"Lily, have you met Winston's brother yet?"
"No, but I have a date with him tonight." She winks at me.
"Well, I better let you get ready for that. I need some sleep."
Before I go to bed, I walk outside, looking for cats. One particularly large male cat sits on our front step as if he's waiting for me. His dark grey fur is bushy and soft, especially around his neck. It almost looks like a lion's mane there, slightly silver and shimmering in the evening light. His eyes are a deep yellow with thin, sharp pupils. His front paws are disproportionally large. I bet he can pack quite a punch with those.
He's not moving at all, except for his ears that flick left and right from time to time. There's a certain authority in the way he sits and stares at me.
"Ryker?" I ask, suspecting that this may be the leader of the cats. He certainly looks like a boss.
He blinks. I take that as a yes.
"Do you want to talk?"
Another blink.
"Alright, meet me in the backyard. I'll shift there, this is too exposed."
He walks away without a backward glance. What an arrogant beast. No wonder he commands an entire group of cats.
I go back inside and out again through the back door, shifting as soon as I'm outside. I shake my body, relaxing into my new shape. My fur immediately warms under the evening sun, and I'm tempted to lie down for a little nap. Sadly, there's work to do. As always.
Ryker jumps from the top of the yard wall, landing elegantly in front of me.
"Good evening," he says in a deep, posh voice. I'd expected him to either sound really rough or really posh, so it fits.
"Evening. Good to finally meet you."
"Likewise. My brothers and sisters have told me a lot about you. I've been curious about this human-cat they've been talking about."
"Brothers and sisters? Is that what you call them?"
He smiles, exposing his sharp canines. "We're a family. With me in charge, obviously. Every family needs someone to lead them. But yes, we belong together. We look after each other, help when one of us needs assistance, share our food if we need to. It started a couple of years ago when that cat murderer was haunting our streets. By sticking together, we had more of a chance to survive. And kill him."
I growl in surprise. "You killed a man?"
"Of course. He was a threat to catkind. You kill people too, don't you?"
"Yes, but..."
I don't quite know what to say. It's a bit disturbing to think that a couple of cats actually killed a human. Of course, I don't blame them if he'd murdered cats; in fact, I applaud them. But still... this is unexpected. And it might come in handy. If they've killed before, maybe they can do it again. Perhaps I could make them a permanent part of Meow. Not just spying for me, but doing the occasional assassination as well.
"Anyway, you wanted to talk to me?"
Ryker nods. "Storm told me that you got in trouble last night. I've got some cats on the case. They're surveying the house you were held in as well as the two humans you met afterwards."
This guy is amazing!
"I was about to ask whether you could do that for me," I admit. "Thanks for being so helpful."
His eyes twinkle with mirth. "It comes at a price. We need more food. Also, we have two orphaned kittens that need milk and warm blankets."
"That's a big request," I say, totally bluffing. I'll give them as much food as they want to, not just because they're helping me, but because they are cats. Simple. I'd much rather spoil some cats than humans. "What do I get in return?"
His smile disappears. "As much information as we can gather. Protection in case you get in trouble again. We should arrange some signals we can give your fellow humans, so they know what's happening." "You know, I don't usually get kidnapped," I protest. "That was a one-off."
"Call it part of the service. One scratch to say that you're hurt, two that you're taken, three that you're dead?"
I growl at him. "They won't appreciate being scratched. Besides, I'm not planning to die anytime soon."
"One day, we all need to die," he says calmly. A philosophical cat, seriously?
"Have you found out anything else that would be helpful?" I ask him to dispel the suddenly rather sombre mood.
"The human female working in the sweet-smelling shop. She sleeps in the shop, in the other room."
"In the storage room? On that mattress?"
"Yes. She's also been to visit a certain house near the market. The one Storm led you to."
"When?" I ask, my mind spinning. Caitlin is working with the people who may have killed her employer! I knew there was something off about her.
"Not long after you went there. Sadly, my brother had to go back to his kittens, so he wasn't able to follow her afterwards. She was back at the shop this morning though."
"That's helpful, thanks. I'll have another chat with her. Anything else?"
"That house no longer smells like death. I assume the dead humans have been removed."
Damn it. To be honest, I kind of excepted that, but it's still annoying. I was hoping I'd get another chance to examine Winston Kindler or the woman with the cut-off hand. At least we have the hand. That has to be good for something.
"Good, let me know if you find any other suspicious things or if one of the people you're watching do something strange."
"Like ripping off some flowers at a graveyard?" he asks with a grin. "Because that's what I saw the young male do."
He jumps off with a chuckle. I really hope that was just a joke. Really, really hope.
Chapter Fifteen
Yuck. Lennox has seriously brought flowers to our meeting. Does he assume that this is a date? It's nothing of the sort. This is a business meeting, a chat between old friends about an ongoing case. Nothing else.
I stare at his outstretched hand. If I take the flowers, does that mean some kind of commitment? Should I just take them now and feed them to some animal later on? And if I don't take them, will he be less likely to tell me about his employer? I need him on my side. I don't think flowers have ever been this important.
The only thing I've ever used flowers for is to rip off their petals in order to decide whether to kill or maim.
I decide to bite the bullet and take the flowers, looking at them with distaste. There's a glass of water on the table, so I drop them in there, planning to accidentally forget them when I leave.
"I still can't believe I found you again," Lennox says with a smile once we've sat down. It's a small, pleasant little cafe by the river. I've never been here before - I'm not someone who sits down in cafes with a book and a piece of cake - but I can see why Lennox chose this location to meet. We order our drinks from a waitress who's decidedly too cheerful, and as an afterthought, Lennox orders a plate of nibbles as well. Apparently, those are good here.
"It's not like you found me," I reply to his earlier statement. "We kind of crashed into each other by mistake."
He shrugs. "Yes, but it makes me happy nonetheless. You can't even imagine how often I thought of you. How often I was tempted to break into the Pack's headquarters and get you out of there."
"Well, I did get out, eventually. Let's not dwell on the Pack. I've gladly forgotten all about that time."
Lennox nods. "Me too. One day, when I'm rich and powerful, I'm going to shut them down. Free all the kids, then dismember the Pack leaders one by one."
"Can I help?" I ask with a grin. "That's pretty much what I've been planning for years."
He winks at me. "Together. Just like old times. They won't know what hit them."
The waitress returns and puts a steaming mug of tea in front of me. The colour is a little murky, like the water she used wasn't clean, but to be honest, I couldn't care less. I'm not here to enjoy my tea. I'm here to talk to Lennox.
"I've thought about yesterday," I say as soon as the girl has disappeared again. "I don't want to stop my investigation. Not because I want to punish or kill whoever murdered Winston Kin
dler, but because I want to help those kids. I can't stand by and watch children being poisoned. Children like us. Shifters." I sigh. "I spend so much time planning other people's death, and I don't have a problem with them suffering a little. But children, that's an entirely different matter. Imagine if it had been us. If we'd not been with the Pack."
He stares at me, his eyes hard. "I get what you're talking about, but you were told not to. It's too dangerous."
I sigh. "And when have I ever done what someone tells me to? This is important, Lennox. It's okay if you don't want to help, if you don't want to get involved. But please tell me who your employer is. Who was at that house when you caught me? They're involved with the poisonings, and I need to stop them."
He smiles sadly. "I can't tell you about my employer, but-"
"You're a coward," I huff.
Suddenly, he growls. His eyes turn bright yellow and goosebumps appear on his skin. The cafe around us goes quiet for a moment, but as soon as people realise that it was probably just a dog, they continue talking.
"Don't interrupt me," he snaps. "I was about to say that while I can't tell you about him, I can talk about the others. And that I've already started enquiries. I know you may not think the best of me, but I do have a heart, Kat. I can't see those children hurt either."
I stare at him. "You're going to help?"
He nods, a small smile appearing on his gorgeous lips. Wait, not gorgeous. Just... lips. If he's going to get involved, this has to stay strictly professional. I can't afford to develop feelings for him.
"I wanted to see what you were going to do. If you were going to drop it," he admits. "I was sure you wouldn't, but a lot of time has passed since we last saw each other. You could have changed."
"I have changed," I say softly. "I'm no longer the Kat you knew. That Kat has long since died, buried somewhere with the Pack."
He shakes his head. "No, you're still there. I know you like to pretend to be cold and heartless, but there's a conscience hiding deep beneath all your bravado. Compassion. That hasn't changed, and I doubt it ever will. They didn't manage to break you back then, which means nobody will ever manage that now."
I mull over his words. I don't think he's right. I've changed so much. I've become a lot colder than he realises. He only just met me yesterday. He doesn't know all that's happened. He has no idea of all the things I've done, things I've had to. Things that I'm proud of.
I take a sip of my tea and almost spit it out again. "That's disgusting."
He laughs. "I don't come here because of the quality of the tea. Wait until we get the food. That far outweighs the downsides of them using river water for their hot drinks."
I put my cup down, glaring at it. "River water? And we paid for that?"
Sure, I used to drink the dirty water in the river when I didn't have any other choice, but this is a cafe, not some kind of dump.
As if to prove his words, the waitress puts a large plate on the table, filled with all sorts of finger foods. Tiny meatballs, breadsticks, sausage rolls, cheese with grapes on cocktail sticks, some stuffed olives. It looks surprisingly good.
"Be sure to try the pickled aubergine," Lennox says and already reaches for some. "It's delicious."
I laugh. "You've become posh. You'd never have called an eggplant an aubergine in the past."
He shrugs. "It sounds nicer. Eggplant, who even came up with that? An egg growing on a plant? A plant that tastes like egg? It just sounds disgusting. Now, aubergine, that already sounds like a tangy taste that melts in your mouth with a certain sweetness."
I snort loudly. An elderly woman at the table next to us stares at me, but I just give her a smile. My table manners only go as far as sitting on a chair and not using my feet to eat.
We eat in silence for a moment. Lennox is right, the pickled eggplant is delicious. Never had anything like it before. It's not really something I'd buy.
"What do you know about the person who killed your sweet shop owner?" he asks suddenly. I spit out an olive pit and wonder how much I should tell him. Can I trust him? I once did completely, but now, I'm not so sure. I also feel protective of my case. It's my first murder case, after all. And my last. I'm never going to investigate a crime ever again. It's so much more fun to be on the other side of the law.
"They're a professional," I say after a moment. "Made Winston Kindler's death look like a violent, impulsive attack but in fact, it was a quick assassination. It was also very efficient and mostly painless, leading me to think that he didn't want his mark to suffer."
"Do you think the assassin was sent by Kindler's employers? The ones who gave him the sweets? Or by someone who figured out what he was doing and wanted to stop him?"
"It could be either," I admit. "Mr Kindler was threatened, maybe blackmailed. At the same time, he also made a good profit by selling those poisoned sweets, and there's no evidence that he'd stopped selling them. Now that I know about what that poison does, I'm beginning to think that the killer may be on our side."
"Our side?" Lennox repeats. "You think there are sides?"
I shrug. "Whoever is organising this hates shifters. We are shifters. Therefore, there are two different sides at the very least."
“True. And to be honest, I’m rather glad we’re on the same side.”
He gives me a disarming smile that makes me want to draw my knives and slit his throat. Not because I don’t like him. Because I’m scared that I might fall for his charm. Not just because he’s gorgeous, but because of all the good memories his presence conjures. I’d forgotten that there had been good times at the Pack. Times with Lennox hiding from our masters. Testing how much we could get away with before getting tortured. The smiles we’d give each other after our punishments, the gestures that meant we weren’t giving in. We felt so strong back then. Invincible. When he left, I was suddenly a lot weaker. At least I felt that way. It took months to build up my confidence again, and my masters took full advantage of that.
A shiver runs over my back at the memory. Lennox looks at me knowingly.
“Do you ever get nightmares?” he asks softly.
I glare at him. “Let’s not get sentimental. We’re here to talk about our mission.”
He winks. Actually winks. Holy knives. “Are we?”
I growl. “Yes, we are. What are we going to do next?”
“The other men who were in the house. I can get us to at least two of them. Not sure we can get them to talk without killing them, though, and my master would not appreciate losing his business partners.”
“Torture?” I ask with a grin.
Lennox shakes his head. “No, let’s try searching their homes first. Maybe we’ll find enough clues without talking to them.”
“I can have my associates shadow them,” I suggest. “They’re very good at that.”
He laughs. “Associates? My, you really have changed. Back when we were kids, I had to persuade you to let me help you. Now, you actually work with people? Voluntarily?”
I swallow a laugh. If only he knew about my cats. Maybe I’ll tell him one day, once I know I can trust him. For now, I keep my cards close to my chest.
“Good, let’s go,” I say, ignoring his question as well as the plate of nibbles that is still half full.
“Already?” He looks a little disappointed for a second, but he quickly smooths his expression. “I’d hoped we could talk for a bit more.”
I sigh. “What do you want to talk about? Is it more important than children being poisoned?”
“Probably not.” He grimaces. “You’ve always had a way with words. The power of persuasion.”
I can’t help but laugh. “That’s because I’m right.”
He looks at the nibble plate with a wistful glance, then simply shoves all the food into his bag. “Dinner,” he says with a shrug. “I don’t think I have anything left in my fridge.”
I think of my own. Hopefully, Lily has put that bloody head into the cooling room. Not because I mind having a bo
dy part next to my food, but because it took up space that I could have used for junk food.
“Which one do you want to go to first? The fat or the thin one?”
I laugh, startling myself. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed this much in a single hour. Lennox is doing something to me, and I’m not sure I like it. It scares me, to be honest.
“The fat one,” I reply. “Does he have a name?”
“Not one you’ll get to hear. My master wouldn’t appreciate it, and as long as I’m in his employ, I better follow his rules.”
I’m so glad I’m self-employed.
Chapter Sixteen
A kitten is following us. Not one I’ve seen before, but the way she looks at me makes it clear that she’s one of Ryker’s. I’m beginning to think that Ryker isn’t just spying on my targets, but on me as well. Clever cat.
Lennox leads me across town to the same quarter where the house is that he knocked me out at. We pass it, and Lennox seems to think the same thing as me.
“Sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“You better not,” I snap, but I’m smiling. “Or I’ll have to seek revenge. You don’t want to be faced with an angry Kat.”
He laughs. “No, I really don’t, I remember your temper tantrums. But we better leave the streets, we’re getting close.”
A moment later, we’re on the roofs, jumping from house to house. Lennox occasionally does backflips and cartwheels that really aren’t necessary. Show-off. It would be better if he crouched a little, like me, to stay hidden from any curious eyes. Not many people look up at roofs, but still, there’s always the chance that someone may.
Finally, he stops on a dark red roof overlooking a garden pond with solitary duck swimming on it. The bird looks depressed. Poor thing. Maybe it can be a snack for the cats. That way, it’s not been a waste of space all its life.
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