Page 113 of Crimson Moon Falling

“Thanks. I have a few things I need to do, then I’ll come for her if it doesn’t work out.” The old bungalow creaked softly around us, the smell of rain, wet pine, and burning wood permeating the living room.

I savored the quiet, knowing the peace would be fleeting.

Chapter 35

Riley

After dinner, I packed my large duffel bag for the last time and sat on the edge of my bed. It was time to call Madison. She was probably still at her desk in the Southwestern Pack’s Spanish-style mansion. The woman was a workaholic.

She picked up on the second ring. “Riley, I heard what happened in Las Vegas. Are you alright?”

“Yes, but I’ve got a few new scars.”

“I heard you gave yourself second-degree burns.” She sounded impressed and appalled.

“It was necessary, but I’m finding out burns hurt like a son of a bitch. Listen, I need to speak with a competent, well-respected reporter. Which national reporter do you trust the most?”

I could picture her sharp eyes narrowing as she thought. “Fernanda Stratton with the New York Times. She’s fair and thorough, and she doesn’t have an agenda beyond getting a good story and ensuring it’s the truth. Some people think she might be a latent Intuit, but she never registered.” She paused. “Why do you want to know?”

“It’s better if I don’t tell you.”

“Riley—”

“Madison, trust me. Will you contact her and set up an interview as soon as she’s available? Tell her it’ll be worth her time.”

The silence stretched. I could hear the soft clink of ice in a glass. “Fine, but you owe me a very detailed explanation the next time I see you. And a day out together with shopping, a spa treatment, and lunch.”

“Okay, but only one store.”

She laughed. “You’re funny. Seven stores, the full treatment, and a sit-down meal.”

“Three stores and we eat at a café, preferably with books.”

“Deal. That sounds better anyway. I can’t wait for my stylist to give all that lovely hair of yours the treatment.”

I winced, realizing I hadn’t limited the “spa” part of our bargain. “Fine. Tell the kids hello for me. When I come for our next shopping trip, I want to see them.” She knew I was talking about the Pack children we’d rescued from the bowels of the Apollo Genetics corporation headquarters in California last year.

“I will. They ask about you all the time.”

My heart squeezed. “Tell them I miss them too. When I finish up this case, I’ll come.” I’d gone back and visited them once after I’d recovered from my registration test.

I disconnected and stared down at my phone. After Fernanda Stratton interviewed me and published her story, Sawyer might not let me near Madison or his Pack kids, for their own safety.

Morning came gray and cold. Ash and I walked over to the ranger station, and Beau met us in the outer office.

“I got your text. You’re leaving this morning for good.” The bison shifter leaned back in his chair and studied me. I was pretty sure Gunnar had told him I’d been kidnapped.

“Gunnar is tying up the loose ends, and we’ll have a report in the next few weeks. Thank you for everything.”

He eyed the bandage on my wrist, and the careful way I stood. “Did you find Viggo?”

“I don’t think he was ever lost. My guess is he’s going to show up on his own, but I have no idea when.” He nodded, understanding that some questions didn’t have clean answers.

When I walked out of his office, I slowed and gazed up at the mountain range, then studied the Old Faithful Inn for the last time. This was a magnificent place, and I was going to miss it.

Ash drove us to the airport, the hellhounds sprawled across the back seat. Mangus drooled on the upholstery, and Athena watched the passing landscape with her unsettling focus. Guilt nipped at me. I should have left them with Gunnar or had a Packmate pick them up. But I wanted the hellhounds, and their comforting presence, with me.

Flint had arranged a private charter, and the pilot was a lean shifter with a salt-and-pepper beard who didn’t blink at the hellhounds. He helped load our bags and nodded at Ash. We landed at the Teterboro Airport about twelve miles northwest of Manhattan just over four hours later, and took a pet-friendly rideshare to the hotel in downtown Manhattan.