Page 14 of House of Wolves
“Alright.” Cameron’s defeat is short-lived. “Let’s get a group together and get him, interrogate him until he reveals the girls' locations.”
“I don’t think that’s the best course of action,” Kilo replies from next to me. Cameron shoots him a glare. Man, someone’s on my brother’s shit list this morning. I wonder if he knows we kissed, and this is some weird older brother protection thing going on. Cameron can sense things about others, but he’s never been the overbearing type before. Maybe it’s another effect of the baby.
“I agree,” Grimm says, cutting the growing tension. “If Brick really is a double agent, he’ll be much too skilled to reveal anything in an interrogation, and I’m not willing to break the humanity we’ve spent centuries working for by using torture.”
Cameron grunts and falls back in his seat, crossing his arms. “Well, we need to think of something. We can’t just follow him around until he fucks up. We need something faster than that.” I study his profile, noticing the thin lines of grey coming from his scalp. Dark circles underline his eyes. This is killing him. His pack is in danger, and he’s about to bring a baby into a perilous world. I can’t let him carry the burden of this. I have to do something to fix this.
“I can go undercover.” The words pass my lips before I know what I’m saying.
“What?” Cameron says, turning to me.
“I’ve already offered my skills of seduction with Straw and Wood, and that proved to be worthless.” I shrug. “It’s obviously one of my most impressive skills, so I should use it to actually help.”
“Carmen,” Grimm says in a concerned tone.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. We don’t want a recap of last time,” Kilo says.
I whip my attention to him. Moments ago, he was all about preserving my dignity, and now he’s so willing to give up the information.
“What do you mean last time? You met her like two fucking days ago?” Cameron barks.
I shake my head, holding my hands in front of both males. “It’s fine. I had a slip of judgment last night with Wood. I truly don’t think he has anything to do with the Hunters, but he’s still a piece of shit. Kilo was there to intervene. I can handle this.” Even as I say the words, my stomach flips.
I can barely be in the presence of Brick for more than five seconds without my blood pressure spiking. He loathes me. In fact, he told me that he wanted the council to send anyone besides me to converse with him. Do I really think I can seduce the man? Why do I even want to? But I know why.
Ever since I was a little girl and knew my brother had the life-long task of protecting our people, I’ve felt guilty. His life was constantly on the line while I shared the same DNA and escaped from any sort of responsibility. I’ve watched the strain on him. I’ve witnessed it almost crush him to a pulp. Now he has so much more: a wife who I adore and a child on the way that I already love with my whole being. Even if that wasn’t enough, I care for those young women. They are part of me, and I’ve vowed to use my voice to protect them. I’ve failed. Over the past few days, I’ve tried to help, but I’ve come up short, and my failings are all my fault. I thought with my vagina before thinking with my brain. This is my chance to redeem myself. I’m hot, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Maybe Brick hates me now, but I can change that. In fact, now that a moral good is tied to it, I’m thrilled to see myself victorious. I can’t wait to make him fall to his knees before me and slice off his balls. Metaphorically, of course. Well, maybe. If he’s as evil as I think, it would be nice to do some villain testicle chopping.
“You don’t have to do this, Carmen. I know you think I implied you use promiscuity to get info on the officers, but I would never put you in that situation,” Grimm says from behind his desk, leaning forward and folding his hands.
“Yeah, I don’t like this idea at all,” Kilo says from my side. Strike two, Kilo. I turn to him, catching genuine concern riddling the lines of his features. Shit, I really affected this guy. I wonder what the women are like in Norway if he’s so smitten after the less-than-desirable traits I’ve displayed over the past couple of days.
I place my hand on his knee. “Don’t worry about me. I know you haven’t seen an accurate example of my strength, but I promise to stay completely sober during this mission. I can take Brick if need be.” I try to stuff away the memory of Brick overpowering me completely sober at the crime scene. That had to be a flux. I can handle this.
“Yeah, my sister can take care of herself.”
“Thanks, bro.” I pat his leg, scrunching my brow in confusion. What did Kilo do to him? Maybe he hates Norwegians or something and just discovered his origins.
Grimm sighs. “Cameron’s right. She’s one of our most powerful. I’d want her at the front line even if I weren’t under these circumstances. As long as you are completely okay with the implications of this mission, I think it’s a good idea.”
“I can do this.” But even as I say the words, a rotten plum falls to the base of my stomach. No one knows what Brick is. We’re not addressing his otherness; maybe it’s better this way. Maybe if we pretend he’s just a normal man or even has a low strand of werewolf in him, we can overtake him and save these women. Even if he wasn’t powerful, this man hates me. One thing is for certain, I’m about to pop my pussy like it’s my superpower.
6
Pig Skirt
Acoolbreezeblowsthroughthe sea glass windchime hanging from the banister of my porch. There’s no sea glass in Dayton. I got it on my trip to the Keys in high school. It’s a subtle reminder that there’s more out there than Dayton. I’ve left this place and could do it again. Right now, I want to pack up my car and hit the road, abandoning my problems and not having to compose this email. It’s just an email. I’ve killed people before, but this task seems more daunting than ripping out a throat.
I sigh, throwing my head back against the porch swing, staring up at the Douglas fir branches shading the front of my single-story craftsman home. I love my place. It’s small but just enough room for a single person. When I bought it five years ago, it could have been a shit hole inside. The porch sold me before even stepping through the door. The inside did actually need a ton of work, but I had help from my pack to clean it up.
Whenever one of the Weres gets close to me or stops by my house, they risk their safety. My identity has never been hidden, while most of them spent their lives hiding their true selves. Sometimes, I pity myself for growing up in so much danger while simultaneously hiding in my brother's shadow, but I always know there’s a threat. I’m never wondering if people will discover me. They have to live, stepping around caution, and yet still, some of them get murdered or kidnapped. It’s a guilt I don’t think will ever leave me, but I hope one day it does, maybe if I can save these girls.
My focus sharpens, and I look back down at my phone. I’ve spent the last half hour just staring at the white block in my email app—thetoline already filled out. Fuck it. I type quickly, not rereading before hitting send. Once it’s too late to second-guess myself, I reread.
Brick, can we meet? -Carmen
Perfect. Short, sweet, to the point, and will leave him with a dose of intrigue. Now, I just have to wait until he replies. It’s a Sunday, and it’s his work email I got from the county website, so I mentally prepare myself not to receive anything today. I vow not to continue glancing at my phone and actually get a handle on the clean laundry piles overtaking my room.
My phone dings. It's from him. I click the new notification. His response is even shorter but a lot less sweet.No.
