Page 51 of Wolf's Whistle
“I called to tell you the Stawski situation resolved itself. Frankie Ferone’s men caught him on the roof of a building across the street a few houses away. He had a high-powered rifle with a scope just as we suspected. Murphy has already hauled him in.”
“And when did this occur?” Armand’s voice sounded acerbic.
“At five in the morning. By the time Murphy cuffed him, and read him his rights, it was six thirty. I called as soon as Frankie Ferone left.”
“Good, I need to know about these things right away. What is going on with Frankie Ferone?”
“Frankie Ferone is actually Frank Fitzgerald and Don Ferone’s adopted stepson. He has an MBA from Harvard but because of his last name, he can’t work for anyone but Don Ferone. He has serious disagreements with his father’s business model and was under the impression that he went for his MBA to help Don Ferone’s go legit. Don Ferone had no such plans in mind.” Julien paced, anxious to impress on Armand that Frankie wasn’t a mobster.
“So what does Frank do for his stepfather?” The Alpha wanted to know; that was a good sign.
“Things like guarding Richard. The books for Don Ferone’s legitimate businesses, but he refuses to get involved in any criminal activity. Don Ferone is very much in love with Frankie’s mother so he puts up with Frankie, although he’s none too happy about Frankie being gay and refusing any work he deems as criminal.”
“Frankie’s gay?” Armand’s voice was tinged with disbelief.
“Yes, and a green-eyed Celt.”
Armand blew out a puff of air.
“I don’t think he’s for Henri. Henri’s destiny lies on the West Coast. I’m sure he’ll find his Mate at my wedding, but he might be for one of the Betas. They deserve some happiness too.”
“Yes, Martin is very happy with Edward and being with Edward doesn’t affect his ability to do his job. If Frankie is a Mate he could work for us, with Don Ferone’s blessing—”
“Which I’m sure he would get…” Julien added.
Armand cleared his throat.
Damn, he had just interrupted The Alpha. “I’m so sorry, Alpha, please continue.”
“As I was saying, with Don Ferone’s blessing, he could come over to Garou. He doesn’t seem like the type to talk out of school. Did you get his résumé?”
“Yes, Alpha. He gave me eight copies, one for each member of the board. He had a four-point-oh average at Harvard and graduated at the top of his class.” Julien tried to state Frankie’s case without appearing to push. He must appear neutral.
“You like him.” The inflection of Armand’s voice indicated a statement rather than a question.
“Yes, I do. I want to invite Frankie to the wedding reception we’ll have when we come back from the West Coast. Speaking of the mating, now that the danger is past, should we move it back to Redmond?”
Armand was silent. Julien waited. The Alpha was considering his answer. “No, we’ll continue as planned. The Oregon pack will feel slighted if you move the mating ceremony now, and Redmond already knows the original problem.”
“Thank you, Alpha. I’ll send one of the Enforcers over to give Frankie’s résumé to Pierre for you to peruse at your leisure.”
“If nothing else, it should be interesting.” Armand chuckled.
“Alpha, I think Frankie is one of the good guys.”
“We’ll see,” Armand replied enigmatically. “We can’t afford to jeopardize our relationship with Don Ferone. However, if he is meant to be a Mate, the gods will make sure he knows how to keep our secrets. Go take care of Richard. I’m sure he’s traumatized by someone trying to murder him for the second time.”
“He did go to the suite to lie down. I’ll go up and hold him. He likes that.”
“You do that. I’ll see you at the airport on Thursday morning. Make sure you don’t forget to have the limousines and Navigators sent to the Eugene airport.”
“Already done. What time on Thursday?” It was a long trip.
“We’ll leave at eight. So we should be on the tarmac at seven. Don’t forget that Richard has lunch over here on Wednesday. I’ll make sure that Sean calls him with the details.”
“Thank you, Alpha.”
“You’re welcome, Julien. Go hold your Mate. He’s probably overwhelmed.”
