his head as the ladies left. "Hope you didn't have any plans tonight."
"Nothing that can't be put off."
"Excellent. You can follow me in your own car."
Ari got into her car while Beck got into the yellow Jeep Dale had described earlier. They drove through the streets of town until they arrived at the address Ari had written on a pad back at the office. She parked behind Beck's Jeep at the curb in front of the house and looked up and down the street, wondering where Dale had parked two days earlier.
Beck led her up the front walk, and Ari took the opportunity to scan the yard for escape routes. It was a habit she'd picked up in her teens, and it hadn't failed her so far. The door to the sunroom was open and Beck went straight in. Potted flowers lined the inside of the glass, and there were even more hanging from the sloped glass ceiling. Beck led her to the inner door where Ari could hear music playing.
"Ladies, I got our new recruit here."
The door led into a very yellow kitchen. She'd heard of houses that smelled like dog, but to a canidae it was a much different comment. Walking into a house with three distinct dog smells was like a normal person walking into a room that smelled like baking cookies or brewing coffee. Ari breathed deeply and wished she was in wolf form so she could fully appreciate the varied odors.
A brunette in a sleeveless top and overalls was standing at the center island making a sandwich. She turned at Beck's greeting, putting down her butter knife as she sized Ari up. The woman's arms were lined with ropey muscles, and her shoulders were broad and thick. Her hair was brown and shoulder-length, tied back into a short braid. Ari assumed she was the boxer she'd seen the other night and made a point to stay on her good side for as long as possible.
"Ariadne, this is Pen Hurst."
Ari extended her hand. "Pen?"
"Short for Penelope. It doesn't really fit me, does it?"
Ari smiled. "Not as well as Pen does, no. Nice to meet you."
A wide arched doorway led into the living room, and movement from there caught Ari's eye. A slender, petite redhead had appeared during the introduction. Despite her small stature, she definitely had a commanding presence in the room. Her hair was cut close to her head and feathered bangs stretched down toward her arched eyebrows. Her eyes were shaded dark, but the irises were bright blue. Her skin was just a touch too pale, but it only served to highlight the color in her hair and eyes. She wore a black tank top tucked into a pair of tight blue jeans. Ari recognized her as the reluctant subject of the photo in the bar.
"Well, when you found a new recruit in the bar, I knew she'd be pretty. Didn't expect gorgeous, though."
Beck seemed awkward for the first time since Ari met her. She stood a little straighter and spoke a little clearer. "Ariadne, this is Sadie Dillon."
"Hi. Is that short for anything?" Ari asked.
"Sadistic."
Ari raised an eyebrow and held out her hand. "Good to know. You can call me Ari."
Sadie ignored her hand. "I don't know if I'm going to be calling you anything right now. You're a wolf, yes?"
"Good eye. I'd guess that you're a fox, but that sounds like a lame pick-up line."
Sadie ignored the joke. "So what do you have to bring to this little game of ours?"
Ari smiled. "The knowledge that I'm a Dixie cup."
Beck and Pen exchanged glances, and Sadie furrowed her brow slightly. "Pardon?"
"You know when you're at a picnic or something, you get one of those little paper or plastic cups for your drink. At the end of the night you just throw it away. That's me. I'm disposable." She shrugged. "You guys have a pretty good thing going on here. There's no reason for you to invite me in unless you want a fall gal. If anything goes wrong, you leave me behind so the cops will focus on me and give you time to disappear into the night.
"I'm willing to play that role for now. Until you guys get to know me and get to know what I can do, I'd be happy to be low man on the totem pole. But once you've seen what I'm capable of, I want an upgrade. I left home really young and lived on the streets.