Page 63 of Triumph of the Wolf
“I understand.”
“Can you get her back? Can I help?” Ivan raised his wrist, the sleeve falling back to show the whole bracelet.
“I’m going to get them back, yes. And I’ve already got a druid and a werewolf to help. I think that’ll be sufficient.”
He mouthed, “Druid,” having probably never encountered one. At least not that he knew about.
“We’ll get them,” I promised and stepped back, intending to leave him and head for the van, but I paused. “Did the letter say anything useful? What ransom did Abrams want? That’s who sent it, right?”
Maybe I shouldn’t have assumed that. The real estate developers were still possible culprits behind everything, though all the magical potions that had been hurled about the premises continued to make me think Abrams the more likely antagonist.
But why would Abrams have thrown Lykos under the bus? Or had he believed his young werewolf assassin wouldtake care ofIvan? I grimaced.
“For me to get that from you.” Ivan pointed at the chain around my neck, though the medallion itself lay under my shirt. “And also another one from a werewolf living here in a van.” He pointed to the parking lot.
“I guess that solidifies it. Itmusthave been Abrams.”
Chad had been interested in werewolf artifacts too, but I doubted he’d masterminded the kidnapping of Izzy and Jasmine.
“There wasn’t a name on the letter,” Ivan said. “I was to get the medallions and mail them to an address, and then the kidnapper would send Izzy to me.”
“Do you have the address?”
“Yes.” Ivan withdrew a folded paper from his back pocket and showed me the letter.
The address was familiar. I took a photo so that I could check later, but I was fairly certain that was one of the locations that Jasmine’s father had come up with as being related to Radomir’s business. Another piece of evidence to link this to Abrams.
“It crossed my mind to try to bribe you for those items.” Ivan shook his head ruefully as he withdrew an envelope foldedin half. “But, even if you’d agreed to sell them, which I doubted from the beginning, mailing priceless artifacts to a random address did not seem like a surefire way to get my sister back.”
“No. You’re supposed to do an in-person exchange when you’re trading for a kidnap victim. Or so Hollywood informs us.”
Ivan nodded his agreement, then offered the envelope. It was stuffed thickly enough that hundreds of dollars could be inside.
I held up my palm. “You were right that the medallions aren’t for sale.”
“This is for finding my bracelet and returning it. I did promise a reward.”
“That’s okay. I was looking for something else when I happened across it.”
Ivan raised his eyebrows. “Are you going to be too proud to accept my offering? It’s not a hand-out. I’m sure you don’t need that.”
“I’m not proud, but I’m also not a treasure hunter or anything like that. I’m a property manager.”
“Let me at least reimburse you for the postage you spent mailing the bracelet.”
“Okay.”
Without taking any of the money inside out, Ivan held the envelope toward me again.
“The price of stamps hasn’t gone upthatmuch.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Inflation has been particularly profound in that area.”
As I shook my head, a call came from the lawn.
“Luna? Are you out there?” Rue stood in the grass, holding up a potion in a vial. “I have something for your intern, but he’s not in the leasing office.”
“I need to go,” I told Ivan. “That might help us find your sister.”
