I was panting, out of breath, when I looked over to see my brother still fighting with the other wolf. The two guys who had been standing watch ran to the edge of the clearing and shifted to their wolves, just as someone shouted.
“Stop!”
I turned at the shout. The voice familiar, even though I hadn’t heard it from the time I was ten until I turned eighteen. And since then, it was usually only over the phone and not very often.
My father stood at the edge of the woods, a gun in his right hand.
I frowned. Why was he here? Had Tucker told him I was here and he came to help? No, the wolves we were fighting wouldn’t listen to him if he were here to help us. Besides, the old man hadn’t been around to help us out of any other situation or fight we were in, why would he now?
“I said, stop!” The wolf my brother was fighting suddenly stood on all fours, motionless, then stepped away from him, but not before Tucker got a clean swipe at his chest, making blood seep from beneath his fur. Tucker took a step toward him about to take another jab or bite, but then he paused.
We all shifted back to our human forms, the magic positioning our clothing back in place on our bodies. Now on two feet, I stared in disbelieve at the man who walked out on us sixteen years ago. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“You wouldn’t understand, Milo.”
“Try me.”
He ignored my request and addressed the two shifters we had been fighting, pointing the gun at them while he spoke. “It’s one thing when you disobey orders and kill a man in his own home.” He glanced at Skye. “Correction. Vampire.”
“Fuck this!” The shifter who’d held Skye before grabbed her again, and she screamed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, the knife once again at her throat. “You can’t tell me what to do, John. We are all equals in this.”
“Are you serious, Carl? You know that’s not true.”
“Yes. It’s fifty, fifty.”
“Oh, yes. Fifty, fifty. You should go back to school. It’s fifty for me, twenty-five for you and twenty-five for Dillon since you and he are a team. That makes me top dog, so to speak.”
Carl frowned. “You son of a bitch. That’s not what we agreed on.”
“Well, that’s what you’ve been receiving. Now let the lady go and do as you’re told.”
Carl’s face grew red, and I saw the knife slip ever so slightly away from Skye’s neck. She’d felt it too because as soon as it cleared her skin, she twisted his arm and gutted him with her elbow. He buckled over and she swung her fist up, clobbering him under the chin.
As he crouched down on his knees, clutching his stomach and his face, she swung her body around, clipping him in the jaw with the heel of her foot. The knife slipped to the ground and she quickly snatched it up and pointed it at him. “Don’t ever touch me again, you filthy murderer!”
“Excellent, Skye. I couldn’t have done a better job myself. You must have had some training to do all that.”
She glanced at my dad and stepped away from Carl, still holding that blade like that other night when she’d stabbed me.
My father placed his booted foot against Carl’s shoulder and shoved, but Carl kept his balance and somehow scrambled to his feet as he stared at the man, blood pooling from his split lip. He swiped the back of his hand over the cut.
“Now what was I saying before I was so rudely interrupted? Oh yes. Carl, I was upset when you killed this girl’s father, but I was extremely pissed off when you murdered his loving wife, leaving this poor girl parentless. But I absolutely draw the line at attempting to kill my sons or their girlfriends.”
The sound of the gunshot was deafening. The bullet slammed into Carl. He collapsed to his knees, his hands clutching at the bleeding wound in his stomach before he toppled over onto the ground. Blood pooled under him and poured out of his gurgling mouth. He blinked once, then his eyes closed.
I stood stiff as a board; sure my mouth hung open as I gaped at the body on the ground that my father had just shot. Skye ran over to me and wrapped her arms around me. I pulled her in close.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thank God you’re not hurt.”
“Milo.” My father looked at me, unruffled as though this were an everyday occurrence. The gun was still in his hand but now hung by his side, the barrel facing the ground. “All we need are those photos that the girl has. Then we can all go home and forget about this. I never wanted you boys involved with any of this. That’s one of the reasons I left you and your mother all those years ago.”
I let go of Skye and rubbed my hands over my face then stared at him. Who was he? Surely, I misunderstood what he meant. But then it dawned on me why he wanted those pictures. They were evidence of human trafficking and illegal weaponry. Unlawful activity that he was involved in. “You left us to be a criminal?”
He laughed. “Don’t act so surprised.”
I shook my head. “You’re the one who made me return a candy bar I’d swiped from a grocery store when I was six. Where did that man go?”
“That’s what fathers are supposed to do.”
“But what you are doing now is illegal. Much worse than a kid stealing candy.”
“First off, those girls are much better off now with their rich benefactors than they were living in those huts with no walls in Mexico. The arms deals, well, yeah, those I will admit weren’t my best decision, but I did this for you and Tucker.”
“You don’t have the right to control those women’s lives.”
My father rolled his eyes and waved that verity away, as though it were no worse than the rights of a bear to shit in the woods.
“We never cared about what you could give us. We wanted a father.”
“And I was. I was the best father I could be. You know how I know that, Milo? Because look at you. You’re a big-time lawyer now. I paid for that. Where do you think all that money came from? I don’t recall you turning any of it down when it was time for you to go to school.”
“You had nothing to do with how I turned out. Or Tucker. You can thank our mother for that. And I never would have accepted the money had I known it was acquired illegally. By destroying other people’s lives.”
“You wanted to be a lawyer, and because of that money, you are. So, don’t give me any of your righteous crap.”
A sour ball of bile gathered in my gut.
“Now.” He stepped further into the clearing and faced Skye. “I’m not going to hurt you. And I am sorry about your mom and dad. If your father hadn’t been snooping around in the jungle and looking in the houses where we kept those women, none of this would be happening right now. I didn’t order their deaths, you can believe me on that, but I need you to go get the pictures your father gave you.”
I glanced around. The two shifters each took a step toward my father, but he saw them and raised the gun again. This time, it was pointed at Skye. She stood frozen; I’m sure still in shock at the mention of her father.
Was this actually happening? My father, an illegal arms dealer, and a human trafficker? And on top of that, he had a gun pointed at the woman I loved.
20
SKYE
“Go inside, Skye. Go get the envelope,” Milo coaxed me. I knew he only wanted me to go inside to be safe. But I wasn’t going anywhere.
I couldn’t leave Milo out here. He was everything to me now. All I had left to care about. I shook my head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“If you go inside, you’ll be safe,” Milo whispered. But instead of listening to him, I latched onto his hand and held it tight, firm. He squeezed it back, and I knew I was doing the right thing.
“Don’t make me shoot you, Skye. Not here in front of my sons. I don’t want to kill you, but I can, and I won’t hesitate to make your life miserable with pain. Have you ever had to recover from a bullet wound? Believe me, you don’t want to. Now go get the envelope.”
Several growls resounded around the area. I glanced to my left and gasped whe
n I saw a copper-colored wolf step out from behind a tree. To my right, a gray one stepped over a log. Leaves ruffled as another black wolf came into view. A black and brown wolf stood with its eyes glowing, ready to pounce. Several others stood by, snarling, sharp fangs bared. They were all a frightening sight to see, but I relaxed, realizing that they were the good guys and all from the Dark Moon pack, surrounding us, ready to attack, to defend us on command.
“She doesn’t have it, John.” I pivoted to see Elias standing at the edge of the property, near the trees. He also had a gun. And it was pointed at Milo’s father. “You know, it’s funny. All these years, I tried to justify your reasons for leaving your family. But I never could come up with anything good enough. Money? Yeah, you had it. Nobody knew how you got it. But we never questioned it. Just chalked it up to good luck. Well, I think your luck just ran out, because now we know. Don’t we? You may have left Dark Moon Falls, but you never left the pack. Why stay a member if you didn’t need us?”
“The pack never did anything for me. I only stayed a part of it for my sons.”
“That was puzzling also. You never gave a rat’s ass about your sons until the last few years. And now you come back with your new fiancé, flaunting your wealth around, wanting to impress everyone. Why’s that? Why now?”
“The jungle above Puerto Vallarta had been the perfect setup. It was secluded. You couldn’t even get there without a boat. Everything was going great until those circus people showed up with that popular show, bringing in spectators to watch their performances. Then the movie people showed up with Marcus and his need to investigate every inch of the property, stumbling upon one of the bungalows where we held the women. We were about to relocate and I needed a place for funds. Funds for them.” He gestured toward Milo and Tucker
“I never wanted your money.” Milo let go of my hand and slowly inched himself closer to me, partially shielding me. “My mother, the woman you supposedly mated for life, she’s the one who talked me into taking it and going to school. I don’t want any more of your corrupted money, especially now that I know how you got it. If I had known back then, I never would have taken it. You should surrender to Elias because if it were up to me, you’d already be dead.”
He laughed. “Stupid boy. You don’t know anything.” Then John turned his attention back to Elias. “Obliged that you looked after my boys all those years, but I don’t answer to you anymore, Elias. Alpha or not. You can’t control me.”
Sweat beaded above John’s brows, and he swiped his hand over his forehead. Then he raised the gun toward Elias. “None of this concerns the pack, so take your wolves and leave. I don’t have any problem shooting you if you choose to stay.”
“Everything about this concerns the pack, John. Your sons are members of this pack.”
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way, John.” Sheriff Templeton stood next to Elias. “Your choice. Let me take you in, and your chances are better. I can’t guarantee no prison time, that’s up to the FBI, but I can promise an easier sentence with your cooperation.”
“Don’t be a fool, John. Put down the gun and come with us peacefully.” Elias stood, his shoulders straight, gun steady in his hand.
I bit my lower lip while my heart pounded in my chest. The hand John held the gun in started to shake, and I thought he was going to lower it.
I practically jumped out of my own skin as two loud shots rang through the air.
21
MILO
Elias went down on his knees, clutching his left shoulder as blood oozed through his fingers. My father lay on the ground, blood pooling underneath his head, a bullet hole between his eyebrows.
I could barely move, could barely breathe. Tearing my eyes away from my dad, I glanced up at Tucker, our gazes held for a few seconds. It was enough to know we were in the same frame of mind. The raw emotion conveying from that short, simple glance reassured me that we would be okay. We might be our father’s sons, but we were nothing like the man and never would be. Then I felt the soft touch of Skye’s hand on my arm. I reached out and grabbed her, tugging her in close and just holding her, wanting to feel her breath against me. I never wanted to let her go. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, trying to fight off tears for a man I hated. Then I felt another set of hands come around us. Tucker. I tugged him in, and the three of us clung to each other.
The other guy, the creep from the bar, ran off into the woods, but a few seconds later, was walking back, with his wrists in cuffs, and the deputy’s hand wrapped firmly around his upper arm.
I looked over at the still figure on the ground. I was equal parts a ten-year-old, heartbroken for the man who’d been my dad, and a grown man, disgusted by the criminal he’d become. He’d come home with money and big promises to make up for the time he’d been gone. In his sick mind, he was making up for lost time. But it had been illegal money. If I could, I would give it all back. The thought of it now made me want to vomit.
I didn’t know how I was going to live with the fact that my entire education was made possible with tainted money.
Sirens blared through the night air and settled in the court. Paramedics jumped out and retrieved a stretcher and their medical bags then headed toward the bodies on the ground.
Skye pulled out of our embrace, swiped at the wetness on her cheeks with the back of her hand. I was sick to think that my father, my blood, had a part in the death of her parents.
“Skye, I am so sorry that he …” I gestured toward my dad’s corpse lying on the ground. “… that my father,” I choked out. “That he was responsible for your parents …”
She cut me off. “Only indirectly. He said he hadn’t wanted them killed. I believed him. You have to believe that too, Milo. Hold on to that.”
“She’s right, Milo. Dad hadn’t ordered their deaths. He said he hadn’t wanted that.” Tucker wiped the back of his hand across both his cheeks. “He wasn’t a killer.”
Elias walked up to us, still holding his hand to his bloodied shoulder. “Your brother’s right. John was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a killer. He was a master marksman, had been since we were kids. He’d outshoot me every time. He could have killed me today, but he chose not to. I’m not condoning what he’s done, and you may hate him for leaving you, for the illegal activities, you may not have any good feelings at all regarding the man who’d given you your life, but remember that, at least.”
“But he killed that shifter in cold blood.”
“No.” Elias pointed to where the other wolf had fallen and watched the paramedics placing him on a stretcher, his face uncovered. He was still alive. “The bullet missed all of his vital organs. An inch to the left and he’d be dead. He’ll heal in jail. Your father knew what he was doing.”
I nodded, still too angry and hurt to answer. But then something Elias said made my heart ache so badly I had to clutch my hand over it to ease the pain. He said my father knew what he was doing. Did that mean he also knew that the minute he pulled the trigger of the gun he was pointing at Elias, that he would be killed? Because, at that point, there was no way out?
Elias placed his free hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry this all turned out this way.” He stepped over to Skye. “If you need anything, let me know. I’m happy to help you. You’re the daughter of a very good friend of mine, and I will do all I can for you.” He turned, heading toward the forest, shifting to his wolf right after he cleared the trees. He limped alongside a couple of other shifters. He’d heal quickly in wolf form.
All the other wolves took off as well, except for the sheriff. He stayed to make sure my father’s body was taken care of.
I watched as they put my dad’s corpse on the stretcher and then into the coroner’s truck. I turned back to Tucker and Skye, gathering them both in.
Skye was now a part of our family. At least I wanted her to be. My wolf wanted her; he had from day one.
22
MILO
I poured two glasses of red wine and then
headed to join Skye on the sofa. I glanced outside as I passed one of the windows. Moonlight filtered through the trees onto the snow-covered land. The spot where my father’s blood spilled from his head now buried under a blanket of white, much like his body in the ground.
It had been two months since the mess with my father. I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that my father was an outlaw, and he’d chosen death over jail.
Although he may not have murdered Skye’s parents directly, he’d been a significant factor in their deaths. He may not have ordered the killings, but he’d ordered the retrieval of the evidence that would have put an end to his illegal operations and would have sent him to prison, most likely for life. And my brother, Skye, and Elias, too, might choose to believe he had nothing to do with their deaths, but I wasn’t so willing to accept that.
My mother took it all in as Tucker and I sat with her, telling her about the person she’d been mated to. Her eyes misted, but she never shed a tear for the man she used to love. She was a strong woman, and my guess, she’d stopped caring years ago. She gathered both Tucker and me in her arms and caressed us. “I love you both so much and I’m so proud of the men you’ve become.”
Skye and I both needed time to heal. We’d lost our parents to senseless acts of violence that not only took their lives but others’ lives as well. She’d lost both of hers. And she’d loved them fiercely. In reality, she suffered the greater loss. But I still fucking hurt. Hurt to know I came from corrupt blood.
The wolf that the sheriff arrested made a plea deal with the FBI and confessed to everything, telling the authorities where the compound was that housed the illegal arsenal as well as the women who had been held in captivity before they were sold.
There was money, a lot of money that my father placed in a savings account under Tucker’s and my names. Money that I knew came from his dishonest exploits. Undertakings that hurt and killed innocent people.
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 67