Desert Wolf (12 page)

“I don’t know whether you’re ambitious or insane.”

His sudden grin startled her even more than his glare. “Who says it has to be mutually exclusive?”

W
hile he would have enjoyed spending
the rest of the afternoon with the little Omega, Trask called. They needed to do something about Garcia. Jose continued to pine in his lodgings and the other wolves had begun to grow concerned about his mourning. Probably better to let Sovvan ponder the information he’d shared, anyway. Her Hound came looking for her just as Cassius strode out of the pool.

Faust’s glare actually boosted the Alpha’s mood. The other wolf didn’t want Sovvan to spend too much time alone with him. She didn’t carry his scent nor had either indicated they were lovers, so it was more likely a brother protecting a sister against a potential interloper. Ah, if only it were a simple matter of courting. If she were any other wolf, Cassius would already have tried to lure her into his bed.

Sex won a lot of wars and ended more before they began. Women, most of them anyway, also tended to be more emotionally invested with their lovers than males. If he could have seduced her, then he could have been assured of her assistance. As it was, the very thing he needed her for made seducing her a non-option.

Sooner or later, she was right, they would have to touch. He would have to share blood with her and then the Omega would see right into his soul, and he’d see all his filthiness reflected in her. The certainty of the knowledge drove him as he left her.

Trask met him at the base of the hill, then fell into step as he strode towards the western corner. The old area of town had only begun to be reclaimed from disrepair in the last few years. Some of the scorch marks on the adobe dated back to the second Enforcer attack he’d just told Sovvan stories about. “What’s the problem?”

“His grief is…it’s powerful. It fills the whole room, and it’s coming out of the windows. No one wants to stay in there with him. Bianca came by to check on him, and she just left in tears.” The big man shook his head. “I’ve never seen anyone grieve like that.”

“You’ve never lost a child.” Cassius waved him off and followed the bitter trail of tears and remorse to the single-story dwelling. The doors and windows stood open to the breeze, but the height of the wall and the other structures kept it in shade. Inside, he found Jose sitting at a table with a cold cup of coffee in his hands. The wolf stared into the distance, his expression lost.

Flipping an empty chair around, Cassius straddled it and waited for the other wolf to acknowledge him. Jose said nothing immediately, though the faint flare of his nostrils said he’d detected at least the scent of his Alpha. Finally, he turned his tortured gaze to Cassius and sighed.

Depression clung to every surface, like thick cobwebs which refused to be dislodged. “Damn, Jose. You planning on suiciding?”

The harsh words slapped some of the distance away. “No, Alpha. I’m…I cannot wrap my mind around the boys choosing to rebel against you.”

“Sure you can.” He felt for the guy, he did, but not enough to buy the ration of horseshit he seemed intent on shoveling. “You’re just pissed they are rebelling against
you
.”

For a split second, anger sparked in the other wolf’s eyes. “They are rebelling against my stand with you.”

“Are you standing with me?” He rested his forearms on the chair back.

“Of course I’m standing with you. I’ve had numerous opportunities to turn on you through the years.” The grief-stricken cloud parted and the furious wolf peeked out. “I’ve never stabbed you in the back.”

“Because you’ve never seen any advantage to the maneuver. You’ve done well under my leadership and made a lot of money. You have relative amount of freedom in your region, and not a lot of oversight. You play fast and loose with your money and the rules, because as long as no one calls you on it—who cares?”

Jose glared at him. “Whatever you have asked of me, I have given.”

“And if I ask you for your other son? The one you sent away from the fight. The one who didn’t tell you Andreas was there in the fight. Will you give him to me?”

“Cassius.” Not Alpha. No, not the respect, only the friendship. “Are you asking me?”

“What is your answer if I do?” He wouldn’t bend or yield to their history. It wasn’t in him, not with so much on the lines.

“I cannot take another child from his mother.” Not really an answer.

“You didn’t take the first one.”

Rising suddenly, Jose slammed his chair backward. It smashed against the wall, and he curled his hands into fists. “No, you did or that bitch Omega you brought here did.” Spittle flew from his lips with every word. “But I am still here. I still surrendered myself to you. I still protected Bianca. I am still willing to
follow
you.”

“Do you want a prize, Jose? You are my wolf. You all belong to me. Do you want me to applaud you for doing what you should have, regardless of who killed Andreas? He shouldn’t have tried to assassinate the wolf I invited here. He shouldn’t have contradicted my orders and or fostered rebellion.”

“He was
not
in charge of them.” Jose lunged forward, pausing at the last second as though remembering himself.

“So who was?” If he knew Andreas wasn’t in a position to lead, that meant he also knew who Andreas followed. “Who did your son believe over you? Who did they turn to?”

“I don’t know.” The lie proved more pungent than his grief. He stalked away, his whole body nearly vibrating. If not for his awareness of Trask’s men beyond the structure, Cassius had to wonder if Jose would run.

“Want to try your answer again?”

Silence, then the wolf struck the wall. Cracks radiated out from the center of impact. Blood added a coppery scent to the air, and Jose bowed his head. “I do not know.” Still a lie.

“Jose, we have been friends for more than four decades. That friendship is the only reason I am giving you a third and final chance to answer the question. Who sent them to ambush the Omega?”

Jose shook his head and didn’t turn to face him.

“Trask,” Cassius called, raising his voice. “Bring me Garcia’s son.”

“You got it.” Came the swift reply.

Whirling, Jose faced him. “You cannot do that.”

“I can do whatever I damn well please.” He was already rising when the other wolf rushed him. He’d expected it. Cassius had just threatened his family, so what else would a father do?

He caught the first blow then wrenched the other wolf’s shoulder as he slung him away. Rebounding off the far wall, Jose roared as he came for him again. His technique had grown sloppy over the years. Once upon a time, the wolf wouldn’t have tried to gouge him or punch him, he’d have tackled him. The man had powerful, thick arms and, on more than one occasion, had proven he could squeeze the life out of his competition. All he had to do was get them into a bear hug and lock them down.

Avoiding nearly every blow from his careless throws and jerky movements did nothing to improve Cassius’ mood. Tiring swiftly of the farce, he caught one arm around Jose’s elbow and bent the arm backward. Then with a hand on his throat, he pinned Jose to the wall.

The wolf struggled at first before he ceased his motion. “Kill me then and get it over with.” He panted.

“Why?” The whole drama had been to throw Cassius off the scent for whomever Andreas answered to and then to protect his last living son.

“I attacked you. It’s rebellion. I will stand with them. I cannot Alpha Challenge you here. If you release me, I will attack you again. If you have to take another Garcia’s life, let mine be the blood price paid.”

Disgusted, he was almost tempted to snap his neck just to shut up the martyr complex. Releasing him abruptly, Cassius stared at him and kept his face impassive. “I will not let you run, tail between your legs.”

“I am not running.” The other wolf pushed himself up to sit against the wall, but didn’t try to rise farther.

“Yes, you are. Yes…” He raised a hand when Jose opened his mouth to protest. Crouching, he locked his gaze on the other wolf. “You are terrified of whatever answer it is you don’t want to share. You say Andreas did not lead them, but if you are so certain he was not at fault, it means you know who he might have followed.”

Tears filled the wolf’s dark brown eyes. “He followed his brother, but Juan is not the leader either. Juan has big dreams. Dreams of a better pack, a stronger one. One where our family can become more than just control of region or a street gang. He wants power, prestige…the ability to travel among the other packs. He wants more than what we have.”

Exhausted, Jose scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know who it is they are listening to. They stopped listening to me a long time ago. They see me as someone too weak to run the Reaping and too loyal to you to change.” With a sharp bitter laugh, he shook his head. “Maybe I am a coward. My own sons do not heed me any longer. Juan only left because the other families were there. He is more afraid Cyril than he is of me. If he were more respectful, if he had honor…he would have warned me Andreas had already gone ahead. Perhaps I could have saved him, too.”

“Perhaps,” Cassius sighed, sharing the other man’s weariness. “I need to see Juan, and I have to talk to him. Right or wrong, he knows something and, whether he can give me a name or a direction, he also fostered rebellion against the pack.”

“Alpha, I have no other sons. My mate…she always had trouble conceiving and her pregnancies were difficult. I don’t know if she has been informed about Andreas yet, but the news may very well kill her, especially if you take Juan, too.”

Facts, not pleading. Information, not emotional blackmail.

“I can’t promise you his life may not be forfeit. What I can do is take him into custody and prevent him from doing anything more to endanger his life.” For most it wasn’t a concession, but Jose stared at him.

“Would you do that? He is young, stupid, and very impetuous, but I think he can still learn.”

“You’re his father. It’s your prerogative to believe the best. I am Alpha, so it is mine to protect us all. What they are doing will tear the pack apart.”

“Cassius, what you are doing is threatening to tear the pack apart. Everyone is afraid of the Omega. Omegas have always been bad luck. You know the stories…the horrors they can unleash.”

“Only if you’re afraid of yourself. Do you trust me, Jose?”

The other wolf said nothing, then bowed his head. That was his answer.

“But you fear me.” It wasn’t a question and when Garcia nodded slowly, Cassius gripped his shoulder. “Then stay here. Do not leave this dwelling. Trask’s men will be watching you. If you change your mind about who is charge of the rebellion, you can send word to them. You will have no contact with your family, and we will be watching them. Juan is old enough for the Reaping this year.”

Jose flinched.

“If he didn’t want to participate or you were afraid for him, you should have come to me.”

“You don’t care.” Jose’s words halted him, and Cassius smiled. It would be easier for them all if he didn’t. Leaving the broken wolf, he stepped outside. Trask waited for him along with two of his men and Johnny Blaze. He hadn’t seen the other wolf since he’d sent him ahead to Summit.

“Do you want me to pick up his kid, Cassius?”

“No,” he told Johnny. “I have other work for you, but later. Go away right now.”

A grimace tightened Johnny’s expression, but he obeyed. Trask shook his head and waited until he and Cassius were out of earshot of Jose’s dwelling before saying, “Juan wasn’t there when Gil went to scoop him up.” They’d sent the other wolf to watch over the Garcias after they rolled out from the rest stop.

“What did the family say?”

“
No sé
.” Trask shook his head. “They are all deaf, dumb, blind and mute. Gil said they weren’t lying, they just didn’t know. Rumor has it, the boys run pretty wild and Jose doesn’t rein them in all that often. I can put the word out to the Hunters. With the Reaping close, though…”

“It would be the same as a death sentence.” Juan was old enough to fight in the Reaping. If a Hunter caught him thinking the Alpha was interested in him, for good or for ill, they’d be just as happy to deliver his corpse.
Dammit.

“Tell Gil to take a couple of days, see if he can track him. If not, bring Gil home, and we’ll deal with Juan afterward.”

Cassius’ phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket.

“After the Reaping?” Trask sounded more than a little skeptical.

The message on Cassius’ phone, however, was damn welcome.
I’m on my way. Tyler is coming with me. I’ll use the old route, avoid the families. Where to?

He grinned. “After Claire gets here.”

Trask’s scent grew significantly happier.

“Can you spare anyone to cross out on the old roads and make sure she and her mate get in here safely?”

“Not a problem. How soon do I expect them?”

Cassius write a text back.
Trask sending people to meet you at Horseshoe. Fly to Nevada, don’t come overland. Pick up a car in Las Vegas, drive south. Wait outside the Horseshoe. If it’s not Trask or one of his, kill them and wait for the real escort.

He showed the message to Trask and the other wolf grunted. “We’ll take care of it.”

A moment later his message screen received a simple
k
.

Sovvan was on board. Claire was on her way.

Goddamn. His plan just might work.

L
eaving
his men to do the work, Cassius headed to Bianca’s. In the hustle to take care of everything else, he hadn’t checked on the child beyond what information Trask located—which wasn’t much. Bianca threw open the door before he managed to knock, and then he had an armful of healer.

When tears soaked his shirt, he scowled and inspected the interior of the house. Little Maddy sat in a chair on the far side of the room watching some cartoons on the television. She barely glanced in his direction. Ushering Bianca back into her house, he pushed the door closed with his boot.

“Hey,” he said, disentangling her arms from around him and leaning away to get a good look. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I screwed up,” she said, wiping away her tears. “With the Omega, with the healing. She was pretty beat up and needed help, and I couldn’t get past my own hang-ups to help her.”