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Chapter 28
Barrett
I smile gratefully at Sierra as she leaves Jagger’s office, a tender look passing between the two mates. Sybil left minutes ago, and I ache to join her with Cedara, but I know I need to stay and discuss the situation with Jagger and Edirn.
“Thanks for backing me up,” I say to Edirn beneath my breath. “I wasn’t sure Jagger was going to listen.”
Edirn gives me a solemn look. “Of course. The truth needed to come out.”
I turn my focus to Jagger, who is staring pensively out the window overlooking the Steel Lakes compound. “What’s the plan now? The police are going to be a problem, from the looks of it.”
Jagger exhales heavily. “You’re right about that. These attacks – whoever was behind it, combined with the breakout from Whispering Pines, will bring a lot of heat down on us.” He meets my gaze steadily. “We need to get ahead of this before they start digging too deep.”
“You think the cops will make the Whispering Pines connection?” Edirn asks.
“Hard to say,” Jagger admits. “But we can’t take that risk. We need to get our stories straight and control the narrative.”
I nod grimly. There’s no other way. We all know it.
“We have other problems, too, I think.” I adjust the direction of the conversation. “Leadmills has been a thorn in our side for too damn long. First, they were smuggling wolves to the auction houses; now it seems they’re trying to stir up trouble for us directly.”
“It reeks of desperation,” Edirn says. “They’re getting bolder, more reckless. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to weaken our security forces so they can overpower us.”
My fists clench. “Well, it’s not gonna work. We’re not going to let those Leadmills scumbags jeopardize everything we’ve built here.”
Jagger eyes me coolly from behind his desk. “Careful, Barrett. We don’t want to go off half-cocked without all the facts.” His gaze shifts to Edirn. “But you may be onto something. Sowing seeds of chaos…”
“Exactly,” Edirn affirms. “It fits their style – they’re wily, unscrupulous. Willing to fight dirty to get what they want.”
I shake my head in disgust. “Cowards, more like it. Afraid to face us directly.”
Jagger drums his fingers on the desk, deep in thought. After a heavy silence, he meets my eyes again. “We need to get to the bottom of this. But carefully – I don’t want to tip our hand until we know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
The door opens, and Callum and Tarkin troop in.
“I’m guessing we don’t have to stand on guard duty anymore.” Callum shoots a look at me before focusing on Jagger.
“Pretty much.” Jagger shrugs. “We’ve figured things out. In a nutshell, Cedara didn’t do it. She’ll be out as soon as the commissioner leaves.”
Tarkin pulls a face. “Thank fuck he’ll be gone soon. I don’t like the way his goons are hanging around the place.”
“I don’t like the way Parker arrived with such a heavy security detail,” Callum grumbles, shooting a glance out the window. “Seems like serious overkill for a simple investigation.”
I grunt in agreement, my jaw tightening. The police commissioner had swept into Steel Lakes, flanked by a veritable army of armed men. “You’re telling me. The guy acts like he’s in hostile territory.”
“The goons who were flanking him had handguns, but I’m pretty sure the ones in the SUVs were packing automatic rifles,” Tarkin adds. “Way too much firepower.”
Jagger leans back in his chair thoughtfully. “You’re right – this does seem excessive.”
“You think he’s onto us?” I can’t help but voice the concern that’s been nagging at me. “About us being wolves, I mean?”
Edirn shakes his head. “I doubt it. We’ve been too careful to allow that. He’s likely just being overcautious due to the nature of this case.”
“Still doesn’t explain needing that kind of arsenal,” Callum mutters. “Makes me uneasy as hell.”
Jagger rises and moves to the window, his eyes narrowing as he studies the vehicles outside. “Keep an eye on things, but don’t engage unless absolutely necessary. We don’t need to give Parker any more reasons to be suspicious.” He glances back at us. “He’ll be gone soon enough. Then we can focus on getting to the bottom of this Leadmills situation.”
I rub my eyes briefly as this all sinks in. It’s been a long day, and I can’t wait any longer to get back to Cedara. The anxiety and impatience are eating away at me. I turn to Jagger. “Look, I appreciate you listening, but I need to go see her now.”
