by Sydney Addae
She shrugged.
“They’re all in the main area,” Hawke said.
“Go in,” Silas told Razor and Storm.
Silas and the team watched through Hawke’s monitor with amazement. Two balls of energy, working opposite sides of the room, blades blazing, and blood sprayed in multiple directions as the two swept through the room, taking out everyone so fast they had no time to defend themselves. In less than two minutes, all 24 full-bloods had been beheaded. Storm checked the bodies on one side of the room and then disconnected their equipment, while Razor checked to be sure there were no heartbeats.
Heads littered the floor which was becoming a red, river of blood. Bodies were slumped over beds, against walls, by the door. Storm and Razor walked to the edge of the room, took off the shoes they’d removed from someone’s locker and tossed them on top of the bodies before leaving through the bathroom window.
Silas looked at Hawke and then Angus in awe. “Guess they didn’t need your help after all,” Angus said.
“We’re on our way back to the pickup point,” Storm said calmly as if he hadn't just taken out an entire platoon.
“Transportation is standing by to drive you to the pickup point in Virginia,” Hawke said. “Good job, guys.”
“Thanks,” Razor said.
“Yeah, thanks,” Storm said.
“Alpha Lyle has your flight ready. Good job, see you when you arrive home,” Silas said.
“Thank you, Sir,” Storm said, followed by Razor.
BEFORE SUNRISE SILAS received an urgent message from General Miller. “Admiral Blue sent word that the entire company of mercenaries was killed, beheaded last night. Security tapes revealed U. S. Marines entered the barracks and disabled the cameras. Somehow, they knew these men were dual-natureds and carried blades. Perhaps the Goddess avenged her people against these lawbreakers.”
Silas didn’t say anything at first. “Perhaps. All were destroyed?”
“Yes, Sir. The remaining wolves housed across the base ran off last night. Admiral Bents and General Straits are livid. They accused Admiral Blue and General Williams of foul play until the General reminded them how they’d excluded him and the Admiral from their plans.”
“I see,” Silas said. “Thank you for the update.”
“Admiral Blue and General Williams would like to talk with you and asked if I could set it up.”
“When do they want to talk?”
“As soon as possible, whenever you have time?”
“I suppose they’re available now?” Silas said dryly, considering Miller was contacting him. Last night Angus and Hawke discussed the data Angus had taken from Victor Humphrey. Admiral Bents name came up often. It would be interesting to hear what these men had to say. Admiral Bents had better hope Silas liked their message.
“Yes, Sir they are but they wanted me to stress they’d wait until you had time.”
“Okay, when we’re done patch them through.” He left his bed, pulled on a pair of sweats and tee shirt, slid his feet into a pair of slippers Jasmine bought him. “How many wolves dropped dead yesterday?” Silas had lost count. He left his suite and headed to his office to use the secure line.
“I believe it was 17 or 18. I’ll check to be sure. Made a lot of people uneasy, I’m surprised they kept trying. Had to be a record in Maryland.”
A record number of bodies they’ll use for research, he thought. “They didn’t value the lives of those wolves,” Silas said.
“No, they didn’t.” Miller paused. “I’ve heard things have changed on pack lands. It’s not a good time to be a foreigner or rogue traveling through the country.”
“No, it’s not,” Silas agreed. “There’s a way to enter someone’s home and property. If you can’t do that, you’ll be removed.”
“Yes, Sir. I agree completely. It’s disrespectful. Is there anything you need from me before I patch you through?”
Faye hadn’t been released yet. Jayden had finally received her testing records and results. Matt would review them when he came in this morning. Still, it bothered Silas that they kept her overnight. He didn’t want to keep Jarcee asleep longer than necessary but short of putting him in a cell and locking him away, he had no choice.
Silas would use Jayden’s people to monitor Faye’s situation, he didn’t want the General distracted from Bents and Strait. The plan in motion for them required precise timing with all the parts in place.
“Have you found any information on Taurus?”
“Not yet, Sir. I may have better luck asking some of my Canadian colleagues if that’s okay.”
Silas thought about it and agreed as he took a seat at his desk. “I’m ready, send the call.”
A moment later the phone beeped, Silas answered. “Good morning, Gentlemen. It’s early to receive a call from you, I’m assuming there’s something important you want to discuss.”
“Good morning, La Patron. Sorry about the hour, but it’s been crazy around here with bodies dropping from heart attacks in government offices all around. Then the massacre last night or this morning. It’s been a nightmare keeping the press out,” Admiral Blue said.
Silas wondered if they expected him to feel bad for them. He didn’t. Two of the mercenaries were American rogues, the rest foreigners. A couple of them were wanted by foreign governments. For their bodies to be found on a military installation training facility might raise eyebrows, but meant nothing to him. He waited for them to get to the point.
“Did you have anything to do with it?” General Williams asked.
He would be as honest with them as they had been with him. “No.”
“I didn’t think so, but Bents demanded we at least put the question to you.” Williams sounded relieved.
“There’s going to be an investigation,” Admiral Blue said. “You may be called in.”
“Really? Are they demanding I pay $100 thousand a day until I agree to come in?” Silas wondered if they expected him to appear.
“No,” Admiral Blue said. “That was nonsense talking.”
“Can I be honest with you?” General Williams asked.
“I prefer honesty,” Silas said hoping they’d get to the point.
“It’s getting harder to keep the peace with this Administration. They want a witch hunt, there’s talk of a numbering system, a purging of government, making it illegal for pack to work in certain places. There’s been talk of the public’s right to know and revealing the Nation.” General Williams sounded disgusted and afraid. “No matter what they say, transparency is not the bottom line. It’s money. Somehow by exposing the Nation, the end result will be to change your status from citizens to aliens with no rights.”
Silas shouldn’t be surprised or saddened by these events, but he was. Jasmine would take him to task for being hopeful that both races could co-exist peacefully, but in the corner of his heart, he nurtured that dream.
Of course, they had no idea what he had at his disposal or they’d never threaten to take anything from them. Before he would allow anyone to steal the pack’s birthright, he’d remove key people and put his own in place.
But they weren’t there yet.
“General Williams, on behalf of the Nation I want to thank you for your friendship. Let me be just as honest with you. If taking our citizenship, land, and finances is the final decision this Administration comes to, then so be it. We will all deal with the consequences of such action at that time, there is no reason to fear something that hasn’t happened.”
“But—”
“Continue to speak your convictions, don’t change. But don’t stand in their way either. Let them do what they think is best. We’re ready.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” Admiral Blue said suspiciously.
“I didn’t like the sound of them coming to steal our land and take away jobs from my people but I’ll deal with it.”
“Is there a way to compromise?” Admiral Blue asked surprising Silas.
“Com
promise? What do you mean?”
“This is all because of numbers. The President wants to know how large is the pack. If you give us the numbers we can slow things down,” General Williams said.
Silas snorted. “Slow things down? And then what?”
“Work with me here. We’re on a collision course if things don’t change,” Admiral Blue said.
“Admiral Blue, I believe you believe that. I have one request, let things happen and always tell the truth. Can you do that?”
“I give up,” Admiral Blue said. “You’re not taking this seriously.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Silas said in a hard voice. “I assure you, I’m very serious about this. You’re under the erroneous impression that I don’t know how to handle this type of situation. Need I remind you I have been in this country before it was formed as a nation?”
“No. You’re right of course. I just hate seeing us at odds like this. It’s wrong and not the way things should be. There’s room for everyone, we benefit each other. We’re all Americans, love the same country.”
“I agree. Who knows what the future holds. For now, continue on your path and answer truthfully when approached. That’s all I ask.”
“Of course, of course. Don’t know what you’ve got planned, though.” He paused and waited. “Thank you for your time, La Patron.”
“You’re welcome, Admiral, General.” Silas disconnected, left his office and returned to bed. He pulled Jasmine close.
“Everything okay?” she murmured, snuggling beneath him.
“Yes, they discovered the bodies and Hawke’s tape of the Marines entering the barracks.”
“Will it hold up?”
He shrugged. “Probably not, but they’ll spend a lot of time trying to figure it out, and starting over.”
“Next time they’ll have better security,” she said.
“Security wasn’t the issue this time,” Silas said thinking over the operation. Had Storm taken it easy when he fought Hawke? Or was it the combination with Razor that made them so deadly? He would never forget what he saw in the barracks and thanked the Goddess those two were on his side.
“True. They were quite impressive,” she said. “Renee’s not happy Storm’s working these kinds of assignments.”
“I know, she’s been looking at me, giving me the eye.”
“Storm’s happy. I can tell he’s beginning to find his way, his place. In time, Renee will be okay.”
“Just like Trista.” Silas shared what happened when they came to his office.
“They’re new at this,” Jasmine said. “Thirty days is good.”
“There’s more.” He told her about the call and the information he received.
“They’ve lost their damned minds,” Jasmine said.
“Yes. But we’ll help them find them.” He told her of the information they came across last night and the plan to turn the tables on Bents.
CHAPTER TWENTY
ADMIRAL BLUE AND GENERAL Williams sat across the table from each other in another long meeting. Eventually, the subject of the Wolf Nation became the topic.
“We had a small set-back this past week,” General Strait reported. “Nothing major. We’ll get back on track soon, re-start testing and training.”
“What have you learned so far?” one of the members asked.
“Any dual-natured person can identify another. By using them in this capacity we’ll reach one of our goals, knowing how many pack members work in government. We suspect there are pack members holding high offices but aren’t sure” General Strait said.
“Are they doing their jobs? Have there been any complaints?” This question came from another member, surprising Admiral Blue.
“There have been no complaints. Based on a few personnel records I’ve seen, they’ve done their jobs. But that’s not the point. Do we really want pack members in positions of authority? Who will they obey in case of a fallout? What if Silas Knight instructs them to do something illegal or he’ll stop their hearts from beating?”
“General Straits are you now accusing Silas Knight of stopping the hearts of the individuals you claimed were full-bloods? We’ve seen no records, no proof, nothing to back up your claims. Do you have proof?” the same member asked.
The General’s face reddened. “Yes, we did.”
“Proof that Knight stopped hearts? Where are they? We would like to see your proof.” He lifted a folder. “These are the coroner reports of the individuals who died and show nothing unusual for humans. Definitely, nothing to suggest they were part wolf and states they had heart attacks arising from other complications. Where is your proof to say otherwise?”
General Strait looked at the table for a brief second. “The officer handling the tests has disappeared.”
Admiral Blue sat back in shock and looked at General Williams who looked just as surprised as him.
“Disappeared?” Admiral Blue asked sitting forward. “When?”
General Straits shook his head. “I don’t know. He hasn’t shown up to work in a few days.”
“Are you implying that this one person holds all the information for a government testing operation?” Admiral Blue asked.
General Strait reported his last conversation with Lee, surprising Admiral Blue again when he heard the name.
“Major General Lee was court-martialed and sentenced. Why was he working on this project without our consent or knowledge?” another member asked.
Admiral Bents looked at General Strait. “Lee has a lot of knowledge in these matters, we petitioned the President for his release to work on this project.”
“And now he’s gone, along with proof of your research,” General Williams said. “Have you made any attempts to recover the information? Was it classified? How was it handled?”
Admiral Bents raised his hand. “We have enough information to continue and fulfill the President’s request.”
“You did not answer the question. What attempt has been made to recover this information? How was the matter handled? What if Lee has outside interests?” another member challenged.
“Yes, I sent a team to the location Lee resided to search for clues and answers. When I have a report, I’ll share it with this council. General Lee is an honored soldier who made a mistake. I and the President don’t believe him to be a traitor as you suggest.” He turned from that member and looked at the rest of the Chiefs.
“What do you know now, that we didn’t know before?” another member asked. “Your reports aren’t giving any new information. A massacre happened in a para-military building and we don’t know if it was a foreign power or our own.”
Admiral Bents opened a folder and leaned forward with his hands on the table. “Our plans to recruit and train a similar force to the Knights was approved and we moved forward to choose 24 candidates.”
“Where did you recruit? Were they all foreigners?” General Williams asked.
“All but two were foreigners, two Americans.”
“Were background checks done on these candidates?” General Williams asked.
“Most were checked,” Admiral Bents said.
“Is that information available? Those bodies will be sent somewhere for burial or are you disposing of them here?” General Williams asked.
“I don’t have that information, but it’s doubtful they’ll be returned.” Admiral Bents met General Williams gaze.
“Is it possible that an enemy or enemies of one or more of the men you hired are responsible for the massacre?” Williams continued staring at the Admiral.
“Anything’s possible. The appropriate authorities are looking into the matter. Our primary task is to learn information that can be used to defend ourselves against the Wolf Nation. Secondary, the President wants to know the size of the Nation. As far as securing a reliable count of the Wolf Nation, we need to continue our efforts in securing individuals capable of identifying pack members.”
There was murmuring around the table, on
ce again surprising Admiral Blue.
“How do you intend to do that? I’m against recruiting foreigners who may have ulterior motives, or may choose individuals on a whim without any proof,” Admiral Blue said, feeling the tide might be turning. “Especially when the coroner cannot corroborate the individuals used in your experiments are anything more than human. The whole thing could turn into a witch hunt”
There were murmured agreements.
“We knew there is no visible way to determine between pack and humans,” Admiral Bents said.
“Then how do you intend to go forward?” another member asked.
Admiral Bents looked at the folder in front of him again for several seconds. “I don’t know how to proceed.” He looked at Admiral Blue. “You’re sure Silas Knight had nothing to do with any of this?”
“Of course not. I can only tell you what he said and hope he has been as honest with us as we’ve been with him.” Admiral Blue held Bents gaze for a few seconds.
“If Silas Knight was involved with the death of these people,” Admiral Bents said looking around the table. “He’s a bigger threat than we imagined.”
“I’ve never heard of or ever seen any evidence of any pack member using a blade, or a sword, to kill over 20 men. According to both you and General Strait, these were highly skilled, fighting men with extra abilities,” another member said.
“All our intelligence on Silas Knight and his pack never mentioned the use of swords.” He pointed at Admiral Bents. “You’re going in the wrong direction with this, Admiral. I agree we have a problem, a big one based on what happened in our backyard less than 48 hours ago which in my opinion, is more critical than chasing the Wolf Pack. They aren’t going anywhere. For now, let’s focus on what kind of weapons were used with such lethal accuracy against those men. What if they had been our own? How do we handle such a threat?”
Admiral Blue sat stunned at the turn of events. Had La Patron removed General Lee? It was possible and a stroke of genius. Should he make a motion regarding Lee? No. If someone else wanted an investigation, he’d vote for it.
