“Tomorrow.”
“Kieran, would you do me a favor and get Slate,” Dylon said.
“I don’t have to. He’s on his way. That was the other thing I came in to tell you. Oops, that’s him,” Kieran said as they heard knocking on the door to their suite. “I’ll be right back.”
Kieran came hustling back in the room with Slate behind him. “I told him you wanted to see him,” he said to Dylon.
Slate walked in and stopped short. “What’s this I hear about you feeding your pups? What does Kieran mean ‘your pups’?”
After Dylon explained about Jake and Jessica, he said, “Kieran said the buyer for the twins will be arriving tomorrow…as I imagine the rest of the buyers will. Is that correct, Kieran?”
“Yes, Arald had me prepare rooms for them. They’ll be coming all day tomorrow; the auction takes place the next day…uh, was supposed to but now obviously won’t,” explained Kieran.
Slate saw what Dylon was getting at and it was a great idea. But first he needed some background information. Sitting in a chair across from Dylon and Cody, he said, “Kieran, can you tell me where the shifters in the cells came from?”
“Most of them came from the other two packs. Arald would pick a dude and threaten to kill his family if the guy didn’t agree to be sold. A couple of shifters came from Canada, but the rest belong here with their families. I know they’re worried about them and are eager to get them back—but they won’t return if Arald is still running things. The shifters would rather be sold to keep their families safe. Are you going to stop Arald?”
“Yes,” said Slate. “What about the pups? I know about these two, but did Arald kill their parents just so he could sell them?”
“Oh no,” cried Kieran, “most of the pups were just taken from the members of the other two packs. He only killed Jessica and Jake’s parents because no one in the packs had twins that were the right age.”
“What? Arald forced pack members to give up their pups so he could sell them?” Slate’s voice thundered through the room, causing Jake and Jessica to let out a wail.
“Stop it, Slate! Lower your voice because you’re scaring our pups,” Cody demanded.
“Sorry,” Slate said, contritely, reining in his anger.
“Members were given a choice to either hand over a pup Arald wanted or be killed. Most of the pack members handed over their pups because they had other pups to care for at home. Only a few, who had no other pups to care for, stood up to Arald and he killed them. Those pups should go to their dead parents’ relatives. I took care of all the pups and tried to figure out a way I could save them.”
“I think you did an amazing job, Kieran,” said Cody. “Far better than most others would have. You should be proud of what you did because in the end, you saved everyone, including shifters from the other two packs.” Then turning to Dylon, Cody said. “Dylon, Jake has finished his bottle and he needs to be burped. Put him up like I’m doing with Jessie and pat his back, gently, until he burps.” Then he looked at Slate. “What is Dire Enterprises going to do about this?”
“Before I answer, why did you want to see me, Dylon?” Slate asked.
“We have a golden opportunity to capture the potential buyers. If we set it up right, we’ll be able to record them talking about who they want to buy and for what amount. Granted, it’s not the same as if money actually exchanges hands, but the sentence for having intent to buy a shifter carries a minimum of fifty years. Now we know someone wanted twin pups. That’s a start. If the buyers arrive throughout the day, we’ll have time to talk to each about what they’re planning to buy, lock them in the cells after we have their statements recorded and by the end of the day, all that will be left to do is transport them to one of the High Council’s jails.”
“Exactly what I was thinking. We can use the meeting room…it’s wired for video. First, though, I have to round up Arald’s army and lock them up. Dylon, I could use you today. Can you help me?”
“Absolutely.” Turning to his mate he asked, “Cody, do you want to come with us or stay here?”
“I’ll come with you. Kieran, would you please take care of our pups until we return? If all goes well, we’ll be back by early afternoon.”
“Sure. Just take care of those assholes once and for all.”
“I promise,” said Cody.
“As soon as I have everything ready, I’ll let you know, guys,” said Slate. “Kieran, the manager of the hotel knows to give you whatever you want. Please let your friends know they can eat in their rooms or in the restaurant downstairs…their choice. I’m leaving a squad of enforcers here and they have orders to obey you without question. Anything else you can think of you might need?” he asked.
“Oh no, everything is fine. Thank you so much for all of this. My friends and the pups are very happy they’re free,” answered Kieran.
Slate nodded, then left. Kieran also left to give Cody and Dylon some time alone with their pups.
“Well,ma moitié,” said Dylon, “one more mission before we can head home with our babies. You okay with everything?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to leave them, but we need to return the rest of the pups to their families along with the shifters. Then and only then, will we be free to go home and spoil them.”
“Until the next mission, eh?”
“Until the next one. But I know we’ll be okay…I will be okay…because I realized listening to Kieran, when we fulfill a mission, we bring happiness to shifters who are in the depths of despair. And that’s worth all the pain. So yeah, let’s go kick some ass so we can take our pups home.”
