Page 27 of Waifs And Strays
He shook his head. ‘There aren’t any wolves here.’
‘Are you sure about that?’
He met my eyes. ‘Yes.’
It was rare that I lost my temper; in my old line of work anger was an emotion that was not permitted. Anyone who killed in anger had no place as an assassin and I’d long since trained myself to tamper down anything beyond mild irritation.
I realised that I was taking Nick’s abduction personally. He’d been attacked under my roof and I’d promised Alexander MacTire that he’d be safe, so it wasn’t surprising that my blood was boiling. But it wasn’t helpful.
I closed my eyes for three beats then opened them again. ‘Please accept my apologies, Mr Black. I’m having a difficult day but that is no excuse for my behaviour.’
‘It’s not a problem. I was concerned about you after your visit yesterday.’
‘I’m fine.’
‘That is good.’
I relaxed my shoulders. Calm, Kit: be She Who Loves Sunbeams, not She Who Hisses. ‘I’m looking for a werewolf. Somebody told me he was heading in this direction.’
Black nodded, as if that were perfectly normal. ‘We did have a werewolf customer an hour or so ago. He bought severalpastries and took some coffee to go. He didn’t linger and I didn’t watch which way he went.’
‘What did he look like?’ I asked. I had to be sure.
Black pursed his lips. ‘Short red hair. A fair bit of stubble. He appeared … unkempt.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He didn’t look as if he’d enjoyed a hot shower or a proper meal for several days.’
Well, at least that was some information. ‘Thank you,’ I said.
‘We look after our own, Ms McCafferty. You’re a part of Danksville now.’
This time I gave him a genuine smile. ‘Thank you,’ I repeated. It was difficult to judge on a day-to-day basis how much success I’d achieved in becoming part of the community here, so it was good to learn that my efforts hadn’t been in vain. I really was putting down roots – and that made what happened to Nick hurt even more.
Black crooked his finger at the young woman behind the counter. ‘Liesel, you served the wolf. What was his name?’
I stilled. Of course: anyone ordering a coffee to go would have given their name to make it easier to collect the drink when it was ready. I crossed my fingers tightly, praying that Liesel would come through.
Her brow creased as she tried to remember then her expression cleared. ‘Shane. That’s what I wrote on his cup.’
Shane, like the mysterious gunslinger in that old Western book. I shivered. It was appropriate.I’m going to find you, Shane, I promised silently. Sooner or later.
As soon as I stepped outside the coffee shop, I scanned the busy market. Perhaps Shane was still here, ambling around the stalls. Perhaps he was watching me from a dark corner. Perhaps…
A hesitant voice interrupted my thoughts. ‘Hi, there.’
I glanced to my right. It was the harassed mother who’d bought the clover talismans from Trilby. ‘Uh, hello,’ I said.
She didn’t smile. Two of the younger kids, apparently already bored by the market, were kicking clods of dirt at each other. Cats were much, much easier than kids. ‘I know that was you that paid for the clover.’ Her hands twisted together. ‘I’m not usually a charity case. I’m having a hard time right now and there’s a ban sith…’
‘I know,’ I said. I gave her a meaningful look. ‘I wasn’t taking pity on you. I only wanted to help.’
‘I’ll pay you back – when I get the money, I mean. I’ll make sure you get it all back.’
‘You don’t have to do that.’ I tried to bolster her quiet dignity. ‘I live around the corner from you and the last thing I want is a ban sith in the area. If those talismans encourage her to move on, then I win.’
The woman bit her lip. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered. She nudged the oldest child, a boy who was standing beside her and staring vacantly into the distance. ‘Tell her,’ she said. ‘Tell the lady what you know, Adrian.’
