Uncertain where he was going with all of this, Asia frowned.
“Pacing and timing. Could you have accomplished your goals a year ago today?” His gaze touched her, and then Hawke and then Angus.
“No, I could not.” A year ago she was a prisoner of the Liege in worse condition than her mate because she walked freely amongst the Liege’s enemies before destroying them.
“I could not either,” Hawke said. “It’s as you say. I needed my mate in order to step into whatever we need to do now.”
“Same here,” Angus said.
“You say we need to slow down and that there are many levels, I agree. But we are tasked to complete a mission in a timely manner. How do you suggest we move forward?” Asia asked to get the conversation back on track.
Radoff pointed at her. “You are from the outside with no stake in our problems. Your Alpha and his litter-mate, they are black wolfs. Your mate, he is a black wolf. On the inside our hearts weep for the loss of our pack. We mourn its fallen state, and recall glorious days of old. Not to live in the past but to learn from it.”
Asia glanced at Hawke who took her hand and squeezed.
“When I ask if you are here to help, I refer to both. To open the cage is one thing; it is another to make sure the bridge to cross over to freedom is safe.”
“What?” Asia frowned.
Radoff held up a finger and smiled. “I refer to stopping the problem but leaving the pack in such a state it will survive. There are layers to every problem before you reach the core. But if the layers are destroyed it makes it harder and sometimes impossible to see the heart.” He stared at her.
“We understand,” Hawke said. “And while my mate is from the outside, he has accomplished more for the pack in the past week than anyone has in years.”
“True. As I said before, that is why I’m here. To share information and to seek help.”
Angus stretched and looked at Radoff. “Our assignment is based on missing black clan pups. Our Alpha is concerned and does not wish to see that happen in his territories. This is an offensive mission until he changes it.” Angus paused and then continued. “I am of the Black Wolf clan on the Continent. My heart grieves the loss of our pups and the sad state of our clan. You are right; this must be handled with both a feather and a hammer.”
“How do we do that?” she asked Hawke.
“I think we will know when the time comes. Our hearts will lead us. That’s what all of this is about. He wants your heart involved, and not just your mind,” Hawke said.
“He should have said that,” she said.
“Alpha Verrick saw the council today,” Angus said to Radoff. “Do you think he is involved in all this?”
“No. He refuses to obey the Liege representatives in this area and will not be Alpha much longer. The Alphas involved in this plot are in the Liege pockets. When they have a lot of pride and emotion about their people, like Verrick, they do not work for the Liege. For one thing, it is difficult but not impossible to smell a lie from an Alpha. But if he talked a lot, like Verrick or like I’m doing now, you’ll be able to weigh our words for truth.”
“That’s good to know,” Asia said.
Hawke nodded.
“Liege representatives? There are more besides Greggor?” Asia asked.
“The nephew? He only leaves the castle to dally in town with the women. He has no power or authority. No, there are men who have risen through the ranks of the organization who manage the Liege’ assets.”
Asia glanced at Angus. Brix, Leon’s mate had infiltrated the Liege until he ran into his mate at the research lab in Pennsylvania. Angus had been the one to set Brix up for the operation. La Patron learned a lot about the structure of the organization from Brix.
“Are they involved with the pups?” she asked.
“Yes and no. I suspect they are but no one has ever been able to catch them. Which means they must have help. Help within the pack.”
That did not surprise her. “I agree. There is no way they could have operated this long without someone betraying their own.”
“Power is a tempting seat, but the responsibility is too heavy for many. Look at the new Alphas. They are cocky, care little for their packs, use fear to generate loyalty…” he shook his head. “That is the first layer to peel. Follow that thread.” He stood and stuck his hands down his pocket while looking at her.
“I think you already know which Alphas work for the Liege,” she said meeting his gaze.
“I’m old. Seen a lot, know a lot, heard a lot. You need to learn for yourself, peel the layer, follow the threads, earn the respect you’ll need to get answers from the pack. They will talk to you if they trust you. Or trust that you won’t be like everyone else, in and out at their expense.”
Asia didn’t know what to say. What he proposed sounded long term. This was a job. A mission to be completed efficiently with the results La Patron required. She did not get emotionally involved in her assignments.
“Do you have a list of the new Alphas in the area?” Hawke asked into the silence.
Radoff lifted his hand.
One of the men stepped forward and handed Hawke a slip of paper. He looked over it and nodded. “Interesting. Alpha Andrei is on this list. I did not realize he was new.”
Radoff smiled. “He is from southern Romania. His pack is in Bucharest.”
Asia looked at him. “And? Does that mean something?”
Radoff shrugged. “He has been an Alpha a year and has constant turnover in his pack. He recruits all the time.”
Asia recalled Andrei made an invitation for test wolves to come to his lands at the Alpha meeting. “We told the test couples about his offer to resettle on his land.”
Hawke squeezed her hand. “They’ll be fine. They have a nose for danger and probably have banded together into their own pack. Remember we saw all six of them together when we checked the files. They didn’t go to Bucharest.”
She released a breath, feeling better. “Thanks for reminding me.”
“Anyone else on the list we need to check out besides, Andrei?” Angus asked.
“Yeah. I’ll give you a copy of this. You research some, we’ll do the same so we know what we’re dealing with here,” Hawke said folding the paper and putting it into his pocket.
Angus nodded.
“Be careful with the Alphas. They are only top layers because they are new and easy to see. But they are dangerous. Each of them will lie, cheat and steal for what they want. They have already done that to gain their positions.” He looked at Angus, Hawke and then Asia. “When an Alpha is removed from his position, it creates a vacuum. A hole. The pack suffers. When one packs suffer, we are all at risk of discovery. I am asking that you consider carefully who you target and what you do with the information you discover. All of the Alphas on that list aren’t bad, just misguided. But they lead others. Someone must fill the void or the structure, pack structure, will collapse.”
Hawke stood. Angus and Asia stood and walked Radoff out the entrance. Something pierced Asia’s chest. Surprised she looked around, saw Hawke on the ground.
“Hawke,” she screamed through their link as her knees buckled and she fell to the ground.
Chapter 33
“Asia… dammit Asia answer me!” The words rolled across Asia’s mind but she couldn’t grab hold of anything to respond. A jolt of energy sped through her, clearing bits of fog in her mind.
“Asia… Asia. She’s not answering me Silas. Have you reached Angus? I need to know what’s going on. Asia… Asia?” Another jolt cleared more gray clouds from her mind.
“Tranquilizers…” she moaned.
“Silas she said tranquilizers.” The next moment Asia sensed a rolling movement through her system. A burning sensation exploded through her veins. Her stomach clenched, rebelled and then emptied. She spewed the contents across the floor.
“Asia?”
“Mistress,” she whispered feeling a little better. The bitter taste
of the tranquilizer remained on the back of her tongue. She tried to wipe her face and realized metal cuffs secured her arms to the table.
“Sorry to be so heavy-handed, but you winked out so fast it scared me. I’ve been calling you for fifteen minutes. Can you talk?”
Still fuzzy, she opened one eye and shut it from the glare of the overhead light. “We were leaving…. And got shot with tranqs. Didn’t… sense or see them.” She exhaled and opened her eyes half-mast.
“Do you know where Angus is? Silas can’t get through to him.”
“We… we were all together.” She tried to break through the hazy clouds loitering in her mind to put the parts of the puzzle together. “I don’t… know where I am.” Something nagged at her from the corner of her awareness. A yawning silence filled her chest. It took a few seconds to figure out the problem. And then it hit her.
“Hawke?” Asia called and received no response. “I can’t reach Hawke. As his mate I should be able to reach him all the time, right?” she asked Jasmine needing reassurance. At the same time she battled fears of what would happen if the Liege reprogrammed him again.
“Silas says yes. But you may need to be closer or something. You’re the only one responding so we need to get you up and running to find the others first.” Warmth, like running water surged through her system and she knew La Patron assisted his mate. Grateful for the hand of experience, the last two jolts from her Mistress set her teeth jarring. The remnants of the serum dribbled down the side of her chin.
“Hawke,” she called again and then again, unable to stop seeking that part of her. “He is not answering.”
“Is he in the same area?”
Clearer of mind and armed with purpose, Asia scanned the area. There were ten full-bloods in the immediate vicinity. Angus was in another area. Hawke was missing.
“He is not here.” She called him again and sought their link, finding it blocked. “Hawke, you stop locking me out.” Silence.
Pushing away her fear and anger, she pressed forward to hear a conversation on the other side of the building.
“He is on his way. Lord Roderick wants the other one and dispose of the others. Radoff got away but I have his beta,” someone said. Although the voice sounded familiar, she couldn’t place it.
Asia frowned in concentration. Nothing made sense except Alpha Radoff. She was glad he escaped and could send help. Maybe he saw which way these guys took them and would send reinforcements. Who knew how long that would be or if that happened.
She couldn’t wait.
Hawke was in trouble, she had to find him.
The one-sided conversation continued. “No Greggor, no extra help this time. Last time in forest I lost four of my best, no sending more. I gave him another shot and then put in truck to be putty in your hands.”
Greggor? Extra shot? Hawke? It took her mind a few seconds to make the connections. This person had sent those wolves before to attack Hawke in the forest when Greggor shot him. She listened more.
“Lord Roderick in country? I do not know. Ask your uncle.” Asia heard the contempt in the speaker’s voice and wondered why he worked with Greggor if he despised him.
“Black wolf kept separate. No one can touch. I put thick gloves on his hands before lifting him.” He paused. “I do not know why the gloves, just followed directions. I must go.”
Asia kept her eyes closed and told Jasmine all she heard.
“I don’t know why Hawke’s not responding. Can you reach him through your link?”
Asia searched the link again, but it remained closed. Hawke may have picked something up and shut down their link to protect her. They needed a long discussion on acceptable mate behavior. “No, I can’t.”
“Can you leave wherever you are and find Angus?”
Asia scanned the room for surveillance cameras. “There is a camera in the corner but I don’t think they’re paying attention to me. Angus is the big fish. I’ll loosen the cuff so I can take out the next person who comes inside the room.”
“Be careful.”
Keeping her eyes closed, Asia pulled the metal cuff on her right arm inch by inch. The sound of the stretching metal echoed in the small room. She hoped they didn’t have audio on the camera. Once it was loose enough to slip her hand through, she rested her arm so the torn flesh on her wrist could regenerate.
“Okay, I’m ready. Come here,” she whispered, hoping the bastards would come into the room. The low hum of the camera, the tick of her watch and the vibration of the light fixture grew louder in her mind with each passing second her mate was with Greggor.
Impatient, she clenched her fist, ready to rip off the metal cuff from her left arm and break down the door. “Pacing and timing,” Alpha Radoff warned. On one level she understood and agreed, but each second that passed without contact with her mate scraped her skin raw, leaving her vulnerable, exposed. Her throat tightened and she couldn’t breathe.
“Asia?”
“Mistress, I need Hawke,” she whispered, opening and closing her fist in desperation for her mate. A thousand ants raced across her flesh, she bucked against the restraint to dislodge them. Deep, piercing pain struck the base of her neck.
She screamed and dropped her head forward. Her chin hit her chest. “Hawke…” She screamed into the silence of their link, and heard the echo of her cry.
“Asia… Asia, calm down. Breathe. You can’t help him if you lose it. Calm down… calm…” Warmth like the early morning sun spread through her allowing her to breathe, to swallow, and to think.
Think Asia, she commanded her mind. Think beyond the present. Think five steps ahead, no more short sighted plans. She exhaled. First, escape this room. She inhaled. Second, get Angus and leave. She exhaled. Third, go to Hawke. Her breath hitched, but she continued. Four, leave the castle with Hawke. She exhaled. Five, go to Chacal’s with Hawke and Angus.
“Thank you, Mistress. I will contact you when I am on my way to Angus. I will need La Patron to prepare him to move.”
“Okay, he’s still working on him. They gave him more of that shit than they gave you so it’s taking a little longer.”
“Okay.”
“Asia?”
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“Remember I told you not to start shit in that country?”
Asia bit back a smile at Jasmine’s tone. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Forget that shit. Do whatever you need to do to get those guys outta there alive. If you need me I’ve got your back.”
“Yes, Ma’am. I know you do. I think someone is coming.”
Eyes closed, heartbeat racing, Asia waited. “One, two, three, four,” she counted off in her head bringing her heartbeat to a slower than normal rhythm. She had no idea who her captors were and what abilities they had, she focused on the sound of the footsteps.
The door opened.
“Oh shit, he messed up the floor.” She saw an outline of the full-blood as he stepped closer. “Damn.” He took her chin between his hands and tapped her face to wake her.
The tingling of the chameleon started in her arms and stopped when she stood in front of her old body, holding the chin in her hand. She searched his memories. Hiry, Pack Beta and her personal escort to the main room for termination. Karma was indeed a bitch.
She pulled out his cell phone and made the call. “Sir, this one’s dead.” She listened to her “Alpha” question her about the new corpse and wondered why they did not speak link to link like La Patron did with his Alphas. He had not been on the extraction team at Chacal’s and did not know anything.
“Get up here. Lord Roderick’s people are delayed but will be here within the hour. I need to make a call.”
Grateful to leave the foul smelling room, Asia stepped into the hall and sought out Angus’ room. It was in the opposite direction of the area she needed to go. Damn. The clock ticked inside her mind. Hawke hadn’t responded. Angus was dead weight, literally.
Each second of her separation from Hawke, a thousand n
eedle points pierced her skin, digging and then scraping as if searching for him beneath her flesh. She took her time walking into the common area where six other full bloods sat or stood. They nodded at her but didn’t say anything, which suited her fine.
“I do not know what the delay is, my men left already. If he’s not there and you want him faster, go look for him. I am not your personal servant to search for your toys,” the Alpha said standing in the corner with a cell phone next to his ear.
Asia noted the positions of each full-blood and the camera positions in the room. Those devices needed to be disabled, and the footage destroyed. After the destruction of the castle, the Liege would look for similarities in the incidents. They may notice the way she led with her right metal arm, her fighting style and the strength of her metal legs and guess Asia Montgomery had shut down Lord Boris’ castle sending the bounty from eight million to ten. That was the last thing she wanted or needed.
The door slammed and Asia turned, getting her first real look at the Alpha Andrei. She should have known. This man looked nothing like the soft spoken Alpha at the meeting a few days back. The long flowing robe he wore to the meeting covered the colorful artwork on his arms. Today he had tied his long reddish brown hair into a long braid that brushed against the base of his neck. His piercing green eyes radiated anger.
He pointed at her. “Go check on the bastard.”
She nodded and turned. “Yes, Sir.”
“I want to see more respect around here,” the Alpha snarled as she left the room ignoring the glares of the other men. When she approached the room where Angus lay, another full-blood patted her down and then opened the door.
Angus lay prostrate on a table in his underwear and gloves. She estimated the temperature in the room at around forty-five degrees. Chill bumps were all over his skin.
Sword of Inquest (La Patron's Sword Book 1) Page 19
