Page 48 of The Betas: Rene
“Alpha Giraud is our Eighth and the Director of our security. He holds Alaska and the Yukon Territories,” The Alpha said.
Henri stood. “Good to see you again and even better to have you join us.” Henri put out his hand. Frankie shook it, and all the Alphas took their seats.
Henri’s Vitas can see the future and, according to René, can tell the truth from lies. René says that Vitas had two Betas that guard him, Mathieu and Valery. With such a valuable talent, he’s a target for other Alphas. I don’t envy those two Betas their jobs. Talk about vigilance.
“Alphas, Beta Mate Ferone brings us a unique talent. He remembers everything that he hears and sees. This will be of great use to us, in fact, it already has been. He brings us a solution to the current Russian problem.” Those present spoke in undertones.
The Alpha called the meeting to order. He stood at the lectern at the head of the table. “I’ve made all of you aware, individually, of the new Russian problem. The former Russian Second, Klim Leontiy Prokhor, and the former Fifth, Boris Pyotr Mikhailov, escaped European Enforcer custody at the Domodedovo International Airport in Moscow. They are now staying in the Khamovniki District, the wealthiest district in Moscow. They are holed up in one of the properties owned by the Russian Oligarch and international arms dealer, Arkady Viktor Kuznetsov.”
“Yes, you told us, Alpha, the question remains, what are we going to do about it?” Alpha Giraud, frowned. “I asked that the European Enforcers who escorted the Russians back to Moscow be replaced with North American personnel and was refused for political reasons.”
The Alpha’s expression appeared pinched, steely gazed and a bit more than a bit irritated that the subject of the European Enforcers had been brought up as part of the larger discussion.
The Alpha cleared his throat, patently ignoring Henri who still looked pained. Frankie smothered a chuckle. The Alpha continued, “We were presented with a solution from our new Beta Mate. As it happens, Kuznetsov set up a meeting with Don Ferone. He asked for a safe house downtown, as near to the Village as could be arranged, for two Russian associates he was bringing with him. Don Ferone’s Russians are our Russians. As suspected, they are coming to New York to challenge me for the packs and to dissolve the Council. As the gods sentenced them to the gulag, I have no choice but to send them back to the gulag.”
The room broke out in a chaos of murmurs and gasps until Henri stood up. “They’ll just keep coming, Alpha. They will keep coming at us until either the whole Council is dead or they are.”
The Alpha threw up his hands. “I can only do what the gods permit, and they specified the gulag, not a beheading. We can’t go up against the g—”
A booming voice spoke that had Frankie wanting to scramble over to René. If this was a wolf, he sounded bigger than The Alpha and that did not bode well. He had no desire to experience watching the Alphas take to the pit in his lifetime. Frankie scanned the room. He couldn’t see anyone who hadn’t been there since Martin locked the door at the beginning of the meeting.
“We, the four, decree that former Alphas Klim Leontiy Prokhor and Boris Pyotr Mikhailov be sentenced to death at our hands for disobeying our decree. It is up to you, as our Council to find the Russians and bring them back to us for disposition. So, declare the four.”
Obviously, The Alpha Mate wasn’t necessary for the gods to speak.
Frankie felt his knees go weak and grabbed onto the table. The Alpha glanced at Frankie, then René and nodded. René walked over to his Mate, grabbed his elbow, allowing him time to recover. Frankie looked around, scouting out the room. He didn’t want the other Alphas to see how disconcerted he felt.
“It’s okay, Ma Vie, it’s okay.” His Mate reassured him as Frankie moved backward into his arms.
He gazed up at René. “Shit, they’re real. I can barely speak, I’m in so much shock. Your and, now, I guess, my gods are real.” Frankie, still unsteady on his feet grabbed on to René’s arm.
“I think I told you about the gods. Believe this, Ma Vie, I will never knowingly lie to you.”
“You did tell me. I didn’t believe you. But disbelief in the paranormal makes no sense in present circumstances. Thank you for not taking offense at my skepticism.”
Alpha Clavier spoke up, the first to recover, and seemingly unaware of the little drama that took place behind The Alpha. “How do we use Don Ferone to accomplish our ends?”
“I’m asking him for a favor and giving him four favors in return.”
“Four favors!” Alpha Clavier slapped the table. Now that Frankie had regained his composure, he watched the proceedings with great interest.
Obviously, Alpha Clavier didn’t like dealing with Dante. Clavier…oh… that’s why. Understandable, his Mate, Ian, was the one Sal was after. Now that he experienced what having a Mate felt like, he knew that if someone started chasing his René, he’d be pissed, too. The man seemed to have a temper and Sal had disrespected his Betas. They stood behind him stone-faced when The Alpha mentioned Frankie’s last name. He’d have some work to do there.
“Now, Alpha Clavier, we’re asking that Don Ferone jeopardize a valuable business relationship for our convenience. My original plan called for us to have our Enforcers jump Kuznetsov’s so-calledguestsat LaGuardia. Kuznetsov would have been immobilized by Don Ferone’s men while we took the Russians. Kuznetsov would be offered sufficient compensation for his inconvenience and the affront to his dignity. The Russians would be bundled off to the company jet by our Enforcers and shipped back to Russia withourloup garou,” the Alpha shot a pointed look back at Alpha Giraud, “to the same Russian gulag where La Farge has taken residence. Now, I must consider what the gods want. I need a method of transporting the Russians to Garou without it appearing to the authorities that they have been kidnapped.”
“Horse tranquilizers.” Frankie said. The Alpha peered at him, and René kicked him under the table.
“Speak up,” The Alpha encouraged.
“I know that a loup garou can’t be felled by a normal, easily obtainable human drug, but what about horse tranquilizers, twice or three times the dosage as what a vet would give to a horse. A horse can weigh up to twenty-two hundred pounds. Even a strong, fit, loup garou can only weigh at the utmost two hundred and thirty pounds. If he were any heavier, he couldn’t fight effectively. Two or three times the dose as that of a twenty-two-hundred-pound horse should either kill them or put them out and since, as I understand it, there is no penalty for loup garou killing loup garou, problem solved.”
Alpha Clavier rubbed his chin. At last, he spoke, “I’m impressed. That might work. I have veterinarians who practice at the racetrack in Saratoga in upstate New York. You say they’re coming in a week from today? I can get a tray full of horse tranquilizers by then.”
“Alpha Thierry?” The Alpha asked.
“I agree with Alpha Clavier, I like it.”
“I think it’s a great idea. Having the stepson of Don Ferone with us has its advantages,” Alpha Martin said in a wry voice. Frankie scanned the room. The rest of the Betas seemed a little less cold after his acceptance by Alphas Clavier and Thierry and Martin.
