I nod well before he even finishes speaking. Since I know his brain so well, I knew where he was going with what he was saying immediately.
“Aye. I’ve never been partial to using women in what we do. But with Black, we’ve lost our sway over him, and it’s high time we remind him that he sold his soul to us. He went into this knowing the collateral we’re owners of include his life, his wife, and all that money we paid him.”
“Time to collect?” Keegan says, his eyes shimmering and full of emotion. Lots of fucking fear for our wife, but there’s also a void of pain and retribution for those responsible that I read in them too.
As I walk downstairs with less of a loaded weight on my shoulders, Tynan nods his head, calling me over to him in the kitchen. Rafferty slides under my arm as soon as I come to a standstill. For his own need to touch, as well as knowing it’s what my Alpha needs too. A reminder of what we’re all protecting.
The text on the screen, from another of our contacts hidden in the government, solidifies what we already suspected.
“The DNA matched. As we figured, the blood is Walsh’s. So, the question is, why’s Black pretending he’s still alive and pinning Arthur’s murder on him?”
It’s a question for all of us to think over, but there’s no rush in answering it. Not long after, we’re pulling into Black’s street and parking in his driveway, with a convoy of men and trucks parking on the grass out front.
The house is too grand for a copper on his salary, but he’s always told the story of his wife being left an inheritance a long time ago. It’s not something people would check, because so many simply overlook women and believe whatever a man says.
I know different. I’ve been blessed with the privilege of meeting some of the most fearless, formidable women, so I know strength. I’ve seen what they endure and their ability to stand tall in the face of adversity, to protect and love. My wife is one of those I’m proud to include in that sentiment. Though, one day, she’s going to have one pink arse.
There’s no reason on earth that could ever pacify my Alpha as to why my wife walked into danger without us. I’ll be putting her over my knee for it and reminding her of her importance to our pack as soon as I can.
“Jesus, Ronin, where’s ya fecking head at?” Keegan clicks his fingers in front of my face.
I slap his hand away as a filthy chuckle slips past my lips. “Thinking of our wife, is all. You got to give me them moments, Keegan. We’re about to unleash the beast, as they say. All I was doing was motivating myself.”
“By thinking of Tally?” Tynan asks.
I nod, checking I’ve got enough weapons on me. “Admittedly, I was envisaging her, arse up, on my lap. So, there is that.”
A smile spreads over Tynan’s face. “It scares me how alike we all are sometimes.”
Then, like usual, he’s the first one at the door. Rafferty’s got a sledgehammer in one of his hands, hanging it casually down. After the first knock, he gives me an unprompted, unscripted display of the power and brawn he hides under his designation. His swing has the door exploding into the house, with Keegan, Tynan, and myself following the chaos.
Upstairs, there’s the noise of thundering feet. A door slams from further in the house as a tense silence announces our arrival. It lasts for a handful of seconds until Kee twists around and calls in the movers.
The inside of Black's house is as telling as the front that this pack is wealthy. But the lack of security is also a sign Black has become entirely too comfortable in the life we’ve provided for him.
Next to me Keegan, tuts as he looks at the gaudy displays furnishing their home, pointing out certain objects to the woman in charge of repossessing everything not nailed down.
Leaving our team to do their job, I grab Rafferty by the back of his vest.
“You’re not fucking going up those stairs first, Rafferty. I literally don’t care if you’ve been dipped in fucking platinum. Get it through your gorgeous skull, Kee and I are catching our prisoners, and then you can join in the fun. Jesus, Omega.”
He twists around, and I see the lusty tease in his eyes.
“You fucking kidding me right now, are you not?” I growl against his ear as he glides like water behind me.
“You’re the one who was talking about putting Tally over your knee.”
“And your brother was too!”
“Yeah, well, my brother’s not going anywhere near my cock, thank you very much.”
“Can we get our head out of our grand sex life and focus on capturing Black’s pack yet?” Keegan snaps.
I turn back to glare at Rafferty. To make a point he was out of line. But he’s rolling those big blues of his at me, and I belt out a laugh that blows us being somewhat stealthy out of the water.
Using that as our decoy, we rush the stairs and each take a room, capturing the others in Black’s pack without raising a sweat. Dragging them back down the stairs is more problematic, as their survival responses kick into gear, but after a few moments, and a couple of decent hits from them, we have them stripped fucking naked and tied down.
“Where’s your children?” I bark at one of them.
