The alpha 10, p.26
The Alpha 10, page 26
Especially because Carlo Abella had turned up in British Columbia yesterday. This made me even more confident that Myles Beck and his lackeys had a plan in mind. I knew that anyway, particularly because of his secret trip planned in Oregon next week, but those theories were confirmed when the other alphas in his little posse began to show up.
No one had come in contact with the final alpha in his group, Romeo Bell yet, so I was curious when and where he might turn up. If the SDD knew my entire pack had come together in Oregon, which they probably did due to their little spies, then maybe Romeo would turn up here? Or was that too much of a risk for him to take?
It was hard to know what was going to happen, or when it would happen, but that was why I’d sent my ravens to California in the first place.
“Oh, Hailey,” I said as a sudden thought came to mind. “Could you get your laptop for me? I just want to go over the notes we’ve taken so far.”
“Of course,” she replied as she stood up from the table. “I need to update it anyway, so this is the perfect time.”
We sat in silence as we waited for Hailey to return, and Nikita chose that time to select a pear from the fruit bowl. The sound of her teeth tearing through the flesh of the fruit was the only noise in the room.
“Here we go,” Hailey announced as she retook her seat. “Shall we go over everything we’ve written down already? Or just focus on names first?”
“Let’s do names first,” I replied. “I want to make sure we have everything stored on that file, and then we can piece the notes together.”
I also have the information from Rachel to include, I added silently. Plus, Kinley was able to get department photos from the Manhattan office, so we can put faces to names.
Did you send the pictures to the betas? Nikita asked as she took a second bite from her pear.
I have, yes. I nodded as I brought out my phone and sent the pictures to Hailey’s email. Ramiro and Farrah were able to confirm that it was definitely Sebastian Rush and Carlo Abella who turned up at the houses.
So they didn’t use fake names, or try to disguise themselves at all? Azalea frowned. It seems a bit risky for them to show up without any sort of disguise.
I was thinking the same thing. Arielle nodded. They don’t seem to be hiding anything at all. No fake names, no anosmiacs… It’s very strange.
They must have no idea you’re on to them. Benji shrugged. They probably don’t even know that you were made aware of these other alphas in the first place. This just shows you’re keeping that upper hand in tact, bro.
You’re getting pretty good at these theories. I smirked.
I’m not just a pretty face. Benji stroked his cheek and chin.
“It would be so easy for me to make a joke about that…” Blair held a fist against her lips. “But I’m going to refrain from saying anything.”
“Thanks,” Benji snorted.
But if you’re right, Benji, and they have no idea, then that’s a great thing for us, I said. It also means Hazel and Rachel are safe, especially if Myles doesn’t have a clue that we’ve got access to SDD files…
Let’s keep it that way, Arielle replied. We can’t risk anyone finding out that we have Hazel and Rachel on our side, or this Kinley woman, for that matter.
Which is exactly why we’re having these silent conversations. I nodded.
Our discussion was briefly paused as Aunt Eva returned from her run. She had a large smile on her face, and sure, that could have been because she was full of adrenaline. But I had a feeling it was more because of her running partner.
“It looks like I’ve arrived home just in time,” she said as she took the final seat at the table. “I hope I haven’t missed anything important.”
“Not at all,” I replied with a smile. “We were just about to get down to business.”
Then I’ve definitely come home at the right time, Aunt Eva laughed. So, what have we got so far?
Well… Hailey paused to turn her laptop around for us to see it. I’ve included the department photos next to the names. No one’s seen Romeo Bell yet, but his picture is there anyway.
The photo of Romeo was only from the shoulders up, so I couldn’t make out his frame. But going by how broad his shoulders were, I assumed he wasn’t going to be small and lanky. His gray, deep-set eyes held very little emotion, and his short brown hair looked almost curly. He wasn’t smiling in the picture, but the photo just gave me the impression that he probably wasn’t an overly smiley person. His forehead was covered in wrinkles, almost like he had constant frown lines.
But as I looked at the three photos in more detail, I noticed some similarities between all three of them.
Sebastian, Romeo, and Carlo were all expressionless in their photos, like they were using the headshots for a passport. They all appeared to have very broad shoulders, and they looked like they’d be pretty beefed-up if I met them in person. They were alphas, so it made sense for them to be muscular, but they almost reminded me of someone you’d see manning the doors of a nightclub, or following celebrities from one building to another.
They looked like bodyguards, and the distinct build brought something to mind.
Oh, fuck, I groaned as realization hit me.
Jesse? What is it? Benji asked.
I motioned toward the laptop. Imagine them in a black suit, maybe driving some big black cars…
I can see that, yeah. Blair nodded.
You wouldn’t want to mess with them, that’s for sure, Nikita snickered.
Where are you going with this? Aunt Eva asked.
We haven’t spotted Romeo Bell anywhere, right? I asked rhetorically. Sebastian was in Washington, Carlo was in British Columbia…
Uh-huh… Arielle frowned.
What if we have seen Romeo? I paused to sigh. What if he was one of the guys who threatened Mordaine?
Oh, shit! Hailey gasped. You might be right!
Then I call shotgun on that fucker, Benji growled. He’s at the top of my shit list now. He can’t mess with Mordaine and get away with it.
Well, we don’t know if he was a part of that group at the cottage yet, Aunt Eva said softly. Let’s not jump to conclusions.
But think about it. I picked up my empty coffee mug to do something with my hands. Myles Beck has his men doing his dirty work for him, that much is clear to see. And yeah, Maybe Romeo hasn’t been given his mission yet, so maybe we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. But threatening my lawyer, and blackmailing him into stepping down, sounds like an important mission, right? Probably something that Myles would want his alpha buddies to handle.
Also, the bald eagles are still watching those men in their suburban homes, and they haven’t seen anyone leave yet, Arielle spoke up. Myles might want some of his men to be closer to you, Jesse. Perhaps to spy on you, or just to be there in case anything happens. So it makes sense that Romeo could be a part of that group who are currently residing in the city for seemingly no reason…
And it makes sense that some of the men were on the road while the others were tormenting Mordaine, Benji replied. If one member of the group is an alpha, and they’re already sneaking into dangerous territory, then the alpha would probably want his betas to keep an eye on the road. He’d need his bodyguards around.
You’re right. Aunt Eva nodded. He’d want them to watch his back.
What were the descriptions Mordaine gave us again? Hailey asked as she turned her laptop back around to face her. Was it that one man had the bushiest beard he’d ever seen, and another had a scar under his eye?
Yeah. I nodded. I think he said the guy had a scar beneath his left eye.
Hmm… the werewolf mumbled. Romeo doesn’t have a beard or a scar in this picture, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t at the cottage. We can’t rule him out because of that.
Yeah, that picture could have been taken years ago. Azalea shrugged. Maybe before he grew a beard or got that scar. Romeo might have taken a step back and ordered his beta captains to apply the pressure, but I’m not sure about that.
I think the best person to answer this is Mordaine, I said as I located my phone. Apart from the bald eagles, he’s the only person who’s gotten a good look at these men.
As I searched for Arthur’s number, I thought about how I was going to ask this man for confirmation. Part of me was tempted to invite him over to the cabin, and then I’d show him the picture of Romeo to see if he’d recognize him. However, because Arthur wasn’t a part of our mental connection, I’d have to talk to him out loud anyway, so I couldn’t have the conversation in private.
But because Mordaine wasn’t the best when it came to technology, I just hoped he was able to receive the pictures without too much trouble.
My avian lawyer answered the call a few seconds later. “Hello?”
“Arthur, it’s Jesse,” I replied.
“Oh, Jesse, my boy!” he said cheerfully. “How are you?”
“I’m alright, thanks.” I smiled. “But I was wondering if I could ask you to do something for me?”
“Of course!” he said. “You know, I’ve just come inside, so this is perfect timing. I was having such fun beside the pool, but the sun had started to shine, so I wanted to protect my feathers. You know what I mean.”
“Sure,” I laughed.
“Well, maybe you don’t,” he chuckled. “You don’t have feathers, after all. But I digress! What is it you need me to do for you, my boy?”
“I want to show you something,” I replied. “Do you have your laptop near you?”
“I…” Mordaine paused for a second. “Now, where did I put it? Aah, yes, I’ve found it! It was hiding under my pile of books, silly old me! My mother always told me to keep books in a bookshelf, unless you’re in the process of reading them. I am, in fact, in the process of reading them, but that’s beside the point right now.”
“That’s great, Arthur,” I snickered. “Is the laptop turned on?”
“It will be in two shakes of a lamb’s tail,” he said. “Do I have time to make my eleven o’clock tea while I wait for this to start up?”
“Sure.” I nodded
For the next few minutes, Arthur told me a thrilling story about the tea he was in the process of brewing. Apparently it was a rare one from Singapore, and it took him a while to get his hands on it, but now that he had some, he was over the moon. He told me all about the bold taste, and the other flavor qualities that came with the tea.
I really wanted to tell him that this call was important, but I didn’t have the heart to say anything. Arthur Mordaine was potentially the sweetest man I’d ever come across, so I would have felt like a dick if I’d told him to hurry up.
Fortunately, once the Singapore tea was ready, Mordaine returned to his laptop, and we were able to get back to the conversation.
“Okay, I need you to go into your emails,” I explained as I sent him the picture of Romeo Bell. “You’ll see that I’ve just sent you one.”
“Mhmm…” he mumbled.
I heard Mordaine hitting the keyboard keys fairly hard– harder than necessary– so at least I knew he was in the process of doing something besides sipping his tea.
“What was my password again…?” he asked himself. “Yes, yes, that’s the one. Right, I’m in!”
“Perfect,” I said as I sat back in my chair. “Can you see the email I just sent you?”
“I can,” he replied. “The one without a subject, right?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I didn’t see the need to include a subject, because the email is pretty self-explanatory.”
“I’ll let you off this one time,” Mordaine chuckled. “But when you’re wanting to email an old soul like me, you should always include a subject title. How would I know what the email is about?”
“You’re right.” I nodded. “I’ll make sure to do that next time. Now, you’ll see that I’ve attached a photo in the email. Can you look at that photo and tell me if you recognize that person?”
Mordaine mumbled some more as he opened up the attachment, and he was silent for a couple of seconds after that.
“Oh, my!” he suddenly gasped. “Yes, yes, indeed! I know exactly who this man is.”
“Is it someone who delivered the warning last week?” I asked.
“It most certainly is!” Mordaine huffed. “This man now has a scar under his eye, but he was the one who knocked over the picture of my mother! The bastard.”
The entire table was stunned into silence as they all overheard Mordaine’s interesting choice of words.
“A bastard?” I chuckled. “Damn, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak like that before.”
“I know, I’m extremely foul for saying something like that,” he muttered. “I’ll need to say my Hail Marys after this. But that’s the only word that fits. Anyone who knocks over a picture of my mother with such disrespect is a bastard in my eyes.”
“You’re not wrong, Mordaine, he’s definitely a bastard,” I agreed. “But thank you for confirming that for me, it was exactly what I needed.”
Fortunately, Mordaine didn’t ask for more information on the man in question, and instead I was able to distract him by telling him to enjoy his Singapore tea and a good book. I didn’t want to say too much about Romeo Bell on the phone, and I’d have to wait until later before I told Mordaine more about it.
There you go, that confirms it, Benji said as I ended the call. We have spotted all three alphas, and they’ve all had a different part to play in this mess.
But what I don’t understand is Romeo’s location, Hailey replied. It says here on my file that his territory is in Maine and Vermont, so it’s making me think that the houses he and the men are currently residing in don’t actually belong to them. Especially when your territory covers the city, Jesse.
Maybe that’s why the bald eagles haven’t spotted the men doing anything. I shrugged. Myles probably told Romeo to make himself comfortable with some of his betas. They rented out the suburban houses, and then they just have to sit there and wait until they’re needed again.
If that’s the case, then it’s a good thing the bald eagles are still keeping watch, Arielle replied. After a week of doing nothing, it’ll be strange if the men suddenly jump into their cars, so we’ll need to know as soon as that happens. If that happens.
It’ll probably happen. Nikita nodded as she selected a second pear. They’re situated in Oregon, and Myles Beck has planned to return, so they’ll definitely do something soon.
I’ll make sure to inform the bald eagles of this new discovery, I said as I typed out the message on my phone. Maybe they’ll spot something new, now that they know Romeo is an alpha.
My omegas then took some time to clear the table, and I focused on looking over Hailey’s file.
We’d added a shitload of names to that document, and I hoped we didn’t have to add more. Some of the columns were loaded with the information I’d received from Rachel MacMillan, but there were some columns that were practically empty.
I needed to find out more about Scott Williamson, the werecat alpha from Eugene, and the information I did have was the limited list I’d received from his previous captain, Harrison. At least I had the resources now, so I could go to Rachel, or Kinley, to ask for details about Scott.
But everything now seemed to be up to date, so at least we hadn’t forgotten to add anything.
However, it was as I was scanning through the file that my phone began to ring, and Jonah’s name was displayed on the screen.
“Hi, Jonah,” I said.
“Jesse, hey,” the raven replied. “I just thought it was best to tell you about the conversation we just overheard.”
“Absolutely,” I said with a nod. “What did you hear?”
“Well, it wasn’t much, they were in an area of the city that was way too open for us to swoop in without being too obvious… but Myles was talking to some of the men he’s hanging around with about ‘the werewolf,’” Jonah explained. “He never said any names we could catch, but we’re pretty confident they’re talking about you.”
“I’d assume so.” I nodded.
“He also said ‘the hyped-up, entitled puppy who’s trying to play in the big leagues,’” Jonah chuckled. “So I’d say Myles sees you as weak, or someone who doesn’t quite know what they’re doing.”
“Perfect.” I smirked. “Sounds like he has no idea what he’s getting himself into. But that might be an act.”
“Yes, maybe,” the raven replied. “Speaking of the men he’s hanging around with, we’re still trying to figure out whether they’re shifters or not. Some of us think they are shifters, others think they’re human, but we’re keeping tabs on them.”
“That’s great, thanks.” I smiled. “And what about this Caitlin woman? Have you seen her?”
“We have…” I could practically hear the smirk in Jonah’s tone. “Let me tell you, Alpha, she might be pushing forty, but holy shit, she doesn’t look it.”
“Continue,” I chuckled.
“I don’t mean to be crass…” Jonah snickered. “But even for a werefox, she’s pretty fucking foxy, that’s all I’m saying. And we can already tell that this asshole doesn’t appreciate a good thing when he’s got it. He’s for damn sure taking her for granted. We watched them going into an office together, and she was smiling and holding his hand. They looked like they were seriously in love. But that all changed when they left. Her smile dropped fucking instantly, she let go of his hand, and then plodded behind him like she didn’t want to be there, like… at all.”
“Huh…” I frowned. “Maybe that’s what Rachel meant when she said she thought their relationship was a bit strange?”
“Possibly,” Jonah replied. “To be honest, we haven’t seen much, so maybe she’s just having a bad day. But it still stood out to us as being a bit strange, behavior-wise.”
“Maybe…” I sighed. “But my omegas never behave like that with me. Make sure to keep watching their interactions, just in case it does change.”
