Someone beeped their horn and I moved my foot to the gas pedal. I needed to get somewhere safe and normal, maybe eat something to deal with whatever might have ended up in my drink. I damn well wasn’t going back to get my folio. It would have been smarter to go to the hospital to see if they’d actually dosed me with something. If I’d had the money, I definitely would have.
But I didn’t have money, so I put the thought out of my mind. At least I escaped unharmed. There was no telling how many other people or things those people kept in their basement. Maybe I needed to call the police?
I pulled the car over and covered my face with my hands, shaking too hard to do anything but cry as I sat there. I gulped air and it still wasn’t enough; I hyperventilated and my vision darkened around the edges and I knew I was going to pass out. Knew I was going to just pass the fuck right out in my car on the side of a busy city street. I at least managed to take the keys out of the ignition, so a cop couldn’t ticket me for some stupid reason, and struggled to hold onto sanity and consciousness.
There had to be a reasonable explanation. Had to be. Things like that didn’t just – happen. Hallucinations made the most sense. It wasn’t like werewolves and witches existed in the real world.
Maybe they were movie people and were practicing special effects?
I shook my head and gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles ached. I needed to get my shit together. Obviously something had gone wrong. Just as obviously, I was never going back or speaking with any of them again. I could figure out whether to report them to the police or... something, later. Once my mind was right and I stopped shaking and feeling hysterical.
My phone rang and I jumped, banging my knees against the steering wheel. I fished it out of my bag, fumbling around as my fingers refused to cooperate, and stared at the number on the screen. I tried desperately to remember what area code Evershaw had called from. My vision blurred as tears surfaced. I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t. I wanted to go hide in my closet, like I had when I was younger and there was too much noise and chaos in the house.
I steeled myself to answer, though. I couldn’t afford to alienate a real client, and chances were it wasn’t the Evershaws. My voice still wobbled as I answered. “Hello?”
“Where are you? You were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago to receive some deliveries and start directing where they drop off the plants.” Geordie, one of the managers at the sanctuary, snapped at me like I’d deliberately fucked up his day. “What the hell am I paying you for?”
“I told you I had another client appointment this morning,” I said as calmly as I could. I wanted to turn the car around and head straight to my apartment so I could pack a bag and flee the city. Maybe starting over on the West coast would be a good option. Or Canada. Maybe I could emigrate to Canada. Surely they needed habitat specialists, with all the animals running around up there. The whole place was practically a habitat. “I can head your direction later this afternoon to evaluate what was delivered. Your construction foreman has the schematics and notes I provided yesterday, though, so there certainly shouldn’t have been any confusion on where the plants were going. Surely he was prepared?”
A rather laden silence answered, and I resisted the urge to smirk to myself. Of course not. It was easier for Geordie to blame me than actually talk to the foreman. The foreman was just as likely to lie about it, though, since he didn’t like having to take orders from a girl architect. I liked the other owners of the sanctuary far better, but they were primarily financial backers, while Geordie was in charge of the day-to-day operations. Ms. Bridger was reasonable and personable, and much easier to talk to.
Geordie didn’t strike me as someone who actually liked animals even a little bit.
“Get here fast,” he muttered. “I can’t have all these plants sitting around. We’re getting more deliveries tomorrow and if these aren’t moved...”
“I’m hardly in a position to move all of them by myself,” I said, still struggling to sound reasonable and calm. “Perhaps –“
“There’s a hand-truck,” he said. “You’ll be fine. But be quick about it. I’ve got a business meeting here at four that I have to prepare for; I don’t have time to babysit you and double-check your work.”
I checked my watch and swallowed a scream of frustration. Only the fact that I believed in the sanctuary’s goals and needed the money kept me from hanging up and walking away without another word. I damn well couldn’t move plants around in my suit, which meant driving to the apartment to change and splash some water on my face. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Leave the loading dock open and I’ll –“
“Good,” he interrupted, and the call ended before I could even finish talking.
I clenched my jaw until a headache ignited behind my eyes. My hands still shook, though not quite as much as before, as I started the car and checked my mirrors to make sure no monsters had followed me from that beautiful Victorian house with the massive garden and a monster in the basement. I exhaled and pushed those worries aside. I could deal with that later. Maybe some manual labor would help me work through the adrenaline and panic.
At least I knew the predators at the sanctuary weren’t going to open their cages and start walking on their hind legs to chase after me. I shuddered at the thought and focused on getting to my apartment. It would all make sense later. I just had to think it through. Monsters like that didn’t exist. It was just a mistake. Just a stupid, crazy mistake – my mind playing tricks on me. That’s all it was.
I just wished I believed myself.
Chapter 8
Dodge
He found her apartment easily. It took a couple of calls and some basic Internet research, and he had multiple home addresses for Persephone Lawson. Dodge figured it was another reason she could be pissed her parents gave her such a unique name: made it damn easy to track her down. He lingered across the street from the shady apartment building and tried to enjoy a bit of the cigar he’d meant to smoke in the cellar with Silas.
Dodge knew he trespassed on the BloodMoon pack’s territory, and knew it wouldn’t be long until the O’Sheas noticed his presence and decided to do something about it. He kept his eyes on the apartment building. Persephone’s perfume drifted in the air, though it was faint enough he knew she’d been there after the little incident with Silas, but not so recently that he could have used it for tracking purposes. She had to return to her den at some point. It was just a matter of whether he wanted to loiter in the street like some love-struck schmuck or chase her down somewhere else.
He didn’t look up as Rafe O’Shea, one of the alphas of BloodMoon pack, strode up with a dark look on his face. “What is SilverLine doing on my territory?”
“Evershaw was going to call you,” Dodge said, not looking away from the apartments. It was sort of true. He’d told his alpha that the architect’s apartment was on BloodMoon territory, and Evershaw had grunted in response. Dodge took that as sufficient coordination on his part. “We had a slight incident. Human was involved. She lives over there.” He gestured in the general direction of the apartment buildings. “We need to talk to her, so I’m here to track her down.”
“We can retrieve her and deliver her to you,” Rafe said. His jaw clenched and his dark eyes glinted in the afternoon sun. “Evershaw knows better.”
Dodge shrugged and checked the coal on his cigar. “Look, man, I’m just here following orders. I’m supposed to bring the girl back so the witch can talk to her.”
The other wolf’s eyes narrowed, like most people’s did when Deirdre came up in conversation. Dodge didn’t know the specifics, but apparently Deirdre had helped out Rafe’s mate at one point. Ifshecalled instead of Evershaw, they were much more likely to get help instead of a hard time. After a long silence, Rafe scowled at the apartment building instead of Dodge, which Dodge took as positive progress. “What happened?”
“You heard about that problem with the sorcerer?” Dodge waited for Rafe’s nod; he figured the story had made the rounds after Henry’s mate, a witch, ran afoul of some evil sorcerer and got the pack embroiled in magical trouble. The shifters in that city were all a nosy bunch of pricks, too, who gossiped more than anyone else Dodge had met. “Sorcerer took Silas and fucked him up, so we’ve got a wolfman in our basement. Deirdre is fixing him but it’s slow going.”
