Justus shifted into reverse and backed out of the parkingspace.
“Don’t you want to know?” I opened the paper sack on my lap and pulled out a taco. Crispy shell with grilledchicken.
“It doesn’t matter,” Justus insisted as he turned onto the road. “Because I’m not going. Can you get medirections?”
I set the bag on the center console and the taco on my lap, then started the GPS app on my phone. “What if I could get you the vote youneed?”
He pulled us to a stop at a red light and turned to me, skepticism deepening the lines of his frown. “Canyou?”
“Maybe. Hopefully.” I picked up my taco. “I’m willing totry.”
The light turned green and I took abite.
“Sure. Give it a shot.” We rolled through the intersection and Justus moved into the left-hand lane. “If you can get me a vote before we get to Denver, I guess I don’t have to get on the plane.” He shrugged. “What do I have to lose,right?”
“Yeah.Taco?”
“I can’t eat that while I drive, but there’s a burrito at the bottom,” he said. I dug for it, then tore off the top half of the wrapper and handed it to him. “So, who’s on the tribunal? What’s theplan?”
“Well, it’s a random draw, but you drew a pretty even hand. Which makes sense, considering that the council is pretty evenly split on the subject of strays. Paul Blackwell will never vote in your favor. He’ll go to his grave shouting that strays have no place in the world. In fact, many of us have been waiting for that very event for years, but that old man will never die. Marc says it’s because God doesn’t want himback.”
He took a bite of his burrito and chewed for a minute. “I think I’ve heard Titus mentionhim.”
“You probably have. He’s one of the firm no-votes on accepting the Mississippi Valley Pride, which means he’s kind of your family’s arch nemesis. Also, he’s the Alpha of the Southwest Pride, which makes him Jared’s boss. And his grandfather. We’re trespassing in his territory rightnow.”
“Okay.” Justus said around a bite of burrito. “That’s unfortunate. Who else do wehave?”
“Umberto Di Carlo.Bert.”
“I know that name,” Justus said as he veered left onto the highway. “Why do I know thatname?”
“Bert was Robyn Sheffield’s acting Alpha. She was sent to his house in Atlanta for rehabilitation/training/house arrest, after the plea bargain she made with the council. For the murders shecommitted.”
“Damn.” He took another bite of his burrito. “I’m starting to see why they think strays are savage murderers. Our track record is notawesome.”
“Bullshit. Turning into a werecat when you have no idea such a thing is possible would traumatize anyone. Drew knew that. That’s the only reason he was able to manipulate you. That’s the reason he infected you. He was counting on the fact that you wouldn’t be able to control your instincts or rein in your emotions without training. You were right—he turned you into a weapon and aimed you at hisenemies.”
“Sounds like the council’s right: strays are the problem. They’re just wrong about whichstrays.”
“No,” I insisted. “Plenty of natural-born cats have committed crimes. Manx. Jace. Faythe. A couple of Jace’s brothers, and even more of his late stepfather’s enforcers. Me. I mean, really, we’re kind of a violent bunch. The council is trying to rein that in—I’ll give them credit for that—but it doesn’t do any good for them to insist that the problem lies only with the stray population. That’s like taking a sledgehammer to your own glasshouse.”
“Yeah, I guess so. But does that mean Di Carlo is another no-vote? Because Robyn chose my brother over hisPride?”
“Nope, he’s on your side.Thanksto Robyn. He was responsible for her training. He’s a good guy, and I suspect he saw how hard it was for her to master concepts that cats who grew up in Shifter society see from before they’re even old enough to understand what they are. He knows the struggle is real. And he knows exactly what it will take to overcome that. He’s a very good ally to have.” I glanced at him with a grin as I took another bite of my taco. “He’s also Vic’sdad.”
“Damn. Now I feelreallybad about breaking Vic’swrist.”
I shrugged. “He’ll probably tag you back next time he gets a chance, but the risk comes with the job. He knows that. I can’t even count how many broken bones Dr. Carver has had to come set at the ranch. Though Karen Sanders makes a pretty good field medic, in apinch.”
“She also makes a very good shepherd’spie.”
“Among other things. So, the last vote comes from Ed Taylor.” I turned the air conditioning down and aimed my vent at Justus. “The good news is that he’s open to acknowledging your brother’s Pride. At least, he says he is. Though Faythe seems to think that could just be politicalpandering.”
“And the bad news is that he’s ready to hang me up by my toenails and pluck out my eyes with a seafoodfork?”
“That’s a little more graphic than any sentence currently being considered, but yes. That’s basicallyit.”
“And do we know why, exactly?” Justus asked around the last of hisburrito.
