by Geonn Cannon
Eva shook her head. “And they call us monsters.”
“Has Marin mentioned anyone hanging around, anything suspicious the past few days?”
“I don’t think so.” She paused scrubbing to think. “She doesn’t really date, so there aren’t any evil exes who might have set her up. She mostly just goes to school and to work. I gave you her work address and class schedule when I hired you, right?”
“Yeah. To be honest, I’m just covering my bases by asking about stalkers. I think it’s more likely the hunters just grabbed the first canidae they saw.”
“How would they even tell the difference between a canidae and just a big dog?”
Ari shrugged. She didn’t want to confess about Milo and her germ of a theory that the hunters had somehow used her to track and capture Marin. She caught movement from the corner of her eye that, combined with a scent she recognized from the foyer, told her Mickie was eavesdropping.
“I’m glad you have a pack to help you through a time like this.”
“It’s killing them that they can’t help more. I’m sure you know what it’s like when a member of your pack is in danger.”
Ari cleared her throat. “I... I do understand. But not from personal experience. I’ve never really had a pack.”
Eva stopped scrubbing a plate and turned to look at her. “Are you serious? I don’t think I’ve ever met a wolf without a pack before.”
“I didn’t have the most traditional childhood,” Ari said. “I have someone now.”
“One person?”
Ari said, “She’s enough.”
Eva considered that, then accepted it with a nod. She went back to the dishes. “They help keep me busy. Focused on the right things. I don’t know what I’d be doing right now without them. Probably curled up in a ball at the foot of my bed.”
“There’s something to be said for doing that at times like these. As long as you have someone to pull you out of it after a few hours.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. It helps to have you on the case, Miss Willow.”
“Is there anything you can tell me about Marin that can help? I’m not even sure what would be helpful. But I think knowing a little bit more about her as a person...” She sighed and rested her hands on the counter. “Honestly, I just want to see her as more than a victim. These people are also holding two people that are very close to me. They’re my priority because I know them and I care about them. I want to care about Marin the same way.”
“I want that, too,” Eva said. “She works at a... a... store.” She laughed and shook her head. “God, I don’t even know what to call it. They buy stuff from estate sales, but they also showcase work from local artists and crafters. I guess it’s like a slightly fancier version of Goodwill. The hours are flexible and let her work around her class schedule.”
“U-Dub?” Ari asked.
Eva nodded. “She’s studying museology.”
Ari turned the word around in her head for a few seconds before she raised a helpless eyebrow.
“Museums,” Eva revealed, smiling. “She wants to work at the aquarium.”
“Wow. Must be pretty clever.”
“She’s a genius,” Eva said, her voice cracking. They washed dishes quietly as she composed herself. “I hate the water, like most wolves. You?”
Ari chuckled. “Oh yeah.”
“Mom and Dad, too. But not Marin. We can’t keep that girl out of the water. She absolutely loves fish, so around sixth grade, she figured out everything she needed to work with them and made herself a roadmap. Ever since then, she’s been following it. Until now. These assholes.” She sniffled. “She’s missing classes. I called and told them she’s sick, but it’s only a matter of time until that video starts getting traction and someone recognizes her.”
“We’re doing everything in our power to stop that from happening. At the moment, everyone seems pretty convinced it’s a hoax. But the longer it goes on, the more attention it will attract.”
Eva stared into the soapy water and nodded. “The only good thing about it is that I know she’s alive. She’s really badly hurt, she’s in a horrible situation, but she’s alive. That’s something, right?”
“That’s definitely something.” She heard a brush of a shoe against carpet in the hall. She looked but didn’t see anyone. She raised her voice so that the eavesdropper would be sure to hear. “And I know that if I drag my feet, I’m going to have a whole wolf pack on my ass. So I have extra motivation to find her as quickly as I can.”
“Damn right,” Hazel said without showing herself.
Eva lowered her voice. “Don’t mind them. They love Marin as much as I do, and their love language is to punch the thing that’s hurting their friends.”
Ari said, “I understand the urge. I won’t hold it against them. Marin’s lucky to have such a loyal family.” An idea occurred to her, and she considered how to frame it to Eva. “You might want to think about giving your wolves a chance to process her situation as well. Sometimes you have to turn off the human brain and just let the wolf deal with something. I suggest the whole pack transform tonight and go for a run. For Marin. Even if she can’t transform and join you, I think her wolf will know you’re out there for her.”
“That sounds like a really nice idea,” Eva said. “And honestly, it sounds like exactly what I need. I’ll bring it up.”
Hazel came into the kitchen. “Bring her home, Miss Willow. And if you can’t... if these bastards hurt her before you’re able to save her, then do us all a favor and bring us their names.”
Ari held eye contact with Hazel and nodded.
“You have my word.”
Chapter Nine
Gabriel raised an eyebrow when Val dropped a flattened and grease-stained fast food bag on his desk. The blank side of the bag had been filled with rows of Val’s tight, sloppy handwriting. Gabriel sat up straighter and picked up the bag, angling it toward his desk lamp as he attempted to decipher the scrawl.
“What exactly am I looking at here?”
“Demands.”
He laughed and put the bag down. “Demands? Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m the woman keeping your prized prisoner alive. That list will go a long way toward helping me achieve that. Don’t tell me Gwen Willow is your backup plan, because you spent most of a day scouring the city looking for Marin when she got away. You want her, specifically. Probably because a young, cute college student gets more views than a woman in her fifties. Chauvinist. Maybe because it would ruin your narrative to swap out the guinea pig once the livestream has already started. I don’t give a shit about your reasons. In the end, the only thing that matters is that Marin Cardoso remains healthy and comfortable.” She gestured at the bag. “I offered to email you the list, but for some reason your guys refused to let me use an iPad. They have trust issues, I guess.”
Gabriel picked up the bag again. “A bed. Hygiene products.” He laughed and waved the bag when he saw the next item. “A privacy screen? Do you not understand the purpose of this whole endeavor?”
“It doesn’t have to be big enough for her to hide behind completely,” Val said, “but the woman needs to use the bathroom. She needs toothpaste, tampons, soap. If you’re worried about her escaping, you have a non-stop live feed of her on your computer so you can see what she’s doing every second of every damn day. She’s not going to dig a tunnel or build a transporter to get out of the room. She deserves to have a little comfort, otherwise this is just a slow murder.”
“I obviously wasted a lot of time finding this place. I should have just booked a few rooms at the Crowne Plaza.”
Val put her hands on the desk and leaned down to look him in the eye. “She won’t survive a month being strung up the way you have her. A malnourished or sick canidae won’t transform in order to conserve energy. Treat her well or this whole endeavor will be nothing but a waste of time and resources.”
Gabriel pursed his lips and put the bag down, drum
ming his fingers on it. “You’re turning out to be a lot more trouble than you may be worth.”
“Then I guess I’m doing my job right, then.”
He stared hard at her, but she thought there was some amusement in his expression as well. She was conflicted by that; she didn’t want this asshole to like her.
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll have the guys improve our guest’s accommodations. Are you happy now?”
Val’s smile was maniacal, cartoonish. “Absolutely thrilled, Daddy, thank you ever so much.”
The smile collapsed as she turned and walked out of the room. It was a small victory, and she wouldn’t celebrate it where he could see, but she was still thrilled to have achieved even that much. It meant Gabriel could be reasoned with. It meant there was hope, however small, that they could all get out of this in one piece.
***
Dale was at her computer when Ari came in, but she stood and motioned for Ari to follow her before the door was even shut behind her.
“Busy day?” Ari said.
“Always is, when I’m doing your job as well as mine.”
Ari followed Dale into her office. The bulletin board had been populated with multiple photos and new index cards filled with information about each major player. Ari obviously recognized Hayden, whose picture was obviously a headshot from some online profile. The photo next to him, labeled Donald Keech, showed that the hunters’ lawyer was a man who somehow managed to look gangly and squat at the same time. He was long-limbed and his suit was somehow misshapen and baggy on him despite the fact he was overweight. He had salt-and-pepper hair that had been turned into a tangled mess by the wind.
“I guess he’s not using his big hunter retainers for a tailor. Or a stylist.”
“Now, now, don’t body-shame him. Focus on the other reprehensible parts of his personality.” Dale hung up another photo, this one of a man with sharp cheekbones and slicked-back grey-white hair. He might have been handsome if it wasn’t for his heavy brow and almost black eyes. He was smiling in a way that said he’d already won at a game his opponent didn’t even know they were playing. “This guy, though. Say whatever you want about this creepy dude.”
Ari thought for a second. “Vegas magician, but way off the Strip, with a bunch of mysteriously missing assistants.”
“Wow, spot-on. Well done. That’s Gabriel Roemer.”
“Ah, my nemesis. Nice to put a face to the skin-crawling feeling I get when I hear his name.”
Dale said, “Yeah. So should I go first, or do you want to tell me how your errands went?”
“I’ll go first, since I don’t have a whole lot to report. Eva’s hunkered down with her pack, worried about her sister. Milo still hasn’t remembered much but she seems to be doing better. She still can’t transform.”
“It’s going to take time,” Dale said. “I can’t imagine how it feels for her, though.”
“Yeah.” Ari braced herself for the next part. “Hayden was outside the house.”
Dale spun away from the board, moving closer to Ari. “What? Our house? He was at our house? What did you do? Did you talk to him?”
Ari held up her hands. “Slow down. He was just waiting there. It was strange. I couldn’t smell him.”
“You’re having a hard time with your sniffer this week,” Dale said.
“No, that’s not it. I can definitely smell you.”
Dale said, “Hey...”
“In a good way. But it’s the hunters. It’s like they found a blind spot. It’s weird. But not as weird as what Hayden had to say. He claims he wants to help canidae.”
Dale laughed. “Good one.”
Ari narrowed her eyes. “I kind of believe him.”
“You can’t be serious. You do remember the plane, right? The gun?”
“I remember you holding the gun on me, because he left it on the seat when he came out to talk with me. He says the hunters are looking to kill all the canidae they can. Genocide. It’s basically been their goal for a thousand years. Hayden says he just wants to expose the truth. He claims the video evidence is his idea.”
“So he doesn’t want to kill wolves, he just wants to torture one. Not to mention that exposure is just as deadly for you as an all-out war.”
Ari said, “I’m just reporting, babe. Looking at every angle. He clearly knew where Milo was and didn’t even knock on the door. He could have attacked me, he chose to have a conversation. And he could have come here at any time since we took Milo from the hospital, and he didn’t.”
“Or it’s intimidation.” Dale looked at the window. “He wanted you to know you wouldn’t be able to smell him coming.”
“Point,” Ari said. “But he could also be sincere. If there really is a divide between the hunters, the ones who want us dead versus the ones who just want the world to know we exist, we might be able to use that to our advantage. I’m not sure how, but it’s worth thinking about.”
“True,” Dale said.
“Okay, so, wow me with your genius.”
Dale cleared her throat and pointed at the board. “Hayden’s goons lawyering up is the best thing that could have happened to us. I did some digging and found out Keech was a very low-level attorney at Gilles Girard and Moreau.”
“So he knew Cecily Parrish.”
“Well. He probably knew of her. We’re talking really low-level here, puppy. He barely scraped by, but apparently he built up enough of a client base to start his own firm. Real classy. We’re talking ads on bus benches in Roxhill.”
Ari whistled sarcastically. “Classy.”
“Classy,” Dale said once more. “Somewhere between leaving GG&M and this year, he started building up a reputation as the go-to guy for hunters. He’s smart enough to serve as a competent lawyer for them, but shady enough that he doesn’t mind working in the grey areas for them. I found some interesting names connected to him. Remember Adam Beck?”
“Celebrity chef. He was part of Keighley’s group. Whatever happened to that guy?”
Dale said, “He got #MeToo’d and the show was canceled. That’s part of what Keech was helping him with. Not a lot of success there, thankfully.”
“You used to watch that show.”
“Don’t remind me. Going down the list...” She poked her finger at another picture, this one of a man Ari recognized from a few years ago. “Colin Vance. Tech twerp. Worked for Microsoft and also was part of your sperm donor’s little cabal. He could definitely afford someone light years more reputable than Keech, so it’s pretty damning that he’s on the client list for such a bargain-basement lawyer. Any lawyer with an ounce of credibility wouldn’t touch him.”
“Is everyone from Keighley’s group a client?”
Dale said, “As far as I could tell. Keighley used him, too.” She bit her lip and then looked at Ari. “You never talked about what happened to him.”
Ari shrugged, examining the board instead of looking at Dale. “What is there to talk about?”
“He killed himself after he was arrested.”
“Right. Because Mom bit him, and he decided not to wait around to die horribly. Not to mention he was about to be tried for rape, along with all the other shit he did during wolf manoth. I figured he wasn’t worth our attention.”
Dale said, “Sure. I get that. And I know he wasn’t really your father. But at the same time... it’s like the bogeyman disappearing from under your bed.”
“Plenty of other bogeymen to take his place,” Ari said, gesturing at the board.
“Yeah, I guess. If you want to talk about it--”
“I don’t,” Ari said, as gently as she could muster. She finally looked at Dale. “I appreciate the offer. But if I had any emotions about it, I would have brought it up when I first found out. I’m fine. Really.” She squeezed Dale’s arm. “Thank you for worrying, though.”
Dale didn’t look convinced. “Okay. But the option is on the table if you change your mind.”
“Noted.”
Dale cl
eared her throat and looked at the board to get back on track. “So we know the guys with Hayden are clients of Keech. We can assume they’re connected to Roemer, and that he’s the key to finding where Gwen, Val, and Marin are.” She tapped the board with her Sharpie. “This is my way in.”
“How?”
“I have a relapse. Turns out you didn’t really cure me, you just confused me for a little while, and now that I know Hayden is back in town, I’m looking for a way out.” She bit her bottom lip again and faced Ari. “This plan might be a little scary for you.”
“It would only be scary if I had any suspicion that was actually happening,” Ari said. “That’s less of an issue than Keighley’s suicide. Are you worried about it?”
Dale sighed and walked away from the board. “Honestly? Yes. I’ve woken up in a cold sweat worried about it.”
“You said those nightmares were about the circus.”
“Some of them are,” Dale said, sitting on the edge of Ari’s desk, hugging herself. “I don’t have any of those feelings. When I think back to those days when I was under the book’s influence, it makes me sick. But I also worry about how easy it was to break that hold. Like... what if it was just a band-aid? What if there’s some germ of it just waiting to pop back up? And then I walk into a den of these assholes and start talking like them, using their language, convincing them I’m like them. What if that flips a switch?”
“Then I’ll be there to flip it back,” Ari said.
“What if it’s not as easy the second time?”
“Then I’ll fight as long and as hard as necessary to get my wife back.” She took Dale’s hands, unfolding her arms. “It’ll be my full-time job, if it has to be.”
Dale relaxed and stepped forward, resting her head on Ari’s shoulder. Ari wrapped her arms around Dale and held her.
“You know I don’t like this plan,” Ari said, “but I think it’s a good plan, and I think you’re incredibly brave for doing it. Thank you.”
“Will you come save me if things go bad?”
“In a heartbeat. Always.”