An amused glint appeared in Dashiell’s eye. “You’re asking for a raise?” he said disdainfully. “All right. I suppose we could increase your pay slightly.”
“No. Well, yes, a raise would be nice, but that’s not what I’m asking for,” I replied. “You want me to keep hiding messes for you, fine. You want me to take in the bargest, fine. But I’ve put my life on the line for you three times in as many months, and I want to be a goddamned partner.”
Even Dashiell’s eyes widened at that, and I felt a little twist of satisfaction. “What exactly does that mean?” Will asked.
“No more cleaning lady,” I said firmly. “When you make big decisions together, I want to be there. I want health insurance and a small team I can work with to make sure we don’t have any oversights. Oh, and you’re paying for my knee surgery,” I added to Dashiell. “Call it a signing bonus.”
Will stirred in his seat, but my eyes were on the vampire.
“We do not accept demands,” he said coldly. “What’s to stop me from killing your bright young brother instead?”
I’d been expecting that, and I forced myself to shrug, keeping my face as neutral as I could. “You could do that,” I allowed. “It sure would show me who was boss. But if you touch Jack, if you send anything his way besides the occasional ‘Keep up the good work, buddy,’ you will never hear from me again,” I said flatly. “You will lose me as an asset. I will go to another city and declare loyalty to another cardinal vampire, or maybe another alpha werewolf, and I will use everything you taught me for someone else’s gain.”
“We could kill you,” Will pointed out, but in a neutral, “devil’s advocate” kind of way. “And we’ve got Corry now.”
“You could do that too.” I shrugged again. “Why not? My life isn’t worth much. But if anything happens to me, I have arranged for Corry to leave LA and offer loyalty to another city too. We can do this the hard way, guys,” I said calmly. “Or we make a few adjustments, keep the peace, and you can let me help you.”
Will and Dashiell exchanged an unreadable look. “Give us a moment,” Dashiell said carelessly.
“Of course,” I responded. “I’ll take Shadow outside. But,” I added boldly, “do me a favor and conference in Kirsten. She deserves a say in this too.” And I limped out of the room, with as much dignity as I could manage.
Shadow went slowly out to the yard with me, being patient with my cane. She pooped on the cobblestone driveway, right in front of one of Dashiell’s cars, and looked up at me guiltily. “Good girl,” I told her.
When we got back inside, Dashiell looked grim. He pointed to the chair, and I braced myself for a smackdown, possibly physical. But he said, in a cold voice, “Fine. We agree to the partnership, the health insurance, and the bonus for your knee. But no team. Instead, you’ll take Corry on as your official apprentice, and the two of you are a package deal.”
I took a deep breath. It still felt wrong, making decisions for someone else. But Corry had asked to be a part of the Old World, and helping the werewolves last night had seemed almost . . . good for her. “She gets paid $10 an hour, and works nights and weekends only,” I negotiated. “And when she turns eighteen, she gets to decide whether to keep working for you or not. If she says no, you let her go with your blessing.”
Dashiell arched an eyebrow. “If we’re going to pay her, you won’t get a raise.”
“I can live with that,” I said firmly, looking him in the eye. “But if Corry’s going to work for you, her mother needs to be able to know about the Old World.”
And to my eternal surprise, Dashiell did something I’d never seen from him: he full-on grinned at me, a natural unguarded smile. If I hadn’t known better, I’d say he was . . . proud of me. “Sounds like we have a deal,” he said levelly.
And we did.
Epilogue
Tuesday. Moving day.
Shadow trotted at my heels as I limped around Molly’s house collecting my things. There were a lot more of them than I remembered, and it was a little sad, having to tear my belongings away from their homes in the kitchen drawers and on the movie shelf. Molly had mysteriously procured a bunch of boxes from somewhere and left them out for me. I went around the house and filled them up, leaving them where they sat so Eli could come carry them out to his truck when he arrived in a few hours. I had hoped Molly herself would wake up to make an appearance, but although I kept popping into range of her, she never emerged from her room. I wasn’t sure if I had fully burned that bridge, but it did seem to need some repair.
At ten thirty, the doorbell rang, and Shadow went into an immediate stalking pose. “No, Shadow,” I cautioned. “First we see who it is, then we eat them.” She tilted her head at me in a classic “I know you’re trying to communicate, but I’m a dog” pose, and I laughed and limped toward the door.
I opened the door. It was Jesse. Wearing, of all things, an immaculate suit and tie. “Um, hey,” I offered. “I didn’t expect to see you.” We hadn’t spoken since the night of the full moon.
I realized, with a pang of sorrow, that I had missed him.
“It’s Tuesday,” Jesse reminded me, hands in his pockets. “I promised to take you to see the surgeon.”
“Oh. Right,” I said lamely. I’d forgotten the appointment. “I didn’t think you were still gonna . . .”
Jesse shrugged. “I swore on my honor,” he said simply. “And I’d like to keep whatever I have left.”
I eyed his clothes. “Is this a particularly fancy doctor, or are you also planning to tell me about Jesus my Lord and Savior?”