by K. N. Banet
“What are you thinking, Heath?”
“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “But…I left the pack to him.”
“There’s something going on in Atlanta too,” I said, finding that USB for him. “Werewolves are treating humans in the pack unfairly, and in many cases, violently. When it’s reported up, someone keeps it from getting to Alpha Harrison, or so the victims believe.” I held it out to him, and he took it very slowly from me.
“How many of these do you think she made? Do you think we missed a second stash somewhere?”
“Probably. I can only imagine how many of these ‘files’ she made,” Heath muttered, looking at the two in his hand.
Hisao came out of the cockpit, forcing me to look away from Heath’s troubled expression. I couldn’t comfort my wolf here or any time soon, so I quickly shoved the idea away.
“What do you need?” I asked my brother as he sat down across from us.
“You’ve been talking. Even without hearing, it’s hard with the plane noise and the thickness of the cockpit door and wall,” he explained. “I want to know what you have.”
“A lot of blackmail,” Heath said softly, leaning back in his seat. “This Sarah person would secretly collect the worst stories from victims, offering therapy help, just someone to talk to, then record the talk without telling the patient.”
“Hmm…Normally, when people get into this sort of business, they see a couple of patients come in and start to notice a trend. Then they start recording,” my brother said, looking at the different USBs. “Who all can be hurt with this?”
“Two werewolf packs in America, though those aren’t as severe as some of the international cases. A vampire nest turning humans young stuck to me in the beginning. They had heavy accents, but I couldn’t tell you from where.” I shrugged. “I’m not sure what to do with all of this. It’s too much…evil.”
“There’s a lot of evil in everyone. Humans expose great crimes and conspiracies all the time among their own. It happens in our kind as well.” Hisao shifted in his seat, appearing to get more comfortable, and crossed his arms. “I can only offer a suggestion.”
“Sure.” I waved a hand at him, wondering what he could possibly have. He had thousands of years of experience.
“Give them all to Father. He’ll decide which ones I should handle. I’m only suggesting this because you found them. They belong to you, and I won’t force you to…play a part in their deaths. It’s one thing to fight a battle and win. It’s another to murder someone who doesn’t see you coming. There’s a reason only one of us in the family has taken that role.”
Is that why you’re so cold? Because you made the decision to be that person, so the rest of us could sleep easier?
“I’ll…think about it. Thank you for the suggestion.” I quickly closed the bag and shoved it away, keeping only the USB the Russians wanted. Then I considered what Hisao had said. “What did you mean by business?”
“Heath called it blackmail, and I’m inclined to think this Sarah wasn’t like your twin, who might genuinely care about these victims. If Sarah truly cared, she would have acted much faster or found a way to secret the information out and keep her job. There’s always a way. Nothing is foolproof. You said she died to the Russians, correct?”
“Yeah…Apparently, she tried to dictate the terms…”
“I have a feeling she wasn’t trying to help anyone. I bet she was looking for money, and her insurance was someone else exposing them if they didn’t pay her what she wanted.” Hisao smiled, and it was a mean thing. “Why would someone who cares try to bargain with people they believe are evil?”
I looked at Heath, knowing my eyes were wide.
“Want my timeline?” Hisao asked as I looked back at him. He leaned forward with a strangely cold and amused look on his face, almost mean, vicious. “Because I’m darker than you, I am more likely to see the darkness in others. You went into this thinking everyone your sister knew was honorable, not that it changes anything. I’ve been thinking about it since I was brought in and still thinking about it when we took off.”
“Tell me,” I ordered.
“Sarah collected blackmail information over her time at the hospital. Easy money for an ER nurse who saw the worst of the worst come in. She recorded secretly, giving the victims no hope they would ever get justice. She might have done a couple of small ones, extorting men who beat their wives or something, or maybe this was the first time she tried, which is how she got herself killed.”
“What gave her the balls to make the jump into something this big?” Heath asked. I could hear the Alpha mind working now in the way he spoke. He was looking at this like a professional, a leader of the supernatural world, who did everything he could to protect his people and defeat his enemies.
“In February, my family visited the hospital, and yes, Jacky, we discovered your sister was working there. Yes, a decision was made that we shouldn’t tell you. We can have that discussion in depth once everything else is handled.”
“We better,” I growled softly. “And you can send that message to Hasan.”
“Noted.” He took my anger without any indication it mattered to him. “And to answer your question, Heath, it was the hospital discovering Jacky and Doctor Duray were related. See, Jacky didn’t go into public, and she’s fairly young, so she isn’t recognizable the way most of us are. Sarah and Gwen were friends, and now—”
“Sarah had a huge contingency plan. Use Gwen, who truly believed in helping people, to pull Jacky into the fray as protection. Suddenly, the ruling werecat family is dragged in, and things go public.” Heath spoke fast. “I knew something was fucking wrong with this. I thought it was Gwen, but it was how Gwen got pulled in. Sarah was running an illegal blackmail operation, and it blew up in her face. That’s why Sarah sold out Gwen, but apparently, no one else.”
“Shit,” was all I could manage. Heath had a point. Carlton died, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gwen was being targeted.
“Sarah made trouble for Gwen on purpose,” he continued. “Some fucking friend.”
“Hmm…” Hisao nodded slowly. “It’s the only plausible explanation.”
“I’m amazed we haven’t woken up Gwen,” I said, looking back at her. Heath was practically yelling.
“She won’t. Her drink was drugged, so she could sleep on the flight,” Hisao admitted. “That way, we could talk about sensitive things.”
I tried not to reach across the table and attack him because I knew I would lose, and we were flying. Two powerful werecats fighting in an aluminum death trap was a good way to get everyone killed.
“You have no regard for anyone, do you?” Heath asked, giving my brother a look most people had when they were shocked, disgusted, and disbelieving.
“For her?” He pointed between us at my sister. “I have regard for her. That’s why she’s asleep.”
“Hisao?” I didn’t like the emphasis he’d put on asleep. Even a toddler could figure out he meant asleep instead of dead.
“She roped you into a dangerous situation that could have very well got you killed. She might think we’re not family, but I would kill for you, and I only kill for my family. I refuse to believe a woman who worked to become a doctor didn’t understand just how dangerous this situation could become. She was either willfully ignorant or didn’t deserve her medical license.” He bared his teeth. “And we are family, Jacky. It hasn’t been easy bringing you into the family because of the circumstances around that time, but you are my sister. I won’t lose another one of those.” He got up and adjusted his blazer, his eyes dark, promising violence. “But I also understand that she’s your family as well—your twin. Zuri and Jabari made it very clear, while you might be estranged, that bond will never truly be broken. So, she’s asleep, instead of any other option I had once she came on my plane.”
He walked back into the cockpit.
“He’s terrifying.” It was really all I could say.
�
�Yes.” Heath didn’t add anything. We were in complete agreement about that, at least.
I looked at him, a question on the tip of my tongue I couldn’t ask.
A small smile broke out on his face.
“I think someone who cares about you won’t let your terrifying people chase them away,” he said so quietly, I almost missed it. “Now, we need to talk about how much of this to tell your sister.”
“Yes, we do,” I mumbled, looking away, trying to control myself. I couldn’t become a blushing beauty on my family’s plane with a werewolf.
22
Chapter Twenty-Two
In the end, Heath and I decided not to tell Gwen our main theory about Sarah. It didn’t change all that much. The dead human was getting what she wanted. The Russians killed her, and her plan for a little post-mortem revenge through me and my family was happening.
There was no reason for my sister to know she got played, thanks to her good heart and her relation to me.
The landing was rough, but we endured it. From my first time in Japan to my first time in Russia, I wasn’t sure how to feel as Hisao and his copilot opened the door. This time, there was no fancy staircase to get on and off of the plane. Instead, something that appeared handmade was brought over. I considered jumping as I saw Hisao and the unnamed copilot leave. It was a small wooden ladder. The jet wasn’t very tall, but when Heath coughed behind me, I decided to climb down like my brother.
I took in the scenery as we congregated on the grass strip Mischa called a runway. There were mountains, hills, and trees everywhere. It was so much greener than I expected it to be, but I knew that was because of my own lack of knowledge about the region. People only spoke about Siberia in terms of how cold it was and the permafrost. Part of me had expected a harsh winter landscape in June, which made little sense as I took in the landscape and thought about it. The only thing that turned the wild landscape into anything remotely human was the three small buildings and a cellphone tower at one end of the runway. Humans had brought technology to even this wild place.
“It’s a little cold here,” Heath said softly.
“It’s not so bad. Colder than Texas, sure, but it’s an acceptable summer temperature,” I countered. I tapped Hisao on the arm. “Where’s Mischa?”
“She’ll be here,” he promised. “It might take a few moments. This is an outpost.”
Thinking about the cell tower, I took a moment to check my phone and saw a missed text message. The number wasn’t saved, but when I clicked it, it had two messages. One declared it was Sergey speaking, nearly a day ago. Another was only two hours before, telling me I only had forty-eight hours to decide what to do. He had even been nice enough—or cruel enough—to attach a picture of my family. They looked terrified but unharmed.
It was a kick in the gut. I shoved my cellphone back into my pocket, not showing Gwen. She didn’t need that on her.
My sister didn’t notice, but the two men in our little group did, probably from my scent. Both turned to me, giving me their own version of curiosity and concern. Hisao’s was cool as if he didn’t understand what my problem was and maybe didn’t care. Heath’s was genuine, the hurt clear in his eyes as I hid my phone.
“Sergey wanted to remind me time is running out. We spent twenty-four of the seventy-two-hour grace period on planes,” I explained. No one needed to see the picture. “Family is unharmed for now.”
“Did they send evidence?” Hisao was stupid enough to ask. I glared at him as Gwen grabbed my wrist.
“Did they?” she demanded. “Did they send pictures?”
“Yes,” I answered, my jaw tight. “I’m not showing you, Gwen. They’re alive and unharmed. You don’t need to see them in captivity. You don’t want a visual to give you nightmares at night.”
“Do you think it will?” My damn sister glared at me. “I want to see them. I’m not that—”
“If she doesn’t want you to have nightmares, it’s because she will,” Heath growled. “Trust Jacky.”
That was when Hisao grabbed me and pulled me away from the group.
“Do you have nightmares?” he snapped.
“Wow.” I was really hoping he would hear how incredulous I was because it was better than being pissed off. “That’s not your business.”
“But the fucking werewolf knows?” His nostrils flared, a sign he wasn’t just upset, he was pretty pissed off.
And I had no way to fire back.
“Because he and I went through a lot, I’ve told him on occasion,” I admitted. “It’s not frequent enough to be a problem. Sometimes, it’s the vampires, sometimes, Carey getting hurt. It’s normal shit, Hisao. It’s not every night or even every week. It’s just…sometimes.” Shrugging, I dismissed it. It didn’t seem like a big deal to me and didn’t impede my normal life.
“My apologies.” His grip softened as he nodded. “I wish you talked to me or anyone in the family about it. I think I might be jealous of this friend of yours. I’m your brother, and you know I’ve seen things, yet you don’t talk to me about these nightmares.”
My heart ached.
Oh. He…he wants to be my brother.
“Do you have them? Nightmares?” I asked softly. We were far enough away from the group, my sister couldn’t hear us. Heath probably could, but I didn’t know if Hisao would have a problem with that.
“This conversation isn’t about me,” the Assassin answered stiffly.
Oh, yes, it is. It’s been about you since you dragged me away from the group. I’m not the one with the problem.
“Okay. I’ll consider your offer next time.” I tried to step away and found Hisao’s grip wasn’t that loose. His dark gaze was overbearing as he nailed me with it again.
“Some of us don’t like how close you are to that werewolf, Jacky. I recommend you do more than consider it. We’re family.” His eyes flicked toward Heath, then back at me. “He might be a strong ally, but he should not be the first person you call for help—”
“I didn’t plan to bring him. He knew the Russians could be involved and offered his services—”
“How did he even know Everett called you?” Hisao asked.
“I was having dinner with his family…” I was caught. “I understand. I’ll…I won’t put myself in that position anymore.”
“With everything going on and those human organizations sniffing around him, I recommend you don’t. And please, call your damn family when you need help,” Hisao growled. “One, it’s safer. Two, we want you to. We want to help you, Jacky. We would never leave you hanging out to dry. This is your twin, and she needed help. We would have respected your need.”
“I thought…” Shaking my head, I knew it was worthless to tell him what I had thought.
“Did you think Father would be angry? Because I can tell you, he’s angry you didn’t reach out sooner.”
“I didn’t want to pit Hasan as the Tribunal werecat against a werewolf pack,” I explained. “Hisao…We could accidentally start a war.”
That made a difference.
“Ah… yes,” he agreed softly. “Don’t worry. We have no intention of taking action as a family. I…I understand your reasoning and will pass it along to Father. I’m certain it will cool his temper.”
“Really?” Now, I was really disbelieving.
“I’ve often done things to stop the very same thing,” he said softly. “Things Father can never know about, and he knows that. He worries about you at your age more than the rest of us. We can talk more about it later. I hear Mischa’s truck.”
I listened, wondering if I could catch it. Once my brother was silent, I could hear the rumble of an engine. We watched in that direction, and two minutes later, it showed up in the tree line and came down a dirt road. My sister was standing in the passenger’s seat, waving. I didn’t know who was driving.
“Welcome!” she called out.
Hisao and I went back to Heath and Gwen, ready to meet the wild, gorgeous sibling that was Mischa. Her
blonde hair caught in the wind, left to fly around loose. Her blue eyes were noticeable at twenty feet, practically glowing. Even in the wilderness, she wore designer brands and looked like she could step off a magazine cover or a runway. In a sense, the Russian beauty and Hisao matched. As she jumped out of the truck, she adjusted the long designer trench coat she was wearing as Hisao walked toward her. She smiled as she caressed his cheek. They looked beautiful together, the same height, both around five foot nine, his dark hair and eyes versus her splash of color.
And I was wearing the same t-shirt I had left home in two days earlier with a pair of old jeans and tennis shoes that wanted to fall apart from the abuse I had put on them.
When Mischa turned to me, the smile didn’t leave.
“Sister,” she greeted, leaning in to kiss both my cheeks. For a moment, she hovered and whispered in my ear. “Don’t ever say I don’t love you.”
Then she was gone, shaking Heath’s hand, then Gwen’s.
“It’s good to see you again,” Heath said with politeness I was certain was an act. There was something tense about him, but I didn’t think my siblings would notice.
“You and your Talent,” Mischa said with a wary eye at my werewolf. “It throws me when I can’t smell people, Heath Everson.”
“You get used to it,” I interjected before the conversation could take a turn. “Mischa…this is Gwen.”
“I know Doctor Duray. Hisao told me what you learned. I was the one who told her to stay away from you. Isn’t that right, Gwen?” Mischa turned on my twin and grinned, all her teeth showing in a dangerous display.
“It is,” Gwen agreed, nodding. “I didn’t see another option.”
“Not killing a werewolf or trying to meddle in their pack was an option. You just didn’t take it,” my werecat sister snapped. “Definitely twins. Both of you can be downright foolish.”
I felt that. Like a slap, it struck me and threatened to put me off balance, which was what Mischa wanted. She was trying to take control of the group and making sure none of us would feel like we were in the right place to fight her. I thought it would continue, but when I looked at her again, daring to see what was coming next, Hisao was by her side.
