Page 66 of Bears Behaving Badly
“However.” Nadia took a deep breath, then let it out. “Since you went to the trouble of asking ad nauseum, I think that since we’re all stupid enough to be here, we might as well meet Gomph, find out what he wants, and carry on appropriately. Though I’ll admit it’s difficult to give him the benefit of the doubt, as he’s the only one who knew Caro was staying at your house. Except for me, of course. But that’s obviously not…” Nadia’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is? Why we’re having this tedious conversation? You think I’ve lured you here? And this wearisome dialogue is your way of… What? Tricking me into exposing myself? And here I thought it was just useless exposition.”
“No, that’s not what this is.”I’m pretty sure, Annette thought. Ninety-five percent.
“Because if that’s what you think…” To her shock, she saw Nadia’s eyes get even brighter as they filled with…tears? She hadn’t ever known Nadia to cry. Until recently, she hadn’t known the woman had tear ducts. Maybe she was just allergic to concrete. “After what we’ve seen…”
“Annette doesn’t think that,” David said quickly. “I’m the one who was wondering.”
“Truly?”
“Yup.” David stuck his hands in his pockets, wrist deep, and rocked back and forth on his heels. “You’re volatile and shrieky and snobby and you make me nervous and nobody knows any of your backstory.”
“Everything he just said is true,” Oz added. “Sorry, Nadia.”
“But Annette thinks those things, too!”
This is no time for a heated denial to try to spare her feelings. Dammit.“Yes, but I’ve seen you in the field, Nadia. And I saw your face when we found Lund’s pictures. I couldn’t imagine you having any part of that.”
“Thank you, Annette. David, you can go straight to hell. Oz, I’m indifferent as to where you go.”
“Sounds about right,” David muttered over Oz’s laugh.
“Yes it does! Now,” Annette said briskly, “since the ‘wearisome dialogue’ is over, we need to get to the pediatric unit, but not to confront Gomph. Or confess to him. I want to check on the cubs and have a chat with the staff.”
David’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh-ho.”
“I’m lost,” Oz said, “but I assume one of you is going to write up a memo or something to bring me up to speed. Because the more I hear about what you’re in the middle of, the less I like it.” And for once, the perpetual smirk hadn’t reappeared.
“We know the abuse syndicate recruits minors from all over, right? Lund’s photos and files prove it. Drug addicts, runaways, the homeless, sick and injured Shifters… That’s their prey of choice, because they’re cowardly fuckheads who should all die screaming. Unfortunately, by its very nature the pediatric wing is stuffed with vulnerable Shifters at all times of the day and night.”
Nadia snapped her beautifully manicured fingers. “And it’s the only hospital in the area for our kind.”
“Right,” Annette replied. “So maybe a staff member there saw something. Or sees a pattern but hasn’t realized it. Or sees a pattern but doesn’t know who they can talk to about it.”
“Or is helping the syndicate,” David suggested.
“I hope not. But either way, it’s worth talking to them, at least. The more we can find out on our own, the quicker we can figure out whom to trust.”
“That is hideously careless and the smallest bit brilliant.”
“Nadia’s half-right,” David said.
“And Nadia, you have to keep keeping clear.”Wait. What? Never mind, go with it.“You know what I’m talking about. You’re the level-headed partner trying to rein me in, you had no idea what David and I have been getting up to, you’re doing your best to help Judge Gomph and anyone else trying to track us down, and you’re appalled—”
“Appalled,” David added with a grin.
“—by all of it. This whole thing has you so frazzled, you had to stoop to getting my nemesis—”
“Archnemesis.”
“—involved. Okay?”
“What about me?” Oz asked. “What can I do? Because it sounds like you guys are tit-deep and sinking.”
“You can hover on the periphery making wisecracks while you look for an opportunity to pounce on my leftover fries.”
“I can do that.” Oz straightened out of his perpetual slouch, intent and serious. “I wasbornto do that.”
“Yes? All right? Anyone have a better idea?” Annette paused. “I’ll take that silence as a no, and the new terrible plan is as bad as the previous two terrible plans, but what the heck, it’ll give us something to do until lunch.”
