plenty of treats to come. “Aside from getting you out of jail, you mean?”
“The lawyer did that. I mean . . . I appreciate you hiring her. I really do. And I’d like to find out how she got me sprung before the arraignment, but she didn’t do anything differently because you flew across the country.” Lily paused. “I hate to think about what she’s costing.”
Isen squeezed Lily’s shoulder. “Nokolai can afford it.”
“I didn’t mean for Nokolai to—”
“You called on your Rho for help. Of course Nokolai is paying Ms. Stockard’s bill.”
Lily fell silent. Naturally Isen would think of it that way. But had she? When she called him, who had she called? Rule’s father or ...
It was disconcerting as hell, but Isen was right. Given one phone call and knowing she couldn’t reach Rule, she’d picked Isen. Not because he was Rule’s father. Because she trusted him. She trusted him not just to get her a lawyer, but to know what to do, how to do it, who should be told, what the repercussions might be, how to minimize them. She’d trusted him because he was wily and wise, cynical and kind, underhanded and openhanded. Most of all, she’d trusted him to handle things because that’s what he did. Because he was Rho. “I guess you’ve had experience getting your people out of jails.”
He chuckled. “That I have, though we prefer to avoid it.”
“I’m surprised Stockard took the case. It’s small potatoes for her.”
“Ah, well, she owed one of the clan a rather large favor. We called it in. Our opponents need to be aware that we can pull out the big guns if they force the issue.”
She exchanged a long look with him. Isen had realized the same thing she had—the arrest might ruin her in other ways, but there was a good chance she’d never go to trial. Especially now that the prosecutor knew he’d be dealing with Ms. Miriam Stockard. “Have you ever practiced law?”
“That would create a conflict of interest.”
Because he couldn’t be sworn in as an officer of the court without lying? Probably. Isen didn’t share her respect for the law, but he considered his word binding. He wouldn’t want to swear to something he didn’t intend to back up. Even now he avoided speaking a deliberate untruth, didn’t he? “I guess you called my parents.”
“I regret that I didn’t follow your request precisely. I called your grandmother. Such news might come best from her, I thought.”
“What did she say?”
“She was very angry.” He patted Lily’s hand. “Not with you. I can’t repeat what she said at first. Chinese is not one of my languages. But I do believe our enemies have been well and truly cursed. After we spoke a bit more—in English, for my sake—she gave me instructions for you. You are not to act precipitously, particularly when it comes to killing people.”
Lily choked on a laugh. “It’s not a habit of mine.”
“She may have been projecting, as I believe they call it, based on her own urgent desire to rip certain people apart. You are also not to worry about your parents. She will handle them.”
It was one bright, warm kernel to cling to. Grandmother was on her side. But even Grandmother couldn’t make the news less than devastating to Lily’s parents. By now her mother knew she was disgraced and would be unemployed once the Bureau got around to the paperwork. Her father, too. Croft would have to fire her. He had no choice.
Suddenly weary beyond words, Lily leaned her head back. She closed her eyes and tried not to think.
Unfortunately, she’d never been good at that. Questions pushed at her until their pressure had her eyes popping open again. “You never answered my first question. Why are you here? For that matter, why are you here with Pete instead of Benedict? Who’s taking care of Toby?”
“Toby’s fine. Benedict and Arjenie are there. And Pete is well able to see to my safety.”
“I’m sure he is, but on those rare times you leave Clanhome, Benedict always goes with you.” Pete was good—Lily had seen him in practice bouts—but Benedict wasn’t just better. He was the best.
“Oh, Benedict objected at first, but he’s too sensible to insist on coming with me, under the circumstances. It would not be wise for me and both of my sons to be out and about for a protracted period.”
Because of the mantle. Because if Isen and both his sons were killed, Nokolai’s mantle would be