Missing Ch. 51-60

I recognized the smell and the voice. Standing up, I looked over to see Maglite with his hands on the other side of the table. "Shooting pool and getting drunk," I said. "I see you made President."

Maglite was a big guy, six-foot-five, and built like a linebacker. He'd gotten his road name from his habit of carrying a Maglite on his belt. Places like this that didn't allow knives wouldn't take his flashlight away, and it was a glorified hammer. The rumor was that he'd killed two men by bashing their heads in with that thing. "I know you had something to do with it," he growled. A few of his Iron Horsemen brothers had worked their way over to back him up.

"There's no way I killed your brothers," I said as I removed the triangle from the fifteen balls. "Do you know why?"

"We saw you there," he replied.

"And I saw them dead. Someone took your President and his men out execution-style in the back of the head with a silenced.22 pistol, and they killed his old lady in front of them. No signs of forced entry or struggle. He knew his killer, and that's something you'll have to deal with as President. I think we both know who did it and why." I was pretty sure by his face that it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. "It's best if we all forget about it and move on with our lives. If you want to play, the loser pays for the next game and another round of drinks. I'll break."

I'd played a lot of pool over the years in Sean's Wolf Cave, so playing on an old table like this with a cheap pool cue was a challenge. I won three games before Maglite gave up. A few others tried, but I kept winning, and the drinks kept coming. I was feeling no pain when the next group arrived. They were Saracens, and they weren't interested in playing games. Their Club was ripe for a patch-over if they couldn't turn things around, and I was a chance to show the big boys how tough they were.

There were five of them in all, and they moved to cut off all avenues of escape for me. I tossed down my bourbon, feeling the burn as I unscrewed the cue stick I'd been using. "You boys here to play?"

"I did some checking," the leader said. "You're a county cop from up north. The Iron Horsemen fucked up letting you live."

"They were sloppy, and they paid for it," I replied. I moved a stick to each hand as the leader moved in.

"You're going to pay for it, bitch," he said as he lunged for me.

I moved back and left, and his right cross sailed past my jaw. Yes, I was drunk, but the Kali movements were ingrained in my body through decades of practice. My left hand swung around, the stick hitting his extended elbow before my right hand dropped to hit his knee. Before he could react, my left stick was already swinging around. The fat end of the pool cue caught him on the back of the head and knocked him out.

One man down.

I was already moving between the sidewall and the pool table, heading for the two men blocking that way out. I used my footwork to take them on one at a time in the narrow space. The first got a broken wrist and lost a few teeth, while the second soon lay howling on the ground, holding his busted kneecap. I turned around just in time to meet the last two.

One of them pulled out a switchblade, but it didn't help him. The three-foot-long sticks in each hand allowed me to attack him while remaining outside his range, and his buddy couldn't help while he was waving that thing around. A shot to the knuckles sent the knife flying, and I unleashed hell on him for his impertinence. By the time the biker retreated, he was nursing enough injuries to keep him off a bike for months. Knuckles, ribs, wrists, collarbone, and jaw broke before his will to fight.

The last guy was the idiot of the bunch. Somehow, he'd made it through the door search with a small-caliber automatic pistol. "YOU FUCKING BITCH, I'LL KILL YOU!"

His answer came in the sound of a 12-gauge shotgun racking a shell into the chamber. "Drop it, or I drop you," the owner told him. He looked back at him, then stared at my 1911 pistol pointing at his forehead. I'd drawn as soon as he was distracted. "Drop the fucking gun. I'm in too good a mood to deal with the paperwork tonight."

He dropped it. The bouncers swooped in, grabbing the bikers and tossing them out the back door. The owner came over to me, his shotgun held at port arms. "You all right?"

I'd taken a few hits, but nothing serious. "I need another drink. Those idiots spilled my beer," I said as I returned the pistol to its holster. "Don't bother with the cops. They won't cooperate, and I don't feel like answering questions."

"I was worried about you. Five on one isn't fair."

I smiled as I picked up the other half of the pool cue and started screwing it back together. "That's why I fought five guys one at a time."

"You're one tough biker chick," he said as he walked back to the bar. I sat down as the adrenaline coursed through my body. I focused on my breathing and prepared for the crash to come. I'd come looking for a fight, and I'd found one. For a few minutes, I'd felt good again.

Maybe that was how my life was to be.

Could I only feel alive when I was risking death?

The music restarted, the dancers started grinding, and the customers went back to looking at titties and stuffing bills in G-strings. A few girls cleaned up the blood with wet towels and a mop. Maglite had a round of drinks sent over to me, but he stayed with his boys in their booth. None of the bikers wanted anything to do with me now.

I played for another few hours, then walked back to my room.

Ch. 57

Adrienne Volkov's POV

Baxter Pack House

"Should we stop her?" Leo squeezed my hand as we watched a furious Bonnie leave the room where the Pack Meeting had just wrapped up.

"If we keep her from leaving now, we're no better than the Council. We need to give her freedom now if we want her to come back."

"Even if it kills her?"

"There's nothing more we can do for her now, not until she is ready." I looked at my son and his mate as they answered Pack members' questions. "Anthony, we'll be waiting for you in your office."

"It will be a few minutes, Mom," he replied.

I greeted a few Pack members on the way out, and we made our way to his office. I sat on the couch while Leo grabbed a couple of Cokes out of the mini-fridge under the small bar. "Thank you," I said as he handed it to me.

"What a mess," Leo said as he sank into the couch. "The best thing for Bonnie would be to come home with us. She was making progress until the Council let the coyotes go."

"I'll call her from home. She'll need some time to calm down." In a way, I was glad she left on her motorcycle. Riding might settle her and her wolf down and give her time to think. "Maybe she'll talk with her wolf and figure it out on her own."

"It took me years, love. It wasn't until I finally said goodbye to Catherine that my wolf was ready to accept you. Bonnie isn't close to that point."

"As long as she makes it there," I replied. "We can't tell Anthony and Pamela anything. The Council will be asking them about her. If her behaviors or second-chance mates come up, the Chairman can't command them to give answers they don't know."

"I agree. I hate to hold it back, but we'll have to watch this one from afar."

We stopped talking when we heard the Alpha pair approaching the doors. Anthony looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "You handled that as well as could be expected, Anthony," I told him as he sat in the chair. Pamela sat down on his leg, molding herself to his side to provide support.

"It doesn't take away the feeling in my gut from having to do this," he said with a sigh. "I'd hoped that this trip would give closure and allow Bonnie to move on. Instead, it drove her away from us."

"That's not your fault," Leo said. "What is important now is what you do to support her. Where do you think she is going?"

"I can tell you in a minute." Anthony opened his computer and pulled up a website. "I had trackers attached to Bonnie's car and her motorcycle before she returned home."

"She won't like that if she finds out," I warned.

"I thought it best to keep tabs on Bonnie for her safety. I won't apologize for that, especially given what just happened." He clicked a few times, then turned the monitor so we could see the map. "She's headed for the interstate near Bangor. She could be anywhere within five hundred miles by tonight."

I nodded. "Thank Luna she didn't head for the Council Headquarters or the Saint Raymond Pack. Either of those, and you'd be duty-bound to report it to Fixer Lassiter."

"But since she isn't, I don't have to tell him anything." His cellphone in his suit pocket started ringing. "Sorry, it's Council business. I have to take it."

It was Clyde Lassiter.

Council Fixer Clyde Lassiter's POV

Outside Baxter Pack Lands

"We lost her," Emily said.

No kidding. Bonnie must have waited until she was around the turn in the wooded area, then she dropped the hammer on her powerful motorcycle. She was in the distance before we saw her again. Even at a hundred miles an hour, we couldn't catch up. "Slow down and stop. It's not worth an accident when she knows this area like the back of her hand, and we don't."

Emily pulled our SUV off the road at the start of a logging trail, and I got out with my phone. Chairman Sanders answered after a few rings. "What's going on, Clyde?"

"I'm at Bangor. Alpha McInnis gave his Pack, including Bonnie, the Alpha Order you directed."

"And how did Tracker Woods react?"

Yeah. "Bonnie told her Alphas she needed to take some vacation time and left on her motorcycle. I followed her for a few miles before she shook my tail."

"Any idea where she is going?"

"No, sir."

He didn't say anything for a few moments. "Go back and talk to the Alphas. Make sure they understand that I hold them personally responsible for any actions Bonnie may take in the future."

"Yes, sir. What are your orders for me?"

"One of you stays with the Pack while the other searches for her. If she breaks her Pack bond, I want to know about it immediately. Meanwhile, I'll alert the Council Enforcers that she could be heading our way. If she wants revenge, she'll be coming after me. The Enforcers will put her down, hard."

I gulped. Please, Luna, don't be that stupid! "I understand, sir. I'll report any changes immediately."

"Don't fail me, Lassiter. Woods is not your run-of-the-mill rogue. She's much smarter than that."

"Understood." He hung up, and I made the next call. "Alpha McInnis, it's Council Fixer Lassiter. Bonnie is in the wind. I need to speak with you."

He laughed. "No one can keep up with Bonnie on four paws or a motorcycle. Come on over."

I explained our orders to Emily as we headed back to the Pack House. "You need to be there if she returns home or contacts her family or Alphas."

"And if she breaks the Pack bond?"

"Your first call is to the Council Chairman. Your second call is to me."

"Yes, sir."

"I need ideas for where she might go. Talk to her parents, her friends, and her coworkers. Find out where she and Sean vacationed and make phone calls."

"And if I find her, call?"

I nodded. "Bonnie's done nothing wrong as of yet. We're keeping tabs on her, but we're not her babysitter. I'm hoping she won't react as strongly to your presence as mine."

"She won't be asking you out for drinks anytime soon," Emily teased. "That look she gave you could freeze a glass of water at fifty feet."

I didn't need a reminder, as that look of rage was fresh in my mind.

We arrived back at the Pack House fifteen minutes later. I sent Emily to talk to Bonnie's inlaws while I walked to the Alpha's office. Alpha Leo and Luna Adrienne were in there with them. "Alpha McInnis, I have a message from the Chairman for you. Do you want to hear it in private?"

"No, I think my mom's experience might help here," he said.

"Very well. The Chairman remains concerned about Tracker Woods' mental state. He reminds you that he holds you personally responsible for her actions."

"I've made it clear what type of behavior is acceptable," Anthony objected.

"And I relayed that to the Chairman. He requested that I leave Enforcer Emily at your Pack as a liaison while I continue the search for Bonnie."

He didn't look comfortable with that, but we both knew he had no choice. "I'll ensure that Emily gets quarters and cooperation," he replied evenly.

"Thank you. Do you have any idea where Bonnie is going?"

"She didn't say," Anthony replied. "I don't know if Bonnie knows where she is going yet."

"I understand. Please inform Emily of any changes. If you have nothing else, I'll take my leave." Anthony nodded, and I turned towards the door.

"Fixer Lassiter, could I ask a favor?"

I turned to Leo and Adrienne. "Of course, Alphas."

"We were about to leave for the airport, and you're leaving. Could we impose on you to drop us off?"

Why not? It wasn't like I knew where I was going. "It would be my pleasure, Alphas. I'll be outside when you are ready."

Emily got her bags out of our car, and some Pack Omegas brought the Alpha's bags and stowed them in the back. I was surprised that Luna Adrienne rode shotgun with Leo behind her. I was sitting at the stop sign at the end of the Pack driveway, taking a sip of coffee, when Luna Adrienne spoke. "Congratulations on finding your mate."

I sent hot coffee into my nose, spraying some on the windshield and steering wheel. I tried to think about how to answer as Adrienne handed me cleaning wipes. "How did you know?"

"No true redhead calms down that fast for anyone but a mate," she replied. "That, and your look when she walked away from you on the road."

"She doesn't know," I said softly.

"Her wolf won't tell her," Leo replied. "My wolf did the same thing when I met Adrienne. My human side wasn't ready yet." The two of them told me of their struggles after losing their mates and how it felt to find their second. "You're in a tough spot. Bonnie doesn't like or trust you since you work for the Council. Your job is to keep her alive long enough to accept you as her mate."

"And that's not going to be easy," Adrienne added. "Bonnie swore an oath to get revenge for her mate's death. She'll break command if she finds the killers, and now she has their scent. Tracking down people is what she does, and now it is her only focus."

"Don't tell anyone. If it gets out that Bonnie is my mate, Sanders will put another Fixer on the case. Someone he can count on to kill her if she starts going feral. And then they'll have to kill me."

"We won't say a thing. We haven't even told Anthony. You need to control your facial expressions if you want to keep the secret." She was right. If I'd been facing Emily, I'd already be off the case. "What is your plan?"

"Observe and report are my orders. I'm worried that Bonnie will head towards Council Headquarters. They'll be waiting for her."

"She's headed for the Coast," Adrienne replied. I heard the ding of an incoming message on my phone. "My son put a tracker on her Harley. I sent you the website and the code for the tracker."

I looked over at her, shocked that Anthony hadn't offered it, and Adrienne did. "Why would you do this?"

"It's the best for everyone right now. You get to stay close, and you can assure the Council she isn't going after them."

"What should I do if I find her?"

Luna Adrienne let out a breath. "Ideally, you'd wait until she was in her wolf form and meet her that way. Showing up while she's human will piss her off and cause her to run. If you show up again, she'll know she's tagged."

"It's a few months till tourist season, so there aren't many places open she can stay. Don't even enter the same town if you don't have to," Leo said.

I turned into the airport as my mind tried to make sense of it all. "Why are you helping me?"

"Bonnie saved my life after I lost my mate. She deserves to find happiness again," Adrienne replied. "If you have questions or need help, speak ONLY to me. I'll do what I can without involving you."

I pulled to the curb at ticketing. "Thank you."

"Take care of our girl, Clyde. You two are a good match."

I watched them walk inside as I accessed the tracker on my phone. She was heading south on Route 1. I put the car in gear with a smile on my face.

Ch. 58

Council Fixer Clyde Lassiter's POV

Route 1, Maine

I was about ninety minutes behind Bonnie's motorcycle as I followed her motorcycle south along Route 1 in coastal Maine. It was still cold along the coast and not the kind of weather I'd ride in. The tracking program was pretty slick; it updated her position every minute, updating the map with a trail showing her progress.

At Kittery, she'd stopped for gas before getting on Interstate 95 south. I drove through the narrow strip of New Hampshire coastline, entering Massachusetts twenty minutes later. I exited to 495 South and ended up in a townhouse complex in Haverhill.

What the hell was she doing here?

I drove by, noting the address where the tracker said her motorcycle was and the units on each side. It wasn't in the driveway, so it must be in the garage? I continued past and parked a few blocks away. Pulling out my laptop, I did a few searches to find who owned the property. Rachel Meadows, age fifty-two, divorced mother of two adult children. A quick check of the Council database showed she wasn't a wolf. Doing the same for the units on either side, I came up with nothing.

I called Emily on her cell and filled her in. "I need to know if there is any connection between Bonnie and this woman," I told her. "Also, see if Bonnie has any friends along Route 1 between Stockton Springs and Kittery." Looking closer at the data from the tracker, she'd made a half-dozen stops along that route, the last being a gas station. I found all locations she'd been at for five minutes or longer and sent them to Emily's phone.

While I waited, I checked my secure email and my phone messages. I didn't have much, so I checked my retirement savings. I had multiple accounts set up, and they were doing well. I checked my 401(k) and Roth IRA retirement savings plans online. In late February, the stock market tanked, dropping my portfolio's value by 25%. I moved money out of bonds and cash accounts to take advantage of the sale prices, knowing that it would be a good investment in the long term. So far, the market had made back half of the loss. Yes, the Council had a retirement plan, just like any other employer. I didn't have many fixed expenses, and I got per-diem and travel reimbursements while on Council business. I didn't have expensive hobbies or tastes, so I had plenty of legitimate money to plow into the accounts.

My unofficial income was in Bitcoin, gold, silver, and other untraceable investments. During my Fixer duties, I'd eliminated hundreds of rogue wolves. Any property, cash, or other assets they had needed to disappear with them, and the Council didn't know or care what happened to it. They didn't want it traced back to them.

If I was lucky, I found codes and documents allowing me to take control of these assets. I buried jars full of coins in the woods behind my cabin outside Hinsdale, New Hampshire. I would have plenty of liquid assets in play for my retirement.

My mate was already retired, and I couldn't wait to join her. When the phone rang, I was lost in a dream about Bonnie with her hands around her baby bump. "Lassiter."

"It's Emily. I can't link Bonnie to anyone at those three addresses. Are you sure she is there?"

"No," I said as I let out a breath. "Anything on the other places that Bonnie stopped?"

"Nothing. Some are scenic areas, but she could have met anyone there."