Lupi 09 - Mortal Ties

overhear. Beth, is it okay if I talk
     to you about this?”
    Beth shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
    Lily could think of a couple of reasons—he was male and lupi, and he didn’t know Beth
     at all. She doubted hecould understand, much less help, but she held her peace. He probably wouldn’t do
     any harm.
    Tony crossed to them and went down on one knee, putting his eyes more or less level
     with Beth. He held out both hands. Hesitantly she put hers in them. He squeezed and
     looked her in the eyes and spoke in his slow, measured way. “Someone tried to hurt
     or kill you. Maybe you killed him instead. Maybe you hurt him very badly. You are
     having a hard time with this.” He paused.
    Beth nodded.
    “That’s okay. Killing is not supposed to be easy.”
    Beth’s mouth rounded in a silent “oh.” Tension eased out of her shoulders. “You mean
     I’m supposed to be confused.”
    “You are.”
    “And I should quit thinking I need to figure everything out right away.”
    He chuckled, a rumble so low Lily barely heard it. “
Pequita
, no one ever gets everything figured out.”
    She smiled back and looked more like herself. Flirty. “Hey, who are you calling ‘little
     one’?”
    “Almost everyone.”
    Beth laughed. It was a good laugh, and it looked like it surprised her as much as
     it did Lily.
    Out in the hall someone said, “…give me that look. I don’t know what your problem
     is, but I’m perfectly entitled to go in the—”
    “Deirdre!” Beth sprang up. “That’s Deirdre. I’m in here,” she called hurrying to the
     door, and a tall skinny blond with enormous hoop earrings and a small butterfly tat
     on her collarbone sailed into the room. “Beth! I just checked my messages, and I’m
     so sorry I didn’t check earlier! Are you all right? You look—”
    “I’m good except—”
    “—like you’ve been through the wringer, and I—”
    “—that I’m awful, too, and I’m so glad to see you!”
    The two collided in a hug and just kept talking over, under, and around each other.
    Lily sighed and smiled and stood, suddenly tired. Shelooked at Tony, who was unwinding his not-quite-seven feet back to standing. She cocked
     her head and said quietly, “What would you have said to her if she’d said she felt
     anger or regret instead of confusion?”
    Deep in those brown, bovine eyes a spark of humor glinted. “Same thing. You asked
     her good questions,” he added in an encouraging way.
    “Then tried to give her my answers instead of waiting for her to find her own.”
    “We always want to fix things for the people who matter. Can’t, mostly, but we want
     to.”
    “I think you’re going to make a good Rho.”
    “Do you?” He slid her a glance as opaque as any Isen might use. “Even though I don’t
     think so quick?”
    “The thing Isen does best, the thing the clan needs him for the most, is people. You
     don’t handle people his way, but your way—” Her phone vibrated. She took it out. “Your
     way works, too.”
    Her caller was Arjenie. She asked about Beth first. Lily wasn’t sure how she’d heard,
     but Rule had of course told his Rho, so maybe Isen had called Benedict, who would
     have told Arjenie. Lily assured her Beth was okay, then they got to the business of
     the call. Which was basically that Arjenie hadn’t been able to turn up a Hugo in San
     Francisco that fit Cullen’s description, or a Hugo who’d been through the prison system
     anywhere in the country who was a good match, and she was out of options to check.
     Lily grimaced and thanked her and disconnected.
    “This Hugo you’re looking for,” Tony said. “He is here in San Francisco?”
    “He was. We think he still is. Why?”
    “I know people. Those in my clan will know people I don’t. Tell me about him.”
    “He’s a big man—big as in fat, weighs around three hundred, or did five years ago
     when he hung out at a bar called Rats. At that time he was either bald or shaved his
     head. He’s white, maybe fifty-five years old, and has a tattoo of a lightning bolt
     on his forehead. He’s got an Air Giftand contacts in the magical community. At one time he was the go-to guy for people
     who wanted magical items stolen.”
    Tony nodded slowly. “I’ll find him for you.”
    Just like that? Well, Rule had said Tony had lived here a long time. Maybe he wasn’t
     as young as he looked, after all. Why not let him have a try? “Thank you. He’s one
     of the few leads