Wolf Watch (The Madison Wolves Book 8) (24 page)

"You'll do exactly what I say."

"Yes."

"Then this is an unnecessary precaution, and it won't startle you." I held still as she dropped a loop of slender silver wire over my head and tightened it against my neck, not enough to hurt, but enough to be snug. She adjusted my blouse to hide it in front, then draped a pashmina over my shoulders, tucking everything in to finish hiding the wire. Then her hand was at the small of my back.

"What is it?"

"A sort of garrote," she said. "Do you know what that is?"

"No."

"This one tightens but doesn't loosen again. When it's time to remove, I have to cut it off, and it's not easy to cut. If I pull hard on the handle, it tightens further. Do you know what happens then?"

"I die, if someone doesn't get it off me."

"That's right. If I pull hard enough, I am strong enough to decapitate you. I don't say that to startle you but to make sure you understand."

I closed my eyes and nodded.

"The windows of this vehicle are tinted, and no one is going to see you. But we aren't taking chances."

"I'm not going to do anything except what you tell me, Karen. You don't have to threaten."

With all her precautions, I was pretty sure they didn't intend to let me live.

"May I have some tissues?"

They handed me a box. A moment later, Portia started the car, and soon we were on the way.

No one talked. I dried tears a few times, but I didn't look at any of them. If they were going to kill me, then I didn't want to talk to any of them.

Finally we arrived at the bank, pulling into the lot. Portia killed the engine.

Eric unbuckled me, and Karen checked me over. "Clean yourself up a little more and pull yourself together."

"I don't know if I can. You wouldn't be doing it this way if you were going to let me live. You would need that wire. If you were going to trust me, you'd start now." I turned to her. "I don't deserve to die.
I don't deserve this thing around my neck. I don't deserve your threats or the way you're treating me."

I looked back out the window. "We'll go in there. I'll get you what you want. We'll leave. And then you're going to take me somewhere and kill me. But I won't give you away. I wouldn't do that."

"Why not? Don't you want to live?"

"Yes, I want to live, but if I'm not willing to take honey from bees, do you think I'm willing to destroy an entire group of people?"

"Our orders are to retrieve the contents of the safety deposit box and return you to the compound," Karen said. "We have no orders to kill you."

"I don't believe you. Whatever. Let's go."

"Inside, my name is Jennifer Baskins. Will you remember that?"

"Jennifer Baskins. Yes, Jennifer. I'll remember."

"If anyone asks why you're so upset, it's because your aunt died. You were her favorite niece, and you have to get the will from the box."

"The box is in GreEN's name."

"And you used it to store the will. GreEN won't care, it's a small will."

"Who are you?"

"Best friend. I've been by your side, and you don't think you can get through it without me."

"Fine, Jen," I said. "Let's go."

She sighed once, and then Portia was opening car doors. We stepped out, and Portia handed me a shopping bag -- a GreEN shopping bag. I didn't think it was funny. She and Eric stayed with the SUV. Karen walked with me, one hand on my back, the other clasping my arm. That left me to open the doors for us. I thought about letting her bang into them, but I decided it wouldn't help my situation.

Inside, we presented ourselves to visit the vault.

"I don't have my key."

"I have it," she said.

"I don't have my ID."

"I have it."

A moment later, a woman led us into a private area, collected my ID, and checked the computer. She asked if Karen would be entering with me. "Yes."

There were procedures for that, including a photo of Karen. Finally we were escorted to the vault. The woman used her key. I used the key Karen handed me. Then the woman carried the box to a viewing room and left us alone.

I opened the box and found the thumb drive labeled with a W.

"Cute," she said. "We're taking everything."

"Most of it's not mine. It's GreEN's."

"Are you going to argue with your best friend, Zoe?"

"No."

I opened the shopping bag and
moved everything into it then let Karen see the box was entirely empty. I picked up the shopping bag, and she tugged me to the door.

Five minutes later, we were in the parking lot. The SUV was gone.

"Do not move a muscle," she said. She released my arm and reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. "Pick us up." I held rock still the entire time. The phone went back into her pocket, and then she clutched my arm again. Two minutes later, we were on our way out of the city.

* * * *

I wore the wire all the way until we came to a stop back at their property. Then Karen had to use a wire cutter to cut the damned noose from around my neck. They escorted me back towards my cell. I was almost in the door before I pulled away and ran to the bathroom. A moment later, I was retching into the toilet.

Karen was right behind me, and she knelt down and tried to hold my hair.

"Go to hell," I managed to say. "Leave me alone."

She got up and closed the door behind herself.

I prayed to the toilet for a few minutes, then spent more time cleaning up, stalling really. I flushed a few times and cleaned up the room a little, too, but it stank. I imagined it really stank for the wolves.

Good. Let it. I hoped they gagged.

All three of them were waiting when I stepped out. Karen stepped forward to take my arm, but I hissed at her. "I know where I'm going. Keep your hands to yourself."

She backed away, and I marched my way to the cell.

* * * *

Elisabeth brought my lunch. Based upon what was on it, someone had gone grocery shopping, which surprised me.

"Is this my last meal?"

Elisabeth sat down opposite me.

"We're going through everything. You have an amazing amount of electronic media. It's taking time."

"You're not going to find anything I haven't already told you about. You no longer need me for anything. You can now tell me my fate knowing I can't do anything to interfere."

"Can we?" she asked. "What if you left a poison pill somewhere?"

"I don't know what that means."

"A lawyer or a friend who expects to hear from you, and when she doesn't, she publishes who knows what."

"Eric said he can smell emotions. Can you smell if I lie?"

"It's not completely accurate. It's hard to fool us, but not impossible."

"Do I seem lik
e someone able to fool anyone? Have you smelled me lie?"

"No, Zoe."

"Do you think I lied?"

"No."

"Does anyone?"

"No."

I lifted my eyes. "Then why are you treating me like this?"

"Because we're scared, Zoe. What if we're wrong about you? What if we trust you, and you have betrayed us, or you betray us later? Lara and Michaela have two lovely little girls. We could be plunged into a war, and those little girls would be some of the casualties, either because they lose their parents or they die themselves. Serena has children. Michaela teaches a school full of lovely boys and girls. Scarlett is one of the sweetest girls I know, and you should meet her little brother, Thomas. Angel is my cousin, and I love her to pieces."

"This is all your fault!" I said. "I didn't set out to record you. I was trying to catch poachers. You turned from wolf to human in sight of a public road. This is your fault."

"Do you think I don't know that?" she asked. "Do you think I haven't been kicking myself, oh, pretty much a hundred percent of the time since I saw that video? Do you think I'm not wracked with guilt? Even if we can let you go, we've put you through this, and it's my fault. Every little bit
is my fault."

I didn't say anything.

"Karen told me how she would ensure your cooperation. I had to approve that, knowing you would probably hate me for it. Do you think I cackled with glee thinking about how scared it was going to make you?"

"You can't hide forever," I said. "Everyone has a cell phone these days. And the world is getting smaller and smaller. There's a pack of wolves thirty miles from Madison? Please. No one is going to believe that. If anyone ever sees any of you, they're all going to descend on you, and you'll never get any privacy."

"I know," she said. "It is the position of this pack that we need to come out in a controlled manner, but we're not the only pack in North America, and right now, the law of the land is secrecy. It won't last much longer, but right now, we don't break it."

I sighed. "I won't tell."

"I believe you. Hell, everyone believes you."

"Then why am I in here? Why did Karen use that damned wire?" I nearly screamed that last part.

"Because we're afraid, Zoe. Take your fear today, but apply it to everyone you have ever loved, then add in an insane protective instinct that's far, far more intense than your desire to protect the environment."

I stared at my hands. "I'm not the one you should be afraid of." I said. "I'm a zealot, but I protect nature. You're the sentient personification of nature." I looked up. "I couldn't hurt you."

I tried not to cry. "May I have more than books? Maybe an Xbox or something?"

"Deck of cards," she replied. "We can play if you want."

"Don't you have duties? Don't you have to go through all my stuff?"

"No. We have other people doing that. People who don't know you. People you'll never know."

"Because you'll kill me before I could meet them?"

"They're from the company that Karen used to work for. They aren't local. They're supposed to identify anything that pertains to this but protect the rest of your secrets."

"Why?"

"So that when we let you out, we can look you in the eye and say, yes we invaded your privacy, but we protected it as much as we could, too."

I huffed. "Come back later. I need to calm down for a while."

"All right."

* * * *

Elisabeth gave me a couple of hours before returning. I'd had lunch and a restless nap and read part of a book. She knocked and entered.

"Discover anything incriminating?"

"Of course not," she said. "You told me we wouldn't."

"That's not true. I told you I hadn't told anyone about this. But that doesn't mean I haven't, oh, I don't know. Sent threatening letters to the CEOs of every mining company in the country."

She laughed. "That sort of incriminating. You won't be doing that anymore."

"I wouldn't suppose I could convince you to kidnap the wife of the CEO of Mertosh Lumber for me? They like to engage in illegal clear cutting, and they are singlehandedly responsible for destroying at least two salmon rivers due to runoff."

"I'm sorry," she said. "We don't do kidnappings except to protect our secrets."

"You could branch out."

"If you can put together a few million, I can introduce you to Karen's former employer. He might be able to help you, although he says he doesn't do kidnappings. But that was when someone tried to hire him to kidnap Michaela. Maybe a lumber baron's wife is fair game."

"Suzette had the hots for Michaela. Do you think she would do a public service announcement?"

"I've seen her
wearing fur."

"Then maybe we could show her a mink farm. She can watch why they kill the mink for a new coat for her. Hell, maybe they'll let her strangle a few with her own hands."

Elisabeth smiled but didn't answer.

"I suppose my concerns seem meaningless to you."

"No," she said. "They don't. We're predators, but we don't waste what we kill, and we don't raise them in cages first. We wear leather -- we're actually rather fond of it. You'll also see buckskin from the deer we take. Zoe, I think you would be miserable here. We can't change who we are for you."

"Is that why I'm still in this cell?"

"You're in this cell because we don't know what to do yet. But I'm here trying to make it easier."

She handed me the cards. "What did you want to play?"

"Strip poker."

She smiled.

"Do I smell bad?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Do I?"

"A little."

"A little, or quite a lot and you don't want to hurt my feelings."

She didn't answer.

"I don't want to smell bad," I said.

"Did you want a shower?"