Allyn shivered. It reminded him too much of his kidnapping by Grigore. He looked gratefully at Ransom when his lover gripped his hand in commiseration, obviously knowing how Henri's words were affecting him.
Ransom smiled at Allyn then returned his attention to Henri. "Do you have any idea how this man tracked you down?"
Henri shook his head. "Not really. He just… Xavier showed up at Mrs. Graham's front door with one of his assistants, claiming they were old friends of her late husband's. She believed them and invited them in. I was there, playing with the kids. They saw me the same time I realized who they were." Henri shuddered. "The assistant grabbed my collar. Mrs. Graham asked what he thought he was doing and tried to stop him. Xavier hit her. The kids started screaming." Henri looked down at the ground. "I should have done something but I was terrified they'd capture me again so I ran—much to my shame."
"Fight or flight. It happens to all of us at one time or another," Ransom said. "If you'd stayed, chances are they would have killed Mrs. Graham and the kids anyway. They wouldn't have wanted any witnesses. Remember, for all they knew, she knew what you are."
"That's what I keep telling myself, but it doesn't help," Henri said angrily. "I deserted them when they needed me."
"Henri," Allyn replied, "Perhaps on some level that's true. However, Ransom's right. They would have died either way. If Xavier had caught you again, what then? He finally might have been able to figure out how to create shifters, and you had better believe he doesn't want them for any good purposes. Imagine a whole army of them sent out to destroy—well, the enemies of anyone he sold them to, or who contracted with him to use them."
Henri frowned as he obviously thought about what Allyn had said. "It would be a disaster," he replied.
"Indeed it would," Ransom agreed. "Unfortunately, he's going to keep coming after you. You have no idea how he managed to track you down to Mrs. Graham's?"
"No. I've been trying to figure that out. He can't have implanted something in me. If he had, he'd have caught me soon after I disappeared from his lab." Henri looked at the two of them, then said, "By the way, you know my name but I have no idea who you are. Well, other than the fact you're a cop," he added, nodding at Ransom.
"I'm Ransom, and a gray wolf. He's Allyn, a red wolf," Ransom replied. "Are we right in thinking you're a coywolf?"
"I am."
"Okay. Back to what you were saying. The fact he not only found you, but knew that Mrs. Graham had lost her husband, says he must have done his research on her, and that he knew you were in the city to begin with. Is New Orleans your home?"
"No. I have a small house west of Paradis, by Bayou des Allemands."
"Is that where he found you the first time?"
"At the house? Thankfully, no. I don't think he knows about it, even though I wasn't too far away in the bayou. Still, when I escaped, I wasn't going to take a chance he hadn't somehow gotten the information out of me. I figured in the city I could lie low for long enough he'd finally give up."
"Why did it take him six months?" Ransom wondered aloud.
"More to the point," Allyn said, "how did he home in on the fact Henri was at Mrs. Graham's?" He looked at Henri. "Did you leave her house periodically for any reason?"
Henri chuckled. "Every time the kids wanted to take me for a walk to the park. It was a bit demeaning, but I went along with it. It was only a block away so I figured it was safe enough."
Ransom nodded. "I wonder…" Allyn and Henri looked at him in question. "If you lost your dog, what's one of the first things you'd do, other than putting up posters?"
"Umm, advertise it on Craigslist or in the Times-Picayune classifieds?" Allyn suggested.
"Yep. Hell, he might have done that in half the papers around the country, hoping for a hit. I suspect you're fairly distinctive in your coywolf form, Henri."
"I like to think so," Henri replied with an ironic grin.
Ransom got up to pace. "We have to come up with a safe place for you to hide, Henri. Then figure out how to find Xavier."
"The first part is easy enough," Allyn said. "He can stay at my estate."
"Your what?" Henri said in obvious disbelief.
Ransom chuckled. "Despite appearances at the moment, he's quite rich. But," he shot a glance at Allyn, "how will Miranda feel about that?"
"Knowing her, she'll be fine with the idea."
"Your wife?" Henri asked.
"Nope. My sister. She and her fiancé live there at the moment."
"How's he going to feel about my moving in? Presuming I agree."
Allyn shrugged. "He's easy-going."
Henri nodded. "May I at least see the place before I decide?"
With a nod, Allyn gripped Henri's arm and the three shifters teleported to the estate.
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