18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Dante

" W here is she?" Marlo's voice sounds like gravel over the line.

Well, that didn't take long.

"Lost her already, have you? Sounds like you're Father of the Year. How long has it been since she was put into your custody? An hour? Two? I mean, I guess it's a good thing she's already grown up because I can't imagine how she would have survived childhood under your ‘careful' eye," I say, allowing my sarcasm to pour out.

"You will return her to me at once, Stone," he snarls.

"I wish I could help, but I don't have her. I left directly after the hearing. Important Alpha matters to handle back home. You understand that, though, right?" I say, enjoying every minute I get to play this game.

"I wonder if you will have such a cavalier attitude when you are kneeling before me to surrender your territory in exchange for your pack members' lives. You have 24 hours to return her, or I will ensure you have a nice reunion with your father, tick-tock…" The line disconnects, and I nearly crack the screen from the pressure of my grasp.

That motherfucker.

Once I release my grip and set the phone on the tray in front of me, I turn to Jess, who is staring at me from the other side of the aisle.

"You good boss?" she asks, forced lightness in her tone.

"Marlo is aware she is missing and believes we have her. Carter," I say, turning to the seat behind me to look at him. "Can you speak with Yelena and ensure we monitor the area closely? I wouldn't put it past him to shoot us out of the sky," I say before returning my gaze to Jess.

"Are you sure you want to return with us to Vegas? You finished your contract months ago, and from the looks of it, we are heading into a battle that has us outmanned and outgunned. I wouldn't hold it against you if you wanted to go back to your home pack," I say, hoping she sees the danger ahead.

Her eyes narrow, and her head tilts before she responds.

"Vegas is my home now. This pack is more my family than Boston ever was. Contract or not, I will fight to protect our Second and his Mate." Her tone is serious, and her words carry a sincerity that brings me pride.

We are family.

How many will die in this war? A war my father had been able to avoid for two decades.

Sorry, Dad.

My heart aches as I think of how he brought us together, taking over from Alpha Barton's lack of leadership and making us a united pack. Making sure everyone was included, trained, and cared for. His leadership made us strong, and despite trying to carry on his legacy, I've failed him.

I can't fail them too.

"I will do everything in my power to keep this from coming to that, but it's nice to know where you stand all the same," I say before retrieving my phone to call Pres.

"Hey, Boss," she answers, and I place the call on speaker.

"Any word?" I ask, not elaborating.

"Not since they switched vehicles and left their tech. Everett assured me that the car they are in now has no GPS tracking, but he was sure not to give me any other details, in case…" she answers, and the sound of her typing in the background comes through the line.

"And the LLC?" I ask, knowing from my phone call with Marlo that he is aware she's gone.

"I don't see any traffic on that yet, but I will let you know if they release anything," she replies.

"I need you monitoring anything you can. Have Keith take the public fronts, police, FBI, and local channels. We don't need a missing person report being the thing that finds them. Those should be safe for him to see,"

"Are you sure? Mason could probably handle that," she tentatively asks, questioning the directive, which gives me pause.

Pres is always a straight shooter; she speaks her mind. Why the hesitation?

"Is there some reason I should be worried about Keith's skills in this capacity or his allegiances?" I counter, opening the door for her to explain.

"Nope, he can do it. I will contact him and have him on it by the end of the hour," she says, her voice steady again.

Odd…

"Ok, let me know if anything, and I mean anything, changes," I say before disconnecting and dialing Quinn.

"Dante Stone's office. This is Quinn," she answers.

"Quinn, you know it's me. Why do you always answer like that?" I ask, grinning for the first time since the trial.

"Because it's my job to be professional, and it's my work phone. So yes, Mr. Stone, how can I help you?" Her snark reminds me so much of Pres, and I roll my eyes.

"I need you to call a full council meeting for tomorrow morning. Notify them they will remain on the property for the foreseeable future. Please make sure their on-site rooms are available. I also need full reports of our active pack members, their skill level rankings, and anything we have on Reno's numbers. I know we pulled this for a risk assessment in the Spring, but we need the most up-to-date information we can get." I pause giving her time to write down those directions before continuing.

"Please draft a message to all pack members notifying them to increase security around their property lines. Anyone who needs a more fortified position may come back to pack housing. They need to be ready for an attack. I will look the message over in the morning. Also, can you get me a list of our compromised pack members? Injured, disabled, pregnant, under 5, etc."

"Are we recalling our members who are serving other packs?" she asks, making me consider her question.

"Not yet, but we need to warn them. I don't want to shorthand our allies, especially since we are the ones who initiated this. Get that rolling, and let me know if anyone from the LLC reaches out," I say, intending to end our call, but her voice interrupts me.

"We received a call a few minutes ago, but you were in the air, so I figured I would notify you when you landed. Alpha Doug Martin requested you call him back. Immediately," she says, pausing for effect.

"Did he leave a reason?" I ask, fear building at what response they will have.

We planned for this.

"No, but when I refused to give him your personal phone number as he requested, he had a few choice words about my abilities. I'll spare you those, but just know he isn't happy with our customer service," she says, and I hear the smile in her voice.

One of the things I like most about Quinn is her no-nonsense attitude. She handles more clients and Alphas than I can count and doesn't break a sweat. It's always impressed me how she holds her own against those more powerful than her.

"Let's try not to pick fights with everyone today, but thank you for standing your ground. Let me know if it ever crosses a line, and I'll take care of it," I say, hoping she knows she doesn't have to take on these men alone.

"It wouldn't be a Wednesday if I haven't been called a bitch a few times," she says, and I can almost see her shrugging.

"It's Saturday," I correct her.

"Same thing. I'll get that started and see you when you land. Goodbye, Mr. Stone," she says, hanging up the phone.

There's so much to do.

We need to be ready for anything because if there's one thing I know about Deacon Marlo, he doesn't bluff.