Chapter Twelve
Rory threw down the length of charred wood in disgust. “This is hopeless,” he growled. “I can smellfoxen, all right, but what hope have we got of following a scent with these idiots getting under our feet?”
When they’d arrived at the blackened shell of The Antique Boutique, the KSRT had already been on the scene, sifting through the ashes for evidence of Khain’s presence.
The Chief laid a steadying hand on his shoulder. “They’ve got their job to do, just like we’ve got ours. Chances are we wouldn’t have found anything anyway – that call-out got pretty fraught.”
He didn’t say that Rory had gone full-on berserker trying to get back into the building to save Ivy and the sidewalk had turned into a battlefield, but Rory took the point anyway. Any scent evidence would be hopelessly confused.
He had no other leads, though. This was the only place he could be sure the shady property manager had been.
“Don’t give up hope,” the Chief began. “Wade Lombard’s boys are good at what they do. If anyone can find her—”
“Shut up,” Rory snapped.
The Chief cocked his head and gave a low, menacing warning growl. That was over the line no matter how upset Rory was – way over.
Rory waved his hands frantically. “I mean shut up, please, sir… I can hear her!”
…she’s afoxen, Ivy was saying inruhi, inside his head.She’s taking me to Khain. Can you hear me, Rory?
He punched the air. “She’s alive!” he yelled to the rest of the squad, then frantically sent back,I can hear you.Where are you? Can you see any landmarks?
The guys crowded round, silent, as he listened for her response. It faded in and out, staticky and indistinct, like a radio station with bad reception.
…don’t know where I am. But a couple of miles back…guy with a can of spray-paint…ey walk among us…
He told her to hang tight, that he was coming for her, then he spoke to the guys.
“Bad news is, we’re on graffiti cleanup next week. Good news is, I know where she is.”
The Chief clapped him on the back. “Let’s go!”
As the fire truck roared into motion, heading for the water tower near the edge of town, thewolvenpiled into their squad cars and peeled away from the pavement. They fell in alongside as an escort, sirens blaring.
As they moved through the busy center of town, cars pulled onto the sidewalk to get out of their way and pedestrians gawped from the sidewalk, probably wondering what had all of Serenity’s emergency services tearing through town like their asses were on fire.
“Find out as much as you can about where they’re taking her,” the Chief instructed Rory.
“I will, but she fades in and out. What’s out there anyway? Mostly farmland, a few abandoned barns and stuff, right?”
The Chief’s nod was grim. “It’s a lot of ground to cover. And if Khain’s coming for her…”
He didn’t have to finish his sentence. They were racing to beat the clock.
* * * * *
Ms. Renard glanced over sharply at Ivy, and she realized with dismay that her lips had been moving as she concentrated on speaking to Rory over the miles that separated them. His answers were faint – she didn’t actually know whether it was really him or just wishful thinking. But she answered as though it was real, because what other hope did she have?
“You’re communicating with him, aren’t you?” thefoxendemanded. “Shit. Nothing about you is easy, is it?” She thumped the steering wheel with her bony fist, then pulled over sharply to the side of the road, yanking on the handbrake.
She tore her scarf from around her throat and tied it tightly around Ivy’s eyes, knotting it roughly at the back of her head. Pity, really – Ivy had been trying to work out if there was a way she could throttle her with it.
“Try leaving him a trail of psychic breadcrumbs when you can’t see where you’re going, Promised,” she gloated. “At least I know now that you really are one of them and I haven’t been wasting my time on some random little hussy.”
“Hussy?” Ivy said. “Ooh, can I guess where we’re going? Is it 1953?”
Ms. Renard gripped the knot at the nape of Ivy’s neck and yanked her head back. “Let’s see how feisty you feel when I hand you over to Khain,” she snarled.
