Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

on my job.”
    “What do you do?”
    “Underwater and hyperbaric welding.”
    “Ah…that’s a very specialized skill.”
    “I like it. I’m good at it, too, and the pay’s good, but I won’t be able to do it
     anymore. There’s a lot of travel involved.”
    Rule spoke. “Tony works for an underwater fabrication and repair firm. They work on
     ships, drilling platforms, and underwater installations of all kinds. He’s been all
     over the world.”
    Lily exchanged a glance with Rule. There was more to this slow-speaking new Rho than
     met the eye. “I need to ask you some questions. Do you have a problem with a woman
     having authority?” she asked Tony.
    He thought that over a moment. “I don’t think so. I’ll need to study on it awhile,
     I expect, since I’m not used to it. If your questions are about who paid my father
     to betray Nokolai, I know some things that may help.”
    “Good. Have a seat,” she said, gesturing at the round table and chairs near the window.
     She glanced at Rule. “Maybe we could have a few less bodies in the room…and some coffee?”

TWENTY-TWO

    L ILY , Rule noted with amusement, was sublimely unaware that she’d shocked some of their
     company. Those who hadn’t been around her much weren’t used to seeing someone casually
     ask a Rho to get her some coffee, and these were Leidolf. Leidolf tended to cherish
     women in the abstract while devaluing them as individuals.
    It was good for them to see that Lily was his partner, not his subordinate, and that
     she possessed her own authority that didn’t devolve from his, even if they didn’t
     really understand. Yet. Rule emphasized the point by ordering the coffee himself,
     then asked her, “Do you need me?”
    “Always, but not immediately. Why?”
    He gave her a quick kiss to show how much her response pleased him and told her he
     needed to tend to a few security matters. While she questioned Tony, Rule conferred
     with Scott. They needed to rotate the guards, with some sleeping, some present but
     in the other suite, and some in the second-floor gym. Confining a number of lupi in
     a relatively small space for long periods of time created problems. Burning off some
     of their energy would help. He also wanted to change the guard rotation on Beth. They’d
     been handling it withthree guards—Murray, who was in charge, plus two Laban men—with each taking an eight-hour
     shift. Rule wanted two men on her at all times, starting immediately. For now they’d
     have to take twelve-hour shifts. After a brief discussion with Scott, he sent Patrick
     McCausey. Patrick was a steady sort with excellent control, unlikely to offend the
     notoriously prickly Laban.
    He was probably locking the barn door after the fact, but they didn’t have any idea
     why Sean Friar was missing. In the absence of data, Rule preferred to add a belt to
     the suspenders. If the belt proved unnecessary, good.
    After that he talked to Scott about a contingency he wanted covered—if they did end
     up faking a trade of Cullen for Adam, he didn’t want some sniper doing away with Cullen
     before they could act. Then he called Isen and brought him up-to-date, learning in
     turn that Lily’s crime-scene people had come and gone and that Benedict and Arjenie
     would be stuck in D.C. for a while. Some of the sidhe delegation were staying holed
     up in their suite due to an unspecified indisposition, and the administration wanted
     Arjenie around when they emerged.
    That struck Rule as suspicious. Elves’ ability to heal varied, but it seemed unlikely
     they’d caught a bug. Perhaps “indisposition” was diplomatic code for “we’re sick of
     talking to you.” Still, he called Benedict and, after some discussion, they agreed
     on a plan.
    Then he called an old acquaintance who had lived in San Francisco a long time and
     had contacts in some less-than-legal venues. He might know about this Hugo they wanted
     to find.
    He didn’t, but he promised to ask around. Just as Rule disconnected, Cullen arrived
     with Marcus and Steve. They hadn’t found a body or signs of a fight, so Rule called
     Beth to let her know, then directed Cullen to the small conference room he’d booked
     on the second floor, where he could work on his Find spell. Marcus and Steve would
     remain Cullen’s personal guards, so they went with him.
    At last Rule was able to pour himself a cup of coffee fromone of the insulated carafes room service had delivered and