“Hello.”
“Hi, this is Brock Tandell. I’m trying to reach Gia Carosa.”
“This is her mother. I’ve been trying to reach her too. She’s not with you? Last time I couldn’t reach her she was with you.”
“Mrs. Carosa, I’m sure she just has her phone on silent. It’s been a hectic few days. I wanted to let her know that City Hall is cleared. I’ll try calling her again later. If you get in touch with her, please have her call me.”
“Of course,”
He sighed and got to work. An hour later, he was standing on the front steps of City Hall, thrust into the media circus once more.
“I want to thank the fine police officers of New Orleans for the way they handled the situation here at City Hall and the situation that arose yesterday at my house. I understand that the police have already issued statements on those two incidents, and I won’t repeat that information here.
“The Human Order is becoming a real problem. I want to stress that shifters have lived peacefully alongside humans for centuries. We are not interested in ruling over humans. We have strict laws that govern our interactions with humans, and all of them are designed to keep humans safe from us.”
“So you are dangerous?”
“We’ve been over this. All wild animals are dangerous. It is the human in us that strives to keep that animal under control, to keep us from being true dangers. My point is that never in history has a group of shifters forcibly taken over and occupied City Hall, in any city. Never in history has a group of shifters held a group of humans hostage. And yet The Human Order, who claims to protect humans, has done just that. They are terrorists.
“As mayor of New Orleans, I do not approve of their actions. I wouldn’t approve of their actions if they were attacking French speakers, or blacks, or people with autism. It doesn’t matter who the terrorists target. Their mission is to spread fear and claim power for themselves. No matter who the terrorists target, I cannot, will not, condone that behavior in this city.
“I applaud the police and their willingness to face off against these men and women.”
“Where did they get the guns?”
“The police have not given me that information. You would be better off asking them directly.”
“Is it true they stole money from your private corporation?”
“They tried to. We were able to freeze the accounts before they could access any money. It’s made business dealings difficult, but I’d rather not see my money going to fund terrorists.”
“Any idea who is funding them?”
“No. And that’s a question best directed to the police.”
“Was The Human Order behind the attack on your house?”
“That is my belief, yes.”
“Why?”
“I’ll let the police question the suspect they arrested. They will figure out the why and will charge her appropriately.”
“Was it your assistant?”
“No. And if the police have not released the identity of the suspect, I cannot either. I will have to end the questions there. I have a lot of work to do to as Mayor, and these attacks certainly haven’t lightened my work load. Thank you.”
He retreated inside followed by shouts of “Mr. Mayor!” from all directions. His cell phone rang and he answered with a brisk, “Yes?”
“Brock Tandell, a pleasure to speak with you at last.”
“Who is this?”
“I want you to listen very carefully. You will not report this phone conversation to the police. You will not inform the police of our location. If we see even a shadow of a police officer, we will shoot all of our hostages.”
“What hostages? Where are you?”
“You’ve done a very good job securing this location. We really couldn’t have done better. There’s not much here for comfort though, and I’m sure that your friends would like to be out of here sooner rather than later.”
“Which friends?”
“Your entire clan, of course. We even have a werewolf here. Poor man. He doesn’t seem to be recovering well from that attack last week.”
Philippe, Patrick, Remy, Jules, Jane.
“And your pretty assistant is putting up one hell of a fight. She’s got spirit—even more than her father.”
“You know, I’m not sure why you would take Giancarlo Carosa hostage. He is a business rival of mine.”
“Ah, but he’s human, and he’s connected to a human you care deeply about. You wouldn’t let anything happen to him because you know his daughter would never forgive you.”
“What do you want?”
“You. Here.”
“If I just run out of here they’ll ask questions. Let me at least make it look like I’m headed to a meeting so no one thinks to call the cops.”
“Fine. But do not try my patience.” The line went dead.
Chapter 18
“Why don’t you shift?” Gia whispered. She and Jane were tied up away from Remy and Jules. They made the odd pair. Gia was petite and slender with a classic Cajun or Hispanic look while Jane was stocky and solid and pale.
“The change takes too long,” Jane whispered back. “They’ll see me shifting and they’ll shoot the others. That’s what they said when they grabbed me, and I believe them. I don’t think these people would hesitate to hurt any of us.” She had a cut on her forehead where one of the men had smashed her with the butt of his rifle. The blood was dried now making her skin look even paler.
Gia thought of the wide scar on her upper arm and nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“Why isn’t your father tied up?”
“I don’t know.” Gia glanced across the room. Her hair was a mess and hung in her face, and with her arms tied there was no way for her to brush it away. It was like looking through a curtain. She shook her head, partially clearing her vision. There were armed men everywhere. Her father was on one of the chairs, an armed man standing behind him and another thug sitting across from him. They seemed to be discussing something. He had protested when they had brought Gia in, but he hadn’t been tied. He looked calm now, and there wasn’t a mark on him. His suit was immaculate, as always, and not a hair was out of place.
“When they took my dad’s office, they said he was the easiest way to get to me. But even if they took him as bait to bring me here why wouldn’t they tie him?”
“Why do they want you?”
“Because I’m Brock’s assistant. They lured me in once before. They wanted information on Brock’s movements—and yours. I told them the entire clan was going to Brock’s house.”
“We weren’t.”
“I knew that.”
“Why would you lie for us?”
“Because I trusted Brock.”
“Trusted?”
“Now I’m not so sure how I feel about him.”
One of the armed guards passed close by, and both women stopped talking until he was gone again.
“He’ll be here, soon,” Jane said. “They already called him; he’ll come to get us out of this.”
“Of course he will,” Gia replied. “They have his clan. He’d do anything to protect his clan.” She couldn’t keep the pain out of her voice. At least Remy was the only one who knew there had been any sort of romantic spark between them.
Across the room, she could see Remy and Jules talking softly to each other. She couldn’t hear them any more than she could hear her father. All she could hear was the clumping of boots on the cement floor and the murmur of voices.
“How long have you known Brock?” Gia said.
“I moved here almost three years ago, from Quebec. My clan leader got in touch with Remy and he met me at my apartment. He gave me the address to the warehouse and a passcode for the door. I met Brock and the others that first full moon.”
“How well do you know him?”
“We’re clan mates but not really friends. He’s so different from me. I have nothing, compared to him. He was so sophisticated that i
t was intimidating at first. I don’t think he’s intimidating now, but we have little in common, so we only see each other at the full moons and at clan meetings. I see Philippe sometimes. He works at a club downtown, and he’ll let me and my friends in the VIP door on slow nights.”
“What about Jules?”
“Jules is like a lost puppy. His dad was a shifter, but he only saw his dad here. When Remy refused to send ‘the bastard cub’ away to another clan, his father moved away. That was before I arrived, but it hurt Jules bad. He’s jumpy. I’m glad they put him with Remy. Remy knows how to keep him calm.”
“I would have thought Brock was older than Remy.”
“He is. Not by much, but he is.”
“So how did Remy get to be clan leader?”
“Dominance has little to do with age. Remy’s control is the best, and he can face us down even when we’re in bear form and he’s still human. He’s also a very large bear. Brock never minded. He’s too laid back to lead.”
“Remy seemed pretty laid back to me.”
“He can be. But don’t break the rules around him or he’ll shut you down with a stare and a harsh word. Even my clan leader back in Quebec would be second to Remy.”
Gia glanced at the tall Cajun man again, but she couldn’t see it. “I’ll take your word for it.”
The main door of the warehouse slammed open. Gia’s head jerked around at the sound. Five men came in. The first was carrying an assault rifle. The next four came in in pairs, dragging something between them.
“We got them, sir.”
The ‘something’ was human. Two humans. Two men. Both were wearing hospital gowns and were breathing hard. They’d been set down on hands and knees, and neither made any motion to get up.
“That’s Philippe,” Jane said. “And Patrick.”
Gia had heard the name Philippe before and knew he was a werebear. “Who’s Patrick?”
“One of the local werewolves. He and Philippe are friends. They got attacked.”
“I remember Brock mentioning that. He was pretty upset.”
“We all were. And not a damn thing we could do about it because of all the rules, all the media attention pointed at us. They must have dragged them out of the hospital. This isn’t good. A wounded shifter is more likely to change.”
“What happens if they change?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t think it will be good.”
A man in jeans, a black t-shirt, and a bulletproof vest stepped into the center of the room. He was shorter than Remy and Jules, broad in the shoulders though not as large as Philippe or Jules, and solid muscle. He had a lean, attractive face, and an easy smile. It was the assault rifle in his hands and the cold in his eyes that screamed ‘danger.’
“May I have your attention please,” he said. “My name is Jean-Baptiste, and I am in charge of this little operation. Today we will make an example of these shifter-scum, and we will propel The Human Order and their mission into the forefront of history.”
“Why are you doing this?” Gia shouted. “Why are you targeting Brock’s clan?”
“Because he is a monster, an animal, and he thinks he’s good enough to lead real men. We will show the world that these shifters are just animals with no more than animal instincts and animal intelligence—dumb brutes with no talent but to hurt.”
“What did they ever do to you?”
“Personally? Nothing.” He laughed at her startled expression. “Were you expecting a tragic tale of dead parents, perhaps a dead lover? No? Something more pathetic perhaps? My girlfriend left me for one of these monsters? Pah. They are a disease that must be eradicated, a threat to our existence and way of life.”
“I’m sure you’re all for killing autistic kids too,” Gia grumbled.
“But I won’t be killing children. I won’t even be killing men. I’ll be killing beasts. And the whole world will see them for the violent, destructive, uncontrollable creatures they really are.”
“Oh God,” Jane whispered. “He’ll force Philippe to change, enrage him so he’ll attack humans, and kill him.”
If Jean-Baptiste heard her, he didn’t react. His attention had turned to Remy who had started talking in that misleading baritone of his.
“We knew the prejudice would eventually fall to us,” Remy said. “People hate those who are different, and it is hard to convince people that we are not dangerous. We were ready for the hatred. We were ready for rallies and slogans. I am having trouble figuring out how you gained so many members and so many resources in such a short period of time.”
“The internet provides many safe havens for people to gather. As for resources, we have Mr. Carosa to thank for that, at least here in New Orleans. He has been most generous.”
Gia’s eyes went wide. She could feel Jane moving away from her, as much as her restraints allowed, but she couldn’t look away from her dad.
“So, the job was a lie, then. Your friends here threatened Marsha and you ‘got me the job.’ Is this why you were asking so many questions about Brock? I can’t believe you did this to me. I was shot! I was in a hostage situation. Hell, this is my third hostage situation because you decided to use me as a pawn.” I’m glad you didn’t see Brock and I together that night at my apartment. I’m glad I never told you that I was falling in love with him. I’m glad I never told you how much he means to me. You would have used me against him without a second thought. Brock was right about me all along—I was a spy for The Human Order, and I didn’t even know it.
“You weren’t supposed to get hurt,” he said. “They promised me.”
Jean-Baptiste shrugged. “We’ve all made sacrifices in this fight.”
“As if that makes it any better.” Gia muttered. “So why did you do, Dad? Do you really hate them so much? Look at these people.”
He turned his face away and looked down at his hands.
“Look at them! Do they look dangerous to you?”
“It wasn’t about them.”
“Then what? Because I can’t believe my father would support terrorists in their hate crimes.” She was shrieking now and the tears streamed openly down her face.
“It was all business,” he said. “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I just wanted Brock Tandell humiliated. He was beating out our business at every turn. I had to take him down a few pegs. I invested in The Human Order. It was going to pay out when Tandell Corporations went under and I could scoop up his holdings cheap.”
“Business! You risked my life for business!”
“I did this for you! The company you inherit will be double—no triple—the size it is now. Instead of inheriting millions, you’ll inherit billions! Anything you want, it will be yours!”
Except Brock Tandell. “If I ever get out of here, I’m going end you.”
“How touching,” Jean-Baptiste said. “I love watching families bond. Now shut up! Spread the prisoners around the warehouse. How many men are patrolling outside the warehouse?”
Kenny (Shifter Football League Book 2) Page 34