Love and Other Crisis | Season 1

Episode | 22

Inola updated Gale and Gideon by phone as she and Ronin headed for Katerina's townhouse. The woman wasn't there or at her store.

Ronin slammed a palm on the steering wheel. His mind circled the fact she tricked him. Slipped under his radar. Made a complete mockery of himself and his team. Whatever the witch wanted to hide, enough to almost scrambled Kaliope's brain in the process, he'd discover what it was.

"Boss?"

Gideon's quiet question over the speakerphone refocused his attention.

"Gideon, stay with Kaliope. Update me on her condition."

"Yes, sir."

The med department was the safest spot for the werewolf, away from Ronin. He'd called Gideon to check on him after his outburst in the office, and as he expected, the man passed it off as nothing. Gideon's understanding worsened Ronin's guilt as he accepted the pardon without protest. He was supposed to protect his team, not cause them distress.

"Gale. Find Katerina's last known whereabouts." They'd puzzle over her records later.

"On it, boss."

Inola hung up the phone.

Ronin's grip tightened on the steering wheel, and it groaned in protest. Inola patted his hand.

"It's not your fault, Ro. It's not on you alone. We all missed it."

His team's agitation at Katerina outfoxing them mirrored his, as none of their investigations revealed anything suspicious about the jeweler. It wouldn't surprise him if Katerina wasn't Katerina Kelmor but someone else. The Witcher Registry singled out non-element-linked mages upon their registration for a reason—Supreme and Archaic talents. They were the most dangerous—the ones the Assembly actively supervised.

"I think she charmed Rowena, too." Ronin recounted his unsuccessful interview with her. They required proof of Katerina's meddling to free the girl. And if they released Rowena, chance also weighed in favor of Zohar's innocence.

"Think the ring the investigators have is fake?"

"More than likely."

"Gonna tell them?"

Ronin considered Inola's question. "Not at this time."

Ronin returned to the office while Inola tracked Katerina. Gale picked up images of the jeweler on surveillance cameras downtown boarding a cab. He paced as Gale directed Inola's search for the cab driver. The lycan in him clawed to rage, unaccustomed to defeat. Ronin wanted to be out hunting the witch, but he'd assembled his team for this purpose. He couldn't be everywhere or do everything alone. His station was at the helm. And as the leader, their failures fell on him.

It all started with Katerina's records in the Witcher Registry. They'd reviewed them at the start of the investigation. No red flags indicated her records might be fraudulent. But she was a charm mage. They'd have to dismantle all her documentation to determine how the wrong talent designation reached her file. Perhaps she or her parents charmed the evaluator. Bribery? Ronin foresaw another shitstorm once the higher-ups learned about Katerina's scam of the system.

Gideon entered the office with three cups of coffee. Ronin redoubled his efforts to reign in his aura as close to himself as possible. The strain pulsed behind his eyes because he was on edge. Although he'd located the thorn, his emotions remained too volatile for him to control completely.

"Gideon, you're supposed to be with Kaliope."

"I'm not running away, sir."

Pale-skinned and doing his best to seem unaffected by Ronin, Gideon rested Gale's cup on his desk. Absorbed in the tasks he performed on his many screens, Gale ignored the caffeinated offering. The werewolf resolutely approached Ronin, who retreated as if the meager distance mattered. Gideon matched his step forward.