Indirect Lines: Halle Shifters, Book 5 (7 page)

Chapter Ten

Barney pulled into the hospital parking lot, wondering if today they’d finally let Heather go. Heather had been due to be released from the hospital the day before, but because she’d run a fever in the night they’d decided to keep her for at least a day or two longer. An infection wasn’t something to fuck around with, but at least she was in the right place to deal with it.

While he understood their concerns, Barney just wanted his mate out of the hospital. He was sick of the smell of the place. It lingered on his skin, in his hair, and nothing he did seemed to get rid of it. And it had to be worse for Heather. As a Fox, her nose was more sensitive than his. The antiseptic smell must be stinging her sinuses like crazy.

Once she was cleared to leave the hospital, Barney could get back on the trail of the Senator or Senators who’d hired the fucker to harm his mate. Oh, Barney would
love
to get his paws on the man who’d shot her, he really would. He’d shove the man’s head up his ass the hard way. Backward. But the gunman was only a footnote in a bigger problem. To catch the
real
person who’d hurt his mate, he needed to find the one who’d put the bounty out on Chloe. He was certain he’d find that person somewhere in the Senate.

He parked in the first clear spot he could find, eager to get inside and see his mate. Visiting hours were just beginning, and he had plans to spend the whole day with her. The boredom was tough on her, leaving her with only her own thoughts and fears for company. Her parents tried to soothe her, but for some reason it didn’t seem to be working. She was tense and pale until Barney walked through her door. Only then did she seem to relax. Was it because he was her mate, or because he was a Hunter?

“Yo.”

Barney froze, one leg out of the car, the engine still ticking. “What do you want?”

Lounging against the car next to him was Artemis. The white Tiger was staring at the sky. “How is she?”

Barney got out of the car and closed the door. He gripped the keys tightly, wondering what the hell Artemis was up to. “She spiked a fever, so they’re keeping her for another day or two.”

Artemis nodded once. “Apollonia’s still there, watching them both.”

Barney knew that. The female Hunter had been there every day, unmoving, refusing to sleep unless either Gabe, Barney or Ryan was there to take over for her. She didn’t care if there were Puma guards on the doors, she trusted no one but another Hunter. Not even Artemis could get her to move. She was taking Chloe and Heather’s injuries far more seriously than Barney would have given her credit for.

Artemis was watching him, his expression inscrutable. “Fox holds the key, you know.”

“You said that before, but what does it mean?” Barney held still and tried to rein in his temper. Maybe if he stayed calm he’d actually get something out of the flighty Tiger.

Artemis yawned lazily. “I can’t tell you much more than that.”

Barney gritted his teeth. Man, Artemis annoyed him. “Why not?”

Artemis returned his gaze to the sky. “It breaks the rules.”

“What fucking rules?” Barney could feel his anger rising.

“Rules older than you or I. Older even than the shifters.” Artemis turned his gaze to Barney once more, but this time they were pure silver. “Even if I knew more, I couldn’t say it without hurting the very outcome we’re all wishing for.”

Barney was even more confused than he’d been before, but the anger had left him. Artemis was speaking on behalf of Tiger now, and apparently there were rules involved he knew nothing about. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“Sometimes neither do I, and I’m okay with that.” Artemis smiled, the silver fading from his eyes. “Maybe you should follow your instincts. What are they telling you?”

Barney wanted to strangle Artemis. So much for remaining calm. “I guess I should go talk to some Foxes.”

“Guess so.” Artemis stood, his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans. “See ya.”

Artemis sauntered off across the parking lot, going God knew where. Artemis seemed to have two speeds: off and
holy-fuck-a-Tiger’s-gonna-eat-me!
And he switched back and forth with the same ease as flipping a light switch.

Barney stared at the hospital doors and cursed. He climbed back in his car and pulled out this cell phone, dialing Heather’s hospital room. As soon as she picked up, he spoke. “It’s me. I’m going to be late today.”

“Hunter business?”

Her tone was solemn, making him feel even more guilty. “Yeah. Artemis dropped by and reminded me that Fox holds the key. It’s the second time he’s done that.”

“Oh. And since he’s the white Tiger—”

Barney nodded, even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “I figure I should listen to him.”

“Are you going to speak to Chloe?”

“Man, I love a smart girl.”

Heather choked.

“You okay?” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the animal clinic Chloe worked at.

“Fine,” she gasped. “Never mind me. I’m good. Just tried to breathe water, that’s all.

“I hate to tell you this, but you’re not a fish, sweetheart.”

“Asshole,” she grumbled, coughing again.

“Uh-huh.” Barney pulled out onto the street and started driving toward the animal clinic Dr. Woods ran. He was pretty sure Chloe would be there with her mate. Jim hadn’t taken the news that there was a bounty on his mate’s head very well and was keeping her close at all times. Something Barney planned on doing with his own mate.

“You do what you have to do and I’ll see you later, all right?”

“Definitely.” He turned down the street the clinic was on. “I’ll bring you lunch. Is there anything you want?”

“Not pudding.” She gagged. “I swear, if I eat any more pudding I’m gonna hurl.”

“Burger, fries and a nice, thick shake sound good?” He laughed when she whimpered. “I’ll see you soon, baby.”

“Bye, Barney.” The call disconnected, and Barney was left feeling the same. He wanted to be in that hospital room, playing games and talking softly with his mate. She was going to worry a hole in her hospital blanket. He’d seen the pulled threads, the way her fingers tightened on the fabric until she was certain it was him coming to her side. Leaving her, even in the hands of family, just wasn’t sitting right with him.

But like he’d often told Gabe and Ryan, he was a Hunter first, a mate second. He had a job to do, and he’d do it no matter how badly he wanted to be with Heather. Besides, by finding the bad guys he’d be doing his job toward his mate as well, protecting her from whoever had set this whole chain in motion. He had to trust in her Puma guards and Apollonia. She was as safe as anyone could make her.

He pulled up outside the animal clinic, smiling when he saw Chloe and Jim sitting on a bench outside. Their heads were together, Chloe’s red hair vibrant against Jim’s more muted blond. Chloe was smiling at something Jim was saying, looking none the worse for having been shot. She’d been released the day before. Both of them looked his way as he got out of his car, the lunch they’d been eating forgotten in a moment of worry.

Barney had no intention of making them uneasy. He did his best to look unconcerned, hoping they’d pick up on the fact that nothing was wrong. “Hey, guys. You have a moment?”

Jim straightened. A brand new Wolf shifter without a Pack, he should have been setting off alarm bells in Barney’s mind. Instead, the Wolf seemed to be one of the rare ones who didn’t need a Pack to be whole. Instead, his life simply went on. Max had declared him Pride, but how much impact that had on Jim Barney didn’t know. “What’s wrong?”

Guess that didn’t work.
Considering how often Chloe had been hurt, Barney couldn’t blame the Wolf for his caution. “Absolutely nothing.” Barney crouched in front of them. There wasn’t room on the bench for all three of them, and he’d rather be able to see Chloe’s face.

“Hey, Barney.” She scratched her hand. She’d also been shot in the shoulder and her arm was in a sling, but unlike Heather she wasn’t looking at a possible infection. “How’s my cousin?”

“Hungry. I’m bringing her lunch when I’m done here.”

Chloe sagged in relief. “That’s good. If she’s hungry she must be feeling sweater.” Chloe bit her lip. “So why are you here?”

“Fox holds the key.” Barney grunted. “Artemis keeps coming to me and saying that, but—”

Chloe held up her good hand. “I’m not the Fox you’re looking for. Fox himself told bee that. And Julian isn’t the Bear.”

“I know, but I was hoping you could point me in the right direction.” Barney ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s one of your relatives. It has to be. There aren’t any other Foxes around here. You and Heather know them best, but with her still in the hospital I didn’t want to bother her with this.”

“What about the Fox Senator?” Jim glanced between Chloe and Barney, watching their reactions. “Could he have something to do with it?”

“
She
, and I have no idea.” Chloe stared at the ground, frowning in concentration. “Nicole Reed hasn’t exactly come by for tea and crumpets.”

“Has she contacted you at all?” That surprised him. A white Fox capable of speaking with the spirits should have been someone the Fox Senator would be highly interested in.

Unless, of course, she thought Chloe’s abilities to be nothing more than the delusions of a woman with a traumatic brain injury.

“Nope. And I’m kind of scared to contact her myself.” Chloe took hold of Jim’s hand. “I don’t know what would happen to me if I did, considering it’s the Senate that’s after me.”

Jim scowled. “Then we’re definitely not contacting her, or any other Senator. Not until we know for certain it’s safe to do so.”

“Carl knows about you, but I’m not sure who else does.” Barney filled them in on what he’d learned from Darien before having to leave the Senate buildings. “I left Casey Lee and Derrick to continue the investigation. They’re posing as Carl and Darien’s bodyguards.”

“Speaking of bodyguards…” Jim and Chloe exchanged a worried glance. Jim spoke, his tone concerned. “Apollonia is watching Heather day and night. I don’t think she’s sleeping at all.”

“Even Hunters sleep. She’s probably cat-napping here and there when I’m with Heather.” But even so, that meant that she was severely sleep deprived. “I’ll ask Gabe or Max to assign a Puma to watching her.”

“Heather, or Apollonia?” Chloe smiled mischievously.

“Apollonia, of course.” There should be someone in Halle other than him who could bully the Hunter into resting. “If necessary I’ll sic Emma on her.”

Jim laughed. “That would teach her not to mess with you.”

Chloe put her hand on Barney’s arm. The scarred fingers of her hand tightened briefly. “Fox holds the key.”

Startled, Barney took his eyes off of Chloe’s hand and stared at her face. The Fox’s eyes were silver, her pupils dilated. “Chloe?”

Jim must have heard something in Barney’s voice, because he was suddenly fully focused on his mate. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know.” Barney patted Chloe’s hand. “Chloe?”

“Fox holds the key.” She blinked, her eyes turning their normal, pretty green. “I don’t know why it’s so important that you know that, but Fox was pretty insistent that I tell you.”

“Okay.” Barney didn’t pretend to understand the relationship between the white shifters and the spirits, but he accepted it for what it was. “Anything else he wants me to know?”

Chloe’s eyes turned silver. “Beware of Jamie Howard.”

Jamie Howard. What the fuck? “What does he have to do with any of this?”

“I have no idea, but he’s one scary motherfucker. Don’t go near him unless you have no other choice.” Jim stood and gathered the remains of their lunch. “I don’t want Chloe out in the open right now. Anything else you need us for?”

“Nope.” Barney stood, ready to go and speak to some of the other Foxes in Heather’s family. Maybe Tiffany was the Fox mentioned?

Damn it, this was going to take all day. “Any clues as to who I should talk to?”

Chloe turned back to him with a grin. “Say hi to Heather for me.”

With that, Jim escorted his mate into the building without another word spoken.

“Well. I’m boned.” He headed back to his car, wondering if that last part had been a hint, or if she just wanted to say hi to her cousin. Her eyes hadn’t been silver, so it must have been the latter.

Still, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she’d been telling him something. Did she think Heather was the Fox the riddle spoke of? If so, what key did she hold? The key to the riddle?

He’d have to talk to her and find out. It was the only way. But first he’d visit some of her relatives and find out if any of them could give him a clue, because he’d be damned if he had one.

Chapter Eleven

Two becomes one, one becomes three. Bear knows the way, but Fox holds the key.

That riddle was becoming the bane of her mating. Barney was so fixated on it that it was driving him crazy. He was positive that it was the answer to why Chloe was being targeted. If Heather could figure out the answer, then maybe, just maybe, Barney would relent and mate her.

She could hope, right? Besides, it wasn’t as if she had anything better to do. She was stuck here until the doctors cleared her of any infection, and the solitude was driving her insane.

It beat the hell out of afternoon talk shows, that was for sure. And the soaps? Blech. Why did humans cheat on each other so much? It was disgusting. If you were in love and happy, couldn’t you keep your legs crossed and your panties on? It didn’t even have to be in that order either.

Heather tapped the pencil she’d talked her brother into picking up for her against the pad of paper. Perhaps it was best to start at the beginning, with the first part of the riddle. Julian had been the first one to speak the prophecy, but since then Chloe had repeated it several times.

Neither of them was the Bear or Fox spoken of.

So who, or what, was two that had become one?

She began writing, starting with everything that could go from two to one. There was math, of course, with two minus one becomes one, one plus two becoming three. But she doubted it was that simple.

Or…was it?

Two becoming one could be marriage. Most people spoke of two becoming one when two people tied the knot, but the riddle specifically said two
becomes
one. Heather frowned. Wasn’t “becomes” present tense? That meant it was happening, not
had
or
would
happen, right? She grunted, wishing she had her tablet PC so she could remember. What was happening right around the time Julian first spoke the prophecy?

She tapped her pencil again on the hospital table. That had to be it. Julian was the first to speak, and something was happening right around then. What was it? She racked her brain, trying to remember.

Wait. No. It wasn’t Julian who’d spoken—it had been Chloe! Chloe was the first to receive the message, and had been ordered to give it to Julian. Then all the Kermode had the same damn dream.

She put down Chloe as the speaker, just to make sure she didn’t forget. That Fox had spoken in present tense when giving Chloe the prophecy had to mean
something
, but for now she’d just make sure nothing escaped her, not even the tiniest clue.

Chloe gave the message to Julian, who delivered it to Alex and Ryan, as far as she knew. Perhaps she needed to call Julian and confirm?

She picked up the hospital phone and dialed Julian’s cell number.

The deep voice of the Kermode Bear filled her ears. “Hello, Heather. I was wondering when you’d call.”

“Hey, Super Bear.” She wasn’t even creeped out anymore by Julian’s powers. The guy was just too nice to get upset over a few quirks. Add in the fact that he made Cyn happy, and Heather was all about Team Julian. “Listen, when you got the prophecy from Chloe, who did you tell about it?”

“No one, actually. Bear came to me while I was at work and spoke the prophecy again, and when I woke, Jamie was there. He was the first one to hear it.”

Jamie Howard? “Then maybe…” Heather scribbled furiously. “Two becomes one. Jamie lost his mate, and became one person again.”

“I thought of that, but then how do you factor in one becomes three?” Julian sounded as puzzled as she felt.

“Hope, maybe?” Heather jotted down Hope Walsh’s name. Hope was the twin sister of Glory Walsh, Ryan’s mate. She’d been kidnapped as a teenager and held by a rogue wolf who’d repeatedly done horrible things to Hope.

She was also Jamie Howard’s mate, something that had shocked everyone since Jamie’s first mate, Marie, had been killed by a rogue who was after Tabby. Ryan and Cyn had rescued Hope, and now the female Wolf was being counseled by Sarah Anderson, the Pride’s Omega and an empath who could both feel and influence the emotions of others.

“But then Hope and Jamie become two, right? That’s why I dismissed that idea as possible.”

“Nope, because Marie still is, and will always be, Jamie’s mate. And Hope’s, most likely.” Heather put Marie and Hope next to Jamie. Hope, as a Wolf, would have been the glue between the three had Marie lived. Pumas didn’t get second mates, but Wolves did, though it rarely happened.

There was silence on Julian’s end, but when he spoke again he sounded shocked as hell. “But that would mean Marie was
meant
to die that day. That it wasn’t a missed shot.”

“And that you were meant to save Jamie.” Heather shook her head. “It’s complex, but it fits.”

“But that isn’t the only theory that fits, Heather.”

True, but she had to consider all the possibilities or they’d never figure this out. “No, but it should get added to the list of theories.”

“But why would the spirits be so interested in the mating of a Wolf to a pair of Pumas?” She could practically hear Julian shaking his head, his tone was so dismissive. “Nope. I think it’s something else, something that hasn’t happened yet.”

Perhaps Julian knew more than he was letting on. He had a tendency to be cryptic at the worst possible moments. “Then what do you think it means?”

“I think we need to figure out who the Fox and Bear are. If we can do that, we’ll know the answer to the rest of the riddle.” His tone was convincing.

“Do you believe Fox and Bear are the two that becomes one?” She noted that, but she wasn’t so sure. She was still convinced that the key to the whole thing lay with Jamie, Hope and Marie.

“It’s possible.” She could hear the disbelief in Julian’s voice.

“Then how do they become three?” She threw that at him, thinking there was no way he would have a comeback for her.

“Huh. I’m not sure. Another white shifter, maybe?”

“So you still think Fox and Bear are white? That would make you and Chloe the Fox and Bear, and you’ve both said you aren’t.”

“Ah, but there are more white Bears in Canada, remember? One of them could be the Bear the prophecy spoke of.”

That was true, but something still didn’t seem right. “You don’t really believe that. Otherwise there would be more white Foxes around.”

He sighed. “No, I don’t. Whoever they are, they’d be here, where the prophecy was spoken. But every Kermode had the same damn dream. Bear
really
wanted us to know about this for some reason.”

“The Senate would be a good reason.” Heather stared at the paper, her mind wandering once more to Barney. “It has to have something to do with that.” She wrote down “Senate” and circled it. Twice.

“White shifters and the Senate. We’ve been over this so many times I’m getting sick of it.” Julian sighed. “All right. How about you concentrate on the first half of the riddle. Maybe you can come up with something that will help Barney. I’ll see if any of my Kermode cousins can sense anything more than Bear knows the way, yadda yadda blah blah blah.”

“I can do that.” She wouldn’t, but she
could
. The whole riddle needed to be solved as one, not in pieces.
Fox holds the key
might mean that it was a Fox who was supposed to figure it out, so maybe that Fox was Heather herself.

“All right. Call me if you think of anything, and take care of yourself. Don’t make me come over there and sit on you.”

Heather laughed. “That would go over so well with Cyn, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ll do it in a heartbeat if I think you’re getting worse, you hear me?” Julian’s tone was serious. “I don’t want to have to fight off an infection because you’re not resting properly.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Nurse sir.”

“Talk to you later, brat.” Julian hung up, leaving Heather nothing to do but think.

Halle was part of the key, and the people in it. She just knew it. And the only ones who fit the riddle were Jamie and Marie Howard, and Hope Walsh. But with Marie’s death, how would they become three?

The white shifters could communicate with spirits, but none of them had ever said they communed with the dead. Kermode spoke to Bear, while Chloe said she mainly spoke to Fox. So it was the spirits of the animals they represented that they spoke to, not spirits in the sense of spooks. So Marie being some kind of ghost that could communicate with them wasn’t even a remote possibility.

She crossed that off her list. Making the note and crossing it off was the best way to remind herself that yes, she’d thought of it and yes, she’d dismissed it. Otherwise she’d find herself going in circles.

Okay. So Marie going Casper on them was out. What about pregnancy? One becomes three could mean that Hope might be pregnant when she mated Jamie. But as far as she knew Hope wasn’t pregnant when they’d rescued her from Salazar. Julian would have mentioned it when he checked her out for injuries, and she wasn’t showing. Which Heather viewed as a relief.

Hmm. Perhaps she’d become pregnant by Jamie, but for some reason their mating would be delayed? Or not. There was always the possibility of pregnancy during a mating bite, something Heather would have to remember for her own circumstances. She put a question mark next to “pregnancy” and moved on.

What about…another mate?

She crossed that one off almost immediately. Wolves had one, rarely two, mates. Three? That would be insane.

Ghosts, mates and babies. What else could turn one into three? And why were the two of them so important that the spirits themselves felt the need to give a riddle that needed solving?

No wonder Barney was going insane with this. She was focusing on her own theory and already she was about to pull her hair out in frustration. Still, she was certain she was on to something. A pregnancy seemed the most logical conclusion, but she felt like she was missing something vital.

Hmm. Did it have to be a person that caused them to become three? Could it be some sort of object? She scratched her head, but nothing specific came to mind. She really needed to go over this with Barney. Maybe he could help her figure out the impossible.

And he’d better remember her burger too.