“Even so, how the hell was it possible for him to escape from there, especially since the prison was built specifically to hold paranormals? I could understand itif he was being held in a human jail…but not the High Council’s.”
“We believe he had inside help but that hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
“What about the rest…Bruno, Hans, Seth…are they gone too?”
“Yeah, and at least fifty more though I don’t know who. I haven’t received a list with the names of all escaped prisoners from the Council yet.”
Jackson quietly exhaled. For once, he was grateful for the inability of the High Council to respond to problems quickly. It would give him the time needed to speak with Oracle to figure out how to explain Cain’s sudden appearance at his pack.
“Jackson…did I lose you?” asked Reeve after a few seconds of silence.
“I’m here. Did they say when you could expect the list?” asked Jackson.
“No…but considering what’s happened, it won’t be soon.”
A red flag went up in Jackson’s head at Reeve’s tone. He knew instantly Reeve hadn’t told him everything, so he asked, “What else aren’t you telling me?”
“Frank Royd, Dylon’s father is missing and the High Council believes Rudy took him as a hostage to use as a bargaining tool,” Reeve said. “They don’t know this for sure because all the security videos were wiped, but they do know he was down there last night when it happened.”
“Why wasn’t Dylon informed his father is missing? What about his wife? Does she know?” demandedJackson, his anger barely under control. “Don’t bother answering because I already know the answer.”
“Look, I know it doesn’t help…but I called as soon as I found out. According to my boss, the High Council wanted to keep it quiet until they heard from Rudy.”
“Stupid fucking decision,” fumed Jackson. “They wasted all this time while we could have been searching for Rudy and his band of merry men. Tell me…do they at least know if Frank is alive?”
“No, Rudy never called, and obviously someone on the High Council decided you and I needed to know what had happened since they believe Rudy is headed here to kill Kahn and Tristan so he can claim the Alpha title.”
“Theybelieve?Fuck! What they really mean is they don’t have a fucking clue where their escaped prisoners are…or Frank, for that matter. A cover-their-ass move if I ever saw one.”
“That’s a fair assumption,” Reeve replied.
“Right. Anything else I should know?”
“No, except the High Council requested you keep this info confidential. They still hope to receive a call from Rudy.”
“I won’t agree to that,” Jackson replied. “Dylon has the right to know about his father, and the other pack members have the same right to know Rudy might be a threat.”
“I expect Tristan will feel the same way once I tell him what happened.”
“You haven’t done that, yet?” asked Jackson, surprised.
“He’s next on my list, but I wanted to know first if you’d consider joining forces with us to find Dylon’sfather…to protect our respective packs from whatever shit Rudy has up his sleeve.”
“Are you asking me or is the Alpha of the Silver Point Pack making the request?”
Reeve knew he was out of line asking on behalf of Tristan, but it was a calculated risk he was taking, hoping Jackson wouldn’t call him on it. Jackson was pure Alpha and would not likely tolerate any disrespect toward another Alpha. “I’m asking you,” Reeve explained, “because Tristan has never been in a situation like this where not only is his life in danger, but also those of his pack members. No disrespect was intended, but Tristan is going to look to me for help, and I thought if you would agree to my proposal, it would soften the blow, so to speak.”
“Soften the blow? If you continue to think and act this way, you aren’t of any use to Tristan. He’s the Alpha and, believe me, shit is gonna keep coming his way as long as he remains Alpha. That’s the part I was referring to when I pointed out he hadn’t had the benefit of learning to be an Alpha that both Kahn and I got from our fathers when we were growing up. Those were lessons I relied on when Josiah put out a kill order on me and my brothers. And they were the lessons that kept us safe during all those years.
“There are always threats Alphas must deal with, whether from inside his pack or outside. And granted, this one is serious, but Tristan has to learn how to handle it or else his time as Alpha will be very short.” Jackson paused, trying to get his temper under control before continuing.
“As for you asking me without Tristan’s approval—did the loyalty oath you swore to Tristan as Alpha come with an escape clause? Does it state you and only youcan decide when to give your loyalty, or was it absolute, as I suspect? If that’s the case, you owe Tristan an apology for going behind his back to ask me a question only he as the right to do.”
Reeve knew he deserved a dressing-down, but never expected to have Jackson ream him a new asshole. It was just one more thing he’d underestimated about the man. “Alpha, I meant no offense…”
“That’s the problem…you never do…whether it’s keeping a secret from me or undermining Tristan’s position as Alpha. Luckily for you, I believe it’s more a case of not truly understanding the dynamics in a pack rather than an intention to cause harm. But you’d better learn quickly, Reeve, or get out of the way so someone else can step in to advise Tristan. He has a lot to learn and, as this latest shitstorm demonstrates, he doesn’t have much time to do it in. Now, after you inform your Alpha of Rudy’s escape, please ask him to call me.”
“I’ll do that,” Reeve replied.
