Bonded (45 page)

No, the most he
could do was lay low, perhaps carry out some reconnaissance and
then report the relevant details to the ACS when they arrived. Of
course, that was only if the ACS was willing to talk to him. It
hadn’t escaped his mind that he was considered a possible
co-conspirator in Brandi’s supposed leaking of information to the
Purists. Maybe that was the source of his unease, the fact that his
own men might have turned on him. He recalled the oath of
allegiance he’d taken upon joining Lycan Link and the fact that
both he and Brandi could be court-martialled and possibly found
guilty.

Of course they
weren’t guilty, but by time the charges were disproven and the real
culprits found, his reputation and Brandi’s would be ruined.
Everything he’d worked for would be lost, the only home he had—his
pseudo-pack—would no longer welcome him. He pushed the thoughts
from his mind. Negative speculation wasn’t helpful. There was a job
to do and duty came before personal concerns.

The sound of car
doors opening and shutting let him know he was close to his
destination. Noticing a small ledge just a few yards away, he
dropped to his belly, crawling along with utmost care, keeping out
of sight and ensuring he stayed downwind of the gathering. Once in
place, he peeked over the edge, biting back an instinctive snarl at
the sight of his enemies.

Before him a large
bowl-like depression, at least a hundred yards wide, was cut into
the earth. At the far end he could see an opening to a mine tunnel
and at the other was a gravel roadway. The whole area showed signs
of recent excavation; the sides of the hollow were bare soil and
stone with only a few straggly native plants beginning to take
root.

Several vehicles
were parked in the middle of the space, some having out-of-state
license plates, while others were local. Thirteen in all, including
Victor’s truck. An unlucky number, he mused, but unlucky for
whom?

Weres were milling
about, some in small groups, others staring around assessing the
location. Reno kept himself pressed low to the ground, thankful his
fur blended in with his surroundings.

With the wind
blowing his way, he was able to catch snatches of conversation.
General greetings, comments about the trip. A few were discussing
the benefits of the location while Victor visibly preened. The man
was easy to pick out of the crowd, his dull blond hair slicked back
and his clothes too perfectly pressed. Reno snorted wondering if
the man even knew how to get dirty.

“Yes, it’s a pure
Lycan town with minimal access to the outside world.” The sound of
Victor’s voice drifted up to Reno’s location. “And the rooms I’ve
developed underground are perfect for meetings. They’re secure,
sound proof, and I’ve installed reinforced beams throughout. If it
meets with your approval, I’ll proceed with my plans to add steel
plates for extra structural stability and install more
generators.”

“Isn’t it better
that we keep changing our location?” Someone questioned.
“Constantly gathering in one place might draw undue attention from
Lycan Link.”

“I’m a visionary,
Roberts. I’m preparing for the day when we begin to take over.”
Victor lifted his chin. “It won’t be easy. There’ll be bloodshed
and hardship before we make Lycans see the truth of our ways. And
during those dark days, our leaders will need secure locations such
as this.”

“Well spoken,
brother.” Another man stepped forward and clapped his hand on
Victor’s shoulder. Something about the fellow led Reno to assume he
held a high rank within the organization. “Your work for our cause
hasn’t gone unnoticed. The information you’ve provided on upcoming
raids has saved many of our members. You won’t go unrewarded.”

Reno’s ears perked
up. Victor was the one providing information to the Purists about
ACS raids! The man obviously had someone on the inside of Lycan
Link and logically that person would be...Brandi.

A stone settled in
his gut as the puzzle pieces fell into place. Victor had
information. Brandi was a member of the pack. She worked for Lycan
Link.
And
her computer was the source of several cases of
hacking. The evidence was damning and he shook his head, not
wanting to believe it.

“Hey! What’s
that?”

Reno jerked from
his introspection and swore. He’d been so busy thinking he hadn’t
noticed the shift in the wind. The Purist Alphas were all looking
in his direction and several of their guards had already shifted
forms and were heading his way!

Scrambling to his
feet, he turned and ran. A wolf suddenly appeared to his left so he
swerved right, leaping over a fallen tree and around a bush only to
see another wolf coming at him from that direction. Changing
course, he ran another few yards but two more were bearing down on
him. Bits of dirt and grass flew into the air as he skidded and
tried to alter his path yet again. A couple of strides to the left
and still more wolves came into sight. Reno pivoted around, darting
his gaze about, desperate to find an escape. When none was
apparent, he chose the smallest looking wolf and charged directly
at him.

His move obviously
took the Lycan by surprise for it hesitated and that was all the
opening Reno needed. Rather than wasting time fighting, he launched
himself over the animal’s head, used its back as a springboard and
took off. He had no idea where he was going but any place was
preferable to his present location, or so he thought until he
realized he was heading straight towards the upper edge of the
depression where the leaders were gathered.

Trying to make a
sharp turn, he gasped, surprised to feel the ground beneath him
begin to slide down the slope. The soft dirt and loose gravel were
giving way under his scrambling feet. He spread his toes wide,
trying to gain a firm footing but the freshly excavated ground
continued to slip and he found himself skidding out of control,
caught in the midst of a landslide.

Over and over he
tumbled, small rocks coming loose and rolling down around him,
hitting his back and shoulders, bruising his legs as he careened
out of control. First one and then another banged into his nose and
he yelped, his eyes watering from the pain. Dust rose up around
him, filling his eyes and nostrils. Coughing and sputtering, he
struggled to catch his breath, to see where he was going, to stop
his mad descent.

Then, just as
suddenly as it had begun, his unplanned ride was over. The world
was still. The dust settled. Shakily he got to his feet, his whole
body throbbing from the beating it had just taken. He blinked
rapidly, shook his head to clear his vision, and then cursed the
fates. He’d landed just a few feet from Victor!

Force of habit had
him glancing about even though he already knew there was no means
of escape. Those that had been chasing him closed in from behind
and the Purist leaders formed a wall in front. Not liking being at
a disadvantage with the others towering over him, Reno shifted into
his human form.

“Mr. Smith. I
confess to being surprised that you decided to join us in such a
manner.” Victor gave him a mocking nod. “I was expecting a
more...subtle...approach. But perhaps the rumours of your greatness
are just that, rumours.”

“Subtlety is
over-rated. I prefer a more in your face method.” Reno hooked his
thumbs in his belt loops and took a casual stance while rapidly
calculating the odds that he’d make it out of this alive. Right
now, it appeared to be around zero.

“Strange, but to
me it appeared you were at my feet.” Victor snickered.

“Well, you rate
damned low in my book so ground level seemed about right to me.”
Reno shrugged and then barely ducked in time to miss the blow that
came at him from the right. One of Victor’s men apparently had
taken exception to his comment.

“You need to show
respect for an Alpha.” The man growled and took another swing. Reno
blocked the blow while delivering one of his own that left the
fellow on the ground wheezing for breath. When the others moved in
closer to come to their comrade’s aid Victor barked out a
command.

“Enough! We have
more important matters to deal with than this one.”

“Did you say his
name was Smith?” One of the Purist leaders—the one called Roberts
who had questioned having a permanent meeting spot—asked. He looked
nervous. “As in Reno Smith, from the ACS?”

“One and the
same.” Victor answered shortly and turned away as if not wanting to
acknowledge the other man.

“ACS? Here?” The
one who was more dominant raised his brows and the rest of the
group murmured uneasily.

“Not to worry,
Burchard. Smith’s appearance here has nothing to do with Lycan Link
or the ACS. He erroneously believed one of my females had formed an
attachment to him.”

Reno kept his face
bland while frowning inwardly. Did Victor actually believe that or
was it a tale he was spinning to the others to save face?

“Why he’s here no
longer matters,” Roberts pointed out. “The problem is that he
is
here and must have put the puzzle pieces together. He
knows we’re Purists and can identify us. After all, the man’s not
stupid.”

“Thanks,” Reno
gave the man a mocking bow, wondering what they might do with him.
Would they kill him now or tie him up and kill him later? Not much
of a choice but he’d take the latter since it provided a window of
hope. You never knew when events might turn in your favour.

Victor sighed.
“Smith’s nothing but a minor annoyance. I plan to get rid of him
once we are done with our meeting.” He jerked his head towards his
men. “Tie him up.”

“No.” Roberts
stepped forward and Reno noted with interest the challenge in the
man’s voice.

“No?” Victor
stiffened and lifted his chin.

“Deal with him now
before he has a chance to escape.” Roberts folded his arms and
widened his stance.

“Fine.” Victor
snapped out the word, likely disgruntled at this interruption to
his moment of glory. His ice blue eyes looked even colder than
ever. “DaSilva, go and—”

“And,” Roberts
interrupted. “You should be the one to do it. You’ve been spouting
your hatred of Enforcers and the ACS for long enough. All talk and
no action; that’s how it looks from where I stand. When was the
last time you even went hunting and made a kill?” The man paused
and looked Victor up and down before jeering. “It’s as if you don’t
even want to get your paws dirty.”

Victor narrowed
his eyes and a few of the other leaders chuckled at the verbal
jab.

“Brother Roberts
has a point.” Burchard clasped his hands behind his back and cocked
his head to the side, studying Victor. “Those who make up my inner
circle not only preach returning to our roots, they model it
through their deeds. I don’t recall seeing you in wolf form
recently. When was the last time you spilled blood?”

Reno noted the
muscle working in Victor’s jaw and the unmistakeable gleam of glee
in Roberts’ eyes. Apparently, a power struggle was going on within
the Purists’ hierarchy.

Silence descended
on the group. Even the weres behind him, who had been milling
restlessly about, stilled. Victor’s gaze slowly moved over those
assembled, his lip curling in disdain when he looked at
Roberts.

Ever so subtly
Victor pulled his shoulders back. When he spoke, his words were
measured, his tone having an edge of derision. “Some might feel the
need to prove themselves with endless shifting. They spend their
time and energy on pointless hunts that have no benefit beyond the
enjoyment of blood sport. I, however, prefer to devote myself to
furthering our cause through the gathering of intelligence and the
acquisition of more members. In the end, would you prefer a secure
shelter or a dead stag?” He looked back at Burchard and quirked an
eyebrow.

Tension was
palpable as those gathered glanced between the three main players
in the confrontation. Roberts’ face was red. Burchard lowered his
brows and Reno was sure he heard a collective gasp. In fact, he
readied himself assuming a leadership battle would ensue and it
might allow him an escape opportunity.

Unexpectedly,
Burchard relaxed and let out a bellow of laughter. “A point to
Victor, Roberts, though your dead deer might be useful as emergency
rations. Victor, can you install a freezer in your underground
shelter so we can store Roberts’ contributions to the cause?”

“Perhaps.” The
corners of Victor’s mouth curled ever so slightly and he
nodded.

Burchard was
clever, Reno decided. The man seemed to have baited the two in
order to judge their reactions and then defused the situation by
turning it into a joke. Was Burchard looking for a second in
command and were these two both up for the job? If so, Victor had
come out the winner though his subtle challenge towards Burchard in
front of the other Purists might blow up in his face. A second in
command needed to be strong and clever but not too ambitious or the
leader would fear being usurped.

The tension within
the group eased but Reno knew his own fate had yet to be decided.
He scanned those gathered wondering if he had one minute or one
hour left to live. Flicking his gaze over the surrounding
countryside, he caught sight of a flash of movement on the slopes
above. Narrowing his eyes, he could almost swear he’d seen someone
with red hair but that was ridiculous. Brandi was safe in the
tunnels, wasn’t she?

While Reno puzzled
over what he’d seen, Victor addressed those gathered once more. “I
embrace the ancient ways of our people as any of my pack members
can testify. However if you need further proof—" Without warning,
the Alpha shifted forms and lunged towards Reno.

Chapter
28

Brandi, Peter and
the others had spent the last hour working their way up the
mountain, circling around and above the meeting spot that Victor
was using. By keeping downwind, they’d managed to avoid detection
and were now hunkered down to assess the situation and hopefully
locate Klaus and his men.