“You never thought I’d find out about this.Correct?You thought you’d lie to me and laugh behind my back about it, no?”
Ray’s mouth gaped as he struggled through his fear and pain to come up with an answer.“It was a family thing, and I swear?—”
“Enough swearing.I took a risk on you.You did theonething I cannot overlook.In addition to lying about it.Layer upon layer.And now you have caused outsiders to question my affairs by proxy, because they contacted my people in Mexico.This is not acceptable.That’s why I brought you over here, you see.This trip provided me with the perfect alibi and excuse.The authorities will think you checked into a hotel in Brisbane and disappeared.You were never leaving here alive, but I wanted answers first.”
Badger and Trent both jumped at the sound of a chainsaw starting on the video.Ray started screaming and thrashed against his bonds, begging, pleading.
The man in black stepped into view and, with what looked like an electric chainsaw, quickly dispatched him, with Ray’s screams almost immediately transforming into strangled, pained noises, and then nothing as the saw bogged down a little while slicing through his vertebrae.
Ray’s head hit the floor—behind him, thankfully, and out of view—with a grotesquethump.
Badger and Trent stared, horrified, at the scene of his headless body sitting there twitching while spurts of blood initially pumped from his neck, quickly slowing and stopping.
“Bloody hell!”Badger gasped.
The man with the chainsaw stepped out of view, leaving the shot of Ray’s body there.But before Trent could hitstop, the Russian spoke again.
“I do not know who you are, or what your relationship to him is.Frankly, I do not care.My organization has nothing to do with this other business he was talking about.We didn’t even learn about it until recently.
“However, it’s obvious this man has harmed or caused the harm of many innocent people.I know it sounds incongruous that I, someone obviously used to violence, should care about that.But as I said, I swore to my father, and I will never disrespect my oath to him or sully his honor.
“This is our gift to you.It is also a warning, as you have now discovered.We have no quarrel with you and yours.We have no desire to get involved in whatever happened between him and your people.Frankly, he was a pompous asshole, but through him we made valuable contacts in Australia and set up a lucrative distribution network there.Here is my bottom line: Do not think that you will make any efforts to intrude upon our organization or interfere with our operations.
“I will ruthlessly defend us and ours against any threats.So take this as a friendly warning.We send you this token of peace, and hope that it settles whatever debt has been incurred by him.He told me that he was coming to do business with you, a meeting, although he didn’t specify regarding exactly what.The address we’ve sent this to came from a piece of paper hidden in his carry-on.He apparently believed this was an opportunity to challenge someone for leadership of your organization.It is my understanding he was supposed to arrive later, but he opted to try to surprise your people, which is also why he asked to ‘borrow muscle’ from me.He spun up a tale of being able to take over your organization and use that leverage to also take over the others who were expected for your meeting.And that is how my involvement in this… situation came to pass.
“Anyway.By the time you watch this, we will already be heading home over the Pacific.We consider our business satisfactorily concluded with you and wish you well.”
The video ended, the last frame frozen with Ray Dorland’s headless body sitting there.
Trent and Badger both finished their glasses of liquor.“Just when I thought things had hit a new level of crazy,” Trent said.“Motherfucker had a set of balls on him.Dorland, I mean.To think he was going to bring a bunch of thugs into the middle of a bunch of shifter Pack Alphas and start shit.I wonder how he had the address?”
“Dorland likely had it from dealin’ wi’ Charlie back in the day,” Badger said.“Explains why he was so feckin’ cagey about givin’ Dewi his arrival details.”
Trent slumped in his chair.“Do you think the Russian means it?That he’s done with all of this?”
Badger shrugged.“Dunno.I mean, ye ask me, that’s an unusual business model.Why brag about it if it’s not true?Sounds like he was more fashed about Ray lyin’ to him an’ disrespectin’ his father’s ‘code’ than interested in us.An’ if he knew we were shifters, he woulda’ likely threatened to expose us if we don’t drop it.”
“But we’re not the ones who were doing anything!”Trent said.“The Seguras did!”
“Aye.”Badger looked grim.“Let’s just hope that bawbag doesn’t keep pokin’ his clueless snoot into other people’s affairs where he’s got no business bein’ an’ bringin’ us more trouble.”
“Do you think Dorland was telling the truth about not knowing where Faegan is?”
“Aye.He woulda’ been offerin’ him up as an escape hatch had he known.Blamin’ stuff on him.Twistin’ it to look like it was all Faegan and nothin’ to do wi’ him.”
“And then siccing them on Faegan,” Trent said.
“Aye.”
Trent stood.“More booze?”
“Aye,” Badger wearily said.“Unfortunately, we don’t have enough around here to get me blind an’ stinkin’ drunk.”
“Nope, we sure don’t,” Trent said.“Because I’d be fighting you for it.”
Dewi
Twenty minutes later, Dewi was on a conference call with Peyton, Trent, and Badger, with Ken sitting next to her.
