Jack opened the door. His pleasantly surprised expression at seeing Jason quickly morphed into one of concern when his eyes took in the group behind the corporal. When questioning eyes met his, Jason dipped his head.
“Jack,” he began, motioning to Hank and Levi in turn, “this is Hank Snow, and Levi Simmons, the agents Ryder mentioned. We’d like to discuss something with you.”
“Of course,” Jack responded, his voice holding an edge of apprehension, “come in, all of you.” They did and, after they shed their boots and heavy coats, Jack cocked his head to the side. “Please, come in the kitchen. I’ll make some coffee and we can talk.”
Once the men settled in chairs at the table, Jason watched Jack as he filled the coffee maker with water. The Alpha’s motions were nervous but not guilty, at least not by his conclusions. Scanning the other men at the table, he couldn’t be as sure of their assessments and he decided to ease Jack into the process, allowing him to relax somewhat.
“How’s Sylvia doing?”
“Much better, thank you,” Jack responded. He poured ground coffee into the machine, started it, and then turned to meet Jason’s eyes. “Well, physically anyway. Doc Cobb was here a little while ago. He said she needs plenty of rest to heal and she’s so worried about everyone. He gave her a mild sedative. She’s sleeping now.”
Jason again marvelled at how well Jack was coping with the dire situation, considering how evident his worry for his mate was. Consumed with fear for Naomi, he felt as if he could barely control his own body, and fought to keep his mind on task, using it as a coping mechanism. Perhaps Jack did the same, holding onto the case as an anchor, the one thing that prevented him from drowning in worry over his pups. Jack eased himself onto a chair and then looked to Levi and Hank who sat side by side.
“SASS sent you two in to help then?”
In the ensuing silence, Jason realized the group hadn’t discussed how they should introduce Hank and Levi, or what they should tell others of the pair’s involvement. They weren’t in SASS but the SIA was effective by being secretive. At least he didn’t think Levi was also in SASS. Really, he didn’t know anything about the huge shifter. Before he could confirm their SASS status, even as he hated lying to Jack, Levi spoke up.
“Yes, they did. We’re here to take control of the investigation, given its escalation and the personal involvement of the agents here. Tonight, we need answers from you.”
“Of course. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“That’s good to hear,” Levi responded, a bit harshly Jason thought. He doubted the shifter possessed Ryder’s smooth way of dealing with people. “I’d like you to tell me why you hired Emily Dunne.”
Visibly shocked by Levi’s request, Jack’s brow scrunched severely. “Emily? I don’t understand what my hiring of Emily has to do with what’s going on.”
“Just answer the question,” Levi snapped. “Why did you hire her?”
Jack’s confused expression slowly morphed into an annoyed one. “What exactly are you accusing me of?” When Levi didn’t respond, Jack stared at him angrily. “You think I’m involved in this?” he asked incredulously. “What exactly do you think I did? Arrange to have my daughter and son kidnapped?”
“I don’t know what you’ve done. That’s why we’re here.”
Jack jumped to his feet. “Get out of my house! How dare you accuse me of that?” His anger-slit eyes swept over the men. “All of you, out now!”
Jason slowly rose to his feet, holding his hands up slightly. “Jack, no one is accusing you of anything but we do have some questions about how Emily came into your employ. Please, let’s all just calm down and discuss this rationally. I’m sure Levi didn’t intend his question to sound like an accusation.”
While he wasn’t so sure about his last statement, his words seemed to diffuse Jack who retook his seat. Jason looked to the others and saw the harsh look Hank delivered to Levi, a warning no doubt. Levi merely stared at Jack, his expression unreadable. Jason sat down again and met Jack’s cautious eyes.
“I’m sorry we’ve upset you, that wasn’t our intention. However, there are some questionable things surrounding your hiring of Emily and we’d like you to clear them up for us.”
“Fine,” Jack replied flatly. “What do you want to know?”
The coffeemaker beeped and, as Jack made to stand up, Jason shook his head. “I’ll get it. Please, just relax. Ryder can ask the questions.”
Relieved when neither Levi nor Hank protested, he got up and moved to prepare coffee for the group, keeping his ears trained on the men as he did so.
“Again, we don’t mean this to sound accusatory,” Ryder began softly, “but we would like you to clear up a few things for us. So, please, walk us through your hiring of Emily. Your personal assistant, Margaret Daly, left your company just before delivering her twins. You needed to replace her. You found Emily on a corporate job site, correct?”
“Yes. Well, actually, no. Julian suggested her to me. He sent me a link to the job site.”
Pulling mugs from the cupboard, Jason paused, having no idea of that. Turning back to the group, he saw Ryder’s eyes move to Levi and Hank.
“He’s referring to Julian Grayson, the Alpha of the Moon Valley pack.” He then lifted his chin to Jack. “Go on, so Julian suggested her. Why? One of the questions we have is why you decided to hire a human for a position that could have easily been filled by a shifter.”
“It could have,” Jack agreed. “I mean, it doesn’t matter to me if I have humans or shifters working for me, but yes, in such a small community, I can see how you could question my decision to hire a human. Julian suggested her. She’s the daughter of a business associate of his, and a close friend, a man whose name escapes me right now but Julian said the man’s relationship with Emily was strained. Nonexistent, actually, from what he said, but he’d promised the man that he’d look out for Emily when his friend died. Given their poor relationship, he didn’t want her to discover he knew her father, so he didn’t want to hire her when she was looking to relocate. He’d said she had a problem with her ex-fiancé, and he wanted her to be somewhere safe and close by so he could ensure she was okay.”
Pushing himself to prepare the coffees as Jack had spoken, Jason placed full mugs of coffee before the men. Uneasy with the relation that Julian Grayson had recommended Emily, something about it not sitting well with him, his mind spun with more questions. As he grabbed the sugar bowl from the counter, he spoke over his shoulder.
“Emily’s relationship with her father was extremely strained. He had an affair with her mother, unbeknownst to the woman until he announced he was married, and then didn’t spend time with Emily, even as he financially supported her. When he passed, he willed her a considerable amount of money she then donated to charity. That’s how insistent she was about not having a connection with her father,” he explained as he placed the sugar bowl, a container of milk, and spoons on the table.
Hank cocked his head questioningly. “What’s a considerable amount of money?”
“Two million dollars,” Jason answered and then watched the surprised reactions of both Hank and Levi.
“Well, I didn’t know any of that at the time,” Jack announced, “but that’s what started the trouble between Emily and her ex-fiancé. She was desperate to get away from him, which was why she was so eager to relocate.”
“Okay,” Ryder broke in, bobbing his head. “That makes sense, her willingness to move halfway across the country to get away from Peterson. It also makes sense that you did your friend Julian a favour by hiring her to have her close by so he could keep an eye on her. But it doesn’t explain the incentives you offered her.” When Jack frowned slightly, as if confused, Ryder elaborated. “The sharp increase in her wage, and the house to live in rent-free. Paying for her moving expenses makes sense to me, but not the rest of it.”
“I offered the house. It was donated to the pack by its previous occupant when she died, an elderly unm
ated shifter who didn’t have family. I didn’t want to add having to find a place to live to Emily’s plate, not after she had to relocate. I also didn’t want her commuting from Moon Valley or somewhere else. As you all know, the weather in winter can be horrible here. I wanted her in town where she was safe and didn’t have a commute. And, as she was a human, I wanted her close at all times, in case I did have to deal with a shifter exposure to her. I mean, yeah, part of me hoped she’d find a mate here, there are plenty of unmated shifters in town. Of course I couldn’t have known she’d be the intended of my sons, but ...” He prepared his coffee as the others waited and then met Ryder’s eyes again. “The increase in her wage was provided by Julian. I couldn’t afford to pay her as much as she was earning in Toronto, let alone offer an increase. He’s been forwarding that money to me to pay her.”
“And you didn’t find that strange?” Ryder demanded.
“Yes, I did. I questioned him because his being close to Emily’s father didn’t seem a good enough reason to do all that. He said he’d explain it all to me later and then, well, with everything that happened, from Emily’s kidnapping by Peterson, to you, Wayne, and Mark arriving and being Ashlynn’s mates, and everything else ... well, it slipped my mind.”
Jason thought there was certainly more to Julian’s reasons for his actions than loyalty to a deceased friend and could see the other men thought so too. Jack took a sip of coffee and then turned to Jason.
“I’m sorry, I should have gotten to the bottom of this before now. I found it odd but again with everything that happened ...” His voice trailed off and he released a deep sigh. “Jason, is Julian involved in this? I need to know. Do you think my best friend is involved in the kidnapping of my pups?”
“I don’t know,” he replied truthfully. He thought it more than possible but didn’t want to incite any animosity until the group knew for sure. Turning to Hank, he motioned to the cups on the table. “I don’t want to leave a mess for Sylvia, so I’m going to clean this up, and then we’re going to Julian’s.”
“Fine,” Hank agreed.
Jack placed a hand on Jason’s arm to command his attention. “I’m coming with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Levi spoke up.
“I do,” Jason countered. “They’re both Alphas and have been friends for years. If Julian isn’t complicit in all this, then Jack’s presence will have a calming effect on him. If he is, then perhaps Jack’s presence will appeal to his honour and make him forthcoming about his involvement.”
The men all bobbed their heads in assent and Jason breathed a little easier, despite the continued tenseness of the situation. At least this group was all on the same page. That was a great benefit heading into a potentially volatile situation. For, if Julian was as involved with the rogue pack as Jason suspected he was, a huge shitstorm was about to go down.
***
Hours later, Logan and a few men returned to the room. He reasoned Nathan had suffered enough. After all, it wasn’t his intention to drive the shifter mad, only to loosen his tongue. Ignoring the curses Emily flung at him, he watched as his men undid the chains and opened the box. The subtle scents of sweat and urine he’d detected before were strong now. Nathan had peed himself in fear.
Logan watched intently as the men pulled Nathan from the box and set him on his feet. Wide-eyed and bathed in sweat, his breath issued in harsh gusts. He wobbled, obviously unwell and highly stressed. As the men mocked him for pissing on himself, Logan studied him. He looked defeated as he swayed slightly, his eyes downcast, the defiance he’d displayed before long gone, and Logan gave himself an inward pat on the back. He’d done it again, broken a shifter’s spirit. Nathan was the first man he’d broken though, and he was damn proud of himself. His eyes strayed to Emily who raged over the men humiliating Nathan. White fur arose on her arms, shoulders, and thighs. She was furious and should have changed fully, and he reasoned she couldn’t, not that the realization surprised him. He longed to speak with her, it was something he’d looked forward to for a long time, but it would have to wait.
“What does SASS know about us?” he demanded as his eyes fell on Nathan again.
“I don’t know,” came the quiet response.
“What did Ryder and Wayne say about the case?”
“That they’d dead in the water and don’t have leads.”
Nathan’s answers were quiet, succinct, and bore not a trace of resistance. He really hadn’t known anything after all. John lifted a brow, silently asking permission to kill Nathan. Useless to them, he was an unneeded mouth to feed if they kept him, but Logan found Nathan’s reaction to the box amusing and wanted to do it again. Maybe everyday, in fact. It was probably stupid to keep him around but then again, he did see how he could use the shifter to force compliance from Emily. He tired of the physical violence and much preferred psychological abuse. He shook his head at John who, with another man, returned Nathan to his cell, where they shackled him to the wall once more. When they released their hold on him, he sank to his knees and hung his head.
After turning to the sound of Emily’s sobbing, Logan visually examined her again. Full-figured, he knew John would love to have a go at her but, like Naomi, she was strictly off-limits albeit for entirely different reasons. He couldn’t help his eyes from locking on his prize, Naomi. He stewed at the sight of her claim bite, clearly seeing that RCMP asshole Jason Gagnon had delivered a bite atop the one Logan had. Considering Naomi’s state at the time of her ‘rescue’, he could only deduce she and Gagnon were intended. Hoping Gagnon suffered horribly with her absence, he was determined to reclaim her as his, but not now. Other issues pressed and while he should restart his efforts to break her now, he hadn’t done anything to her yet, allowing her to worry over what he’d do as a punishment. Actually, aside from stripping them and limiting food, he hadn’t done a damn thing to any of the women in this room.
His eyes roved back to Ashley, no Ashlynn. It was hard to remember all their names but he did. It was essential they knew he knew them. Eventually they believed he knew them intimately, it helped to break them. Despite his time constraints, he knew it was prudent to do something to this group, to assure them they were far from safe.
“Ashlynn,” he called out, lacing his voice with authority.
When she looked to him, he clearly saw the fear in her eyes. That was good, but it wasn’t enough. He nodded to John who stepped forward to unlock the cell as a few men gathered behind him, poised to force her compliance if required. Logan’s spy had told him all about the Tremblays, including the fact Ashlynn was pregnant. He was appreciative of that knowledge, as her pregnancy hadn’t progressed far enough for the pups to be scented by other shifters yet, and he would never bring harm to pups. Still, he reasoned a small lesson was in order.
***
Emily could hear little over the rush of blood in her ears. She shook slightly, her body vibrating with the emotions that pummeled it. Furious over what Bossman had done to Nathan, devastated over its effect on her poor mate, and filled with fear for Ashlynn, she stood for a moment after the door closed. Only the sound of Nathan’s ragged breathing spurred movement, scaring her much more than Ashlynn’s plight. Curled into a fetal position on the floor of his cell, his back to her, his body trembled with the harsh sobs he released. The sight of him so broken tore her heart asunder. He’d given up. Bossman had broken him and terror crept up her spine. He hadn’t reacted at all when the shifters dragged his sister from the room and that frightened her the most.
“Nathan,” she called softly as she forced herself to take the few steps to stand before the bars that separated their cells. He didn’t respond. “Nathan, please look at me.” Nothing. He either couldn’t hear her over his sobbing or lacked the ability to respond. She suspected the latter. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath left her in an agonizing rush, and, her head spinning wildly, she sank to the cold concrete floor and shakily reached a hand through the bars. As always, he was far b
eyond her reach but the distance seemed farther now. It felt like he was miles away.
Speaking softly, wanting to soothe him, she told him how sorry she was over what Bossman had done to him. She assured him he was safe now, back where he could see her and she him, so they could draw on one another’s strength and see each other through this. Again, there was zero reaction to her words. Her breath hitched in her throat as a single tear coursed down her cheek.
Turning to Naomi, she wasn’t sure what to make of her friend’s expression. Naomi hadn’t said much since their kidnapping and, like Nathan, hadn’t reacted when the shifters took Ashlynn from the cell. While not wanting to upset Nathan more, Emily needed to ask her next question.
“Will they do what I think they’ll do to her?”
Naomi shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe they’ll just beat her. Maybe Bossman wants to psychologically torture her. It’s hard to say.”
White fur broke the surface of Emily’s forearms yet again. Naomi observed it with the same indifference with which she’d answered Emily’s question. As she sucked in a huge breath, Emily fought to calm herself. Erupting in anger at Naomi wouldn’t help but she was pissed at her friend’s reaction. She wanted to ask her friend what was wrong with her, why she was so damn calm, and how she could possible just stand there so impassively after witnessing Nathan’s torture, but she bit her tongue. After a moment passed in which Naomi calmly held her harsh gaze, Emily turned her attention back to Nathan.
Saved by Her Wolves Page 4
