No Crones About It

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Oh, sorry.” His smile was weak as he rolled to the side. “Keep your head down.” As if to prove he meant business, he pressed his hand to the back of my head and applied pressure. “I just got you. I don’t want to lose you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whoever did this ran.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “I can. Only an idiot would remain behind. He’s gone.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” Gunner growled but ultimately acquiesced when I slapped his hand away. “If you get your head blown off I’ll be really angry.”

  “I’ll try to refrain.” I rolled to my knees and focused on Cyrus. I assumed he was dead, but that thought fled when I realized his eyes were open and a pulse point was working in his neck. “Oh, geez.” I crawled to him, my hands automatically searching his body for an entry wound. “He’s alive,” I announced. “We need an ambulance out here, too.”

  “You’re kidding.” Gunner moved to my side, draping his body over mine. When I shot him a dirty look, he smiled. “I’m not trying to smother you this time. I swear it. I’m just checking on Cyrus.”

  “Can’t. Breathe,” Cyrus wheezed.

  I frowned as I moved my hand to his chest, wincing when I felt the moisture on the front of his shirt. It was obviously blood ... and there was a lot of it. “Chest wound,” I muttered. “It came in at an angle.” I turned my eyes to the window and studied the foliage through the gaping opening. “Whoever it was had a clear view of us from up there.” I pointed toward a small bluff partially obscured by a grove of trees. “I wonder how long they were watching us.”

  “I don’t know, but that would be an easy enough location to get to without alerting us,” Gunner replied. “It didn’t make sense to me that Cyrus came to this meeting without backup. I’m guessing, at the very least, he had Drake with him.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Flint was never good with weapons. He couldn’t have made that shot. Only someone who was trained could.”

  I rolled the information around in my head. “Like with the military?”

  He shrugged. “Most wolves are trained in weaponry because there’s always a chance we’ll go to war. It doesn’t necessarily mean what you think.”

  He had no idea what I was thinking. Heck, I wasn’t sure I did either. For now, we needed to sit tight and wait for Graham to clear us. “How long will your father be?”

  “Not long.” He kissed the tip of my nose and grinned. “Until then, we can play dirty games under the table if you want. I mean ... I’m not suggesting we do that, er, well, unless you want to.”

  Cyrus glared. “Kill me now,” he moaned.

  “I wouldn’t say that with this crowd present,” I argued. “There are a lot of people here who want to take you up on that.”

  “A lot of people,” Gunner agreed.

  Cyrus shut his eyes, his face wan. “Oh, shut up. Let me die in peace.”

  HE DIDN’T DIE. IN FACT, BY THE time the paramedics arrived, he was doing better.

  “We’ve re-inflated the lung,” one of them announced. “It looks like a through-and-through.”

  “Does that mean he’ll survive?” I asked, fighting my bitter disappointment.

  “He has a good chance,” the paramedic replied. “Does anyone want to ride with him to the hospital?”

  When no one raised a hand, he shrugged. “We’ll be removing him shortly.”

  “Great.” I went to the gurney and looked down at him. He had an oxygen mask on and looked blissed out thanks to the drugs they’d pumped him full of to take the edge off the pain. “Who did this to you?”

  Slowly, his eyes tracked to me. “I know what you know,” he mumbled behind the mask.

  “You know more.” I was certain of that. “You didn’t come here alone. You had backup in the bushes. Who was it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He refused to make eye contact, a dead giveaway.

  I decided to play it straight. “Cyrus, I don’t want to tell you your business, but one of your own men just tried to kill you. I’m guessing it wasn’t Flint because he has other things on his mind. That means it was Drake ... probably. We need you to confirm that if you want to survive.”

  Cyrus’s eyes flashed with impatience. “I don’t know anything ... and how do you figure?” he rasped.

  “Whoever did this was one of your people. Once news gets out that you didn’t die, do you really think the shooter is going to just flee into the night? He or she will come to finish the job. It’s not as if you’re safe even though you’re alive.”

  I saw the moment the horrific realization hit home. He didn’t want to believe I was correct, but he had no choice.

  “It was Drake,” he said finally, disgust washing over his face. “I thought he would protect me should you attack.”

  Something occurred to me. “He didn’t step in when I started strangling you.”

  The paramedic arched an eyebrow but remained quiet.

  “He didn’t,” Cyrus confirmed, his eyes sliding shut. “I should’ve realized something was wrong then. I guess this is on me.”

  “It is on you.” I would never believe otherwise. “You know more about him than you’re letting on. You have to tell us. It’s the only way you’ll survive.”

  “I don’t know as much as you think,” Cyrus rasped. “I needed bodies for my army. I didn’t run background checks. I couldn’t.”

  “You know something.”

  “I know that he hates Flint. He tries to hide it, but it’s obvious. If he’s decided to take me out, he’s going after Flint next. You have to save my son.”

  That sounded like the last thing I wanted to do. Still, Drake was a threat.

  “We’ll find Drake,” I promised. “We won’t let him escape.”

  “Save Flint.”

  “We’ll ... do our best.”

  GRAHAM WAS A TSUNAMI OF FURY when he burst into The Cauldron five minutes after Cyrus was wheeled off to the ambulance.

  “The hills are clear,” he announced. “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

  Rooster took the initiative and delivered his response in measured tones. When he was finished, Graham looked more confused than alarmed. “I don’t understand.”

  “Join the club,” I said. “All we know is that Drake is the likely culprit. Cyrus said he was the one parked in the hills, and claims he doesn’t know anything about his background.”

  “You guys were talking for a few minutes,” Gunner pointed out. “Is that all he said?”

  “He also said that Drake hates Flint.”

  Rooster furrowed his brow. “How can that be? I thought you said that you’ve always seen them together. That would indicate they’re friends.”

  “Maybe ... or maybe Flint has something on Drake that forces him to be loyal. Or, quite possibly, there could be something else going on entirely. We won’t know until we track down Drake or Flint. Something tells me they’re no longer together.”

  “Especially since, by all the accounts I’ve heard this morning, Flint looks like a monster,” Graham volunteered, his lips twitching when he turned to me. “I hear you’re behind that.”

  I kept my face placid. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Uh-huh.” Graham shook his head. “I don’t know where they’re staying. I’ve had feelers out, but none of them have panned out. They’re not registered at any of the hotels, not even in neighboring towns.”

  I cocked my head, considering. “They probably can’t afford to stay in a hotel.”

  “Can’t afford it?” Graham looked amused until he looked to Rooster and they shared a private laugh. Then he sobered. “Wait ... are you serious?”

  “It’s come to our attention that Cyrus isn’t exactly rolling in the dough,” Rooster volunteered. “He went up against the wrong enemy not long after the pack split and she absolutely burned his savings. Ever since, they’ve been taking odd jobs in an effort to build up their co
ffers. That’s gone wrong at least once. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened more than once.”

  “They’re probably cursed,” I muttered.

  Rooster slid his eyes to me. “What do you mean?”

  “Just that. If it was me that he tried to screw over back then, I would’ve cursed him so he could never get ahead unless he changed his ways. I’m a big believer in karma spells.”

  Gunner stirred. “You know, that makes sense. Scout enjoys casting karma spells as retribution. Cyrus all but admitted he was trying to rip off the Nexus group when they caught him spying and taught him a lesson. What if they taught him more of a lesson than he realizes?”

  “And Scout came from them, whether she remembers it all or not,” Rooster added. “The karma spell could be part of her upbringing for all we know.”

  Graham’s face split with a wide smile. “I kind of like the idea of that.”

  “That’s something to dwell on later,” I insisted. “We need to find Flint and Drake now. If they’re not at a hotel, that means they’re in the woods.” I searched my memory. “They’re not dumb enough to remain close to the area where they killed Fred. I very much doubt they would stay in the same spot where they held their gathering because that would open them up to attack.

  “I heard them the first night before I saw them,” I continued. “They were howling in the woods. I’m guessing that’s because they were visiting the gathering spot, not staying there. They would need access to fresh water and shelter from passing storms. There’s a river out there, but no place to shelter. I don’t suppose you have any ideas on location?”

  “Just one,” Gunner replied, thoughtful. “The cove by the lake. He would know it because he used to live here. It’s a good place to camp because you can only enter from one side. It’s easy to defend.”

  “Where is it?” I asked.

  “About two miles from where you were the other night when you had your adventure with Mama Moon,” Rooster replied. “It’s a very good location. We used to have training retreats out there. I bet you’re right.”

  I was already moving toward the door. “So, we should head out there.”

  “Wait.” Gunner snagged my arm before I could get too far ahead of him. “We need a plan. You can’t run out there half-cocked.”

  “Maybe I’m fully cocked. You don’t know.”

  He grinned despite the serious nature of the conversation. “We’ll discuss that as soon as we have a moment to ourselves. We have to come up with a plan. In fact ... we need more information on Drake. He’s clearly much more dangerous than we initially thought.”

  “Do you still think you’ve met him?” Rooster queried.

  Gunner nodded. “I’m more certain than ever. I don’t know where I met him ... or when ... or why he changed his identity, but I’ve most certainly met him.”

  “That means he was up here at least once,” Graham mused. “It’s not like I took you to gatherings across the state. I couldn’t because that would mean leaving your mother to her own devices ... which was dangerous.”

  Gunner turned grim. “That didn’t stop you from leaving her to her own devices when you were in town.”

  “Do you really want to discuss that now?” Graham challenged.

  Gunner looked as if he was going to take him up on the offer, but I quickly shook my head.

  “Not now,” I insisted. “We need to focus on the problem at hand. Drake is out there, and odds are he’s going to kill Flint.”

  “I’m not sure why you care about that,” Gunner said. “He’s not a good guy. I mean ... I get that Drake isn’t either, but he would be doing us a favor if he took out Flint. I guarantee there will come a day when we have to do it ourselves. He’s a sexual predator. I already told you that. The world won’t miss him.”

  That was probably true. That didn’t mean I could sit back and let him die if I had it in my power to save him. “I would prefer he be locked up. Besides, don’t you want to see how long he has to live under the karma spell? If his father is any indication, it could be forever. The back hair will be so long in a few weeks he’ll be able to braid it.”

  Rooster was aghast. “You mean it keeps growing?”

  I nodded. “What fun would it be if the spell didn’t grow?”

  “I just ... remind me to never tick you off.”

  “Me either,” Graham added. “You don’t play fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair.” I’d learned that a very long time ago. “We have to find Flint. We can’t let Drake run around killing people unchecked. Once he takes out Flint — something none of us would weep over — what’s to stop him from coming after us? We have to draw our line in the sand here.”

  Gunner sighed. “I hate it when you’re right.”

  I beamed at him. “You should probably get used to that.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He flicked my ear. “We have to go out to the cove. We can’t ignore the very real possibility that Drake is about to kill Flint. We are who we are for a reason. Flint might not be worth saving, but that doesn’t mean Drake isn’t worth stopping.”

  “Oh, that was almost poetic,” Graham drawled, earning a glare for his efforts. “I can’t get involved in this. If you need backup, I can send it, but I can’t be involved in a magic battle. You know that.”

  “We won’t need you to be involved,” I replied, my attention diverting to the door of The Cauldron as a familiar figure stepped inside.

  Irene, her purse clutched against her chest, was all wide eyes and shaking hands as her gaze drifted between faces. “I heard there was a shooting. Ruthie wasn’t hurt, was she?” She looked anguished.

  “Of course not,” Rooster replied, striding in Irene’s direction. “I told you I would curb Raisin’s time here. You don’t want her at a bar. Besides, it’s a school day. Shouldn’t she be at school?”

  “She should be but she’s not,” Irene said. “The school called an hour ago. She never showed up. I thought she was here with you. She mentioned wanting to talk to Scout last night. I figured she decided to head here rather than go to school this morning.” Her eyes were glassy with tears when they locked with mine.

  “We’ve been here all morning,” I replied, my mind busy. “Are you sure she didn’t go to my cabin?”

  “I drove by on my way here. It looked empty.”

  “We should still check,” Gunner said, grabbing his keys from the bar. “We have something to do, but we’ll swing out to the cabin on the way and check on her. It won’t take us long. When we find her, we’ll send her to school.”

  “I would greatly appreciate that.” Irene rubbed her forehead. “I love that girl. You know I do; even though she’s a lot of work.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Rooster promised. “She’s going to get it together or she won’t like what happens. I refuse to let her fall through the cracks.”

  That was true for all of us.

  Twenty-Eight

  The front door of the cabin was open when we arrived, and my heart gave a little lurch. Irritation bubbled up as I rushed in. I had every intention of chastising Raisin for skipping school and letting herself into my private sanctuary. All of that fled when I saw the mess waiting for us.

  “What the ... ?” Gunner was directly behind me, Rooster in his wake. They both looked flabbergasted at the chaos.

  “Raisin wouldn’t do this,” Rooster offered automatically, his gaze heavy as it scanned the small space. “She wouldn’t trash your place. I mean ... why would she scatter toilet paper all over the house?”

  “She didn’t do that,” I replied. “Merlin does that every day.” That’s when it truly hit me. “Merlin.” I started toward the bedroom. He liked to spread out on the bed for naps. With the door open, though, he could’ve fled outside. I was terrified by the notion. How would I ever find him in the woods?

  Gunner went with me while Rooster checked the kitchen. As if sensing what worried me, he dropped to his knees and checked under the bed while I poked through the c
loset.

  “He’s not here,” I said, anxiety coursing through me. “Do you think he ran outside?”

  “No. He’s here.”

  I turned and dropped to my stomach to look under the bed. Sure enough, Merlin was pressed to the far corner, his fur standing on end. He looked as if he’d had a troublesome morning. “He’s here.” Relief coursed through me ... and then reality set in. “He’s here, but Raisin isn’t.”

  I rolled to a sitting position and stared down the hallway, waiting for Rooster to appear. When he did, he was grim.

  “Things are a mess in the kitchen, too,” he announced. “I think ... I think someone was in here with Raisin.”

  I’d already come to the same conclusion. “It has to be Drake. He must’ve come here to stake out my place after he got off only one good shot at The Cauldron. He probably thought he could ambush me, but came across Raisin instead.”

  “But where is she?” Rooster looked tortured. He was exceedingly fond of Raisin, to the point where he was the father figure she always should’ve had. He looked out for her, demanded she act responsibly, and doted on her. The fear flitting through his head had to be debilitating.

  “If he killed her, he wouldn’t have taken her,” Gunner noted, earning a harsh glare from our boss. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” he offered hurriedly. “I just meant ... she’s not here.”

  “Hurting her does nothing for him,” I added. “She can’t give him what he wants. He has to know that. We’re careful with the information we dole out.”

  “And yet Raisin knows more than she should,” Rooster countered. “She listens more than we give her credit for. She managed to trick you the other night. Drake might think she knows more than she does.”

  That was a sobering thought. “Yeah, well ... we have to go back to our previous assumption. If he has her, they’re likely at that cove you mentioned. He won’t hurt her because he intends to use her as a bargaining chip.”

  “For what?” Gunner asked. “What does he want to trade her for?”

  “Me.”