“Where is she? We leave in five minutes, whether she has spoken to him or not.” Asia glanced at Tyrese and then at Danielle. He nodded. Danielle turned and walked a couple steps to the side.
A few moments later the roar of a vehicle coming closer caused them to look in the direction of the sound. When the noise stopped, Danielle stepped near Tyrese and wrapped her arms around her waist.
Asia gave the young wolf points for trying to be cool about the whole thing, although that wouldn’t last a second if the princess made the wrong move.
A young female who appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties walked through the woods wearing a long gold embroidered dress as if she were in a receiving room instead of the middle of the forest. Her hair was pinned in a fancy updo, her make-up expertly applied and she smelled like gardenias. She tip-toed through the grass to avoid getting her feet dirty.
“Stop right there,” Asia said before the woman got too close. “Say what you need to say so we can be on our way. I heard you were standing next to him when someone stuck a needle in his side and then tried to kill him, so that’s as close as you get.” Her tone clearly said take it or leave it.
The princess’ head jerked back and then her face reddened. She pointed at Tyrese. Danielle, who looked like a thug with a mohawk stepped in front of him, baring her teeth.
“Oh…” The princess’ eyes widened as she looked at Tyrese and then the male version of Danielle. “Is this why you turned me down… you like…” She looked around as though no one was listening. “You like men?” she whispered.
Asia smiled. Tyrese probably wanted to scream his sexual preference, but this time she knew he would take one for the team. He glanced at Danielle, winked and then nodded.
Danielle patted his arm, blew him a kiss and took his hand.
Angus turned his head and looked up in the trees.
The princess’ face crumbled. “But… I needed…I wanted you to… can you give me a child, an heir?” she whispered.
Danielle growled and took a step forward. Tyrese grabbed her hand and pulled her beside him. Asia gave him credit for keeping a straight face when he spoke. “No, I cannot give you a child or anything else. This is my mate.” He tipped his head toward Danielle who bared her teeth at the other woman.
The princess’ mouth opened and snapped shut. She narrowed her eyes at him and raised her chin. “Why didn’t you tell me in the beginning you had a mate…we wasted all this time…” she looked at the ground and then away but not before Asia saw her glassy eyes.
Tyrese didn’t answer.
Asia glanced at her watch and then twisted her neck from side to side. Angus took a few steps. Brix and Leon turned with their backs to her, facing the guards in front of them.
“Your time is up,” Asia said, not bothering to look at the princess.
“Yes… one more question. The female who jumped on the stage, why did she kill the ambassador? I’ve watched the tapes and couldn’t believe it when I saw her shoot him. Do you know Danielle Brindle? She was a journalist from the States we allowed into our country and she betrayed our hospitality.”
Impressed, Asia watched the young woman play out the scene. It seems they had underestimated the Prime Minister and his daughter.
“I don’t know a Danielle Brindle and you are holding us up,” Asia said even though she was curious over this new development.
“What about you Tyrese? She seemed really interested in you…wouldn’t leave your side during the fight. Did she know you were mated? Strange how she disappeared when you did, left all of her equipment and luggage in her room. Sounds like an assassin to me… what do you think?”
“I think you’re a spoiled bitch,” Tyrese said in a conversational tone.
The princess’ cheeks reddened. “Yes…yes I am. But at least I have a reason for it. Why are you such a bastard?”
Asia hid her smile. She admired the young girl’s spunk, but they had to leave. She held up her hand and moved forward the guard stepped aside. Standing to the side, she allowed Angus to lead as she watched the soldiers.
“Would you like a ride to the end of our territory?” the princess asked.
“No.” Tyrese said before Asia answered.
“I apologize for everything that happened and hope there are no hard feelings,” the young woman said as Danielle and Tyrese walked past her.
Tyrese didn’t respond. Danielle neither looked at the woman, nor released Tyrese’ hand. Asia noticed the considering look in the princess’ eyes as she turned to watch their exit. When she noticed Asia staring at her, she shrugged and smiled.
“I’m a bitch and I know it, but I love my country and will do whatever to save it. I thought he was our best hope, but I was wrong. A lot of things went wrong.”
Curious, Asia stepped in her direction. “Why did you pick him? He was in the States? Why not choose someone on this side of the world?”
The princess looked around at her guards and moved boldly towards Asia.
“We needed help, there were…well one threat has been eliminated, not the way we planned, but Milque is no longer a problem,” she muttered. “My father reached out to some people he knew and they sent him a collection of five men to choose from. After watching the tapes, we chose him.” Her chin tipped in the direction of Tyrese.
“They cheated you. He was never available for what you wanted,” Asia said.
The woman shrugged. “I know that now and will tell my father. He paid a lot of money for a protector.”
“Why didn’t you choose one of the others?”
She bit her lip and glanced away looking uncertain. “I’m not sure, they didn’t look right…their eyes, they just seemed like meatheads…no fire. Almost like robots.”
Asia tensed. Had the Liege stepped up their game? Were they selling their creations to small countries? Is that why the three hybrid soldiers were in the woods right after the ceremony?
She eyed Asia. “What about you? You are big and strong, I can pay you well to add another layer of protection to our security.” She leaned forward and spoke softly. “You are similar to Milque but smarter.”
Asia laughed. A deep baritone sound left her throat. The young woman was smart and would probably rule their small country well one day. She had the tenacity for it. “I am nothing like Milque. He was much nicer than I am.”
The princess’ eyes widened and she took a step back watching Asia closely.
“We should never have tried to bargain with him?”
“No…you shouldn’t have. His agenda never matched yours.” Asia placed her thick arms across her chest and waited. As stall tactics went this one was easy. She knew there was someone tailing her group, but it wouldn’t be anyone from this circle.
“You are being honest. I don’t know where you stashed Danielle Brindle, but she is wanted for murdering the Ambassador and will be picked up for questions. But if she is found in this country she will never leave.”
Asia nodded. Pity they were at odds in this situation, she respected the young woman’s strategic prowess. Perhaps their paths would meet again one day.
The princess eyed her a moment longer and then turned away. “If you are ever in this area again and need work, just contact me. I prefer someone who is honest about their intentions, even when I don’t like it.”
“Tyrese never lied to you.” Asia knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t have bothered.
“No…no he didn’t. And I didn’t like that either.” She stepped through the foliage and disappeared along with the soldiers.
Asia leapt toward a high branch on a nearby tree and looked around. She identified the princess’ caravan. There were two jeeps, most of the soldiers set off at a jog in the opposite direction. Angus had their group on the move; they were over a mile away. Once the princess was out of sight, she leapt from tree to tree, making decent time. It didn’t take long to catch up with her group; she passed them and waited until they reached her drop point.
; “Hey,” Angus said when he saw her. “What’d the princess have to say?”
“Ears probably in the air, I’ll tell you on the plane.” He nodded; they continued the brutal pace until they came to a fast moving stream.
Asia raised her hand, threw out her senses and turned three hundred and sixty degrees. There were a few humans a good distance behind them and their full-blood escorts were on the other side of the water. She detected no fear or any other strong emotion. That was a good sign unless the soldiers were from the Liege. Those modified men had no emotion, period.
She calmed herself and did another, deeper search, this time she listened for the tiny clicks of the computer chips that had ruled her life for years. She would never forget the sound. It took longer, but she needed to know if they would encounter the hybrids before moving in the open to cross the stream. Relieved and confident that they could leave with few complications, she waved them forward. Once they were a few feet from the creek, she stopped and looked at Angus. “Jump.”
He ran and jumped the fifteen something feet across. Leon went next, Danielle, Tyrese, Brix and she jumped last. A group of ten full-bloods led them to a caravan of SUV’s and drove them to an airstrip. Turning back to the woods, Asia noticed military uniforms behind the baseline of the trees they had just exited. American. Those soldiers had been their silent companions out of the country.
Chapter 20
Silas watched Jacques enter the room and head in his direction. He glanced at Jasmine and noticed she saw Jacques as well. The performance ended, Silas and Jasmine stood clapping along with everyone else in the room. The children had been awesome and had his attention not been split between the show and the messages he constantly received, he could have appreciated them more.
Jacques whispered something in Jasmine’s ear, turned and left the same way he entered. “Tyrese and the others are on their way to the plane. Asia had a small problem but was on her way as well. I’ll contact her to make sure everything’s okay.”
Silas nodded. When it came to the strange relationship his mate had with Asia, he stepped aside. The young bitch could not link to anyone else other than Jasmine, it was damn inconvenient; especially on jobs like the one she was on right now.
“The plane has taken off? Do they need our support?” Tyrese knew to scan for bombs and would take extra care with his mate on-board, but he needed to ask anyway.
“Jacques didn’t say, I’ll ask Asia.” She sat quietly for a few minutes. “I can’t get through, it’s like I’m getting a busy signal, although that’s not what it is. It just feels that way.”
“A busy signal?”
Jasmine nodded. “Yes. I’ll try again once the last performer is done.”
He nodded and glanced at his watch. Earlier, before he and Jasmine returned from their room, he had received a panicky message from his contact in the Federal Reserve. The older gentleman remembered the last time Silas tampered with the markets and the length of time it took to come out of that situation. He had questions and Silas referred him to the Chief of Staff. The man had groaned, called the Chief of Staff’s idiots and hung up. Jacques had been fielding calls from officials all afternoon.
They sat quietly while a musical salute to Michael Jackson was performed. Although Silas didn’t particularly care for the artist, Jasmine snapped her fingers and many times sung along. He expected her to stand and dance with the youngsters on the stage. Instead, she remained next to him showing the same enthusiasm she had shown each group who performed. His mate understood how children thought and made sure to treat them all the same. He appreciated at how easily she assimilated into his world.
“Sir that call we discussed yesterday, just came through. What do you want me to do?”
Silas glanced at Jasmine. If she hadn’t voiced her concerns about this being a set-up he would tell the President he was too busy. But she made some valid points.
“I will be there in five minutes, the children are done and I must speak to them.”
“Yes, Sir.” He heard the relief in Jacques voice and realized Jasmine may have been the only one to call him out on his behavior but she wasn’t the only one concerned. It took ten minutes to leave the makeshift auditorium which would be broken down and set up for dinner. He and Jasmine made their way to the office that he shared with Jacques and entered the room.
“I need to dial this number and then they will call you.” Jacques removed his feet from the desk and made the call.
Silas took Jasmine’s hand and they sat side by side on the loveseat. “I am going to open up so you can hear and give me your thoughts.”
Her eyes lit. “You’re going to talk to the President?” She asked in an excited voice that sent his stomach plummeting. He knew meeting a man as prominent as the president was a genuine reaction, a lot of full-bloods treated him the same way, but he still did not like it.
“I don’t want you getting excited like that over anyone but me,” he said, his tone serious.
She looked up at him and must have seen something because she rubbed his arm and kissed his cheek. “Okay, wolfie, calm down. It’s just…I voted for the guy and well…” She peeked at him and bit her lip.
His wolf growled and snapped. “Seriously Jasmine. Your heartbeat sped up, you gasped a breath and your eyes have the light of fire. You can’t get excited over other men, I don’t care who they are, I cannot handle that.”
“Silas… I don’t want the man; it’s just… well he is in charge of the whole…” Her lips pursed and she stared at him wide-eyed. “Oh…okay. Both of you are in charge of whole countries.” She exhaled, smiled and kissed the back of his hand. “I’m sorry baby. I forget sometimes that my man is the baddest thing walking on the planet.”
The sincerity in her words pleased him and his beast. He kissed her forehead as the phone rang, Jacques answered and handed him the phone.
“Hello?”
“La Patron this is Kendrick Wallis, I am sorry we have never met. But I understand I have offended you with the Lyrill operation and I’d like to apologize for that.”
“You knew they took my son?” he asked the president.
“I don’t think I read the whole report when it was given to me, I just told them to make it happen. Again, I apologize; I should have asked more questions and found out more about the country. If you’ve been listening to the news you know I have a mess on my hands over there. But I’ve been told your son has left the country and is returning to the states. That’s one bright spot in this day.”
Silas looked at Jasmine.
She spoke through their link. “He sounds sincere; I’m sensing a tired, overworked man operating on fumes.”
“My son was taken from my mating ceremony under the guise of national security, which turned out to be a lie. I will no longer deal with your joint chiefs. I don’t deal with liars.”
There was silence on the phone for a few seconds. Silas crossed his leg and winked at Jasmine, whose brow furrowed. She still didn’t understand the power he wielded. Her reaction to this man still bothered him, and even though it was small of him, he needed to prove to his woman that her mate was indeed the top man.
“La Patron, it’s not their fault. They were following my instructions and I didn’t share everything with them. I need to be honest with you. Lyrill has a rich supply of kirlethanium, a key component used in chemical warfare. A group of terrorist has been stealing the crystals and selling them to the highest bidder. We were negotiating increased security and the removal of the crystals for safekeeping.”
Jasmine’s brow rose.
Silas nodded. He hadn’t heard about this. He wrote the name of the crystal on a piece of paper and slid it to Jacques who typed the word into his computer.
“They cancelled your deal?”
President Wallis sighed. “Yes… they were receiving threats and pressure from a couple of groups. The Prime Minister is steeped in tradition and believes the crystals are what keeps Lyrill so beautiful and the people
young.”
“He thinks it’s the fountain of youth?” Silas was intrigued by this.
“Yes and to be fair, the man is over a hundred years old and looks half his age. Princess Miriam is thirty-five and looks like a teen-ager. In addition to putting my foot into it with the Lyrill incident, and causing my joint chiefs a coronary, I received a call from Harrison at the Federal Reserve.”
Silas glanced at Jasmine. “I always thought he was a nice guy, that’s why I voted for him,” she said and he could tell she felt sorry for the man.
“Harrison called me earlier,” Silas said. Jasmine’s brow rose. He wondered how to work things so that he got what he needed for the wolf nation and satisfied his human mate.
“I know. He is the best we have in the country and is great at what he does. So when he tells me I messed up, I listen. No one briefed me on who you were until today. That is something that should never have happened. I need to make sure no other president makes the mistakes I did through ignorance.”
“Are you saying they did not tell you about me, my people?” Silas was disappointed, up to this point he had changed his opinion about the earnest sounding man. But one of his Generals had personally briefed the President on the wolf nation and their contributions to the country.
“No that is not what I’m saying. I have had closed door conversations with a few trusted individuals regarding you and your nation before now. What I did not understand was the depth of the connection between the two governments… not until today. That is something every president must be made aware of or they will make similar mistakes as I have.”
“What do you suggest?” Silas’ chest lifted in pride as he watched the look of wonder on Jasmine’s face. His wolf howled in pleasure.
“I would like to set up a permanent liaison in my office to keep abreast of issues that may conflict with you. I cannot run everything by them of course, but my hope is to have you in my ear without you being in the spotlight. You chose the individual and I’ll have the paperwork started for a permanent position that won’t disappear the way other occupants in west wing does.”
BirthSign (La Patron, The Alpha's Alpha) Page 21
