Page 6 of Curse of the Wolf
Bolin was lucky I hadn’t changed into a wolf in the parking lot. We all were. Though… it might have been worth it to get the Radomir-and-Abrams problem out of my life. But, no. If I ended up in jail for murder, that would be a whole new problem.
“They’re evil overlords,” I added. “You might even have seen Radomir up at that vacation cabin. He was in the tank SUV.Thattank SUV.” I thrust my arm toward it.
“I came out of the cabin after the fight out front was over. There weren’t any cars there then. Or tanks. Just a wolf and… a hulkingtwo-legged werewolf.” Bolin looked at me, as ifIwere the problem here today.
“Yes, a bipedfuris.” I glanced toward Duncan. “That’s not important. That we had to fight Radomir and his thugs because he kidnapped my son is. They’rebad guys. They don’t want to buy an apartment complex. Trust me.”
“You don’t think the nefariously inclined invest in multifamily properties?”
“No.”
Bolin pointed to the armored tank-SUV. “How else would they afford a Rezvani?”
“Leave it to you to be able to recognize a ridiculously priced car.”
“The name is on the front grill.”
“I’ll bet you knew what it was before it rolled in.”
“Maybe. Iama guy.” Bolin flattened his hand on his chest as if that explained why he knew about expensive vehicles.
“You play classical music on your violin, compete in spelling bees, and have 3D-printed dragons.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Hobbies that don’t negate mymaleness.”
I sighed. “Okay, sorry. You’re right. That was low, but I’m frustrated. Not only are they not legitimate buyers, but they’re dangerous.”
“I also, as you’ll recall, can play rap beats on my violin. Masculinely.”
“Yes, yes, your beats were very assertive and testosterone-fueled. Listen, those guys are probably only here because they want an excuse to openly scope out the place and find the wolf case.” Remembering that he’d had an unpleasant encounter with one of their minions, I added, “They’re the ones who hired that thug who hurled you into a post.”
“Oh, I don’t like them then.”
“Good.”
“I had to go to the ER.” Bolin touched his eyebrow, the scar remaining though the stitches had long since been removed. For the first time, his expression turned troubled as he gazed in the direction his father had led Radomir and Abrams.
I glanced at the parking lot again, but Duncan had disappeared. Maybe he was spying on them. Ihopedhe was spying on them.
Kashvi came over, holding her phone out toward Bolin. “I talked to our agent. Their offer came in and is exactly what we’re asking.”
“Better make sure they included proof of funds,” I said.
“Of course, and they did.” Kashvi nodded. “I’ll tell Rory.”
As she headed toward the back of the complex, Bolin spread his arms. “Maybe they’re legitimate buyers.”
“They’re not,” I said. “I promise. They’re criminals.”
“If so, they’re very well-off criminals. The asking price for this complex is substantial.”
“If only I could imagine how criminals would acquire piles of money. And priceless werewolf artifacts.”
Bolin sighed. “My parents were talking about being able to retire and relax more if this goes through. In a year or two, after I’ve got more experience, they could see letting me run the daily operations of the whole business. I could finally travel to their various complexes around the world and have a real career. And—” his eyes grew sharp with imagined pleasure, “—if my brother wants to be involved, I would be in charge of him.”
“You’ve got a vendetta against your brother?” I remembered Bolin talking about how they’d wrestled as kids and knocked over a candle. The story hadn’t led me to imagine them being terribly rambunctious or antagonistic. “Isn’t he younger than you?”
“Yeah, but he’s athletic and confident about everything and has…” Bolin groped in the air. “Je ne sais quoi.” He made a face. “Girls in school send him notesallthe time.”
