Underground

38

Alex

My siblings and I, along with Thomas, stood in front of Valentine and the rest of the Council and I personally wanted to bash my head against a wall. One thing i hated about doing an assignment is the briefing part afterwards. There isn't much to tell.

"Where is Ryder?" my aunt Carmen asked and I saw her lip twitch when she asked that. It's no mistake she hates Justine.

I looked at my father as he cleared his throat. "She left earlier this morning to attend school."
Valentine raised an eyebrow just as Gary said, "Eric, it is your job as General to remind Ryder of her duties to the Underground first before personal oblig-"

"Don't tell me how to do my job, cunt. I've been doing it since before you were a thought," my father growled which had the Council members sit up straight quickly. I smirked when Dorrian and Carter looked at me.

"That's still no excuse as to why she isn't here, Eric," Valentine said knitting his fingers together to lean his chin on them. What the fuck is he talking about?

"It's not meant to be an excuse at all," I said quickly earning a glare from Joel. "Ryder is under a lot of stress. She was the one who killed Krash Ortega."
I know Joel and the others agreed to tell the Council that it was Jonathan who killed him but I couldn't have them penalize Justine without knowledge of the truth.

Valentine looked at me and then at the papers we all filled out, "But in your reports you all said that it was Jonathan."

"We did only to protect Justine, sir," Staci said looking at Dad. "It was after all her first kill and he wasn't some random person. He was on our wanted list for years."

Valentine nodded thoughtfully and sat back in his chair, "That makes more sense. I do have to reward her though."
I bet you do.
Carmen went into an envelope and tossed it's contents on the table. "Where is the team that Valentine sent to Miami?" she asked.

"There shouldn't have been another fucking team," Cherine growled. "If they didn't fucking show up, phasing in front of humans then they would still be alive right now!

"Are you saying-"

"Yes," Dorrian cut in. "We were forced to...put them down."

Alexander looked at Valentine and the others then back at us. "Let me make sure I'm understanding," he said pinching the bridge of his nose. "Valentine sent a team of werewolves to do what?"

"Clearly not to help," Carter accused. "The idiots should have known better than to phase in front of humans but even more...it's disrespectful to us as a unit to send another team to begin with when we had everything under control. What did you think that team would have done that we couldn't do, Valentine?"

Valentine's usual cool front faded and he glared at Carter, "I sent back up-"

"That resulted in Justine's hand being forced to kill someone," Jonathan challenged. My siblings were about to call out one of the most powerful men on this Council and we would all go down. I know that Carter is still pissed about finding out Carmen was responsible for that ice soldier that attack Justine during her match with Mitchie. He still hasn't told anyone but me.

Dad leaned off the wall and walked over closer to the table, glaring at Valentine. "You better have a good reward for Justine and be glad I don't shoot your ass for messing with my kids," he growled straightening up and then turning to us.

"You're dismissed."

•••

We waited damn near all afternoon for Justine to come home and when she didn't call Mom and aunt Katja started flipping out. That's how we ended up in Thomas's room trying to track her. "Elizabeth, Justine is a big girl-"

Mom's head whipped around so fast you would have thought someone slapped her. She held Dad down in a glare that made me and the boys flinch for him. "She's a girl living under our roof and I want to know where she is," she snapped which had Dad holding his hands up in surrender.

Thomas tapped a few more keys and the image popped up on his flat screen. "She's on her way home. She's in a car," Thomas said looking at my mother. She nodded and walked out of the room with aunt Katja.

I realized something in a different tab on his laptop and tapped the flat screen, "What's that, Tom?" I asked.

"Oh, that's the footage from Ortega's mansion. I couldn't have the cops seeing people turn into wolves," he chuckled. Dad walked over with a frown. "Go to where Justine is walking into the house," he ordered.

Thomas frowned and zoomed in on Justine walking in. "Now show an image of her walking out when the police arrive," Dad rubbed his face looking at the screen.

Joel frowned looking between the screen and Dad. "Dad-"

"Something else happened to Justine and none of you noticed," Dad snapped.

Cherine shook her head, "Justine was in Joel's line of sight all night."

Thomas blew up the two pictures of Justine and Dad just looked at them in silence. I looked at my brothers who shrugged except Joel. If something did happen to her, I already know Joel is going to blame himself.
"She was in your line of sight the whole time, Joel?" Dad asked again.

"That's what they said, right?" Joel growled.

Dad turned toward Joel and pointed at the screen, "Then what's that briefcase on her shoulder?"
We all looked at the pictures and it's true. Justine walks in without that briefcase but leaves with it. What the fuck? Dad folded his arms waiting for an answer that none of us could answer.

"Wait," Carter said looking at Thomas. "You reported that Krash pushed Justine into a room right? Maybe the briefcase belongs to him."

"Why would Krash give Justine a briefcase?" Dorrian asked.

"Because whatever is in it could probably damage Valentine," Jonathan nodded to himself. "It would make sense why he sent 'back up'."
Dad looked at each of us individually.

"Find where she put it and what the contents of that briefcase was before Valentine sees this footage and notices it too."