Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(28)

Hmm.

"Did you find evidence of a werewolf?"

Liam shook his head. "Not conclusive evidence. There were dents in the side where I assume it attacked the car and the roof had huge indents too, but that was it."

And I bet he hadn’t called in any of the werewolves to see if they could pick up anything the vampires missed. Sometimes, the arrogance and superiority complex on both sides of the divide was enough to choke on.

"How fast is a werewolf? Is it normal for a human to be able to outrun one?" I asked.

The werewolves I'd seen were all insanely fast. I'd be hard-pressed to outrun one, and I was a vampire.

"Companions are faster and stronger than a regular human, courtesy of the bite and the blood their benefactor shares with them, but a werewolf would still be faster."

That's what I thought.

"You have nothing to suggest it was Caroline." I felt a little relief at that. It meant I still had time to figure something out.

"Caroline would be the reasonable choice. Brax's wolves know better than to attack us. None of them want to start a war," Liam pointed out.

"This wouldn't be the first time one of his wolves acted against him. That's not even considering that there is no evidence to even suggest this was a werewolf. Your companions may have just over-reacted to an aggressive dog."

That would be the simple answer, but even I didn't believe it.

"You can tell yourself whatever lies you need to believe, but we both know your friend is running on borrowed time. The best thing you could do is help me find her."

I kept my mouth sealed shut, not wanting to argue about this. I didn't know what I was going to do about Caroline. On one hand, I didn't want to hand her back to Brax when she'd made her wishes known. Doing so would make me the biggest of hypocrites, considering I fought so hard against joining a clan and refused to acknowledge the sire/yearling relationship. On the other hand, I saw what they were saying and knew the dangers of trying to figure this out by yourself. I'd be lying if I didn't say going it alone was hard—

perhaps one of the most difficult things I've ever done.

I just needed time to talk this out with Caroline. Whatever was decided, she needed to have a say in it. I knew first-hand what it was like to have your choices taken away from you after your very species had been changed without your permission. No way was I going to subject her to that.

A thought occurred to me. "How long was I out?"

Liam frowned. "I don't know. Long enough for me to question the witnesses and get back." He pulled his phone out of the back of his pocket. "It's three a.m. now."

"I'm late." My shift for Hermes was supposed to start at one. "Jerry's going to kill me."

He was still a bit sore about losing Tom.

"I need my phone." I swung my legs off the table and hopped down. I also needed a ride back to my apartment to retrieve my bike.

"Use this." Liam dangled his phone in front of me.

I grabbed it and sent a grateful look in his direction. Pressing the buttons in quick succession, I waited as it rang.

"Hermes Courier Service, we'll come to you. What are we delivering for you today?" Beatrix crisp voice rang out over the line. Unlike when she addressed me, she sounded almost chipper and professional.

"Beatrix, it's me. I need to talk to Jerry."

The cheeriness dropped from her voice. "You're late."

"I know. Just let me talk to Jerry."

"It won't make a difference. I've already had Ruth fill in for you."

I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together. "I understand, and I apologize for my tardiness."

There was a beat of silence over the phone, and I imagined Beatrix looking at it and wondering if I'd been taken over by some outside force. It was probably the first time she'd heard me apologize.

"I'll ask Jerry if he wants to speak to you." Beatrix's words were grudging.

"Thank you."

The line started playing music, one of the generic songs you hear in an elevator.

"Aileen." Jerry's deep voice rumbled over the telephone.

"Jerry, I know I'm late, and I'm sorry about that. There were unforeseen circumstances. It won't happen again."

"You know, I took a chance on you because the Captain said you wouldn't give me problems, and that you were one of the best soldiers under his command. Events of late are making me question my decision."

There was nothing worse than being so totally in the wrong and knowing there was nothing I could do about it. I prided myself on my professionalism. It might not have been my dream job, but I tried to be the best I could at it. That meant showing up on time and carrying out my commitments. Showing up late—worse not showing up at all, was not the persona I wanted to project.

This little debacle would cost me—not only in money and possible future routes but in respect. Once that's lost, it’s doubly as hard to regain.

"This won't happen again," I promised.

His sigh was heavy. "You can't promise that, not with the vampires in your life. It's just going to get worse. I hope you recognize that."

"It won't. I won't let it."

Liam's eyes flared, but he didn't interrupt. With his superior hearing, he could probably hear both sides of the conversation.