Secrets in the Moon (Crescent City Werewolves #1)

Chapter Nineteen

Captain Albert Dempsey hated wearing his dress uniform. The black wool felt stifling in the conservatory's humid atmosphere, and the gold braiding and white gloves highlighted his smallest movement. At least he didn't have to carry a smallsword like the police commissioner.

Commissioner Keene looked irritated as well, tapping his fingers against the gold pommel of the aforementioned sword while the enchanters finished the last of the wards that would protect him—in theory. Al already had all of his in place. They made his skin prickle a little but were otherwise fine.

When the commissioner continued to glower, Al couldn't resist asking, "No assistant today?"

Keene turned his glare on him. "Even I'm not above superstition on a day like this. Whenever an alpha-king wants to meet with city officials, it's always a cover for something else. He's been sending his lackeys to pester your division for weeks, so something must have changed for him to show up and demand an explanation. And to list us out by name! The sheer gall."

Beside Al, Detective Nichols cleared his throat. Al recognized it as a nervous tic, as was the man's dry recital of facts that they all already knew. His voice gathered them together like a handful of cards. "Myself, Master Enchanter Byrd, Captain Dempsey, and you. Everyone in a position of authority for the Isaac Marshall case."

"And how would they know that?" demanded the commissioner, removing his peaked cap to wipe sweat from his forehead. "The mayor and the rest of the council are convinced someone is leaking information from your division, Captain. That's treason."

Al didn't see the point in responding to a tantrum, but Nichols stiffened. "It's just as possible that it's someone in your office, Commissioner. Or yours, Byrd," he added, causing the enchanter to wring his hands even harder.

When Keene grew red in the face, Al shot Nichols a look that said cut it out. Then he said, "I know the council is suspicious of how my division interacts with the two ex-Saxbys. Like I've explained many times before, it's better to stay friendly with them. Lone wolves are an easy way to collect information on all packs."

The other man waved away the comment. "Well, it ends today. Whatever these wolves want, they're using tactics that might embolden the other packs. Out of concern for the safety of our city, we can't allow this go on. The Saxby Pack is in for a rude realization."

Then he glared at Al a final time, as if waiting for a protest. Al just shrugged. He knew what they had all been told to expect during the meeting, but he also knew that despite the commissioner's indignation, they were all under suspicion of accepting bribes from the Saxby Pack in return for information. Which meant there was probably a lot that had been decided by the mayor and council that he didn't know. Goddamn, he hated politics.

Just as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, a new figure entered the room, silent and stark against the ostentatious orchids that surrounded the glass table where the meeting would take place. Al felt himself smile for the first time that day as Captain Inge Falk greeted them all.

They knew each other from the war, and he had fought hard to get her promoted to head of the tactics division when the commissioner had balked over a foreign woman taking such a vital position. She looked hard and intimidating in her uniform, and her broad face rarely showed emotion. Despite living in the city for over twenty years, she still had an accent that gave her words a cold precision. "Everything is ready."

Keene didn't look reassured. "Are you sure? Have all the buildings in the five-block radius been cleared of citizens?"

At Captain Falk's crisp nod, Al asked, "What do you want us to do if they get aggressive?"