Missing Ch. 11-20

A rogue who needed twenty large bags of ice wasn't having a party. My job just got a lot harder, and I'd need help. I called the closest Pack Alpha, waking him up. "Alpha Theodore, it's Clyde Lassiter. I'm sorry I woke you up."

"Did you catch the fucker?" I could hear his mate smack his arm for the language.

"I found him near the interstate in Pocatello. He's buying a shitload of ice, and he's alone."

"Shit." We use ice baths to control the fevers of humans making the change after being bitten by a werewolf. Under the best conditions, with medical supervision and an Alpha to pull the wolf forward, it's still a coin flip. It's almost impossible for a rogue living to get a successful change; if Todd bit a human, she was going to die horribly. Once the fever begins, it is nothing but pain and suffering as her human body fights the change. The fevers get out of control, literally cooking them from the inside and killing them by destroying their brains. If he was buying ice now, he'd already bitten his victim. "What do you need?"

"Send a team of fighters immediately. I'll track the rogue and set up surveillance until they get here. Once we take him down, we'll need medical personnel and a secure means of transport for the victim. I also need you and your Luna to help the victim survive the transition."

"What a mess," the Alpha replied. "I've never had a successful change." He was silent for a minute. "I'm assembling the teams now. We should be there as soon as we can."

"I'll call you back when he goes back to her. I'll inform the Council of my findings and your assistance."

Present Time

Alpha Theodore Stallings, Beta Michael, and three warriors were with me in my hide two hundred yards downwind of the trailer in the treeline. The Luna was back with the medical staff, their vehicles parked near the freeway exit.

We could hear the woman's muffled screams as her body fought the change. "He must have her gagged," the Beta said.

"We can't wait," Alpha Theodore said. "The longer this goes on, the lower her chances."

Although the Alpha was the dominant wolf present, this was still my mission. I laid out the plan. "I want one warrior near the office and one near the closest trailer," I said. "Tranquilizer guns if you can, but don't let anyone call the cops. Take them out as a last resort." The men looked at their Alpha, who nodded his agreement.

I'd looked up the floor plan of his trailer on my phone and showed it to the Alpha, Beta, and remaining warrior. "There's only one entrance to the RV, and he's probably got her in the kitchen or living area on the other side. There's no other place to put the ice tub."

"There won't be much room to maneuver," the Beta replied.

"You take a crowbar and force the door," I told the warrior. "I'll be in first and break left. Beta, you're behind me and break right. Use silenced pistols and silver bullets. Make them count; the last thing we need is a pursuit if he goes out the window. If he does, your warrior follows, and your Beta and I back him up. Strip down first and be ready to shift." I was carrying a Glock 19 with a suppressor and subsonic silver-core ammunition. In real life, guns made loud noises, not the 'pfft' of silencers in the movies. The half-power rounds didn't create a supersonic crack, which helped keep the noise down further. The cost of silence was power and penetration, so I had to hit where I was aiming.

The warrior stripped to his boxers and shoes, then picked up the crowbar. I wore my tactical clothes, including a Level III vest and a US MARSHAL SERVICE raid jacket. I handed jackets to the other two; although none of us were Marshals, the jackets would alleviate suspicions if anyone saw us busting into the trailer.

"Ready?" We moved silently across the open ground as I prayed to Luna that the rogue was busy with the victim. If we got spotted, he'd either take off or start shooting, and both those options suck. Thankfully, the woman inside was screaming as we approached. The Warrior put the crowbar in, counted down from three, then popped the door open.

I fired as I was taking the first step. Todd was standing near the sink and turned towards the noise. My hollow point 9mm round hit him in the left eye socket. The silver round liquefied his brains but didn't have the power to blow out the back of his head. He dropped bonelessly to the floor. I didn't slow down, turning past the tub and checking the master bedroom. "Clear."

"Clear," the Beta said after checking the over-hitch bunks.

"Fucking bastard," the Alpha said. He was checking the victim, a blonde human maybe twenty years old. She was a doppelganger for his rejected mate. "Bitten maybe eight to ten hours ago. Temperature is spiking." He linked his Pack members. "No one woke up, and the medical team is coming."

I checked the dead rogue's pockets, finding the keys to his RV and truck. He didn't have a phone or anything else helpful. His wallet had a few thousand in cash, an ATM card, his California driver's license, and a picture of the mate who rejected him. I started looking through the bedroom as the rest of the Pack entered. I had just found the papers for his truck and RV when the Alpha got my attention. "Doc wants her out of here now," he said. "What help do you need?"

I held out the titles and registrations. "You have any need for a truck and RV? I think Todd will give you a good price on them."

That made him crack a grin. "I'm sure there's a use for them on our property."

"Have one of your men unhook the services and drive this rig out of here. It's best if it is gone before anyone wakes up. No one but us is looking for Todd, and no one will care if you end up with his stuff."

"What about the body?"

"Have your people put it in a bodybag and then put it in the back of my SUV. I'll dispose of it." I tossed him the keys. "I need to see if anyone was helping him. I'll be out of here before the truck get hooked up."

Alpha Stallings held out his hand to me. "It's been a pleasure, Fixer. I pray to Luna we don't need your services again."

I shook his hand, holding his eyes for a second before lowering them. "Let me know if the girl makes it?"

"I will."

I didn't find much else. The warrior who'd broken the door open got it closed and secured after I got out and walked away. A new side door and carpet and it would be good to go. "Good luck," he told me as I turned to walk off.

"You too." The walk back to my SUV took me twenty minutes.

I called in the update to the Council Chairman, then drove towards the mountains with the body. I'd just finished digging a grave deep in the woods when my phone rang. It was the Council Chairman. "Yes, sir?"

"Finish what you are doing, and get to the Pocatello airport. I need you in Bangor, Maine, as soon as you can get there." The first rays of sunlight were coming over the mountains. I was tired, dirty, and hadn't slept in for over twenty-four hours. I wanted a break, not another assignment.

"Maine?"

"They've got a coyote problem. I'll send you what we know by the time you're in the air."

"Understood." I put Todd's body in the ground, covered it with dirt, rocks, and brush, then made my way back to my car. Most Packs could handle a den of Were-Coyotes on their own.

If they needed the Council and my assistance, it must be a real mess.

Ch. 16

Adrienne McInnis' POV

Baxter Pack

The Pack bond losing a member woke me from a deep sleep. Looking at my phone, I saw it was 2:48 in the morning.

I knew immediately that something tragic had happened, but my mind wasn't processing who quite yet. The answer came from Lisa. "Bonnie Woods just collapsed. Something happened to Sean."

Oh, Luna, NO! Not them! I tossed the covers off and rolled out of bed. More updates came through as I dressed quickly. We expected the Officer Needs Help call, but we knew he was already dead. I was leaving my bedroom when we got confirmation that Sean had been ambushed and killed. My son and Pack Alpha, Anthony, would need my help. I ran out of my lakeside cottage and drove my SUV to the Pack House.

All the lights were on, and most of the Pack was here or with Sean's parents. Packs rallied around those who were suffering. I saw a dozen or so people gathering at George and Sally's home as I drove by. I got out of my car as Anthony was coming downstairs with Pamela. "How can I help?"

"We're headed to the hospital where the ambulance is taking Bonnie. We'll be there to help her and bring her home. I need your help with the Council."

"Why?"

"Sean and Vince Argenta were transporting a suspect to DEA Headquarters. It looks like the ambush was to get the meth cook back. He was a were-coyote, Adrienne."

My eyes got wide. "The guy was supernatural?"

Anthony nodded. "We are sure of that. He must have used his family link to raise help and coordinate the break."

"We didn't use silver handcuffs?"

"Apparently not, probably because there were humans around. The Sheriff's Department and State Patrol are setting up roadblocks."

"This could risk exposure," I said as the possibilities ran through my head. "The Council needs to know. You go, I'll take care of them." I knew all the members of the Council due to my work as a Council Mediator.

"Thanks, Mom." Anthony and Pamela walked out to the waiting SUV. Bonnie needed them now, and there were too many humans around at the hospital. Somehow they would have to explain Bonnie's fainting BEFORE the first broadcast for Trooper Needs Assistance.

I went to my office down the hall from my son's in the Pack House and opened my laptop. While it booted up, I made a call on my phone. "Council Duty Officer," the man answered.

"This is Adrienne McInnis at Baxter. We have a Code 5 situation. I need an emergency teleconference for the Northeast Region and the Chairman." Code 5 was an event that could result in the exposure of our secret to humans and was beyond our Pack capabilities to handle.

"Confirmation code?"

I looked at my phone for the current code; it changed every two minutes. "Zulu five delta two."

"Confirmed." He hung up; a minute later, I heard the emergency alert tone coming from Anthony's office. I walked down the hall and acknowledged it, seeing the notification that an emergency teleconference would begin at 3:30 AM Eastern time. I went back to my room and logged into the system while I pressed Anthony for more information.

He sent me three photographs Sheriff Ty had taken earlier at the meth lab. They showed the faces of the two dead guards and the were-coyote chemist who escaped. I quickly forwarded the photograph of the were-coyote to all North American Alphas. "Be on the lookout for this man, wanted for the murder of two Pack Members. He is known to be a coyote and may have accomplices. Last seen in Bangor, Maine."

I got another update just before the conference started from the Downeast Pack Alpha. One of his people in the Bangor Police Department was at the scene and reported multiple were-coyote scents. The initial roadblocks hadn't been in place fast enough to catch the bad guys. The Maine State Police were busy setting up roadblocks north and south on Interstate 95.

The Alphas were coming online, and they looked tired and worried. Most of them were sleeping when the alert came through, and a Code 5 Alert was never good news. Chairman Sanders had control of the meeting from his office, with Gina sitting next to him. "Thank you all for coming on. Mediator McInnis, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Approximately forty minutes ago in Bangor, two were-coyotes attacked a DEA car and freed a were-coyote narcotics suspect arrested earlier in a raid on a meth lab. Two Pack wolves, Maine State Trooper Sean Woods and DEA Agent Vince Argenta, were shot and killed in the ambush. The three were-coyotes remain at large."

Looks of shock and outrage passed over the faces of the Alphas as the implications hit them. The Eastern Region Chairman, Norman Platt, spoke first. "We are sure they are were-coyotes? We haven't had problems with them in decades."

"Yes, sir. The lab was outside Pack territory, deep in the Katahdin Woods. One of our Pack scented it. Knowing that there was a supernatural creature around, we put together a law enforcement team of werewolves and raided it late last night. The were-coyote was the chemist, and two human males with him we killed in the raid. We believe they were Cartel guards."

"The were-coyotes were working with the drug cartels?" The Syracuse Alpha was shocked. "That's a disturbing change."

"The DEA believed this lab was part of a move by the Cartels to shorten the supply chain to the Northeast. Vince said moving the chemicals was easy, plus it avoids the transport risk for the product. The lab was capable of producing dozens of pounds of meth with a street value of at least half a million dollars."

Chairman Sanders nodded. "Tonight shows why the Council takes such a hard line on involvement with drugs or illegal activities by Pack members. Killing two law enforcement officers after a drug bust will bring a TON of attention we don't need."

"We need to find these coyotes and take them down FAST," Chairman Platt said. "Send out as many warriors and trackers as you can to cover the roads leading away from Bangor. If we haven't caught him by noon, start sending patrols into the unclaimed territory between your Packs. If the Cartel or the Coyotes are using public lands to hide out or manufacture drugs, we need to know."

"What if we find a human lab or grow site," a New Hampshire Alpha asked.

"Make an anonymous report and let the authorities handle it," Chairman Sanders said. "If you scent coyote, notify the Council immediately and surround them. Don't attempt to take them down until you have enough warriors and enforcers there to do it safely."

An Alpha from western Massachusetts spoke up. "Mr. Chairman, what if the were-coyotes aren't associated with the attack? We haven't seen them for a while, but the ones we did see back then were passing through looking for work. Are we taking out dens who have done nothing to us?"

"If you can, take them prisoner so Council Enforcers can interrogate them. If they resist, wipe them out and hide the evidence," Sanders replied. "Any questions?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. "This guy is going to be the most wanted man in America later this morning. Why not let the FBI and DEA handle it?"

"These were-coyotes won't care about exposing our secret if it means saving their hides. We can't take the risk. We need to find them first, and the longer we sit here, the farther away they get. You all have the picture of the suspect. Get to work. Luna Adrienne, please stay on." The other Alphas started to drop off the conference, and soon only Chairman Sanders and I remained. "Adrienne, I'm sending Enforcers out to help. I want to use the Katahdin Pack as a base, and I need you to coordinate between the Alphas and the Council until this is over."

It wasn't what I expected. "My Pack will provide any assistance required, but this isn't a dispute between Packs to mediate. I'm not the right person for this."

"You'll have to take care of things until I can get a Fixer there. My best man should be there by mid-day."

"Who are you sending, sir?"

"Clyde Lassiter. He's busy dealing with a rogue situation right now." I knew Clyde's reputation, and he was the right wolf for the job. "I'll text you the flight information as soon as I get them going. By Luna, what a mess!"

"Yes, sir."

"Was the Trooper one of yours? Mated?"

"Yes to both. Sean's mate was Detective Sergeant Bonnie Woods. She found Sean at the Werewolf Games when it was here in Baxter."

"The tracker who got tackled at the finish line?" Everyone remembered in those Games when the redheaded Irish Tracker got chased down by her mate during a race.

"Yes, sir. She fainted when the bond broke. My son and his mate are at the hospital with her."

"Let me know the funeral arrangements. I'll be in touch." He ended the videoconference, leaving me alone in my office. I linked with Anthony and Pamela, updating them on the meeting. "How is Bonnie doing?"

"She's awake and undergoing testing," Anthony replied. "They are talking about keeping her for observation. She knows Sean is dead, but we can explain that by saying she overheard radio traffic at the scene or in the ambulance."

"Stay close to her. You know how easy it is to lose a wolf in the first few hours."

He did know. He was there when I lost my Nathan.

Ch. 17

Bonnie Woods' POV

Ambulance Leaving Katahdin Woods

Pain and loss consumed my soul.

I let out a groan, trying and failing to raise a hand to my forehead and stop the pounding in my skull. "She's waking up," a familiar voice said. "Relax, Bonnie. You're safe. You passed out back there. You're in an ambulance on the way to the hospital."

That would explain the siren assaulting my hearing. Lisa was holding my right hand. I felt a poke on the back of my left as the EMT put in an IV line. I could hear the fast beeping of the heart monitor. "Try and relax, Ma'am," the human told me. "Take slow breaths."

They had an oxygen mask on me, the metallic smell assaulting my senses as much as the cheap cologne he used. I tried to relax, listening to Lisa's police radio as the reports came in. "Sean is dead, isn't he," I managed to choke out. "Vince too?" The beeps started to get faster again.

"I'm so sorry," Lisa replied. "They didn't have a chance."

"Deputy, she needs to calm down, and you aren't helping!"

"Terry, she can hear the radio just like we can. There is only one DEA agent in the area, and he left with her husband." Lisa leaned over and wiped the tears from my cheek. "You need to take care of yourself, Bonnie. Breath with me."

Focusing on something simple, like breathing, was supposed to take my mind off the murderous thoughts running through my head. It didn't work. The EMT was on the radio with the emergency room, going over my vitals. They were sky-high, and the diagnosis was a panic attack. "Bonnie, if you can't calm down, you'll end up sedated."

Instead of calming down, I started to struggle against the straps holding me on the gurney. "LET ME GO! I NEED TO SEE MY HUSBAND!"

"Ma'am, you need to calm down. We'll be at the hospital soon."

"NO! HE NEEDS ME!" I couldn't catch my breath, and I was starting to get light-headed.

Lisa ended up on top of me, holding my hands to my side as I strained to get up. The EMT pushed a drug into my IV line, and I drifted off to sleep again.

The next time I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. My head was fuzzy, but the crushing emptiness was still there. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out, only to tear it in half and stick it back in. The tears flowed down my face as I finally opened my eyes. I pushed the ache down, knowing I'd get sedated again if I couldn't control my emotions. I couldn't kill the ones responsible from a hospital bed.

A young blonde in green scrubs came into view. "Detective Sergeant Woods, I'm Nurse Ratched. You're in the Emergency Room at the Northern Lights Mayo hospital."

I looked around the treatment room, wiping the tears from my eyes so I could see. I grimaced as I tried to sit up, and the nurse stopped me. "Let me raise the bed instead," she told me as she pressed a button. "Are you in pain?"

I did a quick inventory. "After twenty-four years as a cop, it's easier to list the things that don't hurt." She had me sitting up, and this time the machine's beeping was slower. I looked at the display, which showed my blood pressure was almost back to normal. "What happened?"

"I'll let the doctor discuss that," she said. She took my history and typed a few notes into the computer. "I'll let him know you are awake."