Page 22 of Raven's Instinct
The bull gave an eager low.
“How?” Kendra asked, licking her fingers. She should have made herself two sandwiches. But she’d probably have half of Amy’s to finish when she went back inside; she’d gotten over her early motherhood ick about eating child-mangled leftovers and they now comprised a large part of her diet.
“Well, there’s the rub,” Alan said apologetically. “It’s classified.”
“Screw that,” Kendra said, at the same time that the bull made a similar snort.
“I would tell you if I knew,” Alan assured them. “I’ve requested the appropriate clearance, but it might take some time to get approval. I can arrange for…ah…protective custodyif you need it? I could probably find a safehouse with a fenced backyard if you need a place to stay.”
Ferdinand’s snorted reply was a clear explanation of how he felt about staying in a backyard.
“Good, because the homeowner’s association might complain about livestock in that neighborhood. Tell you what, I will come back here the night after next and give you an update. We can make it a standing appointment, every other night. It’s not that far out of Nickel City, and I’ll keep the pressure on my team to get me that information.”
Ferdinand bowed his head like his horns were suddenly very heavy, then he nodded gravely.
“And what about the reason you’ve decided to grace Tiny Paws with your presence? I deserve to know what the risk to my child is.” On cue, Amy gave a shriek of laughter from inside the van and pounded on her tray.
Kendra could see Alan’s frown, and he glanced at the bull. “I agree with that, and there’s more I can tellyou, but we don’t even have a real name for this guy. No offense, Ferdinand, but you’ll have to leave.”
Ferdinand’s ears went back in irritation, but he nodded once.
“We could find out his name,” Kendra said. “I have a whiteboard with letters that I thought you could use.” She realized as she spoke that getting just his name wasn’t going to put Ferdinand on the trusted list.
The bull shuffled up to her and lowered his nose. Kendra automatically reached up to pat it, then he twitched his tail and lumbered away into the dark. His footsteps crunched away in the direction of the field past the gravel pit. Amy laughed from inside the van again, and the music of her cartoon was a low hum.
“So tell me,” Kendra said sternly to Alan, trying not to betray her worries. “Why are you at Tiny Pawsnow?”
“There are a couple of things going on all at once,” Alan said frankly. “I’ve been told not to reveal any of it, but—but!” He cut Kendra off before she could protest. “I’m ignoring those orders and risking a demotion. You deserve to know, so you can make the best choices for you and Amy.”
15
ALAN
Alan was wild with curiosity. Was Kendra living in her van with Amy full time? Why had she lied about having a home address? Did Cherry know? He still wanted to ask about Amy’s father, and at the same time, wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“You know about the abduction of Jackson Royal,” Alan started.
Kendra nodded impatiently. “Yes, we covered that part. Evil gene company, Stork Limited or whatever.”
“Stork, Inc.,” Alan corrected out of habit. “On the surface, it’s a medical research facility using gene treatments to combat genetic disease, especially in children. Super squeaky public image, lots of touching commercials about brave kids and exciting breakthroughs. They’re funded by grants and donations…on the surface. One of our operatives got deep enough into the company to realize that they were also doing highly illegal gene manipulation for people with deep pockets who wanted perfect kids. A cool three million will guarantee your child has all the genetic advantages. Pick their eye color. Pick their hair color. Pick their…powers.”
“People can make their kidsshifters?” Kendra sounded horrified.
“Not yet, but they are getting dangerously close. A lot of adults have the gene marker to be a shifter, but it never actually develops. They’re looking for clues in the kids who do shift, trying to crack the code for making ithappen, not justpossible.”
“So, they’re looking for more shifting-age kids to kidnap now? That’s why you’re here?”
“That’sonereason,” Alan said reluctantly.
Kendra groaned and the chair beneath her creaked as she restlessly changed positions. Alan’s eyes had long since adjusted to the dark. Kendra was wearing a wool hat, and her pale hair had dried and fluffed up around her face like a soft mane of feathers. She had a warm padded flannel and light gloves on. Alan wished he’d worn a heavier coat and brought a hat. He hadn’t anticipated sitting outside for so long and he was trying very hard not to shiver unmanfully.
You could shiver ravenly, his raven joked.That’s better than manfully!
“So, are you just going to tease me with that little dangler, or are you actually going to tell me?” Kendra snapped as Alan was still gathering his thoughts.
“We detained the man responsible for abducting Jackson,” Alan continued. “But as you noted, that was nearly a year ago, and we couldn’t keep him indefinitely without a legal trial. We can’t make the actual crime public, so we got him on a technicality that a new lawyer has now overturned. We’re being pressured to release him, and we’re pretty sure he’s going to want revenge.”
“He has history with Addison, doesn’t he?”
