The men clinked glasses and drank.
Dante stood up. “I’ll be on my way now.”
“Francisco, Stone, go with him.”
When Dante appeared about to protest, Mendoza stood up and leaned on the table all hint of civility gone from his face. “Take them along or forget about working in my territory.”
Dante flicked a glance at Stone, his mouth tightened and then he gave a brief nod. “Very well.”
Stone descended from the veranda wondering what perverse whim of fate had put him in this situation. Had Christina attempted a hex and it had gone wrong again? Because that’s what this felt like. He’d have to ask her when he saw her.
If he ever saw her again.
There was a strong likelihood Dante would try to kill him. He still couldn’t figure out why Dante hadn’t exposed him. Unless Dante thought he knew something that would damage the man’s relationship with Mendoza.
Still considering that point, Stone climbed into the passenger seat beside Dante. Francisco sat in the back directly behind him.
Mendoza nodded in approval. “Make sure this sale goes through and I get my take. Otherwise I might think you are lying to me and pocketing my share.”
“With your guards along, I’m sure there will be no problem.” Dante started the engine and drove away.
They travelled the first few miles in silence. The track Dante was driving down was rough, the jeep rattling and jerking as it hit ruts and tree roots. Stone kept glancing at Dante out of the corner of his eye.
I can scent the deceit emanating from him. His wolf murmured, staring warily at the other Lycan. He is likely planning to kill us once we are alone.
Most likely, since I’m plotting the same thing, Stone replied.
When Dante finally spoke, it was just a banal comment about the weather.
“Hot today, isn’t it?” He shouted to be heard over the noise the vehicle was making.
“It’s hot every day. We’re in the fucking tropics.” Stone had no desire to make small talk with the man. Sitting beside Dante was bad enough. He was sure he could feel the slime oozing off him.
“You don’t look the kind to enjoy hot weather. Jungles, deserts.” Dante emphasized the final word. Stone decided he was making it known that he knew about his time held captive.
“You’d be surprised at what I’ll do, the lengths I’ll go to, to carry out a job.”
Dante flicked a glance in the rearview mirror. Francisco was staring out the window looking bored.
“It would seem we’re two of a kind, then.”
“Only in my worst nightmares.”
“You’re in my way, Stone.” Dante spoke in hushed tones that ensured Francisco wouldn’t hear. “I said nothing earlier out of a misplaced sentimentality.”
Stone gave him an incredulous look. “Sentimentality?”
“Your sister. I’d hate to have to tell her I killed her brother.”
“I no longer have a sister.”
“Tsk, tsk. Such a shame when blood ties are severed. Of course, that means I can kill you with no regret.”
“You’ll be feeling plenty of regret when I tear you limb from limb.”
Dante laughed. “I’ve won each time we met, Stone. This won’t be any different.”
Francisco chose that moment to lean forward. “What are you two whispering about? Mr. Mendoza doesn’t—”
Dante slammed on the brakes, Francisco flew forward. Stone grabbed the guard’s gun, pitched the man out of the jeep and swung around to face Dante whose hands were only halfway to the weapon on his hip.
Yes! His wolf fairly crowed with delight. We have bested him!
“Looks like I’ve won this round after all.” Stone smirked, not trying to hide the fact that he was pleased to have finally bested his nemesis.
“One out of how many?”
“This is the only one that counts because this is when you die.”
“Really?” Dante looked at Stone, the gun pointed at his chest and then at Stone again. He sighed. “I hate having to do this, however it appears there is no other choice.”
Stone quirked a brow and waited for the man to elaborate.
“What? No ‘what are you talking about?’’’ Dante shook his head sadly. “Too bad. That part is always so much fun in the movies.”
With a deliberate movement, Stone disengaged the safety on the gun.
“Okay. If I must, I must.” Dante rubbed the back of his neck, his mouth curved downward in regret. “I’ve spent too many years on this. I’m too close to reaching my goal.”
He is stalling, his wolf warned.
Stone agreed. “Any last words before I blow you to bits?”
“Just one.”
“And that would be?”
“Reno.”
Chapter 18
“Come again?” Stone blinked.
“You heard me. Reno. You’re supposed to call him before you kill me, aren’t you?”
Stone narrowed his eyes. Something wasn’t right. Dante shouldn’t know about Reno’s request. And Reno couldn’t be in cahoots with Dante, could he?
Then again, he’d lost touch with Reno over the years. Word was that Reno had risen in the ranks at Lycan Link, heading his own team against the Purists.
A front, perhaps for other, less commendable activities? His wolf made the suggestion, trying to reason through this unexpected turn of events.
It could be, Stone nodded. The more he thought about it, the more probable the situation became. Reno was friends with Damien. Damien had worked for Deirdre. The dots seemed to line up. He’d automatically assumed Reno was on the up and up, but what proof did he really have?
Dante rolled his eyes. “Quit thinking and make the damned call. We’re wasting time.”
Keeping the gun pointed at Dante’s chest, Stone carefully pulled out his phone. Reno picked up immediately.
“What’s up, Stone?”
“You told me to call you if I ever managed to catch Dante. Why?”
Reno didn’t reply right away. “I believe I said I had a question for him. There’ve been leaks at Lycan Link. He could be the source.”
There was something off about Reno’s voice. Stone’s wolf began to rumble, sensing deceit. “What if I told you I have him right here, a gun pointed at his chest?”
“Shit.”
Stone curled his lip. “Not the right response, Reno. How long have you been working with this sleezeball?”
He could hear Reno sigh heavily. “It’s not what you think, Stone. Dante’s an undercover agent.”
“What? That’s bullshit.” Stone stared at Dante who gave a smug smile and visibly relaxed.
Reno continued to talk. “That’s what I said when I first learned about him. He’s been deep undercover for years. His true role is strictly on a need to know basis.”
“How do I know you’re not in this with him?”
“Would I have sent you to Cantala to rescue the Duffy pups and possibly bump into him if I was?”
“No. I suppose not.” Stone studied Dante, still not believing what he was hearing. “There’s no way he isn’t a scum-sucking piece of shit.”
“He’s spent years creating that persona. I only found out because Sam, Damien’s mate, asked me to deal with him when he was blackmailing an old man. When I started asking questions about him, I was hauled on the carpet by Fielding and given the lowdown.”
“Damn.” Stone lowered the gun.
“Remember, this is need to know. You can’t tell anyone. Dante’s on a case right now.”
“Fine.” Stone ended the call in disgust. His wolf flopped to the ground, equally unhappy with what they’d just learned.
“Well?” Dante leaned back in his seat.
“I’m not allowed to kill you.”
“Disappointing isn’t it? Like offering a child a piece of candy and then taking it away.”
“Yeah.” Stone checked over his shoulder. Francisco was still unconscious. “How much can you te
ll me?”
“Since you’re now ‘in the know’, I can share quite a bit. I might even be able to put you to work.”
“The idea of working for you makes me want to gag.”
“And so it should. If it didn’t then I wouldn’t be doing my job.” Dante got out of the jeep, took some rope from under the seat and went to where Francisco lay on the ground. “We’ll throw this guy in the back. If we leave him here, he’ll make his way back to Mendoza or someone will find his body.” He efficiently tied up the man and, with Stone’s help, dumped him in the back.
Stone rested his arm against the rear of the vehicle. “Explain what was going on with the pups. I was there when you met with Mendoza to check on the ‘parcels’ he had for you. You’d made arrangements for them to be collected the next day. What were you going to do with them?”
“You were there?” Dante raised a brow. “I wondered if I scented a Lycan in the area but the incense Mendoza burns was stinking up the air.”
“You’re stalling. Answer my question. What was the plan for the children?”
“Still doubting me, I see.” Dante affected an offended expression. Stone continued to pin him with his gaze and finally Dante gave in. “When Mendoza contacted me to say he had two parcels for sale, I never expected it to be Lycan pups. Once I realized what I was dealing with, I was thinking on the fly, trying to come up with a plan.”
“And if I hadn’t retrieved them?”
“You were responsible for that? Thank you. It saved me a lot of grief.” Dante began to walk towards the front of the jeep. “If Dee had collected them, she would have realized they were Lycan pups. I might have tried to persuade her to contact the Chicago pack; with their infertility problems they might have been willing buyers. Or perhaps I would have arranged to have someone snatch them and deliver them to Lycan Link.” He shrugged. “Something would have come to me.”
Stone would have liked to pursue the topic, still suspicious of the man but Dante was starting the engine.
“Where are we headed?” Stone climbed back into the jeep.
“To an orphanage run by the Sisters of Santa Merici.”
“Fuck!”
“You know the place?”
Stone explained his connection.
“That complicates matters.” Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“How so? What’s going on?”
“I’m using the orphanage as part of this.”
“Why?”
“When Deirdre shut down Virtus, she moved her operation here, somehow became involved with Mendoza and began helping him traffic humans. She saw the orphanage as an untapped source.”
“And you?”
“I got wind of it and wormed my way in.”
“Why not just shut her down?”
“There’s a network that extends beyond her, beyond Saul, that I haven’t been able to crack.”
“Some might argue a human problem should have a human solution.”
“A few Lycans have been caught in the web, like the pups you rescued. Besides, we’re all a form of humanoid. Some crimes are so heinous that it becomes everyone’s responsibility regardless of species, don’t you think?”
Stone nodded. Universal laws existed, boundaries that should never be crossed. This was one of them.
“It’s been almost eight years that I’ve been trying to break the human trafficking ring. I‘ve established a background as a ruthless bastard with no morals, no ethics. I’ll do anything for money, from shaking down old men to stealing from the dead, whatever it takes.”
“You were one of Deirdre’s assassins.”
Dante didn’t reply right away. “Ever hear of a clause in the Book of the Law that states ‘for the good of all’? It sounds great on paper. You can use it to justify a lot of crap.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened. “I’ve done stuff I’m ashamed to admit to, stuff part of me regrets; the tiny decent part of me that remains, that is.” He gave a twisted smile. “I keep reminding myself that there’s a greater good I’m working for. Unfortunately, sometimes innocent people get hurt in the process.”
Stone turned his head away. Some of what Dante was saying hit too close to home and he didn’t like it. He thought of Adisa and the others he hadn’t managed to save. As a Shomer, he tried to help the poor, the voiceless, to ensure justice was done. Sometimes though, justice for one could negatively impact others.
For the good of all. In its purist form, it sounded noble yet who was the judge of the end result? Was this what the ancient ones had envisioned when they’d added the clause to the Book of the Law?
Maybe Dante sensed his feelings or maybe the man just liked to talk; for whatever reason, he gave a bit more of his background. “I saw you in Chicago a little over a year ago. You were tailing me and I was just finishing up a lead. Damned inconvenient of you to appear then.”
Stone didn’t apologize. Saying ‘sorry’ to Dante would choke him even if the man was legit, a fact he was still trying to process. “What was the lead?”
“I was wondering if the Chicago pack was somehow involved, even peripherally, in trafficking. They were supposedly short of money yet sums of cash seemed to appear out of nowhere. Years ago, the old Alpha had put a lot of money into medical research, plus he was a member of the Purist cause.” He shrugged. “I was getting desperate, my leads were drying up so I began rattling some old chains.”
“And all you found was rust?”
“Pretty much, but in this business you check every possible angle no matter how unlikely.”
“And what was going on yesterday? The guy in the back of the van?”
“I paid him well to join in the ruse.”
“And what if I hadn’t come along?”
“Saul and I would have completed the transaction. I’d then have tailed him to the docks, and Saul would have been followed through international waters. Wherever he heads, it can’t be far from here as he’s never gone that long. Once he pulled into a port, the boat would have been seized and the potential donor freed.”
“There are so many ways that could have gone sour that I can’t even begin to count them.”
“There’s always risk involved.”
“Risk? It could have turned into a suicide mission.”
“I don’t always like what I do, what I have to do.” Dante tightened his lips, his face looking old and drawn. “For the good of all isn’t necessarily pretty. I’ll likely rot in Hell when I die.”
Stone grunted not denying Dante’s supposition. At times he felt that way himself. What he’d just learned was starting to make sense. Sort of. “How long have you been doing this?”
“Working undercover as professional scum?” He shrugged. “For so long that I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Tina eased the thin sheet off her body and sat up. She was feeling markedly better and a short walk seemed like a good idea. Anna had insisted she continue to rest but the girl had left the infirmary to get more water. As a general rule, Tina tried to avoid having witnesses around when she attempted something potentially foolish. Humiliation was so much easier to take when no one knew about it.
She slid her legs over the edge of the bed and wiggled her toes. So far so good. All parts were functioning. Next step was standing up. That too was successfully executed; no pain or numbness coming from her leg. The wooden floor was rough under her bare feet but she saw no shoes in the vicinity. If she were a competent witch like Gwyneth she’d be able to conjure some up. Since that wasn’t likely to work, she’d assume the planks were old enough that loose slivers had worn off years ago and wouldn’t be an issue.
Gwyneth. Had anyone contacted her? And what about her fellow vacationers? They must be frantic and assuming the worst. She frowned and hoped Gwyneth hadn’t cancelled the lease on her apartment and given her things away. The older witch could be very pragmatic at times. And what if her position at Club Mystique been filled already? It was only a part time job but she needed that money.
Tina made a mental note to talk to Stone as soon as he returned. She needed to place a phone call to let everyone know she was okay and there was no need for a funeral just yet. Darn it, being considered dead when you weren’t could seriously mess up your life.
Ever so carefully, she took a step, hands extended in case her legs gave out on her. One step, two steps. Hey, she was walking! A grin spread over her face. The shifter blood she’d ingested seemed to be speeding up her healing. There must be some residual effect; tiny bits absorbed into her body, perhaps strengthening her immune system on a more permanent basis. It couldn’t be normal to walk with this much ease after being sick for a week and having surgery to remove a bullet.
Sunlight streamed in through a nearby window and she made her way to it, wondering what this place she found herself in looked like.
The sight wasn’t that inspiring. A high, sturdy wall topped with barbed wire surrounded the area and armed guards were stationed at the gate. Not exactly a friendly looking welcoming committee for anyone who approached but she supposed it was necessary. Inside the wall there were a few old buildings badly in need of painting, a small garden area and a fenced-in pasture with a cow and chickens. A clothesline with well-worn shirts and pants of all sizes was strung between two of the buildings and a dilapidated jeep covered in dust and rust was parked to one side.
There was no grass. No playground equipment. A lone soccer ball, lopsided with a ripped leather covering sat near rickety looking wooden steps. Even the curtains that framed the window, by which she was standing, were threadbare. It was a shame they had to live like this.
From one of the buildings she could hear the sound of children chanting their lessons, an occasional bout of laughter punctuating whatever they were saying. The clucking of the chickens drifted on the air and somewhere a woman was singing, the tune accompanied by the sloshing of water as if she were washing clothing in a basin. There was a peaceful happiness to the place despite the obvious paucity of funds. It was quiet in contrast to the busyness of Chicago where horns honked, trains rattled by and a multitude of people jostled each other on the sidewalks.
Wolves, Witches and Bears...Oh My! Page 28