Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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I’m sitting at my desk watching the news on the top screen of my computer and keeping track of the media on my left monitor. The files I released aren’t just hitting Artume News, but they’re all over the Court’s feed as well.
It is five thirty–eight in the morning, and the conspiracy theorist have chosen violence as everyone reaches for their take on the news. Ragnar woke up a little past four am. and left like a thief in the night.
Last night’s haul is massive. I knew it would be huge. I’d seen it before, but they had expanded it substantially since the last time I was there. The amount retrieved doesn’t seem to have been just for protection.
“There you are,” I look up to see the guys walk in with styrofoam cups and paper bags. Ivar immediately comes over to me to check out what is happening. I pause, looking over at Mr Polucci and Aimee. “This is turning out bigger than we thought it would.”
“Good morning,” I greet the two extra hands they brought in.
“Good morning,” everyone says at the same time.
“Good run?” Ragnar asks, placing his hand on my head.
“A short one. My grandmother has been up since four–thirty,” I nod and give my spot to Ivar, who seemed to be itching to get behind a keyboard. “Hey, guys.”
“I called them,” Ragnar explains. “Since Santiago has experience with all of this, I figured I’d call in an expert. And he owes
me.”
Mr Polucci smirks, but doesn’t say anything as Ragnar takes out the list of all the things we acquired last night. The longer he reads it, the bigger his smile grows. Aimee looks like she would rather be in bed than here.
“That couch over there pulls out,” I inform her.
I wave her over and pull the bed out for her. I place a throw pillow on the end and cover her when she falls over to go back to sleep without saying a word. Something tells me this isn’t the first time she’s had to be at one of these things.
“She gave you access to all of this?” Mr Polucci asks and looks between Ragnar and me. “She looks like she couldn’t hurt a fly.”
“These aren’t your average house flies,” Ragnar shrugs. “What do you know?”
Mr Polucci releases his claws and begins to divide the list into piles as he cuts through the paper with ease. He then takes one of my pens and begins to make labels. He separates everything into different piles and then looks up at Ragnar.
“These,” he points at what looks like mostly explosives and medical supplies. “Come from the Arabs,” he taps the riffles. “Tabalbans. Chinese. Russia. And Israel,” he says, pointing at each pile. “This is a stockpile of stolen goods. A whole lot of lost
money.
“It doesn’t surprise me. Former Luna Romano is the daughter of Ortencio Guerrerro. One of the last Rogue wolves to become one of the biggest war dogs of our time, and his princess didn’t fall far from the tree.
“You and your little omega have stumbled into something huge. Luckily for you, Guerrero is one of mine. He lost several small shipments over the past five years. I didn’t give them any importance until now. The money for these missing supplies came out of my pocket. So,” he looks over at me with a smirk. “Thank you for returning them.”
“We’re not handing them to you,” I scoff. Ragnar smiles, big.
“She’s right, he agrees.
“Then what am I doing here?”
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Chapter 86
“Obviously, these have more purpose than sitting a bunch of rusty ass warehouses in the city,” I say.
“And obviously, I didn’t take these just to fuck with the Alphas. We want these to show their enemies that they’re up for grabs,” Ragnar concludes. Mr Polucci grins and then laughs.
“I see,” he nods. “And you want me to help you put these out there knowing that the Romanos have marked them.”
“Correct,” Ragnar nods.
“And I get what in return?” he immediately gets to business.
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“What you’ve always wanted,” Ragnar says without breaking eye contact. Mr Polucci straightens up and crosses his arms over his chest. “We have an opportunity here, man. We’ve talked about this before, and I’ve never had a reason to trust you to come into my court until now.
“We’re both short on family. In fact, there are six of us left. The wolves breed like fucking rabbits. Once the Alpha King starts popping out heirs, you know what they’re going to try to do to us. We need to thin them out before that. You’ve said it yourself. The new Alpha system is a problem for all of us.”
“Am I allowed to discuss this with her?” he asks. “You’re not just dealing with me here, Ragnar. Anastasia is the reason we’ve made it this far.”
“Which is why I’m telling you. Ana and I don’t see eye to eye. She’s your sister, and if it came down to it, we’d kill one another rather than ever trying to make this shit work. You have been the middleman from the start. It’s you the others go to when she’s being unreasonable, and when she sees it’s me calling things will get unreasonable fast.”
“She’s changed, man,” he sighs. “I don’t know why, but she doesn’t even listen to me. The only one that’s been able to get close enough to talk to her, and even then it’s a big risk, is Baby,” he says, looking over at Aimee sleeping on the couch.
“Is she sick?” I ask.
“Wounded,” the two of them say at the same time.
“Our father set her on fire last year before we killed him during a takeover. I don’t know why, but it’s not healing. We’ve tried everything, but nothing helps, and she’s aggressive.”
“Well, yeah,” I scoff. “She’s in pain.”
“What if Sophie goes in to see her?” Ragnar suggests.
“If Aims can’t help, what is a student going to be able to do?” he scoffs.
“Humor us,” Ragnar counters. “If Sophia goes in there and is able to help her, do you think she’d be willing to hear us out?”
“It’s a big if, man. No offense, but your girl doesn’t have the stomach for this. There’s a reason why the Alpha didn’t want her,” he huffs.
“You don’t know a single thing about her,” Ragnar gets defensive. It’s a yes or a no answer. You’re not the only person I can call for this, and if you say another word about the alpha,” he says mockingly. “You’re going to end up on a gurney right next to your bitch of a sister.”
“Guys,” I place my hand on the table. “You’re not here to fight, and it’s honestly not going to be a fair one with you being in the Major General’s house.” I remind Mr Polucci. “Taking a look at your sister’s condition is not going to hurt anyone. If I can help, I will. This is bigger than your rivalry.
“It started off as us just fucking with these people, but it’s obvious that something bigger is happening. Fighting eachother is not going to help us. Talk to your sister about this. The worst thing she can say is no.”
“I agree,” Ragnar nods.
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“Fine. I’ll make the call. No one wakes up my mate,” Mr Polucci growls and leaves the room.
“You could have warned me,” I say, looking up at Ragnar.
“I told him that,” Ivar says. “This is fun. I’m making hella memes
You would have said no,” Ragnar crosses his arins over his chest
“So, sneaking him in here was a better solution. We could have talked about this.”
“His mate is right there,” Ivar reminds us.
“She can tell him. I think the mutual respect jumped out the window when he brought Santiago up,” I scoff.
“Agreed,” Aimee mumbles from the couch.
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“This rogue is dangerous. More so than the average ones. The Romanos spoke about him as if he were untouchable. On top of that, he has no reason to play nice with you. I’ve read the history, and your family was in the wrong, not his.”
“Ouch,” Ivar turns around to face us.
“He could easily turn around and do exactly what I am if he wanted to, and he would gain a whole lot more than just money. You have no heirs, and this idiot doesn’t want to be a King,” I motion to Ivar. “This is an insane gamble on your behalf.
“I didn’t think of that,” Ivar sits back. “I told you she’s better at this than I am.”
“I know,” Ragnar says, ignoring him. “I know what you’re saying, but I trust him to do the right thing.”
“Under what grounds?” I ask. “He’s a gangster, Ragnar.”
“He’s my family. That means something to our kind. I’ve been looking for a way to get him out of this shit. He’s not like Anastasia. She has nothing to protect but this. San has Aimee and their future to think of. I know he wants out, and this is the only way he can save himself.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
