Page 40 of On A Rift's Edge
For the first time since the attack, Lyall had a smile on his face as he walked up to him. “I like your mother. She wants to keep you safe.”
Kat clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s see if you feel that way after enduring a Nakamura family dinner.”
That lightening of the mood didn’t last long. The two of them joined Garreth and Remi in the back office. Kaveh was there as well, flustered after rushing off when he received a panicked phone call from someone sounding exactly like Remi. This had been a well-planned attack.
Garreth was behind his desk on a projection call with several of the senior wranglers. It was a relief to see friends like Javier and Jeannette calling in to confirm everything was okay, but Kat’s stomach clenched as he took the open seat Garreth gestured to. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone, but Lyall clearly wanted to hover in the back, and Remi perched on the chair arm next to Kaveh.
Garreth ended the call and let out a long sigh of relief. “No one hurt, no animals missing, and only minor damage to the petting zoo, thank God.”
“I shouldn’t be at the ranch,” Kat blurted out. “I’ve put everyone here in danger. First I let a dangerous Riftworld criminal loose, and today he and two other gangsters got into the ranch.”
“None of this is your fault.” Garreth sounded as kind and firm as always, and that made Kat feel even worse. “You were the one in danger, and I’m relieved that you and Lyall are okay. The ranch and its people are a family, and together we all keep our family safe.”
“I just arrived, so help me put the pieces together.” Remi held up a hand. “Our new froggy enemy came back with two of my cousins and told Kat he was taking him to my father?”
“Pretty much,” Lyall said. “They went after Kat first, and only took me on when I showed up.”
“That sounds like Ari is close, not back in Boston.” Remi had told Kat that his mafia boss father preferred Remi use that nickname for him. It sounded odd, like this was all only a family dispute.
Which it was for Remi.
“My father doesn’t often get his hands dirty doing Colony work.” Remi let out a long sigh. “But I have a feeling he has this time. Teo was locked in a giant pool of goo for years, and he wanted Kat to teach him about passing for human. Contacting the Colony should have taken him some time. My guess is the groundwork for this was laid months ago, and Kat and his crabby friends let him loose early.”
“Should we call law enforcement?” Garreth looked taken aback by Remi’s answering laugh. “He is a mafia boss, after all.”
“The only government agencies that deal with Riftworld “crimes” are shadier than my family, which is saying a lot.” Remi turned to Kaveh. “I hate to say it, but if Ari’s playing on drakone turf, you need to let your clan know.”
Kaveh nodded. “I’ll send a message to Tarasque, but I’ll need to travel to the Keep and talk to the matriarch personally.”
Given that Kaveh had broken off relations with Xiang Jao over his drakone clan’s attempts to either kill Remi or keep him as a prisoner, it couldn’t be easy for him to have to meet with his adoptive mother.
Kat still felt guilty, but Remi’s logic did make sense. “So, we’re facing a criminal mastermind who has access to Riftworld tech and weapons, like the collar Teo used on Lyall.”
“Please don’t say things like that if you ever have the misfortune to meet my father.” Remi held up both hands in protest. “He has a big enough ego as it is.”
“Speaking of that collar, I’d like to know how the hell you got me out of it by shooting Teo.” Lyall sounded more upbeat when talking about assassination attempts. “You told me you didn’t like guns.”
Kat shared a baffled look with Garreth. “I said I don’t like them. I didn’t say I don’t know how to shoot.”
Everyone kept looking at him, expecting more, so he continued. “As for how it worked, it was more luck than anything else. When Teo grabbed me in the base, he created an energy field that reversed the living leathers you gave me. I remember my watch lighting up and delivering a message from my sister Naomi when that happened.”
“Which shouldn’t have been possible since the base is now in the Riftworld.” Kaveh gave a slow nod as he processed Kat’s line of thinking. “Teo can alter the physical laws of nature from those of the Riftworld to those of Earth.”
“And vice versa,” Kat added. “He’s like a two-way rift storm. I had read something about this ability in a journal article last night, but it didn’t click. It all came to me when Teo transformed Lyall into an Earth canine. I shot him because I thought he would use that ability to change the immediate area around him to a riftland. When he did that, the bullet stopped working, but Lyall reverted to his true Riftworld form.”
“Fuck, but you’re smart.” Lyall beamed at him, and Kat flushed at the praise. He liked that Lyall found him attractive but was even happier the hellhound thought he had handled a tough situation well.
“You’re a good shot, too,” Lyall continued. “But guns won’t work against Teo or Arimanius for that matter. If Kaveh has to go to the Keep, I’m staying with you until all of this is settled.”
16
Lyall finally dragged Kat away from the ranch well after eight pm. Everyone at the ranch was tired, but the young human was utterly exhausted.
“You’re quitting work now and getting something to eat, or I’m taking you out of here in my teeth.” Lyall reached out with an arm to stop Kat from going any further. Along with everyone else on the ranch, the two of them had been working on the ranch’s defenses for hours.
A few of the guests had elected to leave because of the incident with Teo and the Pouch Twins, but far too many had stayed. That meant Kat and the other wranglers had to double-check the cabins’ defenses while Lyall answered stupid human questions. He had spent years in the Colony transforming into his true shape only when Arimanius allowed it. He had never experienced the irritation of being exposed to this many humans who knew what he was but nonetheless wanted to interact with him.
“Garreth is working,” Kat protested. “I want to make sure everyone is safe. Suppose Teo decides to kidnap a few of the guests or one of my friends?”
