Abandoned Treasure

Alpha Rori Nygaard’s POV

Arrowhead Pack Security Center

Tuesday, July 28th, 2020

I’d stayed with most of the Pack at the beach while the girls were out fishing, but as soon as the Red Alert came? We were moving.

All non-combatants went to the safe rooms in the basement of the Pack House or the storm shelter near the beach. Our defenders, augmented by warriors from Oxbow Lake and Council Enforcers, responded to their defensive positions. If this was part of a larger attack, we’d be ready.

My babies and their guardians went into the storm shelter, while I responded with the Betas to the Pack House. I entered the Security Center, where the cameras and communications equipment would allow me to coordinate the response. Chase was already here, watching the standoff between the boats on one of the cameras. When Frank confirmed they were FBI agents, I was pissed. When they demanded we evacuate the girls from the pontoon and leave it anchored on the lake? I was confused.

“They say there was a bomb threat called in on our boat,” Frank related.

“Get the girls out of there and follow instructions,” I said. It didn’t take long to load them into the waiting boats and get them to shore.

I had them taken directly to the safe room.

“Stand down to yellow alert,” I fumed. “I’ll be in my office.”

As soon as I got to my phone, I called Commander Lindstrom. “What the hell were your people thinking, Commander? We almost shot them!”

“We had a tip that a pontoon boat with Pack children on it was going to be the target of a kidnapping attempt,” she responded evenly. “Our agents commandeered a boat and responded to protect them.”

“And you didn’t tell us? Our people are already on a hair trigger after the last attack!”

“We couldn’t warn you,” she responded.

“Why?”

“Not over the phone,” she replied. “Look, I’m on my way up from Duluth. I’ll be at your front gate in fifteen minutes.”

I let out a breath. “We’re still at a heightened security status, but I’ll have you escorted to my office.” By the time she arrived, I had Frank, Colletta, Chase, and Lana with me. “Please, sit. Can I offer you any refreshments?”

“No thank you, I won’t be long,” she replied. “You’ve checked this room for surveillance devices and you trust everyone in here?”

“Of course,” I replied.

“You have a mole inside your organization,” she started.

“We've known that since the first attack when the cameras were disabled,” I replied. She knew about that gap in our defenses from the investigation.

Irene handed over a piece of paper. “The NSA intercepted a cellular call this afternoon that contained this threat. The cell signal originated from the area near your beach.”

I read the paper, then handed it around. It stated a remote-detonated bomb had been placed under the Pack’s largest pontoon boat. The mole was to detonate the device when their team was in place, or if it appeared we were on to the attempt. “What kind of bomb?”

“Our agents spotted a device under the deck, below the gas tank,” she replied. “Our bomb squad is on the way.”

“Distraction and confusion,” Frank said. “Shit.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s genius. A boat on the lake explodes into flames. People are jumping in the water, kids are screaming, people hurt? Every boat in the area is going to race there to help the survivors. How hard would it be to grab a couple kids and race off for the docks? Nobody would stop them. We might not even know they’ve been taken until they don’t show up at the hospital.”

“Especially if the mole sent our people on a wild goose chase first,” I continued. There was a pit in my stomach. “What were your agents going to do?”

“They activated a cellphone jammer to prevent remote detonation. Their plan was to order them off the boat, then have your people pick them up.”

“And you couldn’t call me directly?”

She shook her head, no. “I decided not to risk it. We don’t know who the mole is or what communications he might have access to. What if he detonated it early? I couldn’t do anything while the children were in danger except send my agents on surveillance duty.” She was right, dammit. Any warning I gave would have been sent to everyone in the Pack, and relayed to everyone else. “I was on my way to speak to you privately.”

“Can you trace the call?”

“It was a burner phone. My technician just informed me the signal was lost around the time you stopped my agents. I suspect his remote detonation didn’t work, so he destroyed the phone. Our bomb techs will attempt to recover the device when they arrive.”

I bet the phone was in ten feet of lake water right now. I let out a long breath, then stood and walked to her. “Thank you,” I said as I shook her hand. “You did the right thing.”

“You are welcome. I’ll be in touch, Alpha.” She left with her agent escort and my warrior.

She’d barely cleared the gate when there was an explosion on the lake. I watched as the fireball engulfed the back of the pontoon boat. It sank within minutes, leaving burning gasoline and seat cushions on the water.

“Someone tell me no one was on that thing,” I asked Security. They’d have been watching it on camera.

“Nobody within a hundred yards,” one responded. We had a submerged crime scene in the middle of the lake now. “Luckily, it’s only ten to fifteen feet deep there.”

I let the FBI’s teams have access to our boat dock for the investigation in the morning. They expected it would take divers a full day to refloat and recover it.

Meanwhile, I wanted a mole pelt nailed on my office wall. “Mom, where is Mark at with finding the guy who’s betraying us?”

“He’s narrowed it down, but I don’t think we have enough to arrest him yet,” Colletta replied.

“We should just detain all of the suspects for interrogation,” Frank responded. “Tell each of them that we know what they’ve done, and see if one breaks.”

“One of them is an Enforcer, love.”

“Then we can’t be accused of favoritism.”

We were running out of time; the next attack could come any time. “You have my permission with any Arrowhead members,” I told them. It would piss off the innocent, but I’d make it up to them later.

Enforcers and warriors dragged the three suspects out of their beds at two in the morning, putting hoods over their heads and collaring them with silver so they couldn’t link any accomplices. Frank, Mark, and Vic did the interrogations.

Enforcer Mike Oxmall was the mole. He didn’t confess it, but he did swallow cyanide in his cell overnight. Our guards found him when they brought him breakfast. The capsule was hidden in his shoe, like you read about in spy novels. Chief Enforcer Trestman was tasked with finding out how and why he betrayed us.

I was already in a bad mood after breakfast when Councilman Nemmers announced he’d reached a decision in the Nathan Storm case. Colletta wouldn’t even confirm she knew what it was, so we’d have to wait for the hearing to start at nine. “He didn’t take much time to consider the briefs,” I grumbled.

“Maybe he didn’t wait for the lawyers to have their say?”

We filed into the hearing room a few minutes before the start of the hearing, sitting behind Nathan and Sawyer in the front row. The video conference with the Council began, and Jurgen Nemmers banged his gavel. “This proceeding is called to order. Solicitor McGroin, Alpha Nygaard, do you have anything additional before I read my decision?” They didn’t. “Very well. I thank Counsel for their incisive and well-reasoned briefs. I find the following facts in this case.”

Oh boy.

“One. Warrior Nathan Storm committed the crimes he pled guilty to as a member of the Bitterroot Pack. Two. The Bitterroot Pack no longer exists, and Nathan Storm did not seek or receive membership in a Pack until moments before his arrest warrant was served. Therefore, he was Rogue. Three. The admission of Nathan Storm into Arrowhead Pack was done for the express purpose of removing the trial and sentencing from Council jurisdiction into Pack jurisdiction.”

This wasn’t good. I gripped Chase’s hand tightly. Different parts of the audience were reacting with glee, while we waited with a pit in our stomachs.

“Four. The addition of Nathan Storm to the Arrowhead Pack on Council records was not performed prior to the arrest. Five. The Council effectively ceded jurisdiction to Arrowhead Pack when they allowed Alpha Rori to set the terms of Nathan Storm’s detainment.”

OK, that was good for us.

“Six. Defense counsel effectively returned jurisdiction to the Council when he allowed the Council hearing to begin and entered the guilty plea. Any objections to the jurisdiction of the Court must be raised at the beginning of the court proceeding or in pretrial motions. Since Nathan Storm pled guilty to capital murder in a Council proceeding, a Council jury of Alphas will determine the punishment. Alpha Martin Smith and Alpha Sawyer Nygaard, as the complainant Alpha and defense counsel, will not be allowed to serve on the jury. Alpha Rori may serve on the jury since she is not named as a defendant.”

Those two balanced each other out.

“The sentencing hearing is hereby scheduled for Monday, August 3rd at ten in the morning. This should allow time for at least five North American Alphas to assemble as the jury. Alpha Rori, you will be responsible for hosting the visiting Alphas. Any questions?” He banged his gavel. “This proceeding is complete.”

The video shut off. Sawyer turned to Nathan, apologizing for his error that changed the outcome. “I can petition the Court to recuse myself if you’d prefer other Counsel.”

“No. It’s better this way,” Nathan said. “Some of our people will be upset no matter what the decision is. Now, that heat won’t fall on Rori’s head.” He turned to me. “We will get through this. I have confidence in you, Alpha.”

I wish I was as sure.