Arturo hadn’t been fooled for a minute – they’d be sending Fabiana in as a spy. He’d announced that he had to think about it as a way of stalling. He hadn’t told anyone that, even Dominic and Giuliana. And he’d been gratified to find out that Dominic would have accepted the mating with Fabiana if he’d been ordered to.
He stopped pacing and settled into the chair behind his desk. He couldn’t tolerate her defiance much longer. He could order his niece to marry someone else. He didn’t want to have to do that, but he was afraid that if he didn’t find a way of settling her down, she’d keep putting herself in more and more danger. What if, heaven forbid, she started dating someone from the Bianchi pack, just to get under his skin? Worse, what is she did that, and found herself with cub?
It was a shame Dominic was off the table now, due to his having moon-bitten that human. Of course, he did have some concerns about Dominic and what was going on in the territories that he’d been assigned. Ottavio was flat-out convinced that Dominic was skimming money. Granted, Ottavio, fanatically loyal to the pack, saw betrayal everywhere.
Arturo didn’t know what to think, these days. Dominic had not been able to track down a single one of the business owners who’d closed up shop and left town. Neither had Arturo, who had his own sources.
The ghoul attacks, the challenge from the Bianchi pack, the businessmen disappearing…everything seemed to be happening at once. It couldn’t be a coincidence – but try as he might, he couldn’t find a single common thread to the new threats that were cropping up on what felt like a daily basis now.
He glanced back at the computer screen that was tracking his niece’s progress and shook his head in confusion.
“What the hell is she doingthere?”
*****
Zoey muttered curses under her breath as she glided to a stop in front of her building. It had taken twice as long as it should have to get here, because everywhere that she drove, obstacles popped up in front of her.
She’d come back here, reluctantly, because she needed to go pick up some clothes. She couldn’t afford to buy any new clothes, because funds were getting increasingly tight. She hadn’t gone to work at either the catering company, or the messenger service. She’d been laying low for an entire week now, hiding out from Dominic, crashing in an abandoned east side building and dumpster diving for food.
She also intended to make Danielle talk to her, whether Danielle wanted to or not, which was why she’d brought coffee with her.
And she’d grab some new books while she was in her apartment.
She stepped off her bicycle, trying to puzzle out what was different about her neighborhood. Then it hit her. The reek of garbage.
There was none.
The area smelled like a walk through a garden. The air was sweet and fresh.
Well, that was something. Feeling a little better, she went to Danielle’s apartment and rapped on the door until Danielle answered. It was only noon, way before Danielle liked to wake up. Good.
When Danielle opened the door, she shoved the cup of coffee at her. Danielle took it and drank half of it without pausing to take a breath. Then she looked Zoey up and down.
“You look awful,” she observed. “I thought your new gangster boyfriend would pay for you to go to a salon and dress you in designer clothes. So, he’s not just a criminal, he’s a cheapskate?”
“Gee, I missed this.” Zoey flopped down on the couch. “I have been sleeping in an empty building over on the east side. I asked Dominic about what’s happening with the local businesses. He wouldn’t answer me. I left. I haven’t spoken to him since. I haven’t been able to go to work or stay in my apartment, because he’d be able to find me. And it’s not my fault that his damned wolf bit me on a full moon and now he thinks he’s stuck with me.”
Danielle took another sip of coffee. “Well. You did bring me caffeine,” she said grudgingly. “And I’m sorry that he makes you feel like he’s stuck with you. Sounds like a douche.”
Zoey sighed. “Ok, in fairness, he doesn’t really make me feel like he’s stuck with me. It’s more like it’s some kind of weird fate thing. According to him. He’s very flattering and he’s the only guy I’ve ever met who’s ever made me feel like an actual fairy princess. He’s just kind of a moody dick. And also, very stalker-y.”
“Like, sexy romantic rom-com stalkery, or annoying stalker-y?”
“Umm, well, I…”
“The first one, then,” Danielle observed drily. “He isn’t terrible to look at, I guess. For a criminal. So what are you going to do?”
“He’s got this idea that on the next full moon, he can claim me. I was thinking, maybe if that date comes and goes, he’s not allowed to claim me after all?”
Danielle just gave her a skeptical look and finished her coffee. “And when that inevitably fails?”
“Wow, I’vereallymissed this!” At Danielle’s sour side-eye, Zoey laughed. “No, I really have. And I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. I’ve just decided to believe that it’ll work. Now, do you know if there are anyCapopack members upstairs in my apartment?”
“Nah, but they’ve been watching the building, from the apartment across the street. You’re in the clear today, though, they left about an hour ago because there was some report of ghouls in the northwest. They made it into a subdivision and ate a mailman.”
“Oh. Yay? I better hurry and get my stuff, then.” Zoey raced upstairs and packed some clean clothing. When she came back down, she knocked on Danielle’s door again so she could say goodbye. “So you’re just going to go back to sleeping in a squat, for like the next two weeks?” Danielle said.
Before she could answer, Andrea’s apartment door opened, and Lorenzo stepped out. His face lit up when he saw Zoey.
