Hidden Trump (Bite Back 2) (33 page)

“Can’t be sold, Ms. Johnson, by law. And it’s inscribed, so value is notional.”

“Yes, of course. I meant most valuable to them.”

He’d started sweating. “I don’t think Ruth told me. Maybe she told my wife and she must have forgotten to pass it on.”

Liar, again.

“It doesn’t matter.” I brushed it off. “But obviously, you can confirm they had it and you’ve seen it recently.”

“Oh, yes, fairly recently.” He smiled. He knew he was past the difficult part and that I would be out of his life soon. Just a couple more minutes. “They know I have an interest in these things.”

“And you can confirm you saw it only at their apartment?”

“Yes.”

“Never anywhere else? It hasn’t been, oh, here in this office for example?”

“No.”

I could almost hear the jolt of panic in him; I could smell his lies. My instinct was right. He had it, and he had it here.

“And there’s no possibility that it’s a fake, a copy for instance? We’ve had some recently.”

“No. I assure you, I would know.”

“The fakes we found fooled half the experts,” I said as an aside and stood. “Thank you so much for your time. You’ve been very helpful.” I leaned over and offered my hand to shake. Immediately wished I hadn’t. His palm was sweaty.

Back in my meeting room, a couple of floors down, I stood at the window, urging my anger to subside. Underwood wasn’t a hardened criminal, and there was nothing profitable in what he’d done. I suspected whoever he’d gotten to do his theft had taken the jewels as payment. No one got hurt and, of course, the insurance would pay for everything, he thought. A victimless crime. He was just a little boy, never grown up, who couldn’t stand that he didn’t have what he wanted in his collections. He had no concept of the distress he’d caused the Quinns, let alone my outrage. Well, he’d messed with the wrong people.

Victor’s system was recording the output from the bug. I scanned back through it. As soon as he’d been sure I was out the door, Underwood had unlocked the bottom drawer in his desk and taken out a simple box. He took a medal from the box and examined it with a jeweler’s loupe, almost stroking it. There was no way I could tell if it was the Quinns’, but every instinct told me I’d hit the jackpot.

Having put part one of the plan into action, I ‘accidentally’ hit that button on Victor’s system. The security manager here was no longer in control of his system, even though it’d look to him as if he was. I could override him at any point. And if Underwood left the building, I’d know.

I rubbed my face. Time to get on with the other plan. I walked back down the block and called Chopra on the octopus. He took my detailed instructions without a protest. Arvinder had to text a cell phone, then walk down 15
^th
towards Union Station and make a call to one of Victor’s phones. He’d be picked up as he walked, code word Siddhartha.

“He will be there, Ms. Farrell, in about…” He checked. “…thirty minutes.”

“Just so he’s aware, he’ll be checked for bugs and tails.”

“Indeed. Most prudent under the circumstances. Thank you again, Ms. Farrell.”

He ended the call. I smiled crookedly; he was so polite it was tiring.

I called Victor and gave him the green light.

There would be a little while before things would start to happen back at the Keynes building. I bought a fruit salad for lunch and strolled down towards the center. Once I’d put a couple  more blocks between me and the office, I turned my old cell back on to see what might be waiting for me. Every time I did this now, I imagined Ingram’s eyes flicking to a screen and watching a little icon labeled Farrell pop up on a map.

A missed call from Mom came up.

I turned the cell back off and called her on the octopus.

“Hi Mom! It’s me. How’s Florida?”

“Fine.” She seemed to struggle for a second, which said ‘not fine’ to me. “How are you, Amber?”

“I’m okay. Mom, what’s up? You sound worried.”

“Amber,” she said, then paused. “I trust you. I trust your judgment. I depended on you for so long. We both did, Kathleen and I, and you never got the recognition you deserve for that.”

“Jeez, Mom, you make it sound so serious.”

I regretted the flippancy as soon as I said it. The little sob that she nearly stifled cut me deeply. “Mom, what is it?”

“I hate it when you two don’t get along. I’ve told you that before.” She paused, then went on in a rush. “You would tell me if something was really wrong, Amber? You would, wouldn’t you? Anything?”

I groaned. “Oh no! What did Kath say this time?”

“I don’t want to go into it now. I don’t want to ruin John’s vacation. You know we haven’t ever really been away. Promise me, swear to me, Amber, nothing’s wrong.”

 “Mom, things happen, I deal with them. There’s nothing that you should be worried about.” The Keynes building loomed up above me, and the octopus was flashing warnings that it was down to its last connection. I cast around desperately for something I could say to reassure her. “Nothing, on my Blood, I so swear,” was what came out. Not entirely the best thing.

There was a tearful chuckle on the line. “What a phrase, but thank you, Amber,” she said. “We’ll be back on Sunday. Please come and see us. We’ve got to settle this with Kathleen.”

“We do, Mom. I can’t keep letting her walk all over me like this. Saying things to you, to our friends. Hurting you like this.”

“Oh God, I don’t want to get into this now. But please, Amber, she has some issues, let’s listen to them before going to war.”

Well, I had issues too. And Kath’s issues were likely around things I couldn’t talk about or couldn’t prove, but Mom deserved peace on her vacation.

“Okay, Mom. I’ll hold fire.” I looked up. Arvinder had just arrived at the entrance to the Keynes building on the back of a motorcycle.

“Mom, look, I’ve got a meeting, I gotta go soon, but one quick thing. You remember in your old souvenir box, you had some kind of heirloom?”

“Oh, of course dear, that old Arapaho necklace of your great-grandma’s.”

Yes!
As soon as she said it, an old memory of a beaded blue band came back.

“Do you still have it?”

There was a little pause, and my heart fell. It got worse.

“No. I gave it to Kathleen for a fancy dress party, oh, two or three years ago. I think she still must have it. Is it important?”

Damn!

“It is, Mom, it’s…ah…a sort of Arapaho Wolf Clan history group that I’m part of. It’ll keep.”

“Oh, that’s interesting. You kept that quiet, dear. Maybe I can meet them.”

The octopus was blinking and Arvinder was waiting.

Ask.
Tara nudged me.

“Yeah, sure. Um. You’ll think I’m crazy, but when they were asking me, I realized for the first time, of course, she was Dad’s grandma. But you always told us about the bedtime stories she’d tell you.”

“But yes. Oh, gosh, I must have told you this, Amber. It was always a joke that it was an arranged marriage because Blane and I knew each other from the age of five. We were always staying over. We always joked that Speaks-to-Wolves had chosen me for Blane.”

Gods! She very possibly did. What was the reason?

“We’ll talk when you come back, Mom. I’m sure the history group will want to hear all those stories as well.”

“But it’s all just children’s tales.”

“He’s got all this stuff in files and files, I’m sure the stories will be valuable.”

“Oh,
he
? Well, yes, of course, dear, I’d be happy to talk to him.”

I squeezed my eyes tight.
Sorry, Alex.
Adept Truth Sensors? Nothing on Mom.

“I hardly know what to think,” she said. “But if,” she hesitated, then plunged onwards, “if you need to make personal choices that aren’t what you think I would approve of, Amber, remember, they’re your choices to make.”

Thanks, Kath. Mom knew about Jen. Yes, this was going to be an interesting family evening when she got back. But I couldn’t get into it now.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too. I love you
both
, Amber. Bye.”

I ended the call just as the octopus gave up.

Could it get worse?

My damned sister. Not content with calling me a whore and a drug addict to my face, she told the Quinns. Then Mom. Who the hell did Kath think she was?

Then it turns out she has the necklace. Oh, freaking perfect!

But I’d promised to leave it for the moment, and I had to concentrate now.

Arvinder was standing in the reception area, smart in a gray Nehru suit, looking a little ruffled, but calm.

If the casting director of a Bollywood spectacular had been here, he’d have jumped at Arvinder. He was handsome, not with the generic pleasantness of the Bollywood heroes, but with the dark, cruel look of a raptor. He’d be just the right casting for the pirate captain, or the chief of the hill bandits. Then his hawk eyes turned to me as I approached and he beamed with pleasure.

Much nicer.

He’d been charming at the charity ball. I’d had to trust him there, and he had to trust me here.

I reminded myself that he was Basilikos. He was still in the enemy camp. Maybe he was looking to come over, but at the moment, I needed to be wary.

Chapter 30

Arvinder settled himself into a chair at the meeting table. It could have been any everyday meeting between a couple of businesspeople, instead of one between an Athanate group leader and a…whatever.

I had coffee ready, and there were some cookies. Arvinder took one for show. He didn’t really seem like a cookie person.

“Were the security procedures okay?” I asked.

“A most creditable arrangement. Your colleagues are extremely efficient.” He tossed his head, flicking the wave of black hair off his forehead. “I would like to offer you just one item of advice, however.”

“I’m always learning, Arvinder.”

He smiled briefly. “Your colleagues are not kin.”

“They’re secure. They know nothing about the Athanate, and I’m positive they will not discuss this operation today with any third parties.”

He held his hand up. “I am sure you have the greatest confidence in them, and I have confidence in you. That is not my point.” He shifted slightly. “Kin have status amongst Athanate. Harm done to kin is taken as harm done to Athanate. No Athanate would harm your kin short of an all-out declaration of feud.” He frowned, considering. “Or war. My point is this; do not lightly use unaligned humans to deal with Athanate. By our laws, we can do what we like to them without legal offense, unless we harm or expose the Athanate.”

“Then that’s a situation I will work to change,” I said. I clamped down on my temper. “Thanks for the advice.” I must have sounded like an idiot to him. I’d barely become Athanate and here I was, going to force them to change the systems they’d had in place for centuries.

Arvinder regarded me steadily over the rim of his cup. “I am most certain you will try,” he said and took a sip. “If you get the chance. I wish you luck.”

He sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. “I regret I can’t stay long, for both our sakes. Not only will the Warders be upset with me, but if my absence is noted, my associates will speculate and it is a very few steps before such speculations are in the hearing of Matlal.”

I nodded at the security system. “I can’t help with the speculations, but for more immediate danger, I’m watching. I should get plenty of warning if someone figures out we’re in here.” I gestured. “But it’s your meeting, Arvinder, you drive it.”

“Thank you.” His brow creased slightly. “Before I come to my main request, I have one small diversion first. What has been done to disguise your marque? It’s almost…lupine.”

I shrugged. “Wolf? Yes, I have dealings with the local pack.”

“Ahh. Then I have a small gift of information for you. Matlal is sponsoring a rival wolf pack in Denver.” He stopped me as I leaned forward. “I know nothing else.”

I sat back. “Well, my thanks. The meeting is worth it for that.”

He smiled, and I smiled back.

Basilikos, I reminded myself. Maybe not in Matlal’s corner, but still, Basilikos.

“Enough delay,” he said, and clasped his hands in front of him. “Amber, I most seriously wish you to consider an alliance with House Singh in preference to House Altau.”

I nearly choked on my coffee; that approach I really hadn’t expected. He was silent, waiting.

“I’m flattered you should make all this effort.” I cleared my throat. “And I appreciate what you’ve told me today, but I can imagine that some of the things I will say, you will find offensive. It’s not personal.”

He nodded. “Please, go on.”

“I don’t know if Altau are typical of Athanate Houses,” I said, eyes on my hands. “I think they’re not, but they’re here and they’ve helped me and Skylur’s the leader of the Panethus. Not to mention president of the Assembly. I agree with the Panethus creed. What I know of Basilikos…” I looked up and met his eyes, “revolts me. Why wouldn’t I ally myself with Skylur?”

Arvinder snorted. “It takes time to understand Athanate politics. That is time you haven’t had. You are aware there are fundamental differences between House Singh and House Matlal, though?” I nodded and he continued. “And, in time, you would have wondered how such diverse creeds became joined in Basilikos. Well, allow me to answer that, quite simply. Basilikos means every creed that has a principle that isn’t in complete conformity with Panethus. Basilikos wouldn’t exist as a group if Panethus hadn’t made it. The independents are those that don’t have a defining creed.”

“And by creed you mean how you relate to kin?”

He waved a finger at me. “Kin is a Panethus term, and a creed is more than that. But to keep it simple, yes.”

“Then what do you call your human…” I struggled for a word, “partners?”

“Devotees. And Amber, our Theokos creed is the oldest Athanate creed. Something Panethus find convenient to forget.”

“Being old doesn’t mean it’s right,” I said. He wasn’t making any headway with me. Devotees sounded like a cult.