Skin Deep (15 page)

His body, transformed, he lay next to me in an almost-cuddle, but this little rendezvous was about as far from making out as the North Pole was from the simmering plumes of Yellowstone. I was deathly afraid. Not of what Byron might do to me, but more of what might happen if he accidentally touched me with one of those scalpel sharp claws he was waving in front of my face.

I knew this was an attempt to show me who was boss. And I was thoroughly enlightened. This power play was getting tiresome.

"Put a lid on it Byron. There are too many lives at stake to be playing games. I don't have the time to waste on your territorial dominance games while the killer is out there ready to make his next kill." I kept an eye on his claws as I spoke.

The surprise in his eyes mirrored Anjelo's, and he transformed slowly, back into the version of himself far more easy on the eye than the hairy, growling canine. Byron lifted himself off the ground in an easy glide, and lent me his hand. I ignored it, my pride still burning from my undignified visit with the floor.

"You’re lucky you are an Alpha, Kailin. Or you’d be dead just for your smart mouth."

And I would’ve believed him had it not been for the tiny curl of amusement on his lips.

***

I'd put my visit to Iain last on my agenda, mostly because I wanted to find some excuse to avoid it. But, here I was, entering the colony grounds, and heading straight for Iain's home. The sun hung low, and the sky darkened to an inky hue. A beautiful night awaited us. I pressed my thumb on the keypad, very glad I was still logged with the security company.

Since I'd left, two years ago, I'd returned only twice. Both times to see Iain. The only person in my family still on chatting terms with me. My father's coldness seeped into my bones - I'd seen him only once since I’d left. Greer had visited my apartment a few times, bringing with her the cool, hauteur of the snooty elder sist
er, come to make sure Grams was taking good care of me. Had she come bearing a care package, I may well have tossed her out on her patootie.

But she'd come to gloat. Something about a job in Seattle. Some newspaper gossip column where she could hide her identity well enough, and still get far away from Father. Seems I wasn't the only one running from the winter of our
father's heart.

I hadn't seen her since, and that was over a year ago.

"Iain?" I called, loud enough to echo through the house. Better to warn him than to get mauled to death by my very own brother.

"Kai?" He rounded the corner, coming into the hall from the kitchen, dusting crumbs from his shirt as he drew close for a bear-hug. I loved those huge crumpling hugs. One of those squeezes could last me for days; these days they had to last me for months. "What are you doing here, kid?"

"I actually have some troubling news to discuss."

"Come on in, then. You might as well make some coffee while you talk." He smiled in anticipation and I sighed and followed him into the huge kitchen.

Shaking my head I walked around the island to the counter-top where the huge stainless steel coffee machine still sat. It was an ancient contraption and I hated it with a passion. Hated it because by some stroke of awful luck I happened to be the only member of my family who could actually make a drinkable cup of coffee with it.

I set to work, my hands busy while my mouth rattled on. I filled a silent Iain in on the whole goings-on including my visits to Justin and Byron. He wasn't happy.

I handed him his cup of freshly brewed coffee, and he inhaled the aroma.

"You should’ve come to me first." His tone was thorough Alpha male.

"So you could go tell them yourself? So when would you have done it? Before or after all the chest pounding and name-calling?"

"Shut up
, Kai."

"Well, it's done. I'm still alive, and they are both duly informed. No harm done." I looked at my cup, mixing it studiously.

"Still, you should’ve left it to me. Dealing with Alphas is a dangerous business."

I clamped my jaw shut before I could recount Byron's attack. Wouldn't want to start a Panther-Wolf war. It took fourteen years for the last feud to end, and peace has always been the preferred status quo. And, I wouldn't dare tell him I'd interrogated the Cougar Alpha. Those two were already on the verge of ripping each other's throats out, no need to give him a reason to start all over again.

"Where's Father?" I asked in-between savoring my drink.

"Off-colony. There's something he needs to sort out." Now it was Iain
whose drink was far more interesting.

"Have you heard from Greer lately?" I asked. Iain eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, Iain. Is something wrong with Greer?"

"No, she should be fine."

"Have you or father heard from her?"

"No. Have you?"

"Not since she came to say goodbye, and that was a year ago. Must be living the Seattle high-life." Iain brow knitted in confusion.

"Seattle?"

"Yes, dear brother. Greer told me about her job at the newspaper in Seattle." I spoke slowly, as if to a child.

"Oh. Yes. I get it." He nodded. Then fell silent.

Everything he said should’ve sounded perfectly fine and believable. But something was bothering him, and it had to do with Greer. Bullying Iain into telling me more was a waste of time and my breath. I'd get royally pissed off and he'd just walk off calm as you please.

I told myself I'd done my duty, given all the Alphas the information they needed to keep their clans safe. But my visit to Iain left me unbalanced. There was so much he hadn't told me, evading all those questions about Greer, and where father was and what he was doing. Something heavy settled in the pit of my stomach. I hoped Greer was safe. Hoped she was not in trouble. Heavier still the feeling that I was still outside the loop. Still kept at arm's-length from anything important. Why hadn’t they told me the minute Greer had gone? The minute they knew anything, shouldn't I have also been told? But maybe I made my bed by leaving.

No time for self-pity. I'd have to check back with Iain in a couple of days to make sure she was okay. But for the
moment, I had other pressing matters on my mind.

***

I sat on my bed, toweling my hair, trying not to think about the various spots of pain dotting my body.

My mobile phone was yelling at me to answer the incoming call. I hated the thing, but could never do without it. Usually I had a blue-tooth ear-piece, so I didn't need to put up with its persistent ring, but showers and technology weren't pretty playmates. I'm pretty sure the result would be electrocution. I'd rather not find out first hand.

A new number blinked on the screen. Before the murderer had begun to troll our neighborhood, I'd have answered the call with a flick of a button. But today I hesitated. It was silly.

Stop being stupid Odel. Answer it.

Later I wished I hadn't.

"Kailin, it's Byron." His voice was sharp, raw.

"Hello Byron. Done your head-count yet?" I'd had enough of stubborn superiority from the clan leaders to last me a lifetime.

"Yes. It's why I'm ringing. We were short six until half an hour ago." His voice held a tremor which served to chill my marrow with foreboding. I knew
I wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"All but one of them returned this morning. Bunch of stupid kids
...too scared to let us know, they left it the whole day. Went out on the town. Boozing, clubs, you know how it is?" Wolf-Walkers, much like any of the other Walker clans, had no problems with alcohol. Most alcohol had no intoxicating effect, thankfully. Unfortunately, it had a different addictive result. Alcohol was like candy to Walkers. "They all came home this morning, except for Evan. Faith was too afraid to tell me. Now we may be too late."

It hit me like a medicine ball to the head. Evan and Faith were Byron's twins. This was now a very big problem. "How's Faith?"

"She's in shock..." Byron's voice shivered a little. "I'll be out as soon as I get things sorted here-"

"No. Stay with Faith and the pack. We'll look for him." I was afraid Byron would scare away any witnesses. Wolf Alphas didn't have the most subtle interrogating skills. They ran more along the lines of talk-or-I'll-rip-you-to-pieces. Those types of life threatening scare tactics were not so effective.

It was best Byron stayed home. It may hurt his ego to have a girl to do his dirty work— the girl being a Panther would make it harder to swallow—but I was all he had.

"I'll get things calmed down here, and then I'll be straight out."

I was not going to go head to head with an Alpha. I'd fight him though, if he pulled any strong-arm tactics, but I left it for now. "Byron, which club did they go to?"

"It was Club Wylde." Byron paused, and I heard the soft mumble of voices. "Spencer will finish questioning them soon, and he'll have the report emailed to you in the next half hour."

In Spencer's case a half hour meant exactly a half hour. Spencer Caulfield was very thorough. Undercover at a local police precinct after training at the Chicago Police Training Facility, his aim had been to police the pack with better organization skills. Spencer was particular. I sighed. At least the report would be detailed. Detailed or not, Spencer's investigative reach was limited. Probably why Byron sought me out instead of instructing his guard-dog to go fetch. My territory perhaps? Or too many cats for Spencer's tender faculties.

"And Kailin? Evan's only just seen his first Change. He'll be volatile, dangerous. Whoever has him
.... They'll be in danger." I'd forgotten about the effects of a Wolf-Walkers Change time. Unpredictable. Extremely dangerous. Now he was captured and threatened, he'd be more of a danger to everyone, including himself.

"Alright. Oh and Byron, one more thing," I said.

"Yes." he prompted.

"Can you tell me if there were drugs available or in any way involved with the kids?"

"Drugs? Kailin you know we are immune to the –"

"I know that. But word is there's a drug out there right now that is addictive to Walkers. So I'm just checking."

"Okay hold on." I heard the soft drone of his voice. "Faith says they were offered something but she didn't take it. She thought it was a joke. But she can't be sure that Evan refused it."

"Okay, thanks. And Byron
...I'm sorry. Evan's smart, I'm sure he'll be fine." What I actually meant was I hoped he'd be fine. At this point I couldn’t even hope to guess the outcome.

"I wish I could be so sure." His voice was a father's heart grieving for a son. Sometimes people get 'feelings'. A sense of loss when someone close dies. I hoped Byron's feelings weren't coming from some deeper father's instinct. I wanted to help get Evan home to his family, not track down another skinned corpse.

He cut the call, and I was glad I didn't need to say goodbye. My throat was far too tight to manage words. I dried my hair and twisted it away from my face with a clip dangerous enough to be a weapon itself. There goes my evening, then.

***

I speed-dialed Anjelo.

"Hey, how you feeling today? No more holes I hope?" Cheeky, but not far from the reality of my life these days.

"Byron's kid Evan is missing," I said, my voice flat, devoid of the shock I was in.

"When? Where?" He wasn't counting the holes in my body anymore.

"Last they saw him was Club Wylde, last night. I'll have the statements of his friends in an hour. In the meantime, round up a couple of people to join us. We're going clubbing. I'll meet you at the Deep."

"I'll sort out the tickets. We'll have to wait until opening time."

"Which is?" I'd never been to Club Wylde. My evenings were often filled with other pursuits—like killing Wraiths. Besides, I liked my personal space. The thought of gyrating on a darkened dance floor, hip to hip with scores of unknown bodies...ugh. Not my thing.

"Ten-pee-em, Kailin." Uttered with such patience.

"Sorry, I'm not a club-crawler okay. That's your thing."

"Probably the touch-me-not Alpha in you." He obviously thought it was a joke. But he was right. "I can go without you. Have a look around and give you a full report."

"Not happening. I want to speak to the manager of the club. Best place to get the information is from the guy in charge."

"Fine. If you want to tangle with Sully you can come."

"Sully?"

"Yeah the club owner. Name's Sullivan, but goes by Sully."

"He's a Walker?"

"Must be to own a club like Wylde."

"So you don't know his species?"

"Sorry Kai. I go to dance, not to fraternize with management." Anjelo snorted.

I ended the call and gathered my things. I usually don't carry my bow unless on a hunt, only the knife in my boot. But today I wanted my weapons with me. This killer had kicked the heat up a notch and I was beginning to get uncomfortable.

What pissed me off was the
killer's audacity to poach a young kid at a night-club. And worse yet, kids were now a target as well. Most clubs overflowed with both Humans and Walkers, bumping and grinding the night away. He'd need to have a Walker detector to know who was who.