Fox Dish (Madison Wolves #6) (9 page)

I didn't wait for a response. I killed the call and turned off the phone. There was nothing more to be said, after all.

I climbed back to the top of the hill. I watched.

It was another two hours before I saw the first out on the deck. I stared through the binoculars. The figure on the deck was definitely a wolf. He was so bundled up, I wasn't sure if it was one of the ones who had kidnapped me. But it was a male wolf, and as far as I was concerned, any males living in that house were fair game.

Most importantly, I had the right house, or at least I thought I did.

I waited. I watched. No one noticed me. No one disturbed me. What business existed in the office building behind me faced the other way, and no one came around the back.

I watched. I waited.

I saw more wolves periodically. I recognized one of my kidnappers. I saw a female I thought might be Emily; I wasn't sure. I would avoid killing any females, but if they died inadvertently, that was unfortunate. They may have tried to be kind to me, but they were all culpable in what had happened. We would have heard if Johnny Mack was dead, and if no one had killed him yet, then everyone here was to blame for it.

I watched a while longer, and then I slipped down the hill slightly, looking around. I needed a second location. I pulled a bandana from my pocket and tied it to a bush next to my hiding location, far enough below the top of the berm it wasn't visible from Brody's house.

I identified three likely locations. I moved down into my car, started it, and set the heater to high while I studied the maps I had printed. I made a decision and put the car into gear.

I drove six blocks, timing the drive. It was longer than I would have liked. But I found a quiet road, and right next to the road, a large, sturdy tree. I parked and climbed the tree, bringing my binoculars with me. It took me a minute to reach the branch I wanted. I turned away from the trunk and lay down across the branch, raising the binoculars to my eyes. I searched, and I found my bandana hanging limply from the bush where I had tied it.

I mimed taking a shot then descended from the tree as quickly as I could: five seconds. I ran to the car and slammed the door. Eight seconds. I checked the map of the area. I smiled.

I drove away carefully and found a hardware store where I bought the things I would need. I drove back to the tree and proceeded to nail boards into the side of the tree, forming a ladder. I wouldn't use it climbing back out of the tree but it would make it faster climbing up.

And then I got in my car and drove east back into Wisconsin. I changed my license plates, found a motel, and climbed into bed.

* * * *

I woke in the late afternoon. I turned on my phone and collected the messages. I had three text messages from Lara: "Please come home so I can forgive you." The next was, "I need you, Michaela." The third broke my heart. "I will love you forever."

There were more messages from Elisabeth, Serena, Angel and Scarlett. They were all one form or another of ordering, begging, or cajoling me to come home.

The one from Karen was the most useful. "Don't wait after you fire. Don't admire your handiwork. Take the shot and run."

I listened to a few of the voice mails. There was only one from Lara. "Little Fox, please come home. Please don't leave me. I need you. Rebecca and Celeste need you. Michaela, I love you so much. Please come home."

"I love you too, Lara," I said out loud, fighting back the tears.

* * * *

I drove to a clothing store and bought more clothes. I found a fabric store and bought a sewing kit. I bought groceries. I then drove two towns away, finding another motel. I never bothered checking out of the first. I didn't know if Lara would hire Greg Freund to find me. I didn't know if they could trace my cell phone. I was willing to let them catch me eventually, but I didn't want that to be too soon.

I spent a couple of hours making more preparations, using the sewing kit and clothes. I had dinner and napped, then left the motel at midnight. I drove into Iowa, found a quiet place to change the license plates, and called Angel.

"Michaela!" she said. She started crying immediately. "Please come home."

"Oh honey," I said. "You know I can't. Do you understand why?"

"You are being foolish. Lara is very angry."

"I know," I said. "Are you allowed to talk to me? I don't want you to get into trouble."

"For now," she said.

"As long as there are wolves who think we are weak, then we are all in danger, my babies most of all. These wolves think we are
weak. I am about to disabuse them of that notion. I will not have my babies taken by wolves, Angel!" I said the last almost as a yell. Then I calmed down. "I'm sorry," I told her.

"Oh Michaela," she said. "We'll keep Rebecca and Celeste safe. You know we will. We'll keep you safe, too."

"Honey, I know you would try. But your job will be so much easier when I am done here."

Angel begged with me for a while. I let her. Finally she said, "Elisabeth is here. She wants to talk to you."

Angel didn't wait for permission. The next voice I heard was my sister-in-law's. "You are being foolish," she told me.

"Tell me I am wrong, Elisabeth. Convince me we're safer with them alive."

"We're safer with you a respected member of the pack!" she said. "We need you."

"I would have come home when I was done, Elisabeth. I would come home and accept my punishment. But I will not leave my babies in danger. I'm sorry."

"You're destroying Lara for your vengeance!" she yelled at me.

"My babies must be safe. I must be safe. No one messes with the Madison pack and gets away with it. The message must be clear. Lara didn't kill them all, so I am going to. If you have anything nice to say, say it. Otherwise we're done, Elisabeth."

She was quiet. We both were for a long time.

"I love you, Little Fox," Elisabeth finally said.

"I love you too, Elisabeth. May I speak to Angel one last time."

"Oh Michaela," she said. "Please come home."

"You know I can't. Please, let me speak with Angel now."

She handed the phone back to Angel. She was crying, and I heard Scarlett whimpering with her.

"Please, Michaela," Angel said.

"I'm sorry, Angel. I love you so much. Take care of your girl."

"No!" she said. "You're coming back!"

"I won't be welcome, Angel. I love you so much. Always remember that. Ask Elisabeth if you don't understand. I have to go now."

I hung up the phone and powered it off before it could ring again. Then I sat in my car and cried. Twenty minutes later, I drove away. I drove back to Iowa City and found a place I could park and sleep for a few hours. I made a cocoon in the back seat and tried to sleep.

* * * *

It was still dark when I woke. I was warm in my little nest. I stretched. It was cold in the car. I climbed back to the front seat and started the engine, turning the heater on after giving the engine a chance to warm up.

I contemplated checking my phone for messages, but I knew it would be more of the same. I wondered if they even understood. How could they not? How could they believe my babies would be safe as long as there were wolves
who thought they could hurt us with impunity?

The Iowa wolves
would learn. I would teach them.

I chuckled at that thought. I was a teacher, after all. Then I grew sober.

I warmed up, grabbed a bite to eat, and found a gas station that was open. I used the restroom, then drove to my first location. I scouted carefully first from the car, then on foot. There was no sign my chosen location had received any particular attention during the day.

I pulled the things I would need from the car and set them into place. Then I retrieved my rifle. I bundled up in warm clothes, pulling a white blanket over me at the end. It wouldn't stand up to a serious look, but it might disguise me a little against the snow. Slowly I moved until I was peeking over the top of the hill. I found the correct house and settled in to watch.

It was after seven when I saw the first wolf on the deck. I waited patiently. That wolf went inside, and I saw no more movement for another half hour.

Then I saw a female step outside. She moved stiffly. I looked through the scope on the rifle directly into
Kimbelee Morten's face.

She was still alive.

I watched her for a while, and then she moved back into the house.

I waited. It was cold, but I waited.

Another wolf came out, lighting a cigarette. I watched him.

And then I saw a
male wolf standing at the upstairs window. I couldn't make out who it was, but I didn't care. I had two male wolves in my sights.

I chambered a silver round, took careful aim, took a breath, held it,
then gently squeezed the trigger.

I didn't wait to see what happened. I immediately worked the bolt, chambering the next round. The one on the deck looked startled, and he was looking around; he must have heard the report from the gun, but he wasn't taking cover. I centered the crosshairs on his face, then lifted it for elevation, took a breath, held it, and squeezed gently.

The kick of the gun meant I didn't see the impact, but I took one quick look, and I knew I had gotten the second one. The evidence was clear. I wasn't sure about the first one.

I slid backwards down the hill, leaving my surprises behind, and ran to my car. I got in, started the engine, and was gone thirty seconds after taking my second shot.

I drove carefully but quickly to my second location. I left the engine running and took only my rifle with me. I climbed the tree, leaned out on my branch, and then waited, staring through the scope.

It took them ten minutes to find my first spot. There wasn't a chance of hiding it, of course, if they were at all determined to find it. The smell of gunpowder and fox would be overwhelming to a wolf nose. I watched as first one wolf, then two more prowled around my firing position; none of them was Brody
Mortens or Johnny Mack. One of them was one of my three other kidnappers. I centered the crosshairs on his head, waited for him to pause, took a breath, and squeezed.

I didn't wait to see what happened. I beat my time from yesterday, driving away carefully.

* * * *

I drove south for an hour, watching for a tail. I never saw one. I didn't want to remain in Iowa; I was sure the motels wouldn't be safe. I wasn't sure how much longer I was safe in Wisconsin, but I felt perhaps if Elisabeth caught me, at least she wouldn't execute me.

I turned east and drove into Illinois, then worked my way back into Wisconsin, well east of the border to Iowa. I drove to Madison, found a place to pull over, and turned on my phone.

It was full of messages. I ignored all of them. It was one-thirty in the afternoon, ninety minutes after the deadline Elisabeth had given me. I called Angel.

"Michaela!" she said when she answered.

"Hello, Angel," I said quietly. "Are you allowed to talk to me?"

"No," she said.

"All right. I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I'm not allowed to talk to you, but no one said I couldn't listen to you," she replied.

"Angel," I said slowly. "You've learned too many games from me."

"I have one message for you. If you called, I am to tell you to call Greg Freund."

"I can't afford him," I said.

"Lara told me to tell you to call him," she said. "Please, call him."

"All right," I said. "I'll call him."

"Will you tell me where you are?" she asked.

"I'm not in Iowa right now. I think perhaps I'm not currently very welcome."

"You got them already?" she asked. "Oh god, Michaela. Please come home!"

"I can't, Angel. I'm not done. And I'm too late."

"No! You come home, Michaela."

Instead of answering her, I told her a story from my childhood.
A happy story. It was perhaps the only happy story from my childhood I had ever told her. When I got done, I told her, "I have to go. I'm pretty sure Elisabeth is trying to track me."

"Please call Greg Freund," she said.

"I will. Now, go report this phone call to Elisabeth so you don't get into trouble. You know they'll have your phone bugged, and mine too. So they know, but you go report it anyway."

"Please come home."

"Goodbye, Angel."

"Wait!" she yelled. "Don't stop calling. Please, Michaela. I need to know you're all right."

"Not for a few days," I said. "I'm going to find somewhere safe and hide for a while, maybe a week. I can't use my phone, or else I'll have to move again. Bye."

I hung up and immediately began driving, heading
east. I drove for twenty minutes before calling Greg Freund.

"Hello, Michaela," he said.

"Are you allowed to talk to me, Greg?"