The woman shuddered. “Hell, no.”
“And what about my father?”
Noelle tugged her child close. “He’s taken care of us. Except for this last thing with the serum, he’s been a good landlord.”
“Really?” Frankie challenged. “Because that’s been me. I’m the one who watches the properties, helps people when they’re struggling.” She looked hard at Noelle. “I help when the kids are sick, not him.”
Noelle nodded. “But your father told you to do it.”
Is that what people thought? That everything she did was because her father told her to do it? Damn it. She should have been claiming credit every time she turned around, but she hated blowing her own horn. That’s what arrogant men did when they didn’t understand that there is no I in “team.” Or “pack.” But it was time to make the facts clear.
“My father hates that I spend so much time out here. I had to fight for the new swing set and the dog park. I got them to clean the gutters and change the hallway carpet. Hell, he wouldn’t even have fixed the elevators if I hadn’t told him that’s a lawsuit waiting to happen.”
She could see Noelle absorb the information. On some level, she must have known it was true. It’s not like Emory did anything but glad-hand when there was a party and take credit for all of Frankie’s work.
“I’ve been the force behind him for years, and you know it.”
“You always said it was a family effort. That the pack—”
“Takes care of the pack.” She straightened. “That’s because I believe it. Raoul doesn’t. And my father…” She shook her head. “He likes being in charge, but I’m the one who gets things done.”
Frankie held her breath. Did Noelle see the truth? Did she look at Frankie and see just who and what she was?
Noelle shook her head. “They’ll never accept a hybrid as a new alpha.”
“Then you tell me, who else do you want in charge?”
There wasn’t anyone, and they both knew it. Being alpha was a delicate thing. You had to take care of the pack, but quietly. You had to be diplomatic when dealing with other alphas, and yet still show strength when needed. Her father could show strength like no one else, but he’d made some really bad decisions lately thanks to Raoul. Frankie was offering a different way. And yes, she was female and a hybrid, but she could get stuff done. Hell, she’d been getting stuff done for years. She just needed the entire pack to realize it.
But she was in for trouble if she couldn’t get the women on her side.
“I’m doing this,” Frankie said. “And I need your help.”
“No way. I don’t get involved in pack politics.” She wet a sponge from the sink and began to wipe down some of the mess on the counter.
“Well, it’s time now. Your pack needs you.” Frankie stepped closer, daring to touch her friend’s arm. She pulled her around so they looked eye to eye. “I need your help. You have to talk to Brady. I need to know where the serum is held. We have to stop poisoning the city, and we have to make Raoul pay for dumping that shit into the water supply.”
Noelle winced. “You’re sure it was Raoul?”
“Who else could make my father do something so stupid? We don’t want werewolves to come out from the shadows. I don’t care how many romances are written about sexy wolves, normal people will turn on us. Especially if our first public act is to terrify a city.”
“I know you’re right,” Noelle said, her voice plaintive. “But I don’t see what I can do about it.”
“Of course, you do.” Frankie gently pulled the sponge from Noelle’s hand and tossed it back into the sink. “You have to go talk to your sister and Brady. Find out where the stockpile of serum is located. Brady was transporting the shit, so he knows where it is. Find out and tell me. Detective Kennedy and I will take care of the rest.”
“I can’t leave the boys!”
“I’ll stay with them.”
“But—”
“We have to stop them,” Frankie pressed. When Noelle didn’t look convinced, Frankie turned the screws. “What happens if one of your boys drinks the tainted water accidentally? Or if, God forbid, Raoul shoots up everyone in the pack with the pure stuff?” He’d learned from her experience that it was better to drink an altered serum in water. Getting injected with the pure stuff was a million times worse.
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“Really? He did it to me. I woke up screaming. The pain is excruciating.” She turned to look at the boys. “Do you want that for them? Because if they’re like me and don’t shift on schedule, then you know he’ll do it to them, too.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Noelle repeated, but there wasn’t any force behind the words. It came out more like a prayer than a belief.
