Between the Were Wars Ch. 06

Two things happened. Caleb screamed, dropping and writhing on the ground. And Joe released the bucket of rocks from the excavator that was located ten feet above her. The sound of the machine spurred her into action, she scrambled out of the hole only to be knocked to the ground when a large rock hit her shoulder. She screamed as the remaining rocks crashed over her, trapping both her legs below a pile of rocks. The money and the remote flew forward as her hands went over her head to protect it.

A few seconds later, the dust had cleared and a man was jumping out of the excavator. She clenched her teeth with the pain, looking back she could see rocks covering both legs up to her knees. She pushed her way up to her hands, frantically trying to free them, but they wouldn't budge. She was still trying when the man came up to her.

Joe looked her over, not saying a thing as he removed her identification from her pocket and her compact Glock from its holster in the small of her back. As he looked at her photo, a feeling of dread came over her. He tossed it aside. "Well, lady, as that Irishman said in Braveheart... the Lord told me I would see it through this day, but I'm pretty sure you're fucked." He picked up the remote and the packet of cash then walked over to where Caleb was trying to sit up. He removed the collar from his neck then helped him shakily to her feet.

"Thank you for saving me." Caleb held out his hand and Joe shook it before pulling him into a hug. "I'm sorry about this, my mate was... she was..."

"No more needs to be said, Caleb. I know what it felt like, to do anything for my mate's safety." Joe walked away and placed the collar around the unknown man's neck. He pressed the button, and the man immediately fell screaming to the ground, writhing in his handcuffs. "Anyone know who this asshole is yet?"

Enrique looked over at Kim, she shook her head. Her eyes hadn't left Caleb, she knew where the threat was and he was the one to worry about. "We'll take him to the cells, sooner or later he'll talk. On Pack lands, no one can stop us from doing what we need to do." He could see Kim's expression as he said that, he could see she was terrified. "I think we kick the construction workers before we do anything else."

Joe walked over to the men, taking their wallets out he kept their driver's licenses before handing them back. "Just so you know, we know where you live. Forget anything you saw here and keep your mouths shut. If you don't, we'll find you and your families." He used a small penknife one of the men had to open the pouch. Reaching in, he grabbed twenty $10,000 bundles of hundred dollar bills. "This is in exchange for keeping quiet and for the excavator you're leaving here. Unhook the trailer and go." The men scrambled to comply, in minutes the dump truck was rolling down the trail and they were alone.

Caleb had moved over to the Suburban and had Maria in his lap, stroking her face as he held her tight to his chest. She hadn't woken up yet, but she was all right physically. Mentally, he would have to see. It was all too much, and it was all because of the woman out there who used her to get to him.

Joe walked up with the half bundle of cash and the penknife still in his hands. "Caleb, revenge is yours. What do you want to do with her?"

Caleb gently laid his mate down on the bench seat, placing a pillow under her head. He grabbed the money and the knife and walked over towards the rock pile and Kim. He folded the end of the bag over and tucked it under a small rock where she could see it. He tossed the penknife where she could reach it. "The way I see it, you can stay here and die of exposure, the days are hot and the nights are cold. You can cut your throat and make it quick. Or, you can cut yourself free and hope you can make it to help before you bleed out. If you cut under your kneecap after you put a tourniquet on it would be best. Frankly, I don't give a fuck what you do anymore."

Kim looked at his retreating form and started to scream. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I'M A FEDERAL OFFICER! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!"

The men ignored her, moving the prisoner to the Suburban and loading up. They could hear her screams as they drove away, leaving her to her fate. Whether it was short and cowardly, or long and painful, the bitch was going to die.

Gila Pack House Driveway

New Mexico

Renee's wheelchair was pushed into the driveway by Derek, as the Pack members moved out of hiding to join their Alphas to see justice done. It had taken an hour to clear everyone who hadn't surrendered out, and in the end only a dozen had been taken alive. Only one of those was an Alpha.

Marcus Diggs kneeled on the concrete driveway, glaring at the three Alphas before him. He had tried to fight his way out, but one of the Johnson Betas buttstroked him with his rifle and knocked his wolf out. The other men who had been captured awaited their own fates, hoping for a clean and quick death. Most of them were wounded from the fight and some looked like they were half dead already. The silver and wolfsbane bullets used held back the normal speed of wolf healing and slowly poisoned them.

Renee waited until the Pack members were in place around them before her strong voice projected to them all. "These men have attacked our territory without provocation and without declaration. Under Werewolf law as approved this year, judgment is left to me and me alone. The Council has been informed of what occurred here today and will take responsibility for the affected Packs until new Alphas are designated." She looked at each of the Betas. "You had the opportunity to surrender and chose not to. Your loyalty to men such as this has led to your end. May Luna have mercy on your souls." Eleven men stepped forward, at a signal each fired a bullet through the head of the man in front of them. The bodies hit the ground, leaving only one Alpha behind.

Renee looked over at Marcus with disdain. "Marcus, you planned this attack and coordinated everything. Your sentence is death, but not from me. Your death will come at the hands of this man you have wronged." The crowd parted, and when Marcus looked over he saw four men, one carrying a woman in his arms, striding towards him. The one that didn't stop with the crowd was focused solely on him, and his eyes burned with hatred.

Joe walked forward, a silver knife in his hand. Walking up to the shackled Alpha, he grabbed his hair with his left hand and tilted his head back so he could look into his eyes. "You gave the order to kill my mate when you tried to steal drugs from my Pack lands. Daria was young and innocent and still human, but your men killed her just because she saw you. Now I will the the thing you see as you die." Swiping his right arm, the knife sliced through Marcus' neck cleanly. Blood sprayed from the severed artery and choked him as he tried to breathe, but Joe held his head in place and stared into his eyes until they went dark and his body slumped out of his grip. He wiped the blade on a clean spot on the dead man's clothing.

Joe turned back to the three Alphas and knelt before Renee. "Thank you, Alpha Hastings, for giving me the revenge I sought. I can now be with my beloved." He turned the knife inward, poised against his chest, when a touch on his head stilled him.

"Joe, I need one thing from you in return." She cupped his face as he looked up.

"Anything you ask, I shall do for you."

"Then live." He looked down, the pain on his face warring with the shock of what she had said. "I know exactly what you are going through. I would have done the same if I hadn't become pregnant. You think your life is over, that your one chance for happiness is gone, but I can tell you it is not. Luna works in ways we do not understand, and my life is an example. I found a second mate, I gained a family, I found happiness again. I need you to be strong, to push through the pain of your loss and see what Luna has for you next. I will help you, your Alpha and your Pack will help you. You are not alone."

"I will do as you wish." He broke down, leaning into her he sobbed on her shoulder as she hugged him tight.

Derek looked at the men who had switched allegiance during the fight. "Gather your former pack members' bodies. Return these men to their families. You may bring your families back if you wish. You have a week to return."

Gila Pack Alpha Conference Room

New Mexico

Two days later, the conference room was filled with the three Alphas and their top Betas to hear the updates on their prisoner. Enrique entered the room and hooked up his computer to the projector. "Once our facial recognition program identified him, I was able to mine the databases and get all the information on CIA Director of Central American Operations Vincent Balducci. Once he found out we knew about him, we were able to get him to confess to his crimes."

"Like what crimes?" Renee looked at Enrique from her wheelchair.

"It's against the law for the CIA to operate domestically, but that is not uncommon in my experience. What will get him in trouble is the stuff he did that was off the books. The CIA working with the drug cartels to weaken another would be defensibly, but he was using the Cartel as a money making venture. They kept most of the money in 'black' accounts to fund operations outside Congressional oversight, and he kept a cut for himself. He had over two hundred million in numbered accounts overseas. Accounts that are now under our control, by the way. It's amazing what a shock collar can do for motivation."

"So we have proof of all this?" Derek looked over, already thinking long term.

"Yes, we have his confessions on videotape, and I've been able to gather enough documentation to back up his stories to give us leverage with the Feds. We will need it, we still have a missing CIA executive, a DEA director, and problems with the FBI and the Justice department. That doesn't even mention the Alpha and our Pack members still in prison. We can negotiate, and I've put together enough to get the government to give us whatever we want." He smiled, he was in his element.

William looked over. "Just how explosive is this evidence you have?"

Enrique sat up smiling. "Explosive enough to get the Statue of Liberty to bend over and offer up her ass just to keep it out of the press."

When the laughter died down, William turned and faced his Alpha. "Renee, I've got some ideas..."

White House

Washington, DC

A week later, William Post was being escorted by the Secret Service to the office of the White House Counsel. The package sent to her had created a panic never seen in her time in Washington, and the President wanted it taken care of an NOW. Among the items in the package were videotapes of a CIA Director describing the support of drug cartels, targeted assassinations of Mexican politicians and law enforcement officials, and blackmail or bribery of senior members of the DEA and Customs. They had become their own powerful cartel. Exposure would be disastrous.

Lisa Giovanni met him at the door and motioned for him to have a seat as she returned to her desk. "We received your package, now I need to know what you want in order to keep this information away from the press."

William sat straight and proud as he pulled an agreement out of his briefcase. "As stated in the package we sent, the material is being held in button-down mode until we receive an agreement. At that time, we will turn over all copies of the material. The originals will not be turned over, but it will be stipulated that if we release anything without default on your side, the agreement is voided."

"So what are you asking for?"

"Obviously, the charges against my Alpha and our Pack members are dropped. The entire Pack gets a Presidential pardon for any activities that may have been illegal up to this date, the complete list of members is enclosed. This pardon includes the death of Agent Kim Corrigan, which shouldn't be a concern to you since she was previously a Cartel plant. We will turn over Director Balducci to you if you desire, or you can leave him with us and he will be executed for his attack on our Pack."

Lisa sat back, it would be quicker and cleaner to let the Pack take care of it. The CIA was under massive pressure from other government agencies already.

"You take him. Anything else?"

"The Pack captured a large quantity of cash, jewelry, bearer bonds and gold during the war with the Soccorro cartel. We've also taken $221.4 million dollars out of offshore accounts Director Balducci set up for himself. We want to bring this money into legal status in this country without penalty or taxation. We will deposit it via the Federal Reserve and you will transfer the amount into our Pack accounts. Any immediate transfers of this money to other Packs or the Pack council will also be without taxation and legal for a period of 30 days after initial deposit."

Lisa's mouth dropped before she recovered. "Just how much money are we talking about from the Cartel?"

"Roughly eight hundred million in cash, total value pushing a billion. We haven't had time to count it yet. Don't worry, it's all money that was headed out of the country until we took it, and our Packs will keep it in country. It will stimulate the local economies around our Packs and create a number of jobs with service and construction. That is it. Sign the agreement, we each go on our way, and no one knows about any of corruption, secret prisons, or other crap that the CIA has been pulling under your noses." He handed her the sheaf of papers.

"I have to get the President's approval and look these papers over, but I don't see any barriers to an agreement. I appreciate your discretion in bringing this information to me instead of the press." Lisa stood and held her hand out for William's firm handshake. "Although I hope we never have to see each other again."

William smiled. "I never thought I'd be doing this right now, but that is how Luna works. I'll be at the Hilton, give me a call when you are done and we will execute the agreement."

Lisa walked him out of the office. "Do you have plans for your time here? I could help you out with dining, sporting events, tours...whatever you need to make your stay more pleasurable."

"Thank you, but no. I'm newly mated, my wife is here and she's going into heat soon. I've got plenty to do. My regards to the President."

He walked out the door. "Nothing personal. This was strictly business."