Between the Were Wars Ch. 01

"Which cartels did you target?"

"We focused on the Pacific cartel. The Gulf a few times, but they usually weren't in my territory."

"What else did you do?"

"I provided them with warnings on raids and investigations. They didn't always act on it, sometimes they would sacrifice people or drugs to allow a bigger shipment to go through somewhere else. My team was getting good results, so no one asked. I started getting invited to higher level meetings- regional and national level task forces and strategy. I would feed information from those meetings to them."

There was a silence. "What we ask will be no different. You will never see us, in your purse will be a phone number and an email address you can use to contact us. If we need you, we will leave a note in your car or home. You will do what we ask of you without question. Also on that note is an account number in which your money will be deposited. We are not savages, we expect good work to be rewarded and it will. You will feed us any information, as you do not know who we are or who you work for. That is not your job, it is ours to figure out what to do with it. Do you understand what I want of you?"

"Yes."

"Will you enter this partnership with me under the terms I have described?"

She didn't have a choice, but it was the same job with a different name on the check, so what did it matter? "Yes, I accept your terms."

"Good. Allow her to return to her house." Most of the men left, while two remained to remove her from the chair. She was led back to the car and they drove off, leaving her alone in her car. She grabbed her gun and purse off the passenger side floor. In the purse was the card with the numbers, and $10,000 in cash.

When she got home, she put the cash in the safe, poured herself a stiff one and drank until the shaking stopped. When she got to her bed, there was a note on her pillow. "Someone took Juan's cash reserve. Find out who. Don't be stupid. -John"

Cartel House
Outskirts of El Paso

The boss looked at the three man 'rip crew' in their military-style gear. "We learned from one of the mules that a load of Carlos' drugs was left behind in the desert when the runners were killed. Your job is to find it and bring it back. It's located near here, best we can figure." He pointed to an area on the map. "Take ATV's and bring it back here. Understood?" The men nodded and moved out to the truck, the ATV's already loaded onto trailers. Their pistols and rifles were well concealed for now.

Gila Pack Alpha Offices
New Mexico

After a restful night back home, it was time to get to work. Robert sat at the head of the table with Renee to his side. He looked around the room, his Betas and senior advisers were looking back at him along with Enrique, his newest Beta. There had been some grumbling about this as he wasn't a warrior, but Robert quickly quashed that. He was a warrior just like them, he just operated in a different arena. He had already explained to everyone that Enrique could no longer leave Pack grounds, even after his new identity was in place. Facial recognition software and fingerprint analysis made it too dangerous. No one could ever learn that he was alive.

Enrique's fingers were flying over his laptop, his computer contained years worth of intelligence on the drug cartels that he was going to use to help his Pack. "Alpha, I do not have an issue with your plans for distributing the money, but you need to be more careful in how you actually use it if you want to stay out of jail."

Robert looked at him. "Why is that?"

Enrique pulled up a diagram he had made of the Socorro cartel's money laundering operation. "You have the same problem Juan had with his pile of cash. You have the money, but you can't just bring a bag of cash into a bank and deposit it. The Feds have been working for years with the banks to make it nearly impossible for people to use cash in large amounts. For instance, all banking transactions of more than $10,000 have to be documented and reported to the FDIC. You have to fill out a form describing under penalty of perjury how you got it. The DEA, FBI, and Treasury departments all mine this data because cash is the lifeblood of drug operations. You make a deposit of a large amount of cash, by the end of the day you'll have the DEA and IRS on your doorsteps with warrants."

Renee looked up at him, her hands folded over her rounded belly. "So we keep the deposits under ten grand and make more of them."

Enrique shook his head. "It's also a felony to structure deposits as to avoid triggering the limit. The Feds monitor bank deposits of cash, they can even tell if different areas are starting to see a spike in cash deposits. It's been a fairly successful program, that's why Juan had so much cash sitting in the vault. It takes time and money to get the cash into deposits and other assets you can use. It's called money laundering. You put dirty money in, on the back side you have a much smaller pile but it's 'clean' money, money you pay taxes on and report as a normal business." He got up and walked over to the big screen where he had the diagram. "Juan didn't trust US banks, so he had to truck the money to Mexico. From there, it would be taken to various banks offshore. They usually charge about 25% just to accept the cash deposit. From there, you have to transfer the money through shell corporations until you finally get it back into the states where you can use it again."

"Just how much does this cost?"

"Juan would lose forty to fifty percent along the way. He had other ways to do it, that is why there is so much jewelry, gold and gems. He would buy this stuff at pawn shops, on the internet, he had a whole group of people who did nothing but buy this stuff. The problem is that you are buying retail and selling wholesale so you still lose 50% of the value. It isn't perfect, as now transactions of gold and silver are being monitored and reported as well. It takes a lot of time and people, and it isn't practical when you're looking at $800 million in cash. The big advantage is that there is no way to trace it, no serial numbers or anything."

Robert sat back in his chair. "Fuck me. Who'd have ever thought that finding pallets full of cash would be such a pain in the ass?" He looked over at James, he was a local lawyer before the war started. "James, is he right on all this?"

"Yes, he is. He didn't mention one other problem, though. We've got a truckload of stuff that was stolen. Yes, it was stolen from a druglord, but that won't matter. It wasn't on Pack lands and is subject to human justice. If the Feds find out we have it, they will take it. Then every person in this room and every person involved in the raid will be indicted for conspiracy and murder. People died in our raid, and under the law it doesn't matter if you were on the trigger or not. All of us would die in prison. We've got to keep the news of this money quiet, let things die down a bit before we do anything big."

Renee leaned forward. "We've got to hide it, and hide it well. We'll still go ahead with the jewelry, since that can't be traced. We can also keep out a few million in cash to distribute to our Pack. Take the 10% each for Johnson and El Paso packs and hide it separately until we can give it to them and give them the same advice we have. The rest gets buried until we have a plan." The heads nodded around the room. "We will set up a distribution to our Pack, something not too excessive, maybe $1000 a month to each person. That will be easily explainable, this Pack has money and my previous Pack brought in a bunch as well. I'll have my brother and Alpha Merino do the same."

Robert stood and leaned on the table. "No one outside this room can know about how much we have or where it is hidden. Take the truck and get it hidden after removing what Renee directed."

The Betas stood as one. "Yes Alpha, it shall be done."

They had scarcely left the room when Robert's administrative assistant, a young Omega named Cherrie, came in with a note. "Alpha Renee, this man would like you to call him back as soon as possible. He said it was a matter of great importance."

"Thank you Cherrie. Robert, let's go back into your office. Do you know a Richard Grey?" She walked ahead of him out of the conference room.

"Yes, he is an elder in the Midwest region, northern Wisconsin if I recall. He was an Alpha before the war, but he stepped down years ago."

Renee put the phone on speaker and dialed the number. "Elder Grey, this is Alpha Renee Hastings. How may I be of assistance to you?"

"I'm sorry to have to do this, Renee, but the National Council has received a complaint about you that requires us to conduct a hearing. It is about the challenge you faced at Red Rock. The complaint states that your Pack member illegally interfered in an Alpha challenge, thus resulting in you forfeiting leadership of your Pack. You are directed to appear at the hearing in 7 days, 8 o'clock in the morning, at our offices in Chicago."

Renee paused. "Why? My old pack doesn't even exist anymore, all of the members joined with Gila pack when I mated with Robert."

"That is true, but the law at the time was clear. Interference from a member of the challenged Pack places you at the mercy of the other Alpha, and he can demand your death in return. He can also take control of Pack assets."

"You were at the challenge, you know that there are no Pack assets to transfer."

"We checked into it, but the Pack assets were only to be liquidated and split per your will upon your death. If it determined you forfeited the challenge, the transfer would occur before your death. He could take everything."

Robert interrupted, his eyes going amber as he fought his wolf with the threat to his mate. "That's ridiculous, Stanley Diggs was killed raping one of my Pack members. Even so, the next Pack Alpha or next of kin would have to make the challenge. I'm pretty sure Alpha Blake of the Crested Butte Pack doesn't want this, and Stanley wasn't mated. Who brought the challenge?"

"Alpha Marcus Diggs of the Reno pack. Stanley's younger brother."

El Paso Pack Alpha Office
Texas

Daria stood quietly next to Joe as they waited for permission to enter their Alpha's office. She nervously fingered the temporary mark on her neck where Joe's teeth had left impressions. Last night had been amazing, she thought. She couldn't wait to be his in every way. Alpha Merino called them in and they walked up to his desk.

"Good morning Daria, Joe. From the mark and your scents I bet I know why you are here." Daria blushed and kept her eyes on the desk, she had been told not to look an Alpha in the eyes and was nervous of screwing something up.

Joe spoke first. "Yes, my Alpha, Daria has accepted me as her mate and I am requesting permission to change her, mate her and make her a member of this Pack." He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Their Alpha got up and came around the desk in front of them. "I would be honored to have you as a part of my Pack, Daria. You have my blessing and my permission. You still need permission from a human judge, though. Joe, you have to hold your wolf back until this is received."

"Yes, Alpha, we have a court date late this afternoon. I'm assured it is only a formality."

"Very good, then. Joe, take one of our Jeeps and show Daria around. It won't hurt to let her see our Pack lands and meet more people before you have to be in court. Once you have the court order, you may use the cabin up on Crooked Lake for your mating." He smiled at Daria and took her other hand. "The cabin is remote and you won't be disturbed. Stay as long as you wish, and I will see you when you get back. I think you will be a beautiful in wolf form, Daria. I'm looking forward to the next Pack run with you both."

Daria loved being out in the Jeep. The open top, the wind in her hair, and the scenery of the large Pack territory had her in a good mood. Joe had packed a picnic lunch for them, and out in the western stretches they found a nice spot on top of a mesa, looking down at the valley below. When Joe parked and came around to get her with the basket in hand, she jumped into his arms and kissed him passionately. "Beautiful spot you have here."

"Not as beautiful as you."

She smacked his arm. "Does that line really work? So corny."

He guided her to the blanket and sat down, pulling her into his lap. "So true. You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Daria, because you are the one Luna made just for me. While you live I will want no other, and when you are gone I will have no reason to live." He cupped her face gently and brought his lips to hers. The kiss started out gentle, his lips brushing hers, his tongue flicking through to trace hers. Gentle only lasted until she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into her, allowing him to plunder the depths of her mouth as their tongues swirled around each other. The kiss went on until both were breathless, and she sat back and looked with love and lust into his eyes.

Her hands moved down his chest and to his side before gripping his T-shirt and pulling it off of him. He returned the favor with her shirt and bra, exposing her brown breasts with dark nipples already erect with the excitement of it all. She shifted in his lap, straddling him as her legs wrapped around his torso and pulled him close. Their frantic kisses were now met with the movement of their hands on each other, she moving them over his strong back and shoulders while he kept one on her back and the other on a breast, alternating hands as he ramped her desire up even higher. She screamed when he bent down and sucked hard on the nipple his thumb and forefinger had been teasing, her orgasm hitting without warning. He held her tight as he kept licking it before shifting to the other side; he could smell her desire for him as she moved her hips, her wet sex dry humping his shaft as she came down from it.

Joe leaned forward, laying her gently on the blanket as he continued to nip and lick at her nipples. Her hands were in his hair as he went back and forth. He looked up at her and saw the desire in her eyes, and with his tongue he worked his way down her belly while his fingers unsnapped her jean shorts. As he pulled off her shorts and panties gently, he nuzzled at the black hair covering her sex until his nose was working its way between her lips. He tossed the clothes to the side and buried his face in her. "JOE! Oh god Joe don't stop..."

"I could stay here forever, love." He used his long tongue to lick up and down, teasing her lips as the blood flowed into them, opening her like a flower. He loved the smell and taste of his mate, and he was intent to show her how great making love could be after all the bad she had endured. She pulled her legs up and let her knees fall to the side to give him more room to work. When her hands went to his head, he stopped and looked up. "Daria, let me take care of down here. I want those hands on those magnificent tits of yours. Rub them and tease them as I do my part." He immediately buried his face again, his tongue spearing deep within her. She cupped both her breasts with her hands, her nipples were still very sensitive so she gently stroked herself. It felt like they were directly connected to her swollen clit, and soon she was over the edge again. She pushed up with her back and feet as the feeling became too intense, but Joe wasn't letting go. He used his face and hands to hold her in place while he licked her through her strong orgasm. Only when she collapsed back to the blanket did he stop and look up at her.

She was magnificent. The sweat beaded on her naked body, her chest heaving from the exertion. Her face was kind of blank, like he'd licked her into oblivion, which he admitted he had. He moved up on his hands and knees until he was above her, and waited for her eyes to open. When they did, she smiled and pulled his head down for another kiss. Looking into his eyes, she begged him. "Joe, baby, I need you to make love to me. I need you to fuck the bad memories out of me and replace them with memories of you alone."

Joe kissed her. "Daria, I could never fuck you. People who aren't mates fuck. I will make love to you. I will make love to you so well you won't be able to tell where your body ends and mine begins. And after we are mated, I will show you pleasure we both only dream about." He quickly removed his shorts and boxers and set them aside. He guided his hard shaft to her wet sex as she wrapped her legs around him. They both moaned as he slowly moved his length deep into her, and she went off like a firecracker when he pressed up against her cervix. He gently stroked through it, the whole time kissing her face and lips until she had control again. When she started moving with him, he slowly built up the pace until their hips were slamming together. The smack of flesh and the squishy sounds of her wet sex filled their ears as they built to a creshendo. "DARIA!!!" Joe slammed home one more time then held her ass tight to him, his legs starting to spasm as his come rocketed out and deep into his mate's womb.

"JOE!!" Daria's eyes went back in her head as her orgasm hit her like a freight train. She screamed in pleasure as his hot come painted her insides. When both had come down from their highs, Joe rolled them over until she was lying on top of him, still joined by his shaft as their fluids slowly leaked out.

"By Luna, I love you so much." Joe rubbed a hand up and down her back, gently tracing her spine with his fingers as she tried to get her breath back. The just held each other and listened to the songbirds in the nearby shrubs. "I will do that to you forever if you let me."

Daria pushed herself up a little so she could see him. "And I will let you." Just then her stomach growled loudly and she busted out laughing. "After lunch." She got up, leaving a pool of fluids dripping onto his groin and the blanket.

"There are some wet wipes in the glove compartment, love. We can clean up and dress then eat. I think I brought enough."

Daria pulled her T-shirt on, then her sandals. Her petite ass was just barely visible below the shirt when her hips swayed, a fact she took advantage of as she walked away. She pulled out the wet wipes and cleaned herself up, then grabbed a couple for him. She had just turned around when she froze and looked down into the valley. "Who the fuck are those guys?"

Joe sat up just in time to see the high powered rifle bullet hit her in the face. Blood and brain sprayed out the exit hole and coated the ground and the jeep with gore. Bonelessly, she dropped to the ground.