Chapter 2 #2
“Look around this place. We should have been seriously injured, as much as they were; they’re shifters, too, for God’s sake. But they didn’t go full force.”
“Some of them did,” Niko said.
“Yeah, because you provoked them. But most of them just wanted to get away. We didn’t even get the full force of everybody getting out through the windows and doors. They ran, avoiding us, leaving their vehicles rather than go through us to get back to them.”
“We could have chased them down,” Rance said, as he stomped through the front door with some of Jack’s other males beside him.
“I don’t want to annihilate his Pride. That’s not the end game here,” Jack said.
“I think you’re right,” Slade said. “Something’s not right. Since the first few nights we were here, they’re not even fighting back. They just entice us enough to keep us focused on them, then they slink away.”
“Agreed,” Jack said. “We fight two or three groups of males a night, if we can hunt them down without them fleeing. They’re shifters, they should be able to hold their own.”
“They’re not Laighin Pride,” Niko said confidently.
“They’re still shifters. Why aren’t they fighting to the death? Why are they not fighting for the territory they’ve acquired?” Jack said.
“Makes you think something else is going on,” Rance admitted, finally seeing what Jack and Zev were talking about.
“You ever fought another Pride that will engage, but then slinks away before inflicting any real damage?” Jack asked.
Rance looked around them, less than a dozen or so lying dead, the rest having left already, even the unconscious, as their friends grabbed them up as they made their getaway. “It’s too fucking easy. What’s the point?”
“Distract us?” Niko asked, shrugging as he wiped a bit of blood off his cheek.
“From what?” Slade asked.
Jack took out his phone and fired off a quick text to all the members of the Laighin Pride.
“Be on high alert. Something isn’t right here, fight is too easy and never followed through.
Possibly a distraction tactic. We’ll be finished up here in a day or two, then heading home.
Be suspicious of everything, and overreact to anything that is not usual.”
Almost immediately he started receiving confirmation of receipt from their Pride as members received and read Jack’s message. Then he received a message from Vance.
“Understood. Everything here is fine. We are on constant perimeter checks, I will increase guards
at all checkpoints, and have more free roaming in their animal forms. We’ve got things covered
here, just be careful there.”
“They’re aware now. Everything at home is secure, but we need to wrap this up and get back there. We’re just spinning our fucking wheels here. They’re not defending a damn thing, they’re just keeping us busy,” Jack said.
“That’s not good enough. Jared deserves more justice than he’s gotten,” Niko said.
“Yeah, he does. But those who actually killed him are already dead. The one I want is Falwell himself. He’s not here.
We need to help Connor get control of this place and get home to regroup and make sure our own are safe and secure.
Maybe reach out to a few others we trust once we leave here and see what they can find out. ”
“I need to follow through here a bit more before I’ll feel okay with walking away,” Tate said.
“We’re not walking away, but they have us playing a game here. Let’s wipe them the fuck out, then go home,” Jack said.
“Done!” Rance said, turning and striding in the direction the last few injured males had gone, with some of those standing around waiting for further instruction falling in behind him.
“Leave some alive!” Jack yelled after him.
~~~
A group of the Falwell Pride sat together in the darkness outside of town.
One of them swiped the back of his hand across his cheek, leaving a streak of blood from a laceration on his cheekbone over half his face, before he looked at the blood staining the skin on his hand and wiped it on his jeans. “This is bullshit,” he grumbled, shaking his head in disbelief.
“It’s orders,” another said, using his own teeshirt to wrap around a gash in his bicep.
“It’s still bullshit!” the first male said.
“I don’t understand why we’re still here, pretending to take this fucking worthless fucking town, when we really don’t want the damn thing to begin with,” a male from the opposite side of the room said.
“Same. You want to take over a town, send me. I’ll get it done. Don’t fucking send me to play games with the Laighin Pride. They don’t play. We’re either fighting for control or we’re not. There’s no in between.”
“I can assure you, our Alpha knows exactly why he has us here, and is well in control of the situation. If he didn’t want this town, we wouldn’t be here.”
“Really? Where is he, then? Where are his lieutenants? Why aren’t they here holding the line with us? Why did they leave us here after the Laighin Pride arrived, with orders to keep them distracted?”
“You just answered your own question. We’re to keep them distracted. Make sure that they continue to believe that our focus is this town.”
“If this town isn’t truly our focus, why are we even wasting our energy?”
“Because they’re obviously taking care of something more important somewhere else!
We’re here holding this line! You’re both beginning to piss me off.
Don’t question Alpha Falwell. This town isn’t meant to be a place of power.
It’s meant to be destroyed. For now, we’re simply place holders while he tends to other more important issues.
Lay low for a few days, don’t let yourselves be seen, and maybe the Laighins will leave.
The only ones left will be the damn biker club, and they’re humans — easy to avoid.
They’ll never even know we’re still here.
When the order comes to burn it down, it’ll all burn, and we’ll be on our way back to where we belong.
Now you know more than you fucking need to know, so just do what you’re here to do! ”
Rance stepped out of the shadows, surprising the males of the Falwell Pride. “Nobody’s burning a fucking thing,” he growled, as enough males to completely encircle the Falwells where they sat complaining to one another, joined Rance.
“We have no beef with you,” the male defending the Alpha Falwell yelled. “Leave us before we are forced to defend ourselves with deadly force.”
Rance grinned. “Too late!” he said, reaching for the closest male, as did the other members of Jack’s Pride.
The bloodiest fight yet took place there in the woods, and at the end of it, some of Jack’s Pride were injured, but all of Falwell’s were dead.
There would be no burning of the town on Jack’s watch.
~~~
Several days later Jack stood in front of Connor’s clubhouse, shaking the man’s hand.
“I don’t how to thank you, Jack. With you helping nightly, they turned tail and ran. They wanted no part of you and your Pride.”
Jack took a deep breath and let it out slowly as his gaze touched on the SUVs and trucks behind him filled with his people waiting to get on the road, and then the property around them.
“You fought, too, don’t discount that. And you don’t owe me any thanks at all.
I just did what Jared would have done had he still been here.
You were his friend, it’s the least I could do. ”
Connor watched Jack’s demeanor as his eyes slowly moved around the perimeter of his land. “You’re uneasy.”
“We’ve talked about it. It was far too easy. They gave only enough fight to keep us engaged. It should have been an all out war for territory. Instead they left like their feelings had been hurt, instead of standing their ground and fighting like I know they know how to fight,” Jack said.
“You think there’s more to it,” Connor said.
“I do. I don’t know what, but don’t count them out. I wouldn’t be surprised if they turn up again.”
“If they do, we’ll be ready.”
“Keep an eye on your people, make them pair up. Keep an eye on the town folk, make sure they know to get word to you if they see anything or feel like they’re being threatened. I’m telling you, this might not be over.”
Connor nodded, patting Jack on the back as he walked him over to his car. “I understand. But if nothing else, you’ve set their plans back some. They know we’re not fighting them alone anymore.”
“That much is true,” Jack said. “Call us when they come back. Something tells me it’s me they want, but they may turn up here again. If I didn’t have to get home to look after my own people, I’d stay a little longer. But all it takes is a phone call and we’ll be back if you need us.”
“Appreciate it, Jack,” Connor said, standing back as Jack got in the car. “Y’all drive safe now.”
“Yep,” Jack said. “And y’all watch your back.”
“We got this. We’ll be in touch,” Connor said. “Call us if you need us in the meantime.”
“Will do,” Jack said.