Page 24 of Hollow Moon

“It’s not illegal.”

“Oh come on.”

“The law has to know about something before it can be illegal. This stuff is new. A designer drug.”

“And that makes it okay?” she asked scornfully.

“It makes it a good bet.”

She was silent for a moment. “You’re not doing this by yourself. You don’t have the skill to manufacture cheesecake—let alone a drug.”

“Who says?”

“Oh come on, Campbell. You didn’t even graduate from Montgomery Community College.”

He dragged in a breath and let it out. “Okay, I’ve got a top-notch chemist working for me.”

“Where would you get the money to pay him?”

“He’s working for lab space and a cut of the profits.”

“Then he’s going to be pissed when this blows up in your face.”

Knox wanted to call the conversation a delusion, but he was afraid he was hearing the mastermind’s version of reality. In his mind he was a brilliant tactician who knew how to take advantage of an opportunity when he saw it. No wonder Maggie hadn’t wanted to say much about him.

As though she hadn’t derided him, the brother swept his hand in an arc. “And this location is the perfect place to manufacture it. Unless somebody stumbles in who’s not supposed to be here.”

“Well, there’s nothing to stop someone from stumbling in. This looks like any other part of the woods because Dad never did develop the property.”

“Let’s not get off on Dad. We’re talking about the wolf man. You helped him—didn’t you?”

“No.”

“Was he a wolf or a man when you met him?”

Knox heard Maggie catch her breath.

“What? Are you just figuring out that you had sex with a werewolf?”

Knox snarled. This was getting better and better.

“How come you suddenly believe in werewolves?” she asked. “Are you sniffing your own drugs?”

“No.”

“You said you might have had a delusion.”

“Yeah, but his being a werewolf is the best explanation.”

“So now you believe in fairy tales?” Her question cut off abruptly, and he wondered if she was remembering their discussion aboutThe Once and Future King. Merlin changing Arthur into various birds and animals.

And what was Knox going to say to Maggie now, if he was able to rescue her? What was going to keep her from running screaming from him if hecouldrescue her?

A few minutes ago, he’d thought she might be involved in the drug operation. Now the thought of losing her was like a chasm opening up in the ground in front of him. If he fell in, he was lost.

He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he knew it was true.

He stayed behind the four figures as they walked perhaps a half mile through the woods. Not that far from Maggie’s campsite. He’d thought he’d run all night. But either his sense of time had been distorted, he’d been running in circles, or he’d been passed out part of the time.

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