and cloak that was practically a burqua when she pulled the hood up.
'Sorry to see you go,' I said, standing awkwardly. I still wasn't used to how eerily coordinated the two of them were. Had Savannah and I been that way, once, or was it a vampire thing? 'Surprised you don't have Doug pulling a pack.'
'Doug's a human grad student,' Savannah said, 'not my enthralled servant. He doesn't have time for all this gallivanting.'
'And you do?' I asked. 'Are you ever going to get your Ph. D in vampirology?'
'Some day,' she said. 'But not today.'
We stood there, staring at each other.
'Oh, quit being a pain in my ass and give me a hug,' Savannah said, stepping in and squeezing me about the waist so that all my air left with a whoosh. 'Take care, Dakota.'
I waved awkwardly and watched them walk off. I expected to see Savannah look back and wave to me, but she was lost, chatting with Darkrose, who gave her a warm hug.
I sighed, stared down at the table, at my rapidly cooling coffee. I swept it up and finished it in one forced gulp, then considered finishing the dregs of Savannah's Bloody Mary. What the hell. I wouldn't be driving for at least half an hour. I picked it up, finished it, staring at the grainy tomato juice draining off the bottom of the glass, then slammed it down and tossed a few more coins on top of the tip we'd left on the table. Then I picked up my cane and started limping back towards the MARTA station at the end of the airport terminal.
On the way, I took stock. Rand was already working the angle on the shooter, but he was only good against mortal threats. If Transomnia attacked again, I was toast, but if I had some warning, I could go to Calaphase for help-that little shit was now a big embarrassment to him. If, at the werehouse, one of the Bear King's kindred got rowdy, I could count on Buck. I might even be able to ask for Buck's help if Wulf turned out to be behind the killings. If not. .. the full moon hit zenith in less than twenty-seven hours, and took to the sky in even less. Even if I could get the tattoo prepared, I had no way of finding him.
The train slid into the station, a long, smooth, well-lit machine, a pinnacle of modern technology. Then my eyes lit up.
There was someone who knew where Wulf lived.
'Philip,' I said into my cell when he picked up. I sat down in one of the back-to-back seats near the middle of the car, and other passengers filed in, one taking the seat just behind me. 'It's Dakota. What's that noise? Sounds like a Starbucks. Can I meet you?'
'Not unless you're willing to ride that Vespa all the way to North Carolina,' he said, voice raised slightly to overcome the sound of a blender in the background. 'And 'that noise' is a helicopter I couldn't even admit existed until nine months ago.'
My skin grew cold. 'What's happened?'
'We got a lead, Dakota,' he said, sounding not at all happy. 'A pizza parlor employee was abducted a few hours ago in Charlotteheavily tattooed, snatched just after moonrise, so… we're riding to the rescue.'
'You go, Philip,' I said softly. 'Did the pizza guy have magical tattoos?'
'Oh yeah, and get this-he had one done by Sumner,' he said. 'Similar to the one you saw. This is exactly what we've seen before, from the distance between attacks to the victim type down to the lead time to full moon. It fits the profile perfectly.'
He didn't say the cliche, but I could hear it in his voice. 'Too perfectly?' I asked. 'Jeez, Philip, you don't think it's some kind of trap?'
'I want to think it's a distraction,' Philip said, sounding angry and disgusted. 'Damn goose chase, in fact. But there's a life on the line. I can't let another person die because I sat on a lead.'
My eyebrows raised. Another person? 'You do what you have to, Philip,' I said. But his reference kept bugging at me, and finally I asked, 'Another person… do you mean Spleen?'
'What did you call for, Dakota?' Philip asked sharply.
'I need to find Wulf,' I said, and I heard him hiss. 'I've lost my contact, and he's not answering the number we have on him-'
'Can you give me that number?' Philip said.
'I need to find him,' I said. 'Do you know where he sleeps?'
'Yes, but he's skipped, Dakota,' Philip said. 'We already tried to pick him up-'
'You tried to pick him up?' That was more of an accusation than a question.
'Dakota!' Philip said. 'A werewolf looking for a tattoo turns up right where we expect to find a tattoo killer that strikes on the full moon. Mysterious forces are plotting against him. His tattooist is attacked-twice! His handler ends up dead, savaged as if by an animal. Sounds exactly like a 'person of interest' in the full vagueness of that awful phrase. Of course we tried to pick him up. Please, if you give me his number-'
'He saved my life,' I said. 'Or at least, helped save me from someone other than himself. He's not your guy.'
'Dakota,' Philip said. 'This is me we're talking about here. You really think I'd accuse him without damn good proof?' I didn't immediately respond, and he said: 'Dakota?'
Finally I said, 'No.'
'All right then,' Philip said. 'Give me his number and I'll try to-'
'Give me his last known location and I'll try to find him,' I countered.
Philip paused. 'You need to stay out of this,' he said. 'Stay away from Wulf-'
'It was you' I snapped, 'that told me I should do his tattoo-'
'That was before Spleen ended up dead,' Philip barked back. 'Before someone else tried to shoot you at the Masquerade! It isn't safe-'
'It's not safe for him,' I said. 'The full moon is one day away. I have to help him-'
'He's an old wolf,' Philip said. 'I researched that suit of his. The style's at least thirty years out of date. He survives the full moon twelve times a year. He knows how to do it again. If you really want to help him, you'll lie low until the moon is on the wane and we've nailed this killer, or at least driven him off. Shack up with Saffron if you have to-'
'She's gone,' I said, 'To Africa.'
'Bloody hell,' he said. 'Bloody fucking hell. I was counting on her! Hell of a time to- damnit, look, call Rand, get into protective custody-'
'Fuck that,' I said.
'Dakota!' Philip said. 'You've had four attacks on you recently-'
'Four?' I said. 'Only two, and the one by Transomnia isn't related-'
'Dakota,' he said. 'Presidents and gangsters have multiple assassins gunning for them, but even they don't get four attacks a week this side of Pakistan. Transomnia, the Masquerade shooter, Spleen and that business with Wulf, they're all connected to you-'
'Business with Wulf?' I said.
'At the hospital,' Philip said. 'Whoever ratted him to the hospital staff didn't say Wulf was 'bothering them'- they said, Call the police, that maniac tried to gut me with a knife!'
'Holy crap,' I said. 'Why didn't you tell me before?'
'The interviewing officer didn't tell me,' Philip said. 'I just found their exact words going over the transcripts. Whoever said that didn't want him run off-they wanted him arrested, maybe even shot and killed. That's a premeditated attack in my book.'
'Jeez,' I said. But I didn't want to admit he was right. I was a skeptic. I didn't believe in all that conspiracy crap. 'But, still.. . are you sure you're not being too paranoid-'
'With one dead, two hospitalized, and one man terrorized into going on the run?' Philip said. 'You can never be too paranoid with that kind of shit piling up in just six days. Never.'
I just sat there, stunned. I wanted to deny it, to tell him he was a conspiracy nut, but he was a very genuine man in black with his own shiny black helicopter, and the body count was stacking up. His words left me feeling I was sinking into murky water, getting deeper all the time, able to see nothing but churning ripples left by unseen sharks.
'Dakota, we're going to land soon,' Philip said, as gently as he could over the whine. 'I'll be busy, but… I can start the wheels turning, see if we can track Wulf down.'
