toward the stairs as fast as his rubbery legs would take him. Ashe showered, dressed and went to breakfast.
"You the kid?" A gruff old werewolf examined Ashe from head to heels.
"I guess," Ashe said, piling bacon onto a plate. Breakfast was served buffet style and everybody helped themselves.
"Don't get in the way," the werewolf growled and moved away from Ashe.
"Okaaay," Ashe muttered.
* * *
"Mr. Winkler?" Ashe knocked on Winkler's office door after breakfast.
"Come on in," Winkler said, pointing to a chair in front of a huge desk. Ashe stared at a large photograph hanging on the wall behind Winkler's desk. It showed Winkler, sitting beside a beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair. In the photograph, Winkler was smiling at her.
"Taken twenty-four years ago," Winkler said, turning to look at the photograph.
"Who is that?" Ashe asked.
"The love of my life," Winkler said. "She's dead now."
"Sorry," Ashe mumbled.
"Maybe I'll tell you about that, someday. Someday. Now, let's get down to business."
Ashe was led to a computer in an adjoining room and given the name and address of a bank. "Tell me everything you can about this bank by five o'clock," Winkler grinned and walked out again. Ashe began by pulling up the website for the bank.
* * *
"So, what can you tell me?" Winkler poked his head in the door a few minutes after five.
Ashe held out a piece of paper to Winkler. "I got the name of the President right off, and then went looking into his stuff. I got these numbers after hacking into his personal account," Ashe grinned. "I saw an information page where the birthdates for his kids kept switching around. Some listed month, day and year, others listed day, month and year, and the last ones listed year first and then month and day. These last ones got me into some sort of system inside the bank."
"You're kidding," Winkler whistled and went to sit at the computer. He plugged the numbers in, just as Ashe had, and sure enough, he got through. "Ashe, if you'd known what to do, you could have transferred bank funds to another account," Winkler said. "And it only took you eight hours to do it."
"Knew I shoulda set up that offshore account," Ashe joked.
"If you want, you can grab a drink and get in the pool out back," Winkler said, lifting his cell phone from a pocket. "I have to make a couple of calls."
"Okay," Ashe nodded and walked out of the room.
A handful of werewolves lounged around the pool when Ashe walked onto the patio. A tub filled with beer, ice and soft drinks was sitting next to a potted palm. "Any water in there?" Ashe asked as he went digging through the ice.
"Yeah. Keep digging," the wolf sitting closest to the tub said. Ashe kept digging and did find a bottle of water. "You the shapeshifter kid?" The wolf asked.
"Yeah. I guess I am," Ashe replied.
"Name's Grady," the man held out his hand.
"Uh," Ashe wiped his cold, wet hand on his jeans before taking it. Grady laughed. "My name is Ashe," he said, shaking Grady's hand.
"Well, Ashe, don't take any crap offa any of these guys. You let them bully you around and that's all you'll get." Grady sipped his beer. Ashe nodded and went to find a seat elsewhere. Ashe drank his bottled water quietly and watched the others. Six wolves sat around the pool, including Grady. Grady had reddish-brown hair and muddy brown eyes. The werewolf squinted in the sunlight while enjoying his drink and watching the others. Two of the remaining five looked like brothers, both with dark hair and gray eyes. They talked quietly in a shady spot at the end of a loop in the pool.
Winkler had spent a lot of money on the pool, Ashe figured; it was irregularly shaped, with palms, tropical plants and flowers surrounding the flagstone border. Ashe didn't listen to the conversation the brothers were having—that wouldn't be polite. Instead, his eyes wandered to the last three, who were lined up in lounge chairs. Those three were as different as they could possibly be. One had
"You the kid?" A gruff old werewolf examined Ashe from head to heels.
"I guess," Ashe said, piling bacon onto a plate. Breakfast was served buffet style and everybody helped themselves.
"Don't get in the way," the werewolf growled and moved away from Ashe.
"Okaaay," Ashe muttered.
* * *
"Mr. Winkler?" Ashe knocked on Winkler's office door after breakfast.
"Come on in," Winkler said, pointing to a chair in front of a huge desk. Ashe stared at a large photograph hanging on the wall behind Winkler's desk. It showed Winkler, sitting beside a beautiful woman with strawberry blonde hair. In the photograph, Winkler was smiling at her.
"Taken twenty-four years ago," Winkler said, turning to look at the photograph.
"Who is that?" Ashe asked.
"The love of my life," Winkler said. "She's dead now."
"Sorry," Ashe mumbled.
"Maybe I'll tell you about that, someday. Someday. Now, let's get down to business."
Ashe was led to a computer in an adjoining room and given the name and address of a bank. "Tell me everything you can about this bank by five o'clock," Winkler grinned and walked out again. Ashe began by pulling up the website for the bank.
* * *
"So, what can you tell me?" Winkler poked his head in the door a few minutes after five.
Ashe held out a piece of paper to Winkler. "I got the name of the President right off, and then went looking into his stuff. I got these numbers after hacking into his personal account," Ashe grinned. "I saw an information page where the birthdates for his kids kept switching around. Some listed month, day and year, others listed day, month and year, and the last ones listed year first and then month and day. These last ones got me into some sort of system inside the bank."
"You're kidding," Winkler whistled and went to sit at the computer. He plugged the numbers in, just as Ashe had, and sure enough, he got through. "Ashe, if you'd known what to do, you could have transferred bank funds to another account," Winkler said. "And it only took you eight hours to do it."
"Knew I shoulda set up that offshore account," Ashe joked.
"If you want, you can grab a drink and get in the pool out back," Winkler said, lifting his cell phone from a pocket. "I have to make a couple of calls."
"Okay," Ashe nodded and walked out of the room.
A handful of werewolves lounged around the pool when Ashe walked onto the patio. A tub filled with beer, ice and soft drinks was sitting next to a potted palm. "Any water in there?" Ashe asked as he went digging through the ice.
"Yeah. Keep digging," the wolf sitting closest to the tub said. Ashe kept digging and did find a bottle of water. "You the shapeshifter kid?" The wolf asked.
"Yeah. I guess I am," Ashe replied.
"Name's Grady," the man held out his hand.
"Uh," Ashe wiped his cold, wet hand on his jeans before taking it. Grady laughed. "My name is Ashe," he said, shaking Grady's hand.
"Well, Ashe, don't take any crap offa any of these guys. You let them bully you around and that's all you'll get." Grady sipped his beer. Ashe nodded and went to find a seat elsewhere. Ashe drank his bottled water quietly and watched the others. Six wolves sat around the pool, including Grady. Grady had reddish-brown hair and muddy brown eyes. The werewolf squinted in the sunlight while enjoying his drink and watching the others. Two of the remaining five looked like brothers, both with dark hair and gray eyes. They talked quietly in a shady spot at the end of a loop in the pool.
Winkler had spent a lot of money on the pool, Ashe figured; it was irregularly shaped, with palms, tropical plants and flowers surrounding the flagstone border. Ashe didn't listen to the conversation the brothers were having—that wouldn't be polite. Instead, his eyes wandered to the last three, who were lined up in lounge chairs. Those three were as different as they could possibly be. One had
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