23

LA County Hospital

Isolation Ward

Trevor Madison wanted Rick dead.

He was completely focused on eliminating the person who could link him to the Torchelli family. Well, the formerly Torchelli family, as Black Ker had eliminated that entire bloodline from this world with extreme prejudice. He thought back to when Lynn was given to him. They expected him to train her, to keep her safe and prepare her to take her place as the chief enforcer of the Torchelli crime family. After all, he had given them the leverage on Black Ker, helped with mission planning and helped ensure she didn't decide to run.

Victor didn't expect him to be going into business for himself. Trevor had been working for years on a way to break free of the mob family and work directly as Black Ker's handler. She was worth millions a year to the person who controlled her, and these humans didn't know what she was truly capable of. Trevor did. He had trained her, guided her and helped her become the most feared assassin in the world. He smiled as he walked down the hallway. Linda and her new mate were weapons unleashed exactly where he needed them, in the destruction of his bosses. Even the CIA would now recognize her worth. As long as his involvement in her enslavement was kept quiet, when she returned, he could resume his role as her handler.

Getting shot by this little shit had worked in his favor. Linda and Joe saw him as a trustworthy ally now, not a calculating bastard who would sell his own daughter for profit. He was used to hiding his feelings for her. That half-breed bitch turned his stomach every time he thought about mating with her; the wolf in her scent disgusted him. He had just pretended to be a caring lover and father to keep her in his grasp when their CIA group was being disbanded. Now he just had to get control of Lynn again.

Trevor walked down the hallway of the county hospital towards the isolation ward for werewolves. Ever since the exposure of the werewolves, big hospitals had facilities and protocols for humans undergoing forced turns. The protocol was fairly well set now; heavy sedation, involve the local Alpha when they wake up and change. Sequester them in a reinforced room capable of withstanding their rage. Rounding the corner to the nurse's station, he adjusted his stethoscope so it partially covered his fake identification badge. His covert background had trained him to assume many identities, and an overworked doctor was a pretty easy one. "Patient chart on Richard Tomczyk, please."

The young nurse looked up. "I'm sorry, Doctor, he was discharged two hours ago."

Trevor looked up, annoyed. "How? He shouldn't have been allowed to wake up for another 24 hours!"

"He wasn't awake, Doctor. The FBI took custody of him."

Telluride Pack Offices

Colorado

Andy Miller was met at the stairs to the large, lodge style Pack House by his friend and new Telluride Beta, Mike Donaldson. "Mike! Hey, congratulations on the move up in the Pack! How does it feel to be the chief Beta?"

Mike embraced him warmly. "Pretty good, but I'm busier than a one legged man in an ass-kicking con-test. How are you doing?"

"Not bad. Linda and I are settled in to Pack life now, and she's retired from the news business now to take care of our daughter. I'm hoping she goes into heat soon, she's always wanted a big family." Mike walked him through the Pack house to the administrative wing, where his office was right next to the Alpha's. "Now, what brings you up here?"

"I'll tell you over a couple beers." Mike laughed as they walked into his office, and Andy sat down while he opened the small fridge behind his desk and tossed him a cold one. "Man, I've missed having you around. I'm sorry I've been so busy, I haven't seen you since Wolfstock."

"Yeah, and that wasn't the way I wanted to leave." He took a long pull and sat back. "I don't have much time, so I'll get right to the point. I need your word first, nothing I talk to you about here goes any farther. Not even your Alpha can know." Andy looked him in the eyes as Mike met his stare. "You'll understand when I tell you."

"All right, you have my word that I won't divulge this conversation. What can I do for you?"

Andy put the empty can on the table by his chair. "It's more what I can do for you. I can help you get Black Ker."

Mike's eyes went wide. "Whatever you need, men, money, it's yours. That bitch has to die."

"Nothing is ever that simple, is it?" Andy got up and went to the fridge to grab another beer. "I don't have her, and I don't know where she is. I do, however, know where her daughter is. If you have her daughter, she'll turn herself in to you. She'll do anything for Lynn. Not even three yet, and Mommy will protect her with her own life."

Mike sat back. "So, why don't you bring her to me if you know where the daughter is? I'll make sure you get paid."

Andy took another drink. "I can't. Her daughter is being fostered by a couple in my Pack. My Alpha's and the couple, they don't know who she is or how important she is, just that she was an abandoned werecat. It's impossible to find foster panther families, hell, there are only a few dozen alive any more. Renee Hastings took her in and gave her to a childless couple to raise. As such, she has the full protection of the Pack and the Alpha order to protect her from harm. I can't defy it." Looking over his beer, he saw realization setting in. "But, I don't agree with it. Black Ker has killed a bunch of wolves, and the spawn of that bitch is bound to be trouble as well. I just wish there was someone who could take care of that problem for me, quickly and quietly, without involving anyone in my Pack."

Mike took a long drink, sitting back in his chair. "Yes, that would be best. If she just disappeared, and no one in your Pack was hurt, it would be best."

"I think we understand each other. Now, the official reason I am here. Wolfstock III is coming up in five months, and my Alpha want to step back a little in their involvement. Alpha Renee has her hands full with the twins, and with the event being here in Colorado she was hoping one of the local Packs would take a lead role in preparation."

"I have to talk to my Alpha, but that's very possible. It would be a good chance for him to work with the other Alphas, since he's new to this."

Andy smiled. "I figured you'd be up for it. Renee wants to start turning over some of the planning; if you and some of your Pack members who would be key for this could come down for a weekend, we could turn over the material we have and meet each other. Maybe you could make it an official Pack visit, bring along some members with relatives in the Gila pack, even some unmated wolves who want to make the trip. The more the merrier."

"Yes, and a large group would make it easy for someone to just slip away for a few moments."

"Exactly." He tossed the empties in the garbage can in the corner. "I need to leave in an hour, and I'm starving. Can you drop me off for some lunch while you run this past your Alpha?"

"Absolutely. I'll have an answer before you leave."

Catoctin Mountain Road

Near Thurmont, MD

"Daddy?" The sound was barely audible as Linda stared at the face of the man who had just claimed her. "But... Mom said you abandoned us!"

"Never." Ron Washington pulled her into a hug, ignoring the continued but softer growls from her mate as he recognized her kinship to him. "I met your mother on the beach in Mazatlan. I was a senior at the University of Maryland; I hadn't found my mate in any local Packs so I decided to spend the break with some human friends of mine from school. She was just like you- strong, beautiful, and those eyes just captivated me. I could tell she wasn't human, but I'd never met a werecat before. She didn't seem to care at the time. I fell for her instantly, it wasn't a mate bond but it was something closer to human love. I thought she felt the same about me. We were inseparable after that first look, and it was amazing. Dancing, playing on the beach, moonlit walks..." Ron smiled down at her. "It was all pretty normal until she came into heat."

Linda looked up from where her face was buried in his chest. "What happened then?"

"As you know, when werecats go into heat they don't stay in their human forms, they shift. I managed to get her out of town before that happened; we ran off into the jungle together. I couldn't leave her alone, and I couldn't resist her either. Before the heat got too strong, she begged me to help her through it." He looked off. "I loved her, of course I did. We made love repeatedly for the next three days, stopping only to get water and to hunt. When it broke, we went back to my hotel. I had to leave the next morning."

"How could you leave her when she was pregnant?"

"I didn't know. Cats are different, and I didn't smell anything different. Plus, I didn't think it was possible. We were different species, it shouldn't have happened. I had her address, I wrote her every day after I got back to school, but nothing ever happened. The letters didn't get returned, and she never called or contacted me." A tear dropped from his eye. "As soon as school was over, I went back there to search for her. Her apartment was empty, her landlord said he didn't have a forwarding address. The bar she said she worked at, the manager said she quit. She told them she had gotten pregnant and was going back home to have the baby."

"Where was home?"

"I don't know." He kissed her head. "Every spring for the next five years I went back to Mazatlan searching for her. I never found her. Eventually I gave up. Please, tell me, where is she?"

"She left me when I was fourteen. We'd lived on the fringes, never really having a place to settle down. Mom didn't handle the human side too well, now I can see she was depressed. She died of an overdose, the cops came to get me a week after she disappeared and put me into the foster system. I couldn't handle that, so I left and scraped by on theft and burglary until the CIA recruited me two years later."

Ron sobbed loudly into her neck. "I wish... I wish I could have been there for you." He looked into her eyes. "I know I have no right, and you're an adult with a mate of your own, but please- let me be a part of your life."

Linda kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly. "However long that lasts, you can be in it. You have to deal with this overprotective lug, though. It's kind of a package deal." She stepped back and went over to give Joe a hug. "This is Joe Miller, he's my mate and Alpha of the Nightmare pack."

Joe stretched his hand out for a handshake but was pulled into a group hug instead. "Thank you for finding her and keeping her safe, and for all you've done to free those women."

Joe smiled as Ron stepped back. "You're welcome, Gramps." They laughed as Ron's jaw dropped so low it was catching flies.

"You, you have..."

"Yes, Dad, you have a granddaughter." Linda pulled out a phone, tapping a few buttons she brought up a photo of Lynn. "Lynn turns three in a few months. She'll be thrilled to meet you."

"Is she here?" Ron was peering into the vehicles where the remaining Nightmare pack members were.

"No, it's too dangerous to have her on the road with us. We have her safe, she's at the Gila pack with some friends. Hey, do you have a camera?"

"Of course." Ron pulled out his cellphone and Linda took a selfie with him, her head on his broad shoulder.

"We have to leave. You know who we are, and who is after us. If you want to see your granddaughter, go to the Gila pack and speak to Alpha Renee. Show her that picture and tell her what happened, and she will put you together."

"Are you sure you can't stay?"

Joe nodded. "We've already been here too long." He wrote down his cell number and some other numbers Alpha Nichols provided. Looking at the men of the Thurmont pack, Joe stood tall. "We have to head back west. Thank you for helping these women, but talk to them, and understand what they were put through. Catch those bastards that did this to them and give them Pack justice, with their mates there by their sides. That's all Linda and I want, justice."

Alpha Nichols smiled. "I've already got my men working on it, and we'll bring in all the Packs in the area. These women will get a chance to extract revenge should they choose to." He embraced Joe and Linda. "May Luna protect you, and may the guilty burn in hell." Turning to Ron, he smiled. "Get out of here, you old fart. Tell Robert and Renee hello from me, and fill them in on what has happened."

With that, the Nightmare Pack drove away.

Joe drove them back to Thurmont, pulling up next to Enrique and Anna in their Suburban. His mind was still reeling from the news of Linda's parentage, although it did explain a lot. Everything he had heard about the cats was that they were loners and mateless, yet here was his mate. It could only be the wolf part of her heritage that allowed that, enough for his wolf to bond to.

For Linda, she was getting used to the idea that her father wanted her. As they drove away, he contacted her over the mental bond that had formed between them when they hugged. It was enough to reduce her to tears, and the final proof that he was who he said he was. The whole drive back, instead of wondering about him, they shared their life with each other. Not just their thoughts or plans, but their memories. She learned much about him. He had never found a mate, and the only love of his life was gone now. His soul had been so lonely, and the thought of family was filling him with joy. He hadn't wanted to leave her, he would have come along, but he had to admit she and their Alphas were right. He needed to be there for the next generation if things went bad, so she had a family tie and a protector.

It sure as hell wasn't going to be Trevor, she thought.

When they returned, Enrique updated them on what was going on with the Gila pack. "I've filled them in on everything we've done, and sent them the video and photos from the prison. They wouldn't tell me why, but they said we need to lay low for a while. They have some things in play now that will be use-less if we get captured or killed first."

"What kind of things?"

"They won't tell me. I've told them that our priorities are our new Pack members, Trevor and the Telluride pack. Renee agreed but asked that we step back for a while. She's getting the Council involved."

"Why them?"

Anna put her arm around her mate's waist as she jumped in. "Because what we just found, it makes this an issue for all the Packs. Kidnapping, extortion, torture and rape of Pack members all across the country, and none of them put it together until you discovered them. Renee said that we need to let the Council understand how extensive the Torchelli operation was and how it worked, because the only justification you have for your incursion into the Telluride pack lands was that he was holding your daughter."

"Hearts and minds." Joe nodded. "Once they come to grips with what happened to their Pack members, they will be ready to hear what we say, and understand what we had to do."

"Exactly," Enrique said. "Right now the focus of the Alphas is on this mess, not on you. So, they want us to stay out of sight."

Linda turned and planted her face in her mate's broad chest. "That plan doesn't take care of Trevor."

"Let Renee worry about that for now." He pulled her body tight to his. "She hasn't let us down yet, I trust her, and my wolf does too." He looked around at the people in his Pack with pride. Even though he was waiting for the mates of Lois, Jennifer and Robin to arrive before making a final decision, he already treated them as his responsibility. "OK, so logistics. We have three mates to pick up at Dulles today. Anna, you drive this Suburban with the girls down there and bring them back. No one is looking for you so it's the safest play with the cameras and security. Take some cash out of the duffel to cover gas and any other expenses that show up. Enrique, give her a burner and keep the number. As soon as we find a place to hide out, we'll text you the address." Anna nodded her assent. "Enrique will drive the van and follow you, while Linda and I take the other Suburban. We are going west, into the mountains of West Virginia. We're going to find a place to lay low for a while, something with a lot of forest around that isn't claimed by a Pack. When the wolfsbane in your blood goes away, you're going to want to shift. Plus, your mates are coming and you're bound to get a little loud." There were smiles all around at that one.

"Anything you want me to work on, Boss?"

"Two things. Finding us a hideout, and new transportation. The CIA van tags are known to them, although so far they have been allies you never know. The Suburbans are still registered to the Torchellis, so eventually they will figure out they are missing, or they pull us over and figure it out. I want to ditch them as soon as we have other transportation arranged."

Enrique nodded. "Do you want multiple vehicles or one big one?"

Linda looked at him. "When we move west we need to be together as a Pack. Figure out something that will be big enough for a long road trip together." Smiling, she thought about it. "I want us to be able to drive straight through, without needing hotels. Find a big RV or something."

Enrique nodded. "Budget?"

Joe laughed. "Budget? We don't need no steenkin' budget!" He pointed to the van. "There's plenty of cash for whatever we need between what we got out of her safe deposit box and what we took from Victor. Think private sale, though- I want to do all transactions in cash, no electronic traces. Just make sure you give Anna some fat stacks of Benjamins in case she gets separated or needs to do some power shopping."

Enrique went back to the van, returning with the bags they had brought from Los Angeles and a couple burner phones. "I'll get more phones along the way so we don't have to use these more than once or twice. Linda, your spare ID's and cash are here, plus clothes for both of you. Anything else you need?"

"Weapons." She walked back to the van while Anna was getting the women settled in the Suburban she would drive. While she was gathering the gear, Enrique handed Anna a small bag of money and kissed her goodbye.

A few minutes later, Linda returned with a few large gun cases and a bag of other gear. Placing it in the back of their SUV, she walked over to the driver's side door of Anna's van. "It's really too late for you to pick up everyone and make it back to where we are. Get some rooms at an airport hotel and stay out of sight there. Have the men take the hotel shuttles and go straight to the rooms, use room service only. This card," she handed her a credit card, "is a corporate card you can use for everything. Completely untraceable, and they won't bat an eye when you book the rooms. Tomorrow after checkout you guys come to the place we find."

Enrique nodded. "There should be plenty of RV's for sale in the northern Virginia area. After we get settled in at the hotel I'll start looking."

Joe looked around. "Anything else?" Everyone shook their heads. "All right, we will see you guys at the hideout tomorrow. Stay out of sight as much as you can, and make sure you don't speed or do any-thing to draw attention to you. If you text a series of 9's, that means your cover is blown or you are in trouble. Use the money, find a place to hide, and let the others know when you are safe again." A few minutes later, the vehicles drove out, turning different ways when they hit the freeway.

An hour later, Anna's vehicle was filled with women singing loudly and badly to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. As soon as it came on the radio, Jennifer cranked the volume and Lois and Robin joined in. As they say, you can't be a friend if you don't sing along, so Anna's voice was added. They were quite the sight going down the road, swaying to the music with their air guitars and Jennifer's air drums. It was only when Anna looked in the mirror and saw Lois was crying that they stopped. Robin took her into her arms as the crying grew to sobs which became screams. "Shhh, Lois, it's over. He can't do that to you anymore. It's over." She kept repeating "it's over" until Lois calmed down, then fell asleep in her arms.