“You okay?” I whispered to Clay.
His tanned face was flushed, eyes brighter than usual. When I reached for his forehead, he shook his head, then jerked his chin at Jeremy.
“He doesn’t need to worry about that right now,” he said. “I took some pills. They’ll kick in before the meeting.”
I nodded and we walked in silence the rest of the way.
Once at the community center, we watched from the woods. Tolliver and Shanahan arrived ten minutes early. They went straight in the main door.
Nick loped across the field to watch them through the hall window. Antonio followed at a distance. Once Nick was done, he headed back to us while his father stood watch.
“The doctor checked the meeting room and the bathrooms,” Nick said. “Just flipping on lights and taking a look. Then they went to the gym.”
“So no sign that they’re setting a trap or casting spells,” Jeremy said. “Good. Let’s go then.”
We entered the gym, Antonio in the lead, followed by Jeremy and me, with Clay and Nick covering our backs. As we approached, Shanahan looked anxiously at his friend, but Tolliver laid a hand on his arm and whispered something that seemed to reassure the bigger man. If Tolliver was nervous, he gave no sign of it, not even when his gaze traveled over the five of us. Of course, he may have known that they had reinforcements too-two zombies and a serial killer.
Antonio veered to Jeremy’s left. I stood on his right, and Clay moved up to flank me. Behind us, Nick turned around to watch the exit.
Shanahan began to speak even before we stopped moving. “Randy told me-”
Tolliver cut his friend short with a squeeze on his forearm and a look that said they’d discussed earlier how they’d proceed.
“I’ve updated Patrick on the situation,” Tolliver said. “Both with the zombies, the disappearances and yesterday’s killing.”
“The first of two killings,” Jeremy said. “We were at the second crime scene when you called. A woman, killed in the same way, in a nearby neighborhood. A young, blond, pregnant woman.”
Shanahan’s brow furrowed, then his gaze shot to me. He paled.
“Christ, no-I’d never. A pregnant-? You can’t think-”
Tolliver squeezed his arm again, but this time, Shanahan shook him off. “No, I know you want to stay calm and present our facts, but this is ridiculous. I can set this whole thing straight myself, starting with this Jack the Ripper nonsense. That letter-”
The lights went out, plunging us into darkness. I swung around to cover Jeremy, but his hand closed on my arm first. Clay caught my other arm, and they hustled me to the exit.
Nick pushed open the heavy gym doors. Jeremy propelled us all the way to the main entrance. Then he propped the doors open and waved for Nick and Clay to take a look outside.
A banging erupted from inside the gym. Antonio strode to the gym doors and swung them open.
Shanahan’s voice was shrill. “I told you it was a trap.”
“You!” Tolliver’s voice boomed. “Tell your boss to open this door immediately, because if he doesn’t, I have two Cabals on speed dial-”
“Jer? They’re at the rear exit,” Antonio called. “They can’t get the door open.”
Motioning for me to follow, Jeremy returned to the gym entrance. In the dim light, I could see Tolliver and Shanahan whaling on the exit door.
“It must be jammed-” Jeremy began.
“It wasn’t jammed when we got here,” Tolliver shouted back. “I checked it.”
“Tonio?” Jeremy murmured. “Go help Clay get that door open. Send Nick back in.” He caught his friend’s arm before he left, and lowered his voice. “Be careful.”
“I suspect we’re going to find it’s been spell-locked, not jammed,” Jeremy called to Tolliver.
“Spell-?”
“The same thing I believe responsible for the blackout,” Jeremy said. “Either that or we have a zombie in the basement who tripped the breaker. Not quite so dramatic as a spell, but equally effective.”
As Nick came up behind me, I could hear someone yanking on the outside door.
“You think I turned off the lights?” Tolliver said with a tight laugh. “On werewolves? Who can see in the dark? And I locked myself in with them?”
“We can’t see in complete darkness,” Jeremy said. “No more than you can. As a doctor, I’m sure you figured that out.”
Clay’s footsteps thundered down the hall. His face was red, as if he’d run six miles instead of feet.
“It’s not jammed,” he said, breathing hard. “Doesn’t seem locked either. Antonio can snap the hinges…”
“Not yet,” Jeremy murmured. “Tell him to stand by.”
“It’s spell-locked,” Jeremy called to Tolliver and Shanahan. “A backup plan to distract us when the power outage didn’t do the trick, I suspect. You have two choices. Either we relocate this meeting-quickly-or I will make that Cabal call for you, to Benicio Cortez, whom I suspect will handle this in a much less diplomatic way.”
Tolliver was silent.
“Quickly was the key word in that offer,” Jeremy said, voice still calm. “In sixty seconds, I’m going to declare this a potential ambush and instruct-”
“There’s a room down the hall. A meeting room. Smaller than this, but it has windows. It’ll be light enough to talk.”
Truth
WHILE I WASN’T DISCOUNTING TOLLIVER AS THE SOURCE of the power outage, my money was on Shanahan. His “horrified innocent” act didn’t work with me. I’d seen too many mutts pull the same routine. We’d show up at their doorstep and they’d stand there, stammering and wide-eyed at the very notion that they would be hunting people, denials pouring out on breath that reeked of human flesh.
Tolliver paused at the meeting room door as if expecting a wolf to lunge out from behind it. When Antonio closed the door behind them, Shanahan jumped, fingers flying up in a spell.
“If you finish that cast, this meeting is over,” Jeremy said.
As we moved to the center of the room, Clay whispered weakly, “Nicky?”
Nick started-surprised by Clay’s tone, the childhood nickname or both, so out of place here. Clay’s face was still as flushed as when he’d come running in from outside, and now neither heat nor exertion could be blamed.
“You’re-” I began.
Clay silenced me with a meaningful nod at Jeremy. Frowning, Nick moved up beside Clay.
“Watch Elena, ’kay?” Clay whispered, voice hoarse as if speaking cost more effort than he could afford.
“Are you-?”
“No, I’m not. So watch her. Please.”
Jeremy caught my eye, but Clay had turned away, as if still talking to Nick. Jeremy waved me up beside him. I glanced at Clay again, but his eyes warned me to stay quiet.
Jeremy began, “I’ll presume Dr. Tolliver has told you what’s happened this week, and your suspected role in it.”
“I-” Shanahan said.
“Then you know the charges are serious. These negotiations are equally serious. If you claim to have played no role in these events, and I discover otherwise, I will claim justice as our jurisdiction, to be decided by me-”
“But-”
“A member of my Pack is under direct threat, and neither the interracial council nor the Cabals will deny me justice if I demand it.”
Shanahan swallowed. His gaze shot to Tolliver, who said nothing.
“If you admit to your role in this,” Jeremy continued, “and help us close this portal, you will be turned over to the Cortez Cabal or the interracial council-your choice, but you have my word that I will attend any proceedings, and ensure that your cooperation here is noted and considered.”