Ari studied the newcomer while she decided how to handle this. As Robert had implied earlier, Tobias looked the part of a mobster. Or maybe a loudmouthed car salesman. In any case, she had to get rid of him. They needed to set things in motion within the next three hours. Most importantly, the disinformation they would be spreading had to be believed. That couldn't happen with Tobias around to observe the truth. She wouldn't even consider telling him their plans. Even if he wasn't a suspect, she could already tell they'd never control his behavior or his mouth.

"Sorry, I can't release information in an ongoing investigation."

"Nonsense," he snorted. "If I'm going to clean up this mess, I need to know exactly what you've done. Or haven't done, which I suspect is more the case."

Ari smiled sweetly. "This case is in the hands of the appropriate authorities. Unless you have information that can help me, you need to return to Chicago." When he scowled at her, she added, "If you persist, you'll be interfering with local officials."

The scowl deepened. "Young lady, I don't know what you're up to, but in Chicago, we're not in a habit of letting others do our job."

"That's my point, sir. Finding Steffan is my job, not yours."

"Humph, we'll see about that." He strode over, lowered his ma.s.sive body into one of the chairs, and looked around expectantly. "If someone doesn't tell me what's going on, I'll be sitting right here for the foreseeable future."

Realizing she couldn't get rid of him without shooting him, Ari threw up her hands and stalked out the door. Maybe the wolf leaders would have better luck without her. Lilith and Jena followed. Robert, Warren, and Vita remained behind and engaged in an earnest and sometimes volatile conversation with Tobias. The raised voices carried to Ari and everyone else standing outside, and she didn't have much hope he'd listen to reason.

"What now?" Ari asked Jena. "Any ideas how we get rid of him?"

"It'll be tough. Tobias is bullheaded."

"We have to do something," Lilith said. "Do you want me to shoot him?"

Jena looked shocked until Ari laughed. "If it comes to that, I'll shoot him myself. But let's see if we can think of a better option."

"I have one idea," Jena said. "We wanted everyone to believe we'd left here, so maybe we should actually leave. It would be to our advantage for Tobias to report that. In the process, maybe we can figure out a way to lose him."

"Good thinking," Ari said. "We should be able to make that work."

"Awesome," Lilith agreed. "But where would everyone go? They can't go home."

"How do we escape from Tobias and stop him from tracking us down?" Jena added.

Ari grinned. "Oh, I can stop the tracking. Wolves track with their noses, and one of the first things I learned as a young witch was how to make stink spells. His nostrils won't work right for a week."

Jena clapped her hands. "I'd love to see that, but I hope I'm far away."

"You will be."

Lilith came up with the idea for their escape. "Wolves love to drink. What if we get them drunk enough they have to sleep it off? We'll all sneak out and then Ari can set off her stinky stuff."

Jena shook her head. "There isn't enough beer in Galena to put them under."

"No, probably not, but I was thinking about a case or two of high-proof Kentucky bourbon," Lilith said with a grin.

"That might do it."

Ari listened as Jena and Lilith debated the possibilities. She didn't have much to add because they knew a lot more about lycanthrope const.i.tution than she did.

"It would work for his pack," Jena finally conceded, "but it won't work for Tobias. He's smarter than he looks. He'd see right away what we were doing."

"You two figure out what to do about Tobias," Lilith said, "while I stir up interest in a party and locate some prime liquor. I'm betting it won't take long." She winked and strutted away.

Ari suppressed a laugh as she watched Lilith's hip-swaying approach to the visiting wolves. She didn't doubt for a moment the lioness could have them swinging from the trees. If Lilith set her mind on anything, it happened. She had a way with men. It might have something to do with the s.e.xy cat eyes and her double-D b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Jena turned back to Ari. "Tobias won't be that easy. Do you have a spell for him? Maybe a nice vanishing spell?"

"Only if he is a demon. Sorry, inside joke," she confessed, thinking about last summer. "I think we can sneak most of the group away without Tobias knowing, once we have his wolves out of commission. He won't care if I leave. Probably encourage it. Your outside staff could leave. The real problem will be the four of you and the guards inside the cabin. We could physically restrain him, if we can't think of anything else."

"Oh, we can't do that. It would cause a permanent feud within the wolf nation," Jena warned.

"Not if I do it alone. The only wolf pack I have to deal with is Steffan's, and they won't care what I do if we get Steffan back." When Jena still looked worried, Ari said," I won't do that unless I have to."

Jena lifted a shoulder, and they moved on to the details of the escape and where the wolves would go.

An hour later, Ari was back in the cabin, arguing with Tobias about his continuing presence. Lilith and her cases of bourbon were partying with an increasingly inebriated group of Chicagoland wolves. Jena had sought out each of the wolf leaders and made them aware of the modified plan. The only possible snag was ditching Tobias.

While Ari was willing to take the blame for holding him at gunpoint, shooting him in the foot or whatever else it took, the Chicago pack would be outraged. They might take their anger out on the other packs, who had allowed it to happen. At a time when Steffan was trying to bring the wolves together, her actions might be counter-productive.

For the last twenty minutes, Ari had leaned against the cabin wall, watching and listening as the others took turns trying to convince Tobias that his help wasn't needed. Jena was right. Tobias was smart. He noticed everything that went on around him and heard each nuance in the conversation. But like most people, he had a flaw that made him vulnerable. His was obvious-ego. If she could find some way to use that...

Ari's smile turned into a grin. She almost laughed just imagining the scene. It should get everyone safely away. Almost everyone.

She slipped outside to make an urgent phone call. When she looked at her message screen, she saw she'd missed a second call from Claris. What could be so important? Whatever it was, she didn't have time for girl talk. Ari placed her intended call, and as expected, the answer was "yes." She went back inside and awaited developments.

It took forty-five minutes for the cavalry to arrive, disguised in the unlikely form of Horatio Jones. He marched up to the cabin door, dressed in a black suit, carrying an expensive leather briefcase, and demanded to see the person in charge.

Tobias lumbered to his feet. "What's your business here?"

"My name is Horatio Jones. I am here as a representative of Homeland Security." He looked Tobias up and down. "Are you in charge here, sir? I am authorized only to speak to the person in charge." Jones's tone was so pompous, his British accent so p.r.o.nounced, that Ari had to cough to cover a giggle. She hoped he wouldn't overplay his part.

She shouldn't have worried. Tobias was so impressed by the words "Homeland Security," he was fairly bristling with importance. "Whatever you have to say can be said to me, Agent Jones. I can speak for everyone." He puffed out his chest. "Happy to discuss the situation with you." Tobias looked pointedly at the other wolves. "I'm sure Agent Jones would prefer to talk in private. Why don't you give us a few minutes alone?" Having dismissed them, Tobias immediately turned a beaming smile on Jones and waved him to a seat.

Ari couldn't believe it was this easy. She'd never expected Tobias to send them away, but what a stroke of luck. When Robert opened his mouth to complain, Ari gave him a hard elbow.

"Don't you recognize a rescue when you see one?" she whispered.

Robert looked at Jones, then at Ari, his face asking a question. She nodded. The corners of his mouth started to curl upward. Vita and Warren appeared puzzled but followed Robert's direction when he waved them out the door. Jena met them outside where Tobias's wolves were pa.s.sed out or singing on the lawn; the delegation's wolf pack was already gone.

As the last of the leaders and their guards drove away from the resort, Lilith started the Lexus and waited while Ari stayed behind to release the stink spell: "Take the rancid sewer smell, bind it in this magic spell. Where I point, set it free; as I ask, so mote it be."

She ran like h.e.l.l for the car.

It came off without a hitch. By the time Tobias figured out the wolf leaders were gone, they'd be miles away. Even if he managed to rouse his drunken crew, the stink spells would obliterate the trail for days. Ari was sorry Jones was stuck with the mobster and the stench, but she'd warned him. Surely he'd find a way to muddle through. After all, he was ex-CIA.

Ari continued to let Lilith handle the wheel on the drive back to Riverdale. Ari spent her time on the phone, arranging her pieces of their elaborate plan. She was increasingly conscious of the pa.s.sage of time. Although the ruse to get rid of Tobias had worked, they were behind schedule by three or four hours and having to play catch-up.

Time wasn't her only concern. The strain that came whenever she risked the lives or futures of others washed over her. She watched the fields and fence posts pa.s.s outside the car window, worrying if the hastily formed plan would work. Were the risks too big? Or the a.s.sumptions too optimistic? Everything hinged on the kidnappers believing the disinformation and reacting in certain ways. What if they didn't? Instead of walking into a trap or calling to demand what was going on, what if they killed Steffan?

She sighed and made the next call. This wasn't the time for second-guessing. All she could do now was move forward. If she didn't, Steffan would die anyway.

Long before the city was in sight, Ari sat back, satisfied the plan was taking form. With her phone still in hand, she scrolled through her messages. Nothing from Andreas. She noticed again the two calls from Claris. Maybe she should take a moment and find out what was on her best friend's mind.

Claris answered on the second ring. "Where've you been? I've been trying to reach you all day. He's gone, Ari! I've looked everywhere."

Ari jerked straight in her seat. Gone? Was someone else missing?

"Who's gone? Calm down, Claris! Is Brando missing?" The only person Ari could think of that would make Claris so frantic was Brando, Claris's wizard boyfriend, a friend of both women since elementary school.

"No, of course not. Why would Brando be missing? It's Hernando." With those words Claris burst into tears.

Ari was speechless. She could count on her fingers the times she'd seen her best friend cry. In spite of her fragile looks, Claris had always been the steady one that others relied on in a crisis. While she might spend her time communing with nature, working among the herbs and home remedies she sold in Basil & Sage, her Olde Town shop, she also listened to people's problems. She was easy to confide in, and she definitely wasn't a crier. Now she'd fallen apart because of Hernando? He was a cat, for G.o.ddess's sake. An important cat, a sweetie with oodles of sentimental value, but still a cat. And Ari was up to her ears in vampire and werewolf affairs.

It was hard to relate.

Since it was Claris, she tried. "Have you checked the greenhouse? Under the bed in the guest room?"

"Yes, of course, I looked in all those places. He's not anywhere." Claris struggled to steady her voice.

"Well, hon, he is a tomcat. He's probably out, uh, catting around. He'll show up and probably be extra hungry."

"Do you really think so? It's already dark." Claris sounded uncertain but hopeful.

Ari fed the hope. "It's not that late. Give it a little more time. I'm sure he'll turn up if you're patient."

"OK. I'll call you as soon as he comes home." The fact that she hung up without asking how Ari was or what she was doing showed just how upset Claris was. Ari was selfishly relieved she didn't have to go into a long explanation of Steffan's disappearance or how she'd abandoned Andreas.

Ari heaved a weary sigh. Life just got better and better. Now she'd added the recovery of a missing cat to her list of things to do.

Chapter Ten.

As a result of her earlier calls, Steffan's house was rocking with a noisy party when Ari, Lilith and the werewolf delegation arrived. Beer kegs and laughing lycanthropes carrying red plastic cups dotted the lawn. Lilith parked the Lexus in front, and the other vehicles pulled alongside. Everyone piled out in full view, making themselves as conspicuous as possible for potential watchers. The four wolf leaders joined the party on the lawn in a game of volleyball. Luggage was hauled inside, leaving the impression the newcomers were settling in for the night.

Ari watched with approval. If the plan was going to work, it was important the kidnapper believed the delegation had relocated to Steffan's house.

Over the next hour, many of the partiers moved inside, and the leaders disappeared into private rooms to make the rehea.r.s.ed calls to their home packs.

Robert, Vita, and Warren huddled together. They'd agreed to monitor each other's calls to insure the same information was dispensed. It wasn't a lack of trust, although that was always an issue with Otherworlders, but misunderstandings can ruin plans, too. The monitoring would prevent inadvertent miscues.

Since Jena and Ari were together, Ari monitored her call, as Jena talked with her second-in-command, back home in Minnesota.

"That's right, we're in Riverdale now. Steffan's being held by kidnappers until we vote the way they want. What?" Jena listened for a while. "No. We think they knew where we were. If Tobias found us, they could too." She listened again. "That's right, Steffan's house. Five bedrooms, it's pretty crowded with all of us." More listening. "Not long. We vote tomorrow night, and I'm not changing my mind. The coalition will be approved." Ari heard a protesting voice on the other end. "I know, but we're convinced they'll kill him either way. In fact, some of us think he's already dead. We'd all vote no, if it would save him. But it won't."

Ari had heard all she needed to hear. Jena had covered the important points: the leaders were at Steffan's, the vote was tomorrow night, and the only thing that would change the vote was proof of Steffan's safety. Since no one knew which pack was leaking information to the kidnapper, all four leaders were giving out the same information. For now, they'd quit worrying about the ident.i.ty of the leak. There simply wasn't time to find him or her. That meant providing the same disinformation to everyone and hoping someone took the bait.

Gilbert met Ari as soon as she emerged from Jena's room.

"What next?"

"We get the leaders out of here, without being seen, and into the safety of the Magic Hall. Once that is done, it's up to the kidnappers."

"What do you think they'll do?"

"I don't know, Gilbert. I'll be happy if they go either way. If they attack the house, you and your people can hopefully capture someone to lead us to Steffan. If they call any of the leaders' cell phones or the Council president again, we'll hope the trace works."

"Where can I find you?"

"With the leaders, waiting for that call."

"We're ready to do our part," Gilbert said. "I'll feel better about a potential attack on the house once the leaders are gone. Protecting an empty house should be easy. If something goes wrong, we can back off, let them come in and then surround them."

"You're in charge. Handle it however you want, but try to keep one person alive so we can question him."

Gilbert grinned.

Ari's cell buzzed. Claris. Hernando must be home. She clicked the b.u.t.ton.

"Is Hernando all right?" Ari asked.

"No, I mean he didn't come home, and it's been dark a long time. He's got to be hungry and cold." Claris's voice was laced with worry. "What do I do now?"

Ari smothered an impatient sigh. "I'm sorry, Clare. But he's a big, healthy tomcat. It won't hurt him to be out all night." Ari frowned as Gilbert snorted in amus.e.m.e.nt. Apparently he saw the irony in the situation. "If he's not back by morning, maybe you should call the shelters. Anyone who's taken him in will start looking for his owner by then." She hesitated. "I promise that as soon as I can I will be there to help you look. I just can't right now. OK?"

Gilbert snickered again, but Ari ignored him.

Bella, Ari's cat, would be upset if Hernando was lost. They were buddies. In fact, that was how Ari ended up with a cat. The flirtatious female had come calling on Hernando and never left. When Claris decided she couldn't keep two, Ari became an adoptive mom. A picture of Bella's big green eyes flashed through Ari's head, and her expression softened. Before disconnecting, she did her best to rea.s.sure Claris.

Ari looked at Gilbert. "Don't say a word."

Minutes later they met with the four leaders in Robert's room. "Ready?' Ari asked.

"Messages delivered," Robert said. His face relaxed into a smile. "I can imagine how fast the gossip is spreading."

"Anyone ask any difficult questions?'

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Vita said.

"Then it's time we get on our way. I don't want anyone trapped inside this house if the kidnappers attack. Did everyone memorize the way to the Magic Hall?" When they nodded, Ari added, "You'll be met at the back door. The code word is Horatio."

Jena laughed. "Nice touch, Ari. The old gentleman strikes again. You think Tobias is still bending his ear?"