ring.
“What, exactly, are you hoping to learn by following Carmen?” If a growl could sound amused, that was the tone of Mac’s question.
“You know, grooming tips. I wanted some guidance about whether I should get the French manicure or just a natural buff. Why are you here?” I craned around in my seat, looking for a sign of the Bronco.
There were several moments of silence, during which I suspected he was counting slowly to five. “And if I asked you to leave?”
“I’d ask why you were following Pamela’s mother, because I doubt your presence here is mere coincidence, and I’d inquire whether you planned to share what you learned.”
“Aidan, I’d help if I could, but this is shifter business. There are limits to what I can share with you.”
I considered being understanding for a moment or two, then decided being reasonable seemed like too much effort. “You once had no problem being involved in elemental business.”
“That was different.”
“How?” Another long silence, though I suspected this was due to his lack of an answer. Without warning, my frustration at his recent avoidance techniques came to the surface, and my reply came out sharper than I intended. “Look, Mac, find out what you’re allowed to share, then get back to us. Because we were one step ahead of you last night, and we plan to stay one step ahead of you until we find James. You know we can be trusted, and you know you want us on your side. You can tell the rest of your furry brethren I said so.” I hung up while he was still attempting to sputter a comeback. I didn’t definitively get the last word, but it was close enough.
Sera gave me a contemplative look. “What?” I asked.
She just shook her head. “We’re the best liaisons ever.”
Carmichael chose that particular moment to phone us. Fortunately, he called Sera, leaving me free to track Carmen on my phone.
I couldn’t hear Carmichael’s end of the conversation, but Sera’s was more than articulate enough for the both of them. “Report?” she asked, as if she’d never heard the word before and needed him to define it.
Muffled yelling came through the other end, and she grinned, enjoying his outrage. “Today? I don’t think that will work for us.” The blue dot began to move. I showed the screen to Sera, and she nodded and put the car into drive.
“I’m pretty sure it’s against state law to drive while on the phone. An FBI agent wouldn’t want you to break the law.” I spoke loudly enough for Carmichael to hear me.
“You’re absolutely right, Aidan. I’ll call you later, Carmichael.” Though I still couldn’t make out any of his words, Carmichael’s tone was plenty expressive. “What’s that? Sorry, sta...tic. Can’t...hear.” She threw me the phone, and I pressed the end button. “It might be worth finding a backup employment plan, Ade.”
I indicated she should turn left at an upcoming intersection. “I’m sure my English degree and your art history one prepared us for rewarding careers filing TPS reports.”
She grimaced. We both had plenty of money, and always would. We were from old families, powerful lines that had existed since the birth of our race and had the bank accounts one would expect from people who’d relied on compound interest since the days of the Holy Roman Empire. We could easily live on just the dividends from our trust funds for the rest of our days, but neither of us were too keen on taking money from our parents right now. It might have only been a token effort at individuating ourselves, but even a token felt better than nothing.
“Turn right at the light. It looks like she’s heading toward the freeway.”
At the light, Sera came to a full stop. There was no traffic, and she could have easily made the turn, but instead she lingered, eyes fixed on the rearview mirror and a small smile playing on her mouth. I twisted around to see the rear window completely covered by a large grill, the sort that
“What, exactly, are you hoping to learn by following Carmen?” If a growl could sound amused, that was the tone of Mac’s question.
“You know, grooming tips. I wanted some guidance about whether I should get the French manicure or just a natural buff. Why are you here?” I craned around in my seat, looking for a sign of the Bronco.
There were several moments of silence, during which I suspected he was counting slowly to five. “And if I asked you to leave?”
“I’d ask why you were following Pamela’s mother, because I doubt your presence here is mere coincidence, and I’d inquire whether you planned to share what you learned.”
“Aidan, I’d help if I could, but this is shifter business. There are limits to what I can share with you.”
I considered being understanding for a moment or two, then decided being reasonable seemed like too much effort. “You once had no problem being involved in elemental business.”
“That was different.”
“How?” Another long silence, though I suspected this was due to his lack of an answer. Without warning, my frustration at his recent avoidance techniques came to the surface, and my reply came out sharper than I intended. “Look, Mac, find out what you’re allowed to share, then get back to us. Because we were one step ahead of you last night, and we plan to stay one step ahead of you until we find James. You know we can be trusted, and you know you want us on your side. You can tell the rest of your furry brethren I said so.” I hung up while he was still attempting to sputter a comeback. I didn’t definitively get the last word, but it was close enough.
Sera gave me a contemplative look. “What?” I asked.
She just shook her head. “We’re the best liaisons ever.”
Carmichael chose that particular moment to phone us. Fortunately, he called Sera, leaving me free to track Carmen on my phone.
I couldn’t hear Carmichael’s end of the conversation, but Sera’s was more than articulate enough for the both of them. “Report?” she asked, as if she’d never heard the word before and needed him to define it.
Muffled yelling came through the other end, and she grinned, enjoying his outrage. “Today? I don’t think that will work for us.” The blue dot began to move. I showed the screen to Sera, and she nodded and put the car into drive.
“I’m pretty sure it’s against state law to drive while on the phone. An FBI agent wouldn’t want you to break the law.” I spoke loudly enough for Carmichael to hear me.
“You’re absolutely right, Aidan. I’ll call you later, Carmichael.” Though I still couldn’t make out any of his words, Carmichael’s tone was plenty expressive. “What’s that? Sorry, sta...tic. Can’t...hear.” She threw me the phone, and I pressed the end button. “It might be worth finding a backup employment plan, Ade.”
I indicated she should turn left at an upcoming intersection. “I’m sure my English degree and your art history one prepared us for rewarding careers filing TPS reports.”
She grimaced. We both had plenty of money, and always would. We were from old families, powerful lines that had existed since the birth of our race and had the bank accounts one would expect from people who’d relied on compound interest since the days of the Holy Roman Empire. We could easily live on just the dividends from our trust funds for the rest of our days, but neither of us were too keen on taking money from our parents right now. It might have only been a token effort at individuating ourselves, but even a token felt better than nothing.
“Turn right at the light. It looks like she’s heading toward the freeway.”
At the light, Sera came to a full stop. There was no traffic, and she could have easily made the turn, but instead she lingered, eyes fixed on the rearview mirror and a small smile playing on her mouth. I twisted around to see the rear window completely covered by a large grill, the sort that
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