Page 54 of Henri's Little One
“Henri told me about the gold mine and that I owned half, but are all of them that rich?” Vitas stretched as masseuses began to hose him off and scrub him with the loofah brush.
“Rémy had a little less than the others until recently when he had an unexpected windfall on a stock that a loup garou investment councilor told him to buy. But that was only because he’s half the other’s age and needs time to catch up.” Richard sounded very matter-of-fact.
Vitas’ mouth hung open.
Later, in the sauna, all the Mates crowded the bottom benches.
“This is good for your skin. It opens all your pores. When they give you your facial, the cream flows into open pores and makes your skin glow,” Julio said happily.
“My mama would have loved this.” Vitas gave a little sniff.
“That’s right, you lost her only three months ago, you haven’t had the opportunity to grieve yet with Chernof and his shit.” Julio put his arms around Vitas and gave him a hug.
“He ripped out their throats right in front of me and laughed when I recoiled from their splattered blood.” Vitas started to cry.
“Guys, why don’t you go over for your facials. Vitas and I will meet you there. He needs to vent a bit.”
The other Mates nodded.
Julio took his and Vitas’ robes off the hooks outside the sauna. “We’re going to have some orange water in the relaxation room.” After they put on their robes, Julio put his arm around Vitas and guided him to the room.
Vitas sniffed as he drank orange water from the frosted glass. “I didn’t mean to get teary, now that I’m safe it bites me sometimes. I’m so afraid Chernof will come after Henri.”
“Chernof better be afraid that Henri, Armand, my Etienne, and the others don’t come after him.”
§ § §
It was noon before they were all finished with their waxing, manicures, pedicures, and facials. Vitas felt no trace of the mushroom cellar left on his body. For the first time in four months, he felt truly clean. He was anxious to get back to Henri. They hadn’t been apart this long since they mated. He knew he was being ridiculous, but an ominous prickling raised the flesh on his arms. The more time passed, the more he felt weighed down.
“I feel like a building is coming down on us. Something is going on. I know it,” Vitas said to Sean.
“My Spidey senses are pinging, too. Let’s skip lunch and go over to your place.”
Bertrand and Aline greeted the two limousines. “The Alphas request that all of you go up to Henri and Vitas’ suite for lunch and stay there until they come for you. Talk to no one but each other.”
Chapter Thirteen
The Plaza Hotel Conference Room
European Council
Noon
Henri and Etienne arrived at the hotel where the Europeans were ensconced in a fourth-floor conference room. A Beta who stood guard at the door let them inside. The Chief Alpha of the French loup garou, Alpha Lefebvre, had just finished speaking to his fellows. Etienne and Henri stood in the shadows in the rear of the room. They hung back wanting to hear what the Europeans had to say.
“I agree. The Alpha must take control. Chernof is breaking all of our laws and is in danger of outing us to the world, and the world isn’t ready for that,” Alpha Holt, the Alpha representing the Scandinavian Nations, insisted.
“We’ve haven’t had to answer to the North American Council now for about two hundred years. If we demand that he help us control the Russians, that will no longer be the case. He will invoke the La Marche Charter.” Alpha Lefebvre spoke with patience. “I don’t see that as a bad thing, necessarily, just something we have to consider.”
“We’ve gone our own way for over two hundred years,” Alpha Winter, the German Council Alpha, stated. “Do we want to be scrutinized closely?”
“Have any of our regions become as reprehensible as the Russians?” Alpha Vlasak, the Alpha representing the Eastern Block, asked dryly. “Scrutiny shouldn’t be a problem if we’re doing nothing wrong.”
Alpha Macar from Turkey spoke up, “Garou Industries under The Alpha makes obscene profits. Every loup garou in North America is living a good life. No pack member is in poverty unless he or she is so stupid as to overspend the large stipend they receive.”
Alpha Armando picked up his pencil and wrote something down before passing it along the table. “This is the amount I’ve been told the individual loup garou receive, and the number is going up, not down, despite the hard times.”
“The loup garou have infiltrated every aspect of North American life, even their political system. My packs, due to constant war at my borders and the flow of refugees, cannot survive much longer without outside help. None of you are able or willing to help us. Maybe North America would show us what they did to become so prosperous.” Alpha Macar drank his sweet juice.
