Missing Ch. 31-40

His eyebrow raised. "Late husband?"

I'd seen him check my ring finger; there wasn't an indent or a tan line to indicate I was married. He didn't have one either. "Sean and a DEA agent were killed in the line of duty late last year."

The information clicked. "Sean Woods? Maine State Patrol?" I nodded. "I saw the coverage of the funerals. I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Did they ever get the bastards who shot them?"

My shoulders slumped. "No. That's part of why I'm here." For some reason, I felt I could trust him. For the next twenty minutes, I filled him in on what had happened to me and the investigation progress. "The Clubs are getting pushed aside, so I don't think there is a way to use them to get the Cartel."

"I'd have to agree, plus you don't want to interfere with an ongoing FBI investigation into your abduction and attempted murder. Going after the Cartel cook makes sense. How are you going to do it?"

"I don't know," I said. "I lost some of my DEA cooperation when I left the Task Force. I don't know who the sicarios were, and I don't know if the cook is still active."

"He's your key," Thomas said. "He can hide physically, but his fingerprints are in his product."

"What do you mean?"

"Making drugs is not just following a recipe. Each meth cook has personal methods and habits that show up in the product. How pure is it? What are the impurities? Does he clean his equipment properly, or is there evidence of previous batches?"

It was like a light went on. "Track the product to find the lab."

"Exactly. Take the analysis of the product you captured and compare it to what gets seized on the streets. You already said the Cartel is making products locally, so when there is a match?"

"I know what region the cook is in."

Thomas smiled. "And you hope the same Cartel gunmen are guarding him." He'd given me a kick-start, and I appreciated that. I politely declined his offer to have a drink with him, saying I wasn't ready to enter the dating pool yet. "Can I treat you to lunch then? As a colleague and fellow Kali devotee?"

"Sure," I said. We exchanged numbers, and I told him where my cubicle was. Thomas was in charge of the Kidnapping/Missing Person division.

I showered quickly and drove home, arriving just before eight o'clock. I filled the Alphas in on my job and the arrangements before heading off to bed.

I wanted to be at work before the morning rush hour.

Ch. 37

Bonnie (Woods) McDonald's POV

Leo's Home, Miesville, MN

Monday, February 10, 2020

"I'm supposed to be your guard and protector," I protested.

"It's a group outing to the Mall of America, not a hostile Pack territory," Adrienne said with a roll of her eyes. Sharkbait's birthday was on Friday, but with the Alpha Summit starting that day, her party got moved up. "Leo will be with me, along with four other Pack adults. We'll have a caravan of four vehicles, and the Mall is crawling with security and surveillance. No one would dare move against me there."

"I should be one of them."

Leo shook his head, no. "We are heading to dinner before you finish work tomorrow, and we don't leave until eight the next morning. We'll be locked in the aquarium for most of the night, where our biggest problem will be potty breaks! My mate is right. You should continue your work at the FBI."

I'd been making progress there, along with a few friends. SAIC Costello wouldn't say she was impressed, but I could tell she was. She should have expected it; I had as much time in law enforcement as she did, more than half of it as a detective. Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Pickett had been a big help for me inside the building and out. He'd gone with me to see the boss and asked to be my liaison. Thomas had a wealth of experience and contacts to call on, and he was a hell of an investigator. He even moved me from the dungeon cubicle to an empty office in his area. I knew he was interested in me as more than a colleague. He respected my boundaries and stayed professional, worming his way into my life via shared lunches and Kali practice.

He introduced me to the staff of the Minnesota Kali Group at their Dojo on 46th and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis. The Sensei tested my skills personally and came away impressed. He was happy to have me around for demonstrations, and I now had access to the gym and highly-trained sparring partners. I worked four days a week, ten to twelve hours. Adding in an hour and fifteen minutes drive time each way, plus two hours working out at the Dojo after work? It made for a VERY long day. Keeping busy was keeping me sane, so I didn't mind. "My job is secondary to your safety, Luna."

"Your job is important to our Pack and our Council, Bonnie. When you aren't working, like on Friday, you can be my security."

Friday was the day Leo, Adrienne, Olivia, Vicki, Mike, and Anita would fly to Atlanta for the Annual Alpha Summit. I'd asked to go on that trip, but Council rules prevented it. Since I wasn't a single female of Beta or Alpha blood, I could not attend the Scratch n Sniff. Only our Alpha Pair, Heir, and Lead Betas could attend. Adrienne said the Summit would have hundreds of wolves attending, even with those restrictions. "To take you to the airport and pick you back up Sunday night," I complained. They were flying commercial, then renting a car to drive north to the Summit site near Augusta. "I should be there to watch your back."

"The Council doesn't allow it," Adrienne said. "There's no point in you sitting in a hotel doing nothing while you are denied admittance to the grounds. We need you here." She said the last part with Alpha command.

"Fine." Yes, the female 'FINE' meant anything BUT fine. I couldn't fight the orders, so I went for a wolf run then to bed. I decided to wait until after the morning rush hour to leave for work, just in case.

Naturally, I should have been along to the Mall of America because Alphas are always getting into the shit! Vicki and her friend had run ahead of the group, and Vicki's scent caught the attention of a pair of warriors from the Little Canada Pack. I started growling as Brent, Olivia's mate and Sharkbait's stepfather, told me about the confrontation. "It's just curiosity," he informed me as I stabbed a sausage link.

"She's vulnerable until the Miesville Pack is formally recognized, and Alpha Leo isn't healed."

"Luna Adrienne is no slouch, as you know, and they had numbers. Relax and eat; they'll be fine."

"Fine" struck again an hour later when we got the call from Anita. Leo and Adrienne were facing off with Alpha Carl from Little Canada, and he accused Leo of killing Todd to take over the Welch Pack. I was halfway out the door when Brent called me back. "They got out of there without incident, Bonnie. That place has cameras everywhere, so he wasn't going to do anything but talk."

"I should escort him back here," I said.

"It's a forty-five-minute drive."

"Then I'll see them in twenty-two minutes." I wasn't taking no for an answer. I grabbed a shotgun and a bandolier of ammunition from the closet in the garage and the keys for Adrienne's SUV. I linked up with my Luna as they drove south on Highway 61 towards Hastings. "Anyone on your tail?"

"Maybe. White Ford pickup truck, two male occupants, about six cars back from the tail minivan in our group. It's maintained its position behind us the whole time despite Leo doing the speed limit."

"I'll take care of it." I waited in the turn lane of the divided highway until the Miesville cars passed, then did a U-turn. I accelerated until I was in the fast lane with the pickup truck to my right and matching speed. I rolled down my passenger side window and looked over. "PULL OVER," I yelled.

A human wouldn't have been able to hear that at sixty-five miles an hour with their windows up, but these guys weren't human. The driver rolled down his window. "WHY?"

I flashed my badge. The driver nodded and signaled a turn. I pulled behind him as he stopped in the parking lot of the River Oaks Country Club. I left my shotgun accessible and checked my 1911 in its shoulder holster as I exited the car. I walked up to the truck like thousands of other traffic stops in my career, alert and ready for anything. When the driver rolled the window down, I could scent the wolves. Both of them were unranked junior warriors. "Why did you stop us?"

"You're following my Alphas and the Pack children, which makes ME nervous," I replied. "I'm the Luna's bodyguard. You boys with Alpha Carl?"

"Yes, Ma'am," the passenger replied. "Boyd Walker. My partner here Ken Burnside."

"Bonnie Woods. What did your Alpha order you to do?"

"Follow the girl and report back. He said he was going to call the Council about her."

I could imagine. "Luna Adrienne talked to the Council as well. Consider this is your only warning; trespass on Miesville Pack lands or threaten my Pack, and you'll deal with ME. Ask the older warriors in your Pack about me. They've heard the stories."

Boyd made a short call to his Alpha while Ken was texting someone. Ken's eyes opened wide when he got the reply. "We're supposed to return home. Nice meeting you, Bonnie. It's been an honor to meet a champion tracker, even if I was in middle school when you retired from competition."

"You too." I watched them pull out and turn back north. "Is Alpha Carl going to be a problem?"

"At the Summit, yes. Before then? I hope he's not that stupid," Adrienne linked back.

"Extra ammo and patrols, got it." I pulled back onto Highway 61 and headed back home.

Nothing of note happened before our drive to the airport on Friday. I made one last bid to go along and got shot down by Leo. "If anything, Carl's interest in Vicki and my Pack makes it more important that you stay here," he told me. "Once our Pack is recognized, the Council rules against attacking other Packs take effect. With your Alphas and Betas gone, and our small numbers, someone might try to take advantage. Beta Susan is in charge, but you've got more experience with security than anyone else. I need you to keep them all safe. Everyone will be staying at our home until we return."

I couldn't argue with his logic. "Yes, Alpha."

After unloading their bags from the back, Vicki gave me a big hug. "I get to FLY!"

"I know! Be a good girl for your Momma and your Alphas. I'll see you Sunday night." I watched as Leo, Adrienne, Olivia, Vicki, Mike, and Anita passed through the gates and into Terminal One.

I returned to Leo's home as Pack members started arriving for our Valentine's Day party. The smokers were going, the kitchen was full of ladies making food, and more food came with every carload of wolves. I was busy making patrol assignments for around-the-clock coverage and discussing sniper positions near the road when we got the phone call from Beta Mike.

The Council arrested Leo as a 'rogue,' Olivia and Sharkbait were in 'protective custody,' and Mike and Anita got kicked out of the Alpha Summit.

The party would have to wait. I put the Pack on full alert.

Ch. 38

Council Enforcer Clyde Lassiter's POV

Alpha Summit, Council Office

"You called for me, Mr. Chairman?"

Daniel Sanders, the Council Chair, was sitting at the end of the conference room table. "Sit down, Mr. Lassiter." Central Region Chair Lewis Wolfe sat on his right, and Counselor Randall Albertson to his left. I took a seat at the opposite end of the table. "We're going to have a problem up in Minnesota. Leo Volkov is under arrest. Do you know him?"

"Of course, sir. Our office maintains files on all rogues, especially those that might pose a threat. A Mantled Alpha spiraling into depression after losing his mate and getting exiled from his Pack is at the top of that list. I've personally visited Miesville four times to do wellness checks."

"And your impression of him?"

I let out a breath. "I've been updating plans to take Leo out since that first week after his exile. There's a lot of pain and anger in him that wasn't helped by his isolation and alcohol abuse. I figured I'd take him out with a long-range rifle because closing in on him would be stupid. A squad of Enforcers might not be enough. I hear he found his second-chance mate in Luna Adrienne, though, and formed a Pack. I was out there after Alpha Todd's execution, and it was like the old Alpha Volkov was back."

Chairman Wolfe looked at me. "What did you think when you heard that?"

"Luna Adrienne has never left the top ten in my threat stack. I was thanking Luna that two of my biggest headaches might save each other before I had to take them out. She deserves a better end than me."

Mr. Sanders leaned back in his chair before continuing. "Leo Volkov will be executed as a rogue tonight. What do you think will happen next?"

My eyes got big, and a headache started to form. "Luna Adrienne will be a problem."

"Her son is here, and we'll do what we can for her," Mr. Wolfe said.

I just shook my head. "No one has ever survived the loss of their second mate, Mr. Chairman. When you know how bad it is the first time, you don't want to do it again. If she doesn't kill herself right away, you'll have to put her down." I looked at Mr. Sanders. "Do you need me to dispose of her?"

"No, we will take care of that when necessary," the Chairman replied. "We need you to head to Minnesota and take control of his Pack in the name of the Council."

I looked at Mr. Wolfe; these Packs were his responsibility. "Why not just ask one of the adjacent Packs to take control?"

"Because all of the Alphas and Lead Betas are here, and I can't trust some of them to do the right thing," Chairman Wolfe replied. "What is the biggest threat to our way of life other than discovery by humans, Mr. Lassiter?"

That was easy. "Rogue wolves, organizing by leadership into groups large enough to take on recognized Packs."

"Exactly. The Pack that Leo has put together isn't big, but it is prosperous. As soon as the Alphas confirm Leo's rogue status, the Miesville Pack becomes rogue with him."

What a mess, I thought to myself. "Under our laws, any rogues caught organizing are a deadly threat. It is the responsibility of all Alphas to destroy them. The Pack who did it could take Leo's wealth, the children, the women, and even the males who submit."

Counselor Albertson opened a folder in front of him. "Leo and the former Welch Luna have allies in the area, but several are enemies who will look to take advantage of this. It could easily lead to open warfare, which would bring the danger of human discovery." He slid a piece of paper to me. "To prevent this, you are directed to travel to Miesville immediately and place the Pack under Council conservancy. You will act as temporary Alpha until Chairman Wolfe can organize a permanent replacement."

I understood what they were doing; with all the Alphas here, a Council Enforcer would have greater dominance than any surrounding low Beta, plus the legal authority to rule. "I understand, sir. I assume I'm to calm the Pack and secure the territory until relieved?"

"Exactly," Chairman Wolfe replied. "I'll be speaking to the Alphas about it later this weekend. My jet is waiting at the airport. Take one man you can trust, and get there as soon as possible."

I folded the paper and placed it in my suit coat. "I'll contact you as soon as I have control of the Miesville Pack," I said as I rose.

It didn't take me long to pick my partner for this assignment. Council Enforcer Emily Jones had worked her way onto my team after long stints in Investigations and Intelligence. She was a good wolf who would come in handy when calming the women and children of the Pack. I told her to grab her go-bag as I went for mine.

Five minutes later, we were on our way to the airport. The Learjet was waiting for us, with a flight plan to Red Wing filed. We were wheels-up three minutes after the door closed.

Arrival time in Red Wing would be at five-thirty, and I'd be in Miesville by six.

Warrior Trainee Boyd Walker's POV

I looked at my watch; it was three-twenty. We expected an assault time between noon and two from our brief, depending on when Leo Volkov arrived at the Alpha Summit. As soon as Alpha Carl knew Leo was dead, our men would move in. In the meantime, we would watch and report.

Ken and I were in a sniper hide, on a hill in the trees four hundred and thirty-seven yards from Leo's back door. My feet were cold, my back hurt, and I was sick of looking through the spotting scope. The Miesville pack? It was party central for them. We'd counted forty people arriving since eleven and there were at least another forty in the house. Music played, people talked and laughed, and four smokers and two grills were busy on the deck outside the kitchen. The smell of smoked meats was blowing our way, and it was torture. My stomach growled. "This sucks," I whispered to Ken, who was looking through the scope of his rifle.

He had a Remington 700 sniper rifle in 308 Winchester with a bipod. When the attack went down, we'd be providing overwatch for the group of wolves attacking from the back of the property. It was our job to take out anyone shooting at our guys. "It is what it is," he whispered back.

"I gotta take a piss."

He didn't even look at me. "Stay out of sight, and move slow. I don't see any patrol, but that doesn't mean someone isn't looking."

I had to slowly crawl back out of the hide, then move behind a group of trees until I could relieve myself without being seen. I damn near pissed on my hands when the send from our Lead Warrior startled me. "We're on hold," he told us all. "Alpha Leo is under arrest, as is Luna Adrienne. The Council will be holding a trial tonight. Until they are found guilty of being rogues, we can't move in. All teams, return to your vehicles."

"What about our hide," I asked.

"Leave it. We'll sneak you back in after dark."

I waited behind the tree while Ken slow-crawled back to us. "I put the covers on your spotting scope and left it," he said. "Let's get some fucking coffee and dinner."

"If the fucking Council would get on with business, we'd be eating some of those ribs they have on the smoker," I said as I stood up.

"I hear ya." We hiked the half-mile through the woods to Ken's car and headed to our rally spot.

Ch. 39

Bonnie (McDonald) Woods' POV

Alpha Leo's Estate

I got Susan, Brent, and some of the other senior Pack members into Leo's office as soon as I got off the phone. "We have to go to a full alert status immediately," I repeated.

Beta Susan didn't see the need for this, and she was in charge. "We've got over sixty adults here, and I don't want to ruin the fun for the kids. We're all here and safe. Why send the kids to the safe room and turn the place into an armed camp?"

"We ARE in danger, just as much as Leo is right now," I argued.

"Susan, Brent, we've got a problem out here," our patrol sent over the link. "I've got a glass flash coming from the hay bales on the Johnson farm, almost at the far left. Someone is watching us."

"Don't look, and don't let them know you see them," I sent back.

"I've got my ski goggles on, and I'm continuing my ATV patrol," he replied.

I looked out the window and saw him heading towards the northeast corner of the property. Susan handed me a pair of binoculars from the shelf behind Leo's desk, and it didn't take long for me to spot the guys. "I've got two hostiles, one with a scoped rifle, the other with a spotting scope, tucked under the third hay roll from the left. They're using canvas with straw as a hide."

"If there is one nest, there are probably more," Brent warned.

"Yes. If all those guys wanted to do was to monitor us, they wouldn't be pointing a rifle our way. There's an attack coming."