CHAPTER NINE
AN ONLOOKER IN the crowd caught my attention as I passed. He failed to notice me, as his focus was on the spectacle the harpies were creating with Nathan. A wolf. Was he here for the festival? I doubted it, given the way he now scanned the crowd as if looking for someone. I ducked behind a tall man and his gaggle of kids.
Nope, I was willing to bet the wolf was here for me. Brax had probably set him to tailing me in the event Caroline made contact, or I slipped my leash and went after her. For someone who had only met me a handful of times, he had a pretty accurate assessment of me.
I used an app on my phone to flag down one of those personal lift services that people looking to make extra money joined. They could use their personal cars to give people a ride to their next destination. Basically, a taxi but less formal. It was less expensive than a traditional taxi but still more money than I should be spending. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Without a ride, it would take me half the night to walk to my destination from here.
My luck seemed to have turned, because there was one circling the block. I clicked on the app and watched as it headed toward me. I kept walking in its direction, not wanting to stop and give either Nathan or the wolf an opportunity to catch me.
A minivan pulled up in the distance, and I checked the app. Looked like that was my ride. I exchanged pleasantries with the human and took a seat in the back, my stomach a bundle of nerves until we pulled away.
"Did you enjoy the festival?" the driver, a middle-aged man wearing glasses, asked while looking in the rear-view mirror.
I gave him a tight smile. "It was a little crowded for my tastes."
He nodded. "I hear that. As I get older, I find myself enjoying busy places less and less. Was the food good at least?"
"Very tasty." It had smelled tasty at least, and the number of people massed in front of those trucks would seem to suggest the same.
"You there alone?" he asked.
Evidently, this ride was going to be full of conversation.
"No, I was with friends but decided to come home early." I looked out the window, trying to show my desire for quiet.
He took the hint and went back to driving, the city passing by in a blur of lights.
My phone rang, the face lighting up with Liam's name. I sighed and clicked the button to silence it. That hadn't taken them long. It rang again almost immediately. I switched the ringer off, knowing from experience he was liable to blow up my phone until I gave in and answered.
The driver's eyes met mine in the mirror. "Your boyfriend seems determined to get in touch with you."
"What makes you think it's my boyfriend?"
His smile flashed. "Only a boyfriend would be that persistent."
I made a noncommittal sound, grateful when he fell silent, keeping his own counsel for the rest of the drive.
We pulled up in front of my apartment, and I hopped out of the back. "Thanks for the ride."
I didn't wait for an answer, ducking my head and making my way to my apartment. The stairs rattled under me as I took them two at a time. I figured I didn't have a lot of time before Liam or one of his guys got the idea to swing by here and check.
Normally, I would have avoided it for that reason, but there were a few supplies I needed before I started my hunt.
The door stuck as I unlocked it and tried to swing it open. I growled, setting my shoulder against it and shoving it open, stumbling inside and slamming it shut after me.
"Inara, Lowen. Out here, now." I headed for the bedroom, grabbing a backpack, a change of clothes, and my back-up weapon. It didn't have the silver ammo, but it was better than just relying on my fists.
"I see you managed to give your keepers the slip," Inara said, fluttering to take a seat on top of the lamp on my nightstand.
"Did you really think I couldn't?"
She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "I had my doubts about your abilities. You have not proven yourself especially adept up to now."
I shot her a glare, grabbing a disposable cell phone from the back of my dresser. I took the one I'd been carrying and removed the battery before slipping it into the bag. It might be a sign of paranoia to think Liam had the capability to track me through it, but the resources he had at his disposal had surprised me before. I didn't want to chance him interrupting at an unfortunate time. Best to be cautious rather than regretful.
"Ah, you're back," Lowen said as he flew into the room.
"Did neither of you think I'd be able to give them the slip?" I asked, straightening and glaring at the two pint-sized pests. Two blank stares met mine, neither expressing a confidence in my abilities. "Unbelievable." Again, I questioned what had inspired me to allow them to stay here.
"What did you want?" Inara asked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I have better things to do than watch you pull things out of your dresser."
"I need to know anything you know about Caroline and where she might have gone." I put the last item in the bag. That should be enough to tide me over for the next few days. I didn't really intend to evade Liam and Brax long-term—to do that, I'd have to leave the city—but I wanted to be prepared in case I was gone longer than I planned.
"What makes you think we know anything?" she asked.
I leveled a knowing gaze on her. I wasn't going to be sidetracked with her questions. "She left a note. I know you were awake when she left, and you're a nosy little pest who likes to keep an eye on things."
Inara gazed at me with narrowed eyes, the jeweled colors in her wings flickering slightly.
"Don't be mean, Inara," Lowen said reproachfully before she could say anything.
Inara met his eyes with a mutinous gaze. He wore a stubborn look of his own. Whatever she saw there must have convinced her because she sighed. "Fine, I won't play any games. Amusing though they might be."
My shoulders relaxed. Good. I didn't think I had time to go round and round with Inara, not before Liam or Brax showed up to tow me back.
"Did she say anything before she left?" I asked.
Inara shrugged. "She left her note and said something about calling in a favor."
I frowned. Who did she know that might owe her a favor that would get the wolves off her back?
"She also said to tell you things aren't as simple as you thought; that something you were involved in before made staying with the wolves impossible. Something about research you'd asked her to do for you," Lowen said, his big eyes concerned.
Of the two pixies, he was a little less hostile and more willing to live in harmony. Inara's mood changed as quickly as the phases of the moon. Sometimes she was cordial and others she rejoiced in making my life as difficult as possible. Her information might not be entirely trustworthy, if not for Lowen's endorsement.