“You got the wrong chica, chummer.” She tried to sidestep him, but he moved easily to block her.

“Please, Miss Harlan, no harm will come to you. We were told to expect you, and Wolf and Mister de Vries are waiting.”

That stopped her. “Wolf?”

“Yes, he’s inside, and he is somewhat pressed for time.”

Rachel knew about Wolf and Raven. What runner didn’t? They were like the Robin Hoods of the Seattle sprawl, like white rumors starving mothers might tell their children when the little ones had to go to sleep hungry. Something like, “Go to sleep and maybe tomorrow Wolf and Raven will stop by. Then everything will be all right. But if you’re bad. Kid Stealth will come with his metal feet.”

Rachel had heard about them too often, and from people she trusted, for there not to be something behind the tales. Still, she couldn’t believe that the man she was about to meet could possibly be the same person.

She turned and climbed the stairs to the door, then went inside. Warren’s doss was better lit than it had been last time she’d been here, and she could smell fresh coffee. Not soykaf, but real, honest-to-god coffee. The smell made her mouth water. She’d only had real coffee once, and the taste was unforgettable, so rich and dark and strong. It made soykaf taste like bitter swill.

Rachel became aware of low voices as she stepped into the living room.

“Welcome back, Miss Harlan. Did everything go well?” It was de Vries. He was sitting with his back to her, not even bothering to turn to see if it really was her. She shrugged the thought away. If he was so powerful, he would have known she was coming even before she entered the doss.

Still, de Vries wasn’t what held her attention.

The man sitting opposite him was small, but exuded power. a brutal physical magnetism that at once attracted and repelled her. He was older by a good twenty years, going gray around the muzzle and on the sides of his full head of hair, but his face was smooth. Except where scars tracked its surface.

He wore a gray flannel suit that showed off his powerful physique without sacrificing class. His back was straight and proud, and in one hand, he had a cane. Its tip rested on the floor as he twisted the silver wolf’s-head handle in a lazy circle.

Even as all these things registered, she caught his eye, and for just that instant, she knew how a wild thing must feel when caught in the glare of headlights. Fascination and fear threatened to overwhelm her, and she thought she would just stand there, mid-stride, and stare into those killer eyes until he casually walked over and ripped out her throat.

The second passed, and suddenly she was looking into a normal pair of eyes again, pleasant brown with flecks of gray. The man smiled and stood up, leaning heavily on his cane for support. His grin was the most comforting thing she’d seen that night.

“Good evening, Miss Harlan. My name is Wolfgang Kies. I’m sorry if I startled you.”

Rachel swallowed and forced herself to continue into the room. “It’s a pleasure to meet you… Mister Kies.” This was more than she could ever have imagined. In all those nights, lying awake and thinking about the shadows, thinking about what it would be like to run them, she’d never imagined that one day she would be face to face with the man known as Wolf. The tremor of excitement shed felt walking back to the doss was replaced with a quake of excitement, and for the briefest instant, she let herself forget why she was here, forget the reason behind Wolf’s visit.

He walked painfully over to her, favoring his left leg, but the smile never left his face. He took her hand gently in his, and led her to the chair he’d just vacated. “Please sit. Martin was just filling me in on what’s been going on. I sympathize with your situation. Miss Harlan. But-”

“Rachel.”

Wolf turned to her with a look of mild surprise, as if he were unused to being interrupted. “Excuse me?”

“My name is Rachel. Everybody keeps calling me ‘Miss Harlan’ tonight, and it’s making me uncomfortable. Miss Harlan was my mother.”

Wolf turned to de Vries, who smiled as Wolf let out a small laugh. “You’re right, Martin. I like her.” He turned back to Rachel. “As I was saying, I just got the scan on your situation, and I was telling Martin I wish I could help. Unfortunately, my own team’s got some big problems right now.”

De Vries laughed softly. “I must admit, I was surprised to see you in a limo, let alone with bodyguards.”

Wolf’s smile faded slightly, “Raven’s orders. Until this whole matter is settled, no one in the organization is to travel without protection. It chafes a bit, but I understand his reasoning. And that, of course, is the same reason I can’t give you much help at this moment.”

De Vries sighed, but Rachel didn’t think he looked especially surprised. “I thought you might say that, but I had to ask. I know you’ve got your plate pretty full right now. I could probably convince you that this situation is big enough to warrant you leaving off whatever else you’re doing and help us, but I wont put you in that position. Still, I thank you for coming down on such short notice.”

Wolf’s smile faded completely for the first time since Rachel had entered the room, and a look of infinite sadness crept into those deadly eyes. “Of course, Martin. It’s been too long, and I know you wouldn’t have called if the situation weren’t dire. I simply don’t have the resources to back your play right now. After what happened to Kid Stealth, we’ve been up to our neck in this thing.”

De Vries nodded. “Will he pull through?”

Wolf smiled again, but now it was a tight thing, one just barely holding back the anger. “Yes. But it’s put us in a very awkward situation, and Raven’s out for blood.”

De Vries stood, in a swift motion that made Rachel wince involuntarily, but that seemed to have no effect on Wolf. The two shook hands, and she got the feeling they had once been very close.

“My friend,” said Wolf softly, “don’t let it be so long next time. The rest of us age a lot faster than you do.”

De Yries laughed. “If I live through this, I promise we’ll head to the country and do some night hunting. Swear.”

Wolf held de Vries’ grip for a moment more, then dropped his hand and began to limp to the door. At the door he turned, as if he’d just remembered something. “The least I can do is arrange safe transport through Hell’s Kitchen for you. We don’t want things to go south on you before you even get to where you’re going.”

De Vries nodded without saying anything.

Wolf smiled, and pulled a card out of his jacket. “Call this number when you’re ready to go in. Use my name and you won’t have any problems.”

“Goodbye, my friend.”

“Goodbye.” Wolf turned his gaze to Rachel again, and gave her a brief, sad smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Rachel. What you’re up against isn’t going to be pretty, but trust Martin. He knows what he’s doing, and despite how he looks, he really is one of the good guys.”

Rachel watched silently as the man left, feeling as if she’d understood only about a quarter of what had just transpired.

De Vries turned back to the room and smiled, but unlike Wolf’s good-natured grin, the vampire’s made her shiver. “Well, I wasn’t actually expecting his help, but it never hurts to ask. How did things go on your end?”

Rachel pulled a smoke out of her bag, and lit it. She checked the clock on the trid rig. “Flak’ll be here in about an hour. He and his friends will hear you out, then decide.”

De Vries’ smile grew even wider. “Excellent.”

11

You’re telling me that after all I’ve done for you, after I’ve discovered a procedure that will net you billions in nuyen, you now have the audacity to question my methods? The Leonizarion process is the pinnacle of life-lengthening procedures, and you now seek grounds to dismiss me? Are you mad?