Chapter 30 Jackson #3
Nodding slowly, I said, “Yes. My contact had to do some digging. If I don’t go soon, word may spread.
This drake is deeply involved in the yakuza and the criminal underworld, the same way Joseph was.
If he knows I know, he’ll move the orb. It might end up somewhere I can never get it.
I need to go tonight. I told Mom and Dad already, but I wanted to let you know in private. ”
Shyanne stared at me for several long moments, then gave a single nod of her head.
“Sounds good. When do you want to leave? I have my overnight bag in the car, but we’ll need to stop by my house to get my passport and a few other—”
“Whoa!” I said. “What are you talking about? I meant I was going. Alone.”
She waved a hand through the air. “Not a chance. Zero percent. You need help. I’ve proven I can do what needs to be done to keep your ass from getting killed. I’m going. That’s final.”
“But…” I didn’t know what else to say. Then something occurred to me, a last-ditch argument. “What about your shop? Someone’s got to run that. I might be gone a couple weeks, maybe even a few months if we go straight after the next orb. Who’s going to manage everything?”
She cocked an eyebrow and gave me a knowing smile. “You just let the cat out of the bag. That magic dragon woman is healing my father. He will love to get back in the shop after not being able to help the last few years. And if anyone knows how to keep that place running smooth, it’s him.”
After a long pause, I let out a low chuckle. I was out of arguments. “Well, shit. I, uh, I guess we’re taking a trip?”
“You said you weren’t leaving me. I took that literally. I don’t want to be without you, even for a few months, not a few days.” She put a hand on my cheek. “Not even for a minute.”
She kissed me, and any doubt I had melted away. She was right. I didn’t want to leave her. No matter how much danger we ended up in, I’d die to protect her. If she was safe with anyone, she was safe with me.
Pulling away, I grinned at her. “You make a great argument. I guess we’re going to Japan.”
“Ahhh,” she cried in excitement and wrapped her arms around me.
I hugged her back, unable to stop my laughter. “Hang on, now. This isn’t a vacation. It’s a dangerous mission to save a race of magical beings from mystical imprisonment.”
“And no part of that sounds fucking awesome to you?”
“Fair point,” I admitted. “Come on. Let’s let everyone know. My parents and Christian know, but I should let the others in on the plan. Once we swing by your place and grab anything you need, we can head to the airport.”
“Wait, what time’s the flight? Don’t we need tickets? What if they’re sold out?” Shyanne’s eyes grew distant as she mentally tried to do the math and planning.
“No need to worry,” I said. “If I was going by myself, I’d shift and fly, but since you’re coming with me, I’ll put a call in and have our private jet ready. We can take off as soon as we get to the airport.”
“Private jet?” She gaped at me. “For real?”
I smirked. “There are a few benefits from running the family businesses. Might as well use them when we can. Maybe once this is all over, we can do some more relaxing travel.”
My smile faded when a form appeared at the bedroom door. It was Christian. He didn’t look happy. In fact, he looked positively stressed out.
“What’s wrong?” I said.
“You need to come outside,” Christian said, his voice tight with worry. “Now.”
Standing, fear sending gooseflesh up my arms and legs. “What happened?”
Christian sighed and shook his head in disgust. “You have a visitor. Multiple visitors. They showed up a few minutes ago. It’s Alessio Torrence.”
“Oh, fuck,” Shyanne breathed, putting a hand to her mouth, and turning to me. “The car?”
With everything that had happened, I’d almost forgotten that this all started with me stealing a mob boss’s car for another mob boss. I’d screwed one very dangerous man to appease a different one. Swallowing hard, I nodded and took Shyanne’s hand to follow Christian.
When we stepped out the front door, it was all I could do not to jerk to a stop.
It wasn’t just Alessio Torrence. This was him, his entire organization, as well as another ten or fifteen wolf shifters.
Half remained in their wolf forms, prowling around the edges of the party.
The ones in their human forms stood next to the cars that had brought them there.
I wondered if any of them had shifted in front of Shyanne’s friends and family.
I prayed they hadn’t. They might feel the need to kill to keep their secret from strangers.
“Are you going to tell us what this is about?” Dad asked, glaring at the new arrivals. He had his arm around Mom, who cradled Jacqueline against her chest, and looked at the wolf shifters with distrust.
Alessio ignored my father and grinned at me.
It was a menacing look that held no humor whatsoever.
The hard gleam in his eye belied his young age.
The guy couldn’t have been more than twenty-five or six, but looking into his eyes, I had the feeling he’d done things many men twice his age would have flinched from.
“Hello, there,” he said, his voice surprisingly deep. “You must be Jackson Adelmund.”
“I am.” I let go of Shyanne’s hand, nudging her toward Christian as I walked toward the wolf. “What can I do for you?”
Shyanne’s friends stood near her father and Cassandra. The four men looked back and forth from Alessio to me, obviously confused and concerned. I didn’t spare them more than a cursory glance, instead keeping my attention on Torrence.
The younger man glanced around at his entourage, then back at me.
“I don’t know if you know the kind of man I am, Mr. Adelmund, but I keep my ear to the ground. I hear things,” he said.
“I’m sure you do. I do know the kind of man you are. Maybe we can talk about this in private and maybe—”
“Word on the street is, you’re the one who took something from me, Jackson,” Alessio said. “You took something that matters a great deal to me.” He narrowed his eyes. “Do you know what I do to men who take things from me?”
“I can imagine,” I said, keeping my eyes locked on his.
If need be, I’d shift and fight these men.
Wolves were dangerous, but even this many wouldn’t be enough to defeat the number of dragons here.
They’d be annihilated. What I was most scared of was the children and humans in attendance.
Any or all of them might die before we could fight the wolves off.
My stomach turned at the thought of one of these men sinking their teeth into Shyanne or Jacqueline.
“That’s good.” Alessio winked at me. “You see, usually, I wouldn’t even come here like this. You’d never have seen me coming. I know what your kind can do to mine in a straight fight. I’d have taken you down before you ever saw me.”
Clenching my fists, I held my tongue, my heart slamming against my ribcage as I tried to think of the best way to get the most vulnerable people out before a melee broke out.
“That would be entirely within your abilities,” I agreed, trying to stay on his good side. Perhaps I could talk him down. Maybe I could make this a little less bloody if I was careful.
Alessio stared back at me for several long seconds, his face a stony mask. Finally, the smile returned, and he ran his tongue along his lower lip.
“I’m not going to do that, though,” he said, and I nearly let out a sigh of relief, but controlled myself. “Do you know why?”
“Why?” My mouth felt dry as sandpaper.
“Because as much as I loved that car, you did me a favor that was larger and more meaningful than your disrespectful act. You removed a problem. A problem named Joseph Anitoli. You see, word has gotten out about that as well. Getting him out of the picture will open up pathways to money and power I couldn’t have dreamed of before.
I can buy a dozen of those cars in a few years if I want.
You’ve done me a solid.” He stepped forward and stuck his hand out.
I blinked, looking down at the hand outstretched before me. Before I could offend him, I shook it. His hand was surprisingly soft and firm.
“You’ve got balls, Jackson,” Alessio said, and now the smile on his face was genuine. “I like that. Also, just for that, I’m going to help you out.”
He released my hand and pulled a slip of paper from his pants pocket.
“Don’t ask me how I got that. Don’t ask me how I know what you’re looking for.
And don’t ask me for anything ever again,” he said, closing my fingers around the paper, and leaned close, lowering his voice to a whisper.
“Just so you know, the orb you think is in Brazil is actually in Canada. This is where you can find it.”
My eyes widened as he backed away.
Holy shit. I forced myself to shove the paper into my pocket without looking, choosing instead to maintain the eye contact. One alpha showing respect for another.
Alessio snapped his fingers, and like an ocean tide, the wolves turned and trotted away. Those in their human forms retreated to their cars. Alessio raised a hand in departure as he opened the door of his Porsche.
“We’re even now, Jackson. You don’t fuck with me anymore, and you’ll never have to see me again.” He gave me another wink. “Make sure you don’t fuck with me. Okay?”
“Understood,” I said.
With that, Alessio climbed into his car, and within thirty seconds he and the rest of his crew were driving down our driveway, leaving me shaking but relieved.
“All right,” Reggie cried. “Is anyone gonna tell me what the fuck that was about?”
“It was a…uh…” I turned and looked at Dad, desperate for a good story.
“A business rival,” Shyanne said. “He’s got some dealings that intersect with Jackson’s. No big deal.”
“No big deal?” Brent said, wiping his brow as if he’d been sweating. “That dude was acting like he was gonna kill someone. And what the hell was with the goddamned wolves? That dude was weird as shit.”