Chapter 9

Lachlan

“She was there T. I smelled her. I wasn’t imagining it.”

“I can’t believe you ran off like that without even telling me. How are we supposed to trust you after that?”

“I don’t care if you trust me or not. I’m asking for your help. If you refuse, I’ll simply find another way. My mate is right there.” I pointed out the window. “They are right under our noses, Taylor. Hundreds of dead bodies being cremated, but also even more alive in cages there.”

“Including Tilly?”

“I didn’t find her. Do you really think I’d still be here asking for your help if I had.”

“We can’t just barge in there and shut it down this time. If what you’re saying is true then it is going to take a highly calculated plan to get in and get out without alerting the humas to what’s happening.”

“Logically I hear what you’re saying.”

She threw her hands up in exasperation.

“But you’re a mating male and not thinking rationally.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to. At least we know you’re normal.”

“What does that mean?”

“You’ve been unusually calm through all of this.”

“No, I haven’t. I haven’t been dealing with any of this well.”

“Could have fooled me.”

If only she knew all the thoughts and scheming I was already doing in my head.

The second I got back from my little adventure with Bartholomew, I cornered Taylor and laid all my cards on the table. . . well, maybe not all of them, but enough.

“Look, Chelle was right. The inside of that building looks far more like a Raglan lab than a Collectors holding facility. The son of a known Raglan was identified by Archie on the voice recording of Tilly’s abduction that I sent over. I’m telling you T, we’re dealing with far more than just some Collectors.”

“How? It doesn’t make sense.”

“The Verndari cut off the Raglan financially. Martin and even Jacob had made sure of that.”

“I never really trusted Jacob Winthrop.”

“I can’t blame you on that, but I also did some counseling sessions with him after his wife died. So, I probably have a different view of him. His moral compass doesn’t always point north, but he does mean well. And Martin would do just about anything to keep his daughters safe. Ember’s a squirrel shifter and Alaina is right smack in the middle of Westin Force. That means a lot to him.”

“I know. I didn’t say anything bad about Martin. Last I heard he was the man in charge of the Verndari now. We haven’t had any issues or concerns since. And now you’re telling me that the Raglan somehow resurrected from the dead?”

“We always knew there were more of them out there. Without funding they were weak. But who has more money than they know what to do with?”

She gulped hard. “The Collectors.”

“Exactly. Taylor, I smelled her in there. She’s right there.”

“We can’t make a move like that without Patrick’s approval, hell, he’d probably need Kyle to sign off on this.”

“Then let’s do it.”

She snorted. “Sure. Just call it in and say, hey Patrick, we need you to talk to Kyle and get us a green light to storm a facility right next door the auction where all the Collectors are because we have such a great history of being discreet about such things. Do you have any idea the level of clean up we’re talking about?”

“I’ll call in the right people that can help us.”

She laughed. “Okay, I’ll bite. Who?”

“I want Marie. She stayed back at headquarters, but we need her here. She’s going to have to do some mind surfing to ensure we don’t have an even bigger breakout to be concerned with.”

“There’s a reason Marie stayed behind.”

“I know. She’s pregnant.”

“Wait, what? Marie and Holden are having a baby?”

“Yeah, she found out just before the mission was announced. Why did you think she stayed behind?”

“Because she’s a powerful badass bitch and someone had to stay behind to help Lane and his deputies ensure the Pack’s safety”

“Oh. Is that what they told you?”

She just stared at me. It wasn’t like I didn’t have the inside scoop on just about everyone in Westin Force. They all came to me for help, even Kyle and his mate, Kelsey.

I debated on my options and decided I had the highest potential for success going through Kelsey. Pulling out Taylor’s phone I scrolled though contacts looking for something that sounded like Kelsey. ‘Badass Alpha Bitch’ instantly caught my attention.

“Kelsey?” I asked her as I turned the screen for her to see.

“Yeah.”

“You really can just use their names.”

“What fun is that?”

“Wait. What am I listed as?”

“I’m not telling. You’ll figure it out.”

I shook my head as I clicked on ‘Badass Alpha Bitch’ and waited for it to ring through.

“Why are you calling Kelsey?”

“She owes me a favor.”

“Kelsey Westin owes you a favor? She doesn’t give favors or put herself in a position to owe anyone anything.”

“Hey Taylor.”

“It’s Lachlan. I swear everyone answers her calls that way.”

“Lachie? What’s up? Are you okay? I heard about your mate.”

“That’s kind of why I’m calling, Kels. I found her.”

“What? That’s great! I hadn’t heard.”

“It’s not so great. Just because I found her doesn’t mean I have her back. She’s being held at a facility next to the auction house.”

“You’re sure of this?”

“I’m positive. I smelled her there.”

“But you didn’t find her?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be calling me if you didn’t need my help.”

“Remember that favor you owe me?”

She sighed. “Time to pay up, I get it. What do you need?”

“All teams in Australia called in here. I need an orchestrated attack, one that they won’t see coming, but also discreet enough not to alarm the Collectors next door.”

“Aren’t the Collectors the ones running the place?”

“Maybe, but I don’t think so. Which is why I’m going to need Marie here.”

“Marie fought to get an exemption from this trip.”

“I know, and I know why.”

She chuckled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“I don’t need you to convince or force Marie to come. I’ll handle that. I just need you to get Kyle and Patrick to approve it.”

“Is there more?”

“Lots, but this will be a great start.”

“If you don’t think the Collectors are behind it, who is?”

“The Raglan.” I said it as if it were a fact. I’d looked at all the facts and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. It had to be them.

She gasped. “That’s not possible.”

“Tell that to those in the lab being forced to shift to confirm viability of merchandise.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“I agree, but it’s happening Kels. And we have to stop it.”

“One last thing. Why aren’t you asking Patrick and Kyle yourself?”

“Because I’m a mating male. Mating males are prone to exaggeration and irrational actions. I’ve never been clearer or more sure of anything, Kelsey. I need you to have my back on this.”

“And we’re good. No more favors?”

“We’re good. Regardless of the outcome.”

“Okay. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“My phone was compromised, so until Walker gets my new one to me, use Taylor’s line.”

“Got it. Be careful down there, okay?”

“I am. I have more than anyone riding on this. I’m not going to screw it up because that’s my mate in there.”

As soon as I hung up, Taylor descended.

“Spill it. What the hell do you have on Kelsey?”

“That’s between me and her. I have a patient-client confidentiality to consider.”

“Kelsey’s in therapy?”

“There aren’t too many people we know not in therapy of some sort,” I confessed. before calling Marie next.

“Hey girl, how’s Australia?” she asked when she answered the call.

“Not Taylor, but Aus is great as always.”

“Lachie?”

“Yup, and I’m not going to waste time here because I have a few other calls to make, but I’m calling in a favor.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“Which favor? The Rymes case or the elephant incident?”

“I’ll go with Rymes.”

She gasped. “That’s big.”

“It is. I need you on a plane ASAP.”

“I got an exemption, Lachie. You know that and you know why.’

“That baby is going to be just fine. This is that important.”

“How bad?”

“Bad.”

“Tell me.”

I quickly filled her in on everything I’d witnessed.

“The Raglan? Are you sure?”

“Pretty certain.”

“How certain?”

“Ninety-seven percent sure.”

“Okay. Holden’s going to freak, but I’ll be there.”

“I just need to be sure this is it and we aren’t dealing with an outbreak or anything.”

“You got it. Anything else?”

“Is your mate nearby?”

“You’re calling in a favor on him too?”

“I am. I need a money trail followed.”

“Why not just ask Archie to do that?”

“He’s going to have his hands full when I drop this bomb on him. I don’t need him wasting time and resources chasing the money right now.”

“Understood. Here he is.”

“Lachlan? What’s up, man?”

I dove into the story once more and explained exactly what I was looking for.

“You got it. Do you want me to forward the results to Patrick when I have them?”

“No, this is unsanctioned at the moment so send directly to me.”

“You got it.”

We said goodbye and I checked them both off of my latest asset list before calling Liam Westin. He was the Alphas brother and CEO of Westin Foundation. Normally I worked closer with Holden, but I’d been counseling both Liam and his mate, Maddie lately as they dealt with an issue involving their son.

“Liam Westin,” he answered.

I was a little surprised Christine didn’t answer at this time of day.

“Why isn’t Chris answering the phone?”

“Who is this?”

“Lachlan.”

“Oh, hey man. Didn’t recognize your voice, or rather I didn’t expect to hear from you. Are you still in Australia?”

“I am.”

“Cool. So what can I do for you?”

“I need you to pull my assets list and tell me how much cash we can pull together quickly if I had to liquidate everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

“Let’s see.”

I could hear him clicking across the keyboard and appreciated him not delaying on this.

“Looks like you have just under three million in assets, but it would take a few days for me to cash in some of these stocks to get that.”

“How long?”

“A few days. What’s this all about, Lachlan?”

“It’s nothing at the moment, but if it comes down to it, I’m going to need quick access to those funds.”

“What’s going on? And you know damn well, I’m supposed to report an inquiry like this to Patrick for anyone on the Force.”

“But you won’t, will you?”

“That depends on what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

I told him all about Tilly and the Collectors, though I didn’t raise the flag on the Raglan. It was one thing to discuss that with Kelsey and even Marie, but I couldn’t sound the alarm in good conscience or at least not without concrete evidence that the Raglan had resurfaced after all this time.

I was confident that we’d have that evidence soon, but for now it was best to fly under the radar. Still, if it came down to it, I would cash out everything and buy my mate out of captivity. If there was enough left over, I’d offer it for my parents too, but I also knew they would understand and found comfort in the hope that they had remained together through this nightmare.

There were others I still needed to call, too. I was going to call in every possible connection I had to ensure Tilly’s safety and the highest probability for success on this mission.

There was nothing I wouldn’t do. No stone left unturned. No favor I wouldn’t call in to make this all happen. And I knew what that meant and what I was going to have to do.