Were in the City Ch. 14

Helen's POV

Beginning later the night Jessie gets back home from Rubble Beach

Julie knocked, opened the door and walked into the room they all called the command centre, looking disapprovingly at her friend and boss. "You must get some rest. Let someone else take over for a little while."

Helen took a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "Things are going to hell right now and you want me to sleep ... just how do you expect me to do that?"

Julie made a rude noise. "By trusting the people you've known and worked with for years, that's how. You take on too much, and it's not good for you. You know that, we know that ... its way past time you left the minute-to-minute crisis juggling to others and just focused on managing us all."

Julie sighed, "I know those three are important to you. Everyone worked hard to place the twins in a safe place, but did you really think it was going to work? It lasted less than a year. Those two just can't get a break, it's like they are living under a curse or something."

Helen groaned, "Don't say that, especially to them. This time they've got something good along with the bad. Maybe that will help?" She looked at the folder open on her computer and selected an image file. A picture of Jessie Taylor appeared on the monitor. She murmured "Just when I thought there was nothing interesting left in this world, the world surprised me ..."

She stretched her arms above her head and shrugged her shoulders, trying to shake out the tension that had settled in her back during this crazy day. "Are Lennie and Tina still up? Can you ask them to come in here and I'll fill them in on the situation. Then I promise I will go to bed."

Julie nodded, "I will hold you to that boss. I want you out of here within the hour. We will also go for a run tomorrow, you need that too."

A few minutes later, Helen was updating the two people she thought of as her senior Betas. "Annie and Emma Jordan have arrived on the island and were accepted into the sea-wolf pack by their new Alpha. That group will stay on high-alert. I was hoping the Richards would not find out where Emma went, but they'll know the general area now and there are only so many options out there. At least an island is much harder to enter than mainland pack lands, so if any wolves are sent to get to Emma they should be caught before they can harm her."

"Tony Richard is still alive, currently being looked after at the Jenkins Pack's medical clinic. I'm told he'll recover but he's lost an eye. Apparently he can't remember what happened to him. Under Alpha Jenkins' questioning all he can say is that he remembers driving down the highway and then waking up in a truck after he was rescued. Everything else is a blank."

Lennie and Tina looked at her in astonishment. "Yes, I know ... it isn't possible, but somehow Jessie Taylor was able to compel a wolf she is not bonded to and her commands are currently sticking. The real test will be when Tony gets back to his pack and faces his own Alpha. If he continues to say nothing, and breaks the bonds to his pack and his family, I'm going to have to rethink everything about what we were planning to do with Ms. Taylor."

Tina frowned, "What do the Richards know right now? From what I understand, Tony made a phone call for help before Jessie could get back to him. What did he say on that call before she messed with his memory?"

Helen shook her head, "I don't know yet. I'm hoping he was in such rough shape at the time that all he did was ask for help and didn't talk about much else. I'm sure everyone knows now that Andrew Richard is missing and is likely dead. The only targets for revenge will be whoever was transporting Annie and Emma, and the pack that took those two women in. I'm hoping we get some information from our sources in the Algonquin Pack soon so we know what we are dealing with there."

Tina sighed, "How were Tony and Andrew travelling without their babysitters for god's sake?! Idiots, both of them ... always have been."

Helen answered, "I think when Annie panicked, getting quickly on a truck rather than waiting for her scheduled ride, the cousins followed and got separated from the rest of their entourage. That was ultimately bad for them, but it saved Jessie and the others at the beach. That area is neutral ground and that should have prevented any violence, but if someone foolishly started something those "babysitters" would have made sure there were no survivors except Algonquin wolves."

"How did we not know that Annie was being tracked? That worries me ... our sources are not as reliable as we thought. We need to find out why we didn't know, and fast. I put Jessie in terrible danger because I thought she was safe ... that can never happen again."

Lennie nodded, "Let me work on that. At the moment, we have to be concerned that there are now three more Algonquin wolves in that area trying to sort out what happened. I'm assuming one is with Tony?" Helen nodded. "... and the other two doing what they can to find out what happened. Julie's removed whatever digital evidence of Jessie that she can but we are going to have to assume they'll at least find out the driver was a woman. Where it goes from there, I don't know."

Helen sighed, rubbing her eyes, "I'm sure we'll find out more tomorrow. One last thing ... has anyone heard from Paul? When is he due back here?"

Lennie nodded, "He called earlier today. He was meeting with an old friend who might have some suggestions for further research regarding the jewellery collection, then he was coming back. You'll be able to get a report on that sometime tomorrow I think. Paul was quite excited ... said there were important things he'd managed to find out so far, so it should be very interesting to hear what he's got."

Helen sighed, "Good. That's it for now. You know all the other actions we've got going on, and the log file is up to date. I'm under orders to go to bed now. Call me if you need me though, yes?"

Lennie and Tina nodded. They each picked two of the four phones that received calls from various sources so they could monitor things through the rest of the night, and left the room.

Helen turned down the lights, pushed her chair away from the desk and rolled over to the large floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the property. She stared at the stars for a few minutes before she caught sight of her reflection in the glass. A white-haired, one-eyed woman in a wheelchair looked back. She was aging rapidly now, a result of an attempt on her life 20 years ago that had left her a paraplegic and the subsequent, ongoing struggle to keep her wolf from fading away. She was grateful that her mind and memory remained sharp -- she could still do what needed to be done. She had beaten the odds and survived something Were usually didn't manage to do, but it had taken an enormous toll.

"Never give up, never surrender" she whispered. It was still a great motivational mantra. It came from the movie Galaxy Quest they had all enjoyed watching the year before the car crash that had been deliberately planned to kill her. The movie poster was prominently displayed in her office, a gift and daily reminder from her group ... her family.

They had lost so much, all of them, that day and in the months and years that had followed. Helen had wondered many times since then, if she hadn't been so badly hurt would she have done as Jacob, Liam, Julie and others had -- tearing a swath of death and destruction through those who had attempted to wipe them all out? All those lives lost, a long & painful negotiation that finally stopped the war, an uneasy truce that had lasted almost 12 years ... and now two spoiled, undisciplined idiots had been sent to kill a ten year old child.

What were the Richards thinking? Surely they didn't really fear girls so much that they'd risk the precarious cease-fire for the first Richard daughter born in over 132 years, whom almost no one knew was Tony Richard's child? Emma was unmarked, just as Silvie had been -- there was no curse for heaven's sake! It was the Richard family's own damn fault that Andrew was dead and Tony was, if Jessie was right, about to be as good as dead. Helen was going to have to make that very clear to Mark and Stephen Richard, get them to back away from acts of revenge in order to prevent another war. She was well aware Jacob and Liam would go to any lengths to protect Jessie -- and if something happened to her those two men would stop at nothing to destroy those responsible.

Helen sighed ... she couldn't think or plan any more tonight, she had to sleep. She maneuvered her chair into the adjoining bedroom. She'd have a quick shower and then rest for a few hours. It was supposed to be a nice spring day tomorrow, she and her wolf were looking forward to going for a run with Julie.

*****************

The alarm on Helen's phone went off at 10am the next morning and Helen cursed Julie when she saw the time. Her friend had snuck in and changed the settings again, giving her another four hours of sleep. "Julie, I know you are hovering so get in here right now" she yelled as she sat up and shifted her legs so she could pull herself into her wheelchair.

Julie came through the bedroom door, smiling and totally unrepentant, carrying a breakfast tray which she placed on a table across from the bed. "Coffee's hot. There's lots of food here, so eat up. You'll need it for your run today."

"Anything I should know so far this morning?" Helen asked.

Julie shook her head, "Nothing major at the moment. Paul wants to meet at 5pm to give you an update on his research, and Liam called to say he and Jacob were going to take Jessie out of the city today to one of the spots we identified as safe wild places to run. She hasn't had any proper practice as a gryphon yet, and that can't wait any longer. They'll be back in the city tomorrow evening."

Helen nodded, "Good, she's got so much to learn and too little time to get up to speed I'm afraid. The twins are good teachers, that should help."

Julie laughed, "They are also relentless perfectionists. I've been a student of theirs before and I've never finished a session with them without aching all over and wanting to strangle one or both of them ... but I've always been better off for it so once Jessie figures that out she'll do alright!"

A little over an hour later, wearing only a large shirt, Helen wheeled herself outside to the barn where she met Julie. Pulling herself onto a bench by a large exercise mat, she removed her clothing, then lay down on the mat and shifted into her wolf form. Julie attached all the straps and braces for a paralyzed dog wheelchair to Helen's body, finally tilting her upright and slipping her useless back legs into a sling to keep them off the ground and away from the wheels.

"Ok, do a lap around the barn and let me have a look."

Helen trotted slowly in a circle, coming back to Julie, who tightened a couple of things before she was satisfied. "Right, almost ready." Julie pulled the small pouch containing Helen's phone and medications off her human wheelchair and attached it across her back to the metal braces of her wolf wheelchair. Shifting into her wolf, Julie looked at her boss.

Where would you like to go today?

Let's go up to the lake. I haven't been there in a while.

Julie nodded and they set off. Trails had been cleared throughout the 10,000 acre [almost 16 square mile] property so that Helen could move easily in her "wolf-wheels" but they were not manicured. To keep her other half happy there had to be the feel of the wild and the challenge of rough terrain. It took almost an hour to reach the lake. After a long drink from a stream that flowed into the lake, they walked to a spot Helen loved. Large flat boulders had been placed at various outlooks where she could rest the front half of her body while her back half remained supported by the wheels. The rocks were warm, the air was sweet, the sounds of wild life were wonderful. Helen closed her eyes and dozed for a bit, Julie curled up beside her.

When the phone rang it jolted both of them from their slumber and Helen let out a frustrated howl. Julie shifted, grabbed the phone and answered it in speaker mode.

"The world had better be teetering on the edge of oblivion right now or I'll have your hide for interrupting her few hours off!" she snarled.

Lennie answered, "I've got Mark Richard on another line and he insists on talking with Helen right now. I tried to put him off, telling him she'd call him back in a few hours, but he won't accept that. Can she talk now?"

Helen nodded. Julie reached over and undid the quick release buckle on Helen's wheelchair. Everything loosened and fell away as Helen shifted back to her human form. With Julie's help she sat up on the boulder with the sun on her bare back.

Helen sighed, "Alright Lennie, I'm here. Do you have any idea what he wants?"

"No, he's said nothing other than he wants to talk to you right now."

"Ok, put him through and listen in please."

Helen heard a click as the call was transferred and then said "What can I do for you Mr. Richard?" She saw Julie roll her eyes at the polite greeting.

Mark's hoarse, raspy voice barked out "Cut the crap Helen. We need to talk about what's happened on the west coast."

"Would you be referring to the attempt by your grandson Tony to kill his own 10 year old child ... your great granddaughter ... by any chance? I would have thought that would be the last thing you'd want to discuss with anyone, seeing as it's an indecent and immoral action that usually deserves severe punishment. If you want to talk about it, I'd be happy to bring it to the next Pack Alphas Council meeting."

"Fuck you Helen."

"Right back at you Mark."

Mark sighed, "Where's Andrew?"

"I think you know the answer to that. It's your fault, and Stephen's, that you didn't sort those two out a long time ago ... and you sent them out to do a despicable thing ... why for god's sake?! I was taking care of the situation as we agreed."

"I didn't send them damn it! I don't know what happened. I didn't want this. The others are calling for blood ..."

Helen was angry, and worried. "Who gains if our truce falls apart Mark? It will fall apart if you don't rein in the talk of revenge. What happened to Tony and Andrew was in self-defence, they attacked first. Someone was willing to sacrifice your grandsons to restart a war. Sort that out and quickly, or next time you might not live through a battle with just a mangled voice to show for it."

"Don't threaten me Helen."

"I'll threaten whoever I damn well feel like threatening. Deal with your problem, now!"

There was silence on the phone for a minute. Helen waited.

Mark sighed, "I will try ... I have one other issue ... Tony took the Chain of Office given to the first Richard family Alpha in North America when he left here. He no longer has it with him. I want it back."

"That sounds like it could be valuable heirloom. Who knows where it was lost along his journey" Helen said, trying to sound at least a little bit sympathetic when she really wasn't at all.

"He can't remember what happened to it, but I'm willing to bet whoever tore Tony up has it, and I'm willing to bet Helen that you know who that person is. I want it back."

"Well, I will ask around and see if anyone knows about something like that." Helen couldn't resist a last dig, her wolf egging her on. "It's not like you have an Alpha to wear it any more though is it?"

"Fuck you Helen."

"Right back at you Mark."

Helen hung up and looked over at Julie, who said "Well, that was the most civilized conversation I think I've ever heard you have with that man. I wonder what he would think if he knew you were sitting naked on a rock while you were threatening him -- would that make you more or less scary?"

Helen let out a small laugh, "More scary I hope ... I can look like this and still unleash hell upon him if I choose to." She sighed, "I hope it never comes to that ever again. We need more info from our informants in Algonquin and elsewhere. Someone is maneuvering around Mark & Stephen Richard and we need to know who it is, and fast."

Julie nodded. "Let's get you strapped in again and we'll head back ... by the way, how did you get Mark to agree that you could relocate Emma?"

Helen smiled, "That's right, you were away when I did that. It's all about money and power, at least with that family ... I've had a crew harassing his supply lines for a while now, ready to use that to make a deal when I needed to. He let me have Emma as long as I ensured she'd never be used to interfere in Richard family interests and I made a promise to deal with the rogues who were cutting into his profits and messing with his delivery dates."

"I don't trust Mark to keep his word for long, Richard daughters are something that family can't accept, but I thought I'd bought enough time to get that child to a safer location. At least she made it and our people are ok."

Julie laughed, "And I'm sure after a reasonable break it will be sooooooo unfortunate when another bunch of rogues starts doing something aggravating again?"

Helen nodded, "But of course my friend! So unfortunate."

*********************

By 5pm Helen had found time to have a shower, eat a late lunch, make at least two dozen phone calls and attend the weekly review of the security setup for the property. Almost 40 people lived there year round, others came and went for various reasons. Everyone had to be checked and cleared regularly and the perimeter watched constantly. Although Helen's home was not officially pack land because her group as not a traditional pack, the Were world had been told to treat it as such. Anyone crossing the border uninvited was taking a huge risk.

Julie had just brought a fresh pot of tea to the office when Paul knocked and walked in for his meeting.

"Helen my love, you are looking especially beautiful today!" he said, giving her a kiss and then slumping down into the nearest comfy chair.

Helen shook her head, smiling, "You need to get your eyes checked old man. Are you sticking around for a while?"

Paul nodded, "Yes, I've got a bunch of things I can do from here for now. This is the most interesting project I've had in a long time. I am quite enjoying myself and it gives me an excuse to catch up with lots of old colleagues and contacts."

Helen frowned, "I hope you are being very careful my friend. We don't know why Jessie's mother was so afraid. I don't want anyone out there getting any ideas from what Jessie found."

"I am, don't worry. When I've had to, I've explained that this is research for a new book I'm writing about the stories behind lost jewels. Just this morning I had breakfast with an expert in emeralds and asked him for a list of gems over 20 carats that have been designated lost or missing over the past 300 years. Large good quality emeralds are rare and expensive, they've been tracked for a long time now. He's going to send me his list by tomorrow. I didn't tell him that Jessie's collection has several over 40 carats and one over 60 carats. That big one would be worth at least 5 million dollars today and I'm hoping it will be on his list."

Helen nodded. "Good. So tell me, what have you discovered so far?"

Paul rubbed his hands together, looking excited. "Well, first off, whoever put together this collection -- one person or many, who knows -- they were expert jewel thieves! I've managed to identify 8 of the complete pieces and 5 of the large gems so far. They were all stolen from their rightful owners, mostly rich aristocrats living or travelling throughout Europe, between 1750 and 1900. Some of the robberies were quite clever, nobody was ever caught, and the jewels never resurfaced -- so the leading theory is that they've all ended up in the hands of private collectors who know they were stolen and can't reveal they have them without losing them to repatriation lawsuits."