Fox Revenge (Madison Wolves #5) (24 page)

I startled. "Don't do that!"

"I tried calling, over and over," she said. "You were lost in your notes."

"Sorry." I glanced at the time and realized class should have started five minutes ago. I scrambled to collect my papers and ran down the hall.

The kids were being very well-behaved, studying from their books. Michele wasn't there. "She has a dental appointment," Chloe said. "She'll be here soon though."

I started to teach.

The morning went fine. I was in good form, and the kids performed well. After lunch, I needed to break the kids up between the seniors and the younger kids. I asked Michele to handle the younger kids, giving her the notes I had prepared, and I took the older kids to another classroom.

About twenty minutes later, I noticed a commotion in the hall. I tried to ignore it, but then Michele appeared in the doorway. "Michaela," she said.

"Hang on, Michele," I finished my thought with the kids, then gave them a question to discuss between themselves. I gestured Michele in, but she asked me to step outside.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Can't you read my notes?"

"No, honey," she said. "I can read them fine."

I stepped out in the hallway, and it seemed like everyone was waiting for me. Lara was leaning on Elisabeth, the hallway was filled with enforcers, and Vivian was there.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "What has happened?"

Michele was trying to herd me closer to Lara and Elisabeth. I looked past her to see Karen, Gia and Rory were guarding the far end of the hall. Past Lara and Elisabeth, Serena, Eric, and Emanuel were guarding the main door.

"I'll take your classes, Michaela," Michele said. "The kids will be fine."

"What happened?" I asked. I searched faces. Angel and Scarlett weren't there. "Did something happen to Angel? Scarlett?"

"No," said Lara. "They're fine. Come on. Let's go home."

"What happened? Did someone die?"

"No, honey, no one died. Let's go home and we'll talk about it."

"I don't want to go home," I said. "If I go home, all I think about-" I shut my mouth. "Is there a new threat? Why are there so many enforcers here?"

"Let's go home, Michaela," Lara said. "I need your help."

"Oh my god, is it the babies?" I ran to her. She seemed fine, tired, but fine. I put my hand on her stomach, then dropped to my knees and pressed an ear there. I could hear two rapid, healthy little wolf pup baby heartbeats. "They sound fine," I said after a moment.

Lara reached down and pulled me up by my elbows. Then she put an arm around me and turned me to the door. "Come on, honey. Michele has your classes."

And then Elisabeth had my other hand. I pulled away. "Lara needs your help, Elisabeth. Not me." But she took my arm again, and this time she didn't let go.

Lara began pulling me towards the doors; Vivian stepped in beside her.

I looked at the enforcers. I looked over my shoulder at the other enforcers. They were guarding the doors. But they weren't guarding them from a threat.

They were watching me.

They were guarding me.

"I didn't do anything!" I yelled. "I promised! I promised!"

"I know, honey," Lara said.

"I was right here. I was right where I was supposed to be. Where are you taking me?"

"Home, that's all," she said.

"Why is Vivian here? Why is everyone looking at me?"

"You're scaring the kids," Elisabeth said quietly. "We're just going home. That's all."

"We'll talk there," Lara said. I realized she had as firm a hold of me as Elisabeth did, and as we approached the main doors, the enforcers behind us stepped forward to catch up to us.

Emanuel and Eric opened the doors. Serena passed out through them, then Elisabeth, Lara and I, and then a moment later we were surrounded by enforcers. And they were all watching me carefully.

"You think I'm going to run," I said. "Why? I promised I wouldn't."

"Let's get you home," Lara said. "Vivian is going to give you something to calm down."

"I was calm until you all came and scared the crap out of me."

She didn't answer.

"I've had enough drugs this month!" I said. "I don't want any more."

Lara actually flinched at that, but she didn't respond.

I let them pull me into the house then watched as the enforcers set up to guard the door to the kitchen, the door upstairs, and the front door.

"Honey," Lara said quietly. "The glass in this house is bullet proof. If you try to go through it, you'll bounce right off."

I knew that. What I didn't understand is why she felt the need to remind me.

"Did something happen?" I asked. "Bad news?"

"Not of the type you think," Lara said. She and Elisabeth still hadn't released my arms. They were steering me to the sofa.

"No," I said. "If we're having a serious conversation, I want it at the table."

"All right," Lara said. And they brought me to the table. But then they stopped, still clutching my arms. "Serena."

Serena crossed the room, and Lara and Elisabeth turned me to face her.

"I didn't do anything!" I said.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry." She stepped up to me and removed the chopsticks from my hair.

"I need those!" I said. "Stop it!"

Then she dropped to her knees and clasped one of my ankles.

"Serena! Stop it!"

I was wearing slacks. She pulled the leg of my slacks up and unstrapped my knife. Then she grabbed the other ankle and took that one, too.

That was when I began to struggle. They were taking my weapons. I needed those weapons. I started screaming. "Stop it! What if they come again?"

"Then we will protect you," Lara said. Neither she nor Elisabeth released my arms. Serena stood up and set my weapons on the table. Then Elisabeth held out my left arm to her, and Serena took that knife. Lara helped her take the one on my right wrist.

"Don't forget the belt," Lara said.

Serena struggled with it, but she removed my belt. Then she collected everything together and stepped into the kitchen. I listened as she set everything down on the small table in there.

"Why?" I asked Lara.

She didn't answer, but she and Elisabeth led me the rest of the way to a chair at the table. Then Elisabeth held me there while Lara pulled a chair next to mine. Once she was seated and had a firm hold of me, Elisabeth sat down, then clasped my arm again, one hand on my shoulder, holding me down into the chair.

"I didn't do anything!" I said.

"I know you didn't," Lara said.

"Then why are you doing this?"

Vivian sat down across the table from me. "Look at me, Michaela," she said. "We're going to talk. Do you want me to give you something?"

"No." Inside, I was in an uproar. I didn't know what had changed. I hadn't done anything. I hadn't even threatened to do anything. I was doing what I could to cope. I wasn't doing very well, but I didn't suddenly deserve the "she's insane" treatment.

Vivian looked through some papers she was holding. She turned them around and slid them across the table to me. "Do you know what these are?"

I glanced at them. "They're the class notes I wrote earlier. I gave them to Michele. You guys are suddenly worried I'm not doing a good job teaching the kids? This seems like an excessive response."

"Will you read the first one to me?" Vivian asked.

I reached for it; Lara and Elisabeth gave me enough motion with my arms to pick up the top page. "This is for the math assignment," I said. "They're learning about vectors."

I had
provided the page from the textbook to reference, explained the lesson, and then provided a sample problem to draw on the board. I knew there were more problems on the subsequent pages, and the assignment for tomorrow was on the last page.

"Read it," she said. "Set it down and run your fingers over the words as you read it to me."

I set it down and read it, not understanding her point.

"And the problem you wrote out, too."

I read it then explained it to her.

"All right," she said. "What is this word?" she pointed.

"Vector," I said. "It's like a direction and velocity."

"Read it again," she said.

"Vector," I said. "That word is vector."

"And this one?" She pointed out the word "vector" several times in different places on the page.

"All right," she said. "Let's go back to this word. Please read each letter to me, one at a time, right from the paper."

"This is stupid. Vector. It's in the dictionary."

"Just read the letters, Michaela," she said very simply.

"V-I-C-T-I-M," I read. "Vector."

"Is that how you spell vector?" Vivian asked. "Look carefully."

I looked at the word. "This is stupid. It's a math class plan." But I looked at the word. "Wait," I said. "I spelled it wrong. You're u
pset because I spelled it wrong?"

"What word did you spell instead?" Vivian asked.

"Victim," I said in a small voice. "I spelled victim."

"And in all the other places?" she asked.

I looked. Victim. Victim. Victim. Everywhere I had meant to spell vector, I had spelled victim. I looked through the rest of the papers. I had done it everywhere.

I stared at the papers.

It all came crashing on me, all at once. Then, very calmly, I pushed the papers away and turned to Elisabeth. In a dead cold voice, I told her, "Twelve hours. Will you give me the information I need or not?"

It turns out she wouldn't.

I let them cajole me. I let them beg. I let Lara yell. I finally said in a quiet voice, "I promised a twelve hour warning. After that, I am going to Des Moines, and I am killing two wolves that very much need to die." I turned to Lara. "If you'll have me back after that, I will return. If not, I understand."

They tried to argue "sense" into me. By and large, I ignored them. I only repeated I would not remain a victim any longer.

I finally turned to Vivian and looked her right in the face. "I have had a few identity problems over the last two years," I said. "But one thing I haven't really forgotten; wolves who mess with me die. Period. And I do not believe you can call that crazy. I believe it is cool, cold sanity."

I apologized to Lara. I apologized to Serena. I told them there was no way they could keep me if I decided to leave.

"Well," I said. "Unless you're going to treat me like they did. That might work," I said. "I don't think there is any coming back from that."

Lara struggled to her feet. I glanced at her, and she looked deeply distressed. "Enforcers, the fox is to be guarded twenty-four hours a day. There will be live eyes on her every second of the day from now until I say otherwise. No exceptions at all." And then, slowly, she headed towards the stairs.

"Elisabeth," I said quietly. "May I help her?"

She nodded. I rushed to Lara's side. Emanuel ran up the stairs ahead of us, and Serena followed behind. I slowly helped Lara to our bedroom.

She was done talking to me. She was tired and sweating, and I knew it was my fault.

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I have to. I don't know how else to keep my sanity."

"I know," she said. "But I have to stop you."

"Please don't hate me, Lara," I said. I helped her into the bed. "Please don't hate me."

"Oh Little F
ox, I could never hate you. I wish we could do what you wanted. Will you rest with me?"

"Yes." I helped her with her shoes, then slipped most of my clothes off and climbed into bed with her. I rubbed her back for her while she tried to sleep.

I napped with her, for a short while. When I woke, Serena was there, watching me from a chair. I slipped from the bed, leaving Lara to sleep, and got dressed. I crossed to Serena and knelt in front of her. "Am I confined to the room?"

"No," she said. "First, you promised another-" she consulted her watch. "Eleven hours. The orders are to keep eyes on you. I will, however, ask you to stay on two feet. And there will be no flying today."

"Will you take me to the gym?"

"Yes. How hard of a workout do you want?"

"Can we spar for a while? Then a hard workout."

"All right."

"I'm sorry."

"I know," she said. "When we're outside, I will be hanging onto you. You understand."

"Yes. Let's talk in the gym."

She nodded
. I collected my gym clothes from the closet, and Serena escorted me downstairs. Angel was home and she stepped in beside me. Outside were Emanuel and Eric.

"Four?"

"Yes." Serena took my arm and we walked to the gym. "You and I can spar lightly. I'll see if Elisabeth and Karen can join us."

"Thank you."

We arrived in the gym. The guys set up watch outside the dressing room while Angel escorted me inside.

"Please don't do this," Angel said the minute we were alone.

"Change for a workout?" I asked.

"You know what I mean. Please, Michaela."

I sighed and finished changing. "Come on. You can help them work me so hard I can't think. It helps."

When we exited the dressing room, Serena said, "They'll be along shortly." She led the way to one of the rooms we used for sparring.

"I don't have any weapons," I said.

"Simulate them," she said. "Or we can work on throws."

"I can't throw a wolf," I said. "At least not one I couldn't just kill."

"What are you going to do if you're out of weapons?"

We set up a bunch of mats, and she taught me a variety of throws, demonstrating with Angel. She let Angel try them on her, then I tried them with Angel. I was able to throw Angel if she cooperated, but if she actively resisted, it was a different story.

Karen and Elisabeth arrived. Karen watched what I was trying to do and stopped the exercise immediately. "Everyone back away from her. Michaela, I am going to rush you. Try that same throw on me. If y
ou manage to throw me, later I will perform all your exercises alongside you, working myself as hard as I work you. If you don't throw me, your twelve hours warning becomes twenty-four."

"You're setting me up," I said.

"How about this? We'll play for information," Elisabeth said. "Throw her, and I will rule out one major city in Iowa. If you don't throw her, we get an extra hour."

"They're in Des Moines," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Are we playing this game until I rule out all the cities in Iowa except the one they're in?"

"Ten chances," Elisabeth said. "But each time the amount of hours you give me doubles."

I thought about it. Twelve hours was the middle of the night, an
d that wasn't my plan anyway. "I reserve the right to stop if I keep losing. I think you're setting me up."

"All right," Elisabeth agreed.

Karen rushed me. I spun, grabbed her arm, thrust out my hip, and threw her across my hip onto the mat. She bounced immediately to her feet, facing me, but I continued to stare at where I had thrown her.

"Did you let me do that?"

"I rushed you like an idiot," she said. "But no, I didn't actually let you do it."

I turned
to Elisabeth. "They aren't in Dubuque," she said.

"Oh come on!" I said. "I could have told you that."

She shrugged.

I turned to Karen. "Let's assume they aren't idiots."

"Judging by your results, I think we can say the Iowa enforcers aren't very good, either," she said.

I thought about it. "I don't know about Johnny Mack. But I saw him throw punches. He's slow. I can take him."

"Next up," Elisabeth said. "We're playing for another city or an hour. Angel, make a real effort to tackle her. Don't worry about hurting her. They won't, and she'll heal. But it needs to be a high tackle for that throw."

Angel rushed me. I ducked under it instead of throwing her. She flew over me.

"No point," Elisabeth said.

"Sorry. Instinct."

"Try again, Angel," Karen said. Angel rushed me again, and this time I tried the throw Serena had taught me. I actually managed to throw her, but Angel held onto me, and we tumbled to the mats together. I yelled in pain.

"Point to us," Elisabeth said. "We get an hour."

I rolled onto my side and stared at my left wrist.

"Heal it," Elisabeth said. "Or fight with it like that. Serena."

Serena gave me a one second warning. I scrambled to my feet, but she took me down with a tackle, and I felt two ribs crack.

"Point to us," Elisabeth said. "You're up, Karen."

"Stop!" I rolled onto my side, trying to breath.

"Your enemy isn't going to stop because you are injured," Elisabeth said.

I ignored her and concentrated on my ribs. I felt them heal. They weren't broken, just cracked. Then I stared at my wrist.

"Elisabeth, I need help with the wrist."

Immediately she was kneeling beside me. She didn't touch it. "Oh it's broken good."

"It wasn't, but then Serena took me down and I landed bad on it a second time."

"Are you going to heal it yourself or do you want me to straighten it?"

"You. Ignore the screams."

She clasped my wrist, straightened it, and then I healed it. I panted for a minute or two when I was done. Elisabeth helped me sit then sat down next to me.

"Elisabeth, this is stupid. That's not how I fight."

"I actually thought you could do it," she said.

"I'm focused to
o hard on one technique that isn't instinctual," I said. "It slows me down."

"Bones okay?" she asked.

I nodded. She stood up then helped me to my feet. "Half speed," she said. "We're not playing for points. Karen, help it become instinct."

We spent two hours at it. Karen taught me several throws, and they took turns letting me try them, half speed for a while, then
cautiously speeding up.

By the end of two hours, I was pretty tired, but they were pretty sore. Angel had to shift a few times after landing badly, but she was grinning. The other enforcers were treating her just like one of them.
I knew how it felt to be included with the big girls.

"All right," Elisabeth said. "Free for all. We are going to rush you one at a time. You may make any move you want, but you only get a point for a successful throw. We get a point for a take down or if you get injured. We're playing to ten points. If you win, I'll give you three cities. If we win, I want twenty-four hours."

"Delay between rushes, heal between injuries or if I call a pause."

"Agreed," she said. "But we're at full speed, and I'
m including myself. I'll name each attacker."

"You'll rush me in a fashion consistent with the throws you've taught me?"

"Not necessarily, but you have other ways to evade, and if you think we're not giving you a fair chance, you can stop us to negotiate."

"All right," I said. I took a few breaths, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and then barely
had time to react when Elisabeth said, "Angel."

I ducked under her reach and tripped her.

"No point," Elisabeth said. "Serena."

Serena took me down.

"One-zero," Elisabeth said. "Are you all right?"

I climbed to my feet. "Yes. May I have just a little more delay?"

"All right," she said. "But when we're done, we're playing this game for real, as if we're trying to catch you. No points though."

"I'll lose."

"I know."

"All right," I said. "Go."

"Karen." I ducked under Karen and spun towards Elisabeth. She nodded to me and rushed me.

I threw her.

"Stop." I said.

I stared at Elisabeth. "Did you give me that?"

"No," she said, climbing to her feet. "But I'm trying to fight consistent with the skill we're expecting you to face, not my real skill. So is Karen. Serena and Angel are doing their best."

"Thank you. Ready."

"Serena."

I feinted a duck but then snagged her wrist and gave her a toss.
She tried to grab my wrist as she flew over my hip, but I ducked away from that and bounced away from her.

"One-Two," Elisabeth said. "Karen."

Karen rushed me from behind. I ducked low and rolled under her, narrowly missing her fingers.

"Good," said Elisabeth. "Me."

She paused and rushed me, taking me down and knocking the wind out of me. I gasped for air. She let me catch my breath while hovering over me.

"I'm fine," I said, once I could breath again.

"The fight would have been all over at that point," she said. "I need you to keep going, even when injured. I'll let you heal, but I need you ready to at least be evasive."

I nodded.

She backed away, waited until I nodded, and said, "Angel."

Angel took me down, then helped me to my feet. "Well done," I told her. "Good feint."

She smiled. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"Play to win," I said. She nodded.

"Three-two," Elisabeth said. "Karen."

The score turned eight-five when I snapped my arm between the floor and Karen's hip. I cried out, climbed to my feet, and said, "Done. You get your extra day."

Then I almost fell over, but Serena caught me. She lowered me gently to the floor, and Elisabeth checked my arm. "It's already straight," she said. "You should have healed it."

"I'm out of energy," I said. I concentrated, but I had nothing left. "I need food."

"Karen and I brought food," Elisabeth said. "Angel, can you get it? It's just outside in a little cooler."

I sat quietly; I had just enough energy to block the pain from the arm. Angel was gone only a few seconds, then she was kneeling in front of me. She stuffed me
with bread and pieces of lunchmeat, not bothering to make a sandwich. Serena handed me a bottle of water.

I shoved the food down, let it settle for a minute, then hurried it on its way. As my blood sugar began to settle, I concentrated on the arm.

"Are you sure it's straight?" I asked Elisabeth.

"No. Do you want help?"

I nodded.