Claiming Treasure Ch. 51-55

"Fine," Rori said. "Just know that if I get close to him, I'll kill him."

One of the agents had the microphone/transmitter combination, which he had her slip inside her bra. The whole thing was the size of a quarter and couldn't be seen with the shirt on. "Now that you understand the situation, I want you to return to your property with Agents Black and Cook. Agents, keep your radios on and earphones in place. I'll tell you what to do."

"Understood, sir," Allison said.

"Go. Coffee's two minutes out."

I heard the sirens approaching as we opened the door. We walked across the street; the television cameras were set up behind the police line tape and tracked us as we walked. Chase and Rori ignored the questions that the reporters shouted at them. "Where to," I asked.

"The guard shack is armored with bulletproof glass," Rori said. "We'll wait there." It was a tight fit, but they did have a television, which was showing the scene live.

The first cruiser arrived with sirens blazing, followed by two more and a white Crown Victoria. The car stopped in front of the press, as police set up positions surrounding it. Nobody moved inside. "They're coming out, hold your fire," my boss said over the radio.

The passenger door opened, and a woman in her forties stepped out. She had blood on her dress, was scared shitless, and had a shotgun attached to her neck. Behind her, Jack Coffey got out. He moved his hostage until she was in front of the cameras. "Thank you for coming," he said as he forced her to her knees. "All these cops think I'm a threat, but I'm nothing compared to the people living in the compound behind me. They are dangerous in a way you'd never imagine. They are ANIMALS, that should be put down like rabid dogs before they kill anyone else."

"Why are you doing this," a reporter asked.

"I'm sacrificing my life so you can know the truth," he said. He had a phone in his hand. "This timer will go off in five minutes. If Rori King and everyone who lives in this accursed place is not standing next to this road when the timer goes off, well, Mother's Day won't ever be the same at Sheriff Clark's house."

I looked over at Rori and Chase, who were looking at each other with blank expressions on their faces. "He wants to expose you all," I said.

"Yes," Rori said. "What does your boss want you to do?"

Allison talked to him on her radio, then turned to them. "We don't have a shot, and we need time. He thinks you need to do what he says."

"They're already coming. We're turning over defensive positions to warriors from other Packs now."

I looked out the back window and could see people starting to walk towards us. More and more came out until they were all gathered near the gate. On the radio, I heard that her husband, Sheriff Clark, was now on the scene. He was held back, for now, at the perimeter. "How are you going to play this, Rori," I asked as we walked out to meet them.

"I'll do what I can to get him to release them, but you need to be ready to take him out at the first opportunity," she said. "We can survive exposure for what we are IF it happens in a non-threatening way; I'd rather that not be with a headless hostage on live television." She turned to her people. "We're going to walk to the road. Stay behind us and don't respond to Coffey's taunts. If shooting starts, run back to the main house."

Allison and I flanked the Alphas as the group walked to the road, staying on their property. "We're here, Coffey," Rori said. "Let her go."

"Not yet," he said as he turned to me. "Show the world what monsters you truly are, and then I'll release the woman."

"How do I know that will happen? You're just going to give up?"

"If you haven't done it in the next sixty seconds, you'll be wearing her brains," I said. "She's innocent, unlike you. Make your choice quickly, Rori. You have fifty seconds."

"Some of my people are pregnant, they can't shift," Chase said. "You KNOW that!"

"ALL of you or she dies. Forty seconds."

My God, the pregnant women were going to miscarry. This bastard was going to take their babies away! "Don't do it," I said. "We'll take a shot."

"We've got NO shot," Allison whispered back. "They have to do it."

"He's not going to let her go anyway," I said back.

Rori made her decision. "I can't let her die, not like this," she said. Turning to her Pack, she kicked her shoes off. "ARROWHEAD! STRIP AND SHIFT!"

The world watched on live television as over fifty people, including a pregnant Rori, pulled their clothes off and shifted into wolves.