Chapter Eight
Evie never thought of herself as a go-getter, take-charge kinda gal, so she surprised even herself when she came up with a plan.
A quick call confirmed that David Booth was living in New Jersey but was not properly registered with the clan nor did he ask permission from their Alpha, which was a clear violation of several Lycan laws. That meant they could bring him in for questioning and keep him locked up, maybe even get more information from him about The Facility. After getting permission from the Alphas of New Jersey and New York, Frankie and Grant Anderson, they tied up Booth and put him in the back of Connor’s Dodge Ram to bring him back to New York.
Fury blasted through her at what Connor had told her. She could hear the pain in his voice, so she didn’t press on, but she understood enough. Connor had grown up in that place where they trained him to fight for sport. She couldn’t imagine what he went through. In this case, she wondered if the reality was much worse than the horrors in her mind.
Evie rode with Connor in the front cab of the truck, while Selena and Quinn followed them in his Range Rover. The drive was silent and tense, and Evie sighed in relief when she saw the skyline of Manhattan up ahead.
When they arrived at the Fenrir Corporation Building on Madison Avenue, which was also the unofficial headquarters of the New York Clan, there were already several people waiting for them, including the Alpha himself and his Beta. As two of the Alpha’s Lycan security crew took the unconscious Booth to the basement detention levels, they were ushered into the Alpha’s office on the top floor. Killian, Meredith, and Daric were already inside.
Evie had never met Grant Anderson or his Beta, Nick Vrost, but she quickly realized why they held such high positions in the most powerful Lycan clan in the world. Though several of the other Lycans towered over him, Grant exuded a power and confidence like no one else. Nick Vrost, too, commanded respect with his mere presence and his ice-blue eyes that seemed to know and see everything.
“Frankie had to stay home with the twins, but she’s authorized formal charges against David Booth, and the Lycan High Council has been informed,” Grant said, referring to his wife and Alpha of New Jersey. He turned to Connor and Quinn. “Now, care to tell me what you were doing there?”
“It was personal business,” Connor said.
“When you beat up a rogue Lycan in my wife’s territory and then bring him to mine, that makes it my business,” Grant replied. “Now, want to try that again? Or am I going to have to ask you to leave New York?”
Evie tried to keep her mouth shut, but the words came spilling out of her mouth. “That man hurt children! Lycan children.” She gasped when all eyes in the room landed on her. “He deserves worse than what he got from Connor.”
“And you are?” Nick asked, a blond brow raised.
“Uh … E-Evie King,” she stuttered. “I work for Lone Wolf. As their administrative assistant.”
“A human?” Grant said, looking at the two brothers. “You two shifted in front of a human?”
“No, Alpha.” Evie shook her head. “I mean, yes, I’m human. But my mother is Amelia White of the Kansas Clan. It’s why Killian hired me.”
“All right, Evie King.” Grant looked at her with his piercing green eyes. “Connor’s not fond of talking or explaining himself, so why don’t you tell me what happened.”
“No,” Connor interrupted before she could say anything. “Fuck you all; I don’t have to explain myself to any of you.”
“Please, Connor,” Evie said, rubbing her palm on his arm. “It’s all right. You can tell them what you told me.”
“Connor?” Meredith stepped forward. “What’s going on?”
Connor let out a frustrated grunt. His eyes went hard and his mouth set into a grim line. “David Booth … he trained me.”
“Go on,” Evie encouraged.
Connor told her what he told Evie about The Facility and The Cage. The tension was thick as molasses in the room, and even Evie could feel it choking her. Grant and Nick remained stoic, but she could sense the anger radiating from them like waves. Quinn placed a hand protectively over Selena’s belly, and tears rolled down Meredith’s face as she listened to what happened to her brother.
“Could this be connected to the mages?” Nick asked when Connor concluded.
“Maybe. It doesn’t matter,” Grant said. “There may be more Lycans out there who need our help. David Booth will be able to tell us more when he wakes up.”
“Booth is mine,” Connor said. “I’m going to take care of him.”
“You can’t kill him,” Grant replied. “Lycan law—”
“Fuck Lycan law,” Connor shouted, which made Nick stand protectively in front of Grant.
“Stand down, Connor,” Killian said, raising a hand. “Sorry, Alpha.” He nodded to Grant. “We will follow Lycan law.”
“Goddamn you all, I’m going to get—” Connor stopped short.
“You’re not after him, are you?” Nick said. “I mean, you want Booth dead, but you want something else, too.”
“Who else are you after?” Grant paused, then narrowed his eyes. “It’s their ringleader you want. Whoever ran the Facility and took you from your family.”
Connor said nothing, but his silence confirmed it.
Grant let out a sigh. “If The Facility was a training ground run by mages, then you may already be too late. Their leader may be dead or in prison.”
Connor shook his head. “No, he’s still out there.”
“How—You know who he is,” Grant guessed.
He nodded. “He wasn’t at the battle in Norway.”
Grant sighed. “I need you all to step outside while I talk to Nick,” he said.
Everyone filed out of the office and into the waiting room. Evie stayed by Connor’s side, even as he tried to distance himself by walking to the other side of the room. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Connor was probably mad at her. He wouldn’t even look at her.
“Connor,” Meredith called softly as she came closer. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” Her mate, Daric, was behind her, and he and Connor exchanged knowing looks.
His shoulders sagged. “How could you? I never told you. Any of you. Only Archie knew the whole story.”
Meredith stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, her body wracking with sobs. Evie felt her own eyes fill with tears, and she turned away so no one would see her.
The door of the office opened, and Grant and Nick stepped out.
“David Booth will stay here until his trial with the Lycan High Council,” Grant said. “If you can testify and gather evidence, I’m sure we can get him for more than breaking the Constanta Agreement.”
“I’ll testify.”
“And I’m sure we can find the evidence,” Quinn said.
“We’ll do what we can to find it,” Killian added.
“Good,” Grant said with a nod. “Now, their leader. Do you know him or where he is?”
Connor shook his head. “No. He was the one guy who wasn’t on Archie’s list.”
“I bet Booth knows,” Meredith said as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “We can make him talk.”
“We can leverage whatever evidence we find against him,” Killian said. “We’ll get him, Connor.”
“I told you, I don’t need your help.”
“Well, you’ll get it anyway,” Meredith said. “Because we’re family.”
Connor grunted. “Fine. But, if I find him, I want to be the one to bring him in.” Without another word, he stomped away and headed to the elevators.
Evie watched him go with a heavy heart. Each step he took away made her chest feel heavier and heavier, and, when the elevator door closed, she flinched. The last thing she saw was Connor’s face, harder than steel and colder than ice.
An arm landing on her shoulder made her turn her head. Meredith stared at her, her whisky-brown eyes still wet with tears.
“Thank you,” Meredith whispered. “For everything you’ve done.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Evie replied, then her shoulders sagged. “If anything, I made him even more angry.”
The Lycan shook her head. “No, you’ve done more than you know. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have known what was hurting him.”
Evie swallowed the lump in her throat. She wasn’t sure she agreed with Meredith. The look on his face when he walked away would always be etched in her mind.