67
“You’ll all die as well.”
“I don’t think so. Do you think Shura was the only person to bring in reinforcements? I have almost two hundred trained warriors back home, waiting for an attack. I have electronic surveillance, booby traps, explosives, snipers, wolfsbane gas bombs, reinforced fighting positions and air support. When your boss attacks, he is going to lose, and lose badly. All of your friends will die, and for what? Money? Ego? Pride?”
The wall was up to his shoulders now. “You know better than this. Kidnapping a pregnant Luna and threatening to kill her? What would your mother think if she knew what you had done?”
“Leave my mother out of this!”
I looked at the mark on his shoulder. “Your own mate, what do you think she will be thinking of when she sees the video of your death at the trials? Will she think you are a good wolf, a good mate? Or will she wonder why Luna hated her so much as to give her a mate like you?” The bricks were stacking to his eyes now, they were wide with fear. “You don’t have much time left. The bricks are almost done.”
He looked out to the water, where the last bricks were forming. They stacked above his head, and soon would close his frozen sarcophagus airtight. “Last chance.” He looked up in horror at the only spot left.
The last brick moved down towards the opening.Belongs to © n0velDrama.Org.
“WAIT!” The brick froze inches above the others. “He’s in Grand Rapids, at a hotel,” he said. “Country Inn and Suites, room 287. He’s got the whole place rented out for his men and the rogues he’s hired.”
“What is his plan?”
“I don’t know much. He said I was to bring her to the south border of your land at six tonight, that he would meet us there for the transfer. He was going to use the transfer as a distraction, the men would attack as soon as he had the money and the body.”
“Anything else?” He shook his head no. Peter looked at me, I nodded and tapped the shoulder of the white and silver wolf by my side. The ice wall shattered around him, falling to the ground. “Tie him up good and stuff him in the back of my car,” he said.
The wolves left my side, and she walked around the group of warriors, healing the wounds that they had. None were serious, the men were good fighters and had the element of surprise. In a few minutes, they were back at my side.
Beta Peter came up and stood before me. “Orders, sir?”
“Put him in the cells back home, and clean up the mess here,” I said. I handed him a stack of cash. “Take the men out for a good meal, you’ve earned it. When you are done, stage yourself ten miles south of my border and out of sight. I’m taking the Luna home.” The men cheered as we walked off, and you couldn’t fit a piece of paper between us until we got to the helicopter and buckled in.
There were only three seats, so Beta John shifted and pulled on clothes before buckling in, and the silver-grey wolf sat on the floor in back between our feet. We all put on headsets t block the sound, with a microphone that was voice-activated so we could talk to each other. The pilot was on a different channel, so we could speak freely. I looked down at the young shewolf and smiled. “Thank you Jessie, I’m glad you talked me in to letting you come, even if it was only for healing the wounded after the fight.”
She chuffed and licked my hand. Linnea started scratching her ears as we took off and headed back north. “I was strong, and you DID come for me,” she said over the noise of the engines. “How?”
“Jessie unlocked more of her power, she was able to locate you and send an astral projection,” John replied. “You heard what she said?”
“Yes, and I needed to hear that, I was giving up hope,” she said as her free hand covered her belly. “What now?”
“We’ll have to talk about that. We know where Shura is, but they will have already left Grand Rapids by the time I can get any men there, and I don’t want this fight to happen around humans.”
“He’s going to figure out we got Linnea back at some point before six, and then he’s lost his leverage. His only option will be to attack us and try to at least get the money.”
“We’ll be ready for him then.” I looked out over the frozen ground as we flew north. This ends today.
******
Jessie’s POV
I was so relieved when he cracked, as I was about to kill a man who was helpless. Watching a man slowly suffocate in a coffin of my construction was not my idea of a good afternoon.
Still, I did what I had to, and John was right- he wasn’t willing to die for Yuri. Now we knew the direction he was coming from and when. The question on the table right now was what to do about it.
I was sitting on John’s lap in the Alpha’s office, with his Beta, Alpha Stan, Beta Peter and the Betas of the Packs who had come to help. All of us were looking at the map of the territory. “His weakness is the use of mercenaries,” John said. “Shura doesn’t have many men left, not now. He’s leading rogues and opportunistic Packs that are hungry for money and territory. If we can sow doubt in their minds, they’ll go home.” He used a laser pointer to highlight the western border. “Put signs up saying things like, ‘We know you are coming’ or ‘Dying ain’t much of a living.'”
“Really? Outlaw Josey Wales quotes?” Sven laughed at it.
“It’s a classic line, and it’s effective. Break their morale and limit casualties.”
Sven stood up, going over to the map. “I don’t want to limit casualties.” I looked up at him, a little shocked. “Shura is doing us a favor. He’s attracted every lowlife, every dangerous rogue and desperate Alpha in one place. We fight them now and the problem is gone; we let them scatter, and they remain a threat for when we AREN’T ready for them.” He tapped the map. “How long will it be before rumors start about the wealth of our Pack, or of your mate, John? How many times will she be almost killed before they finally finish the job?”
I put my hand over my mouth, my gut was twisting and churning. “I’ll protect her,” John said.
“Really? How did that work the last time.” John growled, pulling me closer. “You have to be right every time, they only have to do the job right once. Sniper, poison, auto accident, explosion- so many ways you could lose her, just like I almost lost my Linnea. I’m not taking a chance on losing her again. This ends today.”
I ran for the bathroom attached to his office, not even closing the door before I was throwing up in the toilet. John was behind me, holding my hair out of my face as I heaved my guts into the bowl. When it was finally over, he handed me a glass of water. I rinsed my mouth a few times, spitting into the bowl as I flushed. “There’s new toothbrushes in the medicine cabinet,” Sven said as I stood up. I grabbed one out of the package and quickly brushed my teeth.
“You all right, honey?”
“Yeah, I think so. It’s just nerves.” He led me back to the chair and we sat down again.
“I have to agree with Alpha Sven,” Stan said. “Yuri’s a monster, like an octopus with tentacles. The cops have lopped off a few, the European Council will take some more, but there’s a dangerous tentacle right here and we need to chop it off before it goes elsewhere.”
“We need to capture Shura for the American Council, along with as many of his men as possible,” Peter said. “We need to keep the pressure on Yuri and deliver him to trial. Killing them is easy, capturing their leader is not. He won’t be at the front, he’ll be leading from the rear I bet.”
Stan stood up. “Sven, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to back you up in the South. My men can monitor Shura and his men with drones, then swoop in on them after they leave. I’d like Peter to be in charge of cleanup on the west side. You’ve got to be here, in the command center with your Pack directing the defense of your territory.”
“I have to be down south for the meeting.”
“No you don’t. Shura is just going to kill you if you are there. He doesn’t have Linnea, and you don’t have Jessie or his money. How long do you think it is going to be until he figures out that detail and just attacks?” He was right, I thought. “You’ll have John and Jessie here to link with Peter and I. He won’t attack until you refuse to pay.”
Sven looked over at the allied Beta. “Nobody escapes, Peter.”
Peter just nodded. “Of course. No second chances for those who would kill our men and rape our women. These rogues are savages.” They spent a few more minutes going over the plans, then Stan and Peter left to meet their men. They would each take charge of one of their groups of warriors, and were going to stage on the southwest and northwest corners of the territory. When they got word the attack was in progress, they would sweep down and cut off the retreat.
While they were gone, the explosives experts from one of the allied Packs was setting up shop along the paths from the western border. The boys had Claymores, more gas bombs, and mines. One of the men was in the control room to coordinate with Sven’s pack, while the others were stationed in defensive positions with the remote detonators. It was going to be loud.
Just after three, Alpha Sven got a call. “Do you have my money and Jessie?”
“I do. Where can we meet.”
“At the south end of your territory, where County Road 796 crosses the Embarrass River. Bring no more than one vehicle, just you and one other, and have Jessi’s body in a crate or something, ready to travel.”
“What about Linnea?”
“She will be brought it once you’ve delivered,” he said.
I growled lowly. “How do I know I can trust you,” I said.
“You can’t, but you don’t have a choice here, Sven. Do what I tell you and you can have your mate back. Don’t be stupid.”
“Six o’clock at 796 and the Embarrass River, one vehicle, one other person, be ready to transfer Jessie and the money. Anything else?”
“It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Any cops, patrols, or other werewolves around and I’ll kill her while you watch.” He hung up.
“Did you trace it?”
My tech guy nodded. “Burner phone. Cell tower was thirty miles east of Grand Rapids. They are on the way.”
I looked at my watch. “Time to get everyone in position then.”