SWNOVELS Chapter 111
Chapter 111: Theo
We stood in a room half covered in papers, photos, and writing. It looked like an investigation board. Or a nutjob’s conspiracy board. It was hard to tell at first glance. I moved further into the room and pulled a chain to an overhead light. It blinked on but didn’t really offer better visibility. Our night vision may have been a better option.
“Don’t touch anything,” Mina said, pulling latex gloves out of her kit. “We need to get the team down here.”
“Yeah, I’m on it,” I said, already heading back through the door.
I called Alex and sent the coordinates for our location. It was already after six o’clock, so I called Ayla too.
“Hey, sweetie,” I said when she answered. “How are things going with Mom?”
“Educational,” she replied, amusement in her voice. “But I think I convinced her to pick it back up tomorrow. How’s the search going?”
“We found something,” I told her. “It’s big, babe. I think this is exactly what we need.”
“That’s awesome, Theo.”
“Yeah, but I might be a little late,” I said, disappointed. “This is going to take a while to get through.”
“Do you want some help?” she asked.
I smiled. “We have forensics on the way right now. We have to limit
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access until they finish processing the scene,” I said. “But you know, I’ Il get some pics, and you can help me look over what we can tonight. You may see something before we do.”
“Sounds good,” Ayla said happily. “And don’t rush, babe. I’ll be here when you’re done. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Can’t wait.” I replied, hanging up.
That was the first time she called me babe. She had always called me by my name. It felt a little silly, but that one little word made everything seem so real. Like I wasn’t actually dreaming that shé stayed with me. I rushed back inside, more determined to get this done so I could get back home to Ayla.
“Okay,” I said. “Anything standing out? We got any ideas?”
“It’s kind of a mess,” Briggs said, rubbing the back of his n*eck. Mina was taking pictures of every inch of the room. “But there are a lot of names in here.”
“They’re from different packs, too,” Mina said. She pointed to a section to her left. “I recognize that family from the Wild Tail Pack.”
“There are some ranking members, too,” Briggs said. “But it’s going to take some time to try and make sense of it all. Nothing stands out as an explanation.”
“Maybe I should ask Randall,” I mused. “I told Alex to send him to the cellar. I think we may have found his weak spot.”
“Can I ask what is this cellar?” Mina said.
Briggs gave me a look and I shrugged. He sighed.
“It’s a system of rooms under the packhouse,” Briggs explained. “It was
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an existing foundation that it was built over. Similar to this place, I suppose. It’s probably older than the pack.”
“And what do you do in this cellar?” Mina asked sternly.
“Whatever needs to be done,” I told her. “It’s a last resort. It’s not something we take lightly, Mina.”
“I’m not judging, Theo,” she replied, using my name to let me know this was a personal conversation. “The bas**rd held me hostage with a knife to my throat. And looking at all this, I can’t say he was planning anything good. Do what you have to do. And if you need help, let me know.”
“Mina…” Briggs ran a hand over his face as he shook his head while she returned to taking pictures.
I busted out laughing. They really were perfect for each other.
Not long after, the forensics team arrived and started processing the area. Briggs let Mina do her job and decided to come back to the packhouse with me. Instead of going inside, we headed around to the north side of the building. A utility room was built onto the main structure, but you could only access it from the outside. In the back, a floor hatch led down into the cellar.
The cellar really was a nice term for the place. In all likelihood, it was actually the dungeons of some medieval castle. So our usage of it was quite apropos. It also helped that it blocked all mind-links from coming
in or out.
We could hear sounds coming from one of the cells near the end. As we approached, I could see Alex standing relaxed outside the door. I was glad to see he had no qualms about taking this route. Randall was yelling inside the cell. I looked in at him. Somehow, his broken nose was bleeding again.
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“Did you start without me?” I asked Alex, tipping my head in Randall’s direction.
“Of course not, Alpha,” Alex said. “He thought it was a good idea to fight us on the way down those rickety stairs.”
I shook my head, opened the cell door, and entered the room.
“Okay, Randall,” I said, grabbing a chair and taking a seat in front of him. “I’m sure you’ve figured out this isn’t a place you want to be. Good news. I don’t want to be here either.’
“J
Randall didn’t look at me and didn’t respond.
“Hey,” I said, patting his face to get his attention. Not gently. He winced up at me. “Alright, look… I’m going to level with you, Randy. I have a dinner that I REALLY don’t want to miss. So it’s in your b interest if you just start talking.”
“I told you before,” Randall hissed. “I don’t have anything to say.
best
”
“Really?” I leaned in closer. “Because we just found a whole room full of fun pictures that say otherwise. It was right next to this burnt-out car we found.”
His eyes went wide for a brief moment. It was long enough for me to know I got what I needed. I pooled my energy, gathering my aura for another round of commands. He knew what was coming. His breathing became heavy.
“Randall Fallweather,” I spoke with authority putting a heavy command behind my words, “tell me what files you’re looking for.”
He fought against it. His face went red as he struggled to breathe. The veins in his head and n*eck bulged against his skin.
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“Tell me, Randall,” I commanded again.
“I’m looking for the families,” he blurted out in a rush.
“What fami…”
“You don’t get it,” Randall interrupted me, laughing through the pain.
“Ive been
con
not to speak.”
“No sh*t,” I said. “There
are are
s to
He shook his head. “No, not this “No, not this
to overpower that.”
Command. You can’t.”
“Why? What’s so special about this so special about this
asked, knowing that
no Alpha is that strong.
Randall didn’t reply.
“Tell me,” I commanded.
“Only one person can break the command,” he said with a sneer. “And I’d love for you to find them for me, Alpha.”
“That’s who you’re looking for,” I stated.
He laughed eerily.
*
‘Uh, Theo,’ Briggs came through the mind-link, ‘we have a situation upstairs you need to address.’