Chapter Twenty-Six

Ares

I sit in a dimly lit office, made even more so by the dark furniture that graces the spacious room. The leader of the Stonewall Assassins Organization sits in front of me, staring quietly, his eyes boring into my soul. He's been sizing me up since the moment I stepped into his space. I maintain the silence for a while, content to let this power struggle go on for a bit.

Over the past month, I've been carrying out an investigation to get to the bottom of the attack on my Omega. The thought of it still irritates me.

Myself and the Jackson brothers have been vigilant in taking care of Cassie. There hasn't been a second attempt on her life, thankfully, but I haven't forgotten the first.

With Henry's help, I traced the assassins. My suspicions have not been shaken as to who is responsible for the attack. I just want proof.

Now that I have found them, I can get it.

The leader of the group is a vampire. He seems to be of Asian descent and wears pins holding his long hair in a bun. Although this can be seen as a fashion choice, for some reason, I can tell that those long pins are more likely weapons than a fashion statement.

Unlike the businessman I dealt with for the sale of the blockers who was more on the eccentric and flamboyant side, this vampire gives off a very dangerous air. He is extremely reserved and calm. He is clearly an Alpha in his own way.

"You are a very persistent man, Mr. Linds," he says, his voice deeper than one would expect. He has no discernible accent, likely from centuries of being alive and traveling all over the world.

He carries on before I can say anything more. "I thought that you would've given up with all the dead ends you were met with. You've been chasing our tail for the past month."

He leans forward, staring deeper into my eyes. "What is it you want? Revenge?"

I shrug and lean back, tapping each finger on the desk slowly as I return his stare.

"What is the point of getting revenge on you when you are not the ones who wished to harm my mate?" I ask honestly. "I have no reason to take revenge on you. Not when you were simply performing services for others. I hold no hard feelings."

The vampire cocks his head to the side. "You are a sensible man, Mr. Linds. Most do not understand the ways of an assassin… that we are merely workers carrying out a task and should not be blamed."

I swallow the scoff I nearly let out.

He leans back, adopting a less fierce persona now that he knows I am not here to cause him harm. I know that it is useless trying to bring the assassin group to justice, especially since they did not succeed. My anger toward them is unimportant in comparison to the rage I feel at the one who sent them.

"I'll just say it," I say, leveling him with a stare. "How much will it cost for you to hand me the information of the requester? I need proof of who requested your services to have my mate killed."

He raises a brow and smiles. I don't know if it's meant to be friendly, but the action makes him seem even more dangerous.

"Ah, Mr. Linds, you know it is not the way of the assassins to reveal the identity of the person who paid them. It is against the assassins' code."

I nod. Of course, I know about their code, which is why I am prepared for this. The vampires want what I have in abundance, as proven by my last meeting with their kind, and I am willing to offer it up for free if that will grant me the proof I need.

"What if I offer you something even more valuable?"

For the first time since our meeting began, I can see a small twinkle in those otherwise dark pools staring at me. His interest is quite palpable.

"I'm certain you have heard about my blood…" I pause, drawing out the hunger in him and filling the room with suspense.

Hunger is visible on his face. "Mmm, yes… the blood that cost billions…"

It is not an easy feat to get a vampire like him to be anything other than composed, but for my blood, he shows the true nature of his kind. His long tongue darts out, and he smiles a fangy smile, looking at me expectantly.

"I will give you a vial of my blood if you give me the information of the requester," I say, finally making an offer I know he will not refuse.

The vampire holds my gaze quietly for a moment. "Truthfully, Mr. Linds. I would have willingly accepted an offer of money, though we would have needed to agree on a price," he says. "For our honor, you see."

He turns away for a moment and waves his hand as though calling to someone. Out of the darkness, another vampire appears, placing a file in his open palm.

"The only reason I am willing to give you this," he waves the file in the air, "or have an audience in the first place, is because we don't consider our business with this person binding. Due to the way things went… we ran into a bit of a… misalignment, and the requester ended up not paying us our full fee."

That information doesn't surprise or concern me.

"We were paid only the fee for consultation, and the rest was to be paid afterward… an amount we were tricked into agreeing on. The requester conveniently failed to mention that a powerful Alpha like yourself would be there… probably to cut down on cost."

He makes a sound in his throat as though it pains him to admit it, but continues nonetheless.

"We looked into who the extra person was after things went down the way they did. It was quite a shock to find that it was you, Mr. Linds."

I refrain from smirking. My reputation does indeed precede me. My name is known even among humans, and especially among our kind, although not everyone can match the name to the face. A simple search usually resolves that, though.

"Since the requester did not tell us that someone as powerful as yourself would be there, we were ill-prepared for how things turned out. We ended up facing significant losses."

His hands tighten into fists. This is the only emotion he has shown other than his hunger. He must care for his men if he is burdened by their deaths. Or maybe it is his ego talking. Losing men would do damage to their reputation as assassins, too.

I did my own research on them in the time it took me to locate them. They pride themselves on never missing a mark and their name instills fear in the hearts of those who hear it. However, now everyone will know that they were bested by me, my mate and the Jackson boys.

"Despite the losses we faced as a result of the requester's lies, she did not even agree to pay what was left of what she owed us as we agreed in the first place. She was only concerned that the job was not done and did not compensate us for the damages incurred."

"Hmm…" I do not offer much of a response.

While they clearly don't know it, their requester did not deceive them on purpose.

Mrs. Kaye was driven by the vengeance she considered herself owed and knew Cassie was with the Jacksons. I had moved into the building in secret. I'm sure that if she had known that I was there, she would have made arrangements for my presence or, at the very least, waited until I was away from them before she carried out her actions.

However, the assassins' anger toward her is my gain. It's true that they would have asked for a lot more money to make an attempt on a person they knew was associated with me.

"Here you go," the vampire says, handing me the file. "It's enchanted by one of our witches, so this can only be destroyed by you."

I take the vial I had already prepared out of my pocket and push it toward him. The glint is back in his eyes as he picks it up.

Fucking bloodsuckers.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you," I say, pushing back the chair and rising to my feet.

The back of my neck tingles as I leave the office. I know they are watching me from every corner, even though I cannot see some of them. I don't bother to look around for them.

I check the file the moment I am back in town. As I thought, the requester was Mrs. Kaye. Not only did they keep receipt of their transaction with her, there is also picture evidence.

I look at the pictures of Mrs. Kaye, taken from the movement she approached them, to her sliding over the information on Cassie and leaving. There are several photos and even an audio recording as she tells them who their target is and those who will be with her.

My blood boils as I listen. Her husband wronged her when he continued his affair with Cassie's mother after they were wed. However, that had nothing to do with Cassie and she shouldn't direct her vengeance at an innocent child.

It's clear she has learned nothing since she continues to seek to harm Cassie even now, over two decades since she began her awful plan.

I take a detour, heading in the direction of the Kayes' mansion instead of returning home to Cassie right away.

I stop at the gate of the compound. My anger wishes to defy logic and command the guards to let me in like I did last time, but I refrain from doing so. Now I know that this is the family of my mate, I will respect them for her sake, even if they have not earned the respect for themselves.

A guard comes up to me, sweat beading down his face as he stares at me nervously. Who knows how much trouble they got in after the last time I barged in.

"Good day, Mr. Linds."

His words are a jumbled mess, but I can still make them out.

"I wish to have an audience with Mr. Kaye. Let him know I'm here."

The guard disappears for a moment but returns quickly and lets me in. I drive up to the entrance where Mr. Kaye stands, already waiting for me.

"I did not think I would see you here again after things turned out the last time," Mr. Kaye says nervously as I get out.

He swallows. Is that guilt I see in his eyes?

I push it aside.

"I have come here only out of respect. I should take my findings to the police but consider this payment for the times I have been disrespectful in your home."

I hand the file to Mr. Kaye, and he eyes it curiously for a second before hesitantly reaching out to accept it. He must know that nothing good would be in there since I mentioned the police.

His eyes roam the pages of the files, and his hands tremble as he scans the pictures. His face gradually contorts into an expression of horror. I would take pleasure from it if he was the one who wronged my mate, but he isn't.

He visibly deflates in front of me, seeming as though all strength in him has drained from his body. It's a wonder how he manages to hold himself up.

The sound of the door opening reaches my ears and I look up to see Mrs. Kaye walking toward us with her lips turned down in a frown and her eyes dark with anger.

"Mr. Linds, what are you doing here? Have you not caused enough shame for us already?" She does nothing to hide the anger in her voice.

I scoff in anger. Her arrogance has not changed. It will all end today, though, one way or another.

"Shut up, Cressida… just shut up," Mr. Kaye says.

She frowns, but before she can speak, Mr. Kaye tosses the file at her. She stares at him in confusion, but he doesn't look at her. She bends down to pick up the file that lies at her feet and opens it.

I watch her every move as she looks through it. For a moment, her face drains of blood, leaving her looking ashen.

Is this where she apologizes for what she did and begs for forgiveness?

"I didn't do this," she whispers. "I didn't do this."

She repeats the phrase over and over again, her pitch rising and her eyes roaming shiftily. Even with the proof, she continues to lie, trying to find a way out of the consequences of her actions.

She looks toward her husband and reaches out to take his hand, willing him to believe her.

"I really didn't do this. It's all fake."

Mr. Kaye snatches his hand away and glares at her.

"How could you go so far? After all you've taken from her? Wasn't that enough?" he asks, his voice breaking. "How could you want her dead?"

She looks back at the file with a crazed look in her eyes. "This isn't enough proof. It cannot prove anything." She takes it in both hands and makes to tear it. "If it is gone, no one will believe him."

Laughter bubbles from the bottom of my belly as I watch her try to tear it. Perhaps I should warn her that it is enchanted, but I discard that notion. She deserves nothing from me.

She twists her hands in opposite directions, and the next second, shrieks in pain, still holding the file as she convulses from what looks like volts of electricity.

Mr. Kaye jumps back in shock.

"Perhaps I should have warned you that the file is enchanted, and I am the only one who can destroy it," I say, going to snatch it from her hands.

She rolls over and heaves a sigh of relief as her pain stops.

"Can you see how they are ruining our lives?" she screams in her husband's direction, taking a few paces toward him, although she doesn't touch him.

"This is all because of that wretched girl."

Her eyes fill with hate as she speaks, which fuels my anger. For someone who has done a mountain of wrong to an innocent girl, she remains unrepentant.

"Do you know what the consequences of this will be?" I say, addressing Mr. Kaye. My voice is devoid of the ease with which I spoke to him before she came out. Now, I'm beyond livid.

"So far, I have held back the facts about what she did even after poisoning Cassie with illegal blockers for decades and almost killing her. But now, with this, there will be no way to escape punishment," I say.

If this were to come out and everyone among our kind found out about it, it would be the end of the Kaye family. There would be no one willing to associate with the Kayes. There would be no prospects for their beloved legitimate daughter. They would be ostracized and the news of it would spread through the werewolf community and possibly past that, especially since the victim of her assault is the White Wolf of legend.

Mr. Kaye sighs before he bellows, "Guards!"

The Kaye family guards within earshot rush to stand before him.

"Arrest my wife," he says.

The guards are quick to do as he bade, grabbing a struggling and baffled Mrs. Kaye.

"What are you doing?" she asks, her voice shocked.

He doesn't spare her a glance. "Take her to her room and lock her in there. She is not to be allowed out until I say so."

"What? No, you can't!" Mrs. Kaye screams as she is dragged away. "You can't do this to me! I am the lady of this household! Get your filthy hands off me!" she yells, her voice carrying even as the guards put distance between her and Mr. Kaye.

Once again, he sighs, looking utterly defeated.

"Mr. Linds, maybe it is wrong of me to ask this, but can you give me a chance to talk to Cassie first before you go ahead with whatever you have planned?" He appears to have aged in the minutes that have passed.

I understand what he wants. It's a way out for him. If he manages to reconcile with Cassie, everyone will see that he has fully rejected his wife's actions, and she will bear the brunt alone.

The Kaye family will manage to avoid the ruin that awaits them, albeit not entirely unscathed. They will get a little heat, but it will be nothing compared to what would happen if they do not cut off Mrs. Kaye.

Looking into the older man's blue eyes, I think of Leila. She has been helping Cassie for the past month despite being the daughter of such an evil woman. The good in her has to have come from somewhere.

I sigh. "I can't make any promises… but I will ask Cassie. I'll see if she wants to speak to you before I proceed."