"I'm going on the supply run tomorrow," Jackie says, and Mark looks a little surprised. "Will you give this to Valerie for me? I'll be gone before she's up for the day."
"Sure," Mark says, taking the envelope. He's clearly already thinking of how grateful Valerie will be. Hopefully that will override any impulse he has to turn it over as evidence after Jackie gets herself killed.
She goes back to her room and spends most of the night staring at the ceiling, thinking of her parents, thinking of Maya. She wishes there was something she could do, but no matter how hard she thinks, she can't find a way out of it. Not without risking everyone else. If she goes to the pack, she'll only get them killed, and she won't do that.
It's funny, because a few months previous, she would have been more than willing to lay down her life if it meant stopping Mitchell. There were times when her lack of access to weaponry were all that kept her from trying. Death in the quest for revenge didn't seem like that great a penalty to pay, especially when 'revenge' came along with, hopefully, freeing a bunch of innocent people from despotic rule.
But things are different now. Not just because of Maya, although the fact that she'll never get another kiss or spend another minute in Maya's arms practically breaks her resolve. Because of Nick and Valerie. They're on her side now. But she'll never get a chance to see her father, to tell him everything that happened, and hear what he thinks of her.
At six o'clock, she rolls over, gets dressed, and leaves the barracks. The armory is just opening for the day. "Starting early, huh?" the man on duty grunts at her.
"I'm going on the supply run for the first time," Jackie says. "I don't want to be late."
The man gives her a rifle and a sidearm. She checks to make sure they're loaded, and they are. She lets out a quick breath and heads for Mitchell's office. She checks her watch and sees that it's six twenty. The general himself will be down in ten minutes, if his schedule holds, which it always does.
It would be nice if Mitchell knew who had killed him, if Jackie could get off some quippy one-liner before killing the man who killed her parents. But she'd rather not take the risk. She stands right where the door will hide her as it opens and waits.
At six thirty exactly, the door swings open and Mitchell walks in. Jackie waits until it swings shut and she has a clear shot, and then she pulls the trigger.
She knows as soon as she does that something isn't quite right. There's the expected bang, the smell of gunpowder, the jerk of the gun in her hand. But it doesn't feel quite the same as it has in the past, and as she pulls the trigger a second time, Mitchell turns to look at her with that smile Jackie hates so much.
Jackie lowers the gun. "Blanks." She closes her eyes. "You had them give me a gun loaded with blanks."
"Good thing too," Mitchell says.
Jackie drops the sidearm and swings the rifle at him. Mitchell catches it in one hand and wrenches her around. The fight is short and brutal and ends with Jackie's arm throbbing in pain as she's pinned up against Mitchell's desk with it pulled behind her back.
"Aw, sweetie," Leo says, as he comes in. "You couldn't have just led us to your friends? It would've been a lot easier that way."
"Go to hell," Jackie grits out.
"All right," Mitchell says, "We'll do this the hard way."
Chapter Seventeen
Jackie isn't surprised to find herself shoved into one of the holding cells. She looks with some trepidation at the electrical equipment. It's obvious what she's going to have to do. She needs to give Mitchell and Leo just enough information for them to get themselves killed. But she won't be able to do it right away. If she just gives in, they'll know she's lying.
"So, Jackie," Mitchell says.
"Lashontae," Jackie says coldly.
Mitchell gives her a look. "What?"
"My name is Lashontae," Jackie says. "That's the name my parents gave me before you murdered them."
Mitchell shrugs. "You're a lot like your father, if it helps you to know that. More honor than brains."
"That could apply to both my fathers, actually," Jackie says. She wants to tell Mitchell that Nick isn't dead, that she smuggled him out right underneath Mitchell's nose, but she doesn't. As satisfying as it would be to see the look on Mitchell's face when he got that news, it would only put the others in more danger.
"True," Mitchell says with a chuckle. "Is that why you started helping the Callaghans? Because I killed your parents?"
"No," Jackie says. "I started helping the Callaghans because Maya helped me after I ran away. And because you killed my parents."
"Look at it this way," Mitchell says, "your family reunion is coming up."
"So is yours," Jackie says, because what the hell. Mitchell's son isn't actually dead, but he doesn't know that.
Mitchell doesn't seem amused, which is nothing new. He beckons to the two men who have been standing silently in the background, and they force Jackie to her knees in front of a tub of water.
"You're not going to go for waterboarding?" Jackie asks. "It seems more like your style."
"No point in wasting water," Mitchell says, and the next thing Jackie knows, she's underwater. She holds her breath, holds it and holds it and her lungs start to ache and when they pull her up she's coughing and sputtering.
"So let's talk about the Callaghans," Mitchell says.
"Fuck you," Jackie says, and gasps in a deep breath before she's underwater again.
It goes on like that for a while. Sometimes she's underwater for ten or fifteen seconds, sometimes for what feels like an eternity. In between, Mitchell asks questions, some of them general, some of them specific. How many people are in the pack, where are they staying, is Maya still the alpha, is Ryan Callaghan part of the pack, has she seen Ryan Callaghan recently. He perseverates on Ryan, which Jackie finds somewhat interesting. But she supposes that it makes sense. Out of everyone in the Callaghan pack, Ryan is by far the most dangerous.
A couple of times, she inhales involuntarily and comes up choking and gagging. Her head is pounding and her chest aches. But she won't beg Mitchell to stop, and she won't tell him anything. Not until she's sure she'll be believed.
She takes in a breath of water and for one serene moment the pain stops. Everything goes dim and fuzzy and then black.
She jolts back to awareness with someone pounding on her stomach and chest, and she gasps and then pukes up water everywhere. She only barely manages not to choke on it and winds up curled up on her side, sobbing helplessly.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." It's Leo, now, gathering her into his arms. "That was close, huh? You're stubborn. Just like Nick was. Come on, Jackie, don't make us keep doing this. Just give Dad what he wants."
"Agh—" Jackie manages, before she pukes again. She thinks she was about to ask 'are you kidding me' but it's probably better that she didn't. She can't believe that Mitchell and Leo are good-cop/bad-copping her. It's a fucking insult. But if they really think she's that weak, that stupid, then fine. This is her moment. "Can't," she wheezes. Her chest still aches like crazy, and she's dizzy.
"Come on, honey," Leo says. "Just tell us where their den is. That's all we need."
"Water treatment plant," Jackie gasps out. "That old—water treatment plant—west edge of town."
Leo lets her go, and she hits the floor with a thud and lies there quietly, trying to breathe. She still feels like she can't get enough air for some reason. A few minutes later, someone is manhandling her again. They tie her wrists and ankles with zip ties and then put her in the tub on her knees. Her wrists are behind her back, chained to the pipe above her, leaving her suspended face down, her face a few inches from the bottom of the tub. When she tries to pull back, they put a rope around her neck and tie it to a weight that they plunk down in front of her.
"Okay, Jackie," Mitchell says, and Jackie tries to say something but just ends up hissing and spitting. "We're going to get together a team and go take care of the werewolves. You're going to stay here." He reach
es over and turns the faucet on, just to a trickle. Jackie stares down at the water. "How long do you think it'll take the water to reach you? An hour, maybe two? I sure hope we're back by then. If you're lying to us, and there are no werewolves at that water treatment plant, we'll have to go looking for them. Why, that could take all day."
"Not—not lying," Jackie says. "Swear. I swear."
"We'll see," Mitchell says. Then he turns and walks away.
Everything is quiet for a long time. Jackie struggles like crazy, but she's too weak to get free. She feels strangely sluggish, even though she's sure adrenaline is coursing through her system, and it still feels hard to breathe. She just wants to lie down. Close her eyes.
She's done what she can. When they get to the water treatment plant, Leo and Mitchell are going to find themselves elbow deep in wendigos. They aren't as tough as werewolves, but they're more vicious, and there are a lot of them. Plus, Mitchell and Leo will be packing for werewolves, and silver and wolfsbane have no effect on wendigos.
If they manage to capture any of the wendigos, rather than killing them all or getting killed, then they'll find the Callaghans. Even if the Larsons don't know where the Callaghans are staying, she's sure they could find them using their supernatural senses. So right now, Jackie just has to hope that they all kill each other.
She's done what she can.
She closes her eyes. A dreamy sort of lassitude overtakes her. She stops noticing the pain in her shoulders and arms, or the ache in her chest. It's been a long time. The water is only about an inch away from her face now, and the trickle filling it hasn't slowed a bit.
Outside the room, she hears a voice. Low and quiet, too quiet to recognize through the door. Then there's a sudden loud thud, and the door opens. Valerie is standing there, holding a stun gun, pale and terrified-looking. "Oh my God!" She drops the stun gun and rushes over to her sister. "Oh my God, Jackie, are you okay?" She hastily turns the faucet off and tries to help her up, but can't manage to get her free.
"I'm okay," Jackie says, coughing weakly. "Guard. He'll have a multi-tool. Or a knife. They almost all carry them."
"Right." Valerie gets up and goes over to the man she just tased. She comes back with a knife and carefully cuts the rope around Jackie's throat, then the zip ties around her wrists and ankles. Jackie's shaking hard as Valerie gets her out of the tub. On top of everything else, she's freezing. "Jackie, what happened? Dalton gave me this note but I couldn't read it so I asked around and they said—you'd been in here for hours and—"
"No time," Jackie wheezes. "Have to get to the pack. Help me."
"You're in no shape to go anywhere," Valerie says, but before Jackie can protest, her jaw firms and she says, "We'll need a car. Let's go."
*~*~*
"We should not have had sex," Ryan murmurs, studying Nick's face in the dim light. He's been memorizing the stubble for the past few minutes. The beard still drives him crazy. "That was a terrible mistake and I'm going to regret it later. I just want you to know that."
"Mm hm." Nick rolls on his side so he can study Ryan in equal measure. "I gave you every opportunity to say no."
Ryan reaches out and flicks Nick's nose. "I can't be held responsible for my actions when you aren't wearing a shirt. I'm sure that breaks all sorts of international laws."
Nick looks amused. "True as that may be, you could have said something in between, I don't know, rounds two and three."
"After the first two ridiculous orgasms? Are you kidding me?" Ryan rolls on top of him and leans down for a kiss. "Who would want to stop after that?"
Nick wraps his arms around Ryan's waist, rubbing a hand up and down his spine. "Well, we have a lot of lost time to make up for."
"Purely your fault, Nicholas," Ryan says in a lofty tone. But then he folds downwards, resting his cheek on Nick's shoulder. "Nnf. As much as I might enjoy it, I don't think I'm up to round four quite yet."
"We're getting old," Nick agrees, actively laughing at him now.
"Are you kidding? My stamina is far better now than it was when I was eighteen." Ryan begins to snicker despite himself. "As is yours. I seem to remember a time when all I had to do was look at your cock to get you off."
Nick is laughing too. "Like the time in the movie theater?"
"Oh, Lord," Ryan says, biting at Nick's collarbone. "It's a good thing that place closed or else we'd still be banned."
"It's not my fault that you're so hot," Nick says, pretending to be grumpy.
Ryan has a good retort for that, but then he hears something odd: an engine. The militia uses vehicles, of course, but they're mainly for transporting troops to and from the perimeter, or moving supplies. It's unusual to see or hear them in town, especially this part of town, which is largely abandoned. He sits up, tilting his head to one side to try to get a better idea of the distance.
"What is it?" Nick asks.
"A car," Ryan says. "One of the militia's. About half a mile away, and coming fast."
Nick immediately grasps the oddity of the situation, and starts fumbling for his clothes. A few moments later, they're dressed and they've made their way back to the double room. The rest of the pack has gathered there, and Siobhan is just jogging in from her post on watch. "They're coming right for us—" she says, out of breath.
Maya's jaw tightens, and Ryan sees that she doesn't want to leave the supplies they've gathered, with the run so close. "Take your partner and go, be careful, we'll meet at Solomon's at dusk. I'm going to stay. Ryan—"
"I'll stay," Ryan says, as the betas head for the back.
"Wait," Nick says, glancing out the window. "Jesus—it's Valerie."
A bare moment later, there's a screech of brakes, and footsteps outside. Maya opens the door as Valerie comes in, supporting Jackie with one arm. The teenager looks awful—pale and weak, lips tinged blue, clothes plastered to her body. Her scent is all wrong. She's hurt, badly so, but Ryan doesn't see any injuries.
"Dad," Jackie wheezes, and Nick has both of his children gathered in his arms before she can say anything else, squeezing them tightly.
"What happened?" Maya demands.
"We need—to go," Jackie says, trying to catch her breath. "Mitchell—I sent him to the water treatment plant. If he—catches—any of the Larsons—they'll tell him—"
"Shit," Maya snarls. "How much time?"
"Don't know," Jackie says. She's not leaving the comforting shelter of her father's embrace, and Nick's hand is clutched in the back of Jackie's sopping wet shirt. Ryan can clearly see why she sent Mitchell somewhere, and he's briefly impressed with the teenager for managing to lie to Mitchell under those circumstances. "Was a while ago now."
"What about—" Gabby is looking around at their supplies.
"Forget about it," Jackie says. "We won't make the run this month. Not—after what happened."
Maya nods and says, "We'll get the details later. Everyone just take what you can carry, take your partner, and go. We'll meet at Solomon's in three days. Until then—"
"If I may propose an alternative," Ryan says, lifting his hand. "If we're not leaving, at least certainly not this month, and Mitchell is on his way to us, most likely after a difficult battle with wendigos, this is the best chance we will likely ever have to find a more permanent solution for him. To take him on personally, on our territory, when he will have limited resources."
Maya looks between Ryan and Jackie, clearly wanting the teenager's opinion. But Jackie doesn't seem up to giving one. She's got one hand rubbing her chest and she's taking short, hitching breaths. It's obvious from her scent that she's in pain. So Maya looks back at Ryan. "If this is about revenge—"
"No," Ryan says. "Merely long-term planning."
Nick surprises him when he comes up behind him, squeezing Ryan's shoulder. "He's right. We need to deal with my father once and for all." He looks down at Ryan. "I assume you have a plan?"
Ryan's mouth curves into a smile. "Why, Nicholas, I thought you would never ask…"
"Oh, they will call for backup, absolutely," Nick says. "But they won't wait for it. It takes a team about twenty minutes to get suited up. They'll come ahead, try to scope the situation out. They don't know we've been warned, so there's no need to rush, but Leo rushes when his blood's up. He won't wait for backup."
"Okay," Jared says, edging closer to his mother. "What do we do?"
"Well, that depends entirely on Valerie here," Ryan says, and most of the betas blink at him. So does Valerie. Both Nick and Jackie frown, and Ryan is pleased to see that they've both immediately boarded his train of thought. "If you'll allow it, of course," he adds to Nick.
Nick's jaw tightens. "What if I said no?"
"Oh, well, I'd do it anyway, but at least I'd be adequately prepared for how much groveling I'd have to do afterwards."
"Neither of you are making any decisions about me," Valerie snaps. She takes a deep breath. "Ryan, what do you need me to do?"
"All I need you to do, darling, is stand right by this window," Ryan says, and gestures, "with my hand around your throat."
"Jesus," Jackie mutters. But when Valerie flicks a questioning gaze at her, she nods.
"Okay," she says, and steps forward. "Let's do this."
It takes a minute to get everyone sorted out. Most of the betas, along with Miranda, are shooed off to the rooms at the back of the motel—be ready to come in if there's a ruckus, Maya tells them, but leave the heavy lifting to the people who are better prepared for it. Several of them are dispatched to the roof to be on watch. Ryan quickly outlines his plan and everyone takes their positions. As the minutes tick by, Valerie starts to tremble. Ryan isn't sure he loves how long it's taking either. If Mitchell and Leo do choose to wait for backup, then running is the only option they'll have, if they want to live.
Kyra whistles a few minutes later, to indicate that she sees someone coming. Ryan's hand tightens around Valerie's throat, almost involuntarily.
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