Page 83 of Wolf Bane
Waltrip gave me a tight smile.“Zero is maintaining.They seem to be having Justin’s luck with the thing.Others are not doing as well.”
Silence fell over us in a heavy blanket for almost too long.Finally, I asked, “And who’s going to be looking for a treatment, then?”
Cullen had the nerve to look annoyed.“I suppose that would be us, unless you’re hiding an entire research department in your back pocket.”
I held my breath for a second, worried he’d ask me to help, present some proposition from the council, but instead, he turned to Mal.“Mariska is improving?”
“She’s doing so much better,” Mal agreed, his relief and happiness showing in his face.“She’s champing at the bit to go play with her friends.But…” He glanced around the table, deflating just a little.“But I’m worried about letting her out of my sight again.Between the Wolf Bane situation, and Garrow being on the loose… I can’t keep her with me all the time.I still need to work.But even the idea of her going to school where she’s surrounded by other kids, by teachers and staff… It terrifies me.I know what Garrow can do.I know what he wants to do.And the fact he has his own team willing to help?”He shook his head.“I’m starting to feel like going off grid and living in a cave somewhere out west is the safest option.”
I was pretty sure he wasn’t being entirely hyperbolic.“We can figure something out,” I offered.“We’ll come up with something to make sure she’s got eyes on her even when you can’t.”
“Dude, I can’t?—”
“Hey, we’re kind of like brothers, right?I mean.Maybe distant cousins or something.Since we went through the same shit with Garrow, were in the same cohort.Got dosed with the same mess…” My face and neck heated under Mal’s surprised, open gaze.“I mean.Maybe?”
“I’m sorry, who are you and what’ve you done with Landry Babin?”He laughed, scrubbing his hands over his face.“Really?”
“I’m an asshole, not heartless,” I said, feigning a scowl that only made him laugh harder.Waltrip chuckled, reaching out to give Mal’s shoulder a soft squeeze.“Where is she now?”
“Ah.Well.When I got summoned this morning, I was kind of desperate for a babysitter so?—”
“Reba,” Ethan supplied.“Reba’s been fretting around for the past two days.We told her you had a car accident but were doing okay and would be home today.”
“I asked if she could mind Mariska at my house for me while we came over here.I told her it was a work thing.”
“We don’t work together…”
Another shrug.“I don’t think she cared.She showed up with peanut brittle, a bag of coloring books, a box full of dress-ups, and one of those fancy water guns that can take out a parent at a hundred paces.”
“That woman is wasted on adults.If she doesn’t specialize in pediatric nursing, I’m gonna spit,” I announced.
Conversation ebbed and flowed for a bit.Cullen politely sipped his coffee, only remarking once how he could taste the burned beans despite my heavy hand with the sugar.Waltrip remained mostly mum until Cullen announced he had to leave in order to catch a flight back to Chicago at nine.
“Ethan,” he said as he rose, “you have the next two weeks off.Use them well.”
Waltrip got to his feet too.“Let me walk you out.I need to speak with you.”
Cullen inclined his chin.“I thought you might.”
Alone with Mal and Ethan finally, I leaned back in my chair.“What the hell?”
Ethan sighed.“There’s dissension in the ranks at the council.I… may have made some very loud statements about their hands-off approach to certain things.Which apparently led to Suzanne Murphy being involved.”
“So, are we on our own here?Looking for Garrow and the others?Are we just sitting ducks while the council dicks around and tries to decide what they’re doing or what?”Mal demanded, shooting to his feet to pace angrily.“I can’t do this again.Put Mariska at risk.Putusat risk.Just because they think they’re bigger and meaner than Garrow doesn’t mean shit when it comes to us.”
“Mal,” Ethan said, rising to intercept his frantic steps.“We’re not going to wait and see.Tyler’s already working on tracking the others.It’ll take some time, but he’s on it.He’s bringing in some friends he’s worked with before.”He shot me a glance.“Landry’s met them.They’re good at what they do and don’t limit themselves to things that are actually legally allowed for private eyes.”
I nodded.I remembered them from last year, a small group of tech-savvy weres who were slick as grease on a brass doorknob when it came to being shady and brilliant with what they did.“They work with Waltrip a lot, from what I recall.”
Mal paused mid-panic.“Oh!Dizzy and them?They’re sweethearts.Mariska loves her.”
“You’ve met Waltrip’s office staff?”Ethan asked, surprised.
Mal shrugged.“We had lunch with him in Dallas last week,” he muttered.“Mariska wanted to see where he worked.”
Yeah, we’d definitely be talking about this later…
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