Night Broken

Page 27

It was that last one, uttered in Darryls voice and rough in satisfaction that made me apprehensive. I entered the room, which was filled with a dozen or so people, in time to hear Auriele say, Fragile my aching butt. How did she manage to avoid his swing and hit him with the gun? I wish we had this from a slightly different angle.
We do, said Ben. We have four discs. This one is Garage Cam One. Theres also Outside Cam One, Office Cam One, and Garage Cam Two.
They were running the video of my fight with Guayota on Honeys projection system; the screen was even bigger than I remembered. The image was a little grainy, but I watched myself, larger than life, trip over the crowbar and land on my butt. In the background, the dog had already morphed into a man.
Most of the pack was there. I picked out Christy, Auriele, Darryl, Warren, Kyle, Ben, Zack, Jesse, Mary Jo, and Honey at a glance. Most of them were so focused on what they were watching that they didnt notice me come in. Christy, half-turned away from the screen, saw me, but I couldnt read her face.
The screen went blank, and there was a collective groan.
Play it again. Mary Jos voice was harsh. I want to see that first part in slow motion. Where she figures out that hes not human.
I cleared my throat, and the room fell silent. Honey? Is there a bedroom where I can put Lucia? Guayota paid her a visit, and shes pretty fragile. We brought her here to be safe.
Lucia? Honey got up from one of the couches scattered around the room, all facing vaguely in the direction of the screen on the wall. Thats the woman who told us about the dogs, right?
I nodded, taking a half step back because once Id spoken, theyd all twisted around in their seats to look at me, and they were watching me with intent. To Honey I said, Her dogs are dead, and her husbands missingshe needs some time to regroup and a safe place to be, so we brought her here. Some clothes to sleep in and to wear tomorrow would also be nice.
Damn, lady, said Zack, looking at me from the corner of his eye. Damn, but you dont have any quit in you at all.
Takes a lickin and keeps on tickin, said Warren. Thats our Mercy.
Christys face was still unreadable, but she was watching me with her shoulders tight. Her eyes met mine for a moment, and I saw a flash of shame before she looked down and away.
Why didnt you run? asked Mary Jo, pulling my attention away from Christy. You could have gotten away.
Because I thought he was human, I told her, all but squirming. I felt like theyd all seen me na**d, though all theyd done was watch a video Id known was running while I fought Guayota. I wanted to get out of there, but Mary Jo was waiting for more of an answer. By the time I figured out that he wasnt human, it was too late, and I was trapped in the garage. Where did you get that disc, anyway?
One of Adams security team dropped them off, said Honey. I thought it would be a good thing to see this man in action before we had to face him. Honey got up and went to the projector system. I thought she was going to turn it off, but she hit REPLAY, then grabbed my arm and urged me back down the stairs while a larger-than-life-sized me got the gun out from under the counter and waited for Guayota.
Do them good to see it again, Honey said as we started down. They like to dismiss you as a liability. Let them see you fight.
Id have lost if Adam and Tad hadnt shown up, I told her.
That lot, most of them, would have lost when the dog started his attack, she said, unperturbed. She gave me a laughing glance. What I really wish, though, is that there had been a camera at your house when Adam tore a strip off Christy when she wasted time playing stupid games with his phone when you were calling for help. Id pay a lot of money to have gotten to see that.
She wouldnt have done it if shed known I was in danger, I told herand it felt odd to be defending Christy.
Maybe not, said Honey, but Id sure have liked to have been there to see Adam dressing her down. He never did before. She was too good at making everything someone elses fault.
She led the way back into her kitchen and did a double take when she saw Gary. I thought you were in
Honey hadnt been with us when wed discussed his jailbreak and my seeing him at the crime scene in Finley. Apparently no one had mentioned it to her.
I decided to follow you, he broke in with a good-old-boy smile before she could say the prison word. The most intriguing, most beautiful woman Ive ever seen. I thought, if she would just look at me, I would never need to eat again because that look would sustain me for the rest of my life.
Do those kinds of lines ever really work? Honey asked coolly, having gotten over her surprise. She glanced at Lucia and warmed her expression as she gave the rest of us a discreet nod. She wouldnt talk about the jailbreak in front of anyone else. Lucia, come with me, and Ill get you set up.
What do you want me to do with Cookie? When Honey looked blank, Lucia clarified. With the dog?
Honey looked at the battered dog, glanced at me, then went to her cupboard and pulled out a mixing bowl. Well send someone out for dog food in the morning. Theres a bathroom off the bedroom youll be in, and well fill this with water there.
The two of them left, and I caught Gary by the arm before he could follow.
Youd better cool your jets, I told him, because although he might have interrupted her to stop her from blurting out where shed last seen him, there had been real intent in his flirtingas there hadnt been when hed been messing around with Kyle and Zack. Honey will wipe the floor with you.
His eyes went half-mast, and his voice dropped in evident pleasure. I know.
I threw my hands up in the air. Youve been warned. Dont come looking for sympathy here.
The outside door opened, and Adam came in. He stomped the dirt off the bottom of his shoes on the mudroom mat with determined slowness. I recognized the careful movement as an attempt to keep his still-agitated wolf under control.
His calmness in the back of the SUV had been more of the same: my wolf didnt like being helpless when someone he felt responsible for was in trouble. Joel had done some work for Adam, and that was enough to make him Adams responsibility.
I leaned against a counter and relaxed deliberately. Gary raised an eyebrow, looked toward the mudroom. Then he proved he was a lot better at reading people than he liked to pretend because he copied my position on the far side of the kitchen from the mudroom. He left a lot of space between me and him.
Adam came into the kitchen after he was satisfied with the state of his shoes. Hesaw Gary and me, and came over and leaned on the counter, too, close enough to me that his body pressed against my side.
He focused his gaze toward the opposite wall, where a cabinet displayed antique dishes, very carefully not looking at Gary on the other side of me.
I broke the silence. Tad, I said, because it should have occurred to me earlier to warn him.
I called before I came inside. Tad said hed take the opportunity to visit his father, Adam told me. Guayota is welcome to try to find him in Fairyland. He frowned. Im not sure how voluntary his going is; it sounded like someone noticed him using magic, and he has to go talk to them.
Can he get back out again? I didnt bother to hide my anxiety.
Tad didnt think it would be an issue, not with his father there. Though he said if we dont talk to him in a week or so, we might see what we can do to break him out.
Zee would be hard to hold if he didnt want to stay somewhere. Hed gone to the reservation voluntarilyhostilely voluntarily, but voluntarily nonetheless. Maybe not, I said.
We subsided into silence again.
Adam said, Guayota has Joel. Only a man who had those dogs trust could have killed them, sacrificed them that way, one after another without their fighting back.
I know, I agreed.
You think that hes found a way to turn Joel into one of his dogs, the tibicenas, like the one you killed who turned back into a man.
I do.
He bowed his head and growled. It took him a few moments to find his words again. Joel is a good man. He would never have killed, have sacrificed those dogs of his, given any kind of choice. Hed have killed a person before he killed those dogs.
Agreed. Anyone whod talked to Joel about his dogs knew that.
We hit the trail at Joels backwards, Adam told me. Joel and Guayota went to the kennel first. Joel killed the dogs, then, in the shape of one of the tibicenas, he destroyed his bedroom.
Yes, I agreed. The destruction in the house hadnt been Guayota. If hed been as angry as the animal who had attacked that room, hed have burned the place to ashes. He was hunting his wife, and she wasnt there. He responded like a territorial animal in a rage. Rage at Guayota redirected at the things he loved most.
I blinked back tears at the wrongness of that.
Some sacrifices are worth more than others, said Gary.
Adam still didnt look at Gary, but he nodded. Whatever tore up that bedroom was a lot more lethal than the dog you shot. Bigger.
They are shapeshifters like Guayota. It wasnt a guess. Id seen the size of the claws on the walls.
There is probably no way to get Joel back, Adam said.
I heard the guilt in Adams voice and knew that this was the issue at hand. I narrowed my eyes at him. I could argue all night about why he shouldnt feel guilty about Joel and how we didnt know enough about Guayota to know that Joel was lost. We had a lot of alternatives to explore before we gave up. But sometimes taking another tack worked better.
If I hadnt killed the male tibicena, then he wouldnt have needed a replacement. If I hadnt gone to talk to Lucia, maybe he wouldnt have tracked down Joel. Unless he had some way of finding the people who were tied to the Canary Islands.
If you folks are done with me, Gary said, I think Ill get going.
Adam glanced at him. You wait a moment. To me he said, You know it isnt your fault.
I know it, I agreed. But if were accepting blame, I think that Im closer to the cause than you are.
He grunted irritably. Fine.
Fine.
Adam took a deep breath, and I could sense the cloak of civilization that he pulled over the beast who wanted to kill something, anything, because Adam and his wolf were united in their dedication to justice, and its defeat could send them off in a rage. He took a second breath, and the mantle settled more firmly in place.
To Gary he said, You have been very helpful. Of course you can leave whenever you wish. Do you have a place to go?
Gary spread his arms and shook his head. Im fine, man. Im used to going my own way. Dont take offense, but trouble is looking for the pair of you, and Id rather be a long ways away.
Stay here for the night. Adam looked tired. It wasnt the timeit wasnt much past midnightit was all the dead dogs, the guilt he shouldnt feel, and the effort of controlling himself. Well get you money and maybe a ride out of here in the morning. On the run is tough. Take shelter when you can find it.
You dont want me here, said Gary. Youve got trouble, and Ill just bring you more.
We have pizza coming in about fifteen minutes, Honey said briskly, returning to the kitchen on the heels of Garys words. Shed probably heard Adam, too. Eat. Stay the nightand then no one will stop you from running as far and as fast as you want.
Im not a coward, he said defensively. Just prudent.
He hadnt cared what Adam and I thought of him.
Honeys eyebrows rose. I never said you were. I also dont think you are stupid. Eat. Sleep. Run. Works better in that order because you can run faster on a full stomach and a real nights sleep.
Okay, he said. Okay. Ill leave tomorrow, thank you.
It had been Honey, I thought, who had made him decide to stay. She was too smart not to see it, but she chose to ignore him.
Instead, she spoke to Adam. Warren told us about what happened at Mercys garage tonight, and weve watched the video. She looked at me and smiled but continued to talk to Adam. When your security man brought the disc of Mercys fight with Guayota for you here, I thought it would be useful for all of us to see what were facing. Ive got it running upstairs if you want to watch it again.
Tomorrow, he said. I watched enough of it while it was happening. Tomorrow is soon enough to see it again for me.
Honey looked at me but spoke to Adam. For a fragile almost human, she did well.
Any fight you live through is a fight well fought, said Gary. That said, I might wander upstairs and see what it is Im running from. There was a faint bitterness in his tone, and Honey looked at him. He raised both hands in surrender and grinned. Tomorrow. Running from tomorrow. Tonight, Im in the mood for a movie. He turned around, winking at me along the way, and headed toward the stairway, almost bumping into Christy, who was just coming into the kitchen.