Fox Dish (Madison Wolves #6) (14 page)

"Your flight is in the morning," she said. "It's late and the flight crew is tired."

She gave me a tour of her house. It was large, far larger than one person would need.

"I bought it when I had my large retinue and was throwing lavish parties four times a week," she said with a grin. "This is my room."

It was huge but tastefully decorated. I looked around. "You can stay here with me tonight, if you want."

"Suzanne," I said. "No."

"Fine. Party pooper. We could have a wonderful slumber party, but you're a prude." But she led me out of her bedroom and to the bedroom across the hall. "Yours."

"It's beautiful, Suzanne," I said.

"It could be yours for as long as you want," she said, eyeing me up and down with a grin.

"You're just looking for a conquest," I said. "It won't be me. I am immune to your charms."

"I bet I can crack your nut by midnight tonight if you stop saying 'no' all the time."

"No."

She laughed. "Why did I know you were going to say that?"

Suzanne and I had a nice time for our last evening together. She ordered Chinese food and we watched movies. She grinned at me and said, "You haven't seen my movies? Seriously?"

I laughed. "No. But tell me you aren't that vain."

She pouted. "I was just hoping the star power would wear you down."

"You were not," I said. "You like knowing there's not a thing I want from you, not even your body."

She studied me. "How about one of the classics, then?"

We watched a couple of Marilyn Monroe films and went to bed. In separate beds.

I got back to Boulder late afternoon on the next day. It was Saturday, and I'd been gone nearly two weeks. I got picked up at the airport and had a debriefing with Greg right away.

"The client was very pleased," he said
after extracting everything he could from me. "She says you are exactly the woman for the job and wants you on permanent retainer."

"I don't know what that means, Greg."

"She wants you on the next flight back to Los Angeles, Michaela."

"Oh." I looked down into my lap. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her something was coming up here that I needed you for, and we would get back to her after that."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was it that rough?" he asked gently.

"She kept trying to lure me to bed."

He laughed. "And that would be so bad?"

"Greg," I said quietly. "I'm married."

"Even though she banished you?"

"Maybe she'll forgive me someday."

"All right," he said. "Your bank in Madison has branches in Colorado. Here is your balance."

He slid a piece of paper to me.

"How is it you have this information?" I asked.

He grinned.

I looked at the numbers. The number was one hundred, twenty thousand, and change. "I don't understand."

"We did almost nothing for your recent issues," he said. "I offered you a refund. Consider it a partial apology for not being there for you when you needed us. Plus your salary and bonus pay for the last two weeks."

"Bonus pay?"

"Our employees are paid a flat, although small base salary and bonus pay based on the jobs they perform." He gave me more paperwork, which I glanced through.

"Thank you," I said.

"Take the next few days off," he said. "I'll need you Tuesday beginning at ten AM."

"Do you have more to tell me?"

"We are facilitating a meeting between two pack alphas," he said. "You will be available and observe."

"Should I look for anything in particular?"

"I don't have anything in mind right now, but I will want your impressions later."

I nodded.

* * * *

Tuesday morning rolled around. Wendy and Cameron met me at my room in the morning. I was dressed casually. Wendy took one look and told me, "Business casual. Change. Then we'll go to breakfast. You can bring your knives, but leave your gun."

I nodded and changed, and we went to breakfast.
Over breakfast I asked them if there was anything else I needed to know about the meeting today. Neither of them had much to offer. It wasn't even nine by the time we finished breakfast, but neither of them seemed to want me to head back to my room.

"You can tell us all about Suzette," Wendy said. "Come on, we can head to my quarters. They're bigger."

"I'm not sure I am supposed to talk about my assignments," I replied, but I let them lure me to Wendy's room.

They tried to draw me out about Suzette, but I refused to answer their questions. We'd been there for twenty minutes before I finally asked, "Wendy, what is going on?"

"Just killing time," she said.

"Are you trying to see if I'll tell secrets?" I asked. "I won't."

"No, Michaela," she said. "Honestly, we're only trying to kill a little time before the meeting."

I looked between them, with Cameron standing casually against the wall, Wendy sitting in one of her two chairs. I had the other.

"You could tell me what the meeting is about," I said. "Greg asked me to observe, but he didn't have more to offer."

"We'll all find out soon enough," Cameron replied.

"So what's the story why I am there?" I asked.

The two exchanged looks,
then Wendy said, "Bodyguard."

"Whose?"

"Greg's," Cameron replied immediately.

"You know," I said. "If you don't want to tell me, fine. But I need to know what I am supposed to be doing.
Greg's bodyguard? Seriously?"

"You're a good bodyguard," Wendy said. "Your client was very pleased."

"The worst threat was a couple with a baby stroller," I said. "We all know if Greg needs a bodyguard in a room full of wolves, I am the last person on the compound anyone would pick."

"Look," Wendy said. "We're going to walk in. You'll stand with Cam and I. We stay quiet. We stay polite. We observe. We don't need any story. We're just there. Okay?"

"All right," I said. "You could have just said that."

Cameron changed the topic, engaging Wendy in a discussion of some past missions. I listened, curious, but also deeply suspect. Something was going on, and they weren't telling me what.

Finally it was time to go. Wendy told me, "Remember. We're there to observe, not react. Whatever happens, keep your mouth shut unless someone addresses you directly."

"Right. Fly on the wall."

"Exactly," she said.

I thought it was odd they both flanked me, as if they were guarding me.

I thought it was equally strange we descended into the basement of the office building. "Aren't there nicer meeting rooms upstairs?" I asked.

"These are more private," she said. We arrived at the bottom of the stairs and turned right, passing through a secure door. We then turned to the first door on the left, and Wendy used a card key to unlock the door. She opened the door and Cameron preceded me into the room, Wendy right behind me.

We were not the first to arrive. There was a large conference table. Seated at the end was Daniel Bancroft, the Boulder alpha, dressed in a business suit. To his right was Brooke, his daughter and head enforcer. Daniel and Brooke had become friends. I was surprised to see them. I turned to say hello, but Wendy pulled me back and said quietly, "They aren't here as friends."

I nodded and let myself be led to a location on the wall. Daniel looked at me.

Greg was there along with more of his wolves. He stopped by. "We're only waiting for the other alpha." Then he stepped away again, not staying to talk.

There was a small commotion, and Wendy leaned over to me to whisper in my ear. "Michaela, do not react. I know it's not going to feel like it, but everyone in this room is a friend."

I turned to her. "You just said-"

"Remember what I said. I can't say another word, and I wasn't supposed to say that."

The door opened, and the first one to enter was Lara.

I stared at her. She didn't even glance at me. I knew she saw me; she was never that unaware. She didn't even acknowledge me.

I took a step towards her, but Cameron and Wendy both put a hand on my arm.

Behind Lara were Elisabeth, Serena, and Angel. Not a single one o
f them looked at me. And behind them were Christopher West, the councilman who hated me the most, and Albert Stein, who wasn't one of my biggest fans on the council, either.

I looked over at Wendy, searching her face, but she shook her head. However, neither she nor Cameron released their hold on my arms.

Lara greeted Daniel, Brooke and Greg. Greg did introductions. They all sat down, with Lara next to Daniel, across from Brooke. Greg took a seat next to Brooke. Greg's enforcers assumed watchful positions along the walls and in front of the door. The councilmen took seats behind Daniel.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Daniel asked Lara very quietly. A wolf wouldn't have heard him, but I did.

"I have to," she responded. "I don't have any other choice." She paused. "You should know she can probably hear you."

He looked straight at me, and I stared straight ahead, feigning indifference. But my heart was a lump in my throat, and I felt sick. She hadn't even acknowledged me. None of them had, not even Angel. Not a one of them looked at me.

"So she can," Daniel said after a moment. Then he turned to Greg. "We are ready to begin."

Greg stood up. "These proceedings are being recorded. This room is being recorded from multiple angles. The principals will receive copies of all raw video and audio. Furthermore, the hallways and other rooms in the lower level of this building are similarly recorded, and that media will also be provided to all principals. If you have something to be said you do not want to share with anyone else, do not say it within this building."

Lara nodded understanding.

"The subject has had no advance notice of these proceedings," Greg continued. "The subject has had no access to counsel or advice and has had no particular reason to believe these were perhaps necessary. This is per agreement of both the Boulder and Madison alphas. Are there questions?"

Damned straight, there were questions, but he wasn't looking at me, and I had been told not to react. I wondered how long that was going to last.

I searched the faces, but everyone was pointedly not looking at me. I couldn't believe any of them could be in the room and not once look at me.

There were no questions. Greg continued. "The subject has not been disarmed."

It was pretty clear who "the subject" was, as much as he was dancing around it. I didn't know what was going on, but Greg was the only human in the room, and I was pretty sure the enforcers around the room weren't here to protect Lara and Daniel from each other, or Greg from either of them.

"Thank you, Mr. Freund," Daniel said.

Greg sat down, not looking at me.

Daniel paused, looking at papers arranged in front of him. "Then let us begin." He looked straight at me. "Michaela Burns, please step forward."

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me. It was the first time most of them had looked at me. Most of the expressions were blank. Angel's brow was furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together.

Christopher West looked insanely pleased.

I thought perhaps Albert Stein looked uncomfortable, but he was difficult to read.

I couldn't read anything from Lara or any of the rest.

Wendy and Cameron hadn't released my arms. I hadn't made any attempt to obey Daniel's order. Wendy and Cameron took a half step forward, tugging on my arms. Numb, I let them pull me forward to stand near the end of the conference table.

"Michaela Burns," Daniel said. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Because Greg told me to be," I replied. "Other than that, no." I suppressed my desire to say something more cutting. This was definitely a time for my fox cunning to take over far more than my fox independence.

I could be very cunning. I was sure I would need to be.

"You have been charged with a lengthy list of offenses," Daniel said. "These proceedings are to determine the validity of the charges and, if deemed guilty, the sentences to be imposed."

I was on trial. I was on trial, and everyone in the room knew it before I had stepped into the room. I turned to Greg. He didn't even have the grace to look chagrined.

"Fuck you," I told him slowly and clearly.
I looked to a space between Daniel and Lara. "That goes for all of you."

"Silence!" Daniel bellowed.

I looked around the room, wondering how many I could kill before they took me down. Wendy and Cameron tightened their hold on my arms. I hadn't been subtle.

Christopher West looked like he was hoping I would try it. I decided if I were going to kill anyone, I would start with Greg and head for dear old Mr. West after that. I narrowed my eyes at him, not saying a word, and his grin faltered for a moment,
then grew even wider.

Finally I returned my gaze to Daniel. "I see," I said finally. "Am I afforded counsel? Am I to hear the charges leveled against me?"

"We do not operate like human courts," Daniel said. "You will defend yourself, or not, as you choose. This is not a cat and mouse game between two lawyers, but instead a search for the truth." He paused. "We require you to disarm before we may proceed further. Doing so willingly may serve you better than if we are required to use force."

I studied him. Every pair of eyes in the room was watching me. Wendy and Cameron still had firm hold on my arms, one hand on my upper arm, one clasped at my wrist. I looked between them, glaring at Wendy for a moment.

"I will disarm," I said. "If my guards will allow me to do so."

Daniel nodded, and they both slowly released me, but they each kept a hand on my shoulders. It was possible I could escape from them and kill Greg, but I didn't think so.

I reached up slowly and pulled two chopsticks from my hair. I set them on the table in front of me. I pulled the silver belt from around my waist, a gift from Lara, set it on the table, then gave it a shove; it came to a rest directly in front of her. She looked down at it, then looked up at me. Emotion flickered across her face, but it was too brief to read.

She had always been good at hiding her emotions from me, all of them except anger.

The knives at my wrists were next. I rolled my sleeves up slowly, unstrapping one sheath at a time and setting it down firmly on the table.