by Celeste Raye
He said his goodbyes and Mona snuck back into the bedroom as quietly as she possibly could. She hated to think about the idea that someone was targeting Fran. She hadn't known her that long, but she had always been nice to her, and Mona was sorry to hear that another person was affected by the Franklin Organization. They were never going to stop until somebody took care of them, and if anybody was going to, Mona had a feeling that it would be Jack.
When he finally came to bed, she had a big smile on her face.
“Sorry that took so long. Had a couple of calls that I had to take.”
“Oh? Anything important?”
Mona was setting him up, but she didn’t feel too bad about it. He was obviously hiding some things from her, and she wanted to know the truth. Not just that, she wanted Jack to trust her enough with the information to actually tell her what was going on.
“It looks like the Franklin Organization has struck again. I am going to meet with Chris tomorrow, and we're going to go meet with a couple of people that might give us some leads.”
“That sounds promising. I hope it all works out. You guys really do need to stop them.”
He got a determined look on his face and agreed.
“I am going to do the best I can, Mona. I don't want them to ever do this to anyone again. Nobody deserves this.”
She agreed and accepted being wrapped up in his arms. There was a lot of his truth that he didn’t mention, and even though she was a little hurt that he didn't trust her with it, conversely, she felt like she could understand why he didn’t. Everything he was doing was what he felt like he had to do to keep everyone safe. He’d taken it all personally on his shoulders, for better or for worse.
Chapter Eighteen
Jack had to leave again. He didn't want to. He wanted to stay with his boys and stay with Mona, but he had things to do. He needed to the meet up with Chris again. After the new information that he got from Fran, as well as further information that had gotten from one of the investigators, there was finally a crack in the case. They had discovered a small set-up just like the one that kept the boys, which worked for the Franklin Organization. Jack was hopeful that he would be able to help Fran’s clients.
When he got to Chris’ place, the man had been drinking a little bit and he was feistier than usual. Chris was the dark sort. While he tried to be positive, and most of the time he was, there was also a dark side to him, and the current situation was not helping his mood at all.
“Come in, Jack; get yourself a drink.”
“I think I need to be sober for this. It wouldn't hurt if you were as well.”
Chris waved him off. “Unless we're going to go kill them sons-of-bitches tonight, I don't think it really matters if I drink something right now.”
“I want to do more than kill these people. We need to figure out what their plan is and who is running it all. This will be just another subset of the larger group. I’m sure of it. I don’t know how big it is, but it sounds like the last set-up of witches that we walked into.”
“Well, as much as I hear that they don't like paranormal beings, it is clear that they don't like shifters in particular. It seems like all that they're going after is shifters. It doesn't matter what we turn into, just shifters in general.”
Jack had to agree with that. For whatever reason the Franklin Organization did not care for shifters. He wasn't sure if that hatred spilled out for other paranormal beings, but shifters were a target for sure. Witch magic was different for some reason.
“Yeah, it seems like they're certainly focused on shifters and they are in this area.”
“So, is it humans, too?”
“No, it looks like there are a few humans, but mainly it is witches. I have a pretty good feeling that it’s going to be a witch at the top. She might have been human at one point, this Jackie chick, but she can’t be human now, and have lived as long as she has.”
“They never did like us. We need to find a witch that can infiltrate the Organization, learn what they can from the small group. Maybe then we could figure out what their main goals are. From where I'm sitting, it looks like they just want to take us all out. There has to be something more.”
“It wouldn't be the first time that they had tried without a good reason.”
Chris was solemn for a moment. There certainly had been many attacks on the shifter race in recent years. Jack knew that Chris was most likely thinking the same thing that he was. There were only so many times that his people could be attacked before they became more than defensive. It was about time that they became offensive and showed the world how vicious they could be when they were messed with.
“So, who do we know that we can send in?”
Jack asked the question offhandedly, and Chris immediately had an answer for him; it was just not an answer that he wanted.
“What about... Okay, hear me out. What about Mona? She is a witch, and she is actually kind of perfect for the situation. They are most likely looking for witches that are not bonded to their families, and from what I found out about Mona, she doesn't have much family left. It would stand to reason that she would be a prime target for someone like them to recruit.”
As soon as Jack heard the suggestion, every part of his body was screaming no. The last thing he wanted to do was put her into any kind of danger and that's exactly what he would be doing. There was no way that he could let something happen to her. There had been too many close calls lately in his life, and Jack wasn’t willing to go through another one.
“No, Chris. No way. She is a witch, but I don't even know if she practices. I have not seen her use any magic and the last thing I want to do is get her in bed with people like that. She wouldn't stand a chance. She isn’t like us.”
Chris did not agree with Jack’s assessment. He had talked to her and been around her quite a bit, and he could feel the power that was inside of her. He did not know much about witches, but he did know that they had a palpable power that surrounded them, or at least the strong ones did. Mona definitely made him feel like something was in the air.
“I think that you are underestimating her.”
“You don't know her.”
“As much as that is true, Jack, you don't know her either. I know that the two of you just met not too long ago. You can't tell how powerful she is?”
“I wouldn't say that. I just don't think we should put her in this situation.”
Had he been so wrapped up in mating with her that he hadn’t seen something in Mona that was so easy for Chris to see?
“Then tell me somebody else that can do it, Jack.”
“To be honest, I don't care who does it, as long as it's not her. I can't let anything happen to her.”
Chris sat back for a moment, and he just had this grin on his face.
“What?”
“When did you fall in love with the witch?”
Jack told him that he didn’t know what he was talking about, but they both knew that it was a lie. The assessment was correct. But he did not have an answer for it. He really didn't know at what point he had fallen for Mona, just that he had.
“Well, it doesn't matter, I suppose, just so nothing happens to her. I won't let her go.”
“I think you should at least give her the option. We are not the only ones that have a bone to pick with them.”
“I know, that's the problem. I know that she would go for it, probably immediately. She is far braver than she should be. Or at least braver than I wish she were.”
“There is nothing wrong with that. Most women do not show that quality. You should be thankful that she is such a strong woman. That will come in handy later.”
“If I knew that she would be safe, then I would be. But with everything going on with these crazy ass people attacking us, I just want to keep her safe and where I know they can’t get to her.”
Chris nodded, but he did not agree with how Jack wanted to handle it. Jack had an uneasy feeling, but he just ignored it. Most of
the time, he was just paranoid, and he was under the impression that this was one of those times.
Chapter Nineteen
After Mona heard from Chris, she knew that there was something that she had to do. Mona wasn't too enthused about it; it was going to be dangerous, but it had to be done. And if she didn't do it, who would?
The only problem was that Jack was not taking it as well as she thought he would. Mona believed that the idea that Chris had brought to her was a good one. It was a way to get them into the Franklin Organization and find out as much as they possibly could. It seemed like a no-brainer, but once she brought it up to Jack, he made it clear that there was no way that he was going to let that happen.
Part of her wanted to tell him that he didn't have a choice. She was her own person, and she would do what she wanted to do, but there was also still a part of her that wanted him to realize that she could do more than just watch the kids. Just because she was a woman, didn't mean that she didn't have other abilities that were worth something.
The last time that she had talked to Jack about it was the night before and he had not taken it well at all. She was in the shower thinking about it, hoping that something would change so that they could talk about it. He had not come to bed until after she was asleep, so she wanted to catch him before he took off downstairs to the kitchen in the morning. He was avoiding her because he knew that they were going to have a conversation that wasn’t pleasant.
“Jack, I think we should talk.”
“I think we talked enough last night, especially if you want to talk about going undercover with witches. I don't want to talk about that again.”
“I don't think that you have a say in that, Jack. I want to help take them down because they kept me hostage for a week. I think I have that right. You acting like I don't is really upsetting me.”
“Well, do you know what upsets me?”
“What?”
“The idea that had something can happen to you. You want to save the world and save everyone else, but what happens if something bad happens to you? Who is going to be there to save you?”
“I don't need saving, Jack.”
“You do, you just don't know it. That's the problem.”
“I don't want to fight with you about this, but I have made up my mind. This is the way for us to get all the information that we need. We need to find out who in charge, and this is the way to do it. I know that you realize this. Can you think of another witch to take my place?”
“No. But I can't imagine someone else taking your place in any way. You are irreplaceable, and I don't want something to happen to you. I won’t be able to live with it.”
“You can't live in fear, Jack. We just have to believe that everything's going to work out, as it has.”
Jack did not want to live in fear, but at the same time, he didn't want to pretend that nothing bad could happen either. He wanted to be smart about it, and this didn't feel smart.
“Is there really no way that you will stop this nonsense and stay here where you're needed?”
He was saying it in a way to make her feel guilty, and she certainly was.
“I am not saying that anything is more important than the other, but I am going to say that I want to help. If there is a way that I can help, that’s what I want to do.”
She thought that he was going to continue to argue with her, but he didn't. Jack just sighed like he had given up.
“I know that you will do great.”
She smiled at him, “Really? You're not going to be upset?”
“I'm not happy, but I can't stop you from doing this, and you're right: this could really help us get the information that we need. You just have to promise me that you'll come back and that you'll be careful.”
“I promise.”
She hugged him and she felt like, for once, he was taking her seriously. As much as she fought for the opportunity to go undercover in the Franklin Organization, it was one of the last things that she wanted to do. Why would she want to be around so many people like that?
Not only that but if she was caught, there was no telling what they would do to her. She didn't have to have that good an imagination to figure it out.
It was the first time that they had argued, and so naturally, it was the first time that they made up. After spending a few hours in bed, neither one of them had anything to complain about.
They talked a little bit about her undercover job, and even though he was going along with it, it did not change how he felt about it. The last thing Jack wanted to do was put her into harm's way. He made it clear with every breath he took.
He was putting it off, telling her that they needed a couple of weeks to get ready. Or at least a couple of days, when she thought that was too long.
Mona seemed to be happy with how things had worked out. She believed that it was the best way for them to get the information that was needed to take down such a horrible group of people.
Believing she could help made her feel less afraid.
They went to bed that night, and at least they weren’t arguing, although it would have been naive to think that they were on the same page. At least they were at a truce for the moment.
Chapter Twenty
As much as Jack hated the idea of Mona going, they had no other choice. He tried to find a witch to infiltrate the place, but no one came forward. Who would want to get involved with such an organization, especially knowing they were capable of doing so many horrible things?
He wanted to believe that he could find someone to take her place, but after a couple of days, it became clear that Mona was going to go, and he was going to worry about her the whole time.
It was the morning that he was going to say goodbye to her. She was going to be gone for at least a week. Maybe longer, just depending on how long it took her to get some information. They had set up a meet and greet for her to get to know the witches and hopefully for her to be accepted into the fold. It was kind of shady, and he was hoping that it wouldn't turn out as badly as his gut told him that it was.
It was new territory for him. He was so used to being the one in charge and the one making the decisions. He used to think that he could do what was needed to keep his family safe. To know that he wasn’t enough was hard to handle.
“You have to stop looking like that, Jack. Nothing is going to go wrong.”
“You know that you shouldn't say that, right? I mean I think every time I've heard that in a movie, it has never turned out well.”
She smiled at his dry humor and just shook her head. “It will be fine. I promise.”
Jack knew that it was only making it worse. It was already a hard-enough situation without him dragging it out.
“Just come back. We're going to miss you.”
“I'm going to miss you guys too. Tell the boys I will see them when I get back. I told them that I was going to go away for a little bit, but I don't want them thinking about all of it, so I didn’t say where. I just left it casual.”
For some reason, her answer made him feel a little bit better. What it all came down to wasn’t the idea that she couldn't handle herself. It was the fact that he was afraid he was going to lose her. Her acting that way made it easier for him to believe that what she said was true. She planned to come back.
They kissed, and he held on to her a moment longer than he needed to. It just felt impossible to let her go, and before he knew it, she was gone.
Jack had made Mona promise that she would call him as soon as she could. It worked out that it wasn't until the next day that he finally got a call from her and he started to calm down a little bit.
“Hey, Jack.”
“You sound pretty blasé, considering what you are doing right now.”
“I am just trying to keep my voice a normal tone. I don't know if somebody is listening or not. This place is kind of crazy.”
“Where are you?”
“I'm in a sort of compound that is not too far from where the
y had the boys. It is surrounded by woods, but this is a lot more modern. There are witches here, but not near as many as I first thought. Most of the people here are humans.”
“And the humans know what you are?”
“Yes. And it doesn't seem to matter one way or another. I don't think that they are actually against supernatural beings in general, more shifters. There has been some talk of vampires as well, but no one really likes them.”
“So, have you learned anything so that you can get out of there?”
Jack was glad that she called and glad that she was okay for the moment, but it didn't mean that he wanted to have her stay there any longer than she needed to.
“I need to stay a bit longer and figure some things out, but I don't think that there is any way we can stop them. If you could see what I have seen and how big it is, you might feel the way I do. This is a really big set-up.”
“And what are they doing there?”
“They're doing some testing, but they're also picking up new shifters. I have seen about ten new ones come in today.”
That was a bit bigger than Jack would have imagined. He had thought that while there could be several witches or even a few humans involved, he wouldn't have guessed that it would be so prolific. Where were they getting the funding and the information from?
“I don't think you should stay there any longer than you have to.”
“Me neither, so as soon as I find something out, I am going to go. Trust me; I do not want to stay here any longer than I have to. This place really creeps me out.”
“And they don't suspect anything?”
“No. It isn't hard to say what they want to hear. I have listened to many witches say the exact same things. There always has been a disconnect between shifters and witches.”
“It's a shame, really. Just be safe. I want you to come home.”
“Home, huh?”
“Mona. You know that this is your home.”
“Well, I will be home as soon as I can. I hope that this won’t take too long. I want to get back to you. It's hard to sleep without you.”
