“You didn’t just look at the truck. You searched elsewhere.”
“In the trash, the Dumpster—everywhere I could think of.” He leaned forward intently. “That’s why I’m here. I don’t think Friar has it. Either one of the other people looking for it—”
“There’s more than Friar after it?” Cullen asked sharply.
“Yes, yes—I’ll get to that in a minute. Either one of the others somehow tracked it down, or one of the mechanics took it home with him. Either way…” He looked directly at Rule. “Seabourne can’t find it. He’s tried. We need your Finder now. You have to send for her.”
Rule’s face was tight. “Two things you need to know. First, she isn’t under my authority. Second, she’s a young mother with a new baby, and Friar wants to kill her.”
Hope drained from Jasper’s face as visibly as water swirling down the drain. “Then you won’t—you can’t—”
“I can’t send for her. I can ask her to come.” Rule looked at Lily for a long moment and sighed. “I will call her.”
“Like hell you will!” And Cullen sprang at him.
TWENTY-NINE
LILY transferred quickly to the couch to get out of the way. Rule parried Cullen’s charge with a variation on a hip lift—and sure enough, Cullen crashed into the chair she’d just vacated. It toppled. Lily sighed. “So much for the undamaged furniture.”
“What—” Jasper turned wide eyes on her. “Aren’t they going to stop it? I thought those men were Rule’s guards, and he’s the big leader. The Rho. Why are they just standing around?”
“Cullen is Rule’s friend. He’s got certain privileges.” She winced. The next exchange of blows had been so quick she didn’t see who got hit where, but when they separated Rule’s nose was bleeding. “Plus Cullen is Nokolai, not Leidolf, so Rule is his Lu Nuncio, not his Rho. The rules are different for a Lu Nuncio, and Rule hasn’t ordered Cullen to stop.”
“Being friends means it’s okay for Cullen to beat the hell out of Rule?”
“Not that different from human men, are they? Don’t worry. He can’t hurt Rule too much. Cullen’s fast, but Rule’s a much better fighter. He—shit!”
Rule had gone sailing this time, skidding on his back into a table—which nearly went over, but Scott darted forward and steadied it at the last minute. Lily sent him a pleased smile. “Rule wants to let Cullen burn off some steam. The Finder you want so badly is Cullen’s wife.”
“His…but lupi don’t marry.”
Lily looked down at her ring. “Cullen’s unusual in many ways. And your assumptions are out of date.”
“I know. Sorry.” He waved a hand. “But I thought you and Rule were the first to decide to tie the knot.”
“You can’t believe everything you read. Cullen and Cynna kept their wedding quieter than we are keeping ours.”
“Cullen—” Rule ducked a roundhouse kick. “I’m trying not to break any of your body parts,” he said, exasperated, “but you need to start calming down.”
Cullen crouched. “When you tell me you aren’t going to drag Cynna into this—”
Enough. “He won’t have to.” Lily stood. “I’d already decided to call her.”
Cullen spun to face her, anger and incredulity vying for control of his ridiculously beautiful face, which was bleeding where one of Rule’s blows had connected with his cheekbone. “You would do that?”
“Before we left, she asked me to promise I’d let her know if we needed her. I did. She wants to be sure it’s her decision, not yours or mine or Rule’s.” She glanced down at Jasper and added gently, “It doesn’t mean she’ll come. She may not be able to. But I will ask.”
Cullen stared at her, turned, and stalked into the bedroom. He was limping slightly. A few seconds later she heard the water come on. He must have noticed the blood and decided to wash it off.
She went to Rule. In the few seconds since the fight stopped, both his eyes were turning black and his nose had swollen. Lupi healed fast, but they went through all the stages first. He was breathing through his mouth. “Ouch. Your poor nose.”
He touched it gingerly. “He’s a quick son of a bitch. It’s displaced. Mike, you put Samuel’s nose back when it got knocked out of—”
“I’ll do it,” Cullen called from the bathroom.
He sounded peevish rather than furious, but Lily raised skeptical eyebrows at Rule. Cullen had the training—if he’d bothered to finish, he could have gotten his medical degree—but how careful would he be at the moment?
“He messed it up. He can put it back.” Rule looked around the room. “Not too bad, considering.” He took a couple of steps and righted the chair. “The leg’s a bit loose, but it isn’t broken.”
“Scott saved the table.” Lily retrieved her notebook and coffee cup from the rescued table. In spite of Scott’s care, most of the coffee had slopped out, so she went to refill it. Whether through chance or instinct, the combatants had avoided the room service cart. Good. “You ready for a cup?” she asked Jasper.
“I guess I am.”
He looked a bit dazed. Well, it took awhile to get used to lupi ways. She poured hers and Jasper’s cups and said, “Rule?”
“After my nose is back in place.”
Cullen emerged from the bedroom with a sopping hand towel. His limp was worse. “Here.” He tossed the towel to Patrick. “Put that in the freezer. Rule will appreciate it being nice and cold after I put his nose back where it belongs.”
“Couldn’t you just suck the heat away?” Lily asked as she carried Jasper’s coffee to him.
“The towel won’t have to concentrate to stay cold the way I would. Okay.” Cullen stopped in front of Rule and nodded once, pleased. “Got you pretty good, didn’t I? I’m going to use the pain block spell just long enough to set it,” he said, raising both hands to Rule’s face.
“Thank you,” Rule said dryly.
“Hold still.”
Lily handed Jasper his cup and sat beside him. She took a sip of hers. Good and hot still.
“If he has a pain blocking spell, why use a cold towel?” Jasper asked.
“The spell blocks healing along with pain, so they don’t leave it running.” Lily flipped to the right page in her notebook. “We’ve got less than three hours left and a lot to cover. I was about to ask you about the garage where the FedEx truck ended up. The address?”
He gave it to her, adding, “Maybe we’ll luck out. One of the mechanics could have taken it home. He might have thought it was a decoration or just wanted the stones. Even if you can’t see the glow, they’re—”
“Glow?” Cullen had finished with Rule’s nose. He stiffened all over, like a bird dog on point. “Describe this glow.”
Jasper gave him a puzzled look. “You ought to know. It’s subtle, like I said—makes the stones look like they’ve got a bit of sunshine trapped inside.”
“It only glows to those who can see magic. And only when it’s turned on.”
“I didn’t turn it on. I don’t know how to turn it on, and I’m not an idiot. I didn’t try.”
“It’s easy to turn on if you’re a sorcerer.”
“I told you, I’m not—”
“You see magic. You’re a sorcerer. And you turned the damn thing on. Son of a bitch.” Cullen paced a few steps. Turned. Pointed at a small vase on one table. “Pick that up.”
“What?”
“Humor him,” Rule said, “if you don’t mind.”