He went dark, like a candle finally guttering out.
Chapter 18
Frankie slipped inside the community center doing her best to be inconspicuous. It wasn’t going to work. Her brother had spies everywhere and someone would spot her soon, but she had to find her father. He was the only one who could end this without bloodshed.
She’d spent the better part of the day visiting each of her supporters inside the pack. Every single one of them—Noelle included—had been rounded up and taken to the community center “for their own protection.” A few had gotten off a message to her via social media, but most of them simply weren’t home. But she saw them now, isolated into a small group near the nurses’ office.
Hazel was there, unconscious on a cot. Noelle played with her boys nearby, her expression haunted. They were guarded by one of her brother’s thugs who wore a pistol on his hip and looked menacing next to the barrier sign, which read “Infected Area. Stay Back.”
That was total bullshit. The only thing they were infected with was common sense and her friendship. But at least they weren’t being hurt, just turned into pariahs. She sighed as she looked around and wondered how to find her father. He never missed an opportunity to glad-hand, so he ought to be obvious as he worked the room, telling everyone how he was making sure they were safe during this crisis. She’d intended to talk to him in the middle of the pack, lay out her case, and pray that her father and the rest of the pack saw what was happening.
But she couldn’t do that if her father wasn’t here. Which made her wonder exactly what had happened to the man. Had Raoul locked him up? Did her brother have so much power that he could imprison the alpha without consequences? If so, then she’d waited too long to make her move. He was in control, which meant she’d have to directly challenge him in a dominance fight. And there was little hope that she could survive that.
She slipped along the side of the room, moving casually through the chaos as she studied those present. Most of the pack was here in small clusters sharing food, watching kids, or sleeping on cots. A couple wolves prowled the edges of the building, both loyal to her brother. How Raoul was keeping everyone here was a mystery. The citywide quarantine was lifted. Detroit was returning to normal. She needed more information—
“There you are! I was so worried!”
She turned at the sound of her brother’s voice. She heard the false sincerity in his words and wondered if it had always been there or if she’d just now started noticing it. Either way, she lifted her chin and steeled herself for a confrontation.
“Raoul, you look very dapper.” Wavy dark hair, heavy horn-rimmed glasses, and a silver pinstriped suit all combined to cut an almost regal figure. Her brother had always gone for the geeky look—mostly because he was a geek—but Delphine’s influence had him tripped out in the latestGQfashions. And speaking of the bitch, she paced beside her man as a full wolf in spandex leggings. She looked ridiculous, but anyone who sneered would get an up close look at her sharp canines. Frankie didn’t sneer, but she also didn’t give the woman any attention. That was the best way to annoy her.
He brushed her compliment aside. “Where have you been? It’s childish of you to disappear like that with everything that’s going on. We’ve been worried sick.”
“I’ve been checking on our people, Raoul. It’s what a true leader does.”
He reared back, his brows arched. “A true leader protects the pack, Frankie. That’s what I’ve been doing, and you made it harder by running around and hiding from us. This isn’t a game.”
She bit back her hard retort. It wouldn’t help anyone if she got into a childish spat with her brother. Instead, she focused on the business of the pack. “Why have you trapped our people here? What threat are you protecting them from?”
He gaped at her. “From the bears, you fool. They’ve declared war.”
“No, they haven’t. You have.”
He rolled his eyes. “If you would check in regularly instead of pursuing your own amusement, then you’d know that they have.”
“How—”
“They poisoned the city! If that’s not an attack, then I don’t know what is!”
His words were loud and all around them, pack members nodded in agreement. “The bears didn’t do that. You’re the one who—”
“The police found the proof today!” he cried, his voice booming across the space. “They raided a storage area filled with the poison. It was in the back of a Chinese restaurant deep in grizzly territory.”
Hell. He was up to date. And he was pulling the pack around to his point of view. She needed to contradict his lies right now or everyone would blithely go along with her brother. “They didn’t do this,” she said, trying to keep her voice even and calm. “They’re the ones who told us not to drink the water.”
“I told everyone to avoid the tap! And Father.”
She shook her head, stunned that people were still nodding at such obvious lies. “You created the serum, Raoul. You had Brady and our pack dump it in the water.”
He huffed out a frustrated breath. “Why do you say such things? I created a vitamin for our people.” He turned to the room at large. “Didn’t it make you feel strong? Didn’t you like how it made you healthy and vibrant?”
“It’s an addictive drug—”
“Because of the bears’ tainted water. But that was their plan all along. Weaken us so that they can take over.”
Oh God, he was twisting everything to make it the Griz’s fault, and the pack was buying it. They just couldn’t accept that one of their own would knowingly poison them. And who could blame them? He’d injected the shit straight into her veins and she still struggled to believe he’d done it.
“The Griz don’t want to take over. You’re the one pushing for war.”
