"Not me personally."
"Your company?"
"No."
"Your fellow clones?"
"Sort of."
Well, that was helpful. "Give me a starting place, then."
He raised an eyebrow. "Not without setting terms. Not without a down payment."
Annoyance rushed through me. "You'll get your down payment when I get proof that you're playing it straight."
"Not good enough, Riley. Not when I'm risking my life by even being seen with you."
"You keep saying this, but why would they kill you when they obviously need you?"
"Because my part in the grandeur scheme is only minor. And right now, I'm walking the line of being more a hindrance than a help."
I didn't believe him. Not this time. I had a suspicion he was doing this for reasons that were purely personal. And while I had no doubt he was telling the truth as far as the reasons for wanting a kid went, I also had no doubt there was more to it than that.
Like maybe playing both sides of the fence until he knew for sure who would be the victor.
"If that's the case, how the hell are you going to be my only way out of a return to those damn research pens?"
"Because I have something he wants."
The cold satisfaction in his voice sent a chill down my spine. "What's that?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I swear on the moon that I can, if I want, keep you safe from another attack. Is that enough of a pledge?"
"It would be, if I believed it."
"The lack of attacks will be proof enough."
My fingers tightened around the neck of the beer bottle, but I resisted the urge to throw it at his head. "So, if I agree to your terms, you'll get the dogs called off, but not before?"
"Precisely."
I blew out a breath. "What are your terms?"
"No other wolf but me." His silver eyes gleamed fiercely in the candlelight. "Which means steering well clear of that damn alpha I saw you with earlier."
Like hell. "Everyone but that wolf I was with tonight. He's chipped, so he's no threat that way, and if I stop all contact with wolves other than you, your watchers will be suspicious."
He grunted. Obviously unhappy, yet willing to concede the point. "You meet me at the Rocker, every week-night and on Sunday, at midnight, and give me two hours of your time."
"I thought you said you don't go to the Rocker any more?"
"I'm there every night except Saturday."
"Won't my suddenly turning up raise suspicions?"
"No, simply because my watchers have grown so used to the routine they no longer bother watching me at nights."
"Except tonight."