Finding Treasure

Jade Storm's POV

Family Ranch, Eastern Washington State

Tuesday, September 29th, 2020

"Mom? Can I eat with you?"

My heart got warm as I heard my newest daughter, born of Nathan's first mate and hidden from him for so long. She had two adoptive mothers from her time in captivity, but her father was still 'officially' dead. We knew better, and the bonds don't lie. I looked back to where Mykayla was standing at the doorway to her room. "Of course, honey. Wear your mask and take the seat across from me. It's upwind."

She put on the surgical mask before sliding the door open enough to get out. I'd put Mykayla, Tammy and Taylor in the guest wing when they arrived with the rest of my family on Saturday. When she was released from the hospital after a successful bone marrow transplant about three weeks ago, she returned to Arrowhead first. Roadkill and Possum put her up in their house, keeping her mostly isolated from others. It would take months for her immune system to rebuild after the bone marrow transplant.

She wasn't out of the woods, but she was stronger physically and medically now. We still took precautions like the mask and limiting physical contact, but she could leave the room and be around people again. Tammy had spotted her and was already walking out of the kitchen with our food. "Good morning, baby," she said as she set our plates down. Steak, breakfast potatoes, three eggs over-easy, and a short stack of blueberry pancakes. "Eat up. You're still too skinny."

"Mommy, I can't eat all that!"

"Yes, you can," I told her. "Now that you've shifted, your wolf needs protein to rebuild your body."

My cat was salivating, so I dug in. I was halfway through when two of the visiting hackers sat near me. They knew to keep some space with Mykayla. Since there weren't any family in their early teens, the nineteen-year-old twins from Simi Valley had latched on to her. They weren't Pack or Steel Ladies, but they were respected in the white-hat hacker community and responded when called. "Rough night?" Mykayla looked at the two as they got comfortable.

"Not that bad," Rose replied. She had her flame-streaked black hair pulled back in a ponytail that went halfway down her back. "After Jade got me in, I've been scouring the conspirator's banking records. Now that we have a few leads, we're making progress."

"Good for you," Thorne replied. She was a fraternal twin with chocolate-brown hair streaked with blonde cut to shoulder length with long bangs held back with a headband. She shared the exotic Asian-Pacific Island-Caucasian mixed complexion of her sister. "I got stuck with the airport surveillance. I've been staring at CCTV for so long my eyes are asleep."

"There can't be that much from a small island like Saint Lucia," Jade commented.

"You'd think, but there are TWO airports. Hewanorra is the big one at the south end of the island that handles international flights. We know Alan Parsons was last seen on the 14th. We also know he went to the bank with Tony Bandero on the 21st. That's a lot of footage to go through. The other airport, George F.L. Charles, is mostly regional or inter-island."

Mykayla caught on to the problem. "But if he tried to throw off the authorities by flying to another island and then to Saint Lucia..."

"Or if he took a ferry or boat between islands," I added.

Thorne nodded. "Yeah. That's my problem. Until I can narrow it down, it's a lot of grunt work to pick through it all." Tammy brought out their plates just then. Mykayla's mothers didn't have skills in investigation or hacking, but they knew how to run a kitchen, and that was important to the team. "I can barely stay awake to eat this."

"Get some sleep and quit staying up all night," Tammy ordered. "You aren't doing anyone any good when you're sleep-deprived."

"We are used to it," Rose tried to say, but Tammy's glare stopped that cold. "You know, I could use some sleep."

"Good answer," the older Omega said.

"Can I help?" Everyone looked at Mykayla. "I mean, you've already got the video recordings. All you need is someone to look for Alan Parsons."

Thorne thought about it, then looked at Jade. "Do you mind?"

"She spends a lot of time watching television," I said. "As long as she doesn't overdo it, I'm all right with her helping." I knew Mykayla felt left out at her age while the rest of the people here searched for the men who hurt Jade, kidnapped Spider Monkey, and tried to kill Nathan and Vic. Something like this might be good for her.

"No more than two hours without taking a break, young lady," Tammy ordered. "And you better be on time for your exercise sessions and meals." She went back inside to serve the others who just arrived. We have almost two dozen hackers, investigators, and forensic accountants on this already."

"Yes, Mommy," she said with a big smile.

"I'll keep an eye on her," I said.

"I'll give you an extra copy of the George Charles footage before I go to bed," Thorne said. "I haven't started reviewing it yet anyway."

I stayed around drinking coffee and talking until Mykayla finished her breakfast. "Feel better?"

"I'm stuffed," she replied as she rubbed her rounded belly.

I got up and kissed her forehead. "I've got to get to work."

"What's going on?"

I shook my head. "I put the word out to the Brotherhood yesterday asking for help in tracking down people related to Spider Monkey's abduction that might be hiding in the Eastern Caribbean. I was hoping there were brothers, associates or family members we could enlist locally."

She rolled her eyes. "I can see your problem."

"Yeah. I'll probably get a dozen people I was looking for and two hundred volunteers to go find the guy." I grabbed my phone. "I may as well rent every Harley I can find on Saint Lucia."

That got the twins cracking up. "You know, it would arouse fewer suspicions if we hacked locally," Thorne put out there.

"Someone has to go," Rose added.

I put up my hand. "I've barely gotten you two settled here. Finish this job, and you'll have enough money to spend a year on the islands." I wasn't kidding. I had plenty of cash to fund my people, but Frank's message made it clear that resources were not a problem. Jerry Biggs was already bringing in travel trailers to house the influx of people. Most of the people here now are veterans of the original search for Spider Monkey's captors, but many more were eager to help. I'd have fifty people working on this by the weekend.

I walked through the kitchen and down the back stairs. The basement had been transformed into office space, with different rooms for our various functions. The hackers were in the computer room and the adjacent space. The investigators were in the main section, while forensic accountants labored away in the small room in the back. In the center of it all used to be Claire Donovan, but Alpha Rori sent her to keep an eye on the Federal investigation. I wanted to be in charge, but I wasn't up to it physically just yet and everyone knew it. To replace Claire, Rori sent Beta Lana Carver down. The former FBI agent was eager to take down the men who tried to kill her former partner.

Not everyone knew that Vic Knightly, Nathan Storm, and Allison Cook had survived in Mexico, or that Spider Monkey and Oki escaped the Chinese and joined them in hiding. Lana knew, but the rest of the team was in the dark. All they knew was that one of the four leaders of Project Mimir was still out there, and we wanted to find him first.

"How are you, Jade?"

"All right," I replied as I sat at the desk near her. "Any progress?"

"Nothing to write home about. We're working four priorities." She pointed to the big dry erase board behind her. "We need to know if Alan Parsons is still on the island. To that effect, we're searching through outgoing flights after his bank meeting, and inbound flights before then. If we can find him on either end, we can try and track him back to his safe house or his next destination." I nodded as she moved on. "Second priority, follow the money. Frank moved the money out, but our people are trying to trace it back to see who else had their fingers in the pie. It's not going to be simple without involving the Feds, and we don't want them on the scent."

Truth. Once Frank took control of the accounts, the Council and Arrowhead were vulnerable if the trail went too far. We'd find out if his people were better at laundering money than the conspirators. For that kind of money, I'd take the risk as well. "How much can you do without subpoena power?"

"It depends on how much help you can give your team," she said with a smile. "Third priority, find his safe house. Did he trust Tony enough to invite him to the same island he lived on? Or was it a neutral site that he could visit easily by boat or plane? We've got the forensic accountants digging through the information the hackers picked up, plus there are property records and communication trails. Once we know what name he's hiding under, things should be easier."

''And the fourth thing?"

"Who the head of this whole thing is." I raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe for a minute that four men, each high up in their respective organizations, would share power in a conspiracy of this size. My gut is telling me there is someone higher up who is smart enough to use them as cutouts."

I wasn't sure. "We know from the bank that only four men had access to those accounts, and three are dead."

"Jade, there are people out there who don't need the money. They are after power and will destroy anyone who gets in their way or threatens them. That's my big worry right now."

"What do you mean, Lana?"

"If I'm right, there's a man out there who knows more than we do about Alan Parsons, and he'll want him dead. If we don't find him first, we may never get to the top of this conspiracy."

That scared the shit out of me. "Who do you think it is?"

She shrugged. "I've got some ideas, but no evidence."

"Like, who?"

"I just asked myself who stands to gain from the recent chaos. It's a short list."

Shit. We were swimming in dangerous waters.

Chapter 42

Chapter 41

Werewolf Council Chairwoman Colletta Grime's POV

Donner Pack Alpha's Office, California

Friday, October 2nd, 2020

"Mom, it's five minutes to the call," Ashley yelled down the hall.

"I'm coming," I replied. I'd been having too much fun playing with Shane, my grandson and Donner Pack heir to pay attention to the time. One of the Donner Pack nannies came in and took his hand, leading him back to the nursery.

"Getting all maternal on me?" Frank extended a hand and helped me up off the thick carpeted floor.

"Grandbabies are the best. I'm so happy Sawyer found his mate in a young wolf like her. They'll have lots of time to have more babies."

"Not many packs have need of full-time nursery staff. Rori's started something."

I snickered. "If she could bottle it, she'd make a fortune. Every Pack wants part of the blessing now." Historically, packs had low birth rates, and that kept our numbers in check even with our long lifespans. Packs considered themselves lucky if they had a single child under five at a time. The Packs who supported Chase and Rori were busting the curve. Donner had four in the nursery with another on the way.

We made it to the Alphas office two minutes before the call. "Everything is checked and secure?"

Sawyer nodded from his chair behind the big desk. "Everything swept, dedicated line in use, and scrambled audio and video devices." We were not taking chances, and we weren't using Council or Pack assets. The internet feed was via a Starlink connection, the host was a Discord game server with in-game video chat, and we used a video encryption program that Jade had developed as a further security layer. Even if the NSA managed to intercept the message, it would take a long time to break the encryption. Ashley was sitting on her mate's lap. They had been 'read in' to the full story on Spider Monkey and Jade because we needed sound legal advice on our future action. A second chair had been placed behind the desk; Frank sat down and pulled me into his lap. We were the only ones in the office, and his laptop camera caught us all in view. The big monitor on the wall was divided into four parts, and I could see us on the top left. On the top right were Rori and Chase at Arrowhead. Jade and Lana were on the bottom right, representing the team of investigators and hackers at their Eastern Washington estate. Finally, on the bottom right, we had our 'presumed dead' contingent. Vic and Spider Monkey, Nathan, former FBI Agent Allison Kirk, and a young Hispanic beauty named Veronica. She had been Vic's local contact in Mexico when they rescued the trafficked girls and killed the head of the Cartel. "Going live," he said as he unmuted the microphone.

"Can everyone hear us," I asked.

"Loud and clear, Mom," Chase replied. I got a thumbs up from Jade and a "Si, Presidente," from an undisclosed location. The introductions went quickly. "I'm assuming the emergency video conference means we made some progress, Jade?"

"Thanks to Mykayla, yes we have," Jade replied. I could see Nathan's smile as his daughter was brought up. "Yesterday, Mykayla was able to find Alan Parsons coming through the George F.L. Charles airport in Saint Lucia four days before he met with Tony Bandero. He'd changed his hair color and was wearing sunglasses, but facial recognition was a match. The smaller airport made it easy to place him on a flight from Grenada. It didn't take long to go through the passenger manifests and customs logs to find the name he was traveling under. We're still looking at how he got to Grenada, but we know he hasn't flown out under his new name."

Vic leaned forward. "The name?"

"Cy A. Nora. It's tied to a passport issued by Saint Lucia five years ago under their 'citizenship by investment' program. The listed property for the investment is a home overlooking Marigot Bay. I've got a few Brotherhood members there keeping it under surveillance, and they verified Alan is still there."

Wow. We had the name and location. "When are we picking him up?"

"You aren't," Veronica said. "You aren't going to do a damn thing. In fact, those men you have in St Lucia? Have them return to the United States immediately."

Rori was the first to object. "LIKE HELL! That bastard must PAY for what he did to our people!"

Jade wasn't happy about this idea either. "We've been working day and night to find this asshole, and you want us to stop now?"

"Yes," Veronica replied. "Leave him to me."

"No." Everyone on screen and in the room looked to me. "Jade, you and your team did a great job finding him. Veronica, he's ours to deal with now."

I was shocked that Vic rose to her defense. "With all due respect, Madam Chair, Veronica is right. You and President Kettering are under a lot of scrutiny for the treaty you worked out last year. Many in Congress favor terminating the Treaty, and now we don't have the protection of anonymity. That toothpaste won't go back in the tube. Anything you do will come out someday. If werewolves are tied to extra-judicial actions, it's proof that we won't follow the laws. If we turn the information over to the FBI and he's taken into custody? Imagine what happens if he makes public statements about all they have done. It will come out that the Administration asked us in secret to take out a Mexican cartel for them, which will again be proof we cannot be trusted. Either way, our President ends up impeached. We risk everything, and for what?"

Lana spoke next. "There's a good chance he offs himself before he can be arrested or captured. Who is the top man in this conspiracy? I don't believe four men of equal standing can run anything like this without someone holding them all together. That is the person that can't get away."

The conversation went back and forth for a few minutes, with good points on both sides. I got Veronica's attention. "What is the plan if we do as you ask and pull everyone back from this?"

"I will travel to the island, get myself invited into his home, and place him under hypnosis. In a few hours, I'll know everything we need to know. I'll dispose of him in a way that won't raise suspicions and leave before anyone notices. I'm not associated with any of you; I'm not even a US citizen."

"He should suffer," Rori objected.

"No," I replied. "She is right. Death is his punishment, and we should care more about our future than extracting as much pain as he has caused. Vic, Nathan, Spider Monkey? You know Veronica best. Is it your opinion that she is the best option here?"

Spider Monkey looked at the other two, then back at me. "It is. We can't risk harming the Council or the Club at this time. This conspiracy is like a dandelion. If you don't get the deepest part of the root, it will grow back. Veronica has the connections and the ability to do this quickly and quietly."

I was testifying before a Senate committee about the treaty tomorrow; the last thing I needed was to get entangled in this mess. "I agree. Jade, send everyone you sent to the island back home, or somewhere else if you promised them a vacation, and make sure their movements can be traced. Clear the field for Veronica."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Any other business?" No one spoke out. "Very well. The meeting is over, but I'd like Veronica and Vic to stay on with me when the others have left. Good job, everyone." I waited until Washington and Arrowhead dropped off.

In the undisclosed location, Nathan and Spider Monkey had left the room. Vic Knightly spoke first. "How can we help you, Madam Chair?"

"Are you safe? I'm still worried after what happened in Italy." Losing two Pack members by the docks was a shock.

"I believe so," he replied. "Veronica has safe houses around the globe, and we have all the resources we need. It's a beautiful prison for now."

Luxury without the freedom to leave. "You seemed to be confident that Veronica could not only infiltrate Alan's hideout but could interrogate him successfully in a short period of time. No offense, Veronica, but I don't know you well enough to share that opinion. What am I missing?"

"Nothing I can talk about, ma'am. You'll just have to trust me."

I studied the beautiful woman, who couldn't have been more than twenty-one. She had the grace and confidence of someone much older. A werecat? And how would she get information out of a man who'd rather die than face the music? "What happened in Mexico, Veronica?"

"Pretty much the same thing that will happen to Alan. We interrogated him to determine his involvement in Spider Monkey's disappearance, then executed him and his men."

"How long did that take?"

"A few minutes. He was very forthcoming."

"How? He had to be smart enough to know you weren't going to let him live."

"I have my ways." Nothing more. The silence went on for about fifteen seconds. "I'm sorry, but I have my own secrets, just like you do."

"Why would you take this risk for us?"

"I promised Vic that I would help him take down the men who took his wife. That job isn't done yet, and I am a woman of my word." Vic nodded in agreement. "Second, we know Alan and Tony each sent half of the money they took to their own accounts, and it disappeared from there. Your mate got Tony's money. Alan's share will be split evenly between me, Vic and Nathan. We don't know how long we'll have to stay out of the public eye, and a few hundred million will help us stay hidden."

"And if I don't agree?"

"Go ahead and tell the FBI what you found. Alan ends up dead or in prison, and the Feds seize the money."

It wasn't costing us anything we had now, and she was right. After everything Spider Monkey had done, they'd never be able to show a public face again. "Done. Is there anything I can do to help?"