Page 78 of Cruel Revenge
“You tell me what I want to know and give me what I need to find my daughter, and I’ll tell you the important things you need to know about what’s happening to the werewolves.”
“Someone call Callahan!” Rhodes yelled.
“He won’t answer,” I said, chuckling darkly. I was grateful Heath gave me this line of attack.
No one replied to me. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I checked it.
I’ve got everything. We need to meet in Houston. I’ll send you more as you drive. We’re scrambling over here now to get down there and set up ASAP.
“Thanks, brother,” I whispered to myself, staring at the text. Then I looked up, seeing that Beth was the only person paying attention to me now. “Beth, I’m going to go. This meeting is over,” I said as I put my phone back in my pocket. I started walking toward her, and she was the only one who didn’t move several steps back as I moved in the room.
“What do you mean? I know things are chaotic, but?—”
I stopped close to her and leaned in.
“I don’t need the BSA. It needs me. Think about that for a minute.”
Then I walked out, letting her try to follow me. As people were scrambling, I went back into the office where I put in the USB, and took it back, knowing my handler was on my heels. I looked up at Beth, standing on the other side of the desk, her eyes wide, and showed it to her.
“You were never going to exchange much with us, were you?” Beth asked, the smell of betrayal thick in her scent.
“I don’t know if I can trust the BSA right now,” I reminded her, knowing I could only say this to her because I knew we were alone. “Keep them out of my territory. They won’t find anything or anyone. Zuri will be live streaming our statement at seven for the whole world to pick up and broadcast. If you hear anything I need to know about saving Carey here in the BSA, tell me.”
“Jacky, please talk to me.”
“No.” I walked around the desk and met her, staring her down, eye to eye. “Because you all interfered with my ability to find my daughter. I’m done bargaining.” I saw the pain in her eyes even before I could smell it. It hurt to see. I had a good relationship with Beth. And in an act of mercy, I decided to give her one thing she could pass along.
“There’s one thing you can tell them. Heath is in charge of the werewolves now. He defeated Callahan. The NAWC answers to him. No one wanted to help us, so he took matters into his own hands. The witches haven’t wanted to police themselves, so he’s doing it for them. If the BSA wants to try bargaining information with anyone now, they can try reaching him. If they want tensions to go down, they can try with him.”
Beth’s face was pale.
“And you?”
“I’m a member of the werecat ruling family, and I’m going to fucking act like it. We don’t negotiate when our children’s lives are part of the bargain. We go to war. The BSA can decide whatside of the war it wants to be on.” I marched out of the room, down the emergency stairwell, and to my car.
Houston. Another long drive to a city to come and save you, huh, Carey?
28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SPECIAL AGENT BETHANY KIRK
Beth stood in the quiet office for nearly a minute, coming to terms with what had just happened. She’d lost the trust of Jacky Leon.
I deserved it. My bosses deserved it. I tried telling them that playing around with her when it came to Carey was a bad call. They thought she would respect the BSA the way werewolves are forced to. She came in knowing this was going to blow up for us.
Damn, she’s good.
Beth knew she had to face the music eventually, and the sooner the better. The entire office was in chaos now, but she was relatively calm now that everything was said and done. She hated being stuck in the middle of her conniving bosses and Jacky. It wasn’t a comfortable place to be; it rattled her. Now, Beth was more confident, freer to say the most important words she needed to say today.
I told you so to her bosses.
She found Director Rhodes in the conference room, surrounded by people, but things were calmer. The Director hadgotten everyone on task. Beth had a feeling it was all going to amount to nothing. She also found it interesting that they had
“Kirk, you’re back. Good, we can continue. Where did Jacky go?” he demanded when he realized she had returned to the room.
“She left,” Beth answered.
