Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

Arjenie tentatively confirms that, based on conversations with
     three of them. I’ll call both her and State and see what they can tell me that isn’t
     in the file.”
    “Okay.” She hesitated, then, watching Rule, said, “About Jasper Machek…do I have the
     authority to make a deal with him if it leads us to whoever hired him to steal the
     device?” She’d told Ruben who Jasper Machek was. She’d had to. Rule hadn’t objected.
     He hadn’t really reacted at all.
    “Are you certain you can separate your connection to him from the needs of the investigation?”
    Lily considered several answers. She settled for a simple “no.”
    “That’s honest, at any rate. I think you’d best tell him you can offer only a provisional
     agreement, which I’ll have to approve.”
    That was better than she’d feared. She thanked Ruben and disconnected. “Are you okay
     with that?’ she asked Rule.
    He smiled. It didn’t touch his eyes. “Fine. I’d rather Machek isn’t arrested. Imprisonment
     wouldn’t affect him the way it would one of my people, but I’m unable to see it as
     a decent sort of deterrent or punishment.”
    But Machek is one of your people
, she wanted to say.
From the human side of your family.
Instead she took his hand and kept silent and wondered if she was being wise or really,
     deeply foolish.
    * * *
    L ILY hadn’t visited San Francisco in years. The city hadn’t had any major magic-related
     crimes since she switched from local law enforcement to the federal variety, and before
     that…well, she and Cody used to come up here when they could both get time off. She
     figured it was normal to avoid a place loaded with memories after a bad breakup.
    She did wonder, as their plane circled SFO, what kind of memories the city held for
     Rule. If she asked, he’d tell her, but then he’d get to ask her the same thing. She
     thought about that and decided it was okay. He knew about Cody, after all. But she’d
     ask later, when they were alone. Surely they’d be alone again sometime.
    They did not leave the airport in Rule’s usual choice of cars. His brother had told
     him to stop being so damn predictable, so he’d been tricky instead. He’d reserved
     a Mercedes, but changed it to a BMW at the rental desk. Scott drove. Hungry lupi were
     not focused lupi, so they picked up hamburgers and ate them as they wound up and down,
     through and around.
    They were stopped at a light on Market Street when Rule got a call from Mike, who
     was holding down the fort at the hotel where they’d stay. “Already? But he hasn’t
     had time to go to Clanhome, much less…” A longish pause. “Hmm. Welcome him for me,
     then, and feed him. Tell him it will be at least an hour before I can be there to
     accept and could be longer, but the delay is one of necessity, not disrespect.” He
     disconnected and looked at Lily. “Isen is being unconventional again. The new Laban
     Rho just arrived at the hotel looking for us. He brought one of the Laban counselors
     to act as witness.”
    “Witness for what?”
    “Isen told him I would accept his submission on Nokolai’s behalf.”
    “Is that kosher?”
    “Oh, yes. It’s been done in the past, when circumstances didn’t permit the usual ceremony
     and witnesses.” He glanced at the back of Scott’s head.
    Lily understood that she wasn’t supposed to ask what in the world Isen was up to,
     not within Scott’s hearing. She didn’t, but she wondered really hard.
    They ended up on a horizontally challenged street in a neighborhood that was nothing
     like the kind of places where she’d hung out with Cody. It was an older area, but
     older in the pricey way, the kind of street where people sacrificed parking for charm
     and period details. Parked cars lined the curbs. Scott was lucky to find a spot two
     and a half blocks from their goal.
    It was at least ten degrees colder here than back in San Diego. Lily was glad for
     her jacket and the brisk walk to keep her blood moving. She suspected Rule didn’t
     notice.
Preoccupied
was one way to describe him.
Silent
was another.
Scared
, she suspected, would also fit, though he might not know it.
    At the corner nearest Machek’s home, they stopped. Tall, narrow Victorians with shared
     walls crowded the sidewalk on one side of the street. On this side the houses were
     a different style, identical aside from paint and whatever landscaping their owners
     had chosen for the pocket-size front yards.