Page 84 of Callen's Captive
“I’ll leave a few guards here to guard them, Kate, my dear.” Drake put his hand on her back, near her neck.
Yes, the alpha knew what to say, how to manipulate people when he wanted. Callen hoped Kate would see through the alpha’s easy-going facade in time.
“They won’t let anyone touch your friends. The scout will heal if Damien’s enforcer can keep up the pressure long enough.”
“Enforcer?” Kate turned to him with a horrified expression.
Drake looked from her to Callen. “You didn’t know Callen is Damien’s enforcer? I thought at least you knew what you were getting yourself into with him, Kate. He’s the most feared shifter in all three packs because of his ruthlessness when it comes to extracting information from Damien’s enemies.”
“Extracting?” Kate’s face paled. She was thinking of Briggs, of what Callen had done to the motel clerk, and all the opportunities he’d had to tell her the truth but hadn’t.
“I’m trying not to shock you too much, my dear Kate. What Callen does to shifters and humans is not something you’d want to hear about, I can assure you.”
“Callen?” she looked at him to deny it, but he couldn’t.
* * *
KATE
Even as Drake led her away from Callen, she could still remember Callen’s face, angry, so very angry. Drake had been telling the truth. Callen was the enforcer she had read about in the WSSO’s files. Her head was pounding, the trees kept closing in on her, and she couldn’t think straight.
Drake must have seen her distress. First, he found a shirt for her. A man’s shirt, but it was better than nothing. Then he got her some food and drink and told her to rest. She felt guilty resting and essentially lounging when Blade was back there, fighting for his life.
Callen had misled her. He hadliedto her.
“Are you sleeping, Kate?”
“I can’t.”
Drake opened the flap to the tent where she had laid down and took a seat in a chair next to the cot.
Kate spent an hour talking about her trouble with the WSSO and how Callen had saved her. She didn’t ask any questions about what Drake had said, about Callen being an enforcer. Nor did she discuss her feelings for Callen. That was private and would remain that way.
“I’ve spoken with Damien and he told us about the virus you have, the one that kills humans. Please tell me it’s not true, that there’s been some misunderstanding along the way.”
Drake’s smile faded. “It’s true. I’m not proud of it, but I once told you I’ll do what I have to, to protect my pack, my people. We needed a weapon that would deter the WSSO.”
“Is that why you infected an entire pack? To ensure they’d spread it to every town and then it would be out of control? I’m human, Drake. Do you want to wipe every human off the face of the Earth?” Her tears burned her cheeks as they fell. She didn’t understand any of this. Drake’s actions were no different than the WSSOs, the organization he’d been fighting along with her.
Drake sighed, dropping some of his usual self-assuredness. “The idea was to develop a harmful virus, not a deadly one. But at this point, I have the virus and I’m going to hold it over the WSSO. Don’t worry; it’s locked up. I’m the only one with the key. As for Damien’s pack, that was unintentional. A shifter, Dr. Alex Kerns was infected—”
“Is that the shifter you kidnapped?”
“Kidnapped? That’s twice in one day you’ve accused me and my people of kidnapping. What has that enforcer done to you, Kate? You never would have accused me of such things before, at least not without digging for the truth.”
He was right. She always dug for the truth, and here she was making assumptions. Drake had asked her to keep an open mind, to hear his side of things, and she’d completely ignored his request. He’d given her so much help planning against the WSSO and trying to find her parents’ killers. She owed it to him to be open-minded.
“Or is that what Alex told everyone?” Drake dragged his hand through his thick black hair. It was a habit he had when he was upset. She’d seen him do it many times before. “We approached Alex, told him our plan. He came willingly, but didn’t want our association known. He feared Damien would send his enforcer after him.”
“Callen. . .”
“You really didn’t know who it is you’re mixed up with? Oh, Kate, I can’t even begin to tell you the things he’s done over the years, so I won’t bother. You can ask him yourself, judge for yourself. If you don’t want to go back to him, you don’t have to. I’ll take you back to Riverview. Maybe not there, actually. Sounds like the WSSO has the place crawling with people looking for you. Pick a place, and I’ll make sure you get there.”
“I’ll think about it. Tell me more about Alex and what happened.”
Apparently, she hadn’t been getting the entire truth from Callen, and probably not from Damien either. She needed to hear Drake’s side before she returned to Callen. Then she wanted to hear from Callen’s lips what he had done, why he had lied to her. Then she’d decide if she would accept Drake’s offer.
“Alex infected himself, though I’m not sure if it was an accident or intentional. We didn’t know he was infected when he left here. We didn’t even know he’d left. My patrols keep people from entering, not leaving. Alex left in the middle of the night. We only learned the rest of the details when Liam told me later on. Apparently, Alex returned to Damien and infected the whole damn pack.
