Part 54 (1/2)

Taking the key, she hurried out and opened the padlock, then tossed it over the wall to ensure a quick exit. She put the key back in its spot, then checked the other keys. One was labeled BOW.

Yes! she thought as she pocketed the key. Darrell had said one key fit all the BOWs, so all she had to do was find one of those little vehicles.

The opposite wall of the maintenance garage had a reverse setup of doors. She made her way to the other regular door, then turned off the flashlight and opened the door just enough to peer out and confirm that these were the garages she'd seen when she'd spent the night with Darrell.

The messenger had moved up the timetable when it became clear the storm was worse than antic.i.p.ated and had hit the city faster than originally reported. The only problem with the new timetable was that Meg hadn't closed the office yet. When the messenger and his men created the distractions that would pull Simon Wolfgard and the rest of the Others to various parts of the Courtyard, Meg had to be tucked into her apartment at the Green Complex, all safe and snug and easy to grab.

Pus.h.i.+ng up the sleeves of her parka and sweater the necessary inch, Asia checked the luminous dial of her watch. Only three thirty in the afternoon, but it was already dark because of the storm. That would work to their advantage.

She jerked back, shutting the door almost all the way as the back door of Howling Good Reads opened and she heard Simon say, ”Tell her to wait. I'll be back in a minute.”

She watched him stride toward the Liaison's Office, and she saw him stop as something caught his attention. He remained still for a moment, then continued to the office's back door.

Checking her watch again, Asia settled down to wait.

As soon as Simon walked into the office's back room, he could feel Nathan's restless energy and hear Meg's voice. She was talking to someone, but he didn't think it was the Wolf.

<nathan?> he called.

Nathan said, sounding edgy. <we should=”” go=”” home.=””> <you might=”” not=”” get=”” as=”” far=”” as=”” the=”” wolfgard=”” complex,=”” but=”” we=”” are=”” leaving=”” this=”” part=”” of=”” the=”” courtyard.=””> <good. we=”” need=”” to=”” den.=””> They certainly did need to get home and settle in. He had closed HGR half an hour ago, and Tess had done the same at A Little Bite, but he was still chewing over what to do with their human employees, especially the ones Meg considered friends. He couldn't just chuck them out the door to find their way home. Not when he could look out HGR's windows and see the traffic gridlock that had already formed and was going to get worse.

A couple months ago, he would have closed the store and not given Merri Lee and Heather another thought. They were humans who were not edible because they were useful, and that's all they were to the terra indigene. But somehow they had become Meg's human pack, so now they were borderline members of the Courtyard and, therefore, under his protection.

He didn't like thinking of humans like that. He didn't like it at all.

Well, he would deal with Merri Lee and Heather. But first he had to deal with Meg. And that meant dealing with Nathan.

<what's wrong=”” with=”” you?=””> he asked as he walked through the sorting room. Meg was at the front counter with her back to him. Nathan had his forelegs on the counter and looked grumpy, which wasn't a good way for a guard to look when there wasn't anything nearby he could catch and eat.

<her!> Nathan replied. <she is=”” restless=”” and=”” keeps=”” rubbing=”” her=”” skin=”” like=”” she=”” has=”” fleas.=”” i=”” tried=”” to=”” sniff=”” her=”” for=”” blood,=”” and=”” she=”” smacked=”” me.=””> Growling softly, he looked at Meg and lifted a paw.

”That's not a problem,” Meg said to someone on the phone, absently pus.h.i.+ng Nathan away when he tried to slap the phone to disconnect the call. ”Delivery on Moonsday will be fine. You be careful driving out there. Thanks. You too.” She hung up and shook a finger at the watch Wolf. Then she noticed Simon and blushed.

<do you=”” see?=””> Nathan demanded. <make her=”” go=”” home.=””> Meg was restless and rubbing her skin? Was she feeling the p.r.i.c.kling that indicated a potential vision, or was the storm making her uneasy, like the rest of them? He didn't care why she was restless. He was getting her away from this part of the Courtyard.

”You're closing up now,” Simon said, blocking the Private doorway and not giving her room to maneuver.

”I'm trying to do exactly that. It would be easier if I didn't have as much help,” Meg replied, sounding like she was ready to bite someone.

Nathan whined and gave Simon a pleading look.

It was embarra.s.sing to hear one of the Courtyard's best enforcers whine like a puppy.

”I checked with all the delivery services who usually come by on Watersday afternoon,” Meg said. ”Most of them didn't have any deliveries for the Courtyard today, and the ones that did, I told them delivery on Moonsday is fine. Besides, Harry from Everywhere Delivery called a couple of minutes ago to tell me a driving ban has just been issued for the entire city. No unnecessary travel. So I'm almost ready to go.”

”But . . . ?” He could read her well enough now to know there was something more.

She took a deep breath and blew it out. ”Two things. The BOW's charge was low when I got back from lunch. I'm not sure it has enough charge for the drive home, and I'm not sure I can drive in snow this deep.”

”You're not driving. Jester should be here with a pony in a few minutes.”

Meg brightened. ”We're riding in the sleigh?”

He shook his head. ”Only the Elementals drive the sleigh. Jester is bringing the sled. It's big enough to fit you and Nathan. I'll take the BOW back to the Green Complex. If it doesn't make it, I'll s.h.i.+ft and go the rest of the way home in Wolf form.” No protest from her. Probably because she wanted to ride in the sled. ”What's the other thing?”

Now she looked uneasy, as if she were about to stomp on his tail. ”Merri Lee takes a bus to work.” She turned enough to look at the snow falling and falling and falling.

Simon relaxed, pleased that he'd antic.i.p.ated this. ”She's not going home. Neither is Heather. They can pick up some food at Meat-n-Greens or the grocery store, and they'll stay in the efficiency apartments tonight. I'm going to talk to Lorne and see if he wants to stay. Marie Hawkgard is staying to keep watch, and Julia will also be in the efficiencies.”

She opened her mouth, and he expected her to say she would stay with her friends in the too-exposed part of the Courtyard. But as she looked at him, all the color bled out of her face.

”I need to get home,” she said quietly. ”Tonight I need to get home.”

”That's why Jester is coming with the pony sled.” Simon studied her face. Why did she look so pale, so scared? ”Meg?”

She shook her head. ”I need to go to the toilet.”

Worried about what she might do in that room, he snarled, ”Meg?”

”I can't just lift a leg like you do, so I have to pee before going out in the cold,” she snapped at him.

He took a step back, letting her pa.s.s. But he also gave her a quick sniff. Nathan was right; there wasn't any fresh blood scent on her.

He opened the go-through for Nathan. ”Wait for her by the back door. I'll lock up.”

He fetched the keys from the drawer in the sorting room and used the go-through. Nathan had told him that Meg usually wiped the floor after the last delivery because it got slippery from the snow brought in on the deliverymen's boots. She hadn't done that, which made vaulting over the counter a good way to slip and break a leg or, at best, take a bad fall.

As he flipped the sign to CLOSED, a hooded figure in a green and white parka hurried up to the door. He considered ignoring the human and locking up, but he'd seen that same parka walking out of the Courtyard a few minutes ago.

Pulling the door open, he growled, ”What?” before he recognized the Ruthie, who looked like she was trying not to cry.

”Mr. Wolfgard,” she said, sounding breathless. ”I'm glad I caught you before everything closed up. My car is in your parking lot.”

”That's sensible.” It would be out of the way, and the adolescent Wolves could have fun digging it out tomorrow.

”But there is a car stuck in the parking lot's entrance. The driver isn't in the vehicle, and I can't get around it.”

He followed the trail of her words and realized he had come to a different conclusion than she had. ”You're staying. Go around to the back door of Howling Good Reads. I'll meet you in a couple of minutes.”