Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Peyton
The next morning, Peyton was in the dining room with Trevor. The large table was covered with maps and printouts of aerial photos that they were busy scouring for any sign of the lab’s location when Trevor’s cell phone rang.
“Yes?”
Peyton sensed a seismic shift in the other man when his face dropped and he leaned back in his chair. “Bloody hell,” he muttered. “Are you certain?”
Oh, boy.
“Hold on,” Trevor said. He put his phone into speaker mode and set it on the table. “I have Peyton Bleacke here. Go ahead and say that again.”
“Faegan Lewis is confirmed dead, sir.”
“You’re certain it’s Faegan Lewis?” Trevor asked.
Peyton silently pumped his fist.
“Yes, sir,” the man said.
“Did he give up any information before you killed him?” Trevor asked.
“Eh, well, you see, we didn’t kill him, exactly.”
“What?” Peyton and Trevor both said. “Is he dead, or isn’t he?” Trevor asked.
“He is. Here’s what happened…”
One of their people was a human who didn’t smell like a wolf. She’d contacted various rescue groups and animal shelters, saying that her beloved corgi had died recently, and she was looking to replace him with a similar corgi, if possible.
A quite large one.
She’d also made considerable donations with pack money to the various rescue groups and shelters to notify her immediately if any dogs showed up meeting her description.
Late yesterday evening, one did, and she was called.
When she arrived first thing that morning to take a look at him, she knew it had to be Faegan. Outside, a Prime and two other Alpha Enforcers were waiting.
She played the happy, clueless human role, adopting him and pretending he was a regular dog, and telling them how happy she was to have another so similar to her beloved pet.
All of that went as planned.
Until she stepped outside the building’s gate with him.
That’s where the sequence of events got… fuzzy. Even though the two Alphas and the Prime waited down the block, apparently Faegan got a whiff of them. He attacked the woman’s ankle, viciously biting her, and took that opportunity to yank his leash free and run.
Unfortunately, he ran right across the road and into traffic.
He might have made it, too, except for a car swerving to avoid him.
One of its tires rolled over the end of the leash at exactly the wrong time.
Faegan’s legs were jerked out from under him when he hit the end of the leash, and his momentum sent him tumbling into the path of another vehicle, which hit him.
Realizing the plan was now shot to hell, the Prime and Enforcers dashed out and grabbed him, everyone jumped into an awaiting van, and they rushed from the scene.
Faegan was still alive, barely. The Prime forced him to shift back. Unfortunately, the car’s impact had snapped Faegan’s spine and caused other internal damage. The Prime did his best to get information out of him, but Faegan was already too far gone. After trying to spit on them, he died.
Peyton groaned. “Son of a bitch!”
Trevor braced his elbows on the table, burying his face in his hands. “You are certain it’s Faegan Lewis?”
“Without a doubt, sir. We were able to video him before he died. We’re on our way to you now with the body. Approximately forty-five minutes.”
“Very good,” Trevor said, sounding weary. “Keep me apprised if anything changes.”
“Yes, sir.”
Trevor reached over and ended the call, then dropped his head onto his arms on the table and let out a scream.
“Goddammit! I can’t even get true satisfaction in his death!”
Elizabeth appeared at the top of the stairs. “What’s happened?” she called down.
Trevor sat back, sagging in his chair. “He’s dead. They’re on their way now.”
She gasped. “Faegan?”
He nodded. “The bloody bastard’s finally gone.”
She let out a cry and rushed down the stairs to engulf Trevor in a hug from behind, nearly knocking him out of his chair as she sobbed while he did his best to console her.
Peyton hauled himself out of his chair and headed to the wet bar. He grabbed the first bottle he laid his hand on without caring what it was, along with three glasses, before returning to the table.
“We deserve this, but especially you two.” He poured them drinks and held his glass up in a toast. “At least one raveled thread is finally and permanently cut off.”
Elizabeth’s hand trembled as she clinked glasses with them and then downed hers in one gulp. “I won’t be satisfied until I get to cut that bastard’s head off myself,” she grimly said.
Dewi
Dewi stared, slack-jawed, at her cell phone on the cabin table. “Are you fucking shitting me?”
It was not dawn yet, and she, Ken, Badger, Duncan, and Trent were gathered around her phone for this call, which was in speaker mode.
She had not yet had coffee, either.
“I shit you not.” Peyton sounded more exhausted than she could ever remember hearing him, and considering how exhausted she’d heard him over the past several weeks, that was saying… a lot.
“And no one questioned him?” she asked. “No one thought to, oh, hold the fucking leash tighter?”
“Dewi, we can toss around all the accusations we want, but the bottom line is he’s confirmed dead. It’s definitely him, no doubt about it. So that, at least, is done.”
“Well, that’s one relief,” Trent said. “People will love hearing that.”
“Um…”
“Um, what, Peyton?” Dewi snapped.
“We’re not telling anyone yet.”
“Whut?” she asked. “Why the fuck not?”
“For the same reasons we haven’t told people I’m alive.
Because I want people to think he’s still alive, so his accomplices don’t disappear before we can track them down.
Ray Dorland will never fly over if he thinks Faegan’s dead.
Think about it. If he knows Faegan’s dead, he won’t know what info he gave up.
Would you willingly put yourself in danger of walking into an enemy’s lair if you have no idea what they’ve got on you? ”
“I don’t understand why that’s not already an issue,” Ken commented.
“Because if they are, or were, working together, Dorland will fly over thinking he can gather intel on the latest progress in the hunt. And it’ll look weird if he’s the only Pack Alpha not coming.
This is supposed to be a huge Pack Alpha meeting.
All-hands. That’s how we spin it. If nothing else, his ego won’t allow him to miss it because he’ll worry about what people say behind his back, or gossiping that he’s not there. ”
“Oh. True,” Trent said.
Dewi chimed in. “But if Dorland is in cahoots with the lab people, I mean, won’t they have told him they don’t have you?”
“Maybe. For all we know, the lab might think the merc team never got me. Or that I was killed in that firefight and they’re denying it because they’re terrified of what failure means.
Or any number of possibilities. The lab might not realize who they had.
I wasn’t carrying ID, remember? We could be dealing with two completely different entities—the lab and the merc teams hired by the lab.
Since the mercs apparently don’t know about Prime Alphas, it’s likely they didn’t tell the lab they had possession of me.
And if I’m still ‘missing’ then I’m not there to rip Ray’s sac off and feed it to him in the middle of the Spokane airport, am I? ”
“Ooh! Ooh! Pick meee!” Dewi snarked. “Let me do that!”
Peyton snorted. “The other reason I don’t want it known Faegan’s dead is that it might end the fake tips. We haven’t had any since the one from Italy, and that one didn’t pan out. They might be on to us, but if not, they’re our only solid leads to the people arranging the abductions.”
She groaned. “You’re right. Dammit, note this day in history, that I’m admitting you’re right.”
Peyton laughed. “Duly noted, Dewster.”
Badger finally spoke. “So what’re they doin’ now? Trevor and Elizabeth, I mean? Are they copin’ all right?”
“Last I looked, they were out back with assorted garden tools, including an axe, and venting some anger.”
Ken winced. “Don’t need the deets, thanks.”
“Speak for yourself,” Dewi snickered, then caught a glimpse of Ken’s queasy face. “Sorry, honey,” she said, immediately sobering and remembering that it wasn’t a bad thing Faegan was dead, but it also wasn’t good because of the reason he was now dead.
Because of his evil deeds.
“Who do you want to tell Tamsin?” Duncan asked.
“Your call,” Peyton said after a moment. “Should be a Prime, though. I’ll text Badger the pics proving he’s dead. Just make her keep the secret, and no one else gets told yet outside of you guys and her. Not even Gillian. Don’t tell Hamish or Donnel and Hyacinth, either.”
“What about Aisling?” Ken asked.
“Trevor said he’ll call her personally once they’re, eh, done.”
Even Dewi’s stomach rolled over that, and she didn’t think it was morning sickness, either.
Maybe I’m going soft?
Only the inner circle knew she and Gillian were pregnant again. They weren’t telling Asia’s kids, but Asia knew.
Now I really can’t ride any scooters or Beck’ll kill me if Ken doesn’t beat him to it.
“Ironic that Faegan sort of Final Destination-ed himself, isn’t it?” Trent noted, promoting snickers from Ken and Peyton.
Duncan looked confused, so Trent, Peyton, and Ken quickly filled him in. “Ah,” Duncan said, smiling. “Add that one to my watch list, then.”
“More than one of them,” Ken said.
“After all this BS is handled,” Dewi said. “We’ll enjoy a few weeks of vegetative TV time on the couch as a family.”
“Amen,” Peyton said. “Wait, it looks like they’re coming back. I’ll talk to you later.” He ended the call.
Dewi retrieved her phone. “I have mixed emotions regarding this outcome,” she admitted. “I’m glad he’s dead, obviously, and that he suffered at least a little. I’m not happy we didn’t get answers out of him, though.”
“Join the club,” Trent said.
“Well, the bastard’s finally gone,” Badger said, grunting as he stood to head for the coffeemaker.
“Long overdue, fer fuckin’ sure. Don’t know about the rest of ye, but I need to finish packin’.
I might as well stay up now. We got a long day ahead of us, and we’ll lose a couple o’ hours on the flight back. ”
Everyone left except Badger, who was awaiting his coffee.
Dewi tipped her head back and closed her eyes, rubbing them. “I would ask how much weirder can today get, but I danged sure don’t want the Goddess to say, ‘Challenge accepted,’ and body slam us with something else.”
Badger barked a laugh. “Ye feckin’ crazy?”
Ken kissed her forehead. “Yeah, please don’t. We don’t want the plane crashing or anything.”
That finally made her laugh. “You’re right. I guess trying to go back to sleep would be dumb, huh?”
“Well, I have us mostly packed,” he said. “I want to clean the cabin and empty the fridge before we leave.”
“Don’t worry about that. Gillian hires a packmate to do that,” Badger said as he finished fixing his coffee.
“Oh. Okay.”
Badger headed toward the cabin door. “I’m gonna finish packin’ so I’m ready to go when we leave. If ye need me, shout.” He left.
“Does that mean we can go back to bed?” she asked Ken.
“I don’t know about you, baby, but I’m too eager to go home to go back to sleep. I love it here, but I want to be home.”
She stared up at him. “I’m sorry you’ve been uprooted.”
“Please stop. I don’t need an apology. I need life to… even out. If we’re in the middle of all this stuff, I’d prefer to deal with it from home. That is what will help me more than anything right now.”
She sat up and turned, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her cheek against his firm abs.
Really firm. She nosed at him.
He laughed. “Is this a hint?” he asked.
“No.” She finally looked up at him. “Are you working out?”
“What?”
“You’re just feeling like you’re more toned than before.”
“Well, I’ve been doing a lot more walking since we’ve been here, back and forth to the house. And hauling baby stuff around. Plus, I haven’t been snacking. Haven’t had time.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it.” She scowled.
“Um… Thank you? I guess?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” She stood and pecked him on the lips. “I’m even less diplomatic than I usually am, and you know that bar’s usually in hell. You’re right, we’ve got a long day ahead, and I need coffee and a wake-up shower.”
She headed for the coffee maker. When she turned, Ken stood there, his shirt up, looking down at his abs.
She laughed. “What are you doing?”
“I mean, I don’t see anything different.” He looked up at her.
“I’m sure it’s just me being distracted.” When he walked over, she pulled him in for another, longer kiss. “You’re right that getting home will be good. For me, too. I want to be home.”
His hands rested on her upper arms, lightly rubbing. “When we get home can we have a talk?”
“Uh oh,” she said. “What kind of talk?”
He smirked. “Not a bad talk. I feel like that actress in the beginning of Jaws who got yanked all over the place by the stunt team, and I’m trying not to drown.
I want us to sit down and loosely plan the future.
I know the lab raid is ahead of us, but we’re going to be parents again.
Now that we’ve just survived your first pregnancy, we know what to expect. ”
“Hopefully not me nearly committing suicide by clumsiness.”
“Well, there’s that, too. I just want to spend some time talking about it. Does that make sense?”
She lay her head against his chest. “I guess so.”
“We can work on the future for the pack, for you hiring more Enforcers, for setting up a vision for the next few years. Gillian probably wants Peyton to do that, too.”
“You talked to her, didn’t you?”
“Uh, duh.” Ken smiled down at her. “Everyone born with the last name Bleacke needs to figure out how to strike a better work-family balance going forward.”
She sighed. “Deal. If the two rat finks have to do it, I guess I can manage.”
He kissed her forehead. “Love you, baby.”
“Love you, too. Just no more disappearances, huh?” she teased.
He laughed. “Goddess, I hope not.”