Questions

Ivy received the millionth liquor order. She should be happy, she knew, even delighted. Even with the missing Ace and Lily, the bar was running well. Kym, (street name Cougar), from the Valkyries was a great manager —tough, funny, great with spreadsheets. She had tattoos of cougars running up and down her neck, pawprints on her wrists, done in copper and black, etched on her copper skin. She had beautiful whiskey eyes, black hair curly down to her waist, and breasts she showed off with bustier-like tops. Her caboose she showed off with designer jeans. She could make even the toughest biker laugh. She handled the massive influx of customers calmly. She could sling drinks with the best of them. Ivy decided Cougar could stay, even when Ace came back. She was perfect… and, as a single mom, she needed the money. She had a fifteen-year-old girl who spent nights with her father and days with her mother.

Cougar came in, laughing. “Let’s get these in,” she said.

They filled up the cooler and the carts. Bella swung in, ready to work. She helped load the carts and deliver them to the bars. They made sure they had plenty of ice and beer. They laughed, getting the bars set up. The cooks came in, and they filled up on chicken fingers and sodas. All three of them filled up their empty beer bottles with apple juice. The bar backs came in, followed by the dancers and the cocktail servers. The band showed up, the doors opened, and they were in business.

There were the usual questions about Ace, which stabbed everyone in the heart, except Cougar. Ace, they all knew, and loved. When Ivy got tired of the questions, she danced, pounding her feet to a wild, rock beat. She put out liquor orders so fast that her hands flew. She and Cougar took turns running the money bag, counting and bagging it for a deposit and entering it into the spreadsheet. Ace’s bucket nearly overflowed, and had to be emptied three times that night.

Ivy made the bank deposit, and made it home to the duplex in record time. The girls ran upstairs past her.

“How was your night?” asked Callie, as they stripped off their boots and leathers, and petted the dogs.

“Busy,” said Ivy, “and you?”

“Same,” said Callie. “The kids have been arguing non-stop about getting angora rabbits like at Henry’s farm. Nantan suggests we stick to hydroponics unless we want to lose the classroom to bunnies. They tend to multiply.”

“F—fudgesticks,” said Ivy, going over to the kids’ bathroom to be sure they were brushing their teeth. She turned on the bath water.

Callie’s laughter followed her. “Fudgesticks? Really?”

They got the kids bathed and in bed. Callie read to them, one story in Chinese and the other in English, as Ivy took her shower. She dried her hair and dressed in gym shorts and a T-shirt. She kissed both the girls goodnight, and petted all three, kid guard dogs.

They kissed her hands. “Good puppies,” Ivy said, and trundled off to bed.

Ivy found Callie reading in bed. “How can you read at a time like this?” asked Ivy.

“Go see Ace tomorrow,” said Callie. “Seriously. You’re climbing out of your skin. I’ll look at paint chips and dream of a yellow kitchen.”

“And I’ll help you paint. Might as well work off the mad I’ve got going on.” Callie sang a few bars of Mad World. “Exactly,” said Ivy. “We cremated Lily’s brother Devlin, but we can’t have a funeral until both of them can attend. How fucked up is that?”

“Very fucked up,” said Callie. “You’re doing what needs doing, keeping the bar running and their jobs intact. Right?”

“And raising a shit-ton of money with the bucket,” said Ivy. “Whatever their insurance doesn’t pay…”

“Will be covered. That private hospital isn’t cheap, and Numa is staying, too,” said Callie.

Ivy stopped changing into her nighttime T-shirt and shorts, stricken with a thought. “I need to move part of the money to her.”

“Write yourself a memo and set an alarm,” said Callie. “Then, come to bed.”

“How can I sleep at a time like this?”

Callie sighed through her teeth. “You need to be awake and alive tomorrow, because you’re leaving early to see Ace and Lily, right?”

“What should I bring?” asked Ivy.

“Dumb magazines you don’t have to think about to understand. Popcorn for watching Netflix. Cinnamon toast from a bakery. Get something small.” She reached out, captured Ivy’s hand. “They don’t need junk, baby. They need you.” She drew Ivy into bed. “Sleep, my precious.”

“Ma precious,” said Ivy, drawing her hands up like Gollum.

Callie laughed, and drew Ivy closer. “Come.”

Ivy climbed in bed, defeated. “You are so mean to me. I try to fall apart, and you keep me together.”

“Shut up,” said Callie. She kissed her, stroking her face. “I know you’re worried because our pregnancies are starting to show, and that this may freak Lily out. She’s grieving, and she’s going to have to face up to her pain sometime. She can’t avoid pregnant people for the rest of her life.”

“I get that,” said Ivy, “but she’s in so much pain. I wish I could take it away.”

“When you get a magic wand, let me use it, too,” said Callie.

“And Ace. Once the painkillers wear off, he’ll want to fix all Lily’s problems, but he can’t bring back the dead.” She sighed. “I was too slow.”

Callie put her hand over Ivy’s mouth. “You saved both of them. Neither Ace nor Lily would be alive if you hadn’t moved fast to get them to safety, and gotten them medical help.”

“I just left Lily there in the dust,” said Ivy, moving her hand away.

“Those yahoos with the truck could have helped her. You were trying to keep Ace from bleeding out at the time. I’m sure Lily preferred that you save Ace rather than pick her up.”

Ivy grimaced. “Why won’t you let me alone with my pity party?”

Callie kissed her. “Let me hold you. This is a tough time for you.”

“For both of us.”

“For both of us.” Callie kissed Ivy’s temple. “Let me hold you. This is the last time we can spoon before we’ll both get too big.”

“My God,” said Ivy. “We moved just in time. Those other stairs would have killed us.”

Callie stroked Ivy’s back. “Rest.” She started humming Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Ivy hummed along with her. Callie stroked her hair until Ivy stopped humming and finally slipped into sleep.

In the morning, Callie had two blessed hours to catch up on her coursework. Being a single parent while Ivy dealt with protecting Ace and Lily had eaten into her school time. The girls got themselves up and dressed.

Grace demanded chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast. “I think you need to speak more gently,” said Callie. “You can ask, but you can’t tell me what to do.”

“You made babies and now I have a brother and a sister,” said Grace. “I don’t want them!”

“Why not?” asked Callie, taking out the pre-made pancake batter. She pulled out both the tiny chocolate chips, and the bananas.

“They are loud and cry and the mommies pay attention to the babies and no one plays with anyone anymore.”

“Goodness,” said Callie, getting where this was coming from. “Who said all that? Someone at school?” She took out a flat skillet, put it on the heat, and added butter.

“Kenny,” said Hu. “He is new.”

“Did Kenny get a new sister or brother?” asked Callie, scooping up the pancake batter, pouring it in the skillet.

“He got a sister,” said Hu. “But, I think he is jealous. His mother is very tired.”

“Kids do wear you out,” said Callie, adding the chocolate chips in a smiley face, and the banana slices as eyes and a nose.

“How will you deal with four children?” asked Hu.

“We have lots of aunts and uncles, right?” said Callie. “And a baby room at the school. I’ll stay home for six weeks, first. Mama just got a person helping her at work, so she’ll take time off, too.”

“Babies are loud,” said Grace.

“True,” said Callie, “but, we’ll get them on a sleep schedule, and get them sleeping through the night as soon as possible.”

“Plus,” said Hu, “we can stay with my mother and grandmother half the week.”

“Exactly,” said Callie, “you get a break.” She served up the pancakes.

“Smiley face!” said Grace.

“Thank you,” said Hu.

“You’re welcome,” said Callie. She gave them both orange juice, and poured on the maple syrup for them. Grace tended to drown her pancakes.

“I want a rabbit,” said Grace.

“No,” said Callie. “We have dogs in the house.”

“If you get a baby, I get a bunny,” said Grace.

“No,” said Callie. “You have Daisy. That’s enough.”

“I hate you,” said Grace.

“Grace, we don’t talk like that to each other. You’re on restriction,” said Callie. “Finish your pancakes.”

“No,” said Grace.

“Stop,” said Hu. “You won’t be able to go with me tonight if you keep it up.”

Grace stood up. “I’m going to go.” She went to brush her teeth.

“I’m sorry,” said Hu. “She’s jealous.”

“Yeah,” said Callie, making herself two pancakes. She added a handful of fruit from a container of sliced strawberries from inside the refrigerator. “I figured that out.”

“I told her we’ll have special time together, and that the babies will be cute.”

“She’s right,” said Callie. She flipped her pancake. “They are loud, and they do take a lot of attention. But, I promise you, being the older sister has its advantages.”

“Good,” said Hu. “May I be excused?”

“Yes,” said Callie. “Please put the plates in the sink.”

“Of course,” said Hu.

Callie wolfed down her pancakes, and took the girls and the dogs for a walk. The girls got back, and Callie had them get ready for school. Callie made strawberry pancakes for Ivy, and started the coffee. She flipped the pancakes, then plated them, and added butter and a smidgen of syrup. She poured the coffee in a sealed go-cup. Ivy stumbled out, grabbed the coffee, ate the pancakes, and Callie poured Ivy more coffee.

“Shoo!” she said. “Say ‘hi’ to Ace and Lily for me.”

“Mmfh,” said Ivy. Callie kissed her, and got her out the door.

She then cleaned up, petted the dogs, put the girls’ hair in clips, and herded the girls into the car. Grace was stonily silent the entire way. Hu and Grace went in, and Callie locked the car and followed them.

“What’s with Grace?” asked Henry.

“She is pissed because both Ivy and I are three months pregnant.”

Henry went still. “Really? Congratulations!” He hugged her.

“I thought you knew,” said Callie. “I had morning sickness for two months.”

“I’m sorry,” said Henry. “I had my head up my ass.”

“No,” said Callie, touching his hand. “You had a brain injury. And Inola’s recovery and pregnancy. We were kind of off your radar.”

“Now Ace and Lily,” said Henry. “Will it ever stop?”

“Yes,” said Callie. “My big, bad woman will make it stop.”

“I hope so,” said Henry.

“Me too,” said Callie. She gave him a hug.

Grace ended up being in separation time for rudeness to her mother. She had to do her work by herself in a corner. Henry told her she’d lose project time if she kept it up. She wanted to work on the hydroponics, so Grace backed off. She did her Chinese, so she was allowed to move back to the other children. She tried to throw her box lunch, so she had to eat lunch alone.

Nantan dragged her out of class and made her do her kickboxing moves before she was allowed to attend the hydroponics lesson. She was unrepentant, but she backed down when Callie informed her she wouldn’t be visiting Hu’s mother without a change in attitude.

Callie survived the shift, even after Henry went home, partly because Hu’s mom came in to teach Chinese. Bao was delighted that she had been able to buy a nice used Honda, complete with child safety seats, with money left over for car insurance. She took the kids home, with the knowledge that Grace was on restriction. Grace was still mutinous, getting into Bao’s car.

“You’re getting a younger brother and sister,” said Callie. “Put on your big girl panties and deal with it. Bao will give me a report. If your attitude doesn’t change, fast, we’ll have to have a longer discussion. You can act mean, but it won’t change anything. You’re still having siblings.”

“I’m not mean,” said Grace, her lower lip stuck out.

“You were even mean to Hu today,” said Callie. “You owe me an apology, and her, and Nantan.”

Grace kept her lower lip stuck out. “Did not.”

Callie said, “Get out of the car. You’re coming home with me. You pushed Hu twice, made Nantan stop his class because you were arguing, and you were just plain nasty to me.”

“No!” said Grace, eyes wide. “Sorry!”

“Nope,” said Callie, opening the door, and unplugging her from her car seat. “Sorry doesn’t cut it. You’re jealous and angry, and those are big emotions. But, that doesn’t mean you get to take out your emotions on other people.” She took her arm and gently guided her out of the car.

“Say goodbye to Hu. Let’s go.”

“I’ll stop!” said Grace.

“Yes, you will,” said Callie. “But you’re now on total restriction. Let’s go.” She guided her to her car, and put her into her car seat and plugged her in. She shut the door.

Grace folded her arms over her chest and glared at her mother. “You’re mean!”

Callie looked at her daughter in the rear-view mirror. “Look at your own behavior before you call other people mean.”

She got home in just a few minutes, and Grace stomped in, went to the room she shared with Hu, and slammed the door, nearly in Daisy’s face.

Callie opened the door and said, “You nearly hurt the dog, slamming the door in her face.” She took out all the electronics, leaving only books. Grace lay in her bed, staring at the wall. “Goodnight.” Grace ignored her.

Callie called the dogs, sat on the couch, and loved on them. She showered, then changed into shorts and a tee.

Ivy came home and Callie kissed her. “Our daughter just turned into a porcupine,” said Callie.

“Why?” asked Ivy, passing over the strawberry shake she’d gotten from Sonic. She put the sack of food on the table.

“Jealousy. She heard from a kid at school that babies take away the focus from older kids.”

“It does,” said Ivy plainly, taking out the mozzarella sticks and buffalo chicken.

They fell onto the food as if neither one of them had ever eaten before. When they came up for air, Callie detailed all of Grace’s behavior.

Ivy was pissed. “She’s acting like a spoiled brat. And, what did she think would happen? That she would throw a fit, and we would miraculously stop being pregnant?”

Callie snorted. “We did kind of spring it on her. And Hu.”

“Hu is excited,” said Ivy, “and much better behaved.”

Callie laughed. “It kind of balances, a wild one and a gentle one, but the wild one causes us to pull our hair out.”

Ivy laughed. “Wild women cause problems. But, I like her that way.”

Callie sighed. “She’s not going to be a Nighthawk, you know.”

“She’s a Valkyrie,” said Ivy.

Callie kissed Ivy. “I love being married to a wild woman.”

“How wild can we get?” asked Ivy.

“Sadly, Grace is still with us, so making love on this table is out.”

“Damn,” said Ivy.

They threw away the trash, and made it to the bathroom together before they kissed. The got in, and Ivy shut the door. Ivy put Callie up against the door, and kissed her deeply, stroking her face and neck. Callie pulled off Ivy’s shirt, and threw it into the hamper. Ivy pulled off Callie’s shirt, and took her breasts in her hands. Callie kept kissing back, and reached around to run her fingernails down Ivy’s back. Ivy arched her back, moaned, and kissed down Callie’s neck. Callie got Ivy’s bra off, licked the tips of her fingers, and stroked the tips of Ivy’s breasts.

Ivy lost herself in the kiss, the heat. She leaned down, and took one of Callie’s perfect breasts in her mouth, flicking her tongue, licking and sucking. Callie moaned. Callie somehow got Ivy’s jeans off, then her panties. Ivy nearly ripped off Callie’s shorts, then underwear. They sunk down to the floor, and Ivy sucked Callie’s other breast, stroking, making her come. She held Callie close, moving her onto the rug. Ivy parted Callie’s legs, and Callie pulled Ivy to her. They kissed, and Callie drew up her leg. She reached to touch Ivy’s button. She flicked, pushed, and stuck her fingers inside, making Ivy come. Ivy turned around, and Callie had all that wetness there in front of her. She flicked with her tongue, and Ivy groaned.

Ivy returned the favor and parted Callie’s legs, and began to flick with her own tongue. They flicked and touched, putting fingers in and out. They came together, in great waves; Ivy shuddering, trying to hold herself up. Ivy turned herself around, grabbed the wet wipes off the counter, and wiped them both off.

They held each other, wrung out. Ivy managed to help Callie up, and they got on panties and shorts, and camisoles. They slept, with Ivy’s face in Callie’s hair, her leg over Callie just under her newly rounded belly. She patted her unborn daughter, and slept.

Ivy answered the call at what, to her, was the crack of dawn. Callie was already up, working on finishing one of her courses. “Mmfh,” she said.

“Sorry to wake you up,” said Gregory, “but, the babies are sick. They’re throwing up, and Elena…”

“Bring her over,” said Ivy, barely able to get the words out. “Callie’s up.”

“Thanks,” said Gregory. Ivy hung up the phone, texted Callie that Elena was coming over, and fell back asleep.

The next call came an hour later. “Mmfh,” she said. “Sorry to wake you up,” said Tito. “But, the pipe burst in the bathroom at the club. I can’t get ahold of Gregory.”

“Sick babies,” said Ivy. “Flu.”

“Okay, I need authorization to…”

“Shut up,” said Ivy. “Do it.” She hung up, rolled over, and slept again.

The next call came barely fifteen minutes later. “Mmfh,” she said.

“Sorry, sugar,” said Cougar. “Got a health inspection today. I’m doing it, but Carlos is kinda mad about having to come in.”

“Give him babysitting money,” said Ivy, “and leave me the fuck alone.”

Cougar laughed. “Not a morning person?” Ivy hung up on her.

She woke up again in the late afternoon. Sun was streaking through the windows. She took a shower, and stumbled into the kitchen. Luckily, the dogs were under the table, not her feet. Callie gave her a cola. Elena was sitting with Callie at the table, playing a vicious game of dominoes.

“Missing a kid?” said Ivy.

“Had a heartfelt apology this morning,” said Callie. “And, she called Nantan to apologize, then she apologized to Daisy and helped me walk all the doggies with Elena here. Then, she apologized to Henry, then Hu. I let her go over.”

Ivy drained her Coke. “Damn,” she said, reading the label. “Caffeine-free?”

“Still has sugar,” said Callie, playing two tiles, a double and a single.

“Mmfh,” said Ivy. “Babies?”

“Nasty flu,” said Callie, “they’re getting hydrated and medicated at the urgent care, and watched. Elena’s staying here so she doesn’t get it.”

“Sorry,” said Elena, playing two tiles as well.

“It’s good to have you,” said Ivy, grabbing another cola out of the refrigerator.

“No, she wasn’t apologizing for that,” said Callie. “She’s out, and she kicked my ass. I’ve got lots of high tiles.” She started counting, and wrote her score on a pad.

“Mmfh,” said Ivy. She found a bagel, sliced it in half, and slid it into the microwave.

“She’s not a morning person,” said Elena.

“Nope,” said Callie.

Ivy found the strawberry cream cheese and a flat knife. When the microwave dinged, she attacked the bagel with the cream cheese.

“I’ll have you know I got three calls this morning.”

“What about?” asked Callie.

“Gregory calling about Elena here, Tito calling about fixing the club bathroom, and Cougar calling about the health inspection.”

“Busy morning,” said Callie.

“Mmfh,” said Ivy. The phone in Ivy’s pocket rang just as she sat at the table. “What now?” she moaned, but answered it.

“This is Ivy,” she said.

“Hello, sister,” said Skuld. “We have info.”

“Lay it on me,” said Ivy.

“We have progress on the lawyer of the Mexican cartel assassin, La Diabla,” said Skuld. “Fancy a ride?”

Capture

Wraith decided to call in every expert she could find to figure out Ignacio Reyes Georges, La Diabla’s lawyer. First, she got a court order to record video, minus audio of the lawyer’s visits to La Diabla. The transcript showed nothing but ordinary conversation. Then, she called in two experts, one in sign language, and one in poker and other tells.

The sign language expert, a young woman in a bright teal suit, said, “I got nothing.” Wraith paid her, and let her go.

Jean Mayyan, the poker woman, had a lined face, tired blue eyes, and a shock of blue hair. She was dressed in black jeans and a cinnamon-colored top that matched her skin.

She said, “Go away and bring me sustenance.”

“What kind?” asked Wraith.

“Caesar salad, breadsticks, and a raspberry tea.”

“On it,” said Wraith. She’d do anything for a crack in the case, even become a gopher. Besides, the restaurant delivered.

She got her own Caesar salad and a strawberry lemonade, and slammed out the paperwork she’d ignored when going deep.

The food came, and Wraith brought it in to the poker expert. The blue-haired woman had a pen and paper, her cell phone open.

“I see a pattern,” she said. “I’ll get it.”

“Good,” said Wraith. She sat, and ate her lunch, as the woman watched the tapes on the monitors, a different one on each screen. “There,” said the expert. She pointed to La Diabla’s long fingers, tapping on the metal table she was chained to. Wraith looked over, the fingers tapping on each monitor.

“You’re onto her,” said Wraith. “Ms. Mayyan, I think I love you.”

“Wait until I crack the…” She dropped her fork, grabbed the pencil and the pad of paper, and started writing. “Code,” she said. “Number code.”

“Account numbers,” said Wraith. “Asshole here’s gotta get paid.”

Jean Mayyan wrote in dots. “Morse code. Little bitch. Numbers, letters.” She wrote quickly, and ripped off the paper. There were three bank names and numbers.

“I do love you,” said Wraith.

“Track those down and come back,” said Mayyan. “I’ll have more.”

Wraith grabbed her salad and drink, and ran back to her desk. She worked off her earlier warrant, and tracked down the accounts. One was in the Cayman Islands, and two were in the US Virgin Islands.

“Gotcha,” she said.

She backtracked dates, and listed them all, for when the information came back. She called a contact in Treasury to get things moving there. She inhaled her salad, ate a tiny candy bar from her drawer, and attacked more paperwork. She then went back for more account numbers.

“Have some of those,” said the expert. “I also have instructions. Kill orders.”

“Kill those that bound me,” said the kill order. “Card man and braided hair woman.” There were details about the bar, and where Ivy lived.

“They followed Ivy, and waited until they were at the rest stop to shoot,” said Wraith, her blue eyes ice cold. “Bastards.”

“They put orders out on you and someone named Knife.”

“Saber,” said Wraith. “Good luck on getting to us. We’re usually out in the field.” She tapped her fingernail on her lower lip. “Probably should trace whoever they hired for that.”

“I have a name. Cistern?”

“Already dead,” said Wraith. “Get me everything you can. You will get a bonus, a recommendation, whatever your little heart desires.”

“Two of these raspberry lemonades and some Skittles.”

“Done,” said Wraith.

Mayyan worked for hours, translating everything. They laid it all out for a judge in California, the location of the Supermax where La Diabla, cartel assassin, was being held, and where her lawyer was located.

Wraith sent a coded text to Saber, asking if he wanted to take a road trip to California. She slammed out more paperwork, then grabbed her go bag.

She got the text that said, “Meet you in Pahrump.” She made good time.

They met at a truck stop. He looked scruffy, piratical with his saber earring. “How’s it going?” she asked.

He kissed her. “I am the biggest asshole in the gang,” he said. “I told them you were a prostitute.” She slapped his arm. “Hey!” he said, then he slipped her an envelope. She looked at the fake money, smiled, and slipped it in a pocket. They took off for the lawyer.

They made good time. ATF met them to make the arrest. His office was in Century City in Los Angeles. The security guard was about to block the Valkyrie and the pirate from entry, but their credentials had him stepping back.

“Don’t call anyone,” said Wraith. “You do, I’m arresting you, too.”

The man swallowed. “Yes, Ma’am,” he said.

They took the elevator to the eleventh floor. The offices of Oviedo, Georges, and Simpre were hushed, with a lot of glass and marble, and fish swimming in a huge tank.

“We need to speak with Mr. Georges,” said Wraith. “Where is his office?”

“Do you have an appointment?” asked the lovely receptionist with the long neck and the scarlet nails.

“I do,” said Wraith, badging her. “Where. Is. His. Office.”

Another lawyer came out with a client. Wraith sailed through the door, Saber right behind her.

“Corner,” said Wraith. They went to the first corner, but that was Oviedo. The opposite one was for Georges. Saber threw open the door. He was about to shred a document.

Wraith pointed her Glock at his head. “DEA. Step away from the shredder and put your hands up,” said Wraith.

Georges visibly puffed himself up. “What is the meaning of this?”

“You have the right to remain silent,” said Wraith, as Saber walked around the huge, black, gleaming desk and cuffed him.

“You can’t do this,” said Georges.

Wraith kept reading him the Miranda Rights. “Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

“I understand that you’re arresting me,” said Georges. “For what reason?”

“Cistern,” said Wraith. The blood drained out of his face. “Welcome to hell,” said Wraith. “You’re going to end up in the same place as many of your former clients.”

She took the cell off his desk and put it in a plastic bag. She called a number on her own cell phone, and his pocket rang. She patted him down, and found the other phone. She put it in another bag.

His secretary stood in the door, waving her hands. “They walked right past me, Mr. Georges,” she said.

“Shut up, Rian,” said Georges. She backed up as if she’d been slapped.

“I have a warrant,” said Wraith, showing it to Rian. Two more agents came in, along with a videographer and camera in hand. “Follow the money,” said Wraith, as they entered, boxes in hand.

“Will do,” said Agent Callis.

Oviedo deigned to come out of his corner office, infuriated. He was wearing a three-thousand-dollar suit, and even more expensive shoes.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Your counselor decided to work with his client to commit murder,” said Wraith, showing him the warrant.

“That’s ridiculous!” said Oviedo.

“The two of us were on his kill list,” said Wraith, pointing to herself and Saber. “He got paid and everything.” She opened a filing cabinet.

“Privilege,” said Oviedo.

“One client,” said Wraith. “It’s on the warrant.” She found the file, showing it to the camera. “Wow,” said Wraith, opening the file. “This is in code. Looks like I’ll have to get Mayyan to crack the code.”

“What?” asked Oviedo. He walked closer. She held up the legal pad. “What the hell?”

“Don’t know,” said Wraith. “But, I’m sure it’s interesting.”

Ivy, Skuld, and Rota watched the ATF agents walk out with the lawyer, eyes narrowed. A phalanx of Iron Knights and Valkyries surrounded the car, backs against it. The lawyer looked around, nearly stumbling. The fierce women glared at him, and all the bikers with their backs to him. He swallowed. He began to realize it was all over —his Mexican wife with her Jimmy Choo shoes, Rian and her love of diamonds. The sex, the cocaine, and, if he did manage to get out, the bikers would still be there. He looked up, seeing his former office. Then, an agent had a hand on his head, and he was in the car. The bikers got on their bikes, and escorted the ATF car to their offices. Ivy grinned, following the car.

After the bikers lined up to watch Georges go into the ATF office, they took off. They went to a Mexican restaurant, and took over half of it. They ate platters of burritos and tacos, rice and beans, and pitchers of beer and sodas, and talked about rides —the Redwood Forest, Pacific Coast Highway, Tijuana, and Death Valley. Ivy filled them in on the New Orleans trip —the ride; San Antonio, the French Quarter, the heat, the beautiful buildings, the food, the river.

They knew about the kidnapping, so she went into that, then the trip back, adopting way too many dogs, and Ace and Lily’s dog-training business, along with his son.

“We’ve told Keiran about his dad. They’ve Skyped. He’ll see him soon.”

“Whatever you need,” said Skuld.

“Ditto,” said Rota.

“Sisters,” Ivy said, and raised her Coke to them. They raised theirs back.

Afterward, they rode through the California high desert back to Vegas. They went up to Pahrump, where Callie waited at a truck stop. Ivy pulled up, leaned over, and kissed her.

“What happened to Elena?” asked Ivy.

“With Henry at the ranch. The rabbits were a huge draw.”

“Poor guy,” said Ivy. “Had a day off, then bam! Another kid.”

“Just like us,” said Callie. “Come on. Let’s go to Lake Mead and pitch a tent.”

“We’ll go to Lake Havasu,” said Skuld. They clasped forearms, then Callie took Ivy to the lake. They went to the overlook, and held hands.

“I confess,” said Ivy. “I drank a Coke.”

Callie mock-glared at her. “Wild woman,” she said.

“Wild woman I am,” said Ivy.

“How did it feel?” asked Callie. “Seeing that lawyer arrested?”

“Fantastic,” said Ivy, putting her arms around Callie, her chin on her shoulder.

They looked out over the cliff to the sparkling water below. “So, what are we going to name these babies?” asked Callie.

“Kiya and Mateo,” said Ivy.

“Kiya and Aiden,” said Callie.

“Aiden Sawyer and Kiya Aaliya,” said Ivy.

“Perfect,” said Callie. They kissed, and watched the sun go down.

* * *

Callie and Ivy left the girls with Bao, and went down on the bikes to pick up Keiran and Pavel from their school in Arizona. The boys were in front, ready with their backpacks.

“Who’s taking care of the dogs?” asked Ivy, as she helped them put their packs in the saddlebags.

“We have investors,” said Pavel. “They will stay.”

“Good,” said Callie. “Hop on.” Pavel got behind Callie, and Keiran behind Ivy.

They took it at a steady pace, stopping for fries, Cokes, and burgers along the way. They went straight to the hospital. The boys claimed Numa’s room, with the addition of another bed. She took the nanny cam with her, relying on the boys to check on them often.

Lily was able to walk around and shower and feed herself. Ace was much better, the bones of his ribs and scapula healing nicely. His arm was still immobilized, but he was far stronger and able to move around some. The boys brought video games, and Lily let Numa take her to her own home. Callie gave her the dogs back, and Numa went home to the farm.

* * *

Lily stood in the doorway of the baby’s room. She looked at the crib and touched the blankets hanging over the side. She sat in the rocking chair and wept.

Katya came by, letting herself in. She found Lily in the baby’s room, still crying. “Hush,” she said, hugging her. “You will have another baby. Ace must recover first, no?”

“The doctors don’t want me getting pregnant for a long time,” she said, wiping her eyes.

“So, I am surrogate. We wait until broken bones heal, no? Ace must be able to carry baby.”

Lily smiled. “I heard you had two babies, right there where I was passed out on the drugs after surgery. And I didn’t hear a thing!”

Katya waved her hand. “My boobs, they are big, but my body much smaller,” she said. “We Russian peasant women have two babies, no problem.”

“Good,” said Lily. “Are you sure? What about dealing with your babies?”

“I am already nursing, and eat much food. Do not worry. You must rest, heal. Then, you must take shots to harvest eggs. Come. You must sleep in your own bed with dog. You will feel better in morning.”

Waking up in her own bed, with a dog curled up on her toes. Alone at last, without doctors and nurses, and well-meaning friends stopping by. Lily felt much better. She was alone, and she intended to stay that way. The next morning, she ate a breakfast pastry and drank orange juice. She cleaned, dusted, did laundry, pitched a pile of junk mail, and straightened up the house. She walked one dog at a time, slowly, not allowing them to pull on the lead. She ordered delivery food from two different places, because she didn’t want to choose. She ate both potato pesto gnocchi, and orange chicken for lunch, and had a pain pill. She took a nap, then read a book. All in blessed, blessed silence.

She took on the club’s books remotely, going over what Cougar had done. She paid the taxes and bills, and paid her own bills; stunned at the influx of money in her account, specifically the medical bills not covered by insurance. She then paid Ace’s hospital bills, with the large amount of money in his account. She called a house cleaner, and within an hour, two women were scrubbing the house to within an inch of its life. She took the dogs on their slow walks again, then laid down to rest on the couch, book in hand. Still, everything was quiet. She slept on the couch, dogs at her feet. Life wasn’t good, but it was getting better.

She decided it was time to bite the bullet. First, she called the fertility clinic and made an appointment. She went in for a consultation. The doctor was very kind.

“I am Doctor Ingan. I am so sorry this happened to you. The earliest we would want to harvest eggs would be in two months. We want to be sure you’re completely healed, and it will give more time for your husband to heal.”

“Okay,” said Lily.

“You have a surrogate?” asked Doctor Ingan.

“Yes, our friend. She just had twins, apparently in the room where I was sleeping off my surgery. I didn’t hear a thing. The midwife apparently arrived just in time to play catch. She calls herself a ‘strong, Russian, peasant woman.’”

“An excellent candidate, and enough time for her to heal from the births, too,” said the doctor.

“We’ve got other friends, too, that work as motorcycle mechanics,” said Lily. “Apparently, their wombs are already being rented.”

“I think I know who they are,” said the doctor. “See me in four weeks and we’ll start you on the injections.”

“Excellent,” said Lily. “This isn’t how I wanted to go about it, but I’ll take what I can get.”

She decided to bite the other bullet. She texted Katya, then went to see the babies. She had a few tears holding Luka, and a few more with Ivan. Both babies stared into her eyes with blue-eyed certainty. Ivan moved more, and Luka was stronger and more serious.

“My God,” said Lily. “Their personalities are already there.”

“But of course,” said Katya, burping Ivan. He let out a long, low burp. She put him back on the breast, and he ate hungrily once more. “Ivan will be soccer champion. Luka will be scientist, make cure for cancer.”

Lily laughed. “Sure,” she said. “Or maybe the other way around. There are weightlifting scientists out there, you know.”

Katya laughed. “Yes, of course.”

“The doctor says we can work on harvesting the eggs in four weeks.”

“This is good,” said Katya. “Now, rest, heal. I pop out healthy babies.”

Luka yawned, nestled against Lily’s breast, and fell asleep. “I already love them so much,” said Lily.

“You be godparents, with Ace,” said Katya. “Christening supposed to happen earlier, but babies get sick.”

Lily teared up even more. “I would be so honored.”

“Pah,” said Katya. “I Russian peasant woman, I live until my children have children, and theirs have children as well.”

“Life is precious,” said Lily.

“Yes,” said Katya, burping Luka again. “But there will be no more shootings. I not have babies in hospital where my friends have been shot. I have babies at home, with midwife. Less problems.”

“Okay,” said Lily. “Okay.”

Lily went home. Nantan was there when she drove up. “I bring gifts,” he said.

“Good,” said Lily. “I didn’t want to shop.”

He put away the produce and fruit, already sliced and diced in little containers; hand-baked oat fruit bars, and three kinds of cookies.

“Thank you,” she said. “In fact, let me pay you to come back once a week. I hate zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower.”

“Good to know,” said Nantan.

“I can be your accountant,” said Lily. “I know you do it for Bianca and Aquene, but I think you need to automate what you do and move online. And, I think you lost your accountants.”

Nantan rolled up the sacks. “I did,” said Nantan. “Excellent idea,” he said. “Let’s talk money.”

“Let’s talk groceries,” said Lily, opening her laptop on the kitchen table.

They hammered out a logo, the prices for everything including the animal feed and alpaca manure after a consultation with the sisters, and an hourly for Lily’s work that included groceries. Nantan agreed to stop off and get seafood and meat for her specifically, and to add a ten percent delivery fee and to subtract it from her fees. He gave her access to his spreadsheets, hugged her, and left.

Lily took her laptop over to the recliner with a cola. She sat down, swung over the little computer table and put the computer on it. Next, she put the soda in the hole for sodas in the arm of the chair, plugged in the computer, and got to work.

She hired an online logo company to make the logo for correspondence, billing, and labels. She downloaded all the forms she would need —correspondence, billing, labels, and Nantan’s spreadsheet. She cleaned it up and imported it into the billing program, and input the pricing sheet. Nantan swung back to drop off the meat, already marinated, and put it away. He loved the work she’d done, and went home.

She took a break, and ate green salad and fruit salad. Then, she read a book, and went to sleep in her recliner. It was so nice not to be in a bed.

She borrowed Callie’s car to pick up Ace and the boys. Ace was put on the other recliner, and the boys got into vicious video game wars with Ace. He often dropped out to sleep, as he was still weak, but he had fun with the boys. Lily put earplugs in and went about her accounting work. She talked to Cougar and Ivy, and they split up chores. Cougar or Ivy would enter the income information, scan in the bills of lading from the orders, and make the money drops, and Lily would do everything else.

Lily wondered, at first, why she didn’t want to work at the bar anymore, and she realized she now valued silence. She also wanted to work at home.

The logo came back and Nantan loved it. Lily set up a website, and a way for Nantan to merge his data on what was available for sale on his own spreadsheets. She put it online. Since he had lots of kids to chop veggies and fruit for, she decided veggies and fruit should be sold in containers that the customers would wash and send back. The customers would buy two sets of containers, so one would be in use and Nantan would have the other set. Lily ordered fifteen sets of forty containers, and worried that would be too much. She also ordered knives, an electric chopper and shredder, and tote bags with the logo on them. She ordered labels for the containers as well. The teens would have to wash the containers and apply the labels to the lids. She had it all shipped to Nantan.

The next day, she was stunned to find the orders pouring in. She called the farm, and Nantan said the containers had already arrived and were being washed. Lily pushed on the label printer to have them delivered that day, by paying a little more. The kids chopped up the ordered fruits and vegetables, filled up the containers, and put blank labels on the sides they wrote on with special pens with what was inside. They filled up the bags. They delivered on-res by horse, and filled up Nantan’s truck for the off-res deliveries. Nantan realized he needed a delivery van. He was delighted to find he could order one online. He then set about getting all the teens without a driver’s license to get a temporary one, and get them to pass the test. He then required all of them to take business and accounting courses so they could understand the business —or any business they chose for themselves.

The teens got into the delivery service. The horse training ones loved deliveries; they got special cooling saddlebags to carry the food to people on the res. They became called the “Farm Pony Express.” Wolfpack members Yoki, Lena, and Elu decided to bake five-grain bread and make veggie sandwiches to add to the online menu, and they sold very well.

The Wolfpack teens also worked with Tito; Callie hired them for her yellow living room. She got in a moon suit, and they went for it in the kitchen. Then, they went for a soft blue in the living room, and tore out and replaced the old bathroom sink with a double basin so all the bathrooms had two sinks. Hu and a repentant Grace helped make decisions about the last of the home improvements.

Callie and Ivy gave them a limited say in the babies’ room. They didn’t understand that babies needed bassinets and cribs, not their own pods. They decided upon a soft yellow, and pictures of cute animals on the wall. The babushkas came up with gorgeous furniture. The girls got to rub stain into it; it was unfinished. They loved the task. Callie decided on a cherry stain that really brought out the color of the wood.

* * *

Ace finally came home from the hospital. It seemed strange at first, for Lily to spend her days at home with Ace. She took them all to the lake for a break, then took them back in Callie’s car. She came back, and found Ace working on doing anything he could, one-handed. He got into house chores, cleaning and disposing of things, walking and grooming the dogs and training them, and learning from Killa how to do the harnesses for the dogs. He found out he could do a lot of the work one-handed. He also learned more Spanish and some Paiute. She learned with him, and they began to take on overflow of the harnesses during busy periods. Lily found two more clients, after setting up her own website with a logo of a stylized spreadsheet.

Lily started her shots, tiny needles she could shoot into her stomach or thighs. Then there were three large shots, and then she went in to have her eggs harvested. They got ten; Ace made terrible jokes about being unable to hold a magazine in one hand while filling up the cup with the other. They got seven viable embryos; Ace was insufferable, making jokes about his powerful swimmers. They implanted two embryos in Katya, and froze the rest for later.

A week later, Katya peed on a stick and then visited the clinic, and Ace and Lily were officially knocked up. Ace and Lily went on a ride with the Nighthawks to Lake Havasu to celebrate. Inola, Bella, and the thundering herd of teenagers had the babies, Ivan and Luka. They doted on them even more than the rabbits, who were shedding fur like mad, and collected the fur that Numa left to be washed and carded later, as she was on the trip, too. They invited Skuld, Rota, and the other Valkyries, as well as any Iron Knights who wanted to go.

Ace seethed that he had to be in Henry’s sidecar, but once the juddering of the ride made him sore, he calmed down and realized it was better for him. They hung out at the falls, and those that wanted to, went paddle boarding on the gorgeous blue water. Lily went, and spent a lot of time sitting or kneeling rather than standing, but she made it, feeling at peace in the canyons. Katya and Gregory spent a lot of time kissing, and resting in the sun. It was a gorgeous day, and an even more gorgeous night. They took over the entire wraparound patio at a local restaurant, and ate seafood, watching the sun go down. Some left, but those that wanted to, pitched tents, lit a fire, made s’mores, sang songs, and talked until the pale light of dawn.

Killa and Ghost met with Amalie and Jayla, a lesbian couple that wanted to rent Killa’s womb, in a coffee shop in the middle of Vegas. Amalie was a professor at UNLV. She was tall, with snapping black eyes and a halo of curly brown hair. She wore a teal shirt and black, silk pants. Jayla worked at a clothing boutique. She was wiry and obviously worked out; with close-cropped, thin, blonde hair and wide-set of soft brown eyes.

“We’re mixed,” said Amalie. “We’re kind of the United Nations —I’m Caribbean and Sioux, believe it or not, and Jayla’s mother is from Ghana and her father from Hawaii. We have great eggs, but I have fibroids and Jayla was born without a uterus. We have a great sperm donor, a family friend. We have embryos, and we’d like a surrogate that wants to have more than one of our kids, so both our eggs get used.”

“I can do that,” said Killa. “Ghost be knocked up with twins. I was holdin’ off to be sure Ghost was okay.”

“So, you’re Harley mechanics?” asked Jayla.

“Yeah,” said Ghost. “We be wearin’ masks, and now we got gloves. We specializin’ in puttin’ together kits, mostly three-wheelers. An’ we got our GEDs. Bonnie, she run our garage, an’ Henry, he run da school, dey say we gotta get licensed, then get some business degree. So, we takin’ half days at the community college. Bonnie say she not gonna live forever, so we gotta be ready to run da shop on our own.”

“Good,” said Amalie. “We both can coach you with the business classes, if you want.”

“Dat be good,” said Killa. “When you wanna start? Da clinic say, I be ready next week.”

Jayla grabbed Amalie’s hand. “We can’t afford as much as other people hiring surrogates. Why are you willing to take less money?”

“We already gotta job. And, we gotta condo. We good,” said Ghost.

“We wanna help other lesbian couples,” said Killa. “We din’ know so many lesbians need surrogates.”

“Plus,” said Ghost, “dunno why, but sistas aren’t helped as much. We got money, too.”

Amalie nodded. “White couples get more attention, I guess. Anyway, let’s get this done. Can we see where you work?”

“Sure,” said Ghost. “We ken go right now.” She showed them the address, and Amalie put it in their cell phone.

Bonnie was going over the little shop’s paperwork while sipping a cherry-lime drink. She was surprised to see a little, black, Honda four-door following Ghost and Killa on their Harleys; both had switched to three-wheelers they built themselves when they decided to get pregnant.

She came out of the bay. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey,” said Killa, coming to a stop. She stood, took off her helmet and put it in the seat. “We brought Amalie and Jayla. I gonna have a baby for them.”

Bonnie nodded, grasping the situation. “They wanted to see where you work.”

“Yeah,” said Killa.

“Good,” said Bonnie. “Smart women.”

Ghost stood, took off her helmet, and put it away in the seat as well. Amalie and Jayla came out of their car.

“This is a motorcycle club,” said Bonnie. “My name is Bonnie. This is my shop. We work on kits and help people build or work on their own bikes. We keep a clean shop, and I’m a licensed technician. The ladies here are getting licensed, too.” She shook hands with each woman. “Come in,” she said. “Take a look.”

“I’m Jayla, and this is Amalie,” said Jayla. “Thank you.”

They went in, and saw a very clean shop. Two bikes were out of their boxes, parts carefully set out. Both had been started, their chassis on their mounts. Another Harley was being worked on in the back by a young man; huge with muscle, shirt off, wearing jeans. He had a halo of wiry black hair, and was carefully installing a part.

“That’s Bear,” said Bonnie. He grunted hello. “He’s got a new part he wants to install himself.”

“Hello,” said Jayla. “This looks really clean and well-lighted. And, I can smell oil and solder.”

“Ghost here can solder the best line ever.” She pointed to the masks and gloves. “I’ve started to mask and glove up myself. It’s a pain, but I want to show I am with them.”

Jayla turned to Amalie, a question in her eyes. Amalie nodded. “Killa,” she said, “Can you go in next week?”

Killa nodded. “Let’s do two, like Ghost. One from each of ya.”

Amalie said, “A little risky, but I get what you’re saying. We don’t know if both will implant.”

“Do we want twins?” asked Jayla.

Amalie stared into Jayla’s eyes. “If it happens, that’s great, but I would rather have one at a time.”

“Agreed,” said Jayla. She turned to Killa. “One,” she said.

“’Kay,” said Killa.

“It was nice to meet you,” said Jayla, and shook hands with everyone except Bear.

“Ditto,” said Amalie. She turned to Killa. “Thank you for helping us.”

“Ain’t nothin,’” said Killa.

“It is most definitely something,” said Amalie. “You are amazing.” She hugged Killa, then reached out for Jayla. Amalie took Jayla’s hand, and led her wife to the car.

“Cute couple,” said Bonnie. “Now, get out of here. Don’t you have something else to do?”

Ghost laughed. “Word,” she said. They got on their bikes, and went home to paint the living room.

* * *

Henry took a walk, coffee cup in hand, to see the newest rescue, a cream pony. They had sold a mare to a woman with a little girl; the mare had the makings of a good jumper. She was fearless, with a good heart. The girl was studying dressage.

The pony, he thought, makes a good addition, and good work for our horse whisperers. Nantan was feeding her an apple, and stroking her neck.

Inola came out of the barn, and slowly crossed over to Henry. “Two separate vets and a lab say that Alo’s feed is excellent, especially for helping rescue horses. I suggest we get a logo and sell it, after we have enough for ourselves. And, weirdly, it may be good to keep some of our Wolfpack. Nantan needs help. I know this is a stupid time of year to do this, but we need more housing, permanent housing for those who choose to stay.”

“Well, damn,” said Henry. “I’m too busy to deal with this crap.”

“Can David do it?” David Chasing Hawk had moved into the “big house,” as they called it, and was a Paiute tribal elder and medicine man.

“Nope,” said Henry. “He’s got his hands full trying to develop new ‘cottage industries,’ as he calls them, like ours, on the res. With cell phones and the internet, and drop shipping. If you can make it, you can sell it online and ship it anywhere in the world. The idea is to train people, or help them find out what they like to do. We’ve got amazing beaders, but that doesn’t have high profits.”

“Why not make beadwork dresses and other things for dances? Talk to the Northern Paiutes too. The patterns are different with the Nations, so maybe other nations can be covered, too.”

“We’ll need lots of information,” said Henry, putting his coffee cup on a fencepost and pulling out his phone. “I’ll text a few people.”

Inola sighed. She went back to the office and pulled up the plans for the barn. She wanted a little apartment system, probably over a kitchen-like area for cutting up the veggies and fruits and putting them in the boxes. Adding another table with the cloth-bagged and ready-to-go area. There would also need to be a separate area for creating and storing the feed, and shipping it out to local farms. A third area could be used for storage, or whatever else they would be expanding to in the future. She sketched out the system, and put three small apartments over them. She decided to put one apartment on the bottom floor as well. She sketched it out.

Inola sighed. She didn’t think there was another hundred-year-old barn available to move, but it was easier to start with a building than build a new one. It was far too hot in the desert to use shipping containers, a great way to build buildings. She called Tito, and he agreed to come down and meet her, and to call around about another old barn they could move to the property. Inola sent a text to David and Henry about the barn. David texted her back that he knew of one, about two hours away. The price was good.

David, Inola, and Henry met Tito to look it over. It was in great shape, and they hired a barn specialist to move it. The old man who owned it was delighted with the money transferred into his account.

Tito followed them back, and Inola found a flat spot that would be perfect, next to the current barn. Tito called his cousins, and a grader was there within two hours, followed by a metal grid and a cement mixer for a pour.

Nantan helped both grade and pour, excited by the new barn/dorm. He called over the Wolfpack, and they went out to get wire baskets for the base, and some doors for the tabletops. The Wolfpack then learned how to build tables that could be used for the new barn; sanding and staining the wood before screwing the wire drawer shells to the tops. Some stayed to do chores, but most of the Wolfpack were there when the barn was moved. Tito had them jumping, framing the inside, while still avoiding harming the old heartwood.

Inola was exhausted; the baby was sucking all her energy. Bella rubbed her back every morning and night. “I’m ready to cut back,” said Bella. “Cougar is taking over one of my shifts.”

“Good,” said Inola. “Things are hopping here. We could use extra hands.”

Bella laughed. “Really? We’ve got teens coming out our ears!”

“Exactly!” said Inola. “Gotta keep them moving, from chores to finishing off their online classes, to helping Tito with the barn. They’re like sharks, always swimming or the system breaks down. Oddly, that means more work for us. We’ve got to make sure they are keeping up with our demand. I think half of them may stay, because we’re expanding what we do. Sister is going to need a kitchen helper. She’s got Sofia from the res to help. That girl was on the list anyway to come here to graduate, so she’s staying down the hall and will be working with the other teens on her coursework. She just moved in. Tiny thing, all wild black hair and big black eyes.”

“Hmm,” said Bella. “I was hoping to spend more time with you.”

“You will,” said Inola. “Just don’t expect to sleep in.”

Bella groaned. She worked swing. “Can I do afternoon jobs?”

“We’ll find something for you to do. But, we generally quit doing stuff after five.”

“Then, I’ll work on the inside of the new barn,” said Bella. “I’m getting pretty handy with a tool belt.”

“Sounds good,” said Inola. She kissed Bella’s neck.

Bella noticed some interesting things on her new day off. First of all, the new girl, Sofia, was great at making biscuits, and was a self-starter. She had the other teens bring her veggies to chop for the orders coming in. She also always had her tablet ready, watching videos and taking notes while things were baking. She also cleaned as she went.

Secondly, Sister didn’t seem to have anything wrong with her vocal cords, although she never spoke. She cried out when splattered with oil; Sofia had her arm cleaned in seconds by grabbing a wet wipe. Bella wondered if she could get the answers as to where she came from; she had shown up one day and refused to talk about her past. She understood both Ute, the language spoken by the Paiutes, and Sofia’s Spanish. Bella suspected something scary had happened to her, and that she was on the run from… something. But what?

She did something she knew may be a bad idea. What if Sister was on the run from the law? But, she took Sister’s fingerprints off a glass and gave them to an Iron Knight named Castoff, a cop. She said it was from someone passing through, that she suspected was a thief. The results were… odd. A woman named Violeta Guttierez had left a nursing home. She had been put there by her son. The nursing home was in southern Arizona. Bella looked it up; the nursing home was on the edge of a res, and had almost no information online. She looked up the son, who was living in a house owned by his mother. She then called Lily, who called her friend Daisy Chain for help.

Lily came over, and said, “Come with me.” They met a very angry Wraith at the clubhouse. “This is way out of my jurisdiction, but I made some calls, and we’ll be met there.”

“What’s going on?” asked Bella.

“We’re taking a trip,” said Wraith. “It turns out darling son, name of Ben, short for Benito, stole his mother’s house and has been cashing her Social Security checks. The house is just off the res near Cedar City. He’s a low-level meth dealer. Yeah, I’m going to smash him like a bug, and use his intel to go farther up the chain. But, I’m also going to get that asswipe nailed for stealing his mother’s checks. My guess is that the nursing home needs to be investigated, too. I know Henry’s had her checked out by a doctor; Sister doesn’t seem to have any medical problems. That’s way, way out of my jurisdiction, but I want this taken care of.”

“Damn straight,” said Bella. “She shouldn’t have to hide. Something nasty happened to her, or she would talk.”

“Let’s do this,” said Lily.

They took off toward Cedar City, Utah. They made good time, stopping off for drinks in St. George. They were met by a deputy, who followed them to the house; a gray building with a nice porch.

Benito was lounging on the porch, playing the same guitar chord, over and over. “Meth head,” said Bella to Lily, on the street at the far edge of the property.

He was a big man, with long, greasy hair and roving, bloodshot brown eyes. His nose had been broken repeatedly, and he had scars on his arms and one across the left side of his face, standing out whitely against his brown skin.

Wraith and the deputy identified themselves, the deputy as Cedar City Police and Wraith as a federal agent. Benito rushed Wraith, attempting to hit her with his guitar. She danced out of the way, and he succeeded in smashing it against the porch railing.

She laughed. “Good job, Ben,” she said, sweeping his legs out from under him. He fell against the wall.

She flipped him over, and the deputy handed her his cuffs. She put them on.

“You are under arrest for fraud, elder abuse, and assault on a federal officer.” He began cursing, mixing English, Ute, and Spanish in a steady stream of vitriol.

Wraith kicked open the door, and immediately called for an ambulance. There was an emaciated woman on the couch, rocking back and forth, singing nonsense. The smell was atrocious. The table was covered with handmade butterfly lollipops in garish colors.

“They’re making meth candy,” said Wraith. She had the deputy call it in, and texted her boss.

Bella and Lily rode to a local barbecue joint and wolfed down pulled pork sandwiches and fries, and drank sodas as Wraith dealt with the mess.

“Sister’s going to lose that house,” said Bella. “If they’ve been cooking meth, the chemicals are dangerous. The house will have to be leveled.”

“Well,” said Lily, “she can sell the land. And, she’ll get her social security check, now.”

“We need to see the nursing home,” said Bella.

“We need an Iron Knight and a hidden camera.”

“On it,” said Bella, finding a spy shop a few blocks away.

They bought a purse with a hidden camera, and met an undercover cop named Steel at a chicken restaurant a few blocks from the nursing home. He had short gray hair and big eyes, and was dressed in battered jeans, a blue shirt, and cowboy boots.

“Bella, Lily,” he said. “Wraith filled me in.”

“Here’s the hidden camera we want to use,” said Bella, showing him the purse, still in its box.

He laughed. “Don’t need it. I’ve got a nursing home inspector that’s meeting us there. Hope you kept the receipt.”

“We did, but we’re keeping it,” said Bella. “We tend to get ourselves in nasty situations.”

“Alrighty then,” said Steel. “Let’s go.”

The inspector was a steely-eyed Hispanic woman, and two deputies accompanied her. The found people in atrocious conditions —tied to beds, left with full diapers and bedsores; a dirty kitchen and atrocious food, and loads of bugs. Bella and Lily were both crying, helping with the patients as they were all checked out by paramedics and loaded into ambulances.

Finally, Bella and Lily were ushered out by a grim-faced Steel. “Go home,” he said.

Wraith approached them. “I’ll take them home. My paperwork is done for now, but I have the feeling yours is just beginning.”

“That’s the most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen,” said Steel. “I’ve seen more pleasant car accidents.”

“Thanks for the assist,” said Wraith.

“It is my most genuine pleasure to assist the Valkyries and Nighthawks,” he said. “This is a nightmare I’m glad has ended.”

Wraith clasped wrists with him. She guided the exhausted Bella and Lily down the street to their bikes. She had them follow her to a convenience store, where she forced them to down a bottle of water.

“That was horrible,” said Lily. “Those poor people.”

“I thought Sister would be mad at me for checking her out,” said Bella. “I thought that I broke her trust. Then, I was happy about nailing her kid and getting her checks back, but upset about the house. Now,” she said, tears running down her face, “now I think about what would have happened if I hadn’t checked it out.”

Lily held Bella, and they both wept. Wraith went back in the store and bought wet wipes, which she gave to each of them when they broke the embrace.

Lily wiped her face. “Let’s go home,” she said. “Let’s tell Sister her nightmare is over, and that the other residents where she was, are free.”

“Henry and David are gonna be furious,” said Bella.

“I think they should help tell her,” said Lily.

“I’ll take all the help I can get,” said Bella.

They went back to the house. Sister and Sofia were making soup and brown bread. Bella tracked down Henry and David in the backyard. She took out a pitcher of tea and some glasses, then sat in the Adirondack chairs and spilled out her story. By the time she was done, both men had wet eyes.

“Good God,” said David. “At first, I was furious with you for investigating, and that you broke the trust of that wonderful woman. Now, I am so glad you did.”

“We need to help those people,” said Henry. “That close to the res, some of them were Paiute. We’ll get people out to help. We’ve got our own social workers. We have to use Utah people for this, but I know a few.” He pulled out his phone and sent a text.

Bella hung her head, and, despite her belief she’d cried all the tears she had, she still managed to burst into sobs. Henry put down his phone, dragged her chair closer, and held her.

Inola came around the house. “What did you do to my woman?” she asked.

David rose. “I’ll talk to Sister,” he said, and went inside. Henry spilled out the story, and stood, giving Inola his chair. Inola held Bella, rocking her back and forth as she cried.

Inside, Sister/Violeta was crying her own great, gusting sobs, sitting at the kitchen table. David held her, and Sofia stood by, helpless.

“Watch the meal,” said Henry to Sofia. “We’ll take care of Sister.”

“Vi,” said Sister, her voice rusty. “My name is Vi. If I had said something…”

“Lucky for us,” said Henry, “Bella is a curious sort.”

David patted her back. “You were badly traumatized. Trauma silenced you,” he said. “Never, ever be silent again.”

“That nasty son of yours won’t be able to hurt you again,” said Henry. “He’s going to prison.”

“He was raised by his father,” said Sister. “He beat him. I didn’t get custody back until he was fourteen. By then, he was already addicted to alcohol and drugs. It was too late. That boy never had a chance. Then, he got mean as a snake. He put something in my drink. I woke up in that horrible place. They drugged me. I poked a hole in my IV. I found some of my old clothes, and made it to a street. I hitchhiked. I was gonna go to the res, but I heard about the farm, the place where people went. A truck driver gave me some money, and I got an Uber. Got dropped off at the road. Found you.”

“Thank God you did,” said Henry. “You’ve helped two old men deal with a ton of kids and farm work and so much else.”

Vi laughed. “You took me in when no one else would, just accepted me the way that I was. I can’t do enough for you. And what you do for the kids, for the res…”

“You’re a survivor,” said Henry. “We’ll get you a res counselor to help you deal with what happened to you.”

“Thank you,” said Vi, drying her eyes on her apron. “Now, Sofia, let’s take out the bread.”

Sofia hugged Vi. Sofia said, “I’ve never been so glad to talk to somebody in my life,” she said. “Abuelita, of course I’ll take it out of the oven.” And she did.

Henry went over to the hydroponics building and told Nantan the whole story. He was horrified. “What makes anyone think they can act that way?”

“No idea,” said Henry. “Not a single clue.”

“Me either,” said Nantan.

* * *

Lily told the entire story to Ace when she got home. They ate salad and sandwiches that Nantan’s Wolfpack had delivered, and drank strawberry lemonade.

“We’ve been shot, and I lost my brother and our baby. But, I forgot how lucky we really are, how close we are with our friends, how we’re safe and loved.”

Ace kissed her forehead. “I am so sorry that helping take down La Diabla led to losing your brother and our baby.”

“You had to do it,” said Lily. “She didn’t seem to care who she killed. Hell, she killed a kid, some cheerleader in Texas. She needed to be taken out, and you did it without anyone else getting hurt.”

“I would like to say the prison is at fault,” said Ace, “but, the code was really good. I hear Wraith sent a memo to all law enforcement agencies and prisons about code. She’s getting the codebreaker she worked with to write a book for law enforcement.”

“Good,” said Lily. They talked about inconsequential things. Ace insisted on cleaning up. He was now wearing a sling.

Lily took Ace to bed. She slipped into boy shorts and a camisole. They held each other. She stroked his chest, kissed him. She stroked him from his chest to his stomach, covering him with butterfly kisses.

“Honey,” he said. “I am still weak as a kitten. I fall asleep during the day. Me! Taking naps! We both fall asleep at nine at night these days, and I’m a late-night guy that slings drinks. I don’t want to just lay here and attempt to touch you. You’ll end up doing all the work, and the meds I’m on won’t get me… interested.”

“Shut up,” she said, and kissed him. “Don’t you know, you idiot, that all women want, is to be kissed and held?”

“I can do that,” said Ace. “In a one-armed sort of way.”

She laughed. “Just relax,” she said.

“Baby, I have no other choice,” he said.

She kissed his forehead, his eyes, and he kissed her the same way. She kissed his neck. He groaned. She stroked his arms, then ran her hands down his side, kissing him. She slid lower, holding his balls in her hand. She stroked him while lightly kissing his checks. She went lower, slower, and he grew hard in her hands. She kissed his thighs, and then the tip of his penis. He groaned, and stroked her hair. She licked the tip, making him moan. She flicked her tongue up and down the entire shaft. He fought to stroke her hair, not twist his fingers in her hair. She took a condom out of the drawer and rolled it on, and mounted him. He came after only a few thrusts. She got off and used a wet wipe to clean him up. Then, she laid her head on his shoulder, and he held her with his good arm as she cried.

“Normal is the setting on a dryer.”