Wolf at the Door

chapter Eighteen



Mrs. Cain looked, if anything, more haggard than she had when Rachael had last seen her. So she greeted her with, “Not another murder?”

“No, thank all the gods. But it’s wreaking havoc on our new ad campaign. ‘Come to Minnesota . . . and be killed!’”

“It’s not as good as ‘Florida is for lovers,’ ” Rachael agreed.

“I’m afraid I have no new information for you, other than the fact that the victims were most definitely not Pack.”

“Or, presumably, vampire.”

Mrs. Cain blinked. “No. Of course not. But can you imagine? How would they ever cover it up?”

“No idea. But about the victims being vanilla humans, I figured. I stopped by to let you know I’m off to set up a meeting with the vampire queen.”

“You’re what?” Mrs. Cain had surged to her feet so quickly only another Pack member could have tracked the movement. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Almost certainly not.” Except when it came to seducing a fellow accountant and watching Zombieland twice in a row, not to mention the french fry fight. “I’ve been thinking since we last met, and I don’t like this at all.”

“I can assure you, you’re not alone. No one likes it.” She eased back down in her seat, looking past Rachael instead of at her. Typical Pack behavior: she was physically backing down so Rachael wouldn’t assume the woman was challenging her. Although normally the domain of males, there were alpha and beta females as well, and, occasionally, Challenges. “But I fail to see what meeting with that woman would accomplish.”

“I’m not sure, either, but think about it.”

“I have been,” she said, looking glum. “I’ve mentioned I don’t like it, yes?”

So she wouldn’t be seen as looming over the woman, Rachael plopped into a chair across from her. “Michael sends me to town to keep an eye on the queen, correct? And I’m no sooner here than people start turning up dead . . . people you had arranged for me to meet. That in itself is plenty odd, but what if someone is trying to stir up trouble between the vamps or the Pack?”

“I’m not—”

Rachael stepped on the woman’s words. “What if someone is trying to stir up trouble between the vamps and our Pack? The situation is already awkward—many of our people haven’t forgiven the vampire for letting our Antonia die in her service.

“And you can’t tell me the vampires didn’t resent having to show up in Massachusetts for what was essentially a trial for, at worst, murder, and at best, negligence. We parted on general good terms, but for a while it looked like we wouldn’t. And it doesn’t take but one spark to rekindle a blaze.”

“I see what you’re saying,” she said slowly, her expression thoughtful. “Still. Very dangerous, I think.”

“I agree. But nevertheless.” She shrugged. If she hadn’t been willing to get dirty, she never would have gotten on the plane. “Onward and upward, rah-rah-rah.”

“No.” Cain shook her head, her expression doubtful. “No, I think the risks are too high, Rachael. I think you’d better steer clear for now.”

Rachael looked at the woman, whose fatigue was evident in every line on her broad, sad face. When had she last slept? Poor lady; she’s carrying weight that by rights is for others to tow. So when she answered, she tried to do so as tactfully as possible.

“You misunderstand me, Mrs. Cain. I didn’t come for permission. I came as a courtesy to your office . . . your true office, not the chamber.”

Cain opened her mouth, but when Rachael held up a hand, she said nothing.

“I have acknowledged this as your territory, and I would never dream of trying for anything that’s yours. But I also have permission from Michael, my cousin and our Pack leader, to proceed however I see fit. He did not tell me to avoid the queen; he did not tell me to engage the queen. He left the specifics entirely up to me. Seeing her, not seeing her, telling you or not telling you . . . all are my prerogative.

“Perhaps I wasn’t clear. Perhaps it’s my fault that you mistook courtesy for subservience. If that’s so, I apologize and will try to be more clear in the future. Do you understand?”

Anger. Frustration. Shame. Fear. “I . . . see. Yes. I apologize; I only tried to convey concern for your safety. How could I face Michael if anything happened to you here?”

“We grew up together,” she replied, smiling a little. She was relieved there wouldn’t be an escalation. She supposed she wasn’t very brave. There were plenty of females who would have loved to get bloody over something so minor. “He would know my grisly demise came through no fault of yours.”

The older woman snorted. “Excellent point. And, if I may, if you’re wondering about coincidences, have you considered the timing?”

She had. “The full moon.”

“Two days away,” Cain agreed. “Perhaps our killer is trying to spook the vampires into going after a Pack member during the full moon.”

“Lovely. Well, I’d better get going.”

“How are you . . . I mean, if you don’t mind, what are you going to say?”

“I have no idea, but I still think it’s worth the risk. It’s almost a win-win: if she’s in on it, she’ll at least know she’s not operating in a vacuum, that people have noticed. If she’s not in on it, she’ll appreciate the warning and we’ll maybe cement a little goodwill. The gain outweighs the risks.” A little. Probably. But it was no time to show uncertainty. “Trust me. It will be fine.”

Cain arched dark brows. “You hope.”

“Yeah.” Rachael sighed. “I hope.” Then: “You really don’t validate parking?”