Chapter 35

A/N: Trivia time! The Red Wolf pack where Everett's Lisa is from is named after one of you, my awesome readers - CHLOERedWolf, and the Silver Bullets' sacred tree is the hazel tree, after another of you - Hazel_Tree.

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Not only your comments, but even your usernames sometimes inspire me!

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*****

Monday morning started with a heavy rain and a headache-inducing phone call.

"I went to the last crime scene to check if we've missed something," Kelly said as soon as I picked up. "Alec was there."

I groaned and rubbed my temples, wondering when was the last time I'd spent a day without receiving bad news.

"Did you tell Everett yet?" I asked.

"Yeah. I know I should report to you after I report to Keri, but I thought he'd want to know ASAP."

"Good call."

I sighed and sat up in my bed, watching the torrent through my window.

"Want to know what Alec was doing?"

An image flashed through my mind, one of my nephew casually walking around the crime scene, scooping from a vanilla-flavored ice cream while the soles of his shoes tinted with the blood of the latest victim.

"Please tell me he wasn't looking at the blood and grinning," I begged.

"Actually he seemed thoughtful. I think he might be trying to figure the case out so he can help us."

I snorted and got up.

"It's my nephew you are talking about, remember?" I asked, clenching the phone between my cheek and shoulder while I put on a clean pair of jeans.

"Exactly because of that, Rhys. Anthony told me about his suspicions of Alec eavesdropping on us during the Council meeting the other night... What if that's when he'd decided to do something about it?

My phone almost fell when I shook my head, but I managed to catch it and that without accidently turning it off.

"He might be half-Dayer, but he's also half-shifter," Kelly was saying when I brought the device back to my ear. "Wolf shifter. We are big on family and like it or not, he is half-Flemings."

I didn't like it and I was pretty sure Alec abhorred it, but Kelly had a point. He was half-Flemings and therefore half a wolf-shifter. Maybe there was some small part of him that wanted to help, something in his blood that compelled him to, surely to the boy's annoyance.

"What did Everett and Keri say about this?"

"Are these all the files?"

Her question made me raise an eyebrow before I realized that her voice was quieter and she was probably talking to one of her colleagues.

"Thanks," I heard and then, louder: "Everett said he'd call Alec, but neither of us is holding our breath that the boy will answer..."

Make that three of us.

"... And he also mentioned something about phoning Vika."

"Good," I muttered with a nod when I heard my brother was about to act on the advice I'd given him.

"Keri said she'd swing by eight thirty for breakfast and fill you in herself, but..."

A familiar voice - male and gruff - cut her off.

Callum.

"Look, I have to go."

A scrape of a chair against the floor. She was probably getting up.

"Keri will tell you what we talked about, okay?"

"Yeah. Have a safe shift."

"Thanks."

With that Kelly ended the call and I looked at the time before my phone screen went dark.

Eight, followed by one and six were the digits that showed.

No time for a shower.

I pocketed the device and put on a t-shirt, my eyes moving to the natural grey curtain outside my window.

Keri would be dripping by the time she got here. I knew there was no point in calling her and talking things over the phone though. She was coming over not just to give me a report; she wanted to spend some time with me and show her support.

Better start making the coffee.

Breakfast was something Keri could skip, but coffee - not really.

I headed to the kitchen with a smile on my face.

I couldn't help thinking of Riley each time I thought about coffee.

The first thing my mind formed a picture of was his smiling face when he greeted me as I sat on the bar, then it zoomed in on his lips as we kissed. Briefly, of course; he was working after all. He'd then share with me how his day had gone so far and I'd laugh at the silly clients and frown at the few who'd been rude to him while I'd watch in amazement as his hand skilfully moved up and down, left and right over the mug and in minutes there would be another masterpiece before me.

Next, I imagined us going through a similar routine at our home.

I'd prepare breakfast and pour him a glass of tart cherry juice while he made me coffee, then we'd sit around our table and discussed our plans for the day.

A knock came from the hallway - loud so it could be heard over the rain drops bombarding the windows - and the image of Riley and me sitting in our kitchen dissipated.

"Come in," I shouted, the noise from the falling water momentarily getting stronger as my guest entered the house. It took her about a minute to get to the kitchen and she was relatively dry when she entered.

"I take it the new raincoat is doing a good job," I said as I handed her a mug, steam swirling from its top and into the air as a delicate, ethereal dancer.

"Just gave it its first test run." She took the mug with a grateful nod and inhaled deeply. "Seems to be worth its money."

"Make yourself comfortable; I'll bring you a towel," I said, looking at the only wet part on her - the face.

Keri didn't need to be told twice. She sat on one of the stools, both hands wrapped around the warm coffee mug, and blew some air over her beverage to cool it. By the time I was back a few minutes later, half of her drink had made its way from the china to her stomach.

"So... Small talk or...?" She asked as she rubbed her face with the white towel.

"Straight to the point," I replied, sitting next to her.

"Well," she hung the towel over her shoulders and reached for her mug, "Kelly is pretty confident about Alec wanting to help us and I... I'm not sure, but it's a possibility, Rhys."

"Alec causes trouble; he doesn't help out when there's one," I pointed out.

"Maybe he's feeling guilty about all the shit he's been putting Everett through."

My fingers drummed over the table as I thought about their last fight; could that have prompted Alec to act?

Could he even feel guilt?

Time and time again, he'd proven that the only thing he wanted to do to his father was to hurt him. Maybe it was because he felt abandoned, maybe because of his Dayer family or perhaps because of both - the reason didn't matter; the fact was that Alec wanted Everett in pain.

So why help out?

"I can't see that happening," I admitted, my gaze falling to my own mug. There was less steam, slithering out of the dark brown liquid like a silver snake from a damp earth.

"Can't blame you." Keri took a sip and licked her lips. "When Kelly asked him about it, he answered her with 'I wanted to see what the fuss was about', then Callum showed up and started shouting at Alec, Alec started teasing Callum and if it wasn't for my cousin, they would've probably gotten into a fight."

"Jesus." I hung my head down, shaking it from side to side.

Alec getting into a fight with a police Detective; that was exactly what we needed right now!

"Don't worry." Keri patted me on the back. "Kelly convinced Callum not to arrest the boy. However, the Detective wasn't satisfied with leaving Everett to deal with son so he's reporting Alec to the Sentinels."

"As he should." I looked at her. "If Callum hadn't, I would've."

"I bet I would've beaten you to it." She smirked. "Everett's son or not and regardless of his motives, stepping into the crime scene was out of line. On the bright side..."

I snorted.

"There is one?"

"Maybe when the Sentinels question Alec, they'll find out what he was up to."

"That's very optimistic of you."

"I heard they have somebody at HQ who can read minds or sense intentions." She gulped what was left of her coffee and got up to pour herself a refill. "Now, won't that come in handy during questioning?"

"If it works on Dayers." I sighed. "If it works on Alec. He is good at keeping his secrets so if the Sentinel's power only affects the weak-minded..."

"No point in worrying about that." Keri sat back next to me. "After all, we have no idea how this Sentinel's powers work so we have nothing to base our assumptions on. That's why we should just let the Order handle your nephew and hope for the best."

I nodded.

"You are right; let them handle Alec. We have enough problems of our own with this new murder."

"And Riley." She sipped her coffee.

"Yeah," I muttered, looking through the window. A storm was raging outside, the rain pouring as if there was no tomorrow and the trees bending from the power of the wind. "And Riley."

*****

A/N: Do you agree with Kelly about Alec going to the crime scene to help out the Bullets?

What other motives could he have?

Any idea what "And Riley" could mean?

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