens. If that’s not fucking suspicious, what is? And Tarak didn’t bring his second in on it? What kind of Alpha does that?
“Kaliya?” Raphael was speaking softly as we walked back to the BMW. “Are there private healing teams and stuff, or was she blowing smoke up your ass?”
“There are,” I said, sighing. “Makes everything harder. Mygi is the only big name in supernatural healing. The pharmaceutical company is the research side, and they have a hospital under different management, which is considered a neutral zone for supernaturals. They’re the same company but not run by the same people and they haven’t worked together in a long time, becoming more their own entities then branches of a single one. Beyond that, there are no other hospitals that cater to supernaturals. If people want professional care without having to travel, they have to hire concierge doctors and their teams. A witch, fae, or whatever other things that have a healing ability. There are a lot of groups like that. The coven in Phoenix caters to some healing needs of the city. For the most part, we make do or fly someone in.” I got into my car and leaned on the steering wheel.
“What if she was lied to? What if it was Mygi?”
“We’d know if it was Mygi,” I mumbled, shaking my head, which amounted to rolling it over the steering wheel. “She’d know, anyway. Mygi doesn’t do anything without slapping their logo on it for PR purposes. Look at their attempts to recapture you.”
“Still, they would have rolled up to the prison in branded vans, Raph.” I was suddenly exhausted. I didn’t lift my head from the steering wheel, wondering how I found myself in these positions. I hadn’t faced a situation this bad in years.
Actually, this is the worst. Sinclair was almost normal, other than the turning into an unidentifiable beast. Honestly, nothing is even comparable to this.
“Are you okay?” Raphael’s voice was like sweet honey, thick with concern. I enjoyed the sound of it. I never let myself revel in the pleasures of life anymore. Raphael was a pleasure of life, even though the entire situation was complicated.
Only I can have a complicated relationship with a man and not get sex out of it. And without him knowing just how complicated it is. Fucking figures. Not like I can tell him. ‘Oh, didn’t I tell you? I can only breed with one person on the planet due to biology, and that person happens to be you. My female organs think I need to jump your bones. You cool with that?’
“Fine,” I said, finally pushing myself up. “Just getting tired.”
“I can drive. I feel pretty good right now.”
“No. I don’t know how you’d react to hostiles on the road, and if we’re attacked…I just don’t want to risk it. Sorry.” I wished I could let him drive. A little shut-eye would be nice. “And I know the roads better than you, which will prove useful in the storm over Phoenix.”
“Figured I’d offer,” he said, sounding only a little put off.
“Thank you for the offer,” I whispered, meaning it. “I just can’t take you up on it. Maybe next time.”
“Maybe.” He chuckled darkly.
Sad that we both assume there’s going to be a next time.
18
Chapter Eighteen
To kill time on the drive, I called Hasan using my hands-free Bluetooth set up. I liked technology. I liked the first phone, the first beeper, and the Internet as they all became publicly available. If there was a way to communicate easier, or really anything else, I wanted to use it. So, the new BMW was done up with all the latest technologies. It probably didn’t seem like much for humans, but I could still name dozens of supernaturals who liked living off the grid, only dealing with technology when they were forced to.
“Yes?” Hasan didn’t sound tired, but there was a lack of professionalism to his greeting that didn’t seem normal. I didn’t know him well enough to know if he sounded pissed off.
“Hey, you wanted me to call about the prison. Raphael and I are driving back to Phoenix.”
“Go ahead,” he said. I distinctly heard leather rubbing together, like a chair or couch. He’d probably had as little sleep as I did as we approached ten in the morning my time. I didn’t know where he lived or the time for him, but he had been up when I called about the prison breach, and the likelihood he got any sleep since then was slim.
“First, let me say, I have no solid suspects, only hunches I intend to keep to myself until I have more information. I don’t want arrests or anything else happening until the majority of the danger has been resolved.” I knew better than to say, ‘Oh, Korey did it in my professional opinion’ because it could easily get an innocent werewolf killed.
“Understood.” He wasn’t as talkative this time.
“Okay, first thing, the prison definitely had unauthorized guests. You’ll want to talk to Callahan or Corissa because it has to do with Wesley.”
“Tell me everything you learned.” He seemed to perk up. I wondered if he wanted to stick it to the werewolves, or if he really cared about Wesley.
I’ll assume the latter. The Last Change and the problems that come from it are also a werecat problem.
“Korey didn’t know who it was, but Tarak and Eliphas hired outside help for the research and therapy for Wesley’s problem without authorization. I know initially, the Tribunal put people on the task, but Korey made sure to tell me this was a different team. A healer of some sort and his staff. She’s going to look into it because Tarak and Eliphas were very hush-hush about it. Since Tarak died last night very suddenly, it was never passed down to her. I didn’t want to go after Eliphas yet, so I left her to deal with her fellow Warden. Eliphas will tell her, and I won’t need to use any intimidation or my position. It’ll help them bond. If it’s a problem…well, I can always drive back down.”
“What are they doing down there?” Hasan asked though it seemed rhetorical.
“I don’t know,” I answered anyway. He growled on the other end. “I asked her to contact me with details as she gets them. I can have her send them your way as well if you want.”
“Do that. I want to handle this personally without the witches or werewolves protecting their own,” he said with a snap. “Just so I can slam that prison with a charge of illegally allowing guests, and my peers won’t be able to stop me, and ride my fellow Tribunal members for not keeping a better eye on it.” He was now very grumbly. “Brion leaves while I’m gone, and everything goes to hell. I had to get on to Callahan for not having an up-to-date review. He and I are already swamped with other problems and—”
“Werecat and werewolf shit?” I was curious, and I wanted to stop him from ranting about his peers, my other bosses.
“Is it your business?”
“No, but I’ve heard the werewolves were harassing some werecats over opening lines of communication, thanks to that Jacky Leon thing.”
“It has nothing to do with you, so how did you hear about it?” Hasan demanded.
I was glad to have him off the prison. The less he worried about the immediate problem, the more free rein I had because he wouldn’t want to order me around. I knew how to work my bosses, and Hasan, while new to me, was just another big bad ruler of the supernatural world.
“I hear things. I work part-time as a bounty hunter when things are slow,” I reminded him. “My region is normally much more well behaved, and it helps me keep up with recent news.”
“Ah, that’s right.” He sighed. “Yes, tensions are escalating but not between Callahan and me. The problems have been local and isolated, and we’re trying to keep a handle on it.”
“You know, earlier you mentioned calling in Coyotl to help here. Why him and not Lonan? He lives closer, and he knows everyone here.”
“I texted him. He turned me down immediately, thanks to Wagner. As I said, problems have been local. Coyotl doesn’t care about that as much, but he also said no, mostly because he’s angry with me.”
“Ah.”
“Want to know why? I thought you were one of those nosy enough to ask.”
“I do, but I wasn’t stupid enough to ask,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road, trying not to die of curiosity.
“There are many things to be said of you, Kaliya, but I would never have considered stupid. I have heard brash and reckless, however,” he said, obviously teasing. He was warmer than his son and had more of a sense of humor.
The only son I know, at least. He has like seven or eight kids. Maybe one of the others is a real comedian.
“Brash and reckless are good ways to describe her,” Raphael said quietly from his seat. I looked at my roommate, narrowing my eyes as I drove. We weren’t in the rain yet, so I took some liberties I shouldn’t have, watching him for far longer than I really needed to. He had a gorgeous profile and a jawline that could cut glass, sporting a five o’clock shadow.
Why does he have to be so nice to look at?
“Ah, Raphael, I was wondering if you were in the car. Is there anything Kaliya hasn’t told me yet?”
I glared, trying to somehow convey to him he needed to keep his mouth shut. He met my gaze and frowned.
“That’s for her to say, sir. She’s the expert. I don’t know what she thinks is pertinent or not, or maybe she’s hoping for more information before passing it along.”
“Respectab
le answer. You keep her secrets then,” Hasan commented nonchalantly. “Kaliya, is there anything else you want me to know right now?”
“All I have are suspicions, and those won’t help you. Let me get concrete evidence.” I wasn’t ready to tell him about the attack in the prison, and I had a strong gut feeling no one at the prison would mention it to the Tribunal. It would make the Wardens look even worse, and they wouldn’t want that after such a major breach. I didn’t trust much in the world or my fellow supernaturals, but I damn sure trusted the lengths they would go to for self-preservation. No supernatural let go of power easily or painted themselves in the wrong without a fight.
“Okay. Keep your phone close. We’ll have news on Levi’s location any minute now.”
“Amazing.” I hung up on him, no longer needing to keep the line open. I drove for a minute in silence before speaking up to the man beside me.
“Thanks for watching my back. I have to be careful what I give the Tribunal until I have everything that could possibly sway the way this turns out. Normally, Investigators like Cassius don’t call in with checkups. They finish their entire case file then present their findings. If I send too much back too quickly, they’ll want to press me to go into a certain direction without all the facts.”
“I get it. Like I told him, you’re the expert. I’m just along for the ride. The muscle. So, now we get Levi, then we get back to the investigation.”
“Yeah, and thankfully, Levi should be the easy part.”
“Really?” Raphael straightened up. “Why do you say he’s the easy part?”
“Well, finding him was the hardest thing. He won’t be much of a fight when we’re right on top of him. Most of his kills were stealth attacks on people much less capable than me and less powerful than you. If we get the jump on him, he’s a witch, just as fragile and mortal as any human.” I shrugged. “Fact of the matter is, killing him is the easy part.”
“That’s…good to know,” he said, chuckling softly.