Tales Of The Sazi 02 - Moon's Web (26 page)

Ah, It was the pieces of paper that gave it away. "You mean she enters sweepstakes."

"Yes. That is the word— Seepstaks. She wins many things. Is how we met."

"You met in a sweepstakes?" Okay, that had me a little confused.

"No, I do not say right. She wins trip— to Moscow. She goes to nightclub and I see her. The others in our pack, they think she is plain and tiny. A little mouse. They say to me, 'Do not bother with her, Yurgi. She has no fire.' They think women must be like flames in hearth, wild and hot." He put a finger up to his temple and tapped. "But no. My Pamela, she is like stove. It warms as good, but fire is hidden inside, not for all to see." Okay, so his wife is quiet on the outside, but strong. She and Sue probably were hitting it off.

"So, you're asking me and Sue to go to the game with you and Pamela?" I didn't know if Sue liked football, but I sure as hell did. "Hey, I'd be happy to go with you, but are you sure you don't want to ask any of your friends from the pack?"

His face fell a bit and his scent was the wet mist of sadness. "I am Omega, Tony. Beneath notice to pack. You are only person to treat me kindly." The sadness faded, left behind by the warm dryer vent smell of gratitude.

He thought that I treated him kindly? After I'd nearly snapped his arm off and left him to bury deer carcasses, and was now bossing him all over the hotel? Okay, that made me feel a little uneasy. What do the others do?

"Are these guys taking advantage of you, Yurgi? You don't have to put up with their shit. I can teach you to shoot. Then they'll treat you with the same respect as me."

He reached out to grasp my arm, but then pulled his hand back hurriedly. I guess word had gotten around not to touch me. "No, Tony. Is okay to be Omega. Is much better than Siberia. Nikoli is good pack leader. I do small things, not like hard work in Russia. Only a few days a month do I have chores for pack, instead of every day, early to late. I have apartment with Pamela, a job, food on a table that belongs to me instead of pack. All because of gracious Alpha. They pay me American money for every hour I work— so much money. Is good life. I am happy here. There is future. You understand? Nikoli, he honors effort. He allows one such as me even to breed, if I am able."

I'd never really thought about things like that. Okay, so maybe Chicago isn't too bad, after all. I'll be keeping Siberia off my list of places to visit. It made me realize that maybe I didn't understand Nikoli, after all. He'd won a few points just now.

"So you and Pamela got married in Russia and then moved here?"

His eyes grew wide and the clove scent of pride burst into the air. "No. Not in Russia. Pamela was only for short time in Moscow, as was I. We spent time together while we could. I was bold enough to tell her my secret, because I hoped she could stay with me. But she could not. When she returned to America, she sends me letters. I learned much English from her letters, with help of friend. I learned she loved me. She could accept me."

His scent suddenly returned to embarrassment, but anger rode over the top. "My Alpha, he sees me reading letter when I should be working. He is ready to kill me, but decides to exile me instead. Is hard for low wolf to be in wild, Tony. I will not survive without pack to provide for me."

Okay, now that I didn't understand. Even a human can survive in the wild. It made no sense. I didn't get a chance to ask about it, though, because he continued.

"I write to Pamela one last time. I tell her I am exiled and will never see her again. But she is brave, my Pamela. She lives in Chicago. She searches for Sazi, asking in dark places where she should not be. She is taken to Nikoli and asks for his help to bring me to America. She promises to work hard for the pack if he will bring lowly Yurgi to be with her." His face showed surprise and his scent was once again cloves and cinnamon. "My Alpha, he calls me to him once more before I am taken to deep forest. He is surprised. The great Nikoli has asked for me. He offers passage to America— to Chicago, for a lowly Omega. He makes passport and obtains visa. I do not forget his kindness, Tony. I have Pamela and if God is willing, we will have children. She is human, so it is possible. All is possible in United States."

"Even football," I said with a small smile. Despite the waves of depression fighting to take control of my mind, it was hard not to feel better with the scent of oranges and cinnamon and other happy spices filling the air.

"Yes. Even football. You will go with us? It would please me to share my fortune with one who avenges the small ones. Denis and Alek are most humble to you."

I glanced to my side when I saw Lelya walking down the hallway toward us. "Sure, Yurgi, I'd be glad to. We'll work it out later." I turned my attention to the Duchess. "So? Who won the battle?" An amused but annoyed scent rolled off her and she glanced at Yurgi sharply. He lowered his head, and absolutely reeked of the dusty heat of shame and embarrassment.

"The banquet will be held in the conference room. You will provide two additional cameras for the ballroom on the second floor. Wolven will provide extra agents for guarding the room. It has no windows, so there should be little to delay your schedule."

I closed my mouth when I realized it was open and rubbed the bridge of my nose to ease the tension. Windows. Shit, that's right. I'd forgotten all about the windows. We needed to get bars installed, or…

I looked at the Duchess. "Since it's winter anyway, would it be okay to use nails or wood screws to secure the windows to the frame and then putty and paint over them? We can pull them out afterward, and I can't imagine anyone who would need them open. That way I wouldn't have to install bars. It would save time— give me the extra time to work on the ballroom."

Yurgi almost slapped my shoulder, but stopped short a second time. "Yes. Is good idea. Would save much time."

Lelya glanced up to something behind me. I turned my head. Asri was walking down the hallway, pulling her long hair out from inside her shirt. The necklace she always clutched finally appeared for a moment before she tucked it back inside. It looked like a carved piece of bamboo on a chain, but it was solid, not hollow. Some sort of charm, I guess.

The smell of peppermint preceded her by about a mile. Does she carry the stuff with her now? I decided I didn't want to know.

The Duchess noticed the scent, as well. Her brows raised delicately. "Peppermint Castile is a new scent for you, Asri."

Asri's face went stony and blank after a brief moment of surprise at Lelya's new, improved appearance. "It was a gift."

Lelya's face was a mix between stern and amused. "Ah. I've always thought it better in tea or candy than disrupting scents. Don't you agree?"

The face and scent gave nothing away, but Asri's hands were trembling a bit. "If it disturbs you, my Alpha… " Lelya flipped her hand gracefully. "No, no. But I don't believe it is one of Nikoli's favorite scents. Yes, I think peppermint is better in tea. I don't believe we have had tea together in a number of years, Asri. Why don't you join me?"

Asri's eyes grew wide and panicked and her mouth opened just a bit. She closed it abruptly and glanced around her frantically. "I'm afraid that I will have to decline, Duchess. There is much to do, after all, and I have little free time."

My smile was both malicious and impish. "Oh, go ahead, Asri. Yurgi and I can take up the slack for a few more minutes."

She turned to me and the shock of surprise, combined with hot and sour soup, rode over the peppermint in a burst.

Lelya stepped forward and put an aim around Asri's shoulders to lead her away. "Yes, but I insist. Tony seems quite competent." She turned to me for a moment. "I believe your idea about the windows is a good one. You may proceed." I nodded, and then she turned back to the wide dark eyes framed by a curtain of shimmering black hair. "And we've much to talk about, you and I, Asri— with the meeting here so soon. I will tell you many things, of people and personalities. The past and the future." Asri stepped quickly to keep pace with the older woman, but she wasn't walking smoothly. She turned her head often, looking for some way out of the situation. Oooh, boy, was she in for it. I still remembered my own tea party.

"Have fun." I called as they walked the hallway to disappear down the stairs. If Asri shot me a dirty look, I didn't see it.

I would like to say that Yurgi and I worked as a well-oiled team until afternoon, but it would be a lie. He was having a hard time grasping the necessary detail work involved for a good security system to function smoothly. I did find out that he was pretty good with a solder iron and could climb into tight spaces like a monkey. But I also knew that I would be installing and programming the computers alone if I didn't get more help.

Lucas strode up as I was explaining— for the third time— why we had to move the cameras again so that the coverage overlapped. The information just wasn't sinking in.

"How's it going, guys? You holding up okay, Tony? Will we be done in time?" I looked around at the stacks of boxes and wires that I hoped to turn into a control room soon and sighed. "I sure hope so. I can think a little better thanks to you. I've got to run back into town to get two more cameras and a bunch more wire, though. The Duchess apparently has decided that the conference room will house the banquet, so we'll need to get some video coverage outside the ballroom on the second floor." Lucas swore under the breath. "I was afraid Lelya was going to win that argument. I just hope Nikoli holds up under pressure better in the council chambers, or the wolves are in for a rough ride until I'm back in the saddle." He shook his head and I could smell the burnt metal frustration envelop him like a cloud. "Go ahead and get whatever you need. The budget's out the window anyway."

"Any chance you can work with Yurgi getting the computers set up while I'm gone? It would really speed the process along."

He looked around at the room, with wires sticking out the walls at odd angles. "I'm not good with electronics, Tony. But, I do have someone coming in later who's a whiz at this system. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out."

I didn't bother to keep the eagerness from my voice. "When does this whiz arrive?"

"His name is Raven Ramirez. He's second in command at Wolven. His is one of the jobs I'm watching at the moment while he's on mandatory leave." He shook his head angrily and clenched large fists. Boiling coffee rode the air and made Yurgi sneeze so hard and fast that he had to leave to find tissues.

"It's ridiculous for the council to require both Fiona and Raven to be on leave at the same time! Mind you, neither of them had a break for years, but I'm only one person! The desk in Paris is a disaster." Ah. So Wolven is based in France.. I'd wondered. "How'd you get him to work the meeting if he's on vacation?

And when does he get here?"

Lucas grinned and raised his thick brows. His eyes twinkled with dark humor. "He was already stateside visiting his father. His grandfather is Chief Justice of the council. They haven't seen each other in over a year. He's allowed to visit family, after all. If he happens to wander around the hallways during the meeting when his grandfather is tied up, who's to stop him?"

Rationalization at its finest. It didn't fool me, and it wouldn't fool the council. But that wasn't my problem. The security system was.

"He should arrive by early evening, depending on how the flights between here and Denver are running." Great— I could get the cameras and install the components, and then have help hooking them all together! I glanced at my watch and swore under my breath. I was already twenty minutes late for a call to a certain little blackmailer.

Lucas took my swearing to mean that time was slipping by, which it was. "Why don't you go ahead and get the cameras. The address and phone of the supplier are on the invoice downstairs. I can at least help Yurgi finish installing the cameras on the walls, and leave the final hook-ups for you." He glanced across the center opening to focus on the cameras already installed on the opposite side. "They look like they're about ten feet apart, right?"

"Eleven feet, two. You can go ten feet if you want, though. It might be better to have a tighter sweep close to the front door." I finished dusting off my jeans and checking my pockets for the keys to the, ugh, Honda. By the time I'd gotten to the electronics store, I'd made two extra stops, and a major discovery. Sometimes, it's when your mind is occupied that weird things pop into your head. I'd remembered Scotty saying that he had photos of me and Bobby at the hotel. I wanted to find out where he'd been that he could take photos. Carmine hadn't mentioned finding any special camera equipment, and I was supposed to be foiling assassination attempts of council members. A rifle has a lot longer range than a camera. Carmine had gone through the two envelopes of prints carefully. He'd found three of me and Bobby— taken from inside the hotel, just before my session with Asri. We had a big security breach! I mulled the possibilities and problems that bombshell raised.

"The kid was looking down at you guys," Carmine had said. "There's a bit of a metal railing at the bottom of one pic, and— yeah— a little more railing at the top of this other print. I'd say he was on the second floor. No higher than that, and directly opposite the front door. From the green that pokes up in the corners, I'd say he was behind a potted plant."

I admit to being preoccupied when I got to the hotel, but the twenty other people who lived there should have noticed a teenager skulking around. It's not like the place is an actual hotel, with strangers wandering around. I thanked Carmine, and ensured again that Sally was still healthy, if not happy. We talked a bit about the investigation. Fortunately, even though I hadn't gotten much done today he'd been pleased by Asri's efforts. He felt that finding Sammy, and eliminating him as a suspect, was real progress. It had settled him down, bought me a little more time.

He and Asri hadn't become best buddies. "That broad's got a major chip on her shoulder, Tony. She didn't have much nice to say about Barbara, which set Linda off. I had to have the guys pull Lin out of the room before she pounced and ripped out all that black hair."