My phone rung dully through the car while I struggled to follow its instructions with one good hand; Chasse lounged in the passenger seat without a care in the world. Her own cigarette loosely twirled in her fingers while she only occasionally reminding me of a turn or warning me about a sign until my call finally went through. A short pause, and Percy asked, “Mary! You got the news? With your dad now, at some guys house, don’t know much else.”

  “On my way now, The Lady there?” I asked, Chasse smirking like she was proud that I remembered to check that at least without prodding.

  Percy at least not picking up on the implication there as he confirmed, “left with our ride. Apparently the wife doesn’t know about the um… well, you know,” supernatural presumably, not hard to put together, “anyway, bit of charity work. Guys brother’s in town and knows everything, your dad’s supposedly terrified of hospitals so he’s just here until his personal doctor can get a place ready.”

  I nodded, releasing a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, a small laugh escaping me as I told him, “I’m gonna swing by soon, don’t tell anyone. He going to be alright? What happened anyway?”

  Percy let out a low hum, a few soft paces echoing out before he admitted, “they had him set up in a safe house on Church Hill, went outside to pick up some pizza and got hit in a drive by. Three rounds went through the torso, one got him in the shoulder, neighbor had some training, was able to keep him alive until some medics arrived.”

  Fuck not exactly a comforting thought, and I was almost a little too hopeful as I asked, “no chance it was random? How would they even find one of the safe houses to get to him, Lady wouldn’t have let him bring a phone or he’d have called me by now.”

  Even Percy laughed at me for that one, the man almost snorting as he said, “I mean, shit luck runs in some people’s blood, but you’re asking if it’s more likely you’re dad got hit by a random drive by in Church Hill? With everything else that’s been going on?”

  Okay, no arguing with him there.

  My brain was still turning the thought over when Percy told me, “you still want to try shopping I can slip out with you, know you’re getting to see your little Marty tonight. If you want to take it easy, we can hold off and-”

  “How bad’s the situation looking?” I interrupted the man, a little something rubbing the back of my head wrong the more I listened to him. He was too quick to suggest a distraction, too quick to offer going out and trying to be social for someone who preferred to avoid going out too much while stressed.

  The man silent for entirely too long before admitting, “they’re doing an emergency meeting tonight at the bar, couple the other hunter families called it in for midnight. Way I hear it, no one’s going hunting tonight, everyone’s trying to decide how we’re reacting to what’s been going on.”

  “They think it’s The Lady,” I said more than asked, a small hole forming in my chest at the thought things were going that way.

  Percy’s silence once more a confirmation for me as he tried to mediate it, “no one’s saying right now, at least out loud, but it sure looks that way. She claimed credit for Greg a few weeks back, and you know what? I’d buy he fucked with the arrangement we have going on. That known, it don’t look good though for her to claim killing one us and then… well, you get it.”

  I wanted to throw up.

  “I don’t know anything else about that or I’d tell you,” I lied, mouth dry as I added, “we’re almost there, play it cool alright?”

  “See you soon, wolf.”

  I hung up, pulling into a long drive thru that led up to a larger house on a hill. Not quite as big as the Covenant, but the more modern type of wealth you saw in this sort of neighborhood. A few dozen houses on plenty of yard space, some tree and bush coverage hiding hiding most of the view from each other, houses ranging from a one story affair to rich three story affairs bordering on manors. The sort of place where the street was probably named after at least one family who was still living there, though Tony didn’t seem quite that well off.

  A two story affair, the sort of place that would get used as an example of the American dream and what I’d consider at least upper middle class. In ground pool, nice looking shed, no sign of anything being old or broken, even the lawn gnomes looking fresh enough they didn’t even have a year of paint stripped off them by the elements. A slight scent of blood on the air, a passing whiff, but at the same time… there was something wrong in the ground, heavy chemical treatment, a few silvery wisps unable to form in the sunlight.

  The Lady definitely had a few secrets at this house.

  Chasse got out of the car first, stomping her cigarette out on the pavement as she walked straight for the front door and gestured me to follow close. A smirk on her lips as she whispered, “against the wall, beside the door,” and stepped up to ring the bell.

  No time or urge to argue and I did as she said, leaning back on the vinyl siding with my arms crossed in front of my chest. Chasse stood proud, adjusting her hair in her reflection on the glass door before the front door opened behind that and a woman cried out, “oh! You’re Tony’s friend from the other day aren’t you, Cassie right?”

  If I hadn’t seen her slip into the smile in the matter of a second I would have thought it genuine, and Chasse didn’t hesitate to answer as she flopped her hand out and answered, “Oh, you got me, Marge, did you get a haircut already?” her voice sounding wrong before I realized she’d slipped into a southern accent. Not a perfect attempt at one, but hiding anything about her real voice and probably fooling anyone who didn’t know plenty, “By golly, it’s been three days. You pushing yourself that hard?”

  The woman who was apparently Marge laughed at that, already opening the door for Chasse as she started, “oh, gotta get everything done before Christmas. How about you come in? Got a bit of a kerfuffle going on, emergency with one of Tony’s friends. I think you know him, Martin right? He’s upstairs though, ain’t nothing to it can be done. I just set a pot of tea to steep, would you like some?”

  “I’d love some, though actually came to check in on the old man. Doctor’s coming down to pick him up, but he wanted to make sure someone was there to help,” Chasse answered, two hands over her heart as she made a dramatic bow back, “oh, I hope you don’t mind too, brought his daughter along. We were just having a nice bit of bonding time out and about, figured she’d feel better to come see him.”

  I took that as my cue to step up, trying to put on my most comforting smile as I awkwardly waved at the woman with a relatively motionless right hand and finally took her in. A tall woman, if a little on the unhealthily thin side, hair a bright red and maybe in her thirties. She smelled… strongly, tea and honey strong at the moment, but also a very floral perfume applied so thickly that it almost gave me a headache to be even this close.

  Nice reminder why I didn’t really wear a lot of perfume myself.

  If she were put off by Chasse bringing a random woman along without asking she didn’t show it, her smile never breaking as she chirped and stepped forward, “oh, your dad’s upstairs. Would you like some tea too? It’s Earl Gray, you like Earl Gray don’tcha? Everyone likes Earl Gray.”

  “Oh, um, I’m not sure?” I admitted, ready to offer my good hand before she pulled me into a hug without asking. The wolf threatening to growl while I used all my effort to force it down, eye closed as I let my hand pat her back once until she thankfully stepped back.

  Her face turned up a little, some disgust obvious, though what was behind it hidden well enough as she let the two of us in. Thought that… well, probably not unjustified; I was sure I still had a bit of that blood and gunpowder smell on me if you got too close. Chasse thankfully not letting any questions get asked about that as she told me, “you head on up to check on your dad, Mary, I’ll help Marge out.” Chasse leaning in with a smile and wink to declare, “still owes me that cordon bleu recipe.”

  Marge giggled at that, not even bothering to gesture me towards the stairs as she led the woman away and scolded her through a full smile, “oh, Cassie, you’re impossible!”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The way upstairs thankfully pretty obvious, a wooden staircase along one wall leading to the second floor. No one stopping me going up, and halfway to the top before I heard a door open and someone stepped out. Turning the corner just as Percy was about to run straight into me; down to a bloodstained undershirt and pair of stained jeans.

  He smiled at me, a sad look and nod as he walked over and half-whispered, “got him on some morphine, me and Tony’s brother got him patched up and cleaned, should be out of the worst of it by now though.”

  “Leila okay?” I asked, not sure if I wanted to know why no one had really mentioned her all that much in this.

  She was pregnant and bordering on ready to burst, last I’d seen she’d gotten hit by some shrapnel, and her husband just got shot. For all I knew they she was a fucking casualty and we were just lucky my dad was too out of it to know. That someone fucking killed two family members of mine and The Lady had wanted to keep me in the dark about it.

  The wolf growling at the mere thought it was possible before Percy answered me, head shaking as he admitted, “wasn’t hit at all, but not exactly doing well herself. She’s with him now, think she might have started drifting off once she realized nothing bad was gonna happen and I wasn’t going to let her go out trying to kill anyone she could behind it. Not I could say I’d be much better in her position. Hell, it was you in there I’d probably be trying to get a little blood on my hands by now, and she’s got a Hell of a lot of more reason to care.”

  I nodded, the wolf settling just a moment as I let out a low sigh and whispered for him, “someone’s targeting hunters and supernaturals alike, trying to make it look like we’re doing it to each other. Whatever happens at that meeting tonight, you need to make it clear that we’re just as in the dark as you.”

  “Might not be up to me,” Percy admitted, rubbing at a stubbled jaw with a hesitant nod. The man letting out a low groan as he explained, “I’m well respected in the community because I’m from a good family down south, and your dad puts a lot of stock in my expertise. With him put up and two attempts on his life? Someone’s going to try and step in over me, and I ain’t so sure I can step back over them if they get momentum on their own.”

  Not what I wanted to hear, and it almost sounded futile even from me as I asked him, “help if I’m there? Most of the hunters there don’t know I’m The Lady’s enforcer, even if some do and I get called out it’ll look-”

  “People already know The Lady killed Greg, think she killed more, sending an enforcer to the meeting? Bad look.”

  Couldn’t argue, eye darting to the floor and mouth dry as I offered, “anything I can do? I’m fucking useless here, you gotta give me something.”

  “Help me finish up here and get out before I’m volunteered for something else, and then go spend the night with your kid,” the man offered, his smile a small comfort as he clapped a hand on my shoulder, “outside your control for now, and I’m sure any apartment complex The Lady owns is going to be better protected than anything else we can offer. You that worried, ask her for some extra protection, see if she can’t do something for you.”

  I nodded, frowning as I took my phone and did text The Lady, can the apartment get some added protections? Worried about all these attacks going on, especially if I’ll be there with Martin. Even if I wasn’t sure anyone would go after me exactly.

  I was an enforcer, I was the person who had to look into these murders and who made those calls. There wasn’t a lot of political power behind me like Vergil had, nor was there a lot of information gathering or resources I could provide. To The Lady, I was a disposable grunt who couldn’t really offer all that much to anyone, and paying to get me killed wasn’t going to exactly light any fires under anyone’s ass.

  Still not a comforting thought even as we crept into my dad’s room, a modern designer’s platonic idea of a bedroom if there was one; with a plastic sheet laid across the bed and the blanket on top looking like a warm but ragged one fetched from a forgotten closet. My dad laid back, naked from waist up with the blanket covering below that, though he might as well have worn a shirt of gauze.

  Already tinged brown in a couple spots, smelling so strongly of blood it would have made my mouth water if it were anyone else, his head rolling back and forth as he mumbled out a few half-hearted words and phrases that made no sense with one another. The IV drip in one arm joined by a heart monitor attached to the other to give the room a steady metronome to mark the passing time.

  Leila slept on the couch, awkwardly positioned and placed on a half dozen pillows with her stomach on display. Her arm wrapped tightly in its own bandages, a sheen of sweat clung to her forehead even as she seemed to have a slightly better sleep than my dad.

  Neither point a comforting sight as I slowly crossed the floor to my dad, hand raised up, unsure if I should have just stood there or woke him. What few seconds I probably spent there feeling like an eternity, the wolf wanting to rip apart whoever did this, tears forming in my eye, the urge to pull him into a hug barely held back by common sense. The man’s head slowly rolling back and forth, pressed into its pillow hard as he could, until his eyes half opened to look up towards me.

  Barely a flicker of recognition behind the look, but the machine he was attached to reacting all the same.

  A steady metronome turning to a racing beat, Leila stirring awake and looking at us confused while my dad’s mumbling grew faster. Incomprehensible but frantic, hand raising and dropping down on the bed as I stood locked in place. My own heart racing in my ears, brain rushing a thousand miles an hour, the wolf wanting to run far off and never me seen again and legs too unsteady to move.

  A thousand thoughts crossing through me as I tried taking his hand before he ripped it away. My eye rushing through the room unrecognizing and then slowly, trying to find anything that I could use, anything that could let me help.

  A hand gripped my arm, the wolf growling as I twisted on my heels, Leila looking at me stone faced as I felt my breathing grow harder and harder. The woman staring me down uncaring even as she jerked me forward with a surprising strength, pulling me out towards the door once more. Unable to do more than stare after her until we were out the room and she slammed the door shut behind Percy and I.

  The door barely closed even as a man opened the door opposite my dad’s room, an older man carrying a bag as he pushed past us into the room itself with barely a caring glance back. Neither of us speaking to each other several seconds until I weakly asked, “what happened?”

  Leila took a moment, eyes closing as she hesitantly replied, “he’s… look, drugged up, high stress. Just, needs some space. He’s… what the fuck are you doing here?”

  I don’t think Percy nor I expected that, both of us silent a long while until all I could say was, “he’s my dad. Why wouldn’t I?”

  Leila paced the floor, eyes closed a moment before starting, “because you-” and then stopping herself. A slow look at Percy, eyes closing, and she just said, “it’s not a good idea for you to be here now. Alright? He’s going to be fine, once we’re set up in the new safe house I’ll make sure The Lady finds a way to let me call you, and we can talk then. Right now though you shouldn’t be here.”

  I didn’t know what to say, Percy looking between the two of us and ready to say something before I interrupted him. My voice sounding hollow even to me as I told her, “I’m holding you to that. He’s my dad, and I just…”

  “He’ll be fine.”

  She left it at that, going back into my dad’s room and leaving Percy and I stood stock still. The man blinking a few times before telling me, “I have a change of clothes in the room, I’m… I’m going to get changed and see if I can’t-”

  “Drop it,” I told him, turning on my heels and starting towards the stairs, “there’s a lot going on, and I don’t want to push it right now. I’m the werewolf here.”

  Percy started saying something, and I barely processed my own name before I was going down the stairs. Marching straight down until I reached the living room, Marge coming in with a cup of tea she nearly spilled over me as I came down.

  “Oh, Mary, didn’t even see you there,” the woman laughed awkwardly, a brief flash of concern crossing her, “everything okay with your dad? You weren’t up there long.”

  “He just needs more sleep, Percy and I need to run a couple errands,” I brushed off, awkwardly taking the cup from her and shuffing a moment, “we um… sorry, this is-”

  “Oh, no need to make a deal of it, I get it,” the woman giggled, brushing her hand through the air as she started back towards the kitchen with me in tow. Not sure what to do even as I awkwardly sipped my tea, genuinely a little happy with the flavor as Marge asked, “how do you like it? I just can’t get enough, though backfires sometimes. Oh, half my family sent me a tin, you know that?”

  “Um, it’s good,” I admitted awkwardly, not sure what else to say as I took another sip.

  Marge nodded, grabbing a small gray tin off a stack of a few and holding it out, smile not breaking as she told me, “take it, it’ll stop being fresh by the time I get to it, and I don’t want to hear no complaining.”

  “I really-”

  “Take the tin, good manners,” Chasse interrupted, rolling her phone through the air with a smirk, “besides, get yourself one good thing today. All this shit going on? Deserve it.”

  I nodded, unsure what else to do and sitting at a breakfast counter and sipping my tea while I waited for Percy. The man taking long enough I was sure he was making a scene with Leila despite my asking until he finally came down the stairs in a fresh pair of jeans and flannel. His jaw held tight enough I’d have thought he’d break a molar even as he tried smiling at me while I finished my cup.

  The two of us saying our goodbyes and half out the door when my phone rang and I looked down. Misha’s name facing back at me while I thought about whether to take the call while we went to my car.

  After maybe too long sending the man to voice mail and then a second later turning off my phone. Percy’s expectant look met by me brushing it off, “Misha, friend of mine, probably just got the cologne I sent him for his birthday. I’ll try and call him later, just don’t want to end up dumping all this on him right now and-”

  “Look, Mary,” Percy interrupted with a half-laugh, “ain’t nothing you gotta explain to me. I picked up Leila from the safe house, left them my truck keys, said they’d try and get someone to drop it off for me somewhere, I’m all yours. Now, you still up for toy shopping?”

  “Oh more than that,” I admitted, a small smile crossing my lips as I climbed into my car and tried to think of how best to explain this to the man. After a moment merely telling him, “you’re never gonna guess what I finally found a picture of.”