Circle of Lies (Red Ridge Pack) (26 page)

Peter tried his best to keep the group beer consumption at a minimum, but the team consisted of the town barflies, so as the sun started to set, the cans piled up. Peter needed these men alert and sober, but it didn’t look as if that was going to happen.

“You’re losing control of your men!” Uncle Raymond said when Peter stepped away to collect his thoughts.

“It will be fine. Maybe the booze will even help,” Peter rationalized. “They seem more excited and less apprehensive after a few drinks.”

“It’s going to be up to you, Peter. You’d better get back in there and rally them. Killing werewolves won’t be easy. You’ll all need your heads clear,” Uncle Raymond said. “Remember what happened to me!”

With that in mind, Peter went back inside to prepare for the final battle.

56.

Teagan

Sitting in the living room with Mr. Wright—he insisted I call him Paul—I watched more and more people gather on the back porch. It was already dark out when a man who must be The Fixer showed up. By his side was a strikingly beautiful girl way too young to be his wife. Paul excused himself and went outside to join them. His body language suggested I stay where I was.

I sat inside, alone, growing more and more impatient. Unable to help myself, I peered out the window. The gathering appeared ready for war, strapping weapons to every inch of their bodies. I had the urge to run out and tell them that it was just an old drunk and a young nutcase coming for them, and who knew if it would even be tonight, but with Marcus overseeing it all, I kept my butt glued to the couch. The man terrified me.

I was starting to think I wouldn’t have the chance to talk to Aiden again when I noticed him sneaking away from the group. He came inside, and I met him at the door. Before he said a word, he kissed me very hard on the lips. Then: “Don’t worry. We have everything under control.”

“Under control? What’s going on out there, Aiden?”

Aiden looked out the window. “I know this must look crazy, but they just want to be prepared.”

“Prepared for what? It’s just a couple of guys. Granted,” I allowed, “they plan on attacking you, but it looks like you’re getting ready for a three-day siege. And why do y’all even have those weapons? What kind of business is this group in? Are you gunrunners? The mob? Whatever
that
is out there, it’s not normal. And so many of them look so similar…”

Aiden’s eyes met the floor. “I’ll explain everything later. I promise. I just can’t right now. I need to get back out there.”

I was seriously getting nowhere. Was I really just supposed to stay inside doing nothing? Frustrated that I would just be kept in the dark for the time being, I decided one more question was in order. “Who or what is the The Fixer?”

“That, I really don’t know. Apparently he works with Marcus, but I’ve never heard of him before. As far as I know, he’s just here to help.”

And there it was: the lie. I’d known one was coming. Aiden knew more than he was letting on.

“And the girl?”

Aiden diverted his eyes to the window again. “That’s his daughter, Scarlett. Your guess is as good as mine as to why she’s here. I don’t think anyone here knows her.”

I watched the girl for a moment. “Well, she seems to have made fast friends with Luke.”

Aiden chuckled, seeing the two in private conversation. “Not for long if Cami has anything to say about it.”

The door flew open just as he leaned down to kiss me a final time. Marcus snarled, “Get out here, Aiden. They’ve come.”

Aiden turned back to me. “Stay inside,” he ordered. “Alli and my dad will be here any minute. Whatever happens, stay here. Please. I love you.”

After a quick peck, he headed out the door.

57.

Peter

Peter and his team reached the dirt road turnoff to the werewolf compound just after midnight. They pulled their 4x4 vehicles off the main road and hid them out of sight of any passing cars, went over their plan once more then walked forward one by one, all clad in black and heavily armed. The men were instructed to follow Peter’s instructions, let him do the talking, and be prepared to fight fire with fire if necessary.

As they made their way through the trees, the reality of what was about to happen hit Peter like a ton of bricks. His body quivered from the effects of all his nervous energy, and he pushed to the front, insistent on leading the way. The others seemed more than happy to let him. He had always imagined this night: he and his team of werewolf hunters moving stealthily through the night. This team didn’t move stealthily, though, they more like stumbled, but they were all he had and he would make this work.

Peter signaled the others to stop when the first of many homes came into view. All was quiet in the compound.

“Too quiet,” Peter said aloud. He walked in the shadow of the trees and then crept close to the house, making his way to the back door, his men following.

“It’s unlocked,” he announced in a whisper.

“We’re just going to go in?” one of William’s friends asked. Peter couldn’t even remember his name. That was unimportant, though.

“You stay here and be the lookout. The rest of us will go in,” Peter commanded. “We don’t know which house they’re holding Teagan in.”

After a swift but thorough search, they discovered the house was empty. Peter stalked out the front door and glared around at all the large, beautiful homes on the lake. Seeing how well these killers lived sent his soul into a rage.

James walked up behind him and asked if he was okay.

“My uncle is dead and I was forced into a psychiatric facility, all while these monsters are living like kings. We have to find them,” Peter said. “We
have
to. And your daughter.”

The team searched eight houses, one by one, but they all were deserted. He began to wonder if the wolves were lying in ambush somewhere. The entire complex seemed empty, and searching the remaining buildings seemed a pointless chore. Or a deadly one.

“You don’t think they all left, do you?” James finally asked.

“No, I don’t. They’re here. We just have to find them,” Peter repeated.

“What are we going to do if we can’t find anyone?” one of the others asked.

“We call the police. I want my daughter back!” James said.

They sneaked down to the lake to get a better view of the area. Everything seemed deserted, and Peter knew that a new plan would soon be in order. He just needed time to figure one out.

58.

Aiden

Marcus had chosen about twenty pack members to defend the estate. The rest of the pack, mostly mothers and their young children, were instructed to stay in the lodge until the whole mess was over. I made sure Becca was included in that bunch. I didn’t want her anywhere near Teagan. She’d already caused enough problems.

Those selected as defenders waited for Phillip and Luke to return. Marcus had sent them as wolves to scout for Teagan’s dad and the others. They had now come back, and while they changed to human form the rest of us stood gathered on my family’s back porch.

“They’re down by the lake, Marcus. It’s not much of a group—six men, five of whom I recognize from town. The other guy I don’t recall ever seeing. Young guy, stringy hair. They might be easy to run off, but they’re also heavily armed,” Phillip reported. “It’s a good thing we’ve got guns of our own. I’m assuming you want us to take care of this little problem as ‘humans.’”

“Right, Phillip,” Marcus said. “Are they close enough to see us?”

“Not in the dark.”

“Paul,” Marcus called.

“Yeah?”

Marcus scowled at my dad. “When you go back inside, I need you to turn on every light in the house. We want them to come to us here, and we’ll meet them outside. On our terms. Understand?”

“Got it,” Dad said.

“Alli.” Marcus continued to give orders. “Since you are friends with that girl—”

“Teagan,” my sister said, defiantly, which made me smile.

“Yes.
Teagan.
Stay inside with her and your dad. If things get bad, find a place to hide her until we can finish. If we do have to shift for any reason, we wouldn’t want her seeing us,” he added.

Alli went to Cade and buried her face in his chest. She was suddenly realizing just how bad this could get. The night was going to be hard on everyone.

Once Dad and Alli were safely inside with Teagan, Marcus gave us more instructions: “We are all to remain in our human forms. Under no circumstance is anyone allowed to change without my order. Understood? We want these men to realize that they were wrong about us. If anything should happen to go wrong, Brian will handle the cleanup, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Everyone, including myself, turned to look at Brian. The Fixer. He didn’t look all that tough, but according to Mom his special skills were feared as much as they were admired and he wasn’t someone to mess with. He’d never been needed here before. Personally, something about him gave me the creeps, and I couldn’t wait until he was gone.

It didn’t take long to draw the intruders. Within minutes of the light going on, they were completely visible walking toward us. We all moved together to meet them. I couldn’t begin to imagine what they must have thought. We didn’t have to be in wolf form to be intimidating.

As we approached, I saw Teagan’s father. He found me with his eyes, and he held a small gun in his shaking hand. It both surprised and saddened me.

“We don’t want any trouble,” one of the men shouted. “We just came to get Teagan Rhodes back.”

Liar.

Marcus answered for the pack. “That’s not what she told us. And if that were the case, there would be no reason for you to be trespassing on our property, especially not armed with semi-automatic weapons. The girl is free to leave whenever she wants.”

“What did she tell you?” her father asked. From where I stood, I could see the color drain from his face. Marcus glanced over at me, and he nodded as if giving me permission to speak.

I said, “You’re here because you and some guy named Peter think we’re a pack of killer werewolves.”

The faces of the four other men registered disbelief, and they all turned to stare at Teagan’s father. Clearly they hadn’t been aware of Peter and James’s beliefs or true intentions, and the man who’d first spoke said, “What the hell? Werewolves? Jesus Christ, James. You told us they were some kind of crazed cult out to steal and brainwash your daughter.”

Before James could reply, Marcus did. “We are not a cult, nor are we werewolves.” He chuckled, as if the very thought were preposterous. “The fact is, this is my land, and all of my extended family and friends live here. That’s it. You men have been duped, and this is private property.”

“They’re lying! They’re werewolves! I know they are! I have proof,” one of the members of the group suddenly shouted. Peter, I assumed. Wait a minute, I remembered seeing him before. He’d been at the diner that night I first talked Teagan into going out with me.

The four townies started slowly backing up, away from Peter and Teagan’s father. They looked shocked and angry, if a little unsteady on their feet. Had they been drinking?

“If you leave now, we will not involve the authorities. If you choose to stay, please be aware that we are prepared to defend ourselves,” Marcus said, pulling his jacket open so that the men could see it wasn’t an idle threat.

“Look, mister,” said the first man. “I’m sorry. We were lied to. We would never have come out here with these two crazies if we knew what they were planning. Come on, guys, let’s leave these poor people alone. Sorry to have ruined your night.”

“I appreciate that,” said Marcus, keeping his voice even. “Drop your weapons, and Phillip here will show you men back to your SUVs. Your weapons will be returned to you later. After you’ve left the property.”

The man named Peter shouted, “Wait! Don’t leave. He’s lying. I have proof! These beasts are not human! You promised to help us!” He pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of his coat pocket, but his army was already giving in to Marcus’s demands, placing their weapons on the ground and turning to walk away. Whatever the paper revealed, the men didn’t bother to look.

“Gentlemen.” Marcus raised his voice, ignoring Peter’s appeal. “I might not be as forgiving the next time. Not when my family or land is threatened by intruders carrying weapons. I hope we do not cross paths again. Do we understand each other?”

The four men looked back and slowly nodded; then they followed Phillip into the darkness. I wished Teagan’s dad would just go, too. Nothing good would come from him standing his ground with Peter. The man was obviously out of his mind.

As the others departed, Mr. Rhodes frantically looked around. “Where’s my daughter? I’m not leaving without my daughter!”

“Teagan is perfectly safe. She’s inside with my sister and my dad,” I said.

“Get her! I’m taking her home,” he yelled.

“James, I’m Aiden’s mother,” Mom said, taking a step forward.

I didn’t like it, and obviously Marcus didn’t approve either. “Lily, get back!” he ordered.

“It’s okay, Marcus,” she assured him. Then, to Mr. Rhodes: “Teagan is safe. As soon as we clear up this misunderstanding, I’ll have Aiden drive her home.”

“No. I w-want to t-take her home now,” he stammered.

“That’s not going to happen. I will not let that sweet child come out here and see her father waving a gun around ranting about werewolves. Do you really want her to witness this? You’ve already got her scared out of her mind with all your crazy nonsense. We may live out here in the woods, but we’re not dangerous. Nor are we mythical creatures,” Mom stated, her voice full of derision.

Teagan’s dad appeared to be thinking. The hand on his gun continued to shake, but his other hand smoothed back his unruly hair. “All right. Let’s figure this out so I can take my baby home.”

59.

Peter

The night hadn’t gone as planned, and he was close to his breaking point. Everything was falling apart. First his reinforcements surrendered and now James Rhodes was giving up, too? Peter started to scream wildly and wave his gun in the air.

“What the hell are you doing, James? Don’t you dare trust them. These aren’t normal people, you idiot, they’re werewolves!”