by Cheree Alsop
“Are you okay?” Cassie asked over the beating of the helicopter blades.
Alex nodded and swallowed down the emotions that threatened to choke him. “Fine. I’m just worried about Kalia.”
Cassie nodded. “Me, too.” She forced a brave smile. “She’s going to be okay.”
Alex nodded back, but he wished he felt as confident as she did. He had seen what the General did to werewolves. Thoughts of Siale and all she had been through filled his mind. Alex pushed them away. Fear for Kalia’s safety wouldn’t help her. Determination and having a clear head would. He was going to get her out, and he wouldn’t stop until he did.
They reached the Dickson residence at sunrise. Adam Dickson and half a dozen guards ran out as soon as the helicopter landed in his backyard. Jaze jumped down with Alex’s pack close behind. Vance, Dray, and Chet followed.
“Thank you for coming,” Adam Dickson called over the sound of the blades winding down.
Kalia’s father’s expression changed at the sight of Alex. Relief filled his gaze.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said, holding out a hand.
Alex shook it. “We’re going to find her; I promise.”
“We need to know what you know,” Jaze said.
They filed into the house, passing Mrs. Dickson who sat on the couch with two maids attending her. Tears streaked her cheeks, chasing away her usual mask of indifference so that she looked like a mother mourning for her lost daughter instead of a woman bothered by the presence of her werewolf-blooded children. Alex was glad Jaze had decided to question the rest of the household before pressing her for what she remembered.
The werewolves from the Academy stared as they walked through the massive mansion. The answering stares and scents from the servants revealed fear. Alex thought of his stay at the mansion and the words of Henry, the servant who had befriended him. “Servants know a lot more than we let on.” It was obvious they guessed the secret origins of their new guests.
Mr. Dickson led them into the huge library. He motioned to the table. “Please, take a seat.” He poured something golden from a decanter on the desk and offered a glass to Jaze. “Would you like some?”
Jaze shook his head politely. “No, thank you. It’s not recommended for werewolves to have alcohol.”
Mr. Dickson’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, really? Why not?”
Jaze gave a small smile. “The lowering of inhibitions and impairment to judgment doesn’t exactly suit a werewolf well.”
“Understood,” Mr. Dickson said with a solemn nod. Alex was surprised the man didn’t wince at the word werewolf that was forbidden in the Dickson household. Instead, Mr. Dickson continued, “I appreciate your restraint.”
“Thank you,” Jaze replied. He took the seat Mr. Dickson indicated. “Can we talk to the driver?”
Mr. Dickson hesitated. “I’ve already verified that he doesn’t know anything.”
Jaze nodded. “All the same, in an investigation like this, we like to interview anyone involved. You never know when a clue could give to us more to go on than the average human.”
Mr. Dickson’s eyes widened as though he hadn’t thought of that. He snapped a finger. A man wearing a dark suit in the corner disappeared through a side door.
Alex and his friends exchanged anxious glances. Alex couldn’t hold still. He paced the end of the room, feeling Mr. Dickson’s eyes on him as he walked from wall to wall. After a few minutes, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” Mr. Dickson said.
The man in the dark suit returned with another man in tow. Beneath the bruises and swollen eyes, Alex recognized the same driver who had driven him along with Boris and Kalia to the Dickson residence at the beginning of the previous Christmas break.
Jaze’s lips tightened into a disapproving line.
“Let me guess,” Brock said into Alex’s headset. “The lawyer’s done his own interrogation mafia style.” Alex knew he didn’t need to answer.
“As I said,” Mr. Dickson told the dean without looking the least bit cowed by the werewolf’s obvious disapproval. “I’ve already ensured that he doesn’t know anything.”
“I would still like to question him,” Jaze said in a level voice.
Mr. Dickson nodded and motioned for the driver to be deposited on a chair.
“Manny, this is the dean of Vicki Carso’s Preparatory Academy where Kalia and Boris go to school,” Mr. Dickson said.
Fear suddenly filled the man’s gaze. He gripped the arms of the chair as though he wished he could disappear inside the wood. He obviously knew the siblings’ school wasn’t a normal one. What he thought the dean would do during his questioning, Alex couldn’t guess.
“I don’t know anything,” the driver protested, his words thick behind his split lip.
Jaze gave the man a small smile. “I just want to talk.” He met Vance’s gaze. “I’ll meet you outside.”
The werewolves obeyed the dean’s suggestion and filed out the door. Soon, Mr. Dickson joined them. Alex wondered if Jaze had asked him to leave or if the man couldn’t stand being in the same room with the werewolf who had helped to kill off many of his Extremist friends and family members.
Mr. Dickson cleared his throat uncomfortably. “So, uh, how was your trip.”
“Dark,” Chet said dryly. He met the gaze of one wide-eyed servant and lifted his lips just enough to give a hint of menace. The servant’s face paled and he hurried from the room.
“Let’s sweep the perimeter,” Dray suggested.
Mouse nodded. “It’d be good to find out if the Dickson residence has been monitored by the General’s men. It’s possible they’ve had a close eye on this place for months. I doubt their acquisition of Kalia was done lightly.”
Mr. Dickson looked alarmed by this information. He stared after the older werewolves as they exited the house. “Alex, can we talk?” he asked when the front door shut behind them.
Alex nodded. “I’ll be back,” he reassured his pack mates.
It felt strange to leave them in the cavernous hall of the mansion and feel like he was abandoning them. Instead of the unbreakable Pack Jericho, he saw only four Lifer kids from the Academy huddled together beneath vaulted ceilings and marble pillars.
“You’ve got to help her, Alex,” Mr. Dickson said as soon as they were alone in his vast office. “I’ll give you anything you want, just bring her back safely.”
Alex held up a hand. “I want the same thing you do, Mr. Dickson. We’ll do anything to bring her home.”
“She sounded so frustrated the last time I spoke to her,” Mr. Dickson said. He wrung his hands, looking completely the opposite of the composed, self-confident criminal defense lawyer Alex remembered. “Do you think she knew something was wrong?”
A pang of regret filled Alex’s chest. He knew her frustration was because of him. He had pushed her away, afraid that continuing to be friends would lead her on. He didn’t want her thinking he had the same feelings she was projecting to him. Perhaps shielding himself from her had been the wrong thing to do.
“It was a rough term,” Alex said. At Mr. Dickson’s anxious look, he continued quickly, “Our classes are getting harder and Kalia’s always been one to carry her end of the work,” he said honestly. “I think she was just looking forward to a break.” Just as he had been looking forward to her absence so that he could get his feelings straightened out. Now look what had happened. Footsteps alerted him.
“Is it your fault?” Boris roared, storming into the room.
Alex ducked the Alpha’s attempt to grab his throat. He spun away from Boris’ reach and backed up. “It’s not my fault.”
“Why else would they want her?” Boris demanded.
“I don’t know,” Alex replied. “Maybe because she has werewolf blood and the General’s intent on destroying anyone he can.”
“Then why leave me?” The anguish in Boris’ voice let Alex know how worried he was about his sister.
The fact that whoe
ver had taken Kalia had shot Boris with silver and then left him concerned Alex more than he let on. If it was a vendetta against werewolves, they would have just killed both siblings right then, or taken them back for the General’s experiments. Alex’s stomach twisted at the thought of Kalia in the Extremist’s hands.
“We’ll get her back,” Alex told the Alpha. “We won’t stop until she’s safe.”
“I hope so,” Boris replied, but his tone was deflated and lost as though he couldn’t keep up his anger with his worry for his sister.
The fact that the General had only taken Kalia meant it was possible he had guessed a connection between Drogan’s capture and Alex. Perhaps the General was trying to get in his head. He had certainly gone to a lot of trouble to ensure that Alex was involved in the recovery attempt. Alex could only hope it was a coincidence, but deep down, he doubted it.
Chapter Twenty-six
Alex waited near the front door. Cassie and Tennison sat on the front edge of one of the delicate benches that lined the massive hallway as though they were afraid to break it. Trent and Terith stood in the middle of the floor with their backs to each other. Alex fought back a wry smile; it looked as though they were expecting an attack at any second.
A form appeared in a doorway. Alex smiled at Henry, the servant who had become his friend on his last stay in the mansion.
Henry crossed to him and spoke quietly, “I’m glad to see you, sir.”
“Same to you, Henry,” Alex replied.
Henry’s mustache twitched as his lips lifted in a smile. “There’s no one else they should trust with such a delicate situation,” Henry said. There was a light of disapproval in his eyes when he continued in a level tone. “Manny would have given his life for Ms. Dickson.”
“I know,” Alex replied. “And Jaze does, too.” He gave the servant a reassuring smile. “No more harm will come to him, I promise.”
Henry nodded gratefully. “We’ve loved those children since they were born. None of us will rest until Ms. Dickson is back safely.”
“The same goes for us,” Alex told him.
The front door flew open. The servant whose job it was to open it stood gaping on the porch as Chet and Dray charged into the Dickson mansion.
“They’re still in the city,” Chet said.
Jaze was just coming from the library. Alex could see the driver peeking out the door behind him.
Jaze glanced at Mr. Dickson.
“Brock ran the information the driver remembered about the vehicle,” Jaze told him. He listened to what Brock was saying in his earpiece for a moment, then said, “They’re at the mall. Let’s go.”
“I’m going with you,” Mr. Dickson insisted.
Jaze shook his head. At the man’s continued protests, Jaze put a hand on his shoulder. “Adam, I know you want Kalia back safely. I am doing everything in my power to make sure that happens. But you also know a werewolf’s strength.”
Mr. Dickson hesitated, then glanced first at Alex, then at Boris before he nodded.
“You don’t want to get mixed up in a werewolf fight,” Jaze told him. “If we have to worry about protecting you, it could leave us with fewer options to get Kalia out.”
“Then take Boris,” Mr. Dickson said, his voice firm.
Alex glanced at the student. Boris was watching his father with a shocked expression on his face. Alex knew from his stay at the mansion a year ago how much Boris wanted his father to understand and make use of his werewolf strength instead of despising the fact that the blood of a beast ran through his son’s veins.
Mr. Dickson met his son’s gaze. “Bring your sister home.” He paused, then said, “Both of you come back to me safely.”
Boris nodded without a word. He blinked quickly, but his gaze stayed hard and determined. “I will, Dad. I promise.”
Mr. Dickson walked with them to the door.
“Time is key,” Jaze said, leading the way down the stairs to the helicopter. “We need the element of surprise, and in a place that big, we need more men. An eight-person team isn’t going to cut it.”
“Nine,” Brock said into all of their earpieces. “And Kaynan’s already on his way with Rafe and Colleen. They’ll meet you at the mall.”
Jaze brown eyes showed his worry. “It’s not enough. With the Black Team and the GPA occupied, this is going to be dangerous.”
A thought struck Alex. “I know who can help us. They’re already in the city.”
“You do?” Jaze asked in surprise.
Alex looked at Boris. “Where do we find Red?”
Boris gave an actual smile. “That’s a great idea.” He climbed into the helicopter and began giving Mouse directions.
As they lifted into the air, Alex felt the first glimmer of hope rise in his chest.
By the time Mouse landed the helicopter on top of Red’s warehouse, Brock had already contacted the werewolf and filled him in on what was happening.
Red jogged to meet them as Mouse shut down the rotors. The man’s long brown hair tangled in the breeze. “I have a dozen more wolves on their way to join those already waiting below.” The wiry wolf said. He shook Jaze’s hand. “It’s an honor.”
“I appreciate your willingness to help,” Jaze replied.
“My life stopped completely when they took my wife and daughter,” Red told the dean. “You gave me my purpose back. I’ll do anything you ask, and I’m not going to rest until the General’s paid for every life he’s destroyed.”
Jaze gave a warm smile at the werewolf’s adamant tone. “If I’d known you were the one Alex was talking about, I’d have left the rest of the team home.”
Red nodded in agreement. He flexed his wiry muscles. “I’ll happily tear that place apart brick by brick if I have to. The General’s not going to have a chance to hurt anyone else as long as I have a say in it.”
“Glad to have you along,” Jaze said.
They followed Red to the stairs that led from the roof. The werewolf held open the door and motioned them down. He grinned at Alex, his mismatched green and brown eyes glowed in the early dawn light. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Kalia’s a close friend of mine.” Alex wanted to say more, but the words caught in his throat. If the General hurt her to get to him, he would never forgive himself.
“We’ll get her back. Don’t give up,” Red said, reading his expression.
“I want the General to pay.” The bitterness in Alex’s voice was thick enough that he could barely swallow. He thought of all the people the General and his son had taken from him. The fact that Kalia stood to be another victim made Alex feel hot and cold all over.
“I do, too,” Red answered. Something in his gaze softened. “But I have someone to live for now. You do to,” he noted, nodding toward Cassie who held Tennison’s arm as they went down the stairs. “You look like siblings.”
“She’s my twin,” Alex said. “I’d do anything for her.”
“Then be smart and get home alive,” Red replied. “Keep your head about you so the General doesn’t take another one of us down. You won’t be any good to that girl dead. Remember that.”
“I will,” Alex replied quietly.
He followed Red down the stairs. The warehouse echoed with the sound of Jaze’s voice. The dean was already addressing the werewolves who waited below. It amazed Alex how many had come to Red’s call. Nearly fifty men and women stood on the cement floor. Alex recognized many of them from the last time he was there. They were fathers and mothers, most of them. He felt anxious at the fact that they were risking their lives to go against the General, and had to remind himself that every day they survived, it was the same.
“We’re going to surround the mall,” Jaze was instructing. “Our goal is to get those who are innocent outside as quickly as possible. I’m hoping that at this early hour the mall will be empty of civilians, but we can’t count on that. Be careful with your weapons; the GPA will do what it can to cover for us, but if innocents are injure
d, things will get complicated quickly.”
Jaze nodded toward Chet, Dray, and Vance. “These Alphas are my pack mates. They will head the first three teams going into the mall. We’ll divide you up into groups of fifteen.” Jaze paused. The dean’s head cocked slightly as he listened to Brock over the earpiece. “We’ve tapped into the security system. The General’s there.”
Shouts and calls for blood rushed through the waiting werewolves. The metallic sound of weapons being checked combined with the rustle of anxious feet.
“Let’s go!” someone yelled.
Jaze held up a hand. The crowd fell immediately silent out of respect for the one who had sacrificed so much for their kind. “The General’s heavily guarded, and he has Kalia, the student we are going to rescue, with him in a room on the fifth floor. The only way to reach them will be by taking down more men than we have here.”
“It’s worth it,” Red said from beside Alex. The werewolf’s quiet voice reached every ear in the room. “He deserves to pay for what he’s done, and this is the best chance we’ve got.”
Jaze nodded. “I agree. I just want to make sure everyone knows what they’re getting into.” The expectant quiet that followed was broken only when the dean said, “Alright. Let’s go.”
Heavily charged silence filled the vehicles. They had chosen to leave the helicopter at the warehouse and rode in the back of Red’s truck. The streets were mostly empty at the early hour. Alex glanced back at the cavalcade of cars that followed them. He could feel the werewolves watching the group in the back of the truck, and he was grateful for their willingness to help free Kalia.
They were there to take down the General, Alex reminded himself. Kalia was part of the mission, but the driving force behind the werewolves risking their lives to free her was the chance to make General Jared Carso pay for what he had done. It was enough of a factor for Alex as well; he just wished Kalia wasn’t involved.
They pulled up to the mall without resistance. Werewolves filed silently out of vehicles and waited for Jaze’s command. Mouse took a small device from his pocket and used it on a security door near the parking garage. It unlocked with a quiet snick.
