BK 3 - Chapter 44 - Welcome To Oregon
Melanie and Saxon hated leaving the cubs behind, but they knew it was the safest option. Valerie, Roger, Jelena, and Grant would keep them safe. They waved at them as they pulled out of the driveway to meet up with everyone else.
Wesley had to request a 747 to take them to Oregon with all the people they now had helping them. The witches said they didn't need a plane, and some vampires also wanted to go by foot, so the aircraft was mostly filled with shifters.
Wesley stood at the head of the plane. He had learned a little more information from his men in Oregon and wanted to share it before they landed. He spoke through the intercom system so everyone could hear him. The flight crew were all shifters, so he wasn't worried about them hearing what he said.
"Thank you all for being ready to leave so quickly. We're headed to one of the properties owned by Lorin Brycen. He's a thirty-two-year-old billionaire playboy who does nothing but spend his father's money. We have learned that he has several buildings filled with shifters of all kinds. We don't know how many or what his plans are for them. The property is remote on the outskirts of Portland. When we get to the place my men have established as home base, I'll separate everyone into groups. I don't want to lose any of you, so please be vigilant and don't go rogue. I'll have more instructions when we land."
Wesley sat down and sighed. He couldn't keep his mind off Mindy. He knew leaving her behind was the best way to keep her safe, but that didn't make being away from her any easier. Melanie smiled at him from her seat across the aisle.
"She'll be okay. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can all get back to some form of normal. I never dreamt that taking a trip to Rio to help shifters would lead to all this. I'm sorry we dragged you into it." She said.
"Don't apologize. We were already working on this case; you just cracked it wide open. The best part is I found my mate. I know it's good for her to be there; I'm just worried about her. She's been through a lot, and I'm not there to help her through it." Wesley let his head fall back on his seat. Melanie reached over and put her hand on his arm despite Saxon trying to stop her. Now that they were marked, he was even more possessive of her and didn't want her to touch any other man.
"Honestly, I think it's best she work it out while you're not there. That way, you both know she accepted you with a clear head." Wesley patted her hand and heard Saxon give a low growl, making Melanie roll her eyes.
"Will you calm down? Don't be getting all possessive and jealous over any man I'm around. I'll put Chika on you." She said, glaring at Saxon, whose face turned red when there were a few chuckles from those nearby.
"Fine, but how would you like it if I was touching another woman?" Saxon asked with a raised eyebrow. Chika let out a little roar.
"Why don't you try it and find out?" Melanie said in warning. Saxon chuckled and kissed her before she could get any angrier. Melanie immediately melted into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"That's more like it," Saxon said, pulling away. Mario, who was sitting on Saxon's other side by the window, groaned.
"I'm glad this is a short trip. I don't know how long I can put up with the two of you." He muttered. Mario was secretly envious of the couple. Each day he started feeling more and more anxious to find his mate. He thought it was because he was around so many loving couples. Now he thought it might be because he was close to finding her. As a bear, he wouldn't know until he touched her. His senses would still be drawn to her but touching would cause the biggest reaction.
As the plane began to descend, everyone got ready for the unknown. They landed in Portland, where several buses were waiting to take them to the location Wesley's men had set up near Lorin's property. When they walked into the large building, Cat and Melanie looked at each other in concern. They could feel something was off.
*"Mom, I don't like this. Something is going on here that's making me feel like we should run."* Melanie mindlinked Cat.
*"I agree. I don't know if it's one of the men or all of them, but it feels like we're being led to the slaughter."* Cat replied
*"What should we do? We can't mindlink everyone here."* Melanie looked around at the hundreds of people helping them. There were alphas, lunas, and warriors from many wolf packs. Other shifters and vampires were there too. The witches hadn't arrived yet. If they were being set up, everyone there would be prime specimens. However, if they told everyone to run, people could get killed in the process.
"Welcome, everyone. Please direct your attention to the wall on your right. We've mapped out all of the buildings on Lorin Brycen's property. As I told Wesley, there are many shifters in each building. He has numerous armed men guarding the area, making it difficult to breach the property without getting hurt." Cat studied the man speaking. He was stocky with buzzed hair and spoke with authority. He seemed to be military or ex-military. Nothing from him set off warning bells. She looked toward Melanie, who shook her head, indicating it wasn't him. They decided to keep their suspicions to themselves until they knew who they needed to be concerned about.
"We have men around the perimeter to watch for any movement." Another man with shoulder-length brown hair said, pointing to where the fence was around the property. Chika and Saira let out small growls. This was the man who was making them uneasy. Melanie and Cat both pulled their mates over to stand next to Wesley.
"Who's that man talking?" Melanie whispered to him.
"His name is Jeremiah. I'm not sure why he's here. He's not one of the men on my team that I told about this operation. He's the only human here. He knows about shifters, but he shouldn't know about our plan. Why do you ask?" Wesley looked at the two lionesses and became worried.
"There's something about him that makes us uneasy. Chika and Saira feel it too." Melanie answered, keeping her eyes on the man in front of them. He glanced at her, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
"Let me ask Josh why he's here acting like he's running things?" Wesley waved over the stocky man who had spoken before Jeremiah took over.
"Glad you made it so quickly." They shook hands, and Josh nodded at the four people with Wesley.
"Why is Jeremiah here?" Wesley asked. Josh looked at him in confusion.
"He showed up a couple hours ago saying you sent him. He showed me an email from you asking him to meet you here." Josh looked at the man who was still talking. Jeremiah stared nervously in their direction.
"I never asked him to come. He shouldn't know anything about this." Wesley looked around to see if there was anyone else there that shouldn't be, but he saw no one that gave him concern. His eyes fell on Mario and Alberto. They were two of the biggest men in the room, and he trusted them. He waved them over. Both men and Emily joined their little group.
"Alberto and Mario, I need your help. The man who's talking right now shouldn't be here. I believe he's trying to lead us into a trap." Wesley said while the two men glanced in Jeremiah's direction.
"Do you want him dead or detained?" Alberto asked, holding Emily tighter.
"Detained for now until we know what his plan is. I don't want him to see you coming." Wesley answered quietly. The two men nodded before walking off in opposite directions. Emily stayed back.
Mario walked behind Jeremiah while Alberto went to his front. He would be the distraction while Mario took him down.
"If the perimeter is guarded by armed men, how are we supposed to get in?" Alberto asked, pointing to the fenced area that Jeremiah had been referring to.
"I have a way for us to walk right in the front gate. You just have to do what I say." Jeremiah smirked at Alberto, not seeing Mario coming behind him. Before he knew what hit him, he was lying on his stomach on the ground. Mario took handcuffs from Josh and put them on the Jeremiah locking his hands behind his back.
"Hey, what are you doing? I'm trying to help you." The man yelled as Mario brought him roughly to his feet. Wesley and Josh walked over.
"Why are you here, and how did you know about this place?" Wesley asked, ready to tear into him.
"You sent me an email asking me to be here," Jeremiah answered. When he couldn't meet Wesley's glare, no one in the room believed him.
"That's a lie. I would never have brought you in on this. What is going on here? What was your plan?" Wesley yelled in his face. He was losing his patience. Jeremiah dropped the facade and smirked.
"Raul hired me. He told me you'd be here." Jeremiah thought he was dropping a bomb on them, but to his surprise, there was no reaction.
"When did he do this?" Wesley asked.
"This morning," Jeremiah answered smugly. Wesely scoffed in response.
"That would be really hard for him to do when he's been dead since yesterday," Wesley said, glaring at the man whose face suddenly went white. "So now tell me, who sent you here?"
"I did," An unfamiliar voice answered from the back of the room. They couldn't tell who it was because he wore a gas mask. Everyone screamed when they saw what he was wearing and started running for the nearest exit. Before any doors could be opened, a thick fog surrounded everyone in the room. The man with the gas mask walked over to Cat and Melanie, who were lying on the ground, losing consciousness like everyone else. He gently rubbed their heads.
"Don't worry, my angels. You're going to be well taken care of."
