Chapter 2 Chapter 2

For the next day, we drove South down the West coast of the country.

By late afternoon, we had reached Sacramento and Luca needed gas.

"Why Mexico?" I asked as we drove around looking for a gas station.

"I just need to pick something up and then we can have a fun time

wearing sombreros and drinking tequila," he replied casually as he

scanned the road ahead of us.

I ignored the last half of his sentence and asked, "to pick what up?"

"Something from these people I know...don’t worry about it" he replied

quite vaguely before giving me an innocent smile that was clearly

hiding something.

"I know that look," I said a sinking feeling in my stomach

We had just pulled up at a gas station and Luca turned to me and

smiled again, "What look?"

"That smile that says "I'm just an innocent little baby and I've never set

a foot wrong in my life.” I know you're not Luca Romano. How do you

know people in Mexico?"

"I come sometimes. Once every month to be precise.”

"Why?" I asked.

"Just to bring something over the border," he said. "I said, don't worry

about it."

"Are you a drug dealer?!" I whispered shouted.

"Not exactly,” he said with a wink before getting out the car to fill it up.

"Luca!" I exclaimed but he shut the car door.

I instantly got out and looked at him over the roof of the car from the

other side of it.

"Are you going to elaborate?!" I asked.

"On what?"

"On the fact that you are a fucking drug dealer!"

"Ella, keep your voice down," he said. "I'll tell you later just get back in

the car. The whole gas station doesn't need to know."

I sighed and got back in the car as he finished putting the gas in the car

and then went to pay.

He better have a good explanation for this.

"So?" I asked as he eventually came back and started the engine. "Why

the fuck are you dealing drugs?!"

“I'm not," he stated.

"Don't be blunt with me," I snapped. "Dealing, trafficking, buying,

selling, using or whatever!”

"It is racist to assume that because I go to Mexico, I must be involved

with drugs. It is a beautiful country with thousands of lovely people,” he

replied calmly.

"I'm sure it is but how do you know these lovely people in Mexico?" I

asked.

"Oh, I work for them," he replied.

"And what is their line of work?"

"Drug dealing.”

"For fuck's sake,” I mumbled. "Could you not have just said that to start

with? And why the fuck are you involved in drugs?" I asked. "You have a

job. Gamma of the Stella pack! You get paid loads!"

"Relax..."

"Relax? I am in the car with a drug dealer and we are on our way to

Mexico to pick up drugs-"

"Ella," he interrupted loudly. "It is part of my job as Gamma. There is a

gang of criminals in Mexico. Werewolf drug dealers, if you like, that are

a threat to the pack. Leo sent me to get friendly with them, find shit out

and report back to him."

"So you're an undercover agent?” I asked letting out a deep breath.

"If that makes you feel better about it," he replied. "And I don't deal

their drugs. I just bring them over the border like a trafficker. They pay

me a lot which of course benefits the pack and they tell me all sorts of

stuff that also benefits the pack.”

"How is a gang of drug dealers a threat to the pack?" I asked.

"Leo doesn't want you involved in this. I'm not supposed to tell you," he

replied.

"Yet here we are on our way to Mexico."

He groaned.

"Fine. I'm dead meat anyway. Sure this cartel sells drugs but their main

business is biological warfare. They grow weed, mix it with wolfsbane

with the power to knock a grown wolf unconscious for days and sell it

to whoever will buy pretty much. Sometimes it's a direct attack,

sometimes they sell it as a weapon for someone else to use. My job is

to keep it well away from the pack, in particular, Leo's army, and out of

the hands of any of his enemies.”

"So they're using weed laced with wolfsbane as a way of disarming

packs?" I asked.

"Leaving them vulnerable to attack so that they can easily take every

penny of money from them,” Luca replied.

"Oh..."

"These criminals are organised and clever. They plan which pack to take

down when and get me to send the wolfsbane weed to dealer's nearby

accordingly," he replied.

"These people sound dangerous,” I stated. "What happens if they find

out who you really are?”

"One of two things. They either back off because they don't want to get

on the wrong side of Alpha Leonardo Loren or...they kill me. Let's hope

we never found out."

“Luca,” I said.

ERT

"This isn't exactly how I imagined going to grieve my brother was going

to be."

"I only have to pick up the stuff, give it to who I need to give it to and

then we can go wherever in the world you want,” he said simplistically.

"Paris!" I exclaimed. "Let's go to Paris!"

"Paris it is," he replied. "And if anyone asks, I'm an Italian rogue living in

America and my name is Romano De'Meritchi and you are um..my

cousin and your name is... Eleonora De'Meritchi.”

"Eleonora De'Meritchi...got it," I repeated just before my phone started

ringing. "Leo's calling. Why would he be calling?"

"Are you going to answer it?" Luca asked looking down at the screen of

my phone which showed the picture of us I had attached to his contact.

It was taken by Mateo on new years eve last year. Leo had an arm

around my shoulder and I was hugging him tightly. A lot of champagne

was drunk that night but I remember it crystal clear. How happy we

were.

"It might be important,” I replied shaking the memory out of my head

and swiping across. "Hello?"

"Mommy, where are you?" A little voice said from down the line.

"Oh, sweetie. Why do you have Daddy's phone?" I asked my eldest son.

"He said that you've gone away but not where or why," Cato replied his

voice sounding tearful

"I'm going to Paris with Luca, Bambino. There's no need to worry, I'm

okay," I replied.

"But why?"

"Do you remember yesterday that I said that when you are a big boy

and old enough to understand I'd tell you everything?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said tearfully. "But I am a big boy. I'm the oldest.”

"I know, I know," I replied. "But you're still my little baby. I'll be back

before you know it and I'll be sure to bring you and your siblings some

nice french candy, okay?"

"Okay," he said instantly sounding happier. "And some smelly cheese.”

"Urgh, smelly cheese," I joked. "If you want smelly cheese, go and get

some of Daddy's socks out the dirty laundry."

He giggled in his cute, childlike voice.

"Is Luca with you now?" he asked.

"He sure is," I said. "Say hi, he can hear you."

"Hi Luca!” he squealed.

"Hey, Cato," Luca replied.

"Okay, baby," I said. "My phone's low on battery so I've gotta go but I'll

see you soon and I'll call again tomorrow.”

"Bye Mommy," he said before hanging up.

"If you wanna go home, we can go straight back after I get the

shipment,” Luca suggested.

"No. It will be better for him and his siblings in the long run if I have the

time I need to get over Connor, forgive Leo and move on. Cato noticed

that something was wrong between us within minutes of getting home

and I can't have the fact that their mother can barely look at their father

impact their happiness,” I replied. "Besides, I've promised them candy

from Paris now and he won't forget that. Believe me."

"Okay," he said. "So the plan is to grieve Connor, forgive Leo, go home

and everything will be okay. What if it isn't? What if you can't forgive

him?"

"Can we cross that hurdle when we get to it please?" I asked.

“Sure.”