“Pick what you want from the display case,” Nadine said. “I have to call Eve.” She turned her back on him as she dialed the Denbys’ number.
As he chose food for himself and Meg, he listened to Nadine and felt sorry for himself and Montgomery. It sounded like the female pack was going to gather in the Market Square this evening, and he and Montgomery—and the Sierra—were going to be smack in the middle of a showdown.
CHAPTER 11
Watersday, Messis 11
Monty tensed as he listened to Pete’s hearty voice.
“We’re driving up to Ferryman’s Landing to eat at Bursting Burgers. Special treat for the kids. Henry Beargard said there would be no objections to us going up there. Okay if we take Lizzy?”
“It’s fine with me if she wants to go.” It wasn’t lost on him that he wasn’t included in the invitation.
“Better if she comes with us.” A warning, carefully worded.
Monty looked at Kowalski, who was talking on his mobile phone, his face set in hard lines.
“We’ll be back before bedtime,” Pete said.
Translation: whatever trouble was in the Courtyard would be settled by then—one way or another.
Kowalski ended his call at the same time that Monty hung up and Burke approached Monty’s desk.
“Might not be the best night to have dinner in the Courtyard,” Monty said quietly. “Sounds like there’s some trouble.”
Burke smiled. “Should be interesting.”
“‘Interesting’ isn’t the word for it,” Kowalski muttered as he and Monty accepted a ride from the captain.
Burke pulled into the customer parking lot instead of going into the Courtyard and parking in the employee lot. The wooden door between the two lots was usually unlocked while stores were open, allowing the tenants easy access to the Market Square.
Unlocked didn’t mean unguarded, but the door wasn’t usually guarded by a Wolf in human form—and certainly not Simon Wolfgard. But he was the one waiting for them when Burke parked the car.
The three men got out. Burke walked beside him. Kowalski remained a couple of steps behind. Watching their backs or distancing himself because he knew more than he’d said about what was happening here?
“Lieutenant,” Simon said.
Barely a look and nod to Burke before the Wolf focused on him again.
“Is there a problem?” Monty asked, keeping his voice calm with difficulty. Lizzy was with Eve and Pete. Out of the way. Safe. But what about the other children? What about his mother and sister?
Simon stepped up to him and bared his teeth, revealing Wolf-size fangs. “If anyone helps the Sierra feed her pups tonight, those pups will be gone by morning. And ‘anyone’ includes you, Lieutenant. Especially you.”
Stunned, Monty said nothing when Simon walked away. He turned to Kowalski. “What do you know?”
“Nadine showed the terra indigene who work at Meat-n-Greens how to make lasagna. Special dish. Lots of ingredients. Limited quantity. Some of the lasagna was sold at the butcher shop in dishes that held four servings. The rest is being served tonight at Meat-n-Greens. I know that much because Ruthie told me we were splitting a dish with Merri and Michael. The weekly twenty-four-ounce per-person limit on meat purchased in the Courtyard is now in effect, and the meat in each piece of lasagna counted toward that limit.” Kowalski waved a hand toward the door Simon had left open. “This? Something to do with Sierra lying to Boone Hawkgard when she tried to purchase a second dish of lasagna.”
Gods. Well, he could guess why she’d tried to buy more than her share of a limited food. “I’ll talk to her.”
“Maybe you should talk to your mother first,” Burke suggested, tipping his head to indicate the woman standing at the far end of the employee parking lot, watching them. “She was here.” He turned to Kowalski. “And you’re off duty, Officer.”
Kowalski looked at Monty, then at Burke. “You sure, sir?”
“I am sure,” Burke replied.
Kowalski walked up to the light at the corner to cross the street instead of trying to dodge the traffic on Crowfield Avenue.
“Excuse me,” Monty murmured, leaving Burke to join his mother.
Twyla said nothing, just walked around the garages that formed one side of the open area behind some of the stores—and led to the back stairs of the efficiency apartments. She stopped at the foot of the stairs.
“We can go up if you feel the need,” Twyla said.
“But you don’t.” His father had taught him many things, but his mother had taught him the value of courtesy. She’d taught him to respect the feelings of others. And both his parents had taught him to stand up for himself without beating down someone else. Did she sometimes snap at her children when they pushed too hard or annoyed her too much? Sure. Every parent did on occasion. But true anger was rare, even toward Jimmy—and that’s what Monty saw in her now.
“It’s easy to say we’re helping Sierra in order to help the girls,” Twyla said.
“It’s easy because it’s true,” Monty replied quietly.
“Not this time, Crispin. Helping her keep on this way . . . That’s called enabling, isn’t it?”
He almost teased her about reading psychology magazines, but she wasn’t in a mood or a mind for teasing.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Mr. Simon is doing what needs doing—doing what I asked him to do. So I want you to support him.”
Monty let his breath out in a long sigh. “Maybe I shouldn’t have encouraged Sissy to come here with you.”
“What could she have done in Toland alone with two young girls, especially after that storm hit? No, Crispin. You did right by her—and me—when you helped us come to Lakeside. Now give your sister a harder kind of help.”
He kissed his mother’s cheek. “The Denbys have taken Lizzy with them to Ferryman’s Landing. Want to have dinner with me at Meat-n-Greens?”
He wanted to go home and change clothes, but he didn’t want to get waylaid by Sissy—and he sure didn’t want to talk to Jimmy, who was somehow at the heart of this mess.
He got only half of what he wanted, because Sissy was in the Market Square facing off with Simon.
“It’s just a stupid piece of lasagna!” Sissy screamed.
“It’s food,” Simon snapped. “You already took your share. You don’t get more. Not from the Courtyard.”
“But my girls are hungry!”
“Then go to a human store and buy food there!”
“I can’t afford to buy another meal tonight, not with what you pay me!”
“That was uncalled for,” Twyla whispered, shaking her head. “Girl shouldn’t be mouthing off like that when she knows it’s her fault.”
“You don’t like what we pay, then find another job,” Simon snarled, showing fangs.
Monty scanned the crowd gathering around Sissy and Simon. Most of the women who worked in the Courtyard were present, except Katherine Debany and Elizabeth Bennefeld, the massage therapist. Among the terra indigene females were Tess, whose hair was red and coiling, Nyx Sanguinati . . . and Fire, who watched his sister with frightening intensity.
Simon started to walk away, carrying one of the insulated sacks from A Little Bite.
“I hope you choke on that food!” Sissy yelled.