Wolf Watch (The Madison Wolves Book 8) (18 page)

The wait was agonizing, as short as it was. My phone rang.

"Elisabeth."

"Hello, Zoe. Are you all right?"

"No."

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Not over the phone," I said. "I need to see you. It can't wait. I know you're busy. I'm sorry."

"Have you done anything that can't be undone?"

I thought about it. "I might not like the solution, but no. I haven't done anything that can't be undone."

"Then we'll work it out," she said. "Calm down."

I was pacing back and forth. "I can't," I said. "I'm so afraid you're going to be angry."

"Did you post pictures of my friends on the internet?"

"What? No. Of course not. I wouldn't do something like that, at least not without permission. Well, unless I caught you dumping toxic waste into Lake Superior. You're not dumping toxic waste, are you, Elisabeth?"

She laughed, but it felt forced. "No. Do you need me to come there?"

"No," I said. "I don't think we should do this here. We're going to want more privacy. May I come there?"

"I can send someone to get you."

"Please, Elisabeth, can I just talk to you
before I face anyone else?"

"All right. I'm with Lara right now, but we're at home. You can come here."

"Will it be all right? Do you have to ask her?"

"It will be fine," she said. "It's complicated getting here. I'll give you partial directions, but someone is going to need to meet you." She told me where to drive. "Do you have a hands free headset for your phone?"

"Yes."

"When you get there, call me."

"Elisabeth?"

"Yes, Zoe?"

"I-" I paused. I didn't know what to tell her. "They won't hurt me, will they?"

"Who won't hurt you?"

"Whoever you're sending."

"No, of course not. The roads here aren't marked, that's all. They'll bring you to my house."

"All right. I'm leaving now. Well, in a few minutes."

"I'll see you in forty minutes or so, then," she replied.

We hung up. I looked around my apartment for a minute, then I packed my computer in my bag. I found the photos of Elisabeth and the prints I had made, and I packed them, too.

I had another copy of the video, but I didn't want to take the time to get it.

Five minutes later, I was in my car.

* * * *

I called her.

"Hello, Zoe."

"I pulled off the highway and I'm on that dirt road you mentioned."

"Stay on that road," she said. "You're using a headset, right?"

"Yes."

"Stay calm. Two hands on the wheel. There's no need to speed."

"I'm a careful driver," I replied.

"There are a lot of deer in the area," she said. "Drive more slowly than you might normally."

I slowed down. Then ahead I saw a car approaching.

"There's someone coming the other way."

"I need you to come to a stop right where you are, Zoe."

"I'm scared, Elisabeth."

"Don't be. Just come to a stop right in the road. That's Karen and Portia. They're going to turn around behind you, then Karen is going to get in the car with you."

"Please, Elisabeth..."

"She's bringing you here, Zoe. That's all."

I came to a stop, and then the other vehicle slowed down. It was an SUV, and I saw two people in it. As it drew closer, I recognized Portia behind the wheel and Karen in the passenger seat. They came to a stop next to me, and Portia lowered her window. I looked at her, and she made a cranking gesture, so I lowered my window.

"Hello, Zoe," she said.

"Hi." I was scared out of my mind. I knew I was looking at a werewolf. I just knew it.

"Everything is going to be fine," Portia said. "But maybe you should let Karen drive. You look awfully upset."

In my ear, I heard Elisabeth say, "It's going to be fine, Zoe. Let Karen drive."

"All right," I said.

Karen got out of the car and came to the side of mine. "Put it in park," she said.

I hit the Park button, and then Karen opened my door. Before I could move, she reached in and unbuckled my seat then backed out but held out her hand. I climbed slowly from the car.

She was so big, so big.

She took my arm and gently pulled me around to the other side, then opened the passenger door and held it for me as I climbed in. Once I was seated, she leaned in and buckled me in, treating me like a small child.

Then she walked back to her side, slid the seat back, and climbed in.

"I'm going to hang up now," Elisabeth said to me. "I'll see you in another ten minutes or so."

"All right, Elisabeth." I paused. "You need to hear what I have to tell you."

"Of course. We'll have a nice, long talk. I've already got the teakettle going. I'm sorry, but I don't have any food here you're likely to want to eat."

"That's fine." I felt a tear crawl down my cheek. "I'll see you soon."

She hung up, and when I looked at Karen, I saw that Portia was gone. I turned around, and she was behind us.

"Are you breaking up with her?" Karen asked.

"I hope not."

"Is she going to be angry?"

"I don't know. Probably."

"If you haven't betrayed her, she'll forgive you."

"Really?"

"Yes. Have you betrayed her?"

"No."

"Then everything will be fine." She paused. "We're a tight clan. But they let me in. And Portia."

"But you're both from another clan, aren't you?"

She paused before answering. "Yes. But Scarlett's father isn't."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you for telling me. Do you know how to drive this car?"

She smiled. "Yes." She put it in gear.

* * * *

We pulled up in front of a house. It was a nice house, but it was just a house. I didn't know what I
had expected. There were other houses, and I saw several other, bigger buildings.

"What is this place?"

"This is Elisabeth's house," Karen said. Then she pointed. "That's our gym. There's a swimming pool, a couple of racquetball courts, and a whole lot of weight machines."

"Is the school where Michaela teaches here, too?"

"It's that way," she said. "But you can't see it from here."

Then Portia was at my car door, and she opened it. Like Karen had earlier, she leaned in and unbuckled my belt for me, then she waited.

I looked at the belt and over at Portia, then over to Karen. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Unbuckle my seat belt."

"Your hands are shaking, and if you fumbled with it, you would probably get more worked up."

I looked at my hands. They were a little blurry.

"Come on out," Portia said. "Do you need help?"

"No." I climbed out, and she immediately took my arm. Karen climbed out the other side.

"My computer bag," I said. "I need it."

"I've got it," Karen said. She collected it from the back seat, slinging it over one shoulder. Portia held me in place, and then Karen was on my other side, taking my other arm. Together, the two of them led me towards the front door of Elisabeth's house.

The door opened as we approached, and Elisabeth was there. She wasn't smiling. I couldn't read her at all.

Karen and Portia handed me off to her. Elisabeth took my arm with one hand, then Karen held out my computer, and Elisabeth took it with her other hand. She exchanged a look with them, which I thought meant something, and then she pulled me inside. I went docilely. The door closed.

I turned to Elisabeth and folded myself against her. She let me, and then she wrapped her arm around me.

She didn't say anything, but I held her for a while, a long time, it seemed, but it was probably only a minute or two.

She held me, too, but we didn't kiss.

"Come on," she said finally. "You can tell me why you're so upset."

We moved deeper into the house. She led me to a living room, setting my computer down in a chair, then rele
ased me. I moved away from her and looked around the room.

It was a nice room, a normal room. There were sofas and chairs and coffee tables. There was art on the wall
s. I looked around, but I didn't see a fireplace.

"I have tea," she said from behind me. "I didn't know what kind you might want."

"Anything."

"Michaela likes Earl Grey, but I have herbal."

"Anything," I said again.

"Herbal is soothing," she said. "It will need to steep a few minutes."

I listened as she busied herself with the tea. In the meantime, I continued to roam the room.

It seemed so normal, but there wasn't anything normal about this situation.

I looked at the art -- photographs. They were amateur, but good. Most were outdoor scenes, but I came to one of a woman and beside it, a man. "Who are these?"

"My parents."

"You must miss them."

"Every day."

"How did they die?"

"You didn't come here to talk about that, Zoe."

She was right. I moved on. On a table near the front window was a ceramic sculpture of a wolf. I picked it up. It was beautiful, truly beautiful.

"This is stunning," I said.

"It was a gift from Michaela. She had it commissioned."

I turned around, still holding it. "Is it you?"

She stared for a moment. "My mother." Her voice cracked a little.

I stared at the sculpture for a minute then turned around and, with more care than I've ever used on anything before, I set it down on the table. With my back to her, I asked, "Did Michaela know her?"

"No. She found photographs. The artist thought it was just a wolf. It's a very good likeness."

"You aren't surprised I know."

"No."

"I haven't told anyone."

"Who knows you're here?"

"Whoever you told," I said. "I have video of you."

"How much?"

"About a mi
nute, total. I knew about your eagle's nest. My network isn't huge, but it's not small. People tell me about things. I heard about your eagle's nest, and I heard that people wanted to find souvenirs. I set up cameras across the road to try to catch evidence. At least, I thought I could get license plates."

I turned around. "I didn't trespass."

"If you had, we'd have caught you."

"I didn't know that," I said. "How did you catch me?"

"You're a very obvious stalker. Did you know we'd caught you?"

"No.
I haven't told anyone. Not a soul. I-" I turned away. "Is the tea ready?"

"Yes." I heard as she poured two cups, and then she moved closer, holding one out. I trembled as she grew closer, but I took the tea, and she moved away.

"I'm like a frightened animal."

"Yes. You thought I was going to bite you, that night in the park."

"Yes."

"It doesn't work that way," she explained. "Are there copies?"

"I brought almost everything." I turned to her. "Are you going to kill me?"

She paused. "I don't know. It's not my decision. But you need to tell me everything, and if you lie to me, I won't be able to save you."

"I didn't come to lie. I haven't lied. I didn't tell you everything, but I'm telling you now." I paused. "Was it all an act?"

"No."

I felt a glimmer of hope.

"Do you hate me?" I asked.

"No."

"I put a copy of the video in a safe deposit box. I thought about getting it on the way here, but I didn't want to take the time."

"It's a good thing you didn't," she said. "We would have assumed you were leaving something, not taking something. It would have looked very, very bad."

"I was being followed?" She nodded. "I never noticed."

"We're very good at what we do."

"You'd have to be, I suppose." I laughed nervously. "I made you eat chickpeas."

"They weren't that bad. I liked the potatoes."

"But you need meat."

"Yes. And I need to hunt."

"People?"

"Deer, usually."

"People?"

"No, of course not. Deer is our preferred prey, but Lara and Michaela are teaching their girls to start with rabbits."

"Oh. I see." I paused. "Are you a werewolf, or is there another word?"