Mercy Thompson 01-05 - THE MERCY THOMPSON COLLECTION

home.”
    Home.
    I glanced worriedly at Warren. Adam would be up and functional in a day or two—thanks to nifty werewolf superpowers of healing. But the pack was still a mess.
    â€œRight, boss.” Warren nodded at me and continued to talk to Adam. “I reckon I’ll stick by you for a bit, though, if you don’t mind. Darryl will be there, too.”

    WE PACKED ADAM INTO THE BACK OF WARREN’S TRUCK on top of a thick camping pad and underneath a sleeping bag. Werewolves are pretty immune to the cold—especially the kind of cold the Tri-Cities could manage most winters. But we weren’t taking any chances with him. He accepted our fussing with a sort of royal amusement that managed to be appreciative, too, though he didn’t say a word.
    â€œCamping?” I murmured to Warren under my breath after we’d gotten Adam settled. “You actually got Kyle to go out camping?” Kyle was very happy with the comforts of civilization. I couldn’t see him spending a weekend in the woods voluntarily.
    â€œNah,” he muttered. “Not overnight anyhow. But I’m hopeful for next spring.”
    â€œBut you had sleeping bags and camp pads in your truck.” I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face. “Does this have anything to do with the ice chest full of meat?”
    He ducked his head, but he was grinning. “You don’t ask me what you don’t want to know, Mercy.”
    Mary Jo rode in the back of the truck with Adam while I drove my car with Ben beside me and Sam in the back. Ben had offered to drive the Rabbit so I could ride with Adam, but his hands were raw and painful. Mary Jo wasn’t going to do anything to hurt Adam; whatever resentment or hatred she felt for me didn’t interfere with her desire to keep him safe.
    As soon as I started driving, Ben said, “You need to find out who the second man on watch was.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œThe other wolf Adam had watching with Mary Jo. She doesn’t want to tell, and she’s higher rank than I am, so I can’t ask her. If Warren asked . . . She’s one of the crowd that thinks he shouldn’t be pack.”
    â€œWhat?” I’d thought the homophobic elements in the pack were all men.
    Ben nodded. “She’s quieter about it than most, but she’s also more stubborn. If Warren gave her an order she didn’t want to comply with—like one that would make her narc on someone she cares about—she’s likely to defy him. He’d have to hurt her, and that would hurt him more because he likes her—and doesn’t have any idea that she’s one of the stupid people.”
    I’d always thought Ben was one of the stupid people, too. I guess that must have shown in my face because he laughed.
    â€œI was bitter when I first came here. Eastern Washington is a big comedown from London.” He didn’t say anything for a while, but about the time I turned onto the highway he continued in a soft voice. “Warren’s okay. He cares about the pack, and that’s not as common in the upper echelon as you’d think. Took me a while to appreciate—and that’s on me.”
    I patted his arm. “Took us a while to warm up to you, too,” I said. “Must be your charming personality.”
    He laughed again, and this time it was with genuine humor. “Yes. No doubt. You’re a right bitch sometimes, you know?”
    The response was elementary-school automatic. “Takes one to know one,” I said. “You think there was someone else who watched Adam jump into a burning building to save me and didn’t do anything to stop him?”
    â€œI think that Adam sends us out in pairs. One man on point, the second as backup. Always. Mary Jo wasn’t out there alone when you and Samuel left. She wasn’t the only one who watched whoever set fire to your house.”
    He paused. “I think I know who it is, but I’m prejudiced, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. Just remember: Mary Jo . . . she’s good folk when it comes down to it. She’s been a firefighter since they allowed women to be on the teams. She may not like you that much, but she’s got no bone to pick with Samuel. I don’t think she’d have stood by and watched arson taking place without someone stepping in and influencing her. There aren’t many of the pack who could override her good sense like