Chapter Seventeen
Mal watched the girl, torn. She was more wild than woman, her light eyes the same as Cyrus’s. She sat, pressed into the corner, her bowl of chili resting on her knees. While the rest of the pack talked and laughed around the large wooden table, Tess Brown tried to be invisible.
But every once in a while, she’d risk a glance up.
“Done?” Olivia asked, reaching for his bowl.
He took her hand and tugged her down into his lap. “No,” he whispered against her temple. She rested her head on his shoulder, instantly relaxing against him.
“He been like this since you met?” Anders asked Olivia. “Man-handling and bossy?”
Olivia shook her head. “Protective, yes.”
“Is that what we’re calling it?” Dante asked.
“I’d love to do some bloodwork.” Hollis sat at the far end of the table, watching them. “Until now, Finn was the only one to turn someone. I’m curious to see how her make-up will differ or mirror our own.”
Olivia nodded. “I’m fine with that—”
“No,” Mal interrupted. “Not yet.” Not with Ellen and Tess around. He didn’t know if Olivia’s blood held anything that would interest Cyrus, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to put a target on her back.
Hollis stared at Mal. “Why?”
Mal shrugged, looking first at Ellen then Tess. “I can think of a couple of reasons.”
Finn cleared his throat. “We have things to talk about.”
“We?” Anders asked, tossing his napkin onto his plate.
“The pack,” Finn clarified.
Dante rested his elbows on the table. “As long as it gets me out of clean-up duty.” He stood.
“I’ll take care of it,” Olivia offered, sliding from Mal’s lap before he could stop her.
“You’re part of the pack Olivia.” Finn’s announcement caused a slight reaction in the room, something Mal watched with interest.
Jessa, naturally, beamed at her mate.
Anders, Dante, and Hollis accepted Finn’s announcement with grudging acceptance. She was an outsider, Mal got that. But she had a right to be there—and information they’d find interesting.
Ellen stared at her hands, but there was a smile on her lips.
Tess glanced at Finn, confused.
“I’ll get Gentry and Brown to help me,” Jessa said. “Maybe Tess, too.” She glanced at the girl.
Tess smiled at Jessa, making something sharp and jagged settle in Mal’s stomach. He glanced at Ellen again, but she was ignoring him.
Dammit.
He didn’t want to talk to Ellen. She set his teeth on edge, made him hungry for a fight. Asking her questions, acknowledging she might be able to help him in any way, didn’t sit right. But neither did not knowing who the enemy was.
Hell, he refused to leave Jessa alone until both Brown and Gentry were with her. Tess’s response to her father was equally confusing. She treated him no differently than the rest of them, shying away from him, avoiding eye contact. If it was an act, she was good.
“Mal?” Olivia’s fingers threaded through his.
He led her to Finn’s office, pulling the door shut behind them.
“We might have an opportunity to catch Cyrus.” Finn’s statement caused absolute silence.
“We’ve spent the last ten years avoiding him.” Dante shook his head. “Now we’re going on the offensive? We don’t know how many Others there are—where they all are.”
“We don’t need to,” Finn argued. “If he’s out of the picture, they have no Alpha.”
“They have you,” Mal argued.
Finn shook his head. “I’m not aiming to increase my pack. Besides, killing Cyrus might undo all of this.”
“You weren’t made by Cyrus.” Hollis crossed his arms over his chest, rubbing his chin. “His pack might revert. But you exist. We exist. I don’t think that will happen. You would be their Alpha.”
“Back up.” Anders held up his hand. “Alpha or no, I’m all for killing the son of a bitch. How are we catching him?”
Finn looked at Olivia then. “We have a way to track him—to find out where he’s going and lie in wait. Olivia’s brother is working with Cyrus.”
All eyes turned to Olivia, and Mal’s wolf bristled. He placed his hands on her shoulders, instantly on the defensive.
“Chill, Mal.” Anders grinned. “She’s yours, but she’s pack now. No one’s going to turn on her.”
“Besides, if we had to pick between you and her, I’d go with her. She’s sure as hell easier to look at than you are,” Dante added.
Olivia covered his hand. “I think he’s hot.”
The rest of them laughed. Hell, even Hollis smiled.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree.” Dante winked at her. “So your brother knows something?”
“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “My family’s company is in import and export—high-end, expensive. Mostly rare collectibles, pieces with history.”
Mal squeezed her shoulder. “Her brother screwed up whatever shipment Cyrus was waiting on. They came after Olivia as collateral.”
Mal grinned at the number of insults and expletives that filled the air.
“What the hell does a werewolf collect?” Anders asked.
“Dolls?” Olivia said.
The room fell silent again.
“Bullshit,” Dante said, sitting back.
“We can all agree on that.” Finn paced.
“My brother isn’t a good person.” Olivia’s voice wavered. “I know that now. He kept me out of the business. He kept me out of the way.”
“Bad or not, I think he was trying to protect you from the cluster he’s made of his life.” Mal looked at Finn. “What do we know about Cyrus’s businesses?”
Finn shook his head. “Not much. He’s good at covering his tracks with front men. On paper, he doesn’t exist.”
It hurt him to say it, but he knew there was no choice. “Would she know?” Mal asked.
“She who?” Dante asked.
“Ellen?” Hollis understood. He nodded. “Probably. But that doesn’t mean she’ll tell us.”
“Can I ask how she got here?” Olivia asked. “I know I’m new, and there’s a lot I’m behind on. I don’t know how this works, exactly.”
Finn smiled. “You can ask anything, Olivia. I’m sure you have questions.”
She always had questions.
Her, “Mal’s answered a lot,” turned all eyes to him. “I’m just curious about Ellen’s presence here. And the risks of Jessa’s pregnancy.”
“Cyrus took Jessa to get to me. But when they found out she was pregnant, the plan to kill her changed. Ellen has shared that the Others can’t reproduce. No live child has been born in decades. And those Cyrus has turned are dying about seven years after the bite.” Finn ran a hand over the back of his neck. “We know that’s not the case with us. Oscar is alive. We were infected ten years ago. And while we can control our shifts and our bloodlust, the Others can’t.”
But Finn’s words troubled Mal. He’d turned Olivia, not Finn. Would that somehow put her in danger?
“Ellen took care of Jessa, protected her.” Finn looked at Mal, clearing his throat before he went on. “The Others had locked Jessa in a building and set it on fire. I left you so I could get to her. Ellen was there—she’d been beaten and left to burn with Jessa.”
Mal’s heart was thumping, but there was no anger. Finn had left him to protect his mate. If it had been Olivia, he’d have done the same thing. He nodded, finally able to let go.
“Jessa made us bring her.” Finn shrugged. “And so I did.”
“And she’s helping?” Mal asked.
“She wants Jessa and the baby to live.” Finn shook his head. “I don’t get it, but it’s true.”
“It’s about the survival of the species,” Hollis said. “She is proud of what she is.”
“Oscar’s mom—you worry that what happened to her will happen to Jessa?” Olivia asked.
Finn nodded.
“Ellen can change that?” Mal asked.
“She’s trying.” Hollis bright green gaze met his. “This is important to her in a way that I can’t understand. But I don’t know if her help will extend beyond Jessa and the baby.”
“If we can get some insight from Ellen, we might be able to stop running.” Finn’s smile was hard.
“I can try to call Chase.” Olivia’s voice wavered. “If it will help catch Cyrus.”
Mal shook his head. “As far as he’s concerned, you’re dead. He wouldn’t believe it was you without seeing you. All things considering, I’m not willing to put your life in his hands. Brother or not.”
“So, we ask Ellen?” Anders asked. “And go after Cyrus?”
“We’re going to trust what she says?” Dante’s gaze bounced to each of them.
“It’s a no-go without further information.” Finn smiled. “Too much to risk.”
Mal was tired of having his world turned upside down. He was tired of worrying about the safety of the pack—and now Olivia. He wanted a future with her and, when the time was right, a family. If there was a way to ambush Cyrus, to cut the head off the monster that was the Others, he’d do it. Even if it meant playing nice with a bitch he wasn’t sure he could trust.
...
Olivia paced, her wolf on high alert. The guys sat around a coffee table, excitedly talking about the potential takedown. But she couldn’t shake a sense of impending doom.
“Hey.” Mal’s voice was low when he came up to her, his hands resting on her shoulders. “Tell me.”
She looked up at him, her mind spinning and circling back. “If Ellen tells us what we need to know, it’s not just about catching Cyrus.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I’ll know what Chase has done—is doing. I’ll know what he’s guilty of.” She bit her lip to stop its wobble. “I know he’s a bad guy but…” She faltered, and he nodded, encouraging her to continue. “I always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.” She rested her head on his chest.
He held her close. “You don’t know what hold Cyrus might have over him, Olivia. He’s dangerous, you know that.”
“Don’t make excuses for him,” she murmured, loving him even more for trying.
Once Finn had left to get Ellen, Olivia knew there was no escaping the truth. Not that she wanted to. Her life now was here, with her pack and Mal. If someone was a threat, even someone that was her blood, she and her wolf wouldn’t hesitate to destroy it.
“Let’s wait and see what she has to say. If she says anything.” His heartbeat was slow and even beneath her ear.
She nodded, leaning into him. What she wouldn’t give to be back in bed with him, discovering new things that shattered her body into tiny pieces of joy—versus learning things that would shatter her heart.
She tried not to tense when Finn came through the door. Maybe Ellen had refused his offer. But Ellen followed, her dark eyes sweeping the room. She stood in front of the fire, her long arms crossed, posture irritated. She didn’t want to be there. Olivia knew exactly how that felt.
“We have questions,” Finn said.
Her nod was stiff.
“About Cyrus and his business dealings.” Finn glanced at Olivia.
“About the business dealing Cyrus has with her brother?” Ellen asked, her dark gaze meeting Olivia’s.
Mal stiffened, but Olivia gripped his arm. “Yes, please,” Olivia managed.
Ellen’s brows rose. “Some things are best left alone.”
“Best for who?” Olivia asked.
Ellen’s eyes narrowed. “You think knowing his business will provide a weakness? Something you can exploit?” She shook her head, looking at each one of them. “You know nothing.”
“We don’t want your opinion.” Mal’s voice was hard. “Just information.”
Ellen’s smile was glacial. “Why should I give it to you?”
“Because you want Cyrus dead.” Hollis spoke then. “Maybe more than we do.”
Ellen’s hands fisted. “You cannot beat him.”
Olivia understood her then. Ellen was terrified. “You’re safe here,” she said.
Ellen’s smile was snide. “You know nothing,” she repeated softly. “Your brother. He deals in exotic import, yes?”
Olivia nodded.
“Like his father before him?” Her brow rose. “Jefferson Chase. A shrewd businessman. He promised what he could deliver. Nothing like his son.”
Olivia swallowed. Her father?
“Cyrus gives men what they want. Unnatural things—those no one speaks of publicly. And then he traps them and bends them to his will.” Her eyes were hard. “Your father, your brother, help supply Cyrus with a high-demand product.”
“Dolls?” Mal’s dismissive snort was jarring.
“A sort of doll. Girls. Untouched, innocent, and naive.” Ellen’s voice was thick.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Anders stood.
“No,” Ellen responded.
Dante shook his head. “What the hell does he need—”
“Business.” Ellen faced the fire, holding her hands out. “Only the truly rare. It keeps the profit up and risk down. Faraway, forgotten countries are best. Or here, if a customer is willing to pay.” She looked at Finn. “Brown’s daughter, Tess. She was a special request.”
Olivia’s wolf growled, wanting to tear Cyrus into little pieces. And Chase? Her brother? She was shivering, flinching away from Mal’s touch. “How does this happen?”
Ellen looked at her. “Cyrus meets with Mr. Chase. And Byron—Cyrus goes nowhere without him. No notes, no emails, no phone calls, no trace. He gives Chase his order and delivery date.”
“Big guy?” Finn asked, exchanging a look with Mal.
“Big and angry.” Ellen nodded. “The last shipment was wrong, missing one. A virgin. You are—were—a virgin so Cyrus wanted you.”
How the hell would they know that? She didn’t run around in an “I’m a virgin” T-shirt. Unless? “Chase told them?” Because they had no secrets between them—at least, she had no secrets from him. He was her brother, the one person she’d trusted completely. Her stomach dropped. She wasn’t going to cry. She wasn’t going to fall apart. Or scream. She let Mal pull her against him then, clinging to him.
Ellen nodded. “To save his own life.”
“All right, enough.” Finn was shaking. “Mal. You and Olivia can go.”
“No, we will not go.” Olivia pushed out of Mal’s hold. “You can’t tell me this and expect me to walk away. My family is responsible.” She pressed a hand to her chest. Everything she’d thought she knew was a lie. “My brother—we have to stop this from happening. We have to. I was lucky—Mal was there.” She looked at Ellen, trying to wrap her mind around it. “After, when it’s over, the girls go back to Cyrus?” Poor Tess. She’d been through so much.
Ellen nodded. “To him. Some he keeps. Some he gives to the pack. He finds uses for them.”
“Olivia’s right.” Anders’s anger rolled off him. “We can’t let this go. I have three sisters, Finn.”
“Where do they meet?” Finn asked Ellen.
“Each meeting is somewhere different,” she answered. “Three times a year, no more. No more than ten girls each time. After the last order, I don’t know if he’ll trust Chase again. If the fool is still alive.”
“Why is he necessary?” Dante asked. “Why not do it without the middle man?”
“Cyrus is untraceable. Chase gets the girls and Byron handles payment and delivery.” Ellen was watching them closely. “He needs Chase—and hates that he needs him.”
“How would he get them without Chase?” Finn asked.
“Eventually the fool’s partner will take over. The woman, his office manager.” She glanced at Olivia. “With the red hair?”
“Miss Rangell?” Olivia asked, nausea washing over. Chase had been infatuated with her—said she was hot. No matter how many times Olivia told him that wasn’t a requirement for the sort of work she’d be doing, Chase hired her anyway. “She sends fruit baskets at the holidays, picks up Chase’s dry cleaning, handles accounts payable.”
“She keeps Chase in line.” Ellen shrugged. “He knows what Cyrus is. It scares him. She calms him down.”
“Is she a wolf?” Finn asked.
“No, but Cyrus likes her.” Ellen shook her head. “Cyrus prefers humans. Easier to dispose of.”
A dull ache started at the base of Olivia’s neck. Miss Rangell was working for the Others? She kept Chase calm and in line. Had kept—past tense if he was dead. Chase. How could he do this? How was her brother capable of such things?
“So, we go after Miss Rangell?” Dante asked.
They all looked at Finn, waiting for his answer. His nod was slow. “We’re not doing this half-assed,” he promised. “It’ll take time and planning. I’m not losing anyone.”
“Chase is a better target, if he is alive.” Ellen looked at Finn. “Cyrus scares him. He is weak. If he feels threatened, he would betray Cyrus.”
Like he betrayed her. To save himself.
Ellen stared at her for a long time, and then beyond her to Mal. Finally, she left the room without another word.
Mal’s arms slid around her waist, pulling her back against him. “Let me hold you, please,” he whispered in her ear. She shuddered and turned, pressing her nose to his chest and breathing him deep. She needed the comfort only he could give her.
“We’re believing her?” Anders asked.
“There’s nothing to gain by lying about this.” Hollis stood. “We should be grateful she said as much as she did.”
Olivia pressed her eyes shut. It would be easier to dismiss Ellen’s story. But she couldn’t. The cage and the terror—how many girls had been kept there? What had happened to them? How many more would follow if they didn’t do something about it?
“Damn hard to feel grateful right about now.” Anders anger was tangible.
“She told us a hell of a lot more than we bargained for.” Dante sounded sad.
“A lot to think about,” Finn mumbled. “Not a word to Brown, understood?”
She couldn’t concentrate on what they said, couldn’t get beyond what she’d learned. It wasn’t just Chase that betrayed her. Her entire life was based on a lie. An evil, horrible lie. Mal hadn’t dragged her into this life—her father had, when she was a little girl.