Buried Treasure Ch. 76-80

"And you don't want them preparing for a trial instead of managing the danger," Nathan said.

"Correct. The reason we fear exposure is because of the danger it presents to all of us. We are stronger, healthier, and live longer. Humans outnumber us like the trees outnumber the deer, Nathan. A trial is a distraction. File the charges, but we will defer action until this matter with the humans is settled."

Nathan sat back, finally nodding his head. "It also allows us to understand the impact of their actions before we sentence them for it."

I nodded. "All of which can happen later. I want to hear more about Chase's plans to speak to the Government, and what the Council can do to help. We have to reach an accord because a war would exterminate us." I was no fool; if they knew who we were, there was no hiding from their military.

"There is a lot of anger among the Alphas," Matthew said. "They want blood, not deals."

"That is why you must help me as I get them to see the big picture," I said. "The Council must take the long view on things, always looking for what is best for our people."

"You have my support, Mr. Chairman," Nathan said.

"Mine as well," Matthew agreed.

"No, not at first," I said. "File your charges, make your disdain clear. When you agree with us later on, you will have more sway with the other Alphas who are holding out."

Matthew just smiled. "I still have a lot to learn, Mr. Chairman."

"We all do." I got up and went back out; it was nearly time to start the meeting again.

Chase Nygaard's POV

Oxbow Lake Pack Clinic

Luna Margaret was waiting for me as I walked out of the bathroom into the hallway. She looked stressed, and I pulled her into my arms. "Thank you," I said. "If not for Doc and your medical staff, he wouldn't have had a chance."

"It was our fault, Chase. Guest protection is our responsibility."

"I was there, Luna. No one could have stopped it." I looked over at the warriors in the hallway. "I am a little nervous that someone might think to finish what Millner started. Can you post some warriors on the room?"

"Of course. Now, you go see Coral." I heard her down the hall, yelling at Sawyer to quit torturing her.

"Oh Luna, you left her medical care in the hands of a LAWYER?" I shook my head as she laughed. "She wasn't hurt badly before the fight was broken up, right?"

Her eyes got wide. "You don't know?"

"No one has talked to me since I left the conference room. My walls were up in surgery."

She just laughed and put her hand on my arm. "You better get in there and catch up on what happened, Alpha."

I moved down the hall, pushing open the door. Coral was lying nude on her stomach, bloody gauze pads all over the floor and a patchwork of bandages across her back and legs. "Wow, Coral, Alpha Millner tore your ass up," I said as I pushed Sawyer to the side.

She looked at me and pouted. "Do you think I would lose to that pompous asshole? I'm offended." My eyes got wide. "The Chairman moved us out to the Circle, and he's dead now."

"She fought with skill, dismantling him before taking his throat," Carson said as he moved her hair back out of her face. "All four of us are Alphas now."

Damn. I'd seen Coral fight, and I knew her reputation, but to take down an experienced Alpha? "I'm so proud of you, Coral. We'll miss you."

A tear came to her face. "I haven't talked to Keith yet, but these two say I have to take it. We need every vote we can get right now," she said.

"If you decide the Alpha life isn't for you, you are always welcome back with us," I said. "Now let's fix these for real," I said as I pulled the bandages off. "Some of these are deep."

"They used alcohol everywhere," she said as she glared at them. "Meanies."

I moved to the cabinets, taking out some lidocaine, super glue, and a stitching tray. "I'll go easier on you." I injected around the worst gashes, then while the drugs acted, I cleaned and glued together the shallower cuts. Her healing would take care of those in a day or so. I moved on to the deeper wounds on her backside and legs, making sure dirt and fur weren't in them before stitching muscle and tendon together before closing the skin.

"We have to be back in ten minutes," Sawyer said as I finished a gash on the back of her left thigh.

"Good timing," I said as sat back. I covered the larger injuries with protective dressings, then helped pull a set of scrubs over her. "Bending and sitting will be difficult, so it would be best if we carried you back in and stood you up," I said.

"Wonderful, my first Council meeting and I can't sit at the table," she complained. I found a stretcher, and we moved it under her and covered her with a blanket before her older brothers picked her up. I held the door, and we walked across the compound to the Pack House.

The doors to the conference room were open, and all conversations stopped as we brought Coral in. I held her shoulders as they tilted the stretcher, helping her land on her feet. "Good morning, Alphas. The Blue River Pack is ready to continue the meeting."

The Beta immediately objected. "I challenge Coral Sexson for the Alpha position at Blue River Pack," he said with a sneer.

"Challenge accepted," Coral said. "In accordance with Werewolf Council rules, you are immediately removed from the Blue River Pack. The Council will administer a Pack vote on whether they will accept you as Alpha should the challenge occur. Since you are no longer in my Pack, and I don't trust you with my back, I would ask Alpha Michael to have you removed from his territory."

"Of course, Alpha Coral," he said. "Warrior Jenkins, take him to the airport."

He was bustled out of the room by two of the Oxbow warriors, furious at the turn of events. "Alpha Michael, I would ask for the favor of one of your Warriors to act as my Second for this meeting."

He sent out a mental call, and Beta Peter came into the room. He was the Oxbow Lake security Beta; if there was going to be a problem, I trusted him to protect me. I smiled in thanks as he sat behind me.

Chairman Coffee called the meeting to order, then walked around to stand by Coral. "This is a formality after the Circle, but our laws require it. Coral Sexson, you have taken the Alpha title of the Blue River Pack in battle. Do you swear to lead, protect, and guide your Pack to the best of your ability?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to uphold the Laws of the Council and your Pack?"

"I do."

"Then I am happy to welcome Alpha Coral Sexson to the Alpha Ranks." He shook her hand, then stood aside as the other Council members, then other Alphas, acknowledged her position. We watched closely, but the other Alphas seemed to think the challenge would make her reign a short one. I just laughed at that; she'd beaten the Alpha, the Beta wouldn't stand a chance.

We all sat down except for Coral, who stood with her hands on the back of her chair. Alpha Matthew Kirk was the first to speak. "Mr. Chairman, I am filing formal charges," he said as he passed a paper across the table. "Alphas Chase Nygaard and Rori King revealed the secret of our nature to a human, Frank Grimes, without Council approval and in direct violation of a Chairman's order. I ask that Chase Nygaard be placed under arrest immediately, pending a Council trial."

It had to come, and I wasn't surprised it was him. He and his father were opposed to us from the beginning. Chairman Coffey took the paper, looking it over, then set it aside. "The charges are duly submitted. The Council will conduct an investigation, and schedule a trial when we are ready."

"Surely there is no need for an investigation," Alpha Robinson said. Denali was another Pack against us. "They brought Frank here to us! He should be in chains now," he said.

"There are more important things facing us right now than a trial," Alpha Smith said. "We are here to discuss how to prevent our exposure from killing us all. Let's get back to that, shall we? And for that, we need Alpha Nygaard here."

The Council put their heads together, and a minute later, they denied the demand for my arrest. "Alpha Nygaard," the Chairman asked, "When is Luna Colletta meeting with Frank's friend in Homeland Security?"

"In eighty minutes," I said. "We have eighty minutes to determine the future of our people."

Ch. 78

Colletta Nygaard's POV

White House

I had arrived several hours before my appointment, giving me time to clear the Secret Service screening and arrive at the waiting room for the Homeland Security Director. I was nervous; this could go so many ways, and Chase had not told me the decision of the Council yet. I looked at my phone; it was 12:18, a mere 12 minutes before I was scheduled to meet. I checked for text messages; there was nothing. My left hand nervously touched the two Flash memory drives in my iPad case pocket, making sure they were there.

I recognized a few of the men entering the office from my research into the administration of President Laura Kettering. The man I was meeting with, Rufus Washington, had a distinguished career in the FBI before moving to Homeland Security after its formation. Frank said he would be tough, but open-minded, asking pointed questions and quickly getting to the heart of the matter. Frank had promised him that the meeting would not waste his time, and Rufus had agreed to gather the people he suggested.

We had twenty minutes to set the course of our mutual futures.

The phone rang, and it was Chase. "Hi, honey. Did they decide, blue pill or red pill?" The pills were code for the two Flash drives I brought along. The Blue pill was leverage to stop the investigations into Chase and Frank, and focus only on the Sons. The Red pill was for me to reveal our existence to them and focus on managing the fallout.

"No, Mom, they can't agree, and you're out of time. They would prefer the blue pill, but if you need red, then take the red pill. Whatever happens, you have my support."

I didn't like this at all. "Perhaps I should postpone the meeting."

"No, we won't get another chance. By tomorrow, it could blow up on us." He sounded worried, and what he didn't say worried me too.

The Council had ONE thing to resolve, and they couldn't even do that. Worthless windbags. "Fine," I said, but I was nowhere near fine. How could they leave the future of a species to a retired Luna who was filling in for her injured friend? "I'll call you when it's over if I'm allowed." That was another reason for me to be out here; there was a chance they'd detain me and haul me off for medical experiments. We had no idea how humans would react to the news that their nightmare creatures existed.

"I love you, Mom. We'll talk when you get back home." I caught the inference; the phones were not to be trusted.

"I love you too, Chase." I hung up the phone and powered it down so it would not disturb the meeting.

Two minutes later, his secretary came around to me. "They are ready for you, Mrs. Nygaard."

"Wonderful." I followed her down a hall to a door, butterflies in my stomach the whole way. I forced myself to take a deep breath and relax before I entered.

"Ah, Mrs. Nygaard," Rufus said as he stood up. "Welcome to the White House."

"Thank you, Mr. Director," I said as he gestured to a chair at the head of the table.

"May I offer you coffee? Water?"

"Water would be fine."

He poured me a glass as he looked at the others at the table. "I'm at a bit of a loss as to why Frank Grimes needed this meeting. I owed him a favor, but I hope this isn't a waste of all our time." He looked to the man to my left. "Peter Sinclair, CIA Director; Valerie Grunwald, Secret Service Chief; Hugh Patterson, FBI Director, and Marisol Guttierez, Attorney General. Everyone, this is Mrs. Colletta Nygaard." Some barely looked up from their phones during the introductions. I wasn't someone they cared about, and they were only here because Rufus asked them.

"Thank you. I won't waste your time." I took out the blue thumb drive. "My son is Chase Nygaard. He and his wife, Rori King, were attacked in their homes by five members of the Sons of Tezcatlipoca yesterday morning. Thanks to Frank Grimes and the ready availability of modern sporting rifles, we were able to limit the loss of life."

"That must have been difficult," Valerie said.

"There is far more going on here than a gang war. The Sons of Tezcatlipoca are after us for several reasons. One: Chase, Rori, and their dog teams killed five of their people in Orlando during the clubhouse attack. Two, we removed Harleigh Ryder from the hospital, and she is safe under our protection; the Sons still want her dead as revenge for what her father did in his DEA time. Third, Chase Nygaard is the source of the information that took down the Sons' Oakland drug pipeline, as well as the banking and phone information that is key to your RICO case. Finally, my family has acted decisively and directly against the Sons. We hacked and emptied their offshore bank accounts and distributed them to the victims and charity. We are also responsible for the attack on the warehouse near the Los Angeles clubhouse of the Sons, where we killed five gang members and liberated over ten million dollars in drug proceeds."

NOW I had their attention. The Attorney General spoke first. "You just admitted to at least a dozen felonies, including murder, kidnapping, and attempted murder of a police officer."

"That is true. The dead men are not a loss. All of the money was from illegal activities. The police officer was a mistake; our person didn't think he would guzzle the coffee and overdose on the sedative. We will make it right with him when we can talk."

"Wait a minute," Hugh Patterson said. "Did you have anything to do with the Headless Presidents? Or Manilo Correria?"

"No," I said. "The Sons were in bed with the Sinaloa Cartel. We suspect the Cartel decided they were a liability, and cut their ties, brutally and effectively."

"You want a deal," Marisol said.

"We do," I replied. I pulled a paper out of my computer case, one that Sawyer had drafted before I left town. "This is a letter immunity agreement for your review and approval. It grants us immunity from prosecution for specified and non-specified crimes for the listed people who were involved in these matters. It also provides a one-time exemption to banking laws, allowing us to bring the cash we retrieved into our accounts without penalty or taxation."

"And you get the cash and the get-out-of-jail-free card for what, exactly," Hugh asked.

"Chase Nygaard may be listed as a Cooperating Witness in your trials for the remaining Sons of Tezcatlipoca. We have already provided you with details on their drug pipelines, personnel, and finances; we have not provided all that we know. The complete data is on this Flash drive. It also includes information on the Cartel assets within government, beyond those already provided to Director Grimes. We have an electronic copy of their paybook; the account numbers and cash drops for compromised officials, both regular and special payments and the reasons."

"Jesus," Hugh said.

"There's more. The Sons of Tezcatlipoca exist in Mexico; the drive includes all of the information we could find on their makeup, locations, and finances." The CIA Director perked up at this; drug cartels under Presidential Decision Directives are threats to the United States, and the CIA and DEA work with and around local authorities to battle them.

"Anything else?"

"We have proof that your Task Force intentionally failed to warn my family of the presence of Sons in Duluth hours before the attack, including emails protesting the decision by the Deputy Commander. I also have copies of illegally obtained medical records and other material improperly obtained. The agreement precludes releasing this information and waives civil action that would be extremely embarrassing for the FBI. I can show you the data we are providing on my computer, which will wipe itself if I don't enter duress codes on time."

Rufus looked over at Hugh, who nodded. "I found out about it yesterday, the person involved has been removed from the Task Force and will face disciplinary action."

"Anything else," Marisol asked.

"The Task Force scope is restricted to taking down the Sons of Tezcatlipoca. I can't allow an unchecked investigation to spread to those who had no part in what we did, as stated in the letter. Also, end the suspension and investigation of Frank Grimes. He's an honorable man, who worked with Chase to take down the Sons. The text message was to Chase; we used it to time the warehouse attack, but it had nothing to do with the losses during the raids. You had just busted a major drug pipeline, the Clubhouses were on lockdown, and the leadership fled. They fought back because that is what they do."

Marisol sat back, thinking. "And if we refuse to grant you immunity?"

"The files on the flash drive are encrypted; I will only provide the code when the letter is signed. I will deny anything I said today, and we will use our contacts in the media to publicize the misconduct we have identified against my family members." I looked directly at her. "We aren't your enemy, Madam Attorney General. We protected our own, and in the process, we helped rid the country of a violent drug gang. We have resources you do not; we can be allies or enemies, but I prefer to help my country."

Rufus looked at his watch. "I cannot postpone my next meeting. Marisol, what are your thoughts?"

"If this is what they say it is, the public interest will be served by granting the immunity. We would require the code and the opportunity to interview the principals to answer questions and gather testimony."

I reached out my hand and shook hers. "You can understand we don't trust the Task Force. We do trust a DEA agent we worked with in Orlando, Frank Donovan. Allow him to perform the interviews, and I'll coordinate everything he needs."

"Make it happen. I'll brief the President." We all stood up, he shook my hand and asked me to thank Frank Grimes for doing this. He left the room, leaving me with the Attorney General and FBI Director, both of whom were calling people to come to the conference room and see what I'd brought.

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a breath. I'd done it; I'd shut down the investigation and precluded any legal action from being taken against our Packs.

I spent the next four hours in the room 'unpacking' the data we had provided and answering the questions that I could. The agents at the table were on their computers, forwarding some things to the Task Force, others to different groups. The Sons and the Cartel would be on the defensive for weeks.

The FBI Director came back in, asking me to speak to him in private. We moved across the hall to an empty office. "Frank Donovan has been assigned to the Sons of Tezcatlipoca Task Force, and has been directed to fly to Minnesota immediately," Hugh said. "I have just one question for you."

"Of course, Mr. Patterson."

"I got a call from the FBI crime lab that analyzed the crime scene data. There was DNA from three people in the kitchen, but only one body. The two other blood samples didn't match any of the attackers, Frank Grimes or you. They DID match the DNA samples we took from the two large dogs that were dead." Shit. "How is it that dogs have human DNA?"

I pulled out the red flash drive and set it on the table. "Hugh, do you know about the Red Pill and the Blue Pill?"

"Sure, from The Matrix. The blue pill, you forget what you know, and go back into the comfortable illusion of life. With the red pill, you see the truth, but then you have to deal with it and everything that it means."