South Mountain Pack Ch. 15

"The DEA'll be happy but Charles' supplies and buyers won't," Ed replied. "Paulo, do a search of the Were registry and see if any of them are on there."

"Already done, none of them are," Paulo said pointing to the bottom left monitor. "Since they're not part of the threat and are human, I'll have their addresses, phone numbers, last 1040's, bank, driving and phone records, criminal background check and anything else I can dig up in a couple of days."

"I'm not even going to ask how you access official Government databases," Ed said as he shook his head before looking at Joe. "I'll try and give you a warning when the warrant for his arrest comes past my desk from the cyber crimes unit."

Paulo threw back his head and laughed, "Don't worry about that Mr. G, I'll know about it before you will ... but if they ever detect me in their system and they run a trace it'll bring them to Langley, VA then move onto other sites in DC."

"The CIA?" Ed asked before he burst out laughing.

Paulo shrugged, "They should buy their software from RI instead of developing their own. What I've designed and licensed to RI is way beyond what they use." He turned back to his keyboard as Joe smiled at Ed.

Carlo glanced at the clock and saw it was 4 AM, "Most of us have been up almost twenty-four hours and if we don't get some sleep, we'll have trouble focusing. We'll meet here at noon." He turned to Carmelo and said, "Leave your youngsters here, no sense waking them up." Carmelo nodded and he, Ed, Vinnie and the Italians left after Frank disabled the security system. Rose and Annie quickly stacked the folders in order and Joe locked them in the safe in his study.

"You're welcome to stay," Joe said with a yawn. "With the youngsters sleeping down here, all the bedrooms are empty."

"We'll stay, my wolf is on edge and we don't want to be far from the girls," Carlo said with a frown before taking in the placement of the furniture and he began to smile. The sofas and recliners were pushed to the back of the room and the girls were asleep on them while the boys were covering the floor in front of them. He looked at his son and was surprised to see his eyes open.

Anthony, Vin, Dom, Alberto, Lorenzo and Damian silently got up and walked into the kitchen. "Go to sleep, we've got things here," Anthony said quietly but in a firm tone. "It's going to be a long day and you need some rest."

Dante nodded, "We'll go to the carriage house." He grabbed the key off the wall and Ric, Rocco and Luc followed him into the backyard.

Carlo nodded and said, "Wake me if you need me." Frank and Joe made sure the house was secure before the adults went upstairs.

The boys waited until their parents were gone before Ant asked, "How bad is it?"

"Bad. Really bad," Paulo motioned with his head towards his office and once there he quietly told them everything they had found and that only half of the files on the hard drive had been opened, plus he still had to open the hard drives on the other computers. Yawning widely he said, "Oh, and Luc has a mate, it's Cat. I thought Alpha Dante was going to blow a gasket, but he's cool with it. I've got to get some sleep, I'm beat." They followed him back down the hall and Vin shut the lights off except for the bathroom so the Miller girls wouldn't get scared.

Three hours later the girls woke and their movements and whispers woke the boys. Telling them quietly their parents were asleep upstairs, Vin outlined their plans for the morning and the Millers eyes were filled with excitement. Sophia and Maria brought the girls into the downstairs bathroom, giving them clothes from the laundry room and toothbrushes to clean up. Thirty minutes later, the boys finished cooking breakfast and called the girls into the kitchen. Warming trays of sausage patties, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, biscuits and pancakes were set on the breakfast bar and Vin said, "Grab a plate and eat."

"Oh, this is good. Did you guys cook it?" Kelly asked as she ate hash browns mixed with onions, green and red peppers and chopped bacon.

"No, it's takeout," muttered Gianni sarcastically as he rolled his eyes before he began to smirk. "You know damn well we cooked since you watched us."

"I meant I can't believe you all cooked because it's really good," she said before she began to blush.

"That hurts, really hurts," he replied as he clutched at his heart.

"A simple 'Thank you for slaving for hours and hours for making me breakfast', would have been sufficient and appreciated," Damian said with a smile as he took a piece of bacon off Caitlin's plate.

"Hours and hours? How do you figure?" Caitlin asked as she watched Erin snatch a biscuit off Lorenzo's plate as he growled at her.

"We had to gather the eggs, slaughter the pig, grind the wheat into flour, churn the butter, milk the cow, harvest the potatoes, onions and peppers, tap a tree for syrup, chop the wood," Damian said with an exaggerated sigh as the boys began to laugh. "I'm exhausted, so you all will have to do the dishes."

Gabby smirked and walked to the trashcan pulling a wrapper out and holding it for everyone to see, "So which one of you is Bob Evans?"

"He's our third cousin twice removed, great guy but a bit of a pig when he eats," Damian said as he shoved a whole pancake in his mouth.

"I smell food," Paulo said sleepily as he walked into the kitchen and stretched. The youngsters were quiet as he walked to the breakfast bar with his eyes cracked open and got a huge plate of food. He went to sit down and heard a squeak and his eyes flew open, "I'm sorry Shannon, that's where I usually sit."

"It's okay, let me move over," she said with a smile as the youngsters slid over to make room for him.

After they finished eating, Dom said, "While you do the dishes, we'll get cleaned up. DO NOT go outside." The girls nodded and ten minutes later the boys joined them dressed in basketball shorts and t-shirts. "Okay, Vin, Ant, Lorenzo, Damian and I'll check out the backyard." Paulo turned the alarm off, and they watched the guards slide back into the walls and the girls hurried to finish the dishes.

"How is your arm this morning?" Alberto asked as he sat next to Maria at the table. "Are you sure you're up to what Vin has planned?"

"I'm fine," she responded as she snuggled into his side. "Sophia told me to use a sling so it won't get as swollen and sore. Could you help me put it on?" She handed him a sling Michael had used years ago when he dislocated his shoulder. She smiled as she felt Alberto's fingers tremble as they moved her hair out of the way before moving down her back to straighten the strap and fabric. "That feels good when you touch me like that," she whispered and heard his loud gulp.

"You're killing me Gattina," Alberto whispered hoarsely.

"Alberto, anytime you're done perving on my sister, we're ready," Lorenzo said with a scowl as Alberto jumped and almost fell off the bench much to the delight of the girls who started to laugh.

"The yard's clear," Vin said as he turned to his cousin. "Maria, I want you to rest on the patio or the loungers. Make sure you bring something to support your arm, something to drink, and did you take your medicine?"

"Yes Dad," she replied in a huff. "I also made the potty."

Vin burst out laughing and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead, "Okay smartass, you know I'm just worried." Alberto growled and moved her gently into his side and scented her as she caressed his arm to reassure him.

When they were outside Ant said, "Angelo and Victor, patrol the woods in wolf form." They ran to the pool house and when they came out Victor play bowed nipping at Angelo's paw and ran towards the tree line as Angelo watched for a few seconds before taking off in pursuit. "Sal, Alberto keep an eye on the front and side yard." They nodded and headed to the corners of the house.

Ant told the girls to leave their shoes on the patio and to follow him down to the yard. Sophia and Gabby lead the warm-ups and the boys made adjustments to their charges movements. "Okay, we're going to work on offense then defense." The two girls demonstrated while the boys continued to make adjustments, always being positive and offering encouragement. "Now comes the fun part." He instructed the twins to pair up and moved them so they had a good view of Sophia and Gabby. "You're going to start lightly sparring. Using the moves we've shown you, the older twin will use offense while the younger uses defense. Follow what Sophia and Gabs are doing. They'll show you how it's done, and then you do it until you're proficient with it." The boys stood behind them adjusting their arms, shoulders and body placement until the girls were comfortable then they stepped away to watch.

"You're doing well, we'll take a break and then switch up," Anthony motioned to the patio and the boys brought out pitchers of sweet tea and water and the girls eagerly sat down in the shade to rest.

Fiona asked quietly, "Anthony, how are we doing?"

"You're doing really well," he said as he filled Sophia's glass with more sweet tea. "I don't know how much you know of Were culture, but the young inherit their father's skill. Your father's a Level 4, so you inherently have a natural aptitude; we just have to refine your skills."

"If we inherit our father's fighting ability, what do we inherit from our mothers?" asked Aislin before she began to blush.

Maria and Sophia smiled as Gabby said, "Luckily, their intellect. The women are the brains behind the men's brawn." The girls high-fived while the boys rolled their eyes, snorted or let out sighs.

"Will our fighting skills get as good as Sophia and Maria?" Fallon asked as she smiled shyly at them.

"I doubt you'd want to be like them because they're highly abnormal," Damian said with a straight face as Sophia and Maria glared at him. "They're short scary little bundles of trouble who use scare tactics and intimidation and if that doesn't work then they get sneaky. It's an embarrassment to the rest of us Carlucci's who would never think of doing anything like that."

Sophia took several deep breaths before saying, "5 - 4 - 3 ...," Damian got up and began running through the yard with Sophia several steps behind him.

"Catch him and kick his ass Sophia," Maria yelled as the others began cheering her on while the Millers looked on in confusion.

"What's going on?" asked Erin as she looked at Lorenzo who was laughing.

"Think about what he said. Who's sneakier than Damian or scarier than Vin or Dom when they get mad?" he replied as he turned to look at her.

"Then who's the intimidating one?" she asked with a frown.

"Lorenzo," the rest of the Carlucci's said with a laugh. They continued to watch the chase, with Sophia losing ground until she fell with a cry. Ant moved to get her but Vin reached to stop him. They saw Damian stop and move towards her, his face etched with concern and when he was within an arm length, she sprang up and flipped him on his back before she let out a war cry and did an elbow drop knocking the air out of his lungs. She rolled to her feet and stood over him triumphantly and said, "Now that was sneaky. Just like you and the others taught us."

Damian was laughing as he got to his feet and started chasing her and within a couple steps he caught her and swung her on his shoulder. "You need to work on your follow though little cousin to make sure your opponent stays down," he said in an ominous tone as he ran straight towards the pool and dove in.

"Well, that's one way to cool down," said Brianna with a smile.

"You think so?" said Vin as Brianna's eyes got wide and she took off running. He growled before running after her and her sisters started to giggle until they noticed the grins on the Carlucci boys and they started to run laughing loudly.

"What the hell is going on? All I hear is laughing," Victor asked as they turned around at the edge of the woods near the road.

"We'll take a look when we get closer," Angelo replied as he looked at the much smaller wolf as he ran in a loping motion. "You're running better and it'll be easier when you grow into those paws."

Victor laughed, "Yeah, they're huge. Can I ask something?" Seeing Angelo nod he continued, "You didn't mind getting stuck with me doing patrols?"

"I don't consider it getting stuck with you. It's actually a relief, I'm not sure if you realize it but you're family can be a little intense at times," he said with a chuckle. "You're more quiet, like me and it's nice to be with somebody who doesn't feel the need to talk all the time."

"Yeah, my family is a bit overwhelming," Victor agreed. "I'm surprised they didn't argue with Ant about letting me go on patrol. I'm fifteen and a good fighter, but I don't think they'll ever see me as anything other than a baby Carlucci."

Angelo stopped running, "If they didn't believe in your abilities, you wouldn't be here; you just need a little more experience and confidence. The experience will come in time, the confidence you have to build yourself."

"And how do I do that?" Victor asked as he stared up at the older boy.

"Come on," he started to run again, the smaller wolf beside him. "You're young and you've got a lot of growing to do, physically and emotionally. As far as your family, they'll always see you and Sal as baby Carlucci's." Hearing Victor chuff, he continued, "That's because you are. No matter how tall you become, how strong you are or how old you get, you'll always be their younger brother and cousin and they'll always look out for you."

"I guess. Uncle Frank calls Dad 'baby brother' and Dad doesn't mind, in fact he seems to like it," he said as the two continued to run, Angelo shortening his much larger strides to accommodate Victors smaller size.

Hearing squeals of laughter, they looked through the trees to see the girls getting tossed into the pool followed by the boys jumping in behind them. "What the fuck kind of training is that? They're having fun while we're in the woods?" Victor asked angrily as he turned to Angelo.

"They're letting off steam and letting the girls cool down. Remember when you first started to train? It's hard work and the Millers aren't used to it," Angelo said in a calm tone. "If you notice, Alberto and Sal are standing watch at the corner of the house. Come on, we have a job to do Squirt."

"Squirt? I'll get you for that," Victor said with a laugh as he chased after Angelo who lengthened his strides a little so Victor had to run faster to catch up.

After five minutes Ant said, "Everyone should be cooled down, let's go." There were good natured grumbles but they got out and moved to the next part of the exercise and the girls were exhibiting increased confidence and becoming more fluid in their movements. "Now, the older twin is going to throw an offensive move but the younger one won't know what it is and they'll have to counter it. The boys'll tell you why your counter worked or didn't work."

The sound of slaps, hits, grunts and groans filled the yard and Ant said, "This is your first practice, you don't have to hit hard enough to hurt your sister." Ant had them switch and when he saw the girls were tiring he called a break and the boys to return from their patrols; Angelo and Victor changed into shorts and dove into the pool to cool off and Vin and Dom went to the garage and came back with a wooden box and a 'strike' mannequin.

"You all did really well, and will get better with practice. Our next lesson involves restraints. The first thing we'll work with is handcuffs; putting them on and taking them off," Dom said with a smile as Vin handed each Miller girl a pair. "Chances are if you're restrained, your hands'll be behind your back, so you'll have to get out of them without being able to see what you're doing. I want you to look at them, feel them, and learn where the keyhole is by touch. You'll learn to recognize the sound of the clicks and how it feels when the mechanism unlocks."

"In the false bottom that'll be in each of our bags there'll be a key, but we'll also teach you how to use everyday items to pick the lock; like barrettes, forks, pens and those of you that can shift, your claw," Damian said with a grin.

"We'll demo on the mannequin and you'll be using the cuffs on your protectors and then yourselves," Ant said. "You'll use the key and be able to see what you're doing until you're comfortable, and then we'll make it harder. Pair up and sit on the ground across from your partner." There was excited chatter as the Millers examined the cuffs and the boys showed them how they locked and unlocked.

Ant waited several minutes before he spoke, "Handcuffs are made of stainless steel, carbon steel or aluminum, but the ones we use for prisoners are made of silver. Does anybody know why silver is harmful to us?" The Millers shrugged as he continued, "It attacks our bodies in many ways. It attacks platelets which interfere in our healing process by not letting blood clots form over our wounds until we're lying in a pool of our own blood as we slowly bleed out. We develop hypoxia, which is a decrease in the amount of oxygen being carried by red blood cells which saps our strength, we become light-headed and begin to gasp for air as we slowly suffocate. It burns our skin, starting with a first degree burn similar to sunburn; it progresses to a second degree burn which evolves into a festering painful wound which oozes blood and pus that triggers an immune response which the platelets aren't able to handle. From there it develops into a third degree burn which is entirely through the skin, leaving a gaping wound revealing blood, pus, tissue, muscle and bone ..."

"Ant, I don't think you need to be so graphic," Damian said as he began to laugh at the horrified expressions on the Millers faces. "Silver is bad, really bad, so stay away from it, unless you want Ant to continue with the lecture." The Millers hurriedly shook their heads as they looked at Ant like he had three heads.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm used to Poppa Frank and Mr. JC tell the young boys and they like the uhmm gory details," Ant said as he blushed.

Sophia was grinning as she said, "Daddy tells the girls how silver interferes with our body's functions without the goriness and to make sure we handle it with gloves and wash up when we come in contact with it."

"Lock the cuffs on your partner and use the key," Ant said with a sheepish look. When the girls were comfortable with this Sophia and Gabby put blindfolds on them. Ant said quietly, "Your sense of sight is gone so you need to use your other senses. Listen to the sounds of the clicks, feel the cuffs with your hands, use your taste buds and enhanced sense of smell to monitor your surroundings. Are there others around you, are they human or Were? What does the air smell and taste like? All of that will come into play if you are taken somewhere. It doesn't do any good to escape while your captor is in the room or you have no clue what your next step is."

"Your wolf, even those who haven't shifted, will come to the surface to protect and defend you. Let her, because her senses are more enhanced," added Dom in a calm voice. "You're doing really well. Take your blindfolds off and we'll show you how to use other things to pick the lock." Ant got several bags out of the box and told the girls to take one and pass it on. Each boy showed the girls how to use the items and when they got upset, they talked to them quietly. Sophia and Gabby brought them drinks, Maria was asleep in a chair while the Moretti's and two youngest Carlucci's continued to stand at the edge of the patio watching the yard.