“Come in,” barked Josiah.
Rudy entered and sat down opposite his boss.
“Well, what is it?”
“Our man has been captured and lost the package.”
Josiah stood and slammed both hands on his desk, roaring out his anger. “How the fuck did that happen? It was in the bag. Everything was in place. How did that money-hungry jackass lose him? And get caught?” Josiah was shaking inside. If the man talked, his life would be in danger. He didn’t know exactly what the man knew, but spilling the wrong piece of information, no matter how small could spell Josiah’s death. He had to find a way out of this mess so no one could link him to the asshole in Mexico.
He lowered himself to his chair while thinking about what needed to be done. “Tell me everything you know.”
“Our man double-crossed us. From what I’ve learned so far, he found out what the Blackwood boy was and decided to auction him off on the dark web after he kidnapped him. The boy escaped from where he was being held prisoner and was found. In the meantime, our man was caught trying to flee. He’s being held in a cell but as I understand it, he’ll be moved somewhere out of the country. Most of our information is coming from his nephew who doesn’t know our connection to Pablo.”
“Do you know anything about the Blackwood boy after he escaped?”
“Only that he was hurt but is now fine and back home with his brothers.”
Josiah leaned back in his chair.Well, what my Shaman told me so far has come true. No reason now to doubt him anymore. But what should I do now? I need to talk to him again.“What does Pablo know about who hired him?”
“Not much. He knows an Alpha hired him but doesn’t know who. The contact number he had for us belonged to a throw-away phone and can’t be traced. His payments were made by an offshore corporation impossible to be traced back to us. However, I don’t trust him…he’ll do anything to save his own skin.”
“I agree. I want him dead…the sooner the better. I don’t like loose ends. We wouldn’t be in this mess if you’d killed the brothers before they complained to the High Council.” Josiah looked down at the shaking hands in his lap and clenched his fists.Fuck! Damn Pablo and his greed. He had the boy and should have killed him. Shit.“Did you ever find out why our intelligence was fucked up on the night of the massacre? Those boys weren’t home where you said they’d be but in Las Vegas. Not that it matters now but I want to make sure we have no leaks. Right now, I can’t figure out how Colton’s brothers knew what was happening in Mexico for them to get there so quickly to rescue him.”
“From my research, it appears they made a last minute decision to stop in Las Vegas before heading home. I talked to some guys at a gay club who told me they’d seen them the night before they left for Vegas. One said they were talking about going there and it appeared to be a spur of the moment idea.” Then Rudy added, “Our intelligence was good, it just didn’t account for any variables.”
“Humpf,” grunted Josiah.
“Have you received a copy of the supposedly incriminating video sent to the High Council yet?” asked Rudy.
“No, but I expect it any day. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not that important. I asked for it to buy me some time before I had to answer Jackson’s complaint.”
“Okay,” said Rudy, “in the meantime, I’ll nose around and see if I can find out how Colton’s brothers found out he was kidnapped to make absolutely sure no one here is a leaker.”
“You do that. In the meantime, send my Shaman in. I need his advice.”
“Sure thing.”
Rudy closed the door and walked down the hall.Something wasn’t right.He was missing a piece. Josiah had more information than he was letting on. And it wasn’t sitting well with Rudy or his wolf. He felt at a distinct disadvantage.But the question is why? Why is he keeping things from me? My neck is on the line too.Rudy decided he would expand his investigation to find out what Josiah’s secret was and why it was causing his Alpha’s hands to shake.
After Rudy left, Josiah’s shoulders dropped.Dammit!It now appeared two of his shaman’s predictions were true. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the Fates were working against him.Bah! Bullshit!He didn’t believe in the Fates.How could I? They never did anything for me. And Fated mates? More bullshit.All he got from his mating was Kahn, his fucking gay son. If the Fates were real, they would have given him a son he could be proud of.
Chapter 24
Colton heard a soft knock and then smelled food.Oh my gods! Just what the doctor ordered.He snickered and carefully slipped out of bed. Pulling on jeans, he walked barefoot to the door so as not to wake Ian. Quietly opening it, he saw Dakota behind a serving cart covered an array of mouth-watering dishes. His stomach grumbled loudly as he smiled at his brother. Holding a finger to his lips, Colton whispered, “Shh, Ian’s still sleeping. Let’s take this into the sitting room.”
He wondered where Dakota had gotten the serving cart with the quiet rubber wheels as they stealthily rolled it into the next room. Colton turned to Dakota. “Thanks, bro. You have no idea how hungry I am.”
Dakota slapped his brother’s hand away from the bacon. “Hands off. This isn’t just for you, dumb ass. It’s my mating gift to youandIan. You wait until he wakes up.”
“Oh, my gods, did you make this for us Dakota?” Ian asked, standing in the doorway with a sheet wrapped around him.
Dakota smirked at Colton before turning to Ian. “Yes, it’s my mating gift to you and Colton. I hope you enjoy it and if there’s anything else you want, just let me know.”
“That is so sweet, isn’t it Colton? What a great present. Thank you. I know I’ll enjoy it,” Ian said as he wandered over to the cart. “Wow, everything smells so good.” He then reached over and gave Dakota a hug.
Colton’s wolf growled. He didn’t care if Dakotawashis brother. All of Ian’s hugs belonged to him. Grabbing Dakota’s arm, Colton yanked his brother away from his mate and shoved him towards the door. “Thanks for your gift,” he growled, “but I’ll take it from here.”
“Stop it Colton,” cried Ian. “That’s no way to treat your brother who spent his time making us something special to eat.” He marched over to Dakota and said, “Regardless of the brutish behavior of my mate, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I’m starved and I know Colton hasn’t eaten either.” Then he looked at his mate and said, “Well?”
