by A. C. Katt
“What are we going to do, Alpha?”
“I don’t know. I can take them, but I know they’ll cheat.”
“Excuse me, Alpha,” René shot Frankie a warning look, but Frankie continued. “I know Kuznetsov, he deals with Dante. As a matter of fact, he has an appointment with Dante a week from Friday and he told him he was bringing two associates. I was supposed to arrange the security, until I resigned.”
René stiffened. Be careful, my Mate.
Chapter Ten
The Alpha’s Limousine
In Front of René’s Townhouse
The Alpha sat up in his seat. “What were the arrangements?”
Frankie cleared his throat. “We were meeting his private plane. They were entering the country at LAX, going through customs there then going on to LaGuardia. Kuznetsov asked my stepfather to have his men meet the plane on the tarmac at LaGuardia so he could stash his associates in a safe house in downtown Manhattan as close to the Village as possible.”
The Alpha stroked his chin. “I’ve called for a meeting of the Council on Friday. This is a rather interesting development. Your first official assignment as my assistant will be to invite your father to come to a meeting with me on Monday, to be held in my home.”
“Are you sure you want to do that? What about The Alpha Mate?”
René’s face slackened. You didn’t question The Alpha.
The Alpha shifted his intense gaze over to René. “No, René, let Frankie proceed. An assistant who doesn’t question me is useless. When Pierre was on his game, he even questioned me about taking home The Alpha Mate.” The Alpha chuckled despite the gravity of the situation. “I have no fear of Don Ferone knowing where I live or being in my home. He’s already seen Alexei and Julien’s as you recall.” He turned to Frankie. “Your stepfather will not move against me willingly, and as far as the Russians are concerned, once we meet, he will see it my way, but I refuse to discuss business at the wedding.”
“We can go get the suits and rings another day, Alpha. Obviously, you have a lot on your mind,” René offered.
“No, we’ll go to Blanc’s and Mr. Abbott’s as planned. We’re going to move the wedding up to Saturday afternoon. We’re having it in my ballroom. All the Alphas, the Alpha Mates, the Betas, and Frankie’s family, if they wish to attend, total less than sixty. That’s the capacity of the ballroom. I’ll have Judge Booker sign a judicial waiver for the license, and he’ll bring it on Saturday to the wedding.”
“The mating, Alpha?” René asked in a tentative voice.
“Don’t worry, the mating will be tonight. This evening, after you and Frankie get back from seeing Frankie’s mother, we’ll leave for New Mexico—”
“Frankie has to eat. We’re only getting cake at Frankie’s mother’s. He…” René sputtered.
Martin regarded his brother with amusement. “You’re besotted. You interrupted The Alpha.”
René’s face grew hot. Martin is right. What am I thinking?
“Don’t worry, René, I won’t take offense. This is all new to you. Martin and I have, to coin an American colloquialism, been there, done that. Now, I called Murphy, and you will interview a housekeeper and manservant today at one. Their first official act will be to pack your belongings for your trip to New Mexico and have food for Frankie when you get home from your mother’s. Meg is already packing sandwiches for the plane. I’ve told her to make three times as many as she did for Sean.”
“Alpha, how do we know if—” Frankie was about to protest. The Alpha held up his hand.
“I told Murphy what you needed. His niece and her husband, Annie and Alphonse Eustis, are searching for work. They are full loup garou from Alpha Clavier’s pack in the Catskills. Annie is Murphy’s wife’s brother’s daughter. They’re young, about seventy, but they’ve had ten years of training and are willing to work for a Beta and stay for the long haul. I’ve been urging Martin and Edward to get someone for years.”
René spoke to Frankie through the Mate Link, “Don’t fight The Alpha on this one. He’s right. If Murphy recommended them, they’re perfect.”
“Is this the same Murphy who’s known in New York City as the incorruptible police detective? He’s loup garou?” Frankie’s eyes opened wide.
“One and the same, he’s loup garou from Alpha Clavier’s pack. Alpha Clavier is the Second on our Council. Julien is Seventh and Henri is Eighth. You’ll meet the others at the reception. I’ll tell you where they fit and what territory they hold on the plane. Now pay attention. This is not a democracy.”
“Pierre is driving you to your mother’s home. He’ll pick us up on the way back, and we’ll leave from LaGuardia. We’re taking the small jet, so we’ll be in landing at the ranch in four and a half hours. Once we get to the ranch, you will mate immediately. I’ve already alerted the pack to plan a mating feast for the morning. After the feast tomorrow, we’ll take the jet back to New York.”
“Thank you for all the trouble you’ve gone to, Alpha, especially with the Russian situation again causing you headaches.” René bared his neck.
The Alpha smiled. “Nonsense, I will always go out of my way to facilitate a mating. You both will help me deal with the Russians upon our return.”
“Martin, cancel tomorrow’s meeting with Don Ferone. As I said, we’ll have Frankie set one up for Monday.”
“Alpha, Don Ferone wants to come to the wedding.” René didn’t want to spring that on The Alpha at the last minute. “Frankie didn’t think his family would come, but Don Ferone suggested last night he’d bring Frankie’s mother and his brother.”
“I’ll tell the Council on Friday. We’ll make accommodations. Everyone will be told there will be humans among us. We managed with Frankie, we’ll manage with Don Ferone.”
“Do you want a traditional Beta mating, René?”
“If it can be arranged, so it doesn’t interfere with your plans, and it’s all right with Frankie.” The Alpha cocked his head at Frankie.
Frankie grasped René’s hand. “I’m the new kid on the block. I don’t know what is involved in a traditional Beta ceremony, but as long as I don’t have to go running naked down the aisle in front of Dante, my mother, and Junior, I’ll go with whatever René wants for both the mating and the wedding.”
“Thank you, Ma Vie. Agreeing to the mating ceremony without knowing what it entails is an act of love. You are so good to me.” Forgetting The Alpha for a moment, René drew Frankie to him and nuzzled his neck.
“I signed up for the ride, baby, and whatever that entails.”
“I love you, Ma Vie.”
“And I love you, too.”
The Alpha cleared his throat and raised his hand. “Pierre, we leave for our appointment with Mr. Blanc.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
René and Frankie both blushed. The two of them were so caught up in each other, they had started to make out in front of The Alpha. Thank the gods The Alpha already knew how the mating imperative worked.
§ § §
Blanc Jewelers
Nine in the Morning
It was a quick ride up to Blanc’s on Sixteenth and Fifth in Chelsea, Frankie’s neighborhood. The party arrived at Blanc Jewelers fifteen minutes later.
“You know I’ve passed this place dozens of times and never even noticed it was there.” Frankie scratched his head.
“Mr. Blanc deals almost exclusively with the loup garou. The store was designed to blend into the façade of the building. The only time Mr. Blanc had any publicity was when The Alpha was shot at and The Alpha Mate almost kidnapped.”
“I remember seeing that on the news. I suppose that publicity precipitated the television interview.”
“Your fiancé is astute. I’m glad he’s now on our side,” The Alpha said dryly. “I hope Don Ferone doesn’t know what he lost or we’ll pay dearly for the chance to keep him.”
René nodded. Mr. Blanc greeted them with tea and cakes then walked over and locked his front door behind them.
Frankie had to exercise brutal self-control not to shove all the petit fours in his mouth at once. Mr. Blanc brought out a tray of wedding bands. He didn’t even glance at the rings. His gaze lifted from the dainty cakes. Mr. Blanc had caught him drooling. The tips of his ears reddened. Despite his coal black hair, Frankie had fair Irish skin, and he blushed easily.
Mr. Blanc smiled. “Beta Mate, don’t be embarrassed by your appetite. Every human Mate that walks in my door is horribly hungry until the mating takes place. That’s why I put out tea cakes. I may try to make them elegant, but I always have dozens of them. Eat as many as you wish, I have plenty more in the back.”
René directed Frankie’s attention to a gold band with a two-carat emerald cut, pigeon’s blood ruby set in a raised bezel. Scrollwork adorned the sides of the bezel and, when examined closely, a stylized outline of a wolf on each side, holding up the red stone could be seen. The matching ring was also yellow-gold with the same bezel and cut, only this one held a two-carat emerald, and the scrollwork depicted a stylized man.
Frankie studied them. “These are far from the plain gold bands I envisioned, but the scrollwork is beautiful, and the ruby reminds me of your eyes when you change.”
“The deep green of the emerald catches the exact color of your eyes and will make me think of their sparkle every time I see my hand,” René said. “On this one there is a human in the scrollwork that you have to work to see. It’s magnificent. Neither the man nor the wolf is readily visible to the casual observer. Let’s get both of them.”
“How much are they, Mr. Blanc?” Frankie wasn’t sure he could afford both the ring and the forty-thousand-dollar Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar watch with the eighteen-carat gold case and a black leather band he saw in Mr. Blanc’s watch display. Maybe I can dicker with him.
“The rings are heavy and are fourteen karat gold with approximately two and a half karat stones. I made them in fourteen rather than eighteen karat gold so that they wouldn’t bend easily. Both the ruby and the emerald are rated triple-A. I only carry triple-A gemstones in my shop. Both rings are expensive. I can—”
“Never mind how much, put them on my account,” The Alpha interrupted.
Frankie spun around and opened his mouth, about to protest. René stood behind The Alpha, frantically shaking his head no. Frankie had forgotten, The Alpha’s gift.
The Alpha continued, “Now you need to buy each other wedding presents and your groomsmen gifts. I asked Julien and Henri. They will stand up for you along with you brother. Martin, Sean, and I will stand up for René. If your brother decides to renege, Edward will take his place.”
Well, I guess I can afford the watch. René needs one because he wears a Citizen Quartz with a leather band. I know watches. If I had the money, I’d collect them. I’d sure like that Breguet Perpetual Calendar with the manual wind sitting next to the Patek, eh…another time. With my new salary, maybe I can afford to splurge. Now, groomsmen gifts…gold pens.
Frankie took René aside. “How about Aurora 88 pens with the red casing as groomsmen gifts? We can buy six of them and give out the same gift to everyone.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Mr. Blanc and have him wrap them up while you eat some more tea cakes. I can tell you’re starving. I think The Alpha has sandwiches and ice tea in a cooler in the trunk. You can eat at Mr. Abbott’s while The Alpha picks out the materials for your suit. He isn’t even going to make a pretense of letting you have a say in the matter. He’s is too worried and in too much of a hurry to get home to The Alpha Mate.” René smiled wryly. “Although The Alpha knows that Prokhor and Mikhailov are still in Russia, he still remembers that Dimitri kidnapped The Alpha Mate two and a half years ago.”
René and Frankie exchanged rings and passionate kisses in Mr. Blanc’s tearoom until Martin came in and cleared his throat. They wore the rings home. Mr. Blanc handed them their packages. Besides his extra package with René’s watch, René had an extra package of his own.
Hmm. Frankie was curious.
§ § §
Abbotts Tailoring and Haberdashery
They arrived at Mr. Abbott’s shop at precisely ten. As Mr. Blanc did before him, Mr. Abbott closed the shop. René spoke to Frankie over the Mate Link. “Mr. Blanc is loup garou, Abbott isn’t. He closes the shop because The Alpha is such a good customer, so be careful what you say here.”
The Alpha called for Mr. Abbott’s attention. “Mr. Ferone will need seven suits, English cut, and a tuxedo. We’ll need the tuxedo and one of the suits by Thursday afternoon. I’ll pay your tailors overtime to get this done. Leave extra room in the crotch.”
“Yes, Mr. La Marche, I always do that for the customers you refer to me.”
“Now, we need a navy pinstripe, a charcoal, a gray flannel, a blue indigo, something in sage and something in a brown. Make the last suit in tan. I’ll need twenty-one shirts and ties, three for each suit.” The Alpha shifted his gaze to Frankie.
“I’m assuming you have black, brown, gray, and cordovan shoes?”
“Yes, Al…Mr. La Marche. Although they are Italian style shoes.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you fit for custom-made.”
“Mr. La Marche, I don’t need custom-made.”
The Alpha pursed his lips. “Working for me, you’ll do a lot of standing about, so your feet will need to be in comfortable but stylish shoes. Your Italian shoes are stylish but not comfortable. If we buy English-style shoes at Barneys, they’ll be comfortable but not stylish. To work for me, you’ll need custom-made.”
“Don’t worry, Ma Vie, we can afford it. These suits will last for years and not go out of style. They will be well-made of all natural fibers. You won’t regret we spent the money, especially on the shoes. Mr. Abbott will refit the suits after we return and you begin to pack on more muscle. He’ll leave plenty of room through the shoulders.”
“I don’t understand about the shoulders, but I do understand the extra room in the crotch. I’ve been half hard since we met.”
René chuckled. “That is the normal condition for Mates in each other’s company.”
Frankie sat in Mr. Abbott’s fitting room eating roast beef sandwiches while The Alpha picked the material for his suits, giving him nominal input. He gazed up at René with irony. “If The Alpha doesn’t need me to help pick out the suit material, why am I here?”
“As The Alpha told other Mates who asked the same question, you had to be measured.”
Frankie burst out laughing.
§ § §
René’s Townhouse
One in the Afternoon
Annie and Alphonse Eustis arrived promptly at one in a Navigator with their suitcases, many grocery bags, and plastic food containers. Two Enforcers were with them to help unload. “Beta DuBois and Beta Mate Ferone, if you permit, I brought groceries. The Alpha told me where you have an account. The Beta Mate must be starving. I have lunch already made for him. I cooked at The Alpha’s house. Meg accommodated me in her kitchen. If you point me in the direction of mine, I’ll warm it up.”
René’s head spun. The Alpha moved quickly when he wanted something done, and he definitely wanted Frankie to be comfortable. His Mate had proved his worth this morning by telling The Alpha when and where the Russians would arrive.
Annie, the bolder of the two, continued, “We were interviewed by The Alpha at noon. He explained that you guarded The Alpha Mate, Beta DuBois, and that anyone who would be near you had to pass his evaluation. He ran an extensive background check on both of us, including a check to see if we were involved in illegal activities.” Their new housekeeper sniffed. “As if Alphonse or I would gamble. As far as women or other men are concerned, we are True Mates, so he isn’t about to get involved with other women, nor I, other men. Furthermore, I had my pups at a young age. They are grown now, so you don’t have to worry about losing a housekeeper and manservant to children. Do you have any questions?”
A bemused Frankie shook his head and turned
to René, lifting an eyebrow.
René spoke to their new housekeeper. “No, Annie, no questions. Can you give the Beta Mate his lunch? The kitchen is at the bottom of the back stairs. You’ll find an elevator underneath the staircase. Alphonse, if you would help Annie haul the groceries.”
René gazed over at the Enforcers. “Blaise and Leonce, this is Beta Mate Frankie Ferone. After you help Alphonse get the groceries to the kitchen, you can go back to The Alpha’s house with my thanks.”
He turned to Alphonse. “We’ll need two overnight bags packed. Both of us will need a suit. We are going to New Mexico to pack lands so we can mate tonight.”
Annie’s eyes opened wide. “You haven’t mated yet, oh Beta Mate, you must be starved. Come with me, and I’ll get you fed right away.” She hurried to the back stairs.
Frankie gave René a quick kiss and then followed their Annie. She stopped so quickly that he almost ran into her. She turned back to René. “Beta DuBois, The Alpha sent Alphonse to Li-Lac Chocolates on Eighth between Jane and West. He bought a pound of truffles and a pound of assorted fudge to take with you to Beta Mate’s mother. Alphonse did some thinking of his own and bought a cigar case for Beta Mate’s father and a twenty-five-dollar iTunes gift card for his brother. The Alpha put two Havanas in the case.”
René rolled his eyes. “The Alpha is nothing if he’s not efficient.”
Now all I have to do is impress the hell out of Frankie’s family so he can work for the Alpha without causing trouble with the Italians.
Chapter Eleven
Don Ferone’s Home
Three in the Afternoon
They arrived at Frankie’s mother’s house promptly at three. The housekeeper, Carmen, opened the door and hissed. “We have a new cook. Now I’m supposed to be your mother’s companion. I suppose that was your doing?”
René’s fiancé regarded her as if she were a bothersome bug. “Yes, it was, and if you’re not an excellent companion, I’ll tell my stepfather to have his bookkeeper go over the household accounts for the last ten years. The last person who stole from him, a Mr. Apuso, wound up with no fingers. You might want to keep yours attached,” Frankie told her in a conversational tone.