Page 69 of After the Fall

Just then, a large black Harley veered around the corner, scattering dust everywhere. Tank coughed, using the sleeve of his tuxedo to block the fumes. “What the…”

Bannon grinned from behind the handlebars. “Hop on, Tree Knocker,” he yelled, patting the seat.

Tank narrowed his eyes at the motorcycle and looked to Wyatt for help. “For fuck’s sake, Boss.”

Wyatt sighed, “We’ll see you back at the estate,” and slapped the back of Savannah’s headrest. “Hit it.”

Savannah gunned the engine and the SUV swerved out of the alley, accelerating onto the main road. I glanced outside the window at the art gallery as we drove by the building. The steps were bare, except for a few masked men and women in line. Everything seemed normal. What the hell was happening to Wyatt and his crew?

The temperature of the car increased with each passing streetlight. Savannah’s normally spacious SUV felt more like a clown car with the three giant men smooshed inside. Wyatt and Connor whispered together for most of the drive, while Savannah focused on the roads. I sneaked a look at my dad, wondering how he felt being in the same car as Wyatt and Connor, but he stared into the distance as if deep in thought. It was the same look he’d had whenever he was doing one of his science experiments, or helping me with my homework.

The streets began to look familiar, and I realized we weren’t headed in the direction of the mansion. I tried to catchSavannah’s eye in the mirror, but hers were focused out the windshield.

As we pulled into the familiar parking lot, Wyatt stiffened. “Does your girlfriend need directions?” he huffed.

Connor hissed at Savannah. “We talked about this.”

Savannah put the SUV into park and crossed her arms, pouting. “And as I toldyou, who knows how long we’ll be trapped in the sasquatch den? I’m not going anywhere without my shampoo and conditioner.”

Wyatt muttered under his breath so that only I could hear. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Sorry, guys,” Connor said, turning back to us. “I tried to reason with her, but…” Connor shrugged.

Savannah waved her hand. “Oh, calm down. I’ll just be a minute. Do you need anything, Harper?” she said, opening the car door.

Almost everything I owned was still at Wyatt’s, the breakup and subsequent heartbreak still fresh. “No, that’s okay. I’ll stay here with my dad.” I was afraid he could run at any second. Though right now, he was staring vacantly at the back of his hands. It was unnerving.

“I’m not leaving you alone in a car with…” Wyatt didn’t need to finish his sentence.

“I’ll go upstairs with Savannah,” Connor promised, following Savannah out of the car.

The three of us remained in the backseat, the silence awkward and heavy. I stared down at my hands, unsure where else to look. “What happened at the gala?” I asked after a moment.

Wyatt sighed and said, “We think there’s something in the perfume that they handed out in the gift bags. It only seems to affect our kind. Not the wolves.”

“But my dad’s okay. How is that possible?”

“The midnight ivy.” Wyatt and I turned to look at my dad, who had spoken for the first time since leaving the gala. He sighed wearily. “I thought it smelled familiar. I suspect I would have fared the same as your friends, Harper, if I hadn’t exposed myself to it years ago in my research. I must have built an immunity to it somehow. It’s the only possible explanation.” He shook his head.

Wyatt frowned. “Why would the Carders concoct a perfume using midnight ivy?” His eyes suddenly widened.

Dad took a deep breath but faltered, nodding grimly instead.

The air in the car was thick with unease. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?” I mumbled nervously.

“It’s just a theory, but…” Dad’s head drooped and he began to wring his hands together anxiously.

I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. “It’s okay. Go on.”

“The Carders gifted their perfume to the who’s who of Seattle tonight. If it affects sasquatches, including hybrids, then by that same reasoning…” I waited for him to finish, and when he didn’t, turned to Wyatt, my eyes full of question.

“Then by that same reasoning, anyone who wears the perfume will be safe from the demonstration,” Wyatt finished, his face white as a sheet. “Immunity from our kind.”

Dad nodded grimly. “Precisely.”

Wyatt shook his head. “This just keeps getting worse,” he muttered.

A nearby door banged shut, startling me. The back entrance had never opened, yet Savannah and Connor were running across the parking lot toward us, empty-handed.

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