No Crones About It

by Amanda M. Lee

  “You let us worry about that,” Gunner challenged. “Just spill it. We’ll handle the rest.”

  “All right. But it’s a long story.”

  “We appear to have plenty of time.”

  Twenty-Six

  “I need a drink,” Cyrus announced as he settled back in his chair. It was obvious he was uncomfortable being the center of attention for something that he didn’t arrange.

  “Sure.” Rooster inclined his head toward Whistler, who nodded in understanding. “Your drink is on the way. How about you tell us what you know regarding the Children of the Stars?”

  It was the first time I’d used that term in mixed company, but Rooster had no problem running with it.

  “First, that’s not what they call themselves,” Cyrus hedged. “The only reason I even knew what you were talking about was because of the woman. She always used that term.”

  I stirred. “What woman?”

  “I didn’t know her.”

  “You had to have heard a name.”

  He shrugged. “I might’ve heard a name. What is it worth to you?”

  I’d had enough of his games. Rather than respond, I tossed out a magical rope and wrapped it around his neck, immediately cutting off his oxygen. He gurgled and reached for the rope, trying to loosen it.

  “Scout, that’s enough,” Rooster warned. He was calm, but I didn’t miss the furtive glance he shot Gunner.

  Reluctantly, I withdrew the rope. “He needs to stop playing games,” I insisted.

  “I believe he understands that.”

  “Yeah, I understand that.” There was something wild I couldn’t quite identify in Cyrus’s eyes. It looked like rage ... but also fear. “Like I said, it was a long time ago. I think her name was Claudette. Before you ask, I never got a last name.”

  Claudette. I ran the name through my head. Did it fit? I had no idea. I couldn’t ever remember calling her anything but “mother,” and that was only when we were trying to fool people into believing we were related. Otherwise ... nothing.

  “Does that name mean anything to you?” Gunner asked.

  I shook my head, not trusting myself to answer should my voice betray me. I was overwhelmed by emotions I thought long forgotten.

  “Why would the name mean anything to her?” Cyrus asked, his eyes squinting. “Unless ... are you one of them? Is that why you’re so worked up?”

  “Leave her alone,” Rooster instructed. “That’s none of your business. Tell me about the group.”

  Cyrus continued to stare at me for before he slowly drew up and squared his shoulders. Smugness wafted off him, which shouldn’t be happening. We’d made a mistake somewhere and he was feeling powerful. I didn’t like that one bit.

  “I think we should renegotiate,” he started. “You want information only I can provide. I think that’s worth something.”

  Rooster shot back. “And what is that?”

  “I’m thinking your little Swiss miss there will make a great fit for my pack.”

  Gunner immediately started shaking his head. “That’s not going to happen. She’s not interested.”

  “Oh, don’t start crying like a girl,” Cyrus admonished. “You’re attached to her. I get it. I even get her appeal, but if I were you I’d be afraid to close my eyes at night in case she strips away all that pretty hair you seem to love so much. She can do it. You’ve seen it.”

  “I only touch her when I’ve been invited,” Gunner shot back. “I’m not worried.”

  “Well, bully for you. I meant what I said. There’s room for you in the pack. You don’t have to be separated from her.”

  “I’m not joining your pack.” Gunner was firm. “Neither is she. You are giving us information. You already agreed.”

  “That was before I realized what I was agreeing to. I’ve thought better of it.”

  I made up my mind on the spot and took a step back. “Fine. We’re done here.” I swept my hand toward the door. “Have a lovely day.”

  He obviously wasn’t expecting my reaction, because he glanced in that direction and then back to me before speaking again. “I’m not leaving until you take that curse off my son.”

  “And I’m not doing that without information. We had a deal. I’ll return your son to normal — at least as normal as he’s capable of looking— and in exchange you’ll answer our questions. I’m not adding to the deal. That’s not how I work.”

  “Come on. You have to give me something.”

  “I really don’t.”

  “She doesn’t,” Rooster agreed. “You seem to be missing the obvious here, Cyrus. She’s the one with the power. You either agree to her terms or leave. Those are your only options.”

  “But ... .”

  “Or Rooster and I could leave,” Gunner added. “You and Scout could have a conversation alone. I bet then she would get everything she wants and give you nothing. You’ve seen what she’s capable of. Do you want to risk that?”

  Cyrus visibly gulped and his hand, unbidden, returned to his throat, the memory of the magic rope fresh. “I’m not afraid of her,” he said finally.

  “Then you’re dumber than you look,” Rooster shook his head. “Of course, that’s usually what people say about you.”

  “No one says that.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  Silence descended over the room, and then Cyrus, resigned, heaved out a sigh. “Fine. What do I care? The information isn’t important to me anyway. I didn’t even know you were looking for it until a few minutes ago.”

  “Great. Now talk,” I pressed.

  “I don’t know the woman. I can’t identify her. There’s nothing else I can tell you about her.”

  “You can tell me where you met her. You can tell me about the conversation you had. You can tell me about the group. You said they’re not called the Children of the Stars. What do they call themselves?”

  “The Nexus.”

  “Seriously? That’s the name they gave themselves?”

  He reluctantly nodded. “Yeah. I thought it was stupid, too. They didn’t really call themselves that, but that’s the name that was on all their paperwork.”

  Now we were finally getting somewhere. “What sort of paperwork?”

  “I think it would be best if you started from the beginning,” Rooster suggested. “That’s the only way both sides will truly understand what’s going on.”

  Cyrus didn’t look thrilled with the prospect but he acquiesced. “Fine. You asked for it.” He accepted the beer Whistler delivered with a flat smile and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to give the impression that he was in control of the conversation, even though he obviously wasn’t.

  “It started not long after I moved to Midland,” he began, scratching his chin as if searching his memory. “That was a confusing time. I was happy to have my own pack, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t aware of how much work went into it.”

  Gunner snorted. “It seems to me that should’ve been the first thing you realized.”

  “Nobody asked you,” Cyrus shot back, his nostrils flaring. After a moment, he reined in his temper and returned to his story. “I wasn’t familiar with the area and there was already a wolf who had sort of taken control of the territory. He was powerful, son of a state senator, and I thought it might behoove me to join forces with him.”

  “Aric Winters,” Gunner supplied. “He’s married to the mage. Are you telling me you offered him a position in your pack? Are you stupid? Everyone knows that guy wants nothing to do with pack politics.”

  “I think Cyrus believed he could bully him into seeing things his way,” Rooster interjected. “That’s how he’s always been. Plus, well, a mage. That particular mage has quite the reputation. People say she’s the most powerful supernatural being in the state, maybe even in the world.”

  “They say their kid is even more powerful,” Gunner added. “That’s why they protect her the way they do. Jerks from every corner of the world try to take the kid so they
can tap into her magic ... and the mage sends a stern message every time. I believe the message is often accompanied by fire.”

  Cyrus scowled. “She is a little fire-happy. No matter. I made overtures and was turned down. This was when the kid was little, barely a toddler. The wife looked ragged, as if she hadn’t slept in days, and the kid was running around pointing at everything and screeching ‘mine’ as the mother tried to corral her.”

  I smiled despite myself. “I believe all toddlers go through that phase.”

  “Flint certainly did,” he agreed.

  “It seems to me he’s still going through that phase,” Gunner groused, causing Cyrus to frown.

  “Get back to the story,” Rooster prodded.

  “I tried to get the Winters boy on my side, but he refused and it irritated me. I was going to try to grab the kid to shore up my negotiation position when the wife went nuts and blew up our entire convoy. We’re talking twenty bikes, fifteen trucks and even a few fifth-wheelers. She went berserk and took out everything we owned.”

  “Obviously she didn’t kill you,” I noted.

  “She killed the people who crossed onto her property. She didn’t even break a sweat when it happened.”

  “Good for her.”

  “No, not good for her.” He scowled. “Everything we owned was in those vehicles. It was all gone in the blink of an eye.”

  “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”

  “No, but it does explain a few things,” Gunner noted. “They needed money. He just said everything they owned was destroyed by a mother who didn’t take prisoners. He lost men and all his resources. He needed to build capital ... and fast.”

  Realization dawned. “And that’s how you got involved with Nexus.”

  Cyrus nodded, bitter. “They were offering money for protection services. We needed money. It seemed like a good partnership.”

  “I’m guessing something happened,” Rooster supplied.

  “Yeah. Something definitely happened.” Cyrus rolled his neck until it cracked and downed more of his beer before continuing. “They were moving to a new location. We didn’t know much about their group, other than that they were witches. They seemed to be normal witches, but one night we were hanging around their property — I still can’t remember why — and we saw one of their rituals. They called the stars down from the sky. I mean ... they literally called them down.”

  I stilled. “No, they didn’t. They used the stars as camouflage and to fuel their spells. They didn’t call them down from the sky.”

  “It looked that way to me.”

  “That was an optical illusion.”

  Rooster slid me a sidelong look. “How do you know that?”

  “I’ve seen it in my dreams.”

  He nodded and turned back to Cyrus. “I’m guessing they weren’t happy when they found you spying.”

  “That’s an understatement. They called it a breach of trust, if you can believe that.”

  I could. There was more to the story that he wasn’t telling. “You weren’t hanging by their property because you were bored or curious ... or even lost. You were scoping it out because you were going to steal from them. You figured if they had enough money to pay you, they had enough to steal.”

  Cyrus made an incredulous face. “What do you take me for?”

  “A thief,” Gunner replied without hesitation. “You’ve always been the sort of guy who wants to take the easy way out. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

  “Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine,” Cyrus muttered. “What does it matter? We didn’t threaten them. We were never a threat. They went after us, and hard.”

  “Some of this is starting to make sense,” Rooster offered, his mind clearly busy. “The reason Doc managed to track down financial ties between George and Cyrus is because the wolves were technically on the payroll of the witches for a time. But they were never truly allies.”

  “George.” Cyrus snorted. “That guy was a nutball. He worked for the government or something — I can’t remember exactly what he did — and only visited the other freaks on the weekends. He was from North Dakota but moved somewhere in the state about the time we paired up with the Nexus folks. He was always threatening that if we didn’t follow the rules they would make us pay. I hated that guy.”

  “Is that why you killed him?” I asked, my temper getting the better of me. “Is that why you strung him up in the middle of town and burned my name into his back?”

  Cyrus looked taken aback. If he was acting, he’d suddenly gotten much better at it. “What are you even talking about?”

  I opened my mouth to unleash a torrent of curses, but Gunner’s hand on my shoulder served as a warning to keep it together.

  “Don’t,” he whispered. “Let Rooster handle the next bit.”

  “Yes, let the adults talk,” Cyrus chided.

  It took everything I had to keep from wrapping my hands around his neck and squeezing until he could no longer flap his evil lips.

  “George Culpepper, the man you knew in Midland and briefly worked for, is also Fred Burns,” Rooster volunteered. “That’s the man who happened to follow Scout and Gunner to the beach the other night, steal from them, and then disappear until someone strung him up in the middle of town.”

  Cyrus looked perplexed. “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Drake and Flint were also on the beach that night ... and in the woods the next day. They happened to show up at location where we believe Fred was killed.”

  “But ... no.” Even as he said it, Cyrus’s demeanor changed. I felt I could hear the gears of his mind working — and they sounded rusty — as he considered the new information. “My boy didn’t have anything to do with that,” he said finally. “He wouldn’t have even remembered George. I don’t think he ever met him.”

  “What about Drake?” Gunner asked. “How does he fit into all of this?”

  “Drake? He’s nobody. I met him when he was in his early twenties — that was, like, ten years ago. He was packless. He had a few interesting personality quirks, so I decided to bring him on. It turned out to be a good decision because he moved up the ranks quickly.”

  “I recognize him somehow,” Gunner countered. “I don’t know who he used to be, but he hasn’t always been Drake Frost.”

  Cyrus shrugged. “I don’t really care about any of that. I mean ... it has nothing to do with me. I just want soldiers and he’s always been a good soldier. His sister was with him at the start, but she disappeared about five years ago. I don’t think the pack life was for her, which was too bad, because Flint had the hots for her and I thought she might make a good match.”

  My stomach turned. “She probably ran away rather than have to deal with Flint. I think anyone with a brain would’ve done the same.”

  “Hey! Flint is a catch.”

  “No, Flint is the fish that always hops on the line but every fisherman in the free world wants to throw him back because he’s undersized and smells foul.”

  Gunner pressed his lips together and I got the distinct impression that he was trying not to laugh.

  “You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Cyrus argued. “Flint will take over as pack leader when my time is finished. I’ve been grooming him.”

  “Then you’ve been doing a terrible job. He has no leadership qualities and isn’t smart enough to lead a pack to anything other than destruction. I’m not saying you’re the strongest tonic in the medicine cabinet, but you at least understand the realities of pack life. Flint lives in La-La Land.”

  “He’s also a suspect in a murder,” Rooster added. “It’s too much of a coincidence to believe that Flint and Drake weren’t involved in Fred’s death. They might’ve been too young to know him as George, but they figured things out. They also realized he had ties to Scout. You’ll never convince me otherwise.”

  Cyrus looked genuinely flustered. “What ties to Scout? I don’t understand any of this.”

&nbs
p; “You don’t need to understand,” Gunner insisted. “You need to provide us with information. Drake is the key. We need to know where you met him and what happened to his sister. I have no idea if Flint or Drake is really in charge when it comes to their very weird relationship, but I’m going to find out ... and whichever one of them killed George is going to pay. No one deserves to die in that manner.”

  Cyrus extended a warning finger. “You want to stay away from my boy.”

  “And you want to stay out of my way,” Gunner shot back. “This is non-negotiable. We need information on Drake.”

  “I don’t know that I have information to give. In fact ... .”

  At the same moment I registered an unholy roar, which obviously came from a gun, the window shattered. Cyrus pitched forward on the table, a heavy grunt escaping as Gunner threw himself on me and dragged us both to the floor.

  “Shots fired!” Rooster roared to Doc and Whistler. “Everybody get your head down!”

  Twenty-Seven

  “Stay down!” Gunner pressed me to the floor as he craned his neck. Someone fired two more shots into the bar after the initial one took out Cyrus, but it had been quiet for almost a full minute.

  “Is everyone okay?” Rooster called out. “Whistler? Doc?”

  “I’m fine,” Whistler replied from behind the bar. “Doc never looked up from his computer and is still working. He seems to be in the zone.” I shifted my eyes in that direction and shook my head when I realized Whistler spoke the truth. Doc continued to calmly tap away on his computer, as if he was unaware we’d just been shot at.

  “What about outside?” Rooster asked. “What about Marissa and Bonnie?”

  Whistler was grim. “I’ll check.”

  “Call my father first,” Gunner instructed. He was still firmly lodged on top of me, which was annoying because it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe given his sheer size. “We need backup out here, but we can’t clear all the pockets in the hills surrounding the bar without help.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  I waited another twenty seconds and then elbowed Gunner with everything I had. “I can’t breathe.”