“Becca Land.”
“Were you able to determine if the wolf had slipped her leash?”
“If we had this discussion face-to-face,” Becca said, “we’d both probably get a lot more out of it.”
“As I explained earlier,” the slightly muffled voice rejoined, “I’m not currently able to reveal my interest in the developing situation.”
“What exactly is the situation?” Becca asked, fishing a pad of paper and pen out of her bag one-handed. She hastily noted the date and time.
“I thought I made that clear earlier. Humans are being contaminated, infected, perverted by these…creatures. And America’s new darling—the beautiful, Ivy League-educated Councilor Mir—is the worst animal of them all.”
Becca’s skin literally crawled, because this person did not sound crazy, if she didn’t actually listen to what was being said. Though indistinct, the voice was cultured and well modulated. She could imagine its owner sitting behind a desk in a multimillion-dollar high-rise office building or sipping brandy in a private club. Nothing overtly insane or extreme. But the venom curdled her blood.
“There doesn’t seem to be any proof of this…contamination,” Becca said. “If you know something, then give me a lead. Someone to talk to.”
“There will be more. Soon.”
“Where…”
The caller disconnected.
“God damn it,” Becca fumed, scribbling madly. The mysterious caller had contacted her at five that morning, urging her to look at the early morning edition of the city rag. When she asked why, the answer was that the Weres were hiding a secret that could threaten human existence. The implication was Sylvan Mir was on the verge of losing control of her animals, as the caller put it.
Becca was an investigative reporter. She followed a story, no matter how slim the lead, and if there was anything at all to this story, she had a hunch it was going to be big. She sipped her cold coffee and thought about her next move. She didn’t have one. But she hadn’t gotten to this point in her career by sitting back and waiting for the breaks to come to her. She made things happen. She picked up her cell phone, scrolled through her contacts, and pushed a number.
“Gates,” a smoky voice said. “Praetern crime division.”
“Becca Land, Detective.” Becca wondered how the decorated detective felt having been shunted from the elite Crimes Against Persons division to the hastily formed PCD when her father had come out as a Vampire, dragging Jody Gates into the light with him. So to speak.
“I’m busy, Ms. Land. I’m afraid I don’t have any sensational news for you today.”
“I’m an investigative reporter,” Becca said, trying and failing not to be annoyed by the always annoying detective. Why it bothered her that she got no respect from this one detective when she had a good working relationship with other detectives on the crime beat, she didn’t know.“If you say so. I’m still busy. Goodb—”
“Wait! What do you know about some kind of Were infection getting out of control?” Becca said hastily.
Jody was silent for a long moment. “Are you telling me that you know something about it?”
“How big a problem is it?”
“You’re fishing.”
“I’m in the right pond, aren’t I?”
Jody sighed. “I don’t have anything for you. But if you know something, I need you to tell me.”
“You see,” Becca said conversationally, “the way this works is that you help me out and I help you out.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Because we both want the same thing, Detective. We both want—”
“You want a headline with your name underneath it,” Jody said, and the sting was back in her voice. “I want to prevent senseless deaths.”
“You sanctimonious bastard,” Becca said, losing the reins on her temper. “You don’t know me or what I want.”
“No, I don’t,” Jody said in her infuriatingly icy-calm voice. “But allow me to give you a piece of advice, nonetheless. If you keep fishing, you’re likely to pull up something that you can’t handle.”
“Oh please,” Becca snapped. “Are you trying to frighten me now?”
“If I wanted to frighten you, I can think of much more pleasant ways to do it.”
The Vampire’s voice slid along her spine like deliciously cool fingers on a scorching summer day. Becca tightened in places she didn’t want to tighten, especially when talking to this infuriating…
Vampire. She realized she was breathing a little bit faster just before she realized that a Vampire’s hearing was acute enough to tell that over the phone. If she hadn’t already known, Jody’s throaty chuckle would have confirmed it.
“Bastard,” Becca muttered.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” Jody said, her voice businesslike again.“I’m listening.”
“If you get a lead on any kind of unusual condition affecting the Weres, you don’t go off investigating on your own. You call me.” Becca snorted. “Where’s the part where I get something out of this?”
“You stay alive.”
“Not good enough.”
“That’s a very foolish thing for a mortal to say.”
“I’m not going to waste my life doing nothing because I’m afraid of dying.” As soon she said it, Becca wondered why she had. The few encounters she’d had with Detective Jody Gates had been uniformly frustrating, if not downright infuriating. Somehow, being dismissed by the elegant, always calm and cool Vampire annoyed her no end. And now, she was getting very close to revealing herself to her.
“Believe it or not,” Jody said, “I understand that.” Becca caught her breath. She was curious. Everyone was curious where the Vampires were concerned, and by nature, she more than most. Still, she felt an almost strange reluctance to probe, which was completely unlike her. “But why would you…I mean, dying really doesn’t change things for you all that much. Does it?” Her question came out sounding almost gentle, not like her usual in-your-face interrogation style. Gates had a way of turning her around and upside down, and Becca didn’t like it.
“Being animate is not quite the same thing as being alive,” Jody said quietly.
“Will you help me?” Becca asked.
“Will you promise not to take unnecessary chances?” Jody countered.
“I’m going to do my job, but if you promise to keep me in the loop…anything you have, I get it first. Exclusive. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
“And?”
Becca found herself smiling, unaccountably charmed. “And I’ll be careful. No chances.”
“Then we have a deal,” Jody said.
“Thank you,” Becca said softly. She disconnected and leaned back in her chair, knowing she was flushed and imagining cool fingers gliding over her slick skin. Shaking her head at her foolishness, she picked up her pen and focused on her notes. Such an annoying Vampire.
Drake had a few extra minutes before her evening shift started, so she detoured through Washington Park on her way to the hospital from her apartment on Madison Avenue. The air held the hazy yellow glow of an August twilight and smelled like freshly mown grass.
Strangely melancholic, she circled the small lake in the center of the park, watching couples stroll hand in hand or picnic with sandwiches spread out on white squares of deli paper. She tried to recall the last time she had a picnic meal. She didn’t bother trying to remember the last time she’d held someone’s hand. A group of noisy teenaged boys shoved past her on the winding path, and she watched them go, kings of their own small universe. She wondered if they were Weres, but she didn’t think so. They didn’t move with the kind of loose-jointed grace that was so typical of Sylvan and her wolves. Drake thought of Misha having been attacked in this park the night before, of the terror in her eyes, and Sylvan’s tender fury. She wondered if she’d ever see the Were Alpha again.