Force of Temptation
Page 88
“But we can give you another story,” Nick said. “A story I think you’ll find just as interesting; one I’m sure hasn’t been told before.”
A smile on her lips, Gabrielle turned to the Alpha. “I’m listening.”
That was when, shocking the shit out of Harley, Nick told Gabrielle all about Hector; the guy’s love of acquiring shifter territories, his habit of blackmailing shifters who refuse to sell, that he’d killed a lone kestrel shifter, and that terrible accusations had once been made against him.
“I ask that you don’t mention our pack in your article,” said Nick. “You can easily check how many of his properties are situated on land that once belonged to shifters. Talk about ‘sources,’ but don’t mention my name.”
“You don’t want the attention,” guessed Gabrielle. “Fair enough.”
Shaya lifted a single brow. “You’re agreeing that easily?”
“As a shifter, I can sympathize,” said Gabrielle. “As a woman, I feel for Jenny. I will write this article if for no other reason than Hector Flynt should be exposed for the bastard he is.”
As Zander escorted Gabrielle back to her car, Eli stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You sure that was the right idea, Nick?”
The Alpha sighed. “No, but I don’t see what else we can really do but damage control. When we refuse to leave, he’s going to release the testimonies. Gabrielle’s article will clearly state that he gathers ‘false material,’ which means we’ve discredited him before he even releases our story.”
“This won’t really hit him where it hurts, though,” said Harley. “He’s not going to care much about the article, although I do think it was better to get out our story before he releases the testimonies. Hector’s weak spot is his success. We can’t destroy his career, but we can destroy symbols of his success.”
Jesse’s lips pursed. “I heard the guy has a lot of homes.”
Eli nodded. “It would be a shame if they started exploding, one by one. The properties are no doubt filled with antique furnishings, expensive rugs, genuine art, and safes—maybe even blackmail materials. Hector would lose his shit if they were all destroyed. Then he’d know what it felt like to have someone threaten his home.”
“You have the contacts to make that happen, Nick,” said Derren. “I think they’d happily do it once they hear what the bastard’s done.”
Nick was quiet for a moment. “I admit, I like the idea. But he might take it as a declaration of war.”
“Like Eli said, we can’t really avoid one unless we give up our territory,” Derren pointed out. “I don’t want war any more than you do, but I don’t want to be anybody’s prey either. That’s what he’s made us.”
Nick inhaled deeply as a hard fierceness gathered behind his eyes. “Then let’s change that.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Leaning against the doorjamb of the living area, Jesse watched as Ally tried to placate her sociopathic foster brother. And no, “sociopathic” wasn’t an exaggeration. Cain Holt might have gotten out of shifter juvie alive, but he hadn’t come out of it whole. He’d lost his moral compass, but Jesse didn’t think of the wolf as cruel. In fact, Cain was one of the shifters who posed as a leader within The Movement so that the true leaders wouldn’t be watched by law enforcement. It also protected their families from the extremists.
The wolf had arrived an hour ago, having read Gabrielle’s article about Hector. The reporter hadn’t mentioned the Mercury Pack, but Cain knew Hector had purchased the land neighboring their territory and came to check that Hector hadn’t been giving them any problems. Sitting on the sofa with Shaya, Nick had explained everything to Cain. That was when the wolf rounded on his foster sister. There were few people in the world who truly mattered to Cain, and Ally was one of them. The Alphas, Derren, Eli, Caleb, and Kent then joined Jesse in watching silently as the two wolves worked it out.
“How could you not come to me with this?” Cain demanded, neck corded.
Ally blew out a noisy breath. “Because that would be dragging you into my problems.”
“I could have helped you!”
“Yes, but I didn’t want to bring The Movement into this. The group formed to fight extremists, not half shifters. The minute The Movement turns on our kind, you all become assassins instead of defenders. That was partly why you didn’t send your people after my old pack when they betrayed me—that’s not what The Movement is about.”
Cain opened his mouth to respond, but then he sighed. Ally was right, and everyone in the room knew it. Being part of The Movement meant that Cain had a lot of manpower and resources, but no one wanted him to misuse them.
“You still should have told me, Ally.” Cain pointed a finger at her mate. “And you should have made her tell me. She’s my family.”
“Yes, she is,” agreed Derren. “Which was why you would have done something that could have made things worse and turned The Movement into something it wasn’t. None of us wanted that.”
“So, instead, you arranged to have each of his homes demolished?”
Eli grinned. “You saw it on the news, huh?”
The Head Enforcer’s voice rang with the same satisfaction that was coursing through Jesse. In the space of fourteen hours, all seven of Hector’s million-dollar homes had been reduced to rubble. It was times like this when Jesse was glad that his Alpha had contacts—however unsavory some of them may be—all over the globe.
A smile on her lips, Gabrielle turned to the Alpha. “I’m listening.”
That was when, shocking the shit out of Harley, Nick told Gabrielle all about Hector; the guy’s love of acquiring shifter territories, his habit of blackmailing shifters who refuse to sell, that he’d killed a lone kestrel shifter, and that terrible accusations had once been made against him.
“I ask that you don’t mention our pack in your article,” said Nick. “You can easily check how many of his properties are situated on land that once belonged to shifters. Talk about ‘sources,’ but don’t mention my name.”
“You don’t want the attention,” guessed Gabrielle. “Fair enough.”
Shaya lifted a single brow. “You’re agreeing that easily?”
“As a shifter, I can sympathize,” said Gabrielle. “As a woman, I feel for Jenny. I will write this article if for no other reason than Hector Flynt should be exposed for the bastard he is.”
As Zander escorted Gabrielle back to her car, Eli stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You sure that was the right idea, Nick?”
The Alpha sighed. “No, but I don’t see what else we can really do but damage control. When we refuse to leave, he’s going to release the testimonies. Gabrielle’s article will clearly state that he gathers ‘false material,’ which means we’ve discredited him before he even releases our story.”
“This won’t really hit him where it hurts, though,” said Harley. “He’s not going to care much about the article, although I do think it was better to get out our story before he releases the testimonies. Hector’s weak spot is his success. We can’t destroy his career, but we can destroy symbols of his success.”
Jesse’s lips pursed. “I heard the guy has a lot of homes.”
Eli nodded. “It would be a shame if they started exploding, one by one. The properties are no doubt filled with antique furnishings, expensive rugs, genuine art, and safes—maybe even blackmail materials. Hector would lose his shit if they were all destroyed. Then he’d know what it felt like to have someone threaten his home.”
“You have the contacts to make that happen, Nick,” said Derren. “I think they’d happily do it once they hear what the bastard’s done.”
Nick was quiet for a moment. “I admit, I like the idea. But he might take it as a declaration of war.”
“Like Eli said, we can’t really avoid one unless we give up our territory,” Derren pointed out. “I don’t want war any more than you do, but I don’t want to be anybody’s prey either. That’s what he’s made us.”
Nick inhaled deeply as a hard fierceness gathered behind his eyes. “Then let’s change that.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Leaning against the doorjamb of the living area, Jesse watched as Ally tried to placate her sociopathic foster brother. And no, “sociopathic” wasn’t an exaggeration. Cain Holt might have gotten out of shifter juvie alive, but he hadn’t come out of it whole. He’d lost his moral compass, but Jesse didn’t think of the wolf as cruel. In fact, Cain was one of the shifters who posed as a leader within The Movement so that the true leaders wouldn’t be watched by law enforcement. It also protected their families from the extremists.
The wolf had arrived an hour ago, having read Gabrielle’s article about Hector. The reporter hadn’t mentioned the Mercury Pack, but Cain knew Hector had purchased the land neighboring their territory and came to check that Hector hadn’t been giving them any problems. Sitting on the sofa with Shaya, Nick had explained everything to Cain. That was when the wolf rounded on his foster sister. There were few people in the world who truly mattered to Cain, and Ally was one of them. The Alphas, Derren, Eli, Caleb, and Kent then joined Jesse in watching silently as the two wolves worked it out.
“How could you not come to me with this?” Cain demanded, neck corded.
Ally blew out a noisy breath. “Because that would be dragging you into my problems.”
“I could have helped you!”
“Yes, but I didn’t want to bring The Movement into this. The group formed to fight extremists, not half shifters. The minute The Movement turns on our kind, you all become assassins instead of defenders. That was partly why you didn’t send your people after my old pack when they betrayed me—that’s not what The Movement is about.”
Cain opened his mouth to respond, but then he sighed. Ally was right, and everyone in the room knew it. Being part of The Movement meant that Cain had a lot of manpower and resources, but no one wanted him to misuse them.
“You still should have told me, Ally.” Cain pointed a finger at her mate. “And you should have made her tell me. She’s my family.”
“Yes, she is,” agreed Derren. “Which was why you would have done something that could have made things worse and turned The Movement into something it wasn’t. None of us wanted that.”
“So, instead, you arranged to have each of his homes demolished?”
Eli grinned. “You saw it on the news, huh?”
The Head Enforcer’s voice rang with the same satisfaction that was coursing through Jesse. In the space of fourteen hours, all seven of Hector’s million-dollar homes had been reduced to rubble. It was times like this when Jesse was glad that his Alpha had contacts—however unsavory some of them may be—all over the globe.
