by Jools Louise
“Yeah, he arrived back this morning. Got sidetracked a little by things in town.” David said. Then he delivered the punchline. “He said he’ll be waiting for you when you get home.”
Murray’s face dropped, and he moaned. “Oh, God, I’m in so much trouble.”
David grinned. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” he said mildly. “John’s already dealing with a psychopath on the loose, severe jet lag, and the vandalism of his café after someone dropped a truckload of horse manure through his window. He won’t be too pleased when we tell him about this little episode.”
Murray buried his face in his hands. “My life’s over,” he groaned dramatically.
“No, just your freedom,” Sketch said cheerfully. “There’s always a price for running amok.”
“That’s nothing,” Blue said dejectedly. “Daddy Aiden told me he’d be serving up slop for a month if I got out of hand while Daddy Murphy was away.”
“Slop, slugs, and string beans was what I heard,” Freddy cut in, laughing at his brother. “If I were you, I’d think of a really good reason why you ended up here.” He waggled his brows. “He enjoys a good yarn…before stopping all your fun.”
“Slugs?” Candy said in horror. “That’s disgusting.”
“Oh, yeah, and Daddy Pace said that he and Daddy Zack were going to have a long talk with you, Candy, when you get home,” David told the little blond minx.
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Murray whispered. “Better than being grounded.”
“When they say ‘talk,’ ” she retorted, wrinkling her nose, “they actually mean that by the end of it, I’ll be losing some privileges. I have to choose my punishment, depending on how bad they think I’ve been behaving.” Then she grinned wickedly. “I can almost feel Daddy Pace’s headache coming on when I start negotiating.”
David closed his eyes, sighing wearily. “You’re supposed to learn a lesson, guys,” he said. “Growing up is supposed to be a learning curve.”
“Oh, I do learn,” Candy replied, still smiling. “But since I’m planning to go into the family law business, as a litigator, I may as well start early. Daddy Zack says I could talk the hind leg off a rhino and then go back for his horn…and he’d be glad to give them to me.”
“I can’t wait,” David said with another sigh, shaking his head.
Candy giggled and then hugged him. “I’m sorry we disobeyed you and skipped our math class. We knew something was going on when we saw Ryder at the school earlier. He looked as though he was on a mission. He had some of his guys with him, too. They just missed Ghost, which is why we decided to rush to the rescue. We really did want to help.”
David hugged her back, then lifted her into his arms, and deposited her into the SUV beside Fly. “Take care of Fly, there,” he said. “He’s been through hell today. Thanks for getting him dressed, Sketch.”
Candy nodded, making room as Murray and Blue were placed in the seats beside her. “We’ll look after him,” she said. “We love Fly. He’s fun and lets me paint my nails at the salon.”
“Would you drive them back to class?” David asked Evan. “I know you and Freddy have lessons, as well.”
“We will,” Evan said, climbing behind the wheel. “We’ll see you back there.”
“Yes,” David agreed. “I need to call this in and let Pace know that Ghost and Morag are dead. Ryder might want to interrogate these two guys,” he added, gesturing at the unconscious men on the ground.
“Shall we catch a ride back with you?” the girls asked.
“Sure,” David said. “If you don’t mind waiting.”
“Why did they bring you here?” Sketch asked as the SUV drove off.
“Ghost wanted us to come up with a drug that would work to enhance shifter’s abilities as fighters,” Carmen said. “We’re studying to be chemists, and he somehow found out. We’re not sure how.”
“Has anyone been asking any odd questions?” David asked, frowning.
“The only thing we could think of was that we’re members of an online group, who discuss all kinds of stuff to do with our studies. We’ve never met any of them, but the site is on the Shifter Network,” Felicia told them.
“A few weeks ago, someone asked what school we went to, and we told them,” Carmen said, looking worried. “Do you think that’s how they found us?”
“What kind of stuff do you talk about?” Sketch asked.
“All sorts,” Felicia replied, frowning. “But it’s a shifter social network, so we didn’t think anything bad would happen.”
“I’ll talk to Drew,” Sketch said. “Maybe he can take a look around.”
“Drew?” Carmen asked, and giggled, blushing. “He’s hot.”
Sketch smiled. “I’ll tell him you said so,” he drawled, laughing when she blushed even more.
They both turned as they heard the sounds of a helicopter arriving, which landed in the field beside them. Out stepped Ryder Black and a few of his Warrior Brigade recruits.
“Hey,” David called.
“We need to take these guys back to the secure facility,” Ryder said, jerking his head at the unconscious Flashpoint goons. “We may as well clear up this mess while we’re here.” He began ordering his troops, who secured the site and took care of the dead. “Did we happen to see a trio of mini critters as we flew over the road out of here?”
Sketch smirked. “Yeah, those kids are toast,” he said. “Now that you and John are back in town, their days of escapism are over.”
Ryder snorted. “You wish,” he said, chuckling. “John just called, said they had a situation in Sage that he’s taking care of. Something about the wolf shifters working with Morag, and possibly Flashpoint, as well.”
“Ronan?” Felicia asked, sounding shocked. “That can’t be right. He’s been really angry about what happened to his pack mates at the hotel.”
“You know Ronan?” Ryder asked, his brown eyes intense.
She flushed. “Only a little. He came out to the school, a few weeks ago. He looked really sad, and I asked if he was okay. He seemed withdrawn, but made a comment about getting payback or something. I thought he meant about the hotel and his mates.”
Ryder met David’s concerned gaze. “John seems to think he’s working with Flashpoint. There’s evidence that he’s been playing both sides.”
“But his mates were killed. That would mean he knew something would happen to them,” Carmen gasped, looking shocked. “I can’t believe that. He loved them. Truly loved them. I think something else must be going on. Ronan isn’t bad. He’s been hurt as much as anyone by Flashpoint. He was so upset about all the crap that Oliver and Shark were facing when they wanted to open up their restaurant.”
“Then maybe John’s mistaken,” Ryder said slowly. “We’ll know soon enough.”
“I’m too late!” Cullen suddenly ran up, limping a little, from across the fields, naked after shifting from his fox form. “Is that…Ghost?” he cried, his eyes wild, staring at the wheelchair that was lifted out of the cabin by one of Ryder’s crew.
“He’s dead,” Ryder said gently, grabbing the little shifter’s arm firmly, before the man could rush into the cabin where Ghost was being placed in a body bag. “David and Evan had to take him down. He had Fly in there, and would have shot them if not.”
Cullen’s face was pale, and he turned away, throwing up violently.
“I’m sorry,” he said, kneeling as he wiped his mouth. “I was so convinced that he would kill again. I just ran when I heard he was at the school. I saw him leave and followed. But my leg isn’t too good, after I broke it a few weeks ago. It slowed me down.”
“Don’t apologize,” David said gently. “You’ve been through hell—we know that. It must be a relief, is it, to have him out of your life for good?”
Cullen nodded, trembling in reaction. “He was evil,” he replied. “Just…evil.”
David gave him an encouraging smile. “Let’s get you back to the ranch,” he sai
d gently.
“Let’s search their SUV, and then you can take it,” Ryder said, sending two of his crew to make sure there was no evidence left behind that they could use. “If you leave it outside Joe’s house, we’ll take it for further testing later.”
David nodded, getting the all-clear from the crew. “We’ll see you later,” he said.
“Yeah,” Ryder agreed. “Town meeting, I think. Pace and the others are taking care of the situation in Sage, while I deal with this mess. We think the town was the target all along. Taking Fly was a distraction. That’s why I made John stay there. Divide and conquer seems to be Flashpoint’s new strategy. But sometimes that’s the best way to fight a battle, with a two-pronged approach.”
“Cullen, why don’t you shift again?” Sketch suggested tactfully. “I’m sure the girls here don’t need to see your dick for much longer.”
Cullen blushed, belatedly realizing he had an audience, and quickly shifted into his fox, while the girls giggled merrily.
“He’s cute,” Carmen said, winking at Cullen, who jumped into the SUV quickly.
“He’s gay,” Ryder drawled. “Be gentle with him. He’s had a tough time of it.”
“You bet,” Felicia retorted, hopping into the vehicle with her friend.
David rolled his eyes and then smirked at Sketch, leaving the crime scene for Ryder to sift through.
Chapter Seven
The bed-and-breakfast was too quiet. Slade crept along the side wall, aiming for the rear entrance. The establishment sat near to John’s café and had once been owned by two stalwarts of Sage, Kim, and Herb, who had operated it for decades. When the town was destroyed by a vicious cult, the Will and the Word, Mason had decided to rebuild, and he ran the place with his mates, Alfie and Jay, John’s brother.
The Spirit Ink wolverines resided here, in quarters at the back of the property, on the ground floor. It was strange that neither them, nor their mate Ethan, had been seen that morning. Slade had spent many hours at their tattoo parlor, enjoying banter and coffee. He’d be pissed if anything bad had happened to them.
John had told him which window was the wolverines’, and he tapped on it lightly. He heard a low groan and tilted his head, in case he’d misheard, and then tapped again.
“Smash the window,” Oliver hissed, practically glued to Slade’s side. Slade rolled his eyes.
“Can’t,” he hissed back. “This is supposed to be covert.”
“I heard someone inside,” Shark whispered. “They could be in danger.”
The window suddenly opened outward, and Slug stood there, eyes bleary. “What time is it?” he asked. “Did we sleep in? What the hell are you out here for?”
Slade glanced at his watch. “It’s lunchtime,” he said, wondering if they’d made a mistake.
“Crap! We’re supposed to be on guard duty,” Slug said, rubbing his face. “I feel like shit.” He looked behind him. “My mates are still sleeping. This isn’t right. We never sleep in.”
Slade quickly explained why he was there, and Slug growled viciously. “Come in this way,” he suggested, opening the window wider so they could climb in. “There’s usually a lot going on. Cleaning up after breakfast, the vacuum cleaner going. I don’t smell anything cooking, and Mason often starts prep for dinner at this time.”
“Has Ronan been staying here?” Oliver asked. “Is he okay?”
Slug shot him a look. “He’s been fine, but grieving heavily. Why do you ask?”
Slade told him what Mazy had related earlier, about Ronan talking to Morag.
“He wouldn’t sell his pack out,” Slug said slowly, tugging on his warrior’s braid, the only hair on his head. His brown eyes were pensive. “The guy went through hell in that mine. He’s an alpha, and he took it hard that he was tricked by those motherfuckers and his pack were harmed. I remember him talking about how he’d love to get his hands on any of those responsible. He also said he would go after anyone who hurt his friends from the mine, particularly the wolverines. Seems he may have a soft spot for them.”
They heard a window crash, the sound of glass shattering from above.
“Sounds as though John found a way in,” Shark said dryly.
Slade grinned despite himself.
“I told you to smash a window,” Oliver drawled, nudging him with his hip.
“So glad you didn’t, little man,” Slug replied wryly. “You’d have gotten a different reception.”
Oliver flushed. “Yeah, that’s why we didn’t break in,” he said, biting his lip.
“Guys! Some help here!” John shouted down the stairs, accompanied by more mayhem.
“Shit,” Slug complained, running for the door. “If he destroys this place, Mason will be pissed. At least he didn’t kick down the front door.” He glanced back. “Where the hell is Mason? Don’t tell me he slept in, too? What was in that damned coffee last night?”
They all ran for the stairs, running up to the next level to see John grappling with Ronan, who was going ballistic.
“What the fuck?” Slade shot forward, helping the big snow leopard shifter to hold the alpha wolf down.
“He’s gone rogue,” John panted, cursing luridly when Ronan fought like a mad thing.
“Not rogue, you bastard,” Ronan protested, fangs bared as he tried to free himself. “I’m just trying to deliver some justice. Did you see what the bastard did to Mystery? And Chill? He was pretty proud of how he treated Oliver and Shark, too. Bragged about it when I first got him out of jail.” He sneered. “He’s not bragging now. The motherfucker deserved a taste of his own medicine.”
Slug darted past them, along with Oliver and Shark.
“Fuck!” Shark swore. “You’re the one who broke Crash out of jail.”
“Yes!” Ronan retorted, slumping suddenly. “He hurt you. I heard what happened, and I saw Mystery being carried in here, broken. Chill still can’t stand after what this creep did to his feet, burning him with a fucking blowtorch. He has nerve damage that may never heal.”
“Where’s Alfie? Where’s Jay? Where’s Mason?” John asked, peppering the questions at Ronan like bullets, rapid fire.
“They’re okay,” Ronan said, sounding utterly weary. “They’re sleeping. I didn’t harm them.”
“You shot Louis and Doyle,” Slade snarled. “They’re still in hospital, recovering.”
“If I’d wanted them dead, they would be,” Ronan shot back. “I couldn’t tell them what I was doing. They’d have stopped me. This bastard shouldn’t even be breathing after what he’s done to people.”
Slade let go of the wolf shifter, leaving John to restrain him, and peered into the bedroom. He gasped in shock. Crash, erstwhile psychopathic monster and torturer, was strung up, securely tied with rope, his body contorted into an unnatural posture on a makeshift sling, similar to the one Mystery had been found in a few days ago.
Crash had been badly beaten, tortured, and his face was unrecognizable. His mouth gaped, several teeth missing, and both eyes were swollen shut. Mercifully he was unconscious. Slade couldn’t believe, given the injuries, that nobody had heard the screams. Then he noted the man was missing his tongue. Possibly done when unconscious, because there was no way he wouldn’t have made a lot of noise. How long had Ronan been drugging his friends and housemates, and Crash, too? Someone outside must have heard, but nobody had seen Crash for days. Unless Ronan had done most of the work elsewhere and then brought him here.
“He won’t be troubling you again,” Ronan said, his voice trembling a little. He looked as though he’d been up for days, his reserves now used up after fighting off John.
Slade watched as Oliver left the room, looking pale, and followed him, tugging Shark out with him. He shut the door on the sickening display. He’d seen what Crash was capable of, and knew this was a fitting punishment, but it didn’t sit well with him what had been done. Slade had his little quirks, but at that moment, he vowed he would never be that guy again. He never wanted to risk losing control a
nd turning into the monster that Crash had become, or the avenging angel that was Ronan. A good, clean fight was fine. This was just a sickening depravity. What had it done to Ronan to have committed this act?
“Thank you,” Oliver whispered, kneeling beside Ronan’s prone form. Slade looked over, shocked by the venom behind the words. “Crash did the same to us, and worse. At least you didn’t assault him sexually. He did that. To all his victims. To Mystery. To me and Shark. So thank you.” He hugged the big wolf shifter tightly, stroking his brown hair gently. “I’m so sorry we didn’t save your mates. After what happened in that mine. After what you went through before they tricked you into working for them. I know you were in the military for years, an officer and a kick-ass soldier. You didn’t deserve to be treated like dirt.”
“I trusted the wrong people,” Ronan said brokenly. “I tried to make amends. Tried to get Morag to work with me, to help me fix what Flashpoint were doing. She didn’t want to know. All she wanted was to help herself. She doesn’t care about anyone but herself.”
“You knew her before you came to Sage?” John asked carefully, releasing the wolf finally.
Ronan nodded. “I knew her. She and I were lovers, way back when I was trying to find my identity. She was always the same. A bitch who dropped people as soon as they stopped being useful to her. She stole from me. Money that I’d put aside when I left the military life. I wanted to start my own business. She took it all.”
“Is she the one who tricked you into working for Daniel?” Oliver asked shrewdly. “I remember you mentioned that an old friend had encouraged you to do some security work for him.”
“Yeah,” Ronan said tiredly. “That’s when she stole my money. She got access to my accounts, while I thought she still had feelings for me. When she and Ghost came here, I knew who he was, but I was fooled into thinking they’d turned over a new leaf.” He ducked his head, his eyes filling with tears. “When the hotel blew up, and the evidence came back that she had escaped with Ghost, I knew.” He stared at everyone, looking devastated. “I’m the biggest fool. I should have known better.”