Chapter 4 #4
Aisling liked the man just fine. But at forty-two, he was younger than her and hadn’t seen combat like she had.
He was also from Cambridge and well-off parents, hadn’t grown up fighting and scrapping the way she had.
Hadn’t made his first kill until after he was twenty, and could likely total his kills on both hands with fingers to spare.
Trevor focused on her again. “Aisling?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Every trick in the book,” he said. “Teach our people everything they need to know. And I do mean everything. I not only want Faegan rooted out, but whoever helped expose the safe house, I want their heads, too. I don’t mean if someone was innocently hacked—I mean whoever did the hacking.
Someone helped Faegan, and I want that person’s head as well. Human or not, pack or not.”
She slowly nodded. “We’re goin’ full tilt then, eh?”
“I want you to make Bloody Sunday look like a royal tea party,” Trevor said. “If anyone’s even thinking about helping Faegan Lewis, I want them to unequivocally understand there are far more dangerous people out there than one crazed corgi shifter.”
Aisling took a deep breath. “Yes, sir.”
“Excellent. Garrison, you and your Enforcers answer to Aisling while I’m unavailable. Obey her word immediately as if it were me. I’ll return in a few days. Understand?”
He nodded. “Yes, sir. Absolutely.”
Not that Aisling thought Garrison would disagree, much less disobey.
But Trevor knew far more about Aisling than anyone else in this world, about what she was capable of.
And he knew how personally she would take exacting revenge.
Meaning nothing would deter her until she fulfilled her orders.
Or died trying.
Six Months Ago
He actually made it to Ireland, the bloody bastard.
Not that Aisling was naive enough to think Faegan Lewis drowned himself at sea.
But her reckoning calculated he’d attempt coming ashore somewhere in Scotland, or commandeer a boat large enough to make the trip, not literally swim out to sea to be “rescued” by a fishing vessel that no doubt felt sorry for the oversized corgi they plucked from the water.
She also suspected he didn’t swim all that way. She imagined he stole a dinghy and rowed or motored out into fishing waters until he spotted a vessel he thought would pick him up.
Now she was ragin’ about him evading her these past couple of months. Not that he even knew who the hell she was in particular, only that she was one of the many people on his literal tail.
She’d come within minutes of capturing him several times, including one time when his scent was so warm it was likely less than ten minutes old. But each time, he’d eluded her.
He stayed shifted mostly, and probably used the kindness of strangers to take in a pitiful, wet stray corgi from whichever petrol station he ended up at, then ran off when he spotted the first opportunity.
She’d bribed attendants at each station to look at their CCTV footage, which slowed her down. She’d also stationed people at the various ferries to keep an eye out for him, as well as paid their crew members to alert her and her people immediately if anyone brought a corgi on board.
But swim?
As she sat in her room at a small inn just outside of Kilmarnock, Scotland, and stared at the latest video footage on her laptop, she realized that her assignment had just turned impossibly more difficult.
Bloody hell.
She once again picked up her mobile, which she’d dropped on the bed to open her laptop and look at the e-mail Trevor had forwarded to her. “What now, then?” she quietly asked.
“This isn’t a failure, Aisling,” Trevor said.
“Uh, respectfully sir, this is a massive failure on my part. I literally had one job, and the fuckin’ cunt has eluded me yet again.”
“I’ve deposited another sum into the account you’re using. Proceed to Belfast as soon as possible. You’ll have twenty more people there within twelve hours. They’re already en route and at your command. I’ll send you hotel and car info. We’ll handle the bookings for you.”
“I think we’re gonna need a few more Primes, sir,” she wearily said.
“Three of them are Primes, all wolves. Unfortunately, none have your battle and tactical experience.”
“For all the feckin’ good that’s done us,” she muttered.
“Aisling, Faegan Lewis is far older than you, meaning he’s had decades to cultivate contacts. Plus, he’s a terrified, cowardly little man. Of course he’s gone to ground. We will find him.”
In her mind she couldn’t quit hearing Maisie’s voice, or seeing the bubbles of blood on her lips. “How’s Tamsin gettin’ on, then?” she quietly asked.
He sighed. “She’s…existing. The people caring for her, I trust them. They’re doing the best they can for her under the circumstances. There’s been a positive breakthrough, however, and people who themselves have lost mates are working with her, including two Primes.”
“Are we certain we haven’t missed any connections somewhere?” she asked. “People who are indebted to him in some way? Perhaps blackmail?”
“We’re methodically examining every scrap of information we receive,” he said. “I even pulled strings to access mobile records. A friend of mine’s in MI6 and he’s working on this for me. So far, you’re the only one who’s stayed close on him.”
She fought the urge to throw her phone. “Well, if I’m the best we’ve got, then we’re bloody well fucked, ain’t we?”
Trevor sighed. “Aisling, if I, of all people, am not holding this against you, then you have no right to hold it against yourself. He’s wily, and even fifty years ago we could have blasted through the countryside looking for him.
Now we have to protect ourselves, too. CCTV can work for us, but it can decidedly work against us.
You of all people know that. He’s a dead man.
The best we can do is keep him moving, keep pushing him, until he slips up or we catch up with him. And that will happen.”
“What if he makes it over to the Continent, eh? We’ll never find him then.”
“Then we shift into a defensive stance and wait for him to make a move.”
“Such as?”
“If we don’t find him soon, especially before the baby’s born, I will likely send you to be Tamsin’s bodyguard.”
“I’m sorry, what now?”
“You heard me. It’s a contingency plan. I will not risk Tamsin’s or the baby’s lives bringing them back, no matter how much we love and miss them and want them with us.
I’ve already spoken with the Pack Alpha where she is, and all it will take is for us to tell them when it will happen.
They will arrange a new identity for you so there aren’t any issues. ”
She weighed his words. “She’s in the States, then. Isn’t she?”
“I won’t confirm anything. I trust you, but—”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. OPSEC.” She blew out a long breath. “Meaning I could be away for years, or longer.”
“Yes, that’s true.” He paused. “Is that a problem?”
“No, sir. I swore my oath. I just never thought I’d face an uncertain deployment once I left the military.”
“You’re the best. I wouldn’t ask this of you if you weren’t.”
She shoved back a wave of rage. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that point, sir. If I was the best, that fuckin’ twat’s head would’ve been mounted over yer fireplace months ago.”
When they finished their call a few minutes later, Aisling slammed her laptop shut and flopped back on the bed, staring up at the plaster ceiling.
Right now, she didn’t know if she hated herself more for her failings or for the fact that deep inside her soul, a tiny, dark cave had happily lit up that she was once again being utilized and valued for the skills she was the best at.
That being killing people.
Two Weeks Ago
Aisling chafed under the order to return to Trevor’s house, but she didn’t protest, either.
Faegan’s trail had gone completely cold several weeks prior.
While they’d ferreted out another man they believed was rendering him aid, a Prime had questioned him and learned he’d been a past associate of Faegan’s, not a current one.
He’d been attempting to draw Faegan out so he could kill the corgi shifter and collect the bounty.
Aisling had been living out of her luggage ever since Rupert and Maisie’s murder, not that she’d had much to begin with.
In fact, everything she owned fit in her luggage because she didn’t have an actual permanent residence, just an address at an office at one of Trevor’s shell companies run by the Staffordshire Pack.
The benefit of purposefully remaining unhomed was that it allowed her to move fast and unencumbered, even as people were rotated into and out of the search teams to account for their daily lives.
Their families.
In some cases their regular jobs, for those who weren’t already full-time Enforcers.
Only Aisling had remained constant, determined and dedicated to personally bringing Faegan’s head to Trevor.
When she arrived, she pulled up short in the living room at the sight of the man talking with Trevor.
“Ah, there she is,” Trevor said. “Aisling Walsh, this is Peyton Bleacke, Pack Alpha of the Targhee Pack.”
He stood and walked over, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Aisling. Trevor’s told me a lot about you.”
She was about to take the American’s hand when a wave of intuition swept through her. She automatically stepped back. “Yer a Prime Alpha.”
It wasn’t a question. She knew Bleacke had come here several times, helping Trevor with the search, but she hadn’t crossed paths with him before now.
Peyton didn’t move, but he smiled, his hand still extended. “I am.”
Trevor also stood. “It’s all right, Aisling.”
She finally forced herself to step forward and shake with him. “What brings ye all the way over here again?”
“From what Trevor’s told me, it looks like you’ll probably end up being our newest Enforcer.”
Aisling focused on Trevor. “Finally pullin’ me off the chase, are ye?”
“No, I’m assigning you to the States to be Tamsin’s personal bodyguard. As you and I discussed a few months back.”
She scowled. “From what I understand, the Targhee’s Enforcers are the best. Why ye want me, then?”
“Told you,” Trevor said to Peyton, who still wore a smirk that annoyed Aisling.
“Yes, you did,” Peyton said to Trevor. He focused on Aisling again, crossing his arms over his chest. “Before I formally extend the invitation, we’ll need to go through an evaluation to test your skills.”
Her hackles bristled. “And ye can right go fuck yerself.”
“That’s the spirit,” Trevor joked. “Endear yourself from the start.”
“Well, at least she’ll be able to hold her own with Dewi,” Peyton said. “I didn’t mean any offense,” he said to Aisling. “I know you’re the best Trevor has. Don’t take Faegan’s ability to stay hidden personally.”
“I don’t know how I can take it any other way,” she said. “I should have brought that feckin’ rabid twat down by now.”
“There are a lot of working parts we can’t reveal to you yet,” Peyton said. “And everything we discuss here is confidential.” He held out a hand to her again, his meaning clear.
She shot another look at Trevor.
“Let him,” Trevor said. “We need you to be read into this situation as much as we safely can, but we also need to know you’ll be unable to reveal anything. Our pack is beholden and loyal to the Targhee Pack, so he is, by extension, your Pack Alpha, too.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not gonna be a party to protectin’ some gobshite pedo or anythin’.”
“Nothing like that,” Trevor assured her. “Unfortunately, we don’t know if any Primes are helping Faegan Lewis, so we need to ensure information stays secure. OPSEC. I promise, you can trust Peyton.”
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to extend her hand again. The man could have easily used his Prime powers on her before now.
And she trusted Trevor.
Peyton looked her in the eyes. “What we’re about to discuss with you, if you are ever forcibly questioned by a Prime we haven’t told you to discuss it with, or physically interrogated by humans, the information will disappear from your mind as if you’d never learned it.
The exceptions are my sister Dewi, her mate Ken Ethelbert, Badger Williams, and Duncan Lister.
With them, you will tell them you aren’t allowed to discuss it, but you will retain the information. ”
She shuddered at the feel of the Prime’s order latching onto her brain. When Peyton released her hand she couldn’t help wiping it on her jeans, either.
“I hate that shite,” she told Trevor.
He gravely nodded. “I don’t like resorting to it, but these are extraordinary circumstances.” He motioned to one of the two sofas, which were positioned facing each other. “Let’s talk, shall we? Would you like something to drink?”
“A bottle of something strong would be lovely.” She gave Peyton a wide berth while making her way to her seat. “Not particular what distillery or proof, either, long as I don’t have to share much of it.”
Trevor poured her a generous glass of scotch, neat, and then took his place opposite her on the other sofa while Peyton sat in the chair at the end, between the two sofas.
“Trevor has told me about you,” Peyton said. “About all of your skills. And while I’m sorry for the tragedies in your past, what I don’t have among my Enforcers is someone with your extensive military experience and training.”
She took several swallows, relishing the liquor’s burn all the way down her throat. “Ye mean someone able and willin’ to blow things up and slit throats?”
“Exactly. Neither Trevor nor I will force you to return to the States with me, but we would both consider it a favor if you would.”
“Why’s that then?”
“Because if something should happen to me, I must have a dedicated and experienced assassin in place who doesn’t have an emotional connection to me and who can go forth and burn down the world to stop these people and protect ours.
And by ‘ours’ I don’t just mean our pack—I mean shifters in general. ”
Another chill washed through her. “What people?”
That’s when he told her.
And oh, how she wished he hadn’t.