CHAPTER 67

I'd slipped back to the apartment I'd borrowed and gathered the rest of my things. Or, rather, the Makarov and the pile of protein bars and jerky that I stole from Bobby's car. I was, once again, stuck in Hoventech memorabilia but my wolf had assured me there were no bugs on us anywhere. Which didn't bring me much peace, honestly, other than that Aiden had been honest with us.

Where had Darius gone? He'd had to have been still hurting. A lot. Our healing was rapid, but the extent of his injuries was far more than could be taken care of this shortly.

And he hadn't said anything, hadn't even left a message. The lack of communication fed my fear that he blamed me for what had happened.

I sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, debating the direction of my life. Somehow I was left with the weight of the organization on my shoulders and it rankled.

I could walk away. Everyone knew I was gone, knew that Leanne had been trying to take my place. When the shit hit the fan I would be well and clear from the fallout.

...And people I cared about would die.

If I interfered, went against Anthony, countered his command. Then I set myself up as the traitor...even more of one than I already was for bugging Leanne. This wasn't just some refusal to stay put, this was actively challenging his authority.

I dropped my head and rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hands.

Someone knocked on my door.

I gave up on trying to push the stress out of my brain and shuffled to the door. Bobby stood outside, still in his orange sweats and tank, his sweatshirt unzipped and hood down showing off his white hair plastered flat on one side and standing up wildly on the other.

"Uh..hey, Raven," he gave me a slight wave, "about that favor."

I bit back a groan. With everything I had on my plate he was going to call that in now?

The way he stood in that hall his shoulders a bit slumped gave me the impression that he was up to something...or had been planning something.

Come to think of it, he had been a little easier to convince to drive me to Newcomb than I expected.

"So...yeah, I've got this problem..."

***

Bobby's problem was a loan shark named Lauren. A short stout werewolf in her late twenties with a rocking mohawk and a mean streak a mile wide. She had taken over her daddy's part in the organization when he'd been lost to cancer nearly ten years earlier. The decade in the business had sharpened any innocence out of her and now Lauren was a name feared throughout Boston.

And Bobby wanted me to help him break up with her.

We sat in the mostly repaired Oldsmobile outside of the Sky Blade, one of the most luxurious apartment buildings in Boston. I tipped my head back to admire it's sleek silver form slashing through the cityline.

"You sure you want to do this?" I asked Bobby, who was sweating in the driver's seat. He'd acquired gloves at some point and had his hood pulled up and tightened over his face again. I didn't bother to remind him that the mechanics at Hoventech had installed tinted windows that would protect his pale skin from the sun. I figured maybe he liked the style. Though I couldn't tell if he was sweating because of how covered he was on a hot summer day, or because of the situation he was in.

"Yeah...it was good to start, great sex, ya know..."

"Eww. I did not need to know..."

Bobby glared at me. "But now she wants to know where I am all the time, she gets upset if I'm out all night and I don't call. It's cramping my style, ya know?"

Eh, I sort of knew. I shrugged. I owed him a favor and this one got me back into Boston without taking one of Aiden's men or one of his cars, so it didn't matter much to me. Besides, it was his relationship, his life, but whenever I'd met Bobby he'd always been hard up for money and Lauren...I looked up at the penthouse floor of the Sky Blade...was not.

I got out of the passenger side and hefted the box of flowers out of the back seat.

"Now remember, you know you're not worthy of her. She deserves someone who can meet her needs and you've got issues you need to work on. You're going to be sympathetic but firm."

Bobby made a face. I couldn't see it with his hood in the way, but I imagined it.

"I gotta say I'm not worthy? Like I'm some goddamned worm beneath her feet or somethin'? She's the one suffocating me! Besides, she likes a strong, dominant man, and I got a rep to keep, hear me?"

"Listen, you want out of the relationship right?"

He nodded.

"And you want all your parts intact?"

"Of course I do! What kind of question..."

"Then you'll tell her you aren't worthy, and you'll beg like a worm if that's what it takes to get her to believe you."

I'd only met Lauren a few times, and what I knew about her was that she had a wicked temper. Especially if she felt slighted. And it was pretty much impossible to break up with someone without slighting them.

I also knew she hated fools and weaklings, and whether Bobby liked it or not, we were going to use that to our advantage.

The lobby of the apartment building was cool and sleek, nearly as modern and fancy looking as Hoventech's various buildings. Bobby led me through the front doors, where the concierge gave us a sneer of disdain. Obviously Bobby was recognized. We went past the front desk and down a short hall to the private elevators.

"How'd you two meet anyway?" I asked to stifle the boredom. One of the day lilies was brushing up against my cheek and I could feel the traces of pollen floating into my nostrils.

"I beat her at a hand of poker for five hundred bucks," the corner of his lip tipped up slightly. "She threatened to castrate me if she found out I'd been cheating. Fortunately, that was one of my legit decks and then she convinced me use the money to take her out to some fancy restaurant I'd never heard of."

"Ah," was all I could manage before we were spat out on the penthouse level and eye to eye with the door to the appartment that occupied the entire south half of the building.

Bobby hesitated, his anxiety palpable.

"You sure...." I started.

"I'm sure," he growled at me, his voice quavered slightly. Before I could say anything more he stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The next few seconds were pretty awkward. Bobby stood there getting redder by the moment and I sneezed three times. Then the door opened.

Lauren was just about how I remembered her. Brunette and curvy, and, frankly, pretty damned short she had a mohawk just on the verge of being considered a longer cut, and a gorgeous face that needed no accentuation. She was frowning when she opened the door, but when her eyes lit on the flowers, and then on Bobby she lit up, like a glow from within.

Fuck. She was invested in this.

"Hey Lauren," Bobby gave her the same sheepish smile he'd given me earlier that evening. I had to stop him before he did anything stupid.

I shoved the flowers at her.

"Special delivery from someone who loves you!" and pushed her back through the door, closing it behind her.

"What are you doing?!" Bobby turned to me, his eyes wide with betrayal.

"Trust me, don't do this at this moment."

"What the hell, Raven, you owe me a favor. You're supposed to help me break up wi...."

The door flew back open and Lauren stood in the opening. Her face was full of joy, her skin was glowing.

"You remembered!" She snatched Bobby in for a tight hug and a...not pg kiss. When it broke he looked at me in confusion and not a small amount of horror.

"I didn't think you even paid attention, but I was so wrong about you Bobby McSlobberface. The anniversary of our first date and you remembered!"

First of all...double eww. Secondly, there were several emotions that crossed Bobby's face at that moment. The first was a kind of 'oh crap' realization. The next was shitting his pants, sort of, and the last...was a wary acceptance. He pointed the last at me, an acknowledgement that I was right and breaking it off at this exact time was not the best idea.

"And Ma thought you took my money and ran. I can't wait to tell that bitch off..." She turned toward her penthouse, dragging Bobby inside and totally ignoring my presence. Probably thought I was just hired delivery.

"You took her money?" I mouthed at him.

His skin pinkened and my glare darkened.

"Ah, let me tip the delivery, babe. You go ahead and call your ma, I know you've been waiting for this moment."

"What the hell, Bobby, you took her money too?" I demanded as soon as she was out of earshot.

"Only ten G, and it wasn't like I wouldn't pay it back."

"Bobby," I growled. "You can't break up with your girlfriend on the anniversary of anything important. And also, not when you owe her money. Especially not this girl."

"I was going to make sure she knew I was good for it...." he started.

I pushed him up against the wall outside of the apartment, gazing and sending my senses inside. Turned out Lauren really did have a beef with her ma, and was busy rubbing her nose in it right at that moment.

"Listen," I whisper-growled at the idiot. "It doesn't matter what your intentions were, this breakup smacks of you using her for money."

"...I didn't, I swear..."

"Fine, whatever, your life is your life. But if you'd like to keep aliving, I would suggest paying that money back and only then letting her believe you're too cowardly and moronic to deserve her attention. She'll break up with you, I promise."

"But..."

"Bobby, you wanted a favor? You want to end this relationship and live through the aftermath?"

"Well yeah...that's what I...."

"Then you do what I said," I shrugged, "or she'll kill you dead, and I won't have to worry about any favor."

He did not seem happy when I closed the door in his face, and somehow I couldn't bring myself to feel sorry for him.