KnightForce Deuces, page 23
“In that case we should discuss matters that all of us can participate in. Do you have any questions or comments based on information in our briefings?” General Crall asked.
Silas applauded the man’s skill in derailing the conversation on scents. He had no intention of discussing that matter with the government.
“Maybe we read him wrong,” Hawke said, there was a thread of amusement in his tone. “Maybe he wanted them to see him come after you strong and suffer for it so that he could get his way in the end. Interesting strategy,” Hawke said.
Silas thought about it and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“No, Sir, I have no additional questions,” Melch said. Miller said the same thing.
“In that case Melch, recap the highlights of this meeting and then we adjourn.” General Crall looked at Silas.
He nodded his agreement.
“We’re searching for the street drug called Amplify and based on the leads we should have it impounded within the next 48 hours. Henry Dreft, Amplify dealer, will be handled by Mr. Knight. In addition, Ollie Brown and his partner, John Crawford have been placed on the FBI Most Wanted List for their role in creating and selling the drug,” Melch said.
No one reminded him of the standing invitation to Silas to watch a demonstration of the drug in use. Crall would ensure it happened.
Silas stood and called Angus. “Meet me in my office in five minutes.”
“I’ve been drinking, do I need to be sober?” Angus said.
“No, I’ll send someone else to deal with Henry Dreft.”
“I’ll be there in four,” Angus said.
Silas looked at the men in the monitor standing. “Good night, gentlemen. We will talk again.” He nodded and left the room. Hawke walked behind him.
Chapter 29
Angus slid behind the tree in front of the Dreft’s home. Midnight shadows concealed his face and black attire. Inhaling, a surge of energy flooded his system. Angus thanked the Goddess Silas had allowed him to leave immediately for Colorado to personally deal with this. Despite Silas’ demand that he make this quick, in and out, like a ghost leaving no trace, Angus savored the feeling of the hunt a few seconds longer.
Opening all of his senses, he sought his prey. Claws sprang from his fingertips and his fangs dropped, crowding his mouth as the scent and voice of Henry Dreft floated to him. His beast strained against his belly, eager to bring down the threat.
“Easy, ghosts, remember,” he murmured easing his wolf. His ear flicked. Henry had guests, two based on the heartbeats. Remembering his directive, Angus forced his fangs back into his mouth and demanded his claws retract.
“Soon,” he promised his whimpering wolf as he edged closer to the house for a better visual. The last time he saw Henry, he had been sniveling in the emergency room over his brother’s death. Had he been faking his sorrow? His pain? Angus hadn’t smelled deceit on the small man. Something must have happened afterward. Because the man speaking to these other men sounded eager, confident and nothing like the Henry he met.
Traces of chemicals teased Angus’ nostrils. Had Henry stocked the components necessary to create the drug, Amplify? If so, Angus would remove everything before he finished. Glancing at his watch, he listened as they discussed making illegal profits using wolf blood as a base. Fire licked through his system at the cavalier manner in which they discussed hunting down his pack-mates for their illegal brew.
Henry would die by his hands tonight. If Silas hadn’t made him promise not to leave any trace of their involvement, he would storm in and kill them all instead of searching for security equipment, specifically cameras. As the seconds ticked, Angus was reminded of the time limit on this mission, he had to return to the compound before sunrise or Silas would send Asia and Tyrese to bring him home. No matter how Angus argued for more time, Silas didn’t relent. He had wanted to send a team but Angus believed this was his mess to clean up.
“How can you tell which are real wolves and which aren’t?” One of the men asked.
Angus stopped his search to listen.
“Vern got this from an old dude. That’s how we knew where to go. Just hold it up and it blinks for real wolves.”
“But they don’t go around looking like wolves, do they?”
“No but if you come across a wolf in the woods, you hold this up. If it doesn’t blink, you shoot them with this tranquilizer, or kill it anyway if it comes at you,” Henry said.
Angus clenched and unclenched his fist.
“Is it true they are bigger than ordinary wolves?”
“Some are, not all of them are big, that’s why we use this when we go hunting. Vern and I did it all the time, finally got lucky with the last one. He was big and heavy. Took a while to get him to the barn but it was worth it,” Henry said.
“I should’ve killed the bastard in the hospital,” Angus murmured, berating himself for being merciful to the little fool who squandered his life like his brother.
“Okay, when do we go hunting?” one of the men asked.
“Tomorrow night. There are some things I need to finish here to get paid, after that I won’t have to worry about anything for a while,” Henry said.
“Yeah? Like what?” A different male said, his voice filled with greed. Angus wondered if Henry would be dumb enough to tell his secrets.
“None of your business, Wayne.”
No one spoke for a few moments. “Just asked, no need to get all huffy and bent out of shape,” Wayne said. “What time do we come back tomorrow?”
“Around six, after supper,” Henry said.
Angus leaned against the tree, listening as the two men left and hopped on motorcycles. A moment or two later they pulled out and left down the road. Listening to the sounds inside, Angus moved closer and peeked through the blinds. He couldn’t get a great view of Henry but he saw a part of him in the room near the door. Angus pulled out his scanner to determine the type of security system Henry used and was surprised there was none.
Pleased with his discovery, Angus crept to the other side heading toward the door. A broken twig caught his attention. He recognized the scent of one of the men who just left on their bike. Wayne must’ve returned by foot. The young man slid inside a utility room door. A few seconds later, Angus saw him inside the house.
“What are you doing, Wayne?” Henry asked sounding amused.
“Give me the money, all of it or give me that device, it’s worth something. Vern owed me, so you pay me or I’ll shoot you.”
Angus leaned against the wall and shook his head in disbelief. Goddess, please don’t rob me of my chance for vengeance.
“What the hell are you doing?” Wayne screamed.
Angus looked in a window and saw Wayne’s feet off the floor and Henry holding him by the neck, squeezing. Angus moved to another window and couldn’t see. Finally he went inside the same door Wayne entered earlier and watched Henry choke the life out of the man with one hand.
Intrigued by Henry’s strength and focus, Angus decided to take Henry’s memories to discover this ability to compartmentalize the drug to this degree. When Wayne stopped struggling and went limp, Henry lowered the much larger man, snapped his neck and tossed him on the ground.
Did the drug alter personalities? Clearly something had happened since he saw the man last. Angus stepped into the room and looked at Wayne’s still body on the floor.
Henry spun around and stared at him. “Who are you?”
“Word has come to us that you are selling drugs in our territory,” Angus said with a hint of Spanish accent as he moved closer, inhaling but not smelling any drugs or fear. Interesting.
Henry crossed his arms, his arrogant gaze touched Angus’ face, chest and then back to his face. “Really? Your territory? Since when?”
Angus waved away the comment and stepped closer with one hand in his pocket.
Henry frowned and scrunched his nose. “Who are you? You smell like someone familiar.”
Angus mimicked Henry’s stance and processed his comment. Did the drug amplify the sense of smell? How could Henry distinguish his scents? Hawke definitely needed to research this drug more. It sounded more and more like a combination of the drug Tyrese received when he was kidnapped.
“Are you selling drugs in our territory?” Angus pressed.
The next second, Angus’ back slammed into the wall, leaving a dent. Excruciating pain ran in both directions from his spine. His ear rang and dots floated in front of his face. Henry had moved so fast, Angus hadn’t seen him. Henry stood over Angus with his foot on his chest, pressing downward.
“Who are you? Why do you smell familiar?” Henry asked leaning forward with his hand on his knee. The maniacal gleam in Henry’s eyes didn’t care what Angus said, he planned to hurt Angus regardless, or he would try.
Shaken by the blow and armed with the knowledge the man he hunted enjoyed the hunt as much as any wolf, Angus took a shallow breath. He grabbed Henry’s ankle. The tingle of the chameleon flowed into Henry as Angus pretended to try and move the man from his chest. Memories, scenes from previous days ran through Angus’ mind.
Henry and Vern as small children, on their own seeking food and a safe place to stay warm or dry. As the years flew by, Henry remained in Vern’s shadow. Vern lived by the laws of the street and committed many crimes. Robbery, assault, theft, drugs, disorderly conduct under the influence. His inability to remain sober cost him his driver’s license.
Henry shook off Angus’ hand, grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him off the ground. Considering Angus in his human form outweighed the smaller man by almost two hundred pounds that was no small accomplishment.
“I asked you a damn question, answer me or you’ll end up like Wayne or some of the others.” Henry shook him.
Angus placed his hand on top of Henry’s to gather as much information as he could before he killed him. “Others? What others?”
Henry laughed a cackling sound, void of humor. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Angus frowned at the memories trailing in. Vern degraded and humiliated the much smaller Henry, often in public. Henry had been able to find work and took care of all the bills, including the ones Vern made. Every time Henry became interested in a woman, Vern did something to drive the woman off. They argued over Vern’s inability to remain sober of contribute financially. Henry saved enough money to buy this house and the two of them repaired it.
Henry threw Angus against the wall, breaking the connection. Angus and Henry’s gazes clashed. As curious as he was about a compound that would increase human abilities and allow them to remain sane, Angus was done allowing this asshole to throw him around. He jumped up and punched Henry in the stomach.
The fool smiled and threw a punch, knocking Angus back a few steps. Henry charged. Angus sidestepped and hooked Henry around the neck for a chokehold. Henry slapped his arm and wiggled to break free. The chameleon tingled and more information registered.
Vern coaxed Henry into making the first batch of the drug. He had received a solution from Ollie Brown with instructions on how to mix the ingredients. Henry hadn’t followed the instructions completely and placed less of the things he knew were toxic and more of the other things. Vern made Henry take the first shot. Henry begged for his life, Vern knocked him down and gave Henry the shot.
Over the next few hours, Henry’s body changed. His senses sharpened, his strength increased and his hatred for his brother grew. He increased the toxic blood for Vern’s shot, promising his brother more strength and muscle. After Vern took the shot, he turned into a mini-hulk and gradually lost his mind. Initially guilt ate Henry, especially when Vern died. But he recognized and embraced the changes in himself. And sought to sell the drug to the highest bidder. Angus wasn’t surprised Henry contacted someone in the military.
Henry twisted and slid down a bit and then jumped, the motion caused Angus’ grip to loosen. Growling like an animal, Henry threw a punch.
Angus ducked, countered with another punch to the stomach and then the chin, snapping Henry’s head back, causing him to stumble back a few steps.
Henry shook his head and grinned.
Angus’ wolf batted his paw against his belly, eager to bring down their prey.
“So you expect me to believe you’re a Mafioso? Everyone knows they don’t talk, they take.” Henry pulled open a drawer, took out a gun and pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed Angus shoulder and burned like fire as it spread through his system. His arm refused to move.
Henry slammed into him, sending him flying against the wall.
“I don’t know why you refuse to listen to me,” Silas said his energy cooling the internal burn. “You’re too old to fight these young humans, even the amped-up ones. I’ll send a rescue team in so you can take a break.”
Gasping for air, Angus watched Henry pull out a syringe and head for him. “Not happening, I got this fool.”
“Since you won’t tell me who you are, I have a message for you to take back to your people. This is a just a sample of what’s coming.” He grabbed Angus’ arm.
Angus slapped the hand with the needle and kicked Henry in the groin. He rolled to his feet and backhanded Henry who spun around but didn’t fall.
“You asshole, look what you made me do,” Henry yelled staring at the syringe on the floor. He dove for the needle.
Angus leapt forward and knocked Henry to the ground. Henry tried to buck Angus off but Angus didn’t budge. Instead, he punched Henry in the face, repeatedly with all of his fury. With every hit, he thought of the death of innocent pack-mates and what this asshole and his brother stole from him.
Knuckles bloodied, Angus took a deep breath and placed his palms on Henry’s ears, that part of him was still recognizable. The tingle of the bracelet and then information flowed freely. Angus was surprised and saddened by the indignities Henry suffered in his short life. Another piece of the puzzle clicked. Henry had been the person leaving the house before Jasper threw the stink bomb inside. At the time Angus thought the scent was familiar but couldn’t place it. Somehow the drugs Henry had been taking altered body chemistry to the point his scent changed.
But Angus wanted the name of the contact in the government, the names of those he offered to sell the drugs and who already purchased or received the vile concoction. When he gathered all the information, Angus broke Henry’s neck.
“He’s dead, he contacted someone in the Pentagon, a contact from Ollie Brown,” Angus said and then told Silas what he gleaned from Henry’s memories.
“Not surprised they played both sides. They recognized he was a problem and allowed us to clean up. This time I appreciate the favor. Make sure you clean out the place and bring it back to the lab. I want Hawke to go over that last formula, for some reason it worked and we need to know why and how to counter it.”
“Will do, unless you want to send someone in to clean up for my old ass…”
“Nah, you can do your own cleaning. The plane’s waiting,” Silas reminded him.
Standing, he went into the kitchen. He grabbed a large plastic bag and emptied Henry’s makeshift lab. This time Angus cleared out everything. Next, he rolled Henry’s body in the braided rug and hefted the smaller man onto his shoulder and walked out the door toward his vehicle. The SUV Alpha Chase loaned him wasn’t too far down the road. After placing Henry and the bag inside, Angus contacted Chase and gave him an update.
“Henry’s in the back, get rid of him for me please,” Angus said.
“My pleasure. Jasper’s waiting at the airstrip. Your plane is ready to go whenever you arrive,” Chase said.
“Good, should be there within 20 minutes.”
Chapter 30
Silas received word Angus returned and rolled over, scooping his mate solidly in his embrace. Jasmine yawned and then patted his hand.
“He’s back?”
“Yes, clearing security now. Chase burned down the house.”
She stilled for a moment beneath his hand.
He rubbed her shoulders. “No one was hurt. But just in case Angus missed something, Chase wanted to be sure everything was destroyed. We don’t want that drug, in any form, resurfacing.”
“What about the shipment? I thought they were looking for it, have they found it?” she asked.
“Some was sold but they got the bulk of it. What did they do with it, I’m not sure. Plus those who use it…”
“Won’t live long.” She turned to face him. “That’s horrible.”
Silas smoothed her forehead and placed a kiss on the middle. “Yes.”
“The poison?”
“Is under control, Hawke worked a miracle and we’ll be able to detect and block the speed of it if we ever encounter it again. We lost good people.”
“I know. Worse, it felt like a type of rape since it happened in our home.”
Silas nodded. “It was too close. Jacques and Hank are working to change how the water is filtered and supplies delivered. We’ll fix it, Sweet Bitch. I promise to keep you and everyone safe.” He pulled her closer. The feel of her steady heartbeat synced with his. They lay together, quiet, content.
“Who is Grandfather? Did the Goddess answer your question?” Jasmine asked, her lips on his chest.
“No. Angus knows him and says the Black Wolf is harmless and normally gives information that makes life better, not worse. Plus, there’s no way to control him.”
Jasmine rubbed her cheek against him. “So what do we do? Have David talk with us each time he hears from this… ghost? Wolf? I don’t know how he approaches David.”
“We can ask but I don’t see that happening, do you?” He met her concerned gaze and wished he could wipe away all of her apprehension. But the Black Wolf was hundreds of years old and chose who he spoke with. And David was one of his chosen.
“No. David is too much like you. He’ll tell us what he wants and not the rest.” She sighed and snuggled closer. “They’ll be starting school soon, we’ll have to trust they’ll be okay.”
“Of course they’ll be okay, plus they’ll be using the underground tunnels to reach school. They’ll only be exposed for a short time. Jarcee heads their security detail of four, one for each pup. Stop worrying, they’ll be fine.”
