The northern half of the Midwest Region was even more barren than he’d realized in terms of large towns and people who still had money. The southern half still had a few human-controlled cities along the gulf—places where the clan had previously set up shop for a few weeks before moving on—but he hadn’t paid enough attention and hadn’t realized the Midwest Region had been split and they would need another set of travel passes to reach the cities along the gulf.

No, that wasn’t true. He had been paying enough attention ever since that damn war, but people were still discovering the repercussions of the HFL movement trying to wrest control of the land from the Others. And the clan finding themselves in the wrong half of the Midwest Region was one of those repercussions.

He dealt four cards, faceup.

Judd raised an eyebrow. “Blackjack?”

“To pass the time.”

Everyone else in the clan liked to gamble, but some weren’t allowed to gamble outside the clan because they couldn’t always be trusted not to put something on the table that they shouldn’t. But Judd didn’t gamble. Not with cards or dice. And Judd wasn’t what you would call a rough-and-tumble man. He was too damn dangerous for that because Judd McCall liked to gamble with guns and knives. He liked to gamble on how long it might take a man to die from a particular wound.

“Game broke up early?” Judd tapped the table to indicate he wanted another card. “Busted.”

They set those cards aside and Parlan dealt another hand. “The ones who joined the game because it’s Earthday and they were bored and looking for something to do until the train could leave in the morning didn’t have enough cash to see them past a couple of hours of play. And the ones who hoped I’d take markers because they never figured to lay eyes on me again … I persuaded them to move along.” He sighed. “Barely making enough to meet expenses since those HFL idiots lost the war.”

“Sometimes you’re the one who floats us …” Judd pulled a handkerchief tied up as a bundle out of his coat pocket. “And sometimes another branch of the clan makes the profit.” He untied the bundle.

Parlan set the cards aside and picked up a diamond and emerald necklace. A modest piece. Probably a gift for an important anniversary—or the kind of gift a married man might give his mistress to keep her sweet and believing that he really was going to leave his wife. “Where did you find this?”

“Charlie Webb and Sweeney Cooke reported in. They found another of those hole-in-the-wall towns. They were thinking it might work as a base of operations for some in-and-out jobs, but Charlie noticed that two of the houses were occupied and figured they shouldn’t be touched since he wasn’t sure who, or what, occupied those places. They entered one of the other houses and helped themselves to whatever easily fit in the car. Some cash and jewelry that couldn’t belong to anyone living in that town. A couple of handguns and a rifle, along with ammunition. Clothes and cans of food. Sweeney wanted to do a bit of crazy and smash windows, make a mess, but Charlie calmed him down. Said if they left quiet, they could slip back into town and clean out another house.”

“Good thinking on Charlie’s part.” Parlan dealt cards, not even asking if Judd wanted to hit or stay. “Is Sweeney becoming a problem?”

“Might be. But not yet. I’ll deal with him when the time comes.”

Parlan nodded. “Did Lawry have a look at those?” His brother, Lawry, was their jewelry expert—and their jewel fixer. Lawry always knew which stones could be popped out of a setting and replaced with paste with the mark none the wiser, and could make the switch in the time it took to fix a broken clasp.

“Not yet. He and Dalton went off in a different direction. Heard some rumors about abandoned ranches.” Judd gave Parlan a sharp smile. “Rustling isn’t much fun when there’s no one around to notice the stock is missing.”

“Not practical either unless we already have a market for the animals. Besides, that’s not really our line of work.” Parlan tossed the deck on the table and sat back. “I’ve squeezed dry everyone I can squeeze on this train, and I don’t have the feeling that any fresh marks will be boarding tomorrow. I’ll make arrangements to have my car hitched to the eastbound train with an eye to changing to a southbound line before I reach the Midwest Region’s border.”

“You’re thinking the people coming out here to live might have some cash?”

“No, I’m thinking it’s time to take off the gambler duds, put on my suit, and charm some of the businessmen’s wives by gallantly offering to make up a foursome for bridge. Some of those women have been traveling with their husbands on business for weeks now to escape whatever was happening in their hometowns and are desperate for fresh company. They’ll be a likely source of information about towns that have become nothing more than stops for the train and which ones might have potential for us.” Parlan walked over to a cabinet and opened the drawer that held maps. Taking out the map for the Midwest Region, he returned to the table and opened it.

Judd came around the table to stand beside him. “Not a lot of choices.”

“Not a lot,” Parlan agreed. Some he already knew weren’t more than the station with a few houses and a couple of stores for the railroad employees. And some didn’t have even the employees anymore, despite the hazard pay that went with manning such a place. “Here.” He pointed to a town that had been of modest size before the war and might still be. Not every human place had been decimated, and there was something about that town … “We’ll meet up here.”

“Why?”

“It has an east-west connection right across this half of the Midwest. A northern line begins there as well and looks like it runs all the way to the east-west line we’re on now, near the High North border. That kind of loop could be useful to us. And it has roads that will give us even more access to any towns around the area.” Parlan ran his finger along the westbound track to the town located at the northern end of the Elder Hills. “I have a feeling this is where our luck will change.” He tapped the town’s name.

Bennett.

CHAPTER 21

Moonsday, Messis 20

Jana stared at the ceiling, then looked at the clock on her bedside table. Stared at the ceiling. Looked at the clock.

Too early to get up. Humans weren’t being held to a dark-to-dawn curfew within the boundaries of the town, although no one was guaranteeing their safety if they went out when it was dark. As a deputy, she didn’t have to heed any curfew when she was on duty. But those howls she’d heard yesterday had come from beings that were way too close to her house, and she had no desire to cross paths with one of them just because she couldn’t sleep.

“If you’re not going to sleep, do something useful.” Patting the bedside table until she found the scrunchie she’d left there, she pulled her hair back into a tail, shoved her feet into the sandals she was using in lieu of slippers, and headed for the office/workroom she and Barb were still setting up. But a whine from the living room had her changing direction.

“Hey, girl,” Jana said softly. “Quiet, now. We don’t want to wake up Barb.”

Rusty whined again.

Would she rather let the dog pee on the pad in the crate and then have to wash it or accompany Rusty outside—in the dark—and let the pup do her business in the backyard?

It’s our darn yard, she thought as she opened the crate and reached for the leash.

Nope. No leash. Rusty rushed past her to the back door.

Jana followed, flipped on the kitchen light over the sink and the back door light that lit part of the yard. She unlocked the back door and pushed the screen door open. Rusty bolted outside and squatted just beyond the steps, which meant the dog hadn’t yet learned what part of the yard was meant to be her lavatory or she just couldn’t hold it anymore.

Snagging the big flashlight they were leaving on the kitchen counter, Jana went outside. The light at the back door didn’t reach the farthest end of the yard, and she didn’t want to step on something that might object when she took the dog back there in case Rusty needed to do more than piddle.

The pup found something of interest back there, and whatever it was it didn’t slither or crawl away from the flashlight beam. Then Rusty looked toward the house and wagged her tail.

Something in the dark, moving toward them. Must have climbed over the fence. Or jumped over the fence.

Gods, was this one of the fighting dogs she’d been told to watch for because they were a danger to the children in town as well as pets?

She reached for the gun she wasn’t carrying as she aimed the flashlight beam toward a big shape that was just a little darker now than the yard—and got an annoyed growl in response as she shined the light right into Virgil’s eyes.

She jerked her wrist to shine the light down. “Sorry. Didn’t know it was you.” Now she felt foolish for thinking the dogs would come to a settled street that had Wolves living in the house at the corner. But better to think about the dogs than to think about the fact that she was wearing nothing but her tank top and boxer pajamas since she hadn’t expected to be seen by anyone except, maybe, her housemate.

Virgil gave Rusty a quick sniff and lick, which must have been enough reassurance, because the pup went back to exploring the yard. Then he stood on his hind legs and shifted.

Jana looked away but not before she’d seen more of her boss than she wanted to see. Did he think her clothes were some kind of invitation? Or …

“What?” Virgil sounded like his usual gruff self.

Act like you’re both in uniform. Act like you’re not in your pj’s and he’s not naked. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone. You startled me.”

“You said you wanted to talk. You were outside with Rusty and awake.” He cocked his head and studied her with those amber Wolf eyes. “Maybe awake.”

Oh, she was plenty awake now. Plleeeennnnty.

“You wanted to talk,” Virgil repeated.

Yes, she did. But not in her backyard in the dark when she was and he was … Gods.

“Why are you up so early?” she asked, changing the subject because she couldn’t remember what she’d wanted to talk to him about. Not looking at him but knowing what she’d see if she did look was darn distracting.

Virgil focused on her house. “Some humans who settled a few streets from here took cats to be part of their packs.”

“Adopting the animals left behind is good.” She knew Barb was planning to approach Evan and Kenneth about giving one of the available parakeets to Maddie since the girl had been so taken with Buddy the day Barb had looked after the children.

“The bad dogs found the cat who went outside. Cats are fast, but it wasn’t fast enough. Not against that pack.”

“Oh gods.” She’d have to tell Barb.