Chapter~2~Dirty deeds not so cheap.
Lycan Ian Steel~
"Good work, John," I told my PI, "and send me the information."
"I will fax it to you. When do you want me to go in after Harley?"
"I don't, you won't be the one doing the taking."
"Lycan, I call some absolute bullshit on that! I found her. I want the bounty for bringing her in!"
"We never agreed to that. You're a PI, not a bounty hunter. You've done your job, and you'll get the other half of your money once you send me the damn profile."
The bug-eyed little fuck hung up on me! Rage surged through me, and I slammed the phone back into the cradle hard enough to push it through my desk. This sweet victory had been coming for a long time. No way would I risk her getting away again I picked up the receiver again, surprised to hear it still worked, and dialed Reins' number. No answer.
"Nick, I have a job—call me!" I growled when the beep sounded.
I leaned back in my chair; my gaze settled on her, my beautiful Harley. You thought you could escape me? I kept her photo here on my desk after she left, not out of love but as a reminder of the only thing I have ever wanted but couldn't control. My daughter will pay for the trouble she's caused me. She will spend a little time in my dungeon before I ship her off to the training center for her reprogramming.
Harley didn't know it yet, but she was born into an extraordinary destiny. According to the legend of Sauther Lake, the firstborn child of every firstborn seventh-generation female would be magical and the next to join the league of the powerful guardians of Sauther Lake. Under the academy's discipline, my daughter will realize abilities within herself that she could never have imagined. I had known this before her mother conceived.
Ah, Sabrina, sometimes I half regret killing her, but she had left me no choice. I had sought her out once my research revealed that she was the generation that would give life to the next guardian. Everything was fine until she caught me one day when Harley was about three, searching for which of the four elements my daughter's power lay in. I hadn't even hurt her very much. Harley's mind was powerful even then.
After that, things went south on a fast train. Sabrina thought she could threaten me! I think not, not after I'd gone to all the trouble of tricking her into leaving the lake, bringing her to my pack, and making her my Luna, only to have her betray me by taking Harley back to her clan, where the lake would protect her from me. I couldn't let that happen. One night, after Sabrina had put Harley to bed, I slit her throat from ear to ear and dragged her body out of our house. I sighed heavily.
What's done is done. My mate shouldn't have crossed me; it's as simple as that. No one has ever betrayed Ian Steel and had the pleasure of taking up space long enough to brag about it, to be sure; Sabrina would not be the first. It wasn't long before I took another mate and had another child, my son Kyle, my pride and joy. Once I get Harley in line, I can hand the pack over to him, knowing she will protect him as long as she lives.
My cell rings. I take it out of my pocket.
"Yeah," It is my FBI connection.
"I have the documents you wanted," Craig told me. "Harley is investigating Leonard's activities on the island, which, as you know, could lead her back to you. It isn't going to be easy getting to her either if Nick gets caught or shot, you're both on your own!"
Craig knows I would put only my best man on this mission. Technically, Nicholas hasn't agreed to take on the job. Word was that he'd retired, but I was confident he would reconsider taking this last job once he heard my offer. "Don't worry about my end, just send me the Identity as soon as possible."
"Let me ask you, why is it so important to you to force Harley back? She doesn't want to return to your pack."
Because she will make us unstoppable! "Can't a father love and miss his daughter?" I said, lying on as much fake concern as I could muster.
"Ian, I have known you too long. You don't even love what you eat. Either way, I've done my part. I think we are even now. This conversation never happened." The line goes dead.
Craig was referring to the tight spot I helped him get out of a few years back. He'd buried himself and everything he owned in gambling debts. I made them go away. I tossed the phone onto my desk and sat back in my chair, lacing my hands and putting them behind my head. My wolf, Colt, has already started his bitch fest. He doesn't want me to go after Harley. He'd rather have us leave HIS daughter alone.
'Give it a rest, Colt. Damn it!'
'Not until the day we both stop breathing! Harley is of our blood, just as Kyle is. How can you justify sacrificing one for the other? You are an unimaginable bastard!'
'No shit, Colt. What's new? Too bad for you, there isn't much you can do about it!'
Colt growls viciously at me before receding far back into my mind. I know if it were possible, he would leap out of me and stand in my way. I smell my Beta, Toby, coming to my office door.
"Yeah, Toby," I say before he can knock. He comes in and takes his usual seat in front of my desk.
"Lycan, have you contacted Reins yet?"
I nodded. "I have. Left a message on his machine." That's what stuck in my craw about Nick. My manipulations had never worked on him. Nick will call back. He damn well better!