Chapter 22 ~ We Have The Answers

Maddox’s POV ~

I am sitting across the table from the man Delilah knocked out. She amazes me.. this guy comes in.. threatens my title.. and she knocked him out.. according to her “In case I wanted to talk to him.” So.. here we are. Delaney is sitting in the corner.. he hasn’t noticed her yet.. I want to keep it that way for a minute..

I asked “Tell me.. who is coming for my title? I want the identity of the man I am going to kill.” He laughed “You won’t kill my Alpha! He’s the strongest man I have ever seen!”

It was my turn to laugh.. “You are human.. yet.. you claim you have an Alpha.. Interesting.. tell me about your Alpha.. Because.. apparently, he doesn’t know.. isn’t aware of wolf protocol. Without issuing a sanctioned challenge.. I don’t have to accept.”

He snarled “I won’t be human long! Then all of you pure wolves better watch out!” I laughed again “Were you born an idiot? Or just lost ground when you met this so-called Alpha? I am not a pure blood. I am a turned.. But.. I am unique in as much as I turned with a full blown Alpha’s mantle on my wolf’s shoulders. I doubt your Alpha is as strong as my wolf. But.. that remains to be seen.. does it not?”

He shrugged “My Alpha is a turned wolf, too.. and he is crazy strong. So.. once he challenges you.. and takes your pack.. he will turn all of us.. He plans on turning more and more of us.. until he can control all the packs!”

Delaney spoke up for the first time “You poor misguided moron. Your Alpha.. and I am using that term loosely.. can’t turn anyone. A turned wolf isn’t capable of it.. They do not possess the venom required for such a task. So either your Alpha is as stupid as you are.. or he is lying blatantly to you.. to get you to do his dirty work..”

He looked up at her.. “What? No. He said he could turn us.. I let that son of bitch bite me for nothing? I’m going to kill him myself!” I barked out a laugh “Yeah.. Being played sucks! What’s your Alpha’s name? What pack? Maybe I should issue an official challenge against him.”

He told us “There’s no pack yet. He has a couple hundred guys that hang around because he’s promised them that some girl would be coming into a large inheritance in a couple weeks and he would make her sign over the money. Something about saving her dad’s life would get her to agree. I don’t know. Looking back now.. I think he might be a little crazy. Talking about that diner owner.. Delaney.. owing him for stealing over a decade of his life. His name is Marcus.. don’t know his last name.. Just Alpha Marcus.”

I linked Venom to let him know what we are learning.. only for him to tell me he had suspected Marcus would try and turn more humans.. He sees it happen.. all the time.. I asked if there was anything else we should ask this guy.. and was told no.. because he was an expendable. Marcus doesn’t care if the man died.

I asked the guy his name.. and was told Evan.. “Well, Evan. I haven’t decided whether to kill you or not. I realize that Marcus probably believes you’re already dead.. after all.. in his mind.. you are expendable. I haven’t decided.. because technically.. you’re just the messenger.. and how fair minded would I be if I killed the messenger?”

At dinner.. we all raved about the dish Delilah had prepared.. but none as vociferously as Henri.. He kept saying it melted like ‘Butta’ on his tongue.. causing Delilah to giggle.. every time. Which is probably why he said butter that way.. knowing his daughter would giggle. So damned cute!

I called a ranks meeting.. and this time.. I invited Henri to join us. He was in captivity for over five years.. as a Beta.. I am positive he didn’t idle his time.. He will have information.. even if he doesn’t realize it…

Sitting down.. Geek said “Hey Lilah! I checked that surveillance feed.. It was a guy who attends college.. Nondescript.. blue jeans.. hoodie. Blonde kid.. He walked right up to the bulletin board and pinned it. Then snapped a pic.I figured it was random… Until a camera by the library caught this..”

We all watched as the kid walked up to Cabot Stone.. showed him his phone.. and accepted a hundred dollar bill. I hmm’d.. “Why is Cabot interested in the diner? What does Delilah have to do with him?”

Delilah said “Not me.. I don’t think they realize I am running the diner now. That guy today? He called me Delaney.. told me to pass on the message to my ‘little brother’ and I am guessing he meant you..”

Venom said “So.. Cabot is hoping to plant someone in the diner.. I wonder if we should accommodate him?”

Delilah said “I have four interviews the next couple days.. and they’re all from the university. I felt bad they drove all that way for nothing. I could probably put on two more new hires.. but I won’t stress the budget any more than that.”

I said “Geek.. you and Gizmo scour those video feeds.. Find whatever girls you can that Cabot.. or even Dylan.. contacted. If we know what she looks like.. then Delilah would be certain to hire her.”

I looked at Henri.. “Do you feel comfortable talking about your time in captivity? I would really like to hear what you have heard or seen..”

He looked at Delilah and she stood.. walking over to her father and climbed in his lap. She whispered “I’m right here, Daddy.” Amadeus buried his nose deep into the scent of his child and Henri began his journey to reliving the past.

“The first year.. I didn’t see anyone.. except Eric. Occasionally Elizabeth would show up and give me a shot. But mostly.. it was darkness.. and silence.

One day, Eric got into a huge fight with Elizabeth and made her leave.. I didn’t get the shot that visit.. and I realized they had been drugging me. I don’t know with what.. but when Amadeus wouldn’t wake up, I figured wolfsbane.

Shortly after that, I was moved to the basement at a motorcycle club. There must have been ten.. twenty others locked up, too. After that.. the fun began. The prisoners are used as training dummies for their warriors. If you fight back.. you are beaten and tortured. I fought back. A lot. Every time.

It got to where the bikers bet on me.. and they had gotten so used to me.. they talked about all kinds of things.

Cabot is a gambler. Fell into some bad debts.. and a loan shark covered them…. He defaulted and the muscle sent to collect was Marcus. Marcus killed the loan shark and cleared Cabot’s debt.. on one condition. He gets turned.

Cabot had to agree.. but he’s not strong enough.. being the second born Alpha’s son. So.. he had something with Dylan… something about the deal they made when they both got Alpha at the same time. Then.. that Thor guy bellowed “Oh right! When y’all killed each other’s fathers.” And I got knocked out. I’m not sure why.”

Venom was staring.. mouth agape.. and Delaney wrapped herself around him. And all of us knew… Something was going to die. And it wouldn’t be pretty.

Henri was confused and Delilah explained Cabot was Venom’s brother.. and legally.. the pack belonged to him.

I decided to let Venom process.. and asked Henri if he remembered anything else.. He nodded “There was a stockpile of weapons at Vikings.. I don’t know what happened there.. so you might want to check that out. No ammo, though. That was someplace else. Some military guy was paying Thor to run them. Then something weird happened a few months back.. That military guy started hanging out.. not in uniform anymore.. making plans with Cabot and Dylan about turning military criminals so he can have his own mercenary army.”

I said “A few months back was when we spotted them at the bank.. That must have been cementing the deal.” And Hunter responded “Still doesn’t explain why the files on Lilah and her dad.”

Henri responded “That’s something Eric can tell us. He knows military guy somehow. But it has to do with the Dubois family. And some documents that Calypso had.”

Delilah asked “The papers in my cherrywood box?” Henri lit up “You have the box?” At her nod, he continued “we have the answers.”