"We know," I said, though my stomach tightened at the thought. The uncertainty of what we'd find gnawed at me.
I reached for another sip of coffee. That's when I caught it, the briefest exchange of glances between Carol and Deva. It was subtle, but enough to set off alarm bells in my head.
"What?" I asked, setting my cup down with a clink. My gaze bounced between them, searching for an answer in their faces.
"Nothing." Deva looked away.
"Deva..." Carol began, but stopped herself, biting her lip.
"Spill it." Impatience bubbled up inside me. I wasn't in the mood for mysteries; not today.
Deva hesitated, her eyes flicking to Carol before settling on me.
"Emma," Carol interjected, "the other werewolf we're looking for... it's Broth Riversteel."
"Riversteel?" I frowned, the name scratching at the edges of my memory. I'd heard it before but couldn't place it. "Who is he?"
"He owns Steel Knife," Deva said. "The motorcycle bar, just outside town."
"Steel Knife..." It clicked, a mental image of chrome and leather surfacing. I'd never been there, but everyone knew of it, the local haunt for bikers and those who liked living on the wild side. "Right, I've heard of the place."
"Broth's not someone to take lightly," Carol added. "He's got a reputation for being tough. Rough around the edges doesn't quite cover it."
"Great," I muttered under my breath. The last thing I needed was a potentially hostile werewolf. But we had no choice. If Broth Riversteel was involved in the attacks, we had to know.
"Listen." Carol pushed back from the table with a determined glint in her blue eyes. "I'm coming with you."
"Carol—" I started to protest, but she held up her hand.
"No arguments. I've got some spells that might come in handy. Just in case things go south with Riversteel." She stood up, her quirky attire, a vibrant mishmash of colors, somehow not clashing with the steel in her tone.
"Spells?"
"Trust me." Carol's lips quirked into a half-smile. "They're more than just party tricks."
"I’m coming too,” Deva said. "The kitchen can handle dinner without me. If you’re going to that biker bar, you’re going to need me more than they do.”
"Of course, we’ll be glad for the help." Both their skills could be the edge we needed. "But we do this carefully. No unnecessary risks. Let’s avoid getting confrontational."
"Agreed." Carol pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, even though they were more for fashion than function. "Let's get going then. Time isn't exactly on our side."
"And we have bad guys to catch,” Deva said, flashing a smile.
"Thanks." A weight lifted off my shoulders, having them at my side.
"Hey, what are friends for?" She winked, already pulling out her phone. "I'll call Beth and let her know our plan."
"Right." I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair. "Steel Knife, here we come."
FOURTEEN
Emma
The leather hugged my body as I adjusted to the passenger seat of Beth's car, her pride and joy. The gleam of the dashboard reflected her smile; she was in her element behind the wheel. In the back, Carol and Deva were bobbing their heads to the music, and I couldn’t help but smile. I always felt like I was in my element when I was with my friends.
"Thanks for coming out with us, Beth, I know you’re probably exhausted after being up all night,” I said.
She yawned. "It’s okay. I wanted to be here.”
