CHAPTER SIX

C onall reviewed the video surveillance of Cassius several times, watching him flee from the clan safehouse when Drakon went through it with his men, leveling it. He was picked up by a black car that is owned by the jackal gang that resides within the city. The jackals are loyal to no one, including their own brothers, so they weren't doing this out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Cassius has hired them as protection and maybe more." Ethan offered, and Conall nodded his agreement.

“I believe it is time we put the run on the jackals as well as the bears. This city needs to be cleaned and controlled before it falls below our ability to bring it back.” Conall had nothing against criminal activity, and his business ventures relied heavily upon illegal activities. What he could not abide were the assholes who caused pain, humiliation, and loss for no reason apart from their need to hurt someone. It could be overlooked for a while, but soon, it became a lifestyle for them and could no longer be disregarded.

The bears and the jackals had both reached their limit and if Conall happened to benefit from their demise, then all the better. He put in a call to Victor, giving them full authority to finish the bears and bring down the jackals as well.

"It's about time," Victor commented. "I've wanted that group of shit-eaters out of our city for years."

"They're helping Cassius, so they deserve the same," Conall stated.

"Cassius must be truly desperate to call in the jackals. They don't work for free." Victor chuckled at the thought of what they might do to Cassius if he couldn't pay. "His clan is gone, and he's on his own, so there is no one to save him from his hired muscle if things continue to go badly for him."

"I'm sure he made them promises, and we'll make sure he doesn't keep them." Conall closed the call and instructed Ethan to keep him posted on the cleanup and the pursuit of Cassius. He then headed out, eager to get back to his waiting beloved.

It had been a couple hours since he'd left his sweet love, but he half hoped the man was still in bed. If he were, Conall planned on joining him. He entered the elevator, and it was then that he felt the panic hit him. It was not his emotion or reaction it was coming from outside.

He stopped the elevator and headed to the garage. His instincts were telling him the panic belonged to Joel, for he'd never felt something like this so clearly before. It was the bond that was warning him, and his vampire senses were telling him to go to the garage. The moment he stepped out into the garage, he could smell his lover's jasmine saturating the area. Joel had been there not long ago. He stopped one of his soldiers, who was on guard.

"Amon, have you seen the human Joel Penny? Was he here in the garage?" He asked.

“Your beloved?” Amon clarified. Obviously, the news had traveled.

“Yes, my beloved.”

"He was here a few minutes ago. He stepped outside." Amon indicated where he'd exited. It was the door that opened to the alley behind the Blood Rose. Conall rushed to the exit, flung the door open, and stepped out into the alleyway. His beloved was not there, but he could still smell his jasmine, so he followed.

At the point the alley met the main street, he felt the sinking feeling of shock and fear, a combination that went straight to his heart. He looked up the street and down and surveyed the immediate area. Joel was not there, and his scent was dissipating. Wherever he'd gone, he hadn't gone on foot. His trail was broken at the edge of the sidewalk and the street. His beloved had been taken.

He notified Ethan and asked for a surveillance video of the area, which Ethan sent immediately. In the video, he clearly saw Joel standing with his face in the wind, enjoying the air and looking beautiful. Then, the black car belonging to the jackals pulled up beside him, and he was taken. They had to have been watching the Coven House for them to be on hand for such a timely kidnapping. It was time for the jackals to die.

He then received a call from an unknown number, and he answered knowing full well who was calling and their intent. "Hello, Conall." Cassius drawled. "It would seem I have something that belongs to you." Cassius laughed, but Conall did not comment. "I heard that young Joel here is your beloved, and I believe it now that I've seen the bonding scar on his shoulder." Conall could feel his blood begin to boil at the thought of Cassius laying hands upon Joel, but he remained calm and waited for the ask, for there was definitely going to be an ask. Cassius wanted something.

"You've taken everything from me, Conall, and I've taken the most important thing from you." He paused and then went for the conditions. "I may be persuaded to return your little pet if you sign over the Blood Rose to me completely and legally, along with five hundred thousand dollars for my pain and suffering." He laughed and then put Joel on the phone to seal the deal.

"I'm sorry, Conall, I'm such an idiot; I'm so sorry." Joel was crying, and it was all Conall could do to not lose control and tear the very heart out of this city.

“It’s okay, love. Stay calm and wait for me." He soothed, and Joel responded.

"I will, forever, if need be." The phone was snatched back, and Cassius concluded the call.

"Meet me at the remains of my club where you met your beloved. I believe we should end things exactly where they started. Come alone, or I'll kill him on the spot." He closed the call.

"Cassius and the jackals have abducted Joel and are holding him in or around Spring Street at the location of their former club." He spoke to Victor, who was livid at the audacity and correctly mirrored Conall's feelings on the matter. He didn't ask how he was taken but went straight to how to extract Joel without him getting hurt.

"He instructed me to come alone, so you and Drakon and your men need to fall back," Conall told him, and Victor quickly spoke up.

“If you go alone, they will kill you. I know you are capable of taking many, if not most, of them out, but in the end, with the number of jackals that I predict will be present, you cannot win Conall." Victor implored.

"I will not risk Joel's life, so this may be a gamble I have to take," Conall answered.

"We can remain hidden, Conall; those dolts will never know we're there. If you die, so does Joel." Conall realized that his emotions were clouding his thinking, and his need to kill everyone who even looked at his beloved was stirring a rage in his thoughts and mind.

“Meet me there.” He said and closed the call. Victor was right, he had to handle this like he would any dealing with the jackals if his beloved was to survive. Blind rage would not help him reach his desired goal. He would appease that rage later when Joel was safe.

He gathered the items requested, finding the amount of five hundred thousand dollars to be rather cheap considering the prize he held. Conall would gladly pay ten times that amount to get Joel back. Cassius was always a small thinker with limited vision and ability.

Cassius backhanded him as soon as he hung up the call with Conall. "Your lover boy isn't going to save you, so don't get your hopes up, boy." He sneered at Joel and walked over to lean against the car. Joel looked around and saw nothing but ashes and rubble. The club that he'd spent nearly two months in slaving away for the likes of these monsters was now nothing but dust and garbage. It had always been dust and garbage in Joel's mind, so there wasn't much of a difference.

"Stay where you are," Cassius yelled at Joel when he started to move to the edges of the destruction nearer to the roadway. "I want him to see you clearly when he arrives." He laughed. "It will enrage him, and that's just what I'm hoping for." Cassius was a big talker, but Joel doubted he was much of a match for Conall, even an enraged Conall.

"He will kill you all," Joel said slowly and clearly and kept his eyes on the ground.

"He is Master Conall Rose; the Blood Rose is what they call him, and he will be showing you your entrails today." Joel wasn't sure where he was getting this defiant strength, but he liked it, and it seemed to set them back just a little.

"Shut up," Cassius screamed, and Joel looked up and pierced him with a knowing stare that caused him to step back. A large black SUV pulled up next to the debris and stopped. Joel watched as the love of his life stepped out of the vehicle, looking handsome and just as deadly as hell. He took in the area in one glance, just as he had at the club. He could sum up anyone in a glance.

He had a large envelope and some papers in his hand as he walked toward them. His eyes captured Joel, and he could feel warmth and safety in that stare. Joel began to move to his right, just a half step at a time, slowly unnoticed by those who were training their attention on the Master.

"Good to see you, Conall." Cassius greeted him but stayed back with the jackals flanking him. His fear was heavy in the air. Conall took the thick envelope and threw it at him. It skidded to a stop a few inches from his feet. Cassius glanced around and then bent to retrieve the package.

Joel could see that it contained bills, probably the money that Cassius had demanded. The papers he was still holding were most likely related to the bar, the Blood Rose. As tense and uncomfortable as the scene was, Joel found that he was not afraid. As soon as Conall arrived, all fear and apprehension drained away. He had no doubt how this would end, and he looked forward to being in Conall's arms once again.

"Is that the ownership of the Blood Rose in your hand there, friend?" Cassius asked but still did not move toward Conall. He nodded at the guy to his left, and he walked toward Conall, and reached out his hand for the paperwork.

Conall did not immediately hand it over. He looked over at Joel, who was now a good distance from where he'd been originally standing, having moved away from the impending melee without notice. The expression he wore told Joel to stay put, stay alert, and follow his lead.

"Your beloved is there and somewhat unharmed." Cassius forced a laugh, but it came out with a nervous crackle.

Conall took two steps to the side, effectively putting himself between Cassius and Joel. The jackals wouldn't kill Joel unless they had to, but Cassius would do it for kicks and spite. Their bond gave Joel some perks, such as being faster and stronger and healing faster, but he was not immortal. Cassius knew how to kill him. He'd done it before to others that displeased him or got in his way. Cassius was carrying a firearm, and it would only take one shot properly placed to kill his sweet love.

"Hand over the Blood Rose, or both you and your beloved will die." Cassius declared, pulling the large handgun from under his coat. Bullets had little effect on vampires, but he wasn't intending the gun for him.

Conall held the papers up. “Let Joel walk away, and once he's out of sight, I will hand over the documents."

"Why don't we just kill you both right now and take the documents from your corpse." Cassius stated and took another step closer to Conall.

"Show me what you got, Cassius. Come and take them from me." Conall baited.

"Take them from him do it now." He yelled at the jackal standing a few feet from Conall. The jackal attacked, and Conall caught him with one hand to his throat and forced him to the ground.

The jackal clawed at Conall's hold on him, but it was useless. He had an iron grip on the beast's throat, and he was crushing it. He stuck the papers back into his jacket and pulled out a dagger, plunging it into the jackal's eye and twisting it. He then pulled it out and wiped it off on his knee before assessing the surroundings once again.

The jackals cared nothing about their brother, so his death was considered his own fault. They were a cold breed that never formed bonds with anyone or anything. They would fight for Cassius if the money was right and for no other reason than that.

"Kill them, kill them both, and the Blood Rose is yours," Cassius called out and ran for the car as the jackals immediately advanced on Conall. It was then that Victor Drakon, and the others descended upon them. Conall saw Samuel swoop in and grab Joel, spiriting him away to the SUV for safety.

Once Joel was secure and protected, Conall headed for Cassius. His men were taking care of the jackals, but they were leaving Cassius for him. The coward tried to run, but Conall's men had him hemmed in, unable to flee the yard.

For once, Cassius would have to face a reckoning for all his bad decisions. No running this time, no putting it on his clan or his brothers, for they were all gone. And now the jackals, his hired muscle, were dying and fleeing, and he was alone.

He frantically looked around, summoning help, but the scene had devolved into every man for himself with no order or form. Conall's men systematically pushed them back and cut them down. Those who ran would be found no one was going to survive such an egregious break in custom and practice as abducting and abusing a beloved.

"Let's discuss this, Conall." He started, but Conall wasn't there to discuss. "It was simply business we wouldn't have actually killed him. We would have returned him in time, even without you meeting our demands. It was just business." Cassius implored but soon understood his pleas were useless, and he shifted. He was an out-of-shape, awkward man, but he was a massive and savage bear.

Conall held his dagger in one hand and a short sword in the other. Bullets were useless on a beast of this size. The bear tried to circle him, but Conall kept advancing, forcing him to ultimately take a stand. This day was a long time coming, and Conall was ready to put an end to Cassius and his depravity.

Conall focused on Cassius, fully confident that his men would take care of the rest. But his heart still remained connected to his little lover in the SUV. Joel would forever be in his heart, with his health and happiness being Conall's primary concerns. He would not be safe until Casius was dead.