Fox Play (33 page)

"Yes," Greg said. "I feel good about this, but clearly I have no proof."

"Is there a motive?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "It appears the Chicago wolves are having additional financial difficulties. It seems several businesses owned by wolves in the area have recently closed. Poor Durian Grant has had to dine elsewhere for a while. Even his favorite bakeries have closed, one due to remodeling and the other received an unpleasant visit from the health inspector."

"What a shame," Elisabeth said.

"In addition, seventeen wolf families have suddenly moved out of Chicago representing twenty eight working males and seventeen working females representing a combined annual income of six point seven million dollars."

I did the math in my head. "I want a raise, Alpha!"

She laughed. "I suspect a few of them skewed the results, little fox."

"Twelve had salaries well in excess of a hundred thousand a year," Greg said. "Mr. Grant, I'm afraid, has no idea where these wolves have gone, and he is reportedly livid. The order has gone out to all other wolves they are not allowed to leave Chicago."

"How has that been received?"

"Six more families will be moving out this week, including one highly-paid cardiac surgeon. Doctor Hanes will be taking an extended vacation in a warm climate before taking up a new position in a new location."

"In addition, the law offices of Chestnut, Branson and Oaks have unfortunately suffered a major fire. A significant amount of damage was done to the offices while also leading to structural integrity problems with the entire office building. The building has been vacated until repairs are completed. Repairs are expected to be in the millions, and this all happened just days after the insurance company officially notified the building owners the building was no longer under coverage due to non-payment of premiums."

Lara grinned. "Would Chestnut, Branson and Oaks be the name of leading wolf families in Chicago?"

"Yes," said Greg.

"And the building?"

"Owned, it appears, although the paperwork is dicey, by one Durian Grant."

"How much is this costing us," Lara asked.

"Other than Lima Consulting's fee," Greg said, "Not a dime. Everyone approached has been happy to accept opportunities to move across the country, and we haven't had to offer any special inducements. We didn't even have anything to do with the fire. Which of course, would have been arson, and thus illegal. But we note that the law firm in question handles the work for Durian Grant and that James Freisen's sister worked there. She has not been seen since several hours before the fire was detected."

"I wouldn't want to be her if they catch up to her," Elisabeth said.

"Would you like to meet her, Elisabeth?" Greg said.

"You have her?"

He grinned. "She's safe at the Lima Consulting compound outside Denver. We're keeping her under wraps. She wasn't very bright leaving the city, so we offered a little assistance."

"You're having fun, Mr. Freund," I told him.

"Candy from a baby," he said. "I'd almost not charge you, we're having so much fun. Don't worry, we are charging you. But it seems almost a crime."

Lara laughed.

"We figure in the last two weeks, we've cut his long term income by fifty percent, give or take. The income from the office building would have been significant. We didn't find the office building the first time around. We thought it was owned by the law firm. Alpha, we have a few more employees we are luring away, and we think others will find ways to leave without our influence, but I am recommending we hold our operations for a while after that. Stick to information gathering and let things work on themselves for a while."

"A few things are possible," Lara said. "The enforcers will leave, kill each other, kill Durian and Avery, or get killed by them."

"Yes."

"Or they'll look for fresh income," she added.

"Yes."

"We're the nearest source."

"Yes."

"How is our security?"

"Strong," he said. "And we'll have advance warning if they head in this direction."

"All right," Lara said. "I wouldn't mind letting him become weaker before we have to deal with him physically. What else do you have for us?"

"Well, it seems Durian Grant isn't a complete idiot. Only mostly an idiot. He tried to hire private detectives to spy on you, Alpha."

"And you learned of this how?"

"He tried to hire one of my subcontractors. The man said yes and immediately informed me."

We all grinned. "So what sort of misinformation are we sending back?"

"I do believe we should discuss that," he said. "We can either make you look weak and ripe for the pickings or strong and a difficult target."

"And we can also make him believe Lara and I are having troubles, which increases the likelihood he'll believe her ruse about selling me," I added.

Lara bristled and pulled me into her arms. "Mine!"

"So predictable," I told her. "Are all wolves this predictable, Greg?"

"Most of them," he said.

"What are the risks, Greg?" Elisabeth asked.

"He's desperate, and my guess he doesn't have any choice. He's coming after you, Alpha," Greg predicted. "The question is when and how."

"I wouldn't mind him weaker when he does it," Lara said. "We should hold him off as long as we can."

"I don't want him thinking he needs outside forces," Greg said. "If he took every enforcer he has and stormed this compound tonight, he would lose badly."

"But what would we lose?" Lara asked. "Can't we use more time to prepare?"

"Alpha, I believe we are as prepared as you can be. I believe you would rather have him underestimate you and come in cocky than overestimate and build up before coming in."

"So, he needs to think we're weak and unprepared," I stated.

"That is my recommendation," Greg said. "There are risks either way. If he engages in a frontal assault with his current forces, we will win, but we will take casualties. But I believe that is a better choice than if he hires mercenaries, especially if he manages to hire smart mercenaries."

Lara considered her choices. "We really believe the pack leader and the pack itself have virtually no business income, it's all from tithing?"

"There may be other surprises," Greg said. "But if there are, they are well-hidden."

"Elisabeth, comments?"

"I don't mind being underestimated," she said.

"Michaela, I know how you feel."

"I absolutely love being underestimated," I agreed.

"Yes, that's what I thought. All right, Greg, do it that way. What do you need from us?"

"We can handle most of it. I think if we can get the two of you having a public fight, a very public fight, that wouldn't hurt."

I sighed. "Lara, I won't have any problem looking very upset if you take me to dinner tomorrow evening." We would be meeting with Vivian at five tomorrow. "It won't take much acting on my part."

"It's not your acting I worry about," she said. "It's mine."

"Oh honey, you know I can piss you off. Just remember I'm doing it for us, and forgive me later."

* * * *

The session with Vivian went pretty much as I expected it would. I told Lara I didn't want to spoil my memories of the sushi restaurant, so we went back to the steak house afterward my session with Vivian. In the car, I picked a fight.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into quitting my job," I told her.

"Excuse me?"

"You knew I loved my job. Maybe it was beneath your notice. Did my being a public servant embarrass you, Lara?"

I had warned her I would piss her off, but still she walked right into it. "You said you wanted to teach."

"What I wanted was an outdoor job. What I wanted was to stay in Bayfield with my beautiful view-"

"From the roof of your house?"

"I could see further from my roof than I can see from the tiny window in your bedroom. Wow. Trees. The lake is beautiful, and you knew how I felt about it, and yet you still made me move down here."

She gritted her teeth and didn't say anything. If I let it sit, she might calm down by the time we reached the restaurant. "I don't know why you couldn't just run the pack from Bayfield. How much does it really take, anyway? Seems to run itself. You hardly do anything."

"I hardly do anything?" she asked. "I work my ass off holding this pack together. I work my ass off making sure your precious Bayfield is safe for you. The least you can do is show a little appreciation."

I thought maybe that would do it. We sat quietly for the rest of the ride, but I made sure to rub my eyes so they would look nice and red.

As soon as we got out of the car, I draped myself over her. "Don't be like this, baby," I said.

The look she gave me was one of, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I kept up the airhead routine, acting as clingy as I knew how. Then I demanded she take me jewelry shopping later, and by the way, when was she going to buy that sports car she promised me.

She almost lost it then. "Sports car?"

"It's not like the money means anything to you, baby. You promised." I dragged that last word out, turning it into a proper whine.

Shortly after we were seated, she started to giggle. "I can't believe you," she said.

In response, I leaned across the table, nuzzling her, then whispered into her ear. "You're a shit actress. You need to react to me the way I'm behaving. This is real."

"Lara! You promised me that car!"

"Keep your voice down," she said. "And quit with the PDA. You know how I feel about it."

I ordered an expensive meal, then in fox fashion, I barely picked at it. I made her buy champagne and barely drank any. And every chance I got, I touched her, flirted with her, and was as clingy as I could be.

When she was kind to the waitress, I accused her, quietly, of having eyes for someone else. That caused a real flash of anger in her eyes, and I hoped whoever was taking photos caught it, and that we were at the right table. This one was supposed to have been bugged.

By the time dinner was over and paid for, she didn't want anything to do with me. I draped myself over her on the way out the restaurant, and she practically shoved me off of her. "Baabbyyy," I whined. "Don't be like that."

The thing was, I wasn't sure whether she was playing the role, or if I had really pissed her off. I thought perhaps it was a bit of both, and I was hoping I could cajole her back into a good mood by the time we arrived home.

We got into the car, and I tried to sit next to her, but she practically threw me into the other seat. We drove a block, and she began laughing.

"Shitty actress? I am not a shitty actress!" she said. She grabbed me and pulled me onto her lap, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a kiss that left absolutely no doubt in my mind how she felt about me. When we finally came up for air, she said. "Okay, maybe I was being a shitty actress, but following your lead made it almost easy."

We made love in the car on the way to the compound; she left me quivering with need before she finished me, then opened her legs and allow me to taste her. I think she intentionally held back as long as she could, her own orgasm coming only as we pulled into the courtyard.

I reassembled my clothes hastily, barely pulling myself together by the time Karen opened the door for me. Elisabeth stopped me as I got out of the car and said, "You have something on your face," and wiped it off with her finger.

"I did not!" I told her.

She laughed. "Are you sure?"

We all assembled at the command center. Greg was on the phone when we arrived. He finished the conversation and was laughing. "I've already received the pictures and audio. Lara, I know it was an act, but even I was wondering whether you really were planning on selling Michaela."

"Don't worry," Wendy said. "They made up in the car."

"How would you know?" I asked.

"I have a nose," she said.

"Makeup sex is the best," Karen replied. "If I had a lover, I'd totally pick fights just for the sex afterwards."

I glanced over at Lara to see how she was taking it. She looked smug. I decided she was just like a man and stormed off, my escorts scrambling after me.

As I left the house, I heard Wendy say, "Alpha, you might get more make up sex tonight."

The door closed to Lara's pleased chuckles.

When I got home, I was somewhat taken aback; it was filled with teenagers. Every teenager in the compound, from Chloe Lassiter on up, was hanging out watching a movie and eating pizza and popcorn. I stopped just inside the door and stared at them.

Sophia noticed my expression. She popped out of her seat on the sofa between Alan and Chloe and crossed the room to stand in front of me. "Is this all right, Michaela?"

I was still stinging from the embarrassment and teasing. I couldn't understand why Lara insisted on flaunting our sex life to the entire pack, and I didn't understand why they felt it was any of their business. I didn't understand why people who knew I was embarrassed by it, and who otherwise treated me very kindly, went out of their way to enhance my embarrassment.

All of which meant I was ready to say no, it wasn't all right. There must have been something in my expression, because Sophia said, "We were done, anyway," and turned to tell them to go home.

"Wait, Sophia," I said. It wasn't her fault I was in a mood. "No, it's fine. I was just surprised. It's fine. Enjoy the movie. Try to limit the volume to a manageable level."

I passed through the living room into the kitchen, retrieved a bottle of wine and headed upstairs. By the time Lara got home, the bottle was empty and I was passed out.

* * * *

Lara woke me early the following morning, holding a glass of water and some aspirin. I mumbled grumpily at her but took them. Once the glass was empty, she took it from me, set it aside, then sat on the bed. I lay back down and rolled away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing is wrong," I said.

"What you mean to say," she said, "so that we don't get in the habit of lying to each other, is that something is wrong but you either don't want to talk about it or want me to drag it out of you piece by piece. Until I hear otherwise, I will assume the later."