by A. C. Katt
“There was a second one since Sean arrived. That came from an upstart pack Alpha from Alpha Daurensbourg’s home pack. Maurice challenged Alpha Daurensbourg. Maurice wanted Daurensbourg’s place on the Council. He had barely five years over his majority.”
“When do loup garou reach their majority?” Frankie asked.
Considering that the loup garou live four hundred and fifty years or more, this was a valid question. “At twenty-five, but an Alpha must be trained for decades, a Council Alpha even longer. Alpha Clavier, our current Number Two, is the youngest Alpha to ever sit on the Council and he is seventy.”
“So even if Maurice killed Alpha Daurensbourg…”
“There was no way he was going to sit on the Council. If the fight didn’t appear to be going Daurensbourg’s way, The Alpha would have stepped in before Maurice made the kill. Alpha Mate Julio had a knife hidden on his person and his own plans,” René said with satisfaction.
“I can understand what The Alpha planned to do, but Julio? I tussled with the Russian Enforcer outside of Henri’s, and I barely held him, and I am a strong man. Julio is a hundred and fifty pounds soaking wet. He was going to get into a knife fight with a wolf almost as large as you?” Frankie gaped at him.
“You have to understand the background and the physical limitations of wolves. Before the challenge, it came out that Maurice had secretly challenged other wolves to the death and cheated. When The Alpha found out, he didn’t want Daurensbourg in the pit at all. He was willing to go up against Maurice and annihilate him, but Alpha Daurensbourg felt he had to do it himself. Julio had a throwing knife that he could use with deadly accuracy. Maurice would have had to change to expel it, and the act of changing would have given Alpha Daurensbourg the few seconds he needed to regain the upper hand. Alpha Mate Julio swore to himself he wouldn’t interfere unless Maurice cheated. He did, but Alpha Daurensbourg had it handled. The gods let that one go because Alpha Daurensbourg doesn’t like violence and the packs thought because he eschewed violence, he wasn’t strong.”
“What did he do?” Frankie, by this time, had stopped packing and was wrapped up in the loup garou story.
“That time the gods didn’t stop the fight, and Alpha Daurensbourg had to kill him. Winning the challenge against the cheating wolf proved that he was still strong enough to be their Alpha, hold the territory and a place on the Council.”
“It sounds like getting to be a Made Man in the mob. To be a Made Man, you have to kill someone.”
“Ours is a violent world and the Alphas, even though they are now at peace, keep up the old customs, so no one feels slighted and challenges someone else out of a fit of pique.” René closed the suitcase and zipped it shut.
“So, The Voice keeps the peace. Can The Alpha Mate do anything else?” Frankie sealed the pantry box with tape.
“Sean can ease childbirth. Our women have a hard time birthing pups. He also can help the sick heal. It’s because of Sean’s Voice that we still have Julio.”
Frankie opened another cupboard. “Alpha Daurensbourg’s Julio is the same Julio that worked with Donal?”
“Yes, he helped keep Donal alive. Julio is much loved in our community. It doesn’t matter what a Mate did before he meets his Alpha, wolves are very accepting. We live long lives, and not all wolves are choirboys.”
“I wouldn’t assume they were. Especially after you told me the story about the kidnapping. Was The Alpha Mate that helpless against another wolf?” It finally dawned on Frankie that Mates, especially Alpha Mates, were a magnet for trouble. “Your gods were wise to give the Mates protectors. If I have it right, the Russian wanted to steal The Alpha Mate because of his gift.”
Frankie closed the last cupboard door. The Alpha had lent them Pierre and the limousine so they could fit what belongings Frankie needed to take to René’s in the trunk.
“The Russian wanted to bring Sean’s gift to Russia to buy his way back into the Russian pack structure after being exiled for rape. He was born a Beta and had the notion he could make himself an Alpha if he had The Alpha Mate’s gift. He couldn’t. You are born Alpha, Beta, Pack, Enforcer, or Omega. You may rise in your own ranks. Martin is the top Beta in North America, I am Second, but you can’t become what you’re not. It’s like the Hindu class system, only more permanent. I don’t really know if your status changes with each cycle. Although Alpha Giraud says he remembers past cycles and Alpha Mate Vitas always appeared as an Omega to his Alpha.”
“If loup garou can get beheaded for claiming another’s Mate, why did this Russian only get exile for rape?”
“Because they couldn’t prove it.”
“Ah-ha, so it’s not just summary execution, the accusation has to be proved…”
“Anyway, the rebellious Second, La Farge, now scrubs Siberian toilets as a human. He wanted The Alpha Mate kidnapped so he could challenge an Alpha going nuts without his Mate. Thank the gods, The Alpha Mate figured out how to get away. That was the incident I told you about at the wedding reception.”
“I remember you said The Alpha Mate figured out a way to escape. Back to the tuxedo… I’ve figured it out. The Alpha is required to put on a big show because it’s one of his personal staff getting married.” Frankie lifted his shoulders and grinned, appearing proud of himself.
He should be. Loup garou politics takes a human lifetime to master.
“Got it in one.” René smiled.
“Keeping up appearances is not that different from the way the mob operates. There the men drape their wives with the most expensive jewelry and gowns, here it’s suits and shoes. The mob wears Italian suits, you wear English. Have I traded one mob for another?” As awareness swept over his fiancé’s face, Frankie’s tone was not happy.
“No, not so. The Alphas aren’t violent anymore, just competitive. They only need to watch out for the young Alphas in the packs who get ideas above their station. Unlike the mob, we are a force for good despite our violent culture. We give to charity. We run shelters for LGBT teens in almost every city. Now, after Donal and Julio, we have a hotline for gay runaway kids and our auxiliary police patrol the bus and train stations to keep scum like Apuso from preying on kids trying to run from a bad situation.”
“I see…” Frankie nodded.
“We are a major player in pharmaceuticals and green technology. Garou Pharmaceuticals develops drugs for orphan diseases and charges the cost, plus ten percent for the drug, and we are selling direct to consumers through our own pharmacies, so the middleman doesn’t hike the price up to the stratosphere for ours or any other drugs we sell retail. We’re researching a cure for HIV/AIDS, Ebola, cancer, and the common cold. We’ve developed a battery for autos that can go one thousand miles without a charge and only takes fifteen minutes to charge when it runs low. We’re opening at least two charging centers in every state before we release the battery to the automotive industry. This battery is pollution free and cheaper than current batteries for electric cars. We care.”
Frankie cocked his head. “I can see the differences. The mob makes money on human suffering. You still make money, but you do it trying to make the world a better place and still give your people money to live.”
They went downstairs to the parking garage with two boxes then came back to the lobby and grabbed one of the luggage trolleys that the condo association kept for the building and brought it back upstairs. “I’m not going to miss this place.” Frankie opened the apartment door and sighed. “Who did this job before me?”
René considered how to answer his question. He decided not to shade the truth. “A man by the name of Hughes did your job. He was a traitor. He sold information to Chernof, the mad Russian and almost got Vitas taken from Henri. He received a merciful death.”
“In the mob, traitors don’t get merciful deaths. They get Apuso-like deaths.”
“Pierre used to do the job before Hughes, but the job became more robust, and Pierre couldn’t keep up. The Alpha saw that. He authorized Pierre to hire an
assistant. Pierre has lost the confidence of our Alpha because he failed to do a complete background check on Hughes, the man he hired. Hughes Caron owed your stepfather’s cronies huge sums of money from gambling. Even with a healthy stipend, a salary, and savings, he got in over his head.”
“He should have gone to The Alpha. At least he would have gotten out alive. The Alpha would have worked something out with Dante,” Frankie said.
He smiled. His Frankie possessed brains. He figured out what Hughes, after decades of being a loup garou had not. If he’d told the Alpha, he would have been scolded, sent to Gamblers Anonymous and kept on pack lands for a few years, but he wouldn’t be dead.
They loaded the rest of the boxes and the two suitcases on the trolley and brought it down to the limousine. René didn’t look forward to what came next. Frankie had to speak to Don Ferone and that wasn’t going to be easy.
Chapter Eight
René’s Townhouse
Washington Square
Since René and Frankie had eaten an early dinner at The Alpha’s, it was only eight when they arrived at the townhouse after packing up Frankie’s things. René poured them each a snifter of cognac. “By the way, wolves don’t get drunk so don’t try and keep up with any wolf. You’ll be on your ass, and they’ll still be drinking.”
Frankie smiled. “The most I’ve ever drunk at one sitting was last night with you. In Dante’s world, it’s not a good idea to be less than sharp. The most I ever had in their company was a Heineken. I always had to be on in case someone tried to hit Dante or attack me because I made no secret of being gay. I didn’t flaunt it, but I wouldn’t lie.”
René glanced at the clock. “You promised both your mother and The Alpha that you would talk to Don Ferone before the end of the day,” he gently reminded Frankie.
“I guess I can’t avoid this.” Frankie frowned. He wanted to run upstairs, hold on to René, and forget about everything in his old life except his mom. His thoughts screamed at René over the Mate Link.
“You don’t want The Alpha upset with you. An angry Alpha is not a pretty sight. Use the house phone. I have a good system. You can put him on speaker, and he won’t know I’m listening.” By offering to listen in, René had let Frankie know that he would stand by him, no matter what happened with his stepfather.
§ § §
Frankie sat on the edge of a serge wing chair upholstered in the blue of the sofa pattern. He hadn’t noticed it before, but René had splashes of a rich burgundy in pillow accents placed around the room. “Thank you for being there for me. Have I told you that I love you? There must be something to this Mate thing.” He glanced over at René, whose face was set in a grim line. He had to phone Dante.
“Okay, I call him.” Frankie inwardly quaked. In the past ten years, he had grumbled, but he never outright defied Dante. Dante told him ten years, but Frankie was scared to death he wouldn’t let him go. His stepfather could be a very bad man under the right circumstances. He’d witnessed what had happened to Sal and Apuso. Don Ferone didn’t like to be crossed. His stomach knotted, Frankie dialed the number.
“Ferone residence, to whom am I speaking?” It was obvious that Dante had come home from work because Carmen would let the phone ring until his poor mother had to answer it.
“Carmen, this is Frankie, may I speak to my stepfather?”
“I’ll see if he’s available.” He heard shuffling in the background.
“I’ve been expecting your call.” That was his stepfather. Frankie immediately got angry, almost on autopilot. None of the niceties for Frankie, not even a hello.
“I told Mom I would talk to you. Consider this my notice, and I’m on vacation for the next week. As of Monday, I’ll be working for Mr. La Marche.” Frankie steeled his voice. I can do this.
“You’re going to work with more of your kind?” Frankie could feel René’s gaze on him. He didn’t want to make eye contact with his fiancé. Frankie was afraid he’d see pity, and the one thing Frankie couldn’t stand was someone’s pity, especially from his new fiancé. Anger, even with disgust, was preferable, and God knows Dante had stared at him with disgust often enough, but he couldn’t abide pity.
“I want to be who I am, an out and proud gay man.” Frankie’s voice sounded firm to his ears. Good, it’s not shaking. I’m standing my ground.
“You have my name…”
Frankie didn’t even let him finish. “I’ll change it back to Fitzgerald or take my husband’s name.”
Dante sighed. “Frankie, are you sure you want to do this? La Marche’s army is as large if not larger than mine. I don’t know what kind of gig they’re running, but they’re no more on the up and up than I am. I work with them because I have to, not because I want to.” Dante took a deep breath to continue. Frankie cut him off.
“Dante, you promised me ten years ago, that if I gave you ten years, you’d let me go. I told Mr. La Marche that you were a man of your word. That you’d let me go because you made a promise. I’m asking you to keep that promise.” Silence greeted him on the other end of the line.
“You won’t abandon your mother? She loves you.” Dante pulled out his ace.
“I promised that I’d come to see her tomorrow and bring René. I’d never abandon Mom. Just because I don’t work for you doesn’t mean I’m abandoning her.”
“Is that his name—René. Sounds like a girl.” Dante gave Frankie a half-hearted jeer. It was at that moment he knew he’d won.
“No, it’s French. It means reborn.” That’s how I’ve felt since I met him, reborn.
“You can keep my name. You may work for La Marche, but you’re still my son. Your mother wants you to be happy, and she said she hadn’t heard you as happy as you were when you talked to her today since Francis died. Believe it or not, I want you to be happy, too. I wanted to leave you the business because you’d run it better than Junior. Your mother and I have spoiled him, and he’s feckless. When I retire, I’ll turn it over to one of the boys I sent to Columbia. Your mother said you suggested that.” Dante was trying for his mother’s sake. The Alpha was right when he told him to enlist her. It was time he gave a little.
“Dad…Dante, you should retire soon, before something happens. You have enough money for the three of you to live very full lives. I handled your investments, I know.”
“That’s the first time you’ve ever called me Dad. I didn’t mean to alienate you over the gay thing. I thought that you’d grow out of it, but today, your mother did a search on the computer, arthritic fingers and all.”
Here he threw in a little guilt. They thought Jewish mothers were the only ones who dealt in guilt. Anyone who’s had an Italian father could tell you that the Italians give the Jews a run for their money.
“So she finally used the computer I bought her,” Frankie said. “It takes voice commands, she doesn’t have to type. You should buy her one of those house computers from Amazon or Google, all you need to do is talk at it, and it does what you ask. You can even connect the lights and the phone. She wouldn’t have to leave her easy chair to answer the phone.”
“Carmen answers the phone.”
In for the kill. “No, Dad, she doesn’t. Half of the time she lets it go to voicemail or has Mom answer it. I don’t know what Carmen does, but whatever it is, it isn’t useful. I’ve wanted to tell you for years. Mom likes her. A companion is all she’s good for. Get a housekeeper. Your meals will also improve. Mom’s getting too skinny.” Coming out with both barrels.
He could hear Dante take a deep breath and blow it out. “I told you that your mother was on the computer.”
“And?” Whatever Dante was trying to get out, Frankie wasn’t about to make it easy for him.
“She showed me seven or eight articles. Some of them were from respected medical journals that even an old undereducated man like me knows are legit, a science magazine, papers from prominent doctors…they all say the same thing. You were born that way, I mean gay.”
Finally! Abso
lution.
“Yes, I was. I knew when I was seven. I told my dad when I was nine. He didn’t care. I told Mom to tell you before you adopted me. I knew it would bother you.” Turn the knife, Frankie.
René frowned. He’s right. I need to dial it back.
“I’m sorry, son. I thought that by keeping you with me, you’d forget about being gay. I was wrong. I expect an invitation to the wedding. Your mother says that all of your friends are like you. It doesn’t matter, I want to see you married, and Junior will stand up with you.”
Okay Frankie, get off your high horse. The old man is trying.
“Yes, Dante, thank you, for all you’ve done for me. I hadn’t thanked you properly for, for loving Mom and…me, even when I wasn’t very loveable.”
I could have done the same search Mom did at any time and showed him the results. I was as stubborn as he was.
“You’ll do, son. I’m going to go back and sit with your mother. She tires easily, and I want to make sure she goes to bed before I leave for the restaurant. Are you sure I can’t change your mind? You can still be married and work for me.” There was a hitch in his stepfather’s voice.
“No, I’m doing what’s right for both of us. I can never be completely open with the men. I make them and you, uncomfortable. They need someone who relishes the lifestyle. I don’t, but you know that. Thank you for promising to take her to the wedding. If Junior wants to be my best man, I’ll be happy to have him, but don’t force him, or he’ll resent me more than he already does. I promise I’ll come see you and Mom. Tell Mom we’ll be there tomorrow at three.”
“Okay, Frankie, goodnight.”
“Goodnight…Dad.”
He was about to hang up when his stepfather cleared his throat. “You tell La Marche not to expect concessions because you work for him, you hear?”
“I’m sure he won’t.” He heard the dial tone. Dante had hung up.
He turned his gaze to René. “You heard…” Frankie wiped at his eyes.