The vehicle slowed, bounced around, and came to a brief stop. Victoria could hear men’s voices from the front where the driver must be, and then they started off again at a slower pace. Victoria held on to the edge of the bench, teeth gritted against the pain in her side. It wasn’t bad, but bouncing over rough ground didn’t help it. She was glad when the vehicle finally came to a stop.
Jack opened the canvas at the back of the vehicle and jumped down. The medic held his hand out to keep them back until Jack lowered some sort of half door. Renee went first, using the heavy metal rungs welded onto the door as steps to climb to the ground. Anna went next, and finally Victoria was able to lower herself.
A quick glance around showed there were three trucks parked in a semi-circle in front of a row of green tents. From the first vehicle came a line of soldiers. Gina Summer stepped down from the driver’s compartment and hesitated when she saw Victoria. The man behind her gave her a nudge, and she went in the direction of the largest of the tents. The driver’s compartment of the last truck opened and the lieutenant jumped down. He had cleaned the blood from his mouth, but his lip was red and swollen. Victoria smiled with pride.
The smiled faded as she watched him walk to the back of the truck. His stride was impatient, maybe irritated. He jerked the canvas up and froze, staring into the truck. “Hastings!” he shouted.
The medic ran for the other truck. He fell back a pace before hoisting himself into the truck. The lieutenant joined him. Victoria looked at Renee.
“That’s the truck they tossed Colby into,” Renee murmured.
Victoria walked over to the truck. Tall enough to be able to see into the truck, which was dim, she could see two bodies on the floor of the truck, both human, both bloody. She didn’t see Colby. An impossible hope flared.
The lieutenants crouched beside one of the bodies. “What the hell happened here?” he growled.
The wounded man spoke feebly. “The wolf, sir.”
“He was dead.”
“He came back to life, sir.” The man’s hand, bloody and trembling lifted like he was swearing to something in court. “Like a demon out of hell! He tried to kill us, and then he jumped out.”
A smile curved Victoria’s mouth. She must have made some noise, because the lieutenant’s head swung around. “Do your wolfmen do that?” he demanded. “Come back from the dead?”
“Of course not.” She tried to tame the smile, but it grew into a joyous laugh. “He must not have been dead.” She mentally added, But you will be soon.
Jaw clenched, the lieutenant stabbed a finger at one of the men who had approached. “Boland, take the ladies to meet the president.”
Victoria followed the man, still smiling. She couldn’t see how Colby had survived, but he clearly had. All she had to do was sit back and wait for him to bring help. She sobered a little. Where was Marty?
Victoria was surprised when the soldier led the way not to the largest tent in camp, but the one beside it. When the clan set up camp, the Alpha’s lodge and those of the leading families were at the center of camp, with others laid out in concentric rings around them. Here, three larger canvas tents were at the front of dozens of rows of small A-line tents all facing one direction in a block. It looked weird to Victoria. She glanced at Renee to see what she thought of the camp, but Renee was looking down at Anna McGrath. The girl was white faced, her lips visibly trembling. Poor kid.
Two uniformed sentries with rifles held across their chests were posted on either side of the closed door flap. They stood like statues, not even looking at them. The soldier escorting them paused outside. “Mr. President,” he called. “Lady visitors to see you. Permission to enter?”
There was a moment of silence, and then a voice spoke. “Permission granted.”
One of the sentries pulled the door flap open, still not even glancing at them. The escort ducked under the flap. Victoria followed, grimly eager to meet her enemy face to face.
The rectangular tent was divided into two squares, this front room with a table with a roll of paper on it surrounded by four chairs, and another room in back, probably a sleeping room. There were three people in the room, all dressed in the familiar uniform of Kansas-Missouri. Two of them sat at the table and third stood beside it as if he had just risen.
Victoria examined them, trying to decide which one was the president. The man standing was boyish and slim, with sandy brown hair cut short, bulbous blue eyes, and a weak chin. Probably a secretary of some sort. She dismissed him and looked past him to the men at the table. The one nearest to her had a stocky build with thick, broad shoulders and a face that wasn’t precisely handsome, but she could see how the craggy features would appeal to some. His hair was black generously sprinkled with silver. A hint of curl was controlled by a close cut. He was probably her dad’s age, in his mid to late fifties. The third man had a perfectly proportioned physique that made his uniform look elegant. The gray green fabric was tailored to fit his broad shoulders and narrow waist perfectly. His dark brown hair was thick and neatly trimmed, his face dominated by large liquid brown eyes. Victoria had to suppress a sneer. He was prettier than she was. And he was about her own age, so probably too young to be the president. It must be the rugged one across the table.
Boland, their escort, snapped a salute to the wimpy-looking guy standing by the table. “Mr. President, Lieutenant Mott asked me to conduct these ladies to you. They are from the train we stopped this morning.”
Victoria remembered to close her sagging jaw and examined the man again. His face might appear boyish, but a closer look revealed lines around his eyes and mouth, proving that his age was closer to forty than twenty.
“Where is Lieutenant Mott?” the scrawny man asked. His voice was deep, full, and rich, utterly belying his appearance.
Boland maintained a rigid posture of attention. “Sir, the lieutenant has been momentarily delayed, but he will be in directly to give his report.”
“Very good, Boland, you are dismissed.”
The soldier snapped another salute, turned briskly, and left the tent. The president stepped closer to them with a friendly smile. “Ladies, allow me to introduce myself. I am Gerald Todd, President of Kansas-Missouri.”
Victoria almost snickered. The all mighty president of Kansas-Missouri didn’t quite come up to her chin. There was a moment that stretched a little too long before Renee replied. “I’m Mrs. Wolfe, and this is my niece, Mrs. Madison.” She pulled Anna a little closer. “And this is my niece, Miss Wolfe.”
An almost childlike delight lit Todd’s eyes. “Wolfe?” he cried. “From the Indian tribe of werewolves?”
Victoria clenched her back teeth together to keep herself from correcting him and allowed Renee to do the talking. “That’s right,” Renee said in cold voice.
The door flap opened and Lieutenant Mott came in. He stood at attention and saluted. “Sir, I am ready to make my report on the taking of the Omaha train.”
“Splendid. These ladies tell me that they are part of the werewolf tribe.”
“Yes, sir.”
Todd turned his attention to Victoria. She had heard people talk about undressing someone with their eyes. She was fully dressed, but she would swear his protuberant eyes were seeing her without clothes. His gaze lingered on the curve of her breasts. Where was her coat? It must have been left back on the train, dammit. She drew herself up to her full height, and had to hide a wince when pain burned her side.
The president frowned, and when he saw at the bloodstains on her blouse, the frown turned into a dark scowl. “My dear lady, have you been hurt?”
“Yeah, when one of your men shot me.” Sarcasm was thick in her voice. She remembered an instant too late that she was supposed to be a weak, helpless woman. She put one hand over her heart and tried to flutter her eyelashes. “I was terrified. It was dreadful.”
Victoria didn’t know how, but that weak-chinned face went cold and hard. He didn’t look boyish or secretarial now. He snapped a glare at Lieutenant Mott. “What happened?”
“Mr. President, one of the men overreacted and fired his weapon. His target was not the lady, but she was grazed by the bullet. Private Hastings cleaned and bandaged the wound. There’s no indication that it is serious. The man who fired has been executed.”
“Excellent.” The president stepped even closer to take Victoria’s hand. As he bowed over it she noticed a bald patch in his sandy colored hair. “I’m sure the private did his work well, but I’ll send my personal physician to attend you. I deeply regret that you were injured.”
He brushed his lips over her knuckles and it was all she could do to not clench her hand into a fist and ram it into his weak chin. Instead she forced a smile. “Thank you. When will we be returned to our families?”
“Not immediately, I’m afraid.” The president stepped back and gestured to the pretty young man. “Josh, will you escort the ladies to the harem and then find Doctor Penrose?”
“Harem!”
Victoria’s squawk was either ignored or missed when the older man stood up. He was staring intently at Anna. “What is your name, young lady?”
The girl’s voice was a tiny thread when she said, “Anna.”
Renee cut in quickly. “This is my niece, Anna Wolfe.”
The older man’s smile was sardonic. “Really? I’m told the mayor of Omaha has a daughter named Anna, and you resemble him greatly.”
“This is my niece,” Renee insisted.
Todd waved a soothing hand. “We won’t worry about that now, Bill. The important thing right now is for Mrs. Madison to be looked over by Doctor Penrose. Ladies, if you will follow Major Ellis, you will be given quarters where you can rest. I will see you later for supper.”
Lieutenant Mott, the President, and the man he’d called Bill gathered around the table, speaking softly. Renee looked like she wanted to protest more, but closed her mouth and gave Anna an encouraging smile. Dismissed, they followed the pretty man out of the tent.
The harem was the largest tent. Victoria ground her teeth over that designation. The man had a harem? And took them along when he was ready to conquer a new city? If he expected to make her his newest wife, he was in a for a rude surprise. She was already married. And if he tried to move on her, she would twist that little shrimp into a pretzel.
There were two guards at the door flap of the harem tent. They wore uniforms instead of lionskin loincloths like the eunuchs that guarded the sultan’s harem in a book she had read. The interior of the harem tent was just as prosaic as the guards. No silken pillows over thick carpets or embroidered hangings separating the rooms. No divans with lounging sultanas. The ground was covered by a plain khaki tarp, and the hangings dividing the tent were of that same material. And the inmates weren’t wearing sheer flowing silks.
Victoria almost bumped into Renee when she stopped. The six women gathered around a table wore jeans and blouses, and the expressions on their faces ranged from mild interest to something that looked like hate. Hate? Before Victoria could follow up on that thought, Gina Summer leaped up from her chair and hurried toward them.
“I’m so sorry about Colby,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry about all of this.” She looked past them and her eyes went cool. “Major Ellis.”
Vitoria thought it was a curse word rather than a greeting.
“Miss Todd.”
The major was certainly handsome. Not as handsome as Marty, but his smile lit his already handsome features and turned him into a living work of art. His voice lowered to a seductive purr. Gina’s cool expression didn’t change but she put her hand behind her back, away from his reach. The young major continued to smile. It reminded Victoria of Lieutenant Mott and his persistent, slimy smile.
“Dear Miss Todd, I’m so pleased to see you safely returned to us.”
A woman at the table rose. She was a little prettier than Gina, but there was a definite family resemblance. She didn’t look old enough to be Gina’s mother.
“Major Ellis, won’t you please join us? We were just planning a dinner to celebrate my daughter’s return.”
“I would be delighted, Second Mrs. Todd, but the president requires my attendance at other meetings this afternoon.” He nodded briefly to Renee, Victoria, and Anna. “These ladies will be the President’s guests. The president and his staff will be joining you for supper.” He sketched a salute that was almost a bow. “Until then.”
Gina shot his back one poisonous look and turned back to Victoria. “I suppose I should introduce you around.”
Victoria exchanged a glance with Renee, and they walked to the table. Anna clung to Renee like a leech.
“This is my mom, Ellen Summer Todd.” Gina pointed to the woman who had invited Major Ellis to join them. The woman gave them a friendly smile and nod. “The woman on the far end is Suzanne Smith Todd, the president’s fifth wife.”
That woman had a beautiful face surrounded by a waterfall of golden hair and a voluptuous body. Her beauty was spoiled by the scowl on her face. She didn’t nod or smile, just glared at them.
“The woman next to her is Shelley Parkhouse Todd, the president’s fourth wife.”
That woman was just as beautiful but somehow more human. Her brown hair was a riot of curls, her smile warm.
Gina indicated a woman of petite stature, a pretty pixie face, and dark brown hair. “Mrs. Tamra Todd Mayo, the president’s recently widowed sister. And her companion, Janelle Cass.”
This lovely, slender woman was the president’s sister? She looked too nice to be the president’s sister. Victoria returned her friendly smile.
Suzanne sniffed. “Companion? She’s a servant.”
Janelle, blonde and middle-aged, didn’t react, but the president’s sister did. “Janelle is not a servant.” She spoke quietly but firmly, her voice shaded by a Southern accent. “I’ve known her since I was a baby. She’s my friend.”
Suzanne sneered. “You would think a woman in your position would choose her friends more carefully.”
Tamra laid her hands flat on the table and leaned forward to meet Suzanne’s sneer. “A woman in my position can choose the friends she wants. Be careful, Suzanne. My brother’s wives can come and go depending on his whim. You are his wife at the moment, but that can change in a second. I was born his sister. That won’t change. Think about that.”
An uncomfortable silence was broken by Gina’s mom. “Ladies, what kind of an impression are we giving our guests?”
“Guests?” Suzanne surged to her feet. She jabbed a finger in Victoria’s direction. “Look at her. With that figure, you know he’ll want her to be Sixth Mrs. Todd.”
Victoria stilled. “Over my dead body.”
Suzanne cast a venomous look at Shelley, jumped up and ran down the narrow corridor formed by canvas dividers, ducking under one. Muffled sobs sounded. Victoria looked at Renee. Her aunt looked surprised, confused, and slightly disgusted.
Gina’s mom sighed. “Please, pay no attention to Suzanne. She’s having a difficult time right now. You know who we all are. Come sit down and introduce yourselves.”
Renee pulled Anna over to the table. Gina came with them and sat beside her mother. Tamra and Janelle carried over two more folding chairs. Renee and Victoria sat and stared at the ladies. After a long silence, the president’s sister bounced in her chair. “Well? Who are you, and where did you come from?”
Renee answered. “I am Renee Wolfe. This is my niece, Anna Wolfe, and another niece, Victoria Wolfe Madison.”
Another pause. Mrs. Mayo did not give up easily. “And where did you come from? How did you come here?”
Victoria kept her mouth shut, not sure how much to say. Renee answered for them again. “We were on a train going home when the Presidents men stopped the train, boarded it, shot the men, and brought us here. I don’t know why we’re here. I don’t know what will happen to us. We are innocent noncombatants in this conflict and we want to go home.”
“Yeah,” agreed Victoria. “Why are we even here?”
Mrs. Mayo tapped her fingertips together. “I don’t know. My brother doesn’t discuss political things with me.”
Gina made a rude noise. “You’re here because my mother’s husband — who is not my father, by the way – is a control freak. I ran away from him. I thought I’d be safe in a place where he didn’t rule, but I was wrong. The reason he took over the train was because I was on it.” Her voice broke and she covered her face with her hands. “I’m the reason those men are dead. It’s my fault.”
A wave of anger tried to claw its way up Victoria’s throat when she remembered blood in Marty’s hair, but she pushed it back down. Renee shook her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s the fault of that lieutenant, and the men who pulled the triggers, and the president.”
Gina dropped her hands and her face twisted. “I hate him. He’s not my father. He’s the man who murdered my father so he could marry my mother. Now he wants me to marry one of his flunkies. That’s why I ran away. I won’t do it.” She turned to her mother. “I won’t.”
“Georgina, hush.” Her mother’s voice was stern. “You don’t know how good we have it now. I don’t have to worry about seeing you go hungry or wondering how I can protect you. Gerald takes good care of us. You have beautiful clothes, a wonderful home, and everyone knows who you are and respects you. There are a hundred girls who wish they were you. No,” she said when Gina opened her mouth with obvious protest. “He’ll see to it that you have a fine husband. Major Ellis is young and handsome, and has a position of power and wealth. You are a lucky girl.”
“I am an unlucky girl,” Gina countered. “Gerald Todd is a monster. And that major is even worse.”
The slap of her mother’s palm across Gina’s cheek was loud. Victoria was so shocked her arms dropped. “That is enough,” Second Mrs. Todd said coldly. “Go and make the guest room ready for our visitors. Janelle, would you please help her?”
With a murmur of agreement, the blonde got up and ushered Gina out. Second Mrs. Todd turned to Renee and Victoria. “I’m very sorry you had to hear my daughter’s hysterics. She’s at that age where everything is life-and-death. I promise you my husband is not a monster. He’s a powerful man, a decisive man who knows what he wants and gets what he wants. He’s also generous and loving and respectful of women. I have never regretted becoming his wife.”
“Uh-huh.” Victoria folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. The movement hurt. “I’m not about to become his wife. I already have a husband.”
Gina’s mom just smiled. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind in time.”
“Don’t hold your breath.” Victoria waved at the quiet wife, Fourth Mrs. Todd. “You don’t mind sharing a husband? I’ve heard of women with more than one husband but never a man with more than one wife.”
Shelley Todd shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. I have a wonderful, comfortable life, and I don’t have to bear the burden of all the housework and entertaining myself. I get to share the work with other women.” A faint note of pride colored her voice. “It’s a relief, especially now that I am expecting. I like the other wives, and I like spending time with them. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Victoria stared at her, but the table blocked the view of her stomach. How far along was she? Why would Todd bring his pregnant wife along on this trip? That made her wonder how many kids Todd had. And where was First Mrs. Todd?
A voice called from outside the tent, and the door flap opened showing a dapper man of middle years carrying a medical bag. “Ladies, forgive my intrusion. The president sent me to take a look at one of his guests who was shot.”
All the women looked shocked. Victoria raised her hand. “It’s nothing, just a little scratch.”
The man moved forward. “I am Dr. Penrose. Is there a private room?”
In only a minute, Victoria, Renee, and Anna were in a part of the tent that was sectioned off by canvas hangings. Janelle and Gina plumped pillows on the three cots and left. The doctor was very deft and gentle and confirmed that the wound was clean and there was no reason that it wouldn’t heal completely. He put a fresh dressing on it and left. A few minutes later, Gina’s mom poked her head in and told them they should rest for a few hours. She would call them when it was time for the dinner.
Victoria didn’t think she would be able to sleep, but she must have, because when Renee jiggled her shoulder she found that three hours had passed.
“They brought our luggage,” Renee reported, pointing to two bags.
“They robbed the train,” Victoria muttered.
The clothes she had packed only this morning were wrinkled but clean. She dressed and sat on her cot, staring numbly at her hands. It was this morning that she had kissed Marty good morning. Their first morning as man and wife. Her hands clenched into fists. But not their last. She pounded her fists into her thighs. Not their last. Marty was alive. He and Colby had met up and were organizing a rescue right this minute. She refused to believe anything else.
Anna was staring at her with wide eyes. Victoria made herself relax and smile. The canvas wall twitched and Gina slipped in. She was wearing a dress. Victoria looked down at her jeans and sweater.
“I hope we’re not expected to dress for dinner.”
Gina sat on the cot and waved that off. “You can wear what you like.” She motioned Renee over and spoke in a very quiet voice. “He won’t want to marry you. You’re too old. So be sure to make him know how valuable you are. Give him a reason to keep you safe and healthy.”
“I heard he treats women well. Why wouldn’t he keep us safe and healthy?” Victoria asked.
“He has five thousand men here. Todd often gives women to them. They can’t slap or punch or kick a woman, and those women are given extra rations and other comforts, but is that what you want to do?”
“Hawk would kill them,” Renee said with certainty. But unease glimmered on her face.
“The entire clan will go to war.” Victoria shuddered at the thought. “They will anyway, after what’s happened to us.”
“Then be sure to make that plain.” Gina’s head lifted just as the wall twitched again.
“Georgina? It’s time for supper.”
“Coming, mom.” She lowered her voice. “Good luck.”
As she got up, Victoria reached out and snagged her sleeve. “Colby isn’t dead,” she whispered rapidly. “He escaped.”
Disbelief flared in Gina’s eyes, chased by hope.
“Georgina!”
“Coming, mom.”
Victoria and Renee walked out to the main room with Gina and her mom. The table there had expanded to seat twenty. President Todd was at one end, and Victoria recognized Major Ellis, the man called Bill, and Lieutenant Mott sitting at the table. When the men saw the ladies enter, they all rose to their feet. There were three stragglers who stood up a second later than the others. Victoria’s heart stopped.
Brother Saul and his two sons. What were they doing there? Hadn’t they been killed with the rest of the men on the train? Her eyes narrowed and her back teeth clamped together. Why are they smirking at me?
The president gave them a warm, welcoming smile. “You lovely ladies are the only thing we lacked to make this table beautiful. Please, sit down.”
Victoria almost protested when he indicated that she should sit on his right. Renee was on the other side of the table, two seats down. Suppressing anger, Victoria allowed the president to seat her. Gina was opposite her, obviously ignoring the pretty major beside her. Bill was on Victoria’s right, his uniform loaded with awards and badges. Brother Saul sat between Suzanne and Shelley, his two sons on the other side of the table. Victoria stared down at her plate to give herself a minute to control her anger.
Good grief. There wasn’t a plate. There were three, stacked on top of each other. And three forks, three knives, multiple spoons, three stemmed glasses, a little plate off to the side. Victoria didn’t even know what to do with all those plates. Or the glasses. Who needed so many anyway? She slid a glance over at Renee. Her aunt was glaring a hole into Brother Saul’s forehead.
“Allow me to introduce General William Atwater,” the president said politely, indicating the man called Bill.
“Charmed,” the general said in a bored voice.
“Likewise,” Victoria said.
“Let us begin,” the president announced.
A line of young men in military uniforms entered the tent, carrying large trays with shallow bowls filled with salad. One of them held a plate of leafy greens over her stack of plates. She removed the intricately pleated napkin sitting there, and he set her salad down. Victoria inwardly shook her head. The Saturday suppers at the Plane Women’s Eatery were fancy compared to the other meals they served, but nothing like this. Even if the Eatery had a zillion plates per meal, they couldn’t serve fresh greens in March because there weren’t any available at this time of the year. Unlike other vegetables, greens didn’t freeze or can well. How in the world did he get fresh greens in March?
But that wasn’t nearly as important as her other questions. She plastered a polite smile on her face and turned to the president. “Excuse me,” she began. “Why are the Allersens here?”
He cut her off with an imperiously lifted finger. “My dear, my dear,” he chided her. “Ladies do not speak unless they are first spoken to.”
The polite smile disappeared. “Seriously?”
“Absolutely. The mark of a true lady is that she speaks only to praise and uplift the men in her life.”
“Fu—”
The president’s hand closed tightly over hers where it gripped her fork. “And she never uses strong language.”
Victoria forced herself to loosen her grip on the fork. “Oh? And what do you think you can do about it? Shoot me?”
His smile was somehow chillingly sweet. “I won’t do anything to you. That is so crass, don’t you think? But consider your cousin.”
Her mind went immediately to Colby. “What about him?”
“Her,” he correctly gently. “The young innocent you left in your quarters at the back of the tent. Anna.”
Victoria’s lips felt stiff. “What?” was all she could manage.
“So young. So nubile.” He smiled as he poured wine into one of the goblets at her place setting. “The men in my army work hard for me. They deserve a reward. They won’t do her any lasting damage. She may even enjoy it.”
“Anna?” she croaked.
“Yes, indeed.”
“She’s just a kid,” she burst out. “And I thought you didn’t hurt women.”
“Certainly not. I wouldn’t be causing her any harm. You would be, with your wayward and disobedient mouth.”
Horrified rage shook her hands. She clenched them into fists in her lap and said nothing.
The president laughed lightly. “Well, perhaps she really is your cousin. General Atwater is convinced she is the daughter of Ryan McGrath.”
Under the heat of her glare the greens on her plate should be wilted. They weren’t. Even though she no longer had an appetite, Victoria forced herself to eat her salad. She would need all her strength to kill this megalomaniac. She was aware of his stare resting on her, but she ignored him. He didn’t seem to like that.
“As to your original question,” he said smoothly, “Saul Allersen is an ally.”
Traitor.
“He has provided key intelligence to me in the past several months.”
Victoria lifted her head enough to shoot a glance at Renee. Her aunt was listening, tight-lipped.
The president leaned back so the uniformed server could remove his salad plate and replace it with fish. He waited until Victoria had also been served.
“He has given me valuable information on Omaha and the goings on there. For instance, news of the train departing this morning with so many delegates on board was delivered by the younger Allersens.”
That was why Jon and Tanner were nearly too late to get on the train. Victoria cut her fish with grim control. In her mind, she was cutting into the Allersens.
“I also know that you are the daughter of the chief of the Indian werewolves.” He delicately blotted his mouth with his napkin and laid it down to put a caressing hand over hers. “As my wife, you could be instrumental in forging a powerful alliance between your tribe and Kansas-Missouri. Do you see that?”
Did he see how easy it would be for her to impale his hand with one of the many knives lined up beside her plate? Someday he would die with shock rubbing that smarmy smile off his face, because he would never see her coming. She gritted her teeth behind a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.
After a pause, he said, “You may answer. In fact, since I asked you a question, you are required to answer.”
She unclenched her teeth. “Naturally, I’m flattered, but I’m already married.”
From down the table, Brother Saul cackled. “He’s dead, woman. You’re free to marry again. So sad. Married only one day, and already a widow.”
Victoria had to look down at her plate to hide the hate blazing in her. Brother Saul would die too. Marty wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be.
“Mr. Allersen, can’t you see the lady is grieving? Show some respect.”
Under the president’s cutting censure, Allersen dropped his eyes.
Todd turned back to Victoria. “Of course, you will need some time to mourn. You will be my honored guest until you accept my proposal.”
Until I accept, Victoria mused, hiding her disgust. Not if. Huh. You’ll be waiting until hell freezes over, moron. Pretending meekness, Victoria raised her gaze to him. “May I ask a question?”
“Certainly.”
“What happened when you met with Ryan McGrath this morning? You did meet with him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, we did meet with the mayor.”
Victoria put the last morsel of fish in her mouth to keep from prodding him. Her empty plate was whisked away and a plate of steak replaced it. The president poured a different wine in another of her glasses. She eyed it warily. She drank very little. Was he trying to get her drunk? She picked up the goblet of water instead.
“You asked what happened when we met.” The president smiled at her over his wine glass. “Not very much, actually. I believe he is stalling. Trying to buy time.”
“Waiting for some of the delegates to send him reinforcements.” Brother Saul chuckled smugly. “He will be waiting a long time for help.”
Victoria noticed that no one else at the table was talking. Everyone was listening to them. “Because the delegates on the train were murdered.” She tried so hard to sound calm that her voice was flat. “Won’t it be hard to form alliances with cities whose leaders you ki— er, died?”
“That might be a problem if I wanted alliances with those cities.” The president waved that away. “But I don’t. They don’t offer anything of value in an alliance. They simply belong to me now.”
Victoria visualized punching the president in the mouth. Casting a glance down the table to Mott, whose mouth was still swollen, gave her a sliver of satisfaction. “But the tribe has something valuable enough to you to make an alliance worthwhile?” She purposely used the word tribe, although they called themselves the Clan. She wouldn’t give him anything, not even their correct name.
“Certainly. They will be fierce fighters in my army.”
After you murdered Colby and stole me and Renee? Victoria swallowed a bite of meat. “I wouldn’t count on it, if I were you.”
He smiled that gentle, sweet, evil smile, the one so like Lieutenant Mott’s. Does he teach it to all his men? she wondered. Is it part of their training?
“Oh, I am counting on it,” he said mildly. “If they ever want to see you or Mrs. Wolfe again, they will join me. I understand that a few of your werewolf relatives are still in Omaha.”
It was hard, but Victoria didn’t shoot a scowl down the table at the Allersens. She paid very close attention to slicing into her steak.
Todd looked at the man beside her. “General Atwater, arrange for an additional honor guard for the ladies. They’ll make an appearance at the parley tomorrow morning. A brief one, so the gentlemen from Omaha can see that the ladies are safe in our care. Miss Anna will be included, of course. I think seeing her will help Mayor McGrath come to the right decision.” He stroked her arm with his fingertips. “Be sure to go to bed early, my dear. You’ll want to look your best tomorrow.”
While Victoria tried to force her emotions into some kind of control, dessert was served. She took pleasure in the fact that the sponge cake was leaden and the canned strawberries were soggy. Anna’s brownies last night had been much better.
Last night? It was only last night that she had held hands with Marty under the table at the McGraths’ house and eaten a home cooked meal less fancy than this one but so much better. Just twenty-four hours ago she had repeated the words that made them legally man and wife in the world of the townspeople.
Where was he now? Was he in Omaha, organizing a rescue? Or had he returned to Kearney to bring help? Hurry, Marty, she thought. I need you.