KnightForce Tres (La Patron KnightForce Book 3) (15 page)

Chapter 28

“Organized crime? Mobsters? Is that what you think?” Mélange asked Renee, uncertain she’d heard correctly.

Renee nodded.

“Like in the movies?” Mélange asked again to be sure.

“Maybe not just like the movies but…why else does he have a prison down here? And the guards all over the place? He canceled a trip for the kids to the circus because he thought it might be too dangerous, at the time I thought it was weird, but Jazz went along with it.”

Mélange frowned. “Jazz?”

“Jasmine, my sister.”

“Oh, I see.” How much to tell? Mélange couldn’t lie to her mate, but she wasn’t ready to explain being a freak either. “I don’t think he’s in organized crime, but he runs a large organization, with reps all over the country. When you’re that big, there are a lot of enemies, so he’d needs to be extra careful.” She hoped Renee would allow that to pass.

After a few seconds Renee nodded. “Okay, that’s possible. Large businesses resemble organized crime to a point or vice versa.” She paused. “Why did they lock you up? Jazz said you weren’t a criminal.”

Only because I never got caught, Mélange thought. “She’s right, I’m not. Once on a job I ran into Asia and it didn’t turn out well. When she saw me in town, she remembered and had me brought in for questioning. When your sister discovered I was here and not in St. Louis, she wanted me to wait and talk with you. With security this tight, especially with your nieces and nephews, there probably weren’t many other places to put me until we could talk.” Craving the touch of her mate, Mélange covered Renee’s hand again as she inhaled her unique scent. “Roses and vanilla.”

“What? You know Rose?”

“No, you smell like roses and vanilla, I love the way you smell,” Mélange said. Renee’s fragrance watered the dry spots in her soul.

“Jazz said you couldn’t lie to me,” Renee said into the silence.

Mélange swallowed before meeting her mate’s gaze and waited.

“Is that true?”

Mélange nodded, afraid to utter the words that could separate them forever.

“Have you ever killed someone?”

An icy sheet slid over Mélange’s skin. Shadows lengthened in every direction until the room seemed five shades darker. Her skin pricked beneath her clothes as she realized her time with her mate just ended. The only answer that would make things right was one she couldn’t say.

“Do you really want to know?” Mélange asked in a strong voice, pleased she hadn’t broken down at the unfairness of it all. First a human mate, who is the sister of her enemies, and now, she was someone who’d despise her for what she’d become, damn the reasons.

Renee nodded. “I need to know who you are.”

Mélange snorted. “If I killed someone, would that tell you everything about who I am? Is that what you think?”

Renee straightened, tilted her head to the side, and then cleared her throat. “Not everything, but it’s a start.”

Mélange wanted to scream, no! A start is what did you dream of when you were a child? Did you play with dolls? Were you safe growing up? Did you have enough to eat? Those were the highways and byways that led to the path of her current destination. No sane person wakes up, walks outside and takes a life rather than go to the library, there’s so much more to that journey.

“Have you? I need to hear you say it,” Renee pushed.

Mélange looked at her. “Yes.” She thought to add, so has Asia, and your precious nephews, and your brother-in-law, but in the end she didn’t bother defending her actions. Renee would accept or deny her, the choice was hers.

Renee jerked as if slapped and then closed her eyes.

The wall clock ticked away the seconds like sand in an hourglass, slow but steady. Overhead lights stung Mélange’s skin even though they had been dimmed. Life loses all color when reality is so dark, bleak and empty. She’d lost Elyria due to fate, now she’d lose her mate as well because of her past.

When Renee re-opened her eyes, pain and disillusionment clouded them. “Why? I mean were you in the military or something like that?”

Pleased her mate hadn’t run away, hope that she might be allowed to explain a few things blossomed. “Something like that. I worked for a world-wide organization in security, a few times there were causalities.”

“But you didn’t work for Silas?”

“No, I’ve never met him before.”

“So you killed in self-defense?”

Mélange took Renee’s hand and kissed the back of it. “There are things associated with my past work I can never discuss, it would violate the security level I had and the agreement I made with them.”

“Okay, okay, shouldn’t matter anyway. You were just doing your job, just like everyone else.” She eyed Mélange. “Do you own a gun?”

“Several.”

Renee smiled. “I bought one last week, haven’t had a chance to practice with it.”

“Let me teach you,” Mélange said, eager to get past all of this and hold her mate again.

“Only if you’re honest with me and tell me the rest.”

Frowning, Mélange met Renee’s serious gaze. “The rest?”

“Yes, why did you follow me here?” Renee removed her hand from Mélange’s and crossed her arms.

“I couldn’t stand being separated from you so long.” Mélange wished she could make up a fairy tale.

“Really? Why keep it a secret?”

“I already told you, I didn’t want you to think I was a stalker.”

“None of that rings true, now tell me why you couldn’t wait for me to return to St. Louis.”

Mélange opened her mouth and then snapped it shut. Could she explain the relationship of mates without going into detail? Renee wouldn’t allow half-truths, she was too sharp and studied people for a living.

“I didn’t want to wait.”

“But you didn’t come to see me either. How’d you say Jasmine found you?”

Mélange hadn’t, not directly. “I was at the hotel in town. The cops were looking for clues about something and interviewed everyone at the hotel. Asia recognized me and here I am.” She held out her arms and let them drop.

“I showed Jasmine your picture.”

“The one with the two of us in the park?” Mélange loved that shot and had it on her phone and as wallpaper on her laptop. Had they confiscated her computer and weapons from the hotel? Possibly, not that it mattered. She never saved anything important to the hard drive. Jasmine hadn’t mentioned anything.

“Yeah.” Renee pursed her lips while staring at her. “Something about all of this is missing, you haven’t told me everything. What’re you hiding?”

“What are you hiding?” Mélange countered. “I never mentioned the calls to your ex or the times you stopped at the flower store on your way home from work. You’re still in love with her, don’t try to deny it.”

“I wasn’t going to deny it,” Renee said, standing. “For five years that was my routine, stopping by the flower shop on the way home, some days I still do. Mandy and I broke up and it hurt. Devastated me actually, didn’t think I’d trust anyone again. But I don’t go out on dates or call her on the phone to flirt with her. I’m not hiding anything, because I have no problem saying I don’t trust you and can’t be with you.”

Mélange’s heart ripped anew. Standing, she stuffed her hands in her pocket and looked at the floor, afraid go forward but knowing she had to. “You don’t want me? Is that what you’re saying?” Why she asked the question to hear the most painful words ever uttered again in such a short period of time remained a mystery. The Liege claimed she had masochistic tendencies to handle the amount of pain they dished out. Maybe they were right.

Shoulders hunched, she waited for Renee to deal the death blow. A mated wolf without its mate couldn’t survive long term with their mind intact. She’d leave, if her wolf allowed, maybe head to one of the properties she and Elyria owned in Canada to suffer her last days away from everyone.

Renee sighed, placed her hand on Mélange’s shoulder, and then pulled her into an easy embrace. Mélange shuddered in ecstasy from the unexpected contact and then wrapped her arms around Renee, breathing her in and praying for some sort of redemption that would make things right.

“When you’re ready to be open and honest with me, we’ll talk again. Until then, there’s not much we have to say to each other. I’m asking you to go home, don’t contact me until you’re ready to come clean.”

Mélange stiffened for a few moments and then relaxed. “I’ll try. It’s hard opening up to the degree you’re demanding.”

Renee leaned back and they stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. “Do you believe a relationship with me is worth it?”

“Yes.”
“It’s worth my life,”
Mélange thought, and tamped down the paralyzing fear of sharing the horrors of her operations at the hands of the Liege, the metal in her body, and the wolf inside. How could a human ever understand?

“
A mate would understand, otherwise you wouldn’t be mates
,” her wolf said gently.

She kissed Renee while praying for strength to make her mate happy. “If you really want to know…”

“I do,” Renee said, her mouth set in hard lines.

Mélange waved to the chair.

Renee returned to her seat, crossed her feet at the ankles, and leaned forward with her hands clasped in her lap.

Mélange closed her eyes and then opened them. Faces of the men she hated with every breath formed in her mind. Lord Roderick, Gordon, Lancaster, and Griffith, those pigs made her a freak.

After Asia left her riddled with bullets in the lab, Lancaster and the others had laughed at her struggles to escape the impending explosion. When Elyria arrived, they tried to hasten the detonation and bragged of removing the reward money she’d earned from her account since she wouldn’t need it. Now that La Patron had them on the run, she hoped to find one of those bastards and place her foot up his ass. Clearing her throat and the images from her mind she looked at Renee.

“The last group I worked for was called the Liege…”

Chapter 29

Countdown clock: 40 hours remaining
…

“The coroner confirmed Fresm’s death. He changed the cause of death to asphyxiation as you requested, but I saw the body,” Hawke said. “Someone sucked him dry using a chameleon bracelet. It’s different than the one Asia uses. This version is rougher, the man suffered greatly before he died.”

“And the body?”

“The funeral home will plump him up before his sister arrives. As far as we know, she was his only kin,” Tyrese said.

One thing bothered Silas. “What’s the motive? Why take Sarita and not another child? If this was to force our hand to do something, why haven’t any demands been issued yet?” He looked at Hawke and then Tyrese.

“Good question. We still haven’t located Fresm’s vehicle.” He paused, inhaled and then continued. “They found bone fragments in the incinerator at the plant. Forensics is looking at them now to see if they match Cyndy Bret. Her father, Armin Bret is still missing, we don’t know if he’s dead or alive,” Tyrese said.

Angus walked in, the heels of his boots clicked with military precision on the concrete floor. Something bothered him. Silas waited for his littermate to speak.

“
I launched a search into our background records with the Elders, but so much of our clan’s history has been destroyed or lost through the centuries. Some elders say there may be more to our litter, others say no. I’m sorry I don’t have anything more conclusive.”

Silas nodded. He waved for Angus to take a seat. “Jacques?”

Jacques stopped typing and looked at him. “Jasmine thinks the person behind this could be from my litter.”

No one spoke or moved, but the air in the room grew heavy, pensive as each person determined what that announcement meant.

“That would…that’s not good…Sir,” Jacques added almost as an afterthought. “But it would explain the boldness and the lack of clear motive.”

“Those were her thoughts as well.” He hesitated to go down this route, but experience had taught him when his mate had a hunch or opinion, he needed to listen. “Let’s explore the possibility that a littermate of mine is behind this, what exactly does that mean? How does it limit or empower Angus and myself?” His gaze slid from Jacques to Hawke, who wore a thoughtful expression, and then to Tyrese, who looked perplexed. They all waited for Jacques to explain the workings of litters since he had the most experience and knowledge.

“Littermates cannot kill or destroy each other,” Jacques started tentatively. “There was something about drawing energy and merging, and the inability to watch a littermate suffer without trying to help. There may be more, but those are the most prominent facts that come to mind,” Jacques said.

Silas looked at Angus and knew it was true. When Angus was kidnapped recently, and human rogues stole his blood, Silas had worried constantly until he saw Angus personally. The thought of permanently losing Angus made his blood run cold, he couldn’t fathom it or the dark rage that tore through him at the thought.

“Tyrone and I do all of those things,” Tyrese said.

“Most full-bloods are incapable of merging to the same degree you and Tyrone do,” Jacques said. “Most half-breeds either. Probably something from your mother’s line; I’m hoping my litter inherited it as well.”

“I’m Black Wolf,” Hawke said. “Will this impact my den?”

“I don’t know that it does,” Jacques said. “You can destroy other black wolves, just not your littermates.”

“Those crystals are tuned to the Black Wolf clan, but I can’t find Sarita.” Hawke looked at Angus. “She should be able to break the power of the chameleon, right?”

“Theoretically, yes. There are lots of variables. She would need to know to fight against the pull of the chameleon, it’s strong. Also, if she’s wearing a dampener in her necklace, she wouldn’t recognize much, she’d be in suspended animation. Her senses are online, but cognitively she’s not firing. The necklace blocks almost everything the chameleon doesn’t.”

Hawke pinched his lips as his brows furrowed. “Maybe they’ll use the remote on her phone again. When it emits a signal, my system should pick up the device and I may be able to pinpoint her location.” He hit his fist into his palm. “Hate we didn’t think to do this earlier, we may have missed a signal already.”

Silas understood his frustration. “Maybe, but if used once, it’ll be used again. If not, we’ll keep pulling threads until the whole mess is unraveled and Sarita is back here where she belongs.” He held Hawke’s gaze for a few minutes, infusing him with strength and confidence.

Hawke nodded and released a breath.

Angus and Tyrese straightened at the same time. Tyrese pulled the keyboard close and typed a few keys. The wall monitor blinked and then came on. “The trainees just intercepted a broadcast on a private channel they’d been monitoring. No doubt it’s meant for us,” Tyrese said.

“Call Asia,” Angus said without looking at Hawke. Everyone watched the screen. A smaller Ms. Trant lay on top of a bed with an IV drip in her arm. Her eyes twitched, and every once and a while her hand spasmed or her face grimaced, but she never opened her eyes.

“Goddess have mercy,” Jacques whispered.

“This a live feed?” Silas asked, wanting to tear someone apart. Seeing the dedicated teacher lying helpless on the bed ripped off a piece of his heart. She was still alive, just barely.

“We’re not sure, they’re tracking it,” Tyrese said.

Hawke pulled the keyboard and typed. Silas watched as the woman lay in obvious pain.

What happens when the bag is empty?” Jacques asked.

No one answered.

With her eyes closed Silas couldn’t pull her wolf, or could he? Focused, he searched for her. Minutes passed. He couldn’t locate her. That’s when he noticed the necklace on her neck.
Damn
. Littermate or not, he would gut those bastards for this.
Goddess help Sarita, keep her safe
.

His mate was not going to be happy about this. “
Jasmine
.”

“Feeding the kids right now, contact you in a little bit,”
she said.

“Okay
.” Relieved he had a little more time to gather answers, he turned to Angus. “Find a way to neutralize that bracelet. There has to be a way.”

Angus nodded. “I’m working on it. There aren’t many crystals left. In the last three decades the supply dried up.”

Silas didn’t care, he hated being at a disadvantage, and if he couldn’t destroy the person or be around when they were destroyed, that meant Asia or Hawke would have the honors. But he wanted vengeance. No one treated his pack like this.

“Interesting,” Hawke said.

“What?” Silas asked, hoping for a break. Knowledge of the chameleon sent their investigation into a brick wall. The trainees had questions and were confused by all the twists and turns in this case. But no one else needed to know about the chameleon.

Silas locked down all information that might suggest he had access to such a powerful weapon. His captains completed drills with trainees or continued searching through reams of paperwork, or sat through mock interviews while he and the others determine their next move.

“The set-up they’re using to broadcast is similar to one the Liege used years ago, quite effective. It’s routed through several proxies in eastern bloc countries, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location,” Hawke said as he continued typing.

“There is no more Liege, so who’s this? A copycat?” Angus asked.

Hawke shrugged and continued working.

“How much longer until we have an address where this is coming from?” Silas yelled over the PA to the trainees.

“Hopefully Hawke can do better than me,” Jacques said, staring at his monitor. “Because I can’t pin it down, too many hoops to go through, my program can’t keep up. Whoever did this knew what they were doing.”

Hawke didn’t respond but continued typing on the keys. A few minutes later, Asia strode into the room.

“Sir.” She bowed to Silas and walked over to Hawke. Standing behind him, she watched his monitor. “Do I need to guess who created the protocol the Liege used for the live feed?”

“Just something I created in my spare time,” Hawke said, watching the screen.

For the next hour every computer expert in KnightForce and Hawke traced the feed of Ms. Trant. Her IV bag was half empty.

Silas guessed right, his mate hadn’t been happy. If Lilly’s kids hadn’t come over for an impromptu party to cheer up his pups, he was certain she’d be in the room with him, yelling to find Ms. Trant.

“Got it,” Hawke said, standing and snatching the papers from the printer. He slid a copy to Silas, gave one to Angus and Asia.

“This only puts us within a five mile radius of the signal, chances are the body and the equipment used are in a separate place. We’ll need to search the area, ask questions, see if we can find them. Hopefully someone saw Sarita,” Hawke said, and then cleared his throat.

Asia rubbed his arm.

“Pennsylvania, contact Alpha Samuel,” Silas said, reading the information. “Send him the coordinates and if possible, a copy of this feed. I want teams dispatched immediately to do a scent and heartbeat search in this area. Have them go block to block scenting for a sick wolf, nothing should be overlooked. Expand the search after five miles. I want her out of there within the hour. After they locate her, have his forensics team go over that place thoroughly. I want whoever did this stopped.” He looked at Asia and Hawke. “Take some members from your team, I’ll tell them you’re on your way.”

Hawke nodded. “Thank you, Sir.” Asia nodded her thanks and they walked out in a fast clip. Damian stood from his desk and followed them.

Silas prayed for Sarita’s safety, losing Hawke and Asia would be costly.