Page 19 of Curse of the Wolf
“That could have referred to either Radomir or Abrams.”
“They’re working together. It hardly matters.”
“True,” Duncan said. “Radomir would be the more likely to recruit local people. Abrams isn’t from here, after all. Though I don’t know how long he’s been in the area.”
“Maybe Radomir bartered some magical tools, a prize for the thugs if they were willing to steal from me. As long as they were harassing me anyway, why not add some theft into the mix?”
“The tools were probably meant to helpthem get what Radomir wants, not as a permanent gift.”
“Either way, I’m going to consider them more dangerous now.” I rose, cradling my arm to my torso and wondering if I needed to see a doctor for a splint. With luck, my wolf magic and whatever the medallion had done would help my arm heal soon. “Was Radomir the one driving the SUV? How would he have known we were hunting one of these guys? And why would he care, anyway?”
“I don’t think it was him, just his vehicle. He lets his hired hands drive it from time to time.”
“Such as when he needs someone rammed in the rear end and sent hurtling into the trees?” Fortunately, I’d managed to avoid that fate, but I felt resentment on behalf of my damaged truck.
“Yes. As to how he knew we were chasing that bloke, he might have glimpsed us or had someone at the train station keeping an eye out.” Duncan shrugged. “A lookout could have called Radomir’s men. Or maybe Radomir himself. He’s been in the area recently, as we well know.”
“Very recently. Maybe he and Abrams are lurking full-time in Shoreline now while they make fake offers on the apartment complex. We need to get back there before they try something else.” I straightened, determined to leave before the police arrived and found us loitering.
“Our nudity could be a problem on the return trip.” Duncan picked up his jacket. He, at least, wouldn’t have to navigate Shoreline in daylight stark naked. “Does that city train of yours have regulations about clothing requirements?”
“Yeah, but they have regulations about using stolen koi-pond coins, too, and that didn’t stop us before.”
“I entreat you to research coin toxicity and fish. I assure you, you’ll learn that my actions were heroic.” Duncan handed me his jacket, nodding for me to put it on.
I sighed, appreciating his solicitude, though it annoyed me that I hadn’t thought to shuck my own clothing. “Thank you. Youareheroic.”
“Of course. But you are the one with contacts in the area. Perhaps you could call someone to pick us up.”
“Afraid of being arrested for nudity?”
“As we’ve discussed before, Americans are terribly repressed in that area.”
I picked up my phone, glad I’d thought to grab it as a wolf, even if I had to rub saliva off the screen. “The problem with a lack of pockets,” I murmured, pulling up Bolin’s contact information. “I’m not sure what to do next about our problems, Duncan. We can’t hunt down and kill Radomir and Abrams in the dark of night, can we?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have sounded wistful when I asked that.
“Not without locating them first. Does your esophagus have any insights into their location?”
“No, my esophagus is as battered and burned as the rest of me and may not have insights on anything for a while.”
“Not even chocolate?” Duncan leaned over, poked into one of the jacket pockets, and withdrew a few espresso beans covered in half-melted speckled white chocolate, then offered them to me.
I leaned on him, glad to have him at my side. I almost said something mushy and oozing with feelings of warmth and gratitude, but then I remembered my conversation with Abrams, that Duncan might be dying. Ireallydidn’t know what to do next.
7
Bolin kepthis eyes toward the road as he drove us to Sylvan Serenity, me in the passenger seat, Duncan in the back. Bolin hadn’t mentioned the fire engines or the smoldering house when he’d picked us up, and, after gaping at our nudity, had pointedly avoided looking at us. That hadn’t kept him from grimacing when we sat our bare butts on the fancy leather of his Mercedes SUV. Weweresooty, bloody, and sweaty, so I couldn’t blame him. I would have objected to such butts on my weathered vinyl truck seats.
“Thanks for getting us,” I said for the second time. “Even though I’ve lived in the same area for years—decades—and made a number of friends in the years the boys were in school… there are precious few people I can call for a ride when I’ve lost all my clothes.”
“Repressed,” Duncan said again.
“That’snot why. But I would feel compelled to explain.”
“You didn’t explain anything to your intern,” Duncan said.
I looked at Bolin. Still focused on the road, he did not look back.
