Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

might have been.” There was a long pause as the other person spoke. “No, I assure
     you I did not. You won’t know what my word means, but you have it.” A short pause.
     “You do? Interesting…ah. You do realize that he…Perhaps so. Rule?” He held his phone
     out.
    Rule didn’t move. “What’s going on?”
    “You heard,” Isen said gently. “He wishes to speak with you.”
    Still Rule didn’t move. He spoke slowly. “He said his name is Jasper.”
    “Jasper Machek.”
    “And he’s…” The sentence drifted off as if Rule had no idea how to finish it.
    “Yes.” Isen confirmed that the way a kindly doctor might say,
Yes, the biopsy did test positive for cancer.
“He is.”
    Rule took the phone. “This is Rule.” A pause. “We won’t discuss that now, I think.
     You told Isen you wished to make a deal…ah.” Rather a long pause, then, “That complicatesmatters.” He listened some more, then glanced at Lily, gesturing with his free hand
     as if he were writing. “Yes,” he said, “just a moment,” as Lily pulled her notebook
     and a pen from her purse and handed them to him. He jotted something down. “In the
     Marina District? I’ll find it…No. I can’t agree to that.” Another pause. “I don’t
     believe I will explain at this time. I will bring another with me who may be able
     to help…No, that’s not negotiable.” A longer pause. “Very well. I can reach you at
     this number, if necessary? Until later, then.”
    He returned the phone to Isen and stood as if he were about to do something. But he
     didn’t. He just stood there. “That was the thief. He wishes our assistance.”
    Cullen’s eyebrows flew up. “Our assistance?”
    “He didn’t make it far with your prototype before someone in turn stole it from him.
     A remarkably popular item, for something that doesn’t work correctly. He lives in
     San Francisco,” Rule added. “We’re to meet him there at one thirty tomorrow. He wanted
     Cynna to come—he’s aware of her Gift—but of course that wouldn’t be safe.”
    “Rule.” Lily stood and put her hand on his arm. “Why are we going to help this thief?”
    “Is that what we’re going to do? I don’t know…but we’ll go.” He didn’t say anything
     for a long moment. “It seems he’s my brother.”

THIRTEEN

    L ILY drew in crisp, chilly air through her nose as her feet slapped the asphalt in an
     easy rhythm. In the eastern sky behind her, stacked layers of cloud smoldered in crimsons
     and purples that stained the bulging shoulders of the humped earth. Lower down, Isen’s
     home sprawled almost invisible in the early morning darkness.
    One of the perks of living at Clanhome was all the options for where to run. One of
     the downsides was that the long commute into the city meant Lily was mostly stuck
     with using the road. The sun arrived late to land cradled by mountains, and Lily usually
     had to run early.
    Not alone, however. Just over a month ago Cynna had asked if Lily would mind company
     a couple of times a week on her runs. Lily had said sure, though she hadn’t expected
     Cynna to keep it up. For one thing, Cynna was a new mother. For another, she hated
     running. Or so she’d always claimed.
    But so far Cynna had stuck with it. The little house she shared with Cullen and their
     new daughter lay about half a mile west of Isen’s place, so Lily had that first half
     mile on her own to warm up, and the last half mile to push herself.She and Cynna ran together for two miles, total, which was Cynna’s target. Not that
     Cynna been able to run the whole way right off the bat. At first she’d made it to
     the turnaround point huffing and puffing and waving for Lily to keep going while she
     walked back, but she ran both ways now. Good progress for such a short time. Of course,
     Cynna was a tad competitive. She hadn’t liked it when Lily kept going and she couldn’t…which
     was one reason she’d wanted to join Lily. Motivation.
    Sometimes Rule or Cullen joined them. And sometimes Rule started out with Lily, but
     didn’t get beyond that first half mile. The chance to stop and see Ryder for a few
     minutes, even if she was sound asleep, was too good to pass up. Cullen had no trouble
     finding someone to stay with Ryder if he wanted to run, not when they were surrounded
     by baby-crazy lupi. Lupi loved kids—all kids—but babies just lit them up. Give one
     of them a chance to spend time with a three-month-old bundle of