by Geonn Cannon
“That would be me. The attempted murder was also me. And the drugging, the assault, et cetera. I detailed the incidents for you.”
“I see. Well, you seem to have certainly gone above and beyond for this case. I’ll see that payroll cuts you a check before you leave.”
Ari nodded. “I appreciate that, Miss Parrish. You might also want someone to start the paperwork showing that I’ve resigned from… whatever the hell you had me doing. Was it still probation? Whatever you want to call it, I’m done.”
Cecily sat down. “That’s a bold decision.”
“It’s been a long time coming. I realized every argument I made was justifying the job. Telling myself I should take it and then forcing myself to come up with reasons why it made sense. That should’ve told me I didn’t want it. I don’t care about the extra money if it means doing a job I don’t like and working for someone I don’t respect.”
“I’m prepared to amend the offer,” Cecily said. “This is another big win for the firm, Miss Willow. The two cases you’ve worked for us have been extremely lucrative. Ike Levitt is a huge client and your discoveries are bound to make him very happy. I’m prepared to offer you carte blanche. You stay at your little office on Belmont, you keep Miss Frye, you get the big paycheck from the prestigious law firm. In return, you occasionally take cases like this one.”
“Nice simple cases that end with me handcuffed and roofied on a boat full of men? Yeah, no thanks. Besides, that doesn’t really address the whole ‘boss I don’t respect’ thing.”
Cecily took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “That’s disappointing. But I suppose I have done everything I can to entice you.”
Ari said, “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll wait for the check at reception. There are a couple of magazines I didn’t get a chance to read during your little power play. Best of luck with your future endeavors. I know we’re most likely going to see each other at the trial if I have to testify, but don’t expect us to go out for lunch afterward.”
“Miss Willow.” Cecily stood up. “You may think I’m your enemy, but I assure you that isn’t the case. I am your friend. I only tried to make these offers of employment as… generous for you as possible. I hope you understand that.”
“Sure,” Ari said. “You’re nothing but kind, Miss Parrish. A total giver. I’ll see you in court, but hopefully not for very long.”
She felt Cecily’s eyes on her as she left the office, but she refused to look back. Part of her wanted to just keep going, but the check was too huge to just throw it away. She’d suffered far too much on the case to walk away from it. She’d spend Cecily Parrish’s money as easily as any other check she’d earned, but she would be glad to be done with GG&M. She wasn’t the sort to work in a high-rise downtown, to wear power suits and high heels just to fit in on the elevator. She and Dale built Bitches into a place where they could be themselves, where they could be comfortable. Something like that was precious, and from that point on, she was going to remember that.
Chapter Twenty-Three
A month later, Ari and Dale received a package from Tyler Dubov that contained two tickets to the official Seattle Totems announcement. Ari paid for two extra tickets and invited Diana and Lucy to come along as a thank-you for their help. The morning of the announcement, Dale came out of the shower to find Ari sitting on the edge of their bed. “Puppy. Can you do up my bracelet?”
“Sure.” Dale approached and offered her arm. Ari bent over the wrist and carefully snapped the clasp. Once it was in place she brought the hand up and kissed Dale’s pulse point before letting it go. “There you are.”
Dale watched Ari’s face. “You don’t have to marry me.”
Concern passed over Ari’s face. “I know it’s taking me a while to think of the right way to do it, but I’m just looking for the exact right thing.”
Dale crouched and cupped Ari’s cheeks. “I know. But that’s just it. We don’t need the right way to do it. You have your collar, I have my bracelet. Why do we need a ceremony? As far as I’m concerned, you’re mine and I’m yours. Everything we’ve been through together. All I need is this little reminder of you and your wolf. And every time we get pulled apart, we find each other. We save each other. We stand by each other. You almost changed your entire life because of my place in it. I think that’s all the proof anyone needs that you’re in this for the long haul. Now, if you’re dead-set on me having your name…”
“No.” Ari’s voice was quiet because of the effort it was taking her not to cry. “No, I hate that whole thing.”
“Good. Me too.” She kissed Ari. “It just hit me that maybe the reason we couldn’t figure out the right way to commit to each other was because we already did it. We’ve been married a long time, puppy. We just didn’t realize it.”
“Yeah,” Ari said. “So… if you’re not my girlfriend, and we’re not officially wives…”
“I’m your mate.”
Ari raised an eyebrow and then laughed. “I don’t think that will work around people who don’t know I’m a wolf.”
“So in private or with your mom or friends, we’re mates. To everyone else… partner.”
“I can live with partner. Come here.”
Dale climbed onto Ari’s lap, and Ari fell back onto the bed. Later on she blamed the fact that Dale was only wearing a towel, which made access easier, while Dale insisted Ari wouldn’t have been stopped by a suit of armor.
Whoever was to blame, they were late picking up their friends for the carpool.
#
Ari expected a dry press conference featuring the media snapping pictures of managers and owners as the team awkwardly filed onto a stage set up on the ice. Instead they arrived at the Tukwila arena to find huge crowds filling the lobby, transforming the empty echo chamber where Muldoon and his cronies had captured her to an actual sports venue. Posters with the team’s logo and name were hung up everywhere she turned, with banners hanging over every entrance.
When Ari handed over her tickets, the man at the door checked something and ushered her to the side. He spoke with someone in a STAFF polo shirt and they were ushered away.
“Uh, our friends,” Ari said, trying not to be separated from the Macallans.
Diana waved her to go on. “We’ll meet you at our seats.”
Ari reluctantly went along with being escorted out of the public area and into one of the dark, narrow hallways she’d last seen while being pursued by the former players who were now sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial. Dale seemed to know where they were and wrapped an arm around her elbow. Ari smiled and patted her hand. They could hear the dull rumble of people moving in other parts of the building, the thud of feet on bleachers and the hum of voices echoing off brick and concrete.
They arrived at the locker room and were told to wait by the door. The staffer went inside and, a few seconds later, emerged with Tyler Dubov. He was fully geared up for the event, and he had a pair of jerseys draped over his right arm.
“Tyler! Dale, this is—”
“The man who saved your life.” Dale had already let go of Ari to wrap her arms around Dubov’s neck. She looked miniscule next to him, thanks to his height and the extra bulk provided by his gear. She had to stand on her toes to reach, but she managed. “Thank you.”
He smiled bashfully. “After what she did for me, it’s the least I could’ve done. I wanted to be sure I saw you two before this whole thing happened. I wanted you to have the first official merch for the Totems.” He held up one of the jerseys and twisted it to show the back. Instead of the typical white lettering, DUBOV 36 was filled in with rainbow colors. “I, ah, asked if some of the merchandise could be connected to Pride. They said sure, no problem. So…”
Ari laughed and took the jersey. “This is amazing. So you’re officially out?”
“On the way,” he said, sighing nervously. “It’s a big process. The guys already know, of course. New coach. The owner. It was like you said. Seattle is a good place to be an out athl
ete. We’re doing a big public thing just to get it out of the way in a week or so.”
Dale said, “Congratulations.”
“I owe it to your girl here. Without her, I’d still be hiding. And I’d be playing on a team with rapists and junkies.”
“The new guys are better?”
“The new guys are fantastic. We’re a stronger team without the guys you took down. The coach is a great guy, too. He supported the idea of the Pride merchandise.”
Ari said, “It’s going to go over great in this town. Would you sign it?”
Dubov grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
He signed both jerseys, accepted another hug from Dale, and then had to go back to finish getting ready. The staffer escorted Dale and Ari back through the bowels of the arena to their seats, where Diana and Lucy were already waiting. Ari had put on her jersey and turned so they could see the colors. Lucy was jealous, and Diana promised to buy her one as soon as they became available.
The announcement ceremony opened with a performance by Femme Reapers. Dale fanned Ari’s face as the duo walked out onto a special stage at center ice. They wore their trademark dusters but, underneath, they were wearing Totems jerseys. They performed a song called “Hit Somebody!” by Warren Zevon. Ari loved it because the song told the story of a noble enforcer, a man whose only job on the ice was to protect his team. The player in the song did his job for twenty years, but he never stopped dreaming of making a goal. The triumphantly tragic ending of the song had everyone on their feet by the time an emcee came out to introduce the team.
Each player took the ice as their name was called. Ari stood and whistled for Dubov, and he held his stick above his head when he spotted her. She and Dale both cheered for him as he circled around to join the rest of the team. Ari sat back down and linked their arms together. Dale had worried about being too cold before they arrived, so she put an arm around her. Dale snuggled closer and put her head on Ari’s shoulder.
When they got back to the office, there would be a lot of work to do. They were currently working three cases, an attempt to keep their bank account on the right side of solvent. The tickets for Diana and Lucy had been extravagant but they agreed it was necessary to show their gratitude. They’d also agreed to buy a new car to replace the one that had been broken into. It was time to say goodbye to the car anyway and it made sense to upgrade to something newer. Now that they couldn’t count on the retainer from GG&M, even with their savings, money was going to be a bit tight.
Ari didn’t care. She’d work five cases at once if she had to. The money they brought in might be meager, but it would be honest. It wouldn’t come with whatever strings Cecily Parrish might attach to her paycheck from the law firm. She rubbed Dale’s arm and kissed the top of her head, smiling as the players split into two teams for a quick exhibition game.
Whatever happened with the agency, they were going to come by it honestly or not at all. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
#
It was past dark when Cecily’s headlights swept across the face of her home. The living room lights were on, as were the twin sconces on either side of the front door. She gathered her things and climbed out of the car. It had been an agonizingly dull day of testimony and depositions. She’d been forced to take the new secretary into her office just to break up the monotony. It hadn’t worked. She was still frustrated enough to mentally thumb through her contact list for someone she could call over. Maybe she would call two or three someones for some variety.
She unlocked her door and went inside, crossing halfway to the stairs before she realized someone was in her living room. She stopped and rested her hand on the newel, bowing her head without turning around. She didn’t know which of the partners it would be, but none of them would be preferable to the other two.
“I thought I asked you not to enter my home without permission again.”
“You would presume to give us orders?” She recognized the voice as Moreau’s.
“No, I simply—”
He interrupted. “You promised us a wolf.”
Cecily didn’t look toward him. The fingers of one hand curled around the handle of her briefcase while the other tightened on the newel. She focused on a random spot on the hardwood floor in front of her. She steadied her breath so her words wouldn’t tremble when she spoke.
“It’s proven more complicated than I thought.”
“When a promise is made, we expect you to follow through with it. Certainly after all this time, you have come to understand that.”
Cecily said, “Of course I do. But the very qualities that you admire in the wolf are making this an impossible request. Her compassion, loyalty, and resolve are the very reasons she won’t abandon her agency to work for us. She is devoted to her partner and the business they’ve built together.”
Moreau was closer when he spoke again. “We can be patient. But that patience has a limit. This wolf is special. She stalled a war which has been waged for hundreds of years. She has been able to maintain a relationship with a non-wolf. She intrigues us. She would be an invaluable asset.”
Her skin crawled. “I’m well aware of the stakes,” Cecily said, her voice meek and nearly whispered. “I shall do everything in my power to convince her that she should join our ranks.”
“If she will not see reason, desperate measures will have to be taken. If she will not abandon her business, destroy it. If she refuses to abandon her partner, then her partner will have to be taken out of the equation. The relationship doesn’t matter so much as the woman who made it work. She is our prize, Cecily Parrish, and we will have her.”
Cecily nodded. “Of course, Mx. Moreau. Thank you for giving me another chance.”
Moreau didn’t respond, but she felt the brush of air as he passed by behind her. She suppressed a shudder as she listened to the door open and then click shut. The tension left her body and nearly made her collapse, but she maintained her grip on the bannister to remain upright. There hadn’t been a car waiting outside so she didn’t know how Moreau had gotten there or how he planned to get home, but she couldn’t care less. She smoothed her hands over her clothes to disguise the fact her hands were shaking.
Perhaps she wouldn’t entertain after all. She felt a sudden urge to be alone for the rest of the night. A nice long bath and then meditation before bed sounded like just the thing she needed.
She left her briefcase in the foyer and undressed on her way upstairs. She would get Ariadne Willow to work for them. Kindness hadn’t worked and intimidation had destroyed any forward progress she had made. Perhaps the time had come to resort to cruelty. It wasn’t an ideal tactic, but one couldn’t be choosy in times as desperate as these.
The only thing she knew for certain was that failure would not be an option. Ariadne would agree or she would suffer the consequences of refusal.
About The Author
Geonn Cannon lives in Oklahoma. He is the author of several novels, including the Riley Parra series which is currently being produced as a webseries for Tello Films, and an official Stargate SG-1 tie-in novel. Information about his other novels and an archive of free stories can be found online at geonncannon.com.