Part Forty-Nine

I was busy working in the office when my phone pinged with an incoming text. For the past week I had been trying to ignore the nightmares. I would dream of Damon being tortured and executed and my dreams were probably worse than what they actually did to him.

I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling though that I was missing something. I was still angry over his execution but my hands were cut off, there was literally nothing I could do. Damon had contacted the Council and gone in to see them on his own.

Connor and Jett only realized what was happening after Damon had arrived in New York. He had struck a deal with Chester and given the Alpha command to Connor and Jett that they weren’t allowed to contact me before everything was done.

The official report I received stated that Damon had pled guilty to waging war with the Hastings pack without lodging the claim with the Council. He had taken full responsibility as the Alpha of the clowder and punishments for Enforcers were always worse than for anyone else. We were the keepers of the law and they had made an example out of him.

Unknown: Damon Woods’s execution was not the agreement. He was murdered, not executed. The original agreement is in Chester Greenfield’s safe at his house.

I reread that text message again as bloodlust suddenly filled me. The anger boiling up once again as I read those words ‘murdered, not executed’. I had no idea who the sender was but I would find that agreement.

“Griff, are you okay?” Sierra asked me.

I hadn’t even heard her open the door or step into the office. I closed the message and put my phone face down on the table as I looked at her and plastered a smile on my face. For some reason I didn’t want to share this with anyone, not even her.

“Sure, what’s up?” I asked her.

“What’s up?” she questioned me.

“Sorry, work,” I said and closed my laptop as well.

“I said dinner’s ready,” she said as she still looked at me oddly.

“Thanks, I’m starving,” I said and stood up.

Jett and Sierra both remarked on my behaviour during dinner and I tried to make small talk with them and listen to the conversation around the table. Jett had invited Tanith to dinner and the whole point was to get to know her.

“How does your parents feel about this bond now?” I asked her.

“My mother’s a firm believer, my father’s slightly pissed off at Jett,” Tanith said and stared blankly at him.

“I apologized, what more do I need to do?” he asked her.

“My sister hates you though,” she said and shrugged as Jett sighed.

“She’ll feel differently once she meets her own bonded half,” Sierra said.

“I hope so, it’s weird right now, I saw them together as a couple for a few months and now he wants to hold my hand,” she said.

“At least he’s trying,” I said.

“True, but at times I do have to wonder about this whole bond thing,” she said.

“What? Why?” Jett asked her slightly raising his voice.

“You’re loud and inappropriate and you do weird stuff all the time, I mean you spied on your Alpha,” she said and I laughed suddenly.

“You still got dinner out of it,” he said.

“She’s right though Jett, you are weird,” Sierra said and he gasped as he looked at her.

“I’m not weird,” he said.

“No you’re just special Jett,” I said and he grinned at me.

“That wasn’t a compliment,” Tanith said and we all laughed.

“You guys do realize I have feelings right,” Jett said.

“We still love you Jett,” Sierra said.

“Except Kane though, he doesn’t love you,” I said.

“Kane doesn’t love anyone,” he said.

“He loves me,” Sierra said as I smiled.

“Okay, fine, stop picking on me though, who’s going to stroke my hair until I fall asleep tonight when I’m done crying my eyes out?” he asked.

“Tanith,” Sierra and I said in unison.

“Why me?” she asked.

“Why not you?” Jett asked, “you’re supposed to be my bonded half, love me no matter what.”

“Just because we’re bonded doesn’t make me automatically love you, but you have your sweet moments when I actually do like you,” she said.

“I’ll take it,” Jett said and I smiled at him.

“You’ll be fine Jett, Tanith’s a good match for you, I’m buying her a taser,” Sierra said.

“Shit no, please, tasers hurt,” he said and I nodded my head in confirmation.

“Why a taser?” Tanith asked.

“It’s like a family tradition, the women get tasers so these animals behave,” Sierra said.

“I love it!” Tanith said as Jett groaned.

I laid in bed and waited until Sierra was asleep before making my way to the other side of the house. I had converted one of the unused bedrooms into my computer room. I still ran searches on the hunters and watched their activity. As long as there were no unsanctioned hits on the supernatural I would leave them alone.

I pulled up another search program and entered Chester’s details in. I had no idea where he lived but I would soon. I had left Kane sleeping on the bed with Sierra and I knew I had a few hours. I went down to the kitchen to make coffee for myself as the program ran its search.

I liked to work during the early morning hours when everyone was asleep and the house was quiet and dark. It reminded me of being in Greenville and I missed the place. A long time ago I had dreamed of being Alpha and leading the clowder, now I wasn’t so sure that I wanted the responsibility.

“What are you doing?” Kane asked from behind me as I crept back to my computer room.

“Shit Kane, why are you creeping up on me?” I asked him.

“Why are you creeping around?” he asked me.

“I got a text yesterday saying Damon was murdered, not executed. Some agreement that Chester has in his home safe that never included execution,” I said to him.

“When were you going to tell me this?” he growled.

“I just did,” I said to him.

“When do we kill him?” he asked me.

“It’s not that easy Kane, he’s a council member, I need to find that agreement first and see what it says,” I said to him.

“Don’t do anything without me,” he said.

“Do I ever?” I asked him.

“Well the other night you did slam the door in my face,” he said as he walked back into the hallway.

I ignored him and instead focused on the documents popping up on the screen as the search continued running through all the databases for information on Chester Greenfield. He owned a huge ass house in Port Washington, just outside of New York City. His family wasn’t wealthy and I doubted if he could afford that house on a council member salary.

I looked the house up online and just blinked at the price tag. It was almost one point seven million dollars. He had gotten married two years earlier but had no children that anyone knew of. His social media was flooded with pictures of his wife and all their vacations, but no kids.

I looked at the Google Earth image of his house and spotted a parking lot close to his house. I could port there and literally step into his yard. There were no fences around his property and gaining entry shouldn’t be too hard.

I had already looked at the photos of his house online and I knew what it looked like inside. I had seen a decent sized office and I knew the safe would be in there, hidden behind a panel or a painting. Chester wasn’t a genius although he definitely wasn’t stupid, if he kept stuff like that at home it wouldn’t be in a bedroom safe his wife could access.

I would need to go early in the morning and then wait for him to leave for work and watch his wife’s routine. If she was a stay at home wife I was in trouble, I couldn’t get caught in his house even if she had no idea who I was. Going at night wasn’t an option either because I could also be caught.

I hadn’t realized how long I had spent studying the photos of his house and when I snuck back into our room, the sun was just rising over the horizon. I closed my eyes briefly and Sierra started stirring ten minutes later as the sun filtered through.

“Morning,” she said as she turned towards me and snaked her arm around my waist as I lay on my back.

“Hey,” I said and kissed the top of her head.

“You look like you haven’t slept,” she said propping herself up on her elbow.

“Guess I didn’t sleep enough,” I said as I sat up straight and stretched my arms on either side.

“It’s still early, you could sleep a few more hours,” she said.

“No, I have to port to New York for a meeting in a bit,” I said as I stood up.

“I’m meeting with the coordinator today…. for the ceremony,” she said.

“Good, we need to get the ball rolling on that,” I said as I headed to the bathroom to shower.

“Don’t you want to be in the meeting?” she asked following me into the bathroom.

“Why? It’s your ceremony Sierra, it’s about what you want, I’m just happy to show up,” I said.

“I don’t know, just thought maybe you’d like to have some say,” she said.

“I would, but I have to attend these meetings for the next few days,” I said.

“What meetings?” she asked.

“Some legislation to do with the Council, boring stuff mostly but they want some legal input,” I said wondering why the lie came so easy.

“Just as long as you’re in time for dinner,” she said and left the bathroom.

“I will be,” I promised her.

Kane gave me a look when I walked back into the bedroom shaking his head at my lie. He didn’t approve and I wasn’t sure why I didn’t just tell her what I was doing. If I got caught she could deny it all, not knowing was safer for her.