“It was awfully convenient,” Caleb said. “Them knowing exactly where we were meeting and likely what we were meeting about.”
Ned shrugged his coat back on, making him appear more whole and in charge. “You’re implying something.”
“They knew,” he said. “Somebody told them.”
The anxiety that we’d struggled to hold at bay returned. We glanced around the room, studying each other—did we have a spy?
“Do you have an idea who?” I said to Caleb.
“I’ve got a few,” he answered.
My own thoughts tumbled over possibilities, mostly asking myself the question, how well did I trust these people, really?
I trusted Ben. He’d sat back to listen, an intent focus in his gaze that had more to do with his lawyer side than his werewolf side.
“Not many of us even knew about the meeting,” Ned said.
I shook my head. “That’s not true. A lot of us did. There’s you, Marid, Antony, me, Ben, Caleb, Caleb’s wolves—”
“And your girl, Emma,” Antony said, looking at the young woman still standing in the doorway after letting the alpha in.
A number of accusing gazes turned to her, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop with the chill of it. Even Ned’s gaze narrowed, studious. She straightened, her brow furrowing, eyes shining.
“Now hold on a minute,” I said, as if I could do anything to deflect their attention. “Why her?”
“She said they approached her,” Antony said. “This evening, at the conference.”
“Would she have told you about it if she was actually working for them?”
Detached, objective Ben said, “She’d have had to say something because you saw her. If she didn’t you would have.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Ben, you were there, you saw her—did she look like she was being subverted?”
“No, she didn’t. I’m just being the lawyer.”
I turned to Ned. “I don’t think it was her. You’re looking at the outsider for a suspect. It’s what everyone does.”
“It wasn’t me, I swear to you, Ned.” Emma was shaking her head.
“It could have been me,” I said. There, that distracted them. They all turned their gazes on me, and the attention felt like a physical blow. “I wouldn’t have had to tell them—they’d have just needed to follow me. I go everywhere, talk to everyone. Geez, I’ve been tracked, stalked, and pestered this whole conference. They could have had someone standing next to me and I wouldn’t have known.”
“Well,” Caleb said. He drained the last of his tea and set it aside. “I’ve got one of their injured wolves trussed up in the van outside if you’d like to have a go at him. He’s probably not awake yet, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. He ought to be able to tell you.”
Ned raised a brow. “And why didn’t you say this earlier?”
Caleb’s smile showed teeth. “Wanted to see you lot squirm.”
Marid laughed.
Caleb stood and moved to the door. “Ben, Kitty. Care to help?”
Not really, but wolves were the muscle. Even he had that habit. I glanced at Ben, who raised an eyebrow—an uncommitted look. He was leaving the decision to me.
“Let’s go,” I muttered, leveraging myself from the chair yet again.
“I’ll get the door,” Emma said and started to leave with us.
“Maybe you’d better stay here with your Master, love,” Caleb said. His tone was flat, his gaze a wall revealing nothing. No sympathy, no accusation, nothing for her to react against. Frowning, she stepped back.