Nothing important, Adam said, while he made a few unobtrusive gestures with his right hand, about hip level. Ben made a gesture in return, and Adam closed his fist, then opened it.
Who are you, anyway? asked Heart.
You were going to show us this warrant? asked Tony, changing the subject.
By the van, Ben smiled. He ducked his head, said something to the people he was talking with that had them all looking our way, then walked casually around the end of the van. I couldnt see him as he crossed the street because of the van, but I saw the fae notice him and drop off the far side of the warehouse.
Heart said, Bring it on over, sweetheart. I understood then that they had some sort of mic system that allowed her to hear everything we said. Probably recorded it, too. I supposed that was okay.
Ben hopped the tall chain-link fence without touching itif any mundane saw him, there would be no question that he wasnt human. But the police, including Tony, were watching the famous TV star.
No one but Adam, Zee, and meas far as I could tellnoticed anything. Gabriel was gone. I realized that Id seen Gabriel go back through the garage when his sister had cried outbecause Sylvia had pulled her away from the werewolf.
Paying attention, I could hear him talking in Spanish, his voice sharp with anger as he and his mother argued about somethingand my name was definitely a part of the discussion.
I tuned them out as the bounty hunters tech-girl came running over with a thick folder that she handed over to Heart. He leafed through the pages tucked into a pocket of the notebook and produced an official-looking document that he handed over to Tony.
He has a warrant, Tony told me, carefully not looking at Adam. And youre right. Its not for this werewolf. He handed the paper to Holbrook.
The older man took one look at it and harrumphed. Its a fake, he said, absolute certainty in his voice. If youd have told me the name, I could have told you it was a fakewithout even looking at the elegant signature that looks less like Judge Fisks than mine does. No way theres a warrant out for Hauptman and its not all over the station.
Thats what I thought, agreed Tony. Fisks signature is barely legible.
What? There was enough honest indignation in Kellys voice that I was pretty sure it was genuine.
Tony, who was watching the bounty hunter pretty closely, seemed to have the same opinion as I did. He handed the warrant to the youngest cop. Green, go call this in and see if its real, he said. Just for the bounty hunters sake.
Like Tony, Green very carefully didnt look at Adam. I havent heard about this, he said. And Id have remembered if we had a warrant for him. We know our local Alpha. I can sure as heck tell you that he hasnt jumped bail. Green looked at Tony. But Ill go call it in. And he strode briskly back to his patrol car.
My producer told us that the police department didnt want to take on a werewolf and had asked for our help, said Heart, though he didnt sound nearly as certain.
Holbrook snorted indignantly. If we had a warrant to pick up a werewolf, wed pick him up. Thats our job.
Your producer told you we didnt want to take on a werewolf, said Tony thoughtfully. Did your producer give you the warrant?
Yes.
Does he have a name? Wed like contact information for him, too.
Her, Kelly said. Daphne Rondo. I wondered if he knew that his heart was in his voice when he said her name. He reached into his back pocketslowlyand took out his wallet and extracted a card.
Here. He held it a moment when Tony reached out to take it. You know this guy, right? Thats how you knew this wolf was the wrong one. Then comprehension lit his face, and he let go of the card and looked at Adam. Adam Hauptman?
Adam nodded. Id say pleasure to meet you, but I dont like lying. What is it Im supposed to have done?
The younger cop strolled back from his car, shaking his head.
Kelly looked at the cop, then sighed. What a cluster. I take it you havent been killing young women and leaving their half-eaten bodies in the desert?
Adam was ticked. I could tell it even if he was looking like a reasonably calm businessman. Adams temper was the reason he wasnt one of Brans werewolf poster boys. When angered, he often gave in to impulses he wouldnt otherwise have given in to.
Sorry to disappoint you, Adam told Kelly in silky tones. But I prefer rabbits. Humans taste like pork. And then he smiled. Kelly took an involuntary step backward.
Tony gave Adam a sharp look. Lets not make things worse, if we can help it, gentlemen. He pulled out his cell phone and, looking at the card, dialed the number. It rang until the voice mail picked up. Tony didnt leave a message.
Okay, Tony said. Id like to get a statement from you about this warrant. If weve got someone falsifying warrants, we need to know about it. We can do that here, or down at the station.
I left Tony and the police to deal with the fallout, and went back into my office, letting the door shut behind me. I left Sam outside, too. If he hadnt killed anyone yet this morning, he wasnt going to.
I had other matters to deal with.
Gabriel had his youngest sister on his hip, her wet face on his shoulder. The other girls were sitting on the chairs I had for customers, and his mother had her back to me.
She was the only one talkingin Spanish, so I had no idea what she was saying. Gabriel gave me a desperate look, and she turned. Sylvia Sandovals eyes were glittering with rage as hot as any Id ever seen on a werewolf.
You, she said, her accent thick. I do not like the company you keep, Mercedes Thompson.
I didnt say anything.
We are going home now. And my family will have nothing further to do with you. Because of you, because of your werewolf, my daughter will have nightmares of a man pointing a gun at her. She could have been shotany of my children could have been shot. I will have a tow truck come to pick up my car.
No need, I told her. Zee has it almost up and running. I assumed. No telling how much hed done with his magic.
It is running, Zee said. I hadnt realized hed come into the office, but he must have come in through the garage. He stood by the inner door, looking grim.
You will tell me how much I owe you over and above my sons last check.
Gabriel made a protesting sound.
She glanced at him, and he bit back whatever he intended to say, his eyes suspiciously bright.
My son thinks that because he is almost a man, he can make his own decisions. As long as he lives in my house, that is not true.
I was pretty sure that Gabriel could go off and do all right on his ownbut that without his extra income, Sylvia would be hard-pressed to feed their family. Gabriel knew it, too.
Gabriel, I told him, I have to let you go. Your mother is right. My office isnt a safe place to work. If your mother were not involved, you still wouldnt have a job here anymore. Ill mail you your last check. When you are looking for work, you can tell them to call me for a recommendation.
Mercy, he said, his face white and stark.
I couldnt have lived with myself if something had happened to you or one of your sisters today, I told him.
Oh, poor Mercy, said Sylvia with false sympathy, her English getting worse. Poor Mercy, her life it is too dangerous, and she would feel bad if my son were hurt. She pointed her finger at me. It is not just this. If it were only the gunman, then I would sayno, Gabriel you cannot work here anymorebut we are friends, still. But you lied to me. I say, What is this great big dog? You tell me, Perhaps some mixed breed. You made this decision, to let my daughter play with a werewolf. You did not tell me what he was. You made such a choice about my childrens welfare. Do not call at my house. Do not talk to my children on the street, or I will call the police.
Mamá, said Gabriel. Youre over the top.
No, I told him wearily. Shes right. Id known that I made the wrong choice the moment I heard Maias first cry. It hadnt been Sambut it might have been. That Id been sure it was him right up until the moment I saw Kelly Heart with his gun told me that Id made the wrong choice. Id endangered Sylvias children.
Zee, would you back her car out of the garage, please? He bowed his head and turned on his heel. I couldnt tell if he was angry with me, too, or not. Of course, I was pretty sure he had no idea how much of a risk Id taken. He wasnt a wolf, hadnt lived with the wolves; he wouldnt know what Sam was.
Mercy, said Gabriel, helplessly.
Go, I told him. Id have hugged him, but I thought wed both cry. I could deal, but Gabriel was seventeen and the man of his family. Vaya con Dios. See, I do know a little Spanish.
And you also, he said formally.
And his sister started wailing again. I want my puppy, she cried.
Go, said his mother.
They left, the girls subdued, following Gabriel, with Sylvia bringing up the rear.
Chapter 5
WITH SAM AT HIS HEEL, ADAM CAME INTO THE OFFICE while Sylvia and her family were still in the garage, waiting for Zee to get the Buick out. From Adams face I could tell hed heard every word Sylvia and I had said. He put a hand on my shoulder and kissed my forehead.
Dont be nice to me, I told him. I screwed up.
Not your fault that overeager boy out there came in with guns blazing, Adam said. Someone sold him a whole pack of lies. Tony and he are trying to get in touch with his producer, but shes not answering her phone. I suppose she wanted a big fight on TV. Man versus werewolf.
Maybe, I said. Maybe he wasnt my fault. But if it hadnt been Kelly Heart, it could just as easily have been a vampire or a fae. Neither of which would hesitate to kill Gabriel or one of the girls if they thought they were in the way.
The hand on my shoulder slipped down and pulled me into a hug. I leaned into it, knowing I was receiving it under false pretensesI could tell from the way he was acting that he hadnt realized the full extent of my transgressions yet. Doubtless hed been too busy to take a good look at Samand Sam, miraculously, hadnt done anything to attract anyones attention. Yet. The day was still young.
I breathed in Adams scent and took comfort I wasnt entitled to. Sylvia was right. I was feeling far too sorry for myself, and I wasnt entitled to that either.
I pulled away and hopped up to sit on the counter next to the gun before I enlightened himI couldnt bear it if he were touching me when he decided he didnt want anything more to do with me. As Sylvia just had.
The sticky black stuff left from where someone in the Dark Ages had taped a piece of paper to the edge of the counter was gone, and I ran my finger over the newly clean spot. Shed left the cookies.
Mercy?
Id betrayed him. For all the good reasons in the world, but I was his mateand Id chosen Samuel. I suppose I could have hoped he wouldnt notice, but that seemed wrong in light of this morning. What if Heart hadnt come here first? What if hed run into Adam and shot him? What if hed gone to Adams work or had a photo of him . . . Come to think of it, wasnt that odd? Adam was out to the public, and his face photographed very well.
Someone hadnt wanted Heart to know who Adam was.
Mercy?
Sorry, I told him. Im trying to distract myself. You need to look at Samuel. I picked at a mucky spot on my overalls because I couldnt meet his eyes.
If Bran wanted Samuel dead, hed have to go through me to do it, which he could. But I was through lying to Adam, even if only by omission, merely to keep Bran from finding out.
Sam had trotted past both of us and gone to stand in the doorway, looking through the garage. I could hear Maia still crying for her puppy.
Puppy? said Adam, sounding amused. Sam turned and looked at himand Adam froze.
I was well on my way to passing stupid for idiotic. It was only when Adam stilled that I had the sudden thought that it might not have been the best idea to show the Columbia Pack Alpha that he had a problem with Sam in the narrow confines of my office.
It was Sam who growled first. Temper flared in Adams face. Sam was more dominant, but he wasnt Alphaand Adam was not going to back down in his territory without violence.
I hopped off the counter in between them.
Settle down, Sam, I snapped, before I remembered what a bad idea that was.
I kept forgettingnot that Samuel was in trouble; I had no trouble remembering thatbut that his wolf was not Samuel. Just because he hadnt turned into the ravening beast that the only werewolves Id seen who lost control to their wolf became, did not mean he was safe. My head knew thatbut I kept acting as if he were just Samuel. Because he acted just like Samuel would have. Mostly.
Sam sneezed and turned his back to usand I started breathing again.
Im sorry, I apologized to both of them. That was a dumb way of doing things.
I didnt want to look at Adam. I didnt want to see if he was angry or hurt or whatever. Id had just about enough already that day.
And that was a cowards way out.
So I turned and looked up at him, keeping my gaze on his chinwhere I could see his reaction without challenging him by meeting his eyes.
You are so screwed, he said thoughtfully.
Im sorry I let you think . . .
What? he asked. That you needed some time away from the pack, from me? When you really wanted to keep any of us from seeing Samuel?
He sounded reasonable, but I could see the white line along his jaw where he was gritting his teeth and the tension in his neck.
Yes, I told him.
Ben boiled into the roomsaw our little tableau, and came to an abrupt halt. Adam glanced over his shoulder at him, and Ben flinched and bowed his head.
I didnt catch it, he said. Her. The fae thing. But she was armed, and she dropped her weapon when she bolted. Hed been carrying a jacket, and from under it he pulled a rifle that had very little metal on it. If it had been a little prettier, it might have looked like a toy because it was mostly made of plastic.