by Tl Reeve
The bikers stopped a few feet from Kalkin’s Enforcer and sat there. They made no move to get off their bikes. The man to the right of the leader stared a hole into Rapier. He had a stocky-muscular build. The white, ribbed tank he wore was stretched to the max over his body while he too wore leathers. The guy to the left had an amused expression on his face as he leaned against the handle bars of his motorcycle. Of all three of them, he seemed the most relaxed. A niggle of something important scratched at the back of Rapier’s mind, but he couldn’t place it.
“Looks like we have ourselves a little stand-off,” Kalkin said, stepping out of the house.
Rapier exited behind Kalkin. “The question is, why?”
“You’re still fucking ugly,” the man in the middle said. “Never understood what Jasmine saw in you.”
That voice. Rapier knew it. It’d been a long time though. “Poppa?” Ernesto “Poppa” Cruz, leader of the Lone Wolves MC, was a vicious fucking wolf. Rapier tried to keep his distance when it came to his group of hellions. So if that’s Poppa, then... “Black Jack?” The man on the right was Hector Alessandro Chicone, or more commonly known as “Black Jack,” nodded and gave him a Cheshire grin. “Hombre?” Better known as Alejandro “Hombre” Hernandez, grunted in response and sat on Poppa’s left. Someone was missing though. Rapier just couldn’t put his finger on who it was.
“‘Bout time you recognized us,” Hector said. “We’ve been looking for you.”
Kalkin stepped forward. “So, you thought you’d just enter our lands and what?”
Ernesto frowned. “We came here to ask for help.”
Rapier smothered the spark of surprise. From what he recalled, Poppa didn’t ask for help. He took care of his own shit with his own group. If someone crossed him, he dealt with it. Hell, the last time he heard anything about the Lone Wolves, their numbers were in the twenties. Yet, only three were there. “Where’s the rest of you?”
Alejandro snorted. “This is all of us.”
Kalkin cocked a brow. “I think I misheard you.”
“No, you didn’t, old man,” Hector said.
Kalkin glanced at Rapier. “Don’t you love it when people come onto your land and ask for your help, but are rude?”
Rapier chuckled. “Wouldn’t expect anything else from feral wolves.”
Hector flipped him off. “We’re not fucking feral, asshole.”
“Gentlemen, this conversation in the middle of the street will eventual draw unwanted attention,” Kalkin said. “I suggest we take it to neutral ground.”
“You lead, we’ll follow,” Ernesto said, starting his bike.
Rapier got into the Enforcer beside Kalkin. “Where we going?”
“Vigilante. I thought about the orphanage at first, but I can’t put the kids at risk.” Kalkin turned the vehicle around and headed for the middle of town. “How do you know them?”
Rapier scrubbed his face. “They were, at one time, the elite of Raymond’s pack. A bunch of mangy wolves who didn’t give a shit what job they took as long as they got paid. They didn’t fuck with my brothers and I, but several good people lost their livelihood to the Lone Wolves MC.” It dawned on him then who was missing then. “Poppa had a woman—human with him all the time. I thought she was his mate. A little strange she’s not with him now.”
“Maybe she woke up and didn’t like the man he’d become,” Kalkin said.
“Maybe,” he replied.
“Who do I have to watch for?”
Rapier chuckled. “All of them. They’re sneaky. They might say they need help, but I bet they’re working an angle. I’ll know more once we’re inside and they start talking.”
Kalkin pulled into the parking lot of the building while Poppa, Black Jack, and Hombre parked along the sidewalk. “Looks like they march to the beat of their own drum.”
Rapier smirked. “Too true.”
“What the fuck is this place?” Black Jack said, pointing to the building.
“My mate’s security company,” Kalkin answered, pushing into the building. “Don’t touch anything.”
Black Jack lifted his hands. “Whatever you say.”
“Pretty high tech, if you ask me,” Hombre stated.
“Yeah, well, we like to make our pack and Pride members feel safe here.” Kalkin opened the door to the main conference room then closed it when everyone was inside. “This room is sound proof and jammed. Anything you say in here, no one will know about.”
“Where’s Alicia?” The question popped out of Rapier’s mouth. He’d been curious about her since he realized who stood before him in the middle of the road outside his construction site. Not seeing her bugged the shit out of him.
“Dead.” The monotone way Poppa said the word confused Rapier.
“Dead?”
The man nodded. “It’s why we’re here. We’re through with Raymond and his pack of dogs.”
Kalkin crossed his arms. “Her death brought you to this conclusion, not the deaths of anyone else? Or the children we’ve found near death in the middle of the desert?”
Poppa winced. “We’ve been done for a while even before her death.”
“What happened to Alicia?” Rapier asked, a little more forceful this time.
“Accident.” Poppa stared him down. “At least now he can’t hurt her anymore.”
Rapier felt gut punched.
“Explain,” Kalkin said.
The old wolf snarled. “He killed her. What more do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Kalkin said. “Why did he kill her? When did he kill her? Where did he kill her?”
“Can’t prove it,” Hombre said. “Can’t prove any of it. Raymond is that fucking good.”
No shit. “What did you expect to happen? I took my mate and ran when he came after me. All because I helped a wolf in need.” Rapier would do it again too. No one should have to be left to die because of falling for a piece of pussy. Finding and saving Mackenzie had been the stupidest but best thing he’d ever done for himself and his family.
“She was coming home from New Mexico. She’d gone to grab some supplies for her salon and bam, she got hit by a wrong way driver.” The way Poppa talked about Alicia was devoid of any emotion. “The police call it an honest accident. The guy driving the truck blew a tire and over corrected. He died too.”
“Sounds a little too convenient,” Kalkin muttered. “What had you done previous to that happening?”
Poppa sighed.
“Raymond came to us and told us there were some pups we needed to get rid of,” Hombre said. “They were cramping his style. Some were newborns. Shadow is ten. The others range in ages two to eight. You have four of them now.”
“You left them for us?” The realization that these men standing before Rapier had left those kids where they’d be found sent him reeling.
“We couldn’t kill them,” Poppa said. “There are sixteen more, and we’re running out of supplies. Ten are babies. Four of those are preemies.”
“Who the fuck is taking care of them now?” Kalkin growled.
“You left them behind!” Rapier roared. The lion he’d been holding onto by a thread pushed forward. “How could you be so fucking stupid!”
“They’re not alone, asshole!” Poppa got into Rapier’s face. “I have someone with them. They’re safe for now. But, we have to get them out.”
“Whose pups are they?” Kalkin’s eyes turned that eerie shade of white-blue.
“Raymond’s,” Black Jack said. “All of them.”
Rapier sucked in a breath. “What?”
“Fuck.” Hombre shook his head. “It didn’t matter their age. If they went into heat, he fucked them, and he impregnated them. Some were as young as sixteen. Those who found out others, like Crow’s mother, who got pregnant by coyotes or others, were eventually killed because he deemed any shifter not pure wolf to be mongrels.”
“We have one girl right now, who is due to whelp any day now. She’s the youngest we’ve ever s
een go into heat. She’s thirteen,” Black Jack added. “She’s scared shitless. We’re afraid she’s going to die. She’s carrying twins.”
This conversation took a turn Rapier hadn’t been prepared for. He looked over at Kalkin who’d closed himself off. He couldn’t blame the guy. Raymond and his lot of bastards had taken so much from his family. “We have someone who can help her.” He didn’t know why he offered up Danielle’s services, but in this situation, if mother and babies were going to survive, it would have to be with her help.
“I’ll make sure Danielle has the protection she needs,” Kalkin added. “It’s the safest spot for the girl right now. We’ll take the others too. Do you know if their mothers are alive or were they part of the culling?”
“Their bodies are scattered from here to New Mexico by now,” Poppa added. “Raymond wouldn’t leave evidence behind.”
“The older children.”
“Are brainwashed,” Black Jack replied. “With some work Shadow is coming around. Raymond has indoctrinated these kids to believe everything he says. He’s told them that he is the Alpha of all lands big and small. He is the one that sends out recruits to pilfer nearby packs. Didn’t Everett tell you?”
“No,” Kalkin said. “We’ve found a few trying to get my wolves to join him. As for Everett, he’s been busy helping us with other shit.”
“Doesn’t surprise me,” Poppa said. “Guess you also figured out it was Allen who did the firebombing?”
Kalkin nodded. “He confessed and is turning states evidence in this case.”
“Raymond put him up to it. Said if he blew up the Sheriff’s Department, Marjorie was his prize. First time Raymond gave a woman away,” Poppa added.
“Figures.” Rapier grunted.
“I’m going to ask one more time, why you think Raymond is involved in Alicia’s death,” Kalkin stated. “This time, I want the truth.”
“Fuck.” Poppa growled. “Did you know Raymond doesn’t allow male wolves to mate? Inside or out of the pack?”
Rapier snorted. “Do you even have to ask.” It was as if a big neon sign had been held over him when he mated Jasmine. He figured Raymond thought he belonged to the Quincy Pack since Rapier saved Mackenzie’s life or some shit. All of his problems began and ended when Jasmine got pregnant and Raymond found out about it.
“Right... Shit. I’m sorry,” Poppa grumbled.
“Don’t be. I have two girls and my mate still. I think I’m doing just fine.”
Poppa’s brown eyes swirled with envy and jealousy. “I couldn’t get Alicia pregnant, no matter how much we tried. She was raped at a young age, and the resulting abortion because of it mangled her insides. Stupidly, I thought being a wolf, I could help mend the broken bits, but it never took. Then, one full moon the intensity of our heat... I swore that time, it worked. I could feel it in my guts. Locked inside her, I couldn’t get enough of my cum in her. I went wild. I also made the mistake of marking her.”
Rapier knew exactly what Poppa experienced. Every time he mated Jasmine it’d been like that. He couldn’t get enough of her. Couldn’t mark her enough times. “Then what happened?”
“Raymond caught wind a month or later. See, since the female population in the Quincy Pack is small, all the women are his. He shares them with all the males, except Alicia. I wouldn’t let him touch her. I tried to keep her away from him as much as possible.” Poppa bowed his head. “I suspected I got her... You know. But, I never found out. Two weeks later, she was killed in the accident. The coroner did an autopsy on her.” He shook his head and blew out a breath. “I didn’t want to know. I don’t think I could handle it if she... You know.”
Fuck. Staring at Poppa, now it all made sense. Why he didn’t recognize the gruff man. He’d lost himself. He didn’t just lose Alicia, he lost his pup too. “Fuck.”
“We can’t keep doing this,” Hombre said. “We came here to offer our help. Whatever you need. We’re here for you. Raymond has damaged too many people, too many times.”
He was right. Without Raymond those girls and women were as good as dead. They didn’t have the skills to care for themselves because of what Raymond did to them. Hell, Rapier wondered if any of them could be rehabilitated so they could carry on with their lives and put this behind them. Shit, who was he kidding, probably all of them were beyond broken. Without Raymond they would cease to exist.
“You’re welcome in my pack,” Kalkin said. “Bring those who are willing back to Window Rock. Give me an address for where the pregnant teen is, and I will send a couple of deputies out to pick her up and bring her straight to Danielle. She’ll be the safe there.”
Poppa nodded. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank us yet,” Kalkin said. “There’s still a trial to get through. Once we get Raymond put away for good, then you can thank us.”
* * * *
First day of the trial...
Nerves…they were a bitch.
Rapier sat on the worn, wooden bench in the courtroom, waiting for the judge. Kalkin had wanted them all there early, yet that cagey motherfucker hadn’t even stepped into the courtroom. Last time Rapier had seen Kalkin was over two hours ago, and he’d been shocked. Kalkin was dressed in full uniform, including pressed pants. It was something Rapier hadn’t expected since the entire time he’d lived there uniforms were optional. Both Kalkin and his deputies often sported a pair of black or blue jeans with their uniform tops.
Not today though, because the Sheriff had official business with the presiding judge of Quincy’s case. According to the other man, Judge Harold Malcom was a stickler for rules, one of them being any officer in his presence had to be dressed in full uniform. Kalkin had no desire to piss the judge off, considering he was going to be hand-delivering all the evidence he had worked tirelessly to gather against District Attorney Mattis.
Something they could have given Judge Malcom earlier the week but hadn’t. It seemed as if the Sheriff of Window Rock had a flair for dramatics, waiting just two hours before the trial to give the Judge the files.
Rapier rolled his neck and heard the crack that helped ease the tension in his shoulders. Not a lot upset him, but this fucking trial did. Raymond Quincy was one slippery fuck. Rapier had already decided if the bastard got off, he’d take off to hunt him down and kill the son of a bitch.
“Hey,” Kalkin said as he slipped into the seat beside him.
Rapier did a double take. Kalkin was now dressed in a fucking suit. With a tie. Would wonders never cease?
“Where is your uniform?” Rapier inquired.
“I’m either a witness or the Sheriff today. Can’t be both, figured it best to keep the uniform out of the courtroom.” Kalkin’s gaze flickered down his body. “Thought I told you to dress up.”
“I’m a construction worker, who has been on the run for most my life. I don’t own a fucking suit,” Rapier hissed. “This is dressed up for me.”
What the fuck. Before he’d left, Jasmine had told him he looked fine and he knew his mate wouldn’t lie to him. He had on pressed khakis, a dress shirt, and a sports coat.
Kalkin chuckled. “Just fuckin’ with you. You looked pretty tense when I walked it.”
“Deep in thought,” Rapier said, not wanting to let the Sheriff in on his plans for Quincy if he got a mistrial, or god forbid, a not guilty verdict.
Kalkin watched him for a good minute before he finally replied, “One way or another, Raymond Quincy will never bother our pack and Pride again.”
“Don’t think this is the place to have this conversation, Kal.”
Kalkin snorted. “I don’t believe I said anything incriminating, Rapier.”
For now, Rapier let sleeping dogs lie, considering where they were and what could be overheard. It really wouldn’t look good for two Alphas, one of them the Sheriff, to be discussing the murder of a man who was about to go to trial.
This time when the heavy, wooden doors opened, Rapier took notice and growled when Caden strolled through.
<
br /> “Fucker,” he grumbled.
“Play nice,” Kalkin ordered.
Caden was dressed similarly to his twin, and it didn’t surprise him one bit when Caden stopped by their row of seats. Without being told, Rapier slid down the bench, allowing room for the Pack’s Beta to sit. He understood they were making a point to Quincy by sitting together. The pack and Pride were united.
“Rapier,” Caden said in acknowledgment.
The fucker acted as if he hadn’t slapped him in handcuffs in front of his girls only a week or two before. Guess ice water ran through both brothers.
“Caden,” he finally replied when Kalkin gave him a nudge with his elbow.
“See that wasn’t too hard now, was it?” Kalkin said.
Rapier curled his lip in response. Soon he and Caden were going to have a come to Jesus conversation. Rapier hoped Kalkin didn’t get too upset when he beat the ever-loving shit out of his twin.
No sooner had he gotten comfortable, Saber, Osirus, and the rest of his brothers came strolling in, followed by Royce and Mackenzie. They all sat down in the seats behind them. Osirus gave his shoulder a squeeze before taking his seat.
“Jace isn’t comin’ to watch these proceedings. He’ll only come if he’s called to testify,” Kalkin said.
Caden leaned over, dropping his voice. “What my twin is not saying is that Jace is pissed as a motherfucker, and Kal here is afraid our brother will lose his damn mind and kill Quincy without cause.”
Mackenzie spoke up from behind them. “It’s for the best, considering the mood he’s been in lately is less than unpleasant.”
Kalkin snorted. “True that.”
Rapier didn’t doubt Jace Raferty was in a foul mood. The poor man had, for cripes’ sake, pulled his unmated mate from the rubble of the destroyed Sheriff’s Department. Lorraine had been seriously hurt, and for a while, the Rafertys didn’t know if she would recover. She was finally home, giving Jace and Blake, his other mate, hell. Or so Mrs. Martin had said when Rapier had tea with her last time.
“Get ready for the shit show,” Kalkin muttered right before the door on the side opened.
