Chapter Twenty-Four-When death comes knocking
Waking up this morning, Andrea walks to the window and sees it’s snowing. She squeals at Rafe…”get up..get up..come see hurry. Come on.. I don’t want it to stop before you see… Comeee Onnnnn!” Rafe rolls over and mumbles “I’m up. I’m up.. what are we looking at?” She squeals “It’s snowing! I’m so happy! I love the way everything looks, and feels, and smells! Can we have hot chocolate at breakfast? I love hot chocolate and oh those little baby marshmallows? Lots of little baby marshmallows? Please, Rafe.”
He grabs her, swinging her around already mindlinking Maggie her Luna wants hot chocolate with lots of little baby marshmallows. He says “I love how excited you get. How every day is brand new and something to be discovered. Seeing things through your eyes is like seeing it for the first time. I love you so much!” She kisses him and whispers “I love you!!”
They sat down at the dining room table and Maggie set a huge mug of hot chocolate with a ton of miniature marshmallows and she squealed..jumping up and hugging Maggie as tight as she could. She rushes through breakfast like she rushed through the meeting in the office and the pack meeting. There’s so much to do in four days. Liam and the boys are going to the cells to offer Liam a deal of sorts. We still haven’t made a concrete decision about Connie, but she should be fine when the fighting starts.
Rafe kisses Andrea at the table and they head off in separate directions. Rafe opens the door to the cells and the guards are walking out of the interrogation room after securing Liam. Jax thanked them and they walk through the door. Rafe grabs a chair and spins it backwards settling his ass on it. He looks at Liam, hard! He waits and glares. Liam starts to fidget..looking anywhere but at Rafe. And still, Rafe remains silent. Jax links “dude, he’s gonna piss his pants and I ain’t mopping it up” Rafe chuckles. And Liam gets paler.
Finally, Rafe speaks “I am going to talk. You are going to listen. You will not speak unless I ask you a question. You have been defiant. You have been belligerent. You have been arrogant…all things I would normally admire in a detainee. Yet, you have no right to carry any of those emotions. You are not competent enough to carry it off. You are a boy playing at being a man and that makes you a joke! You think raping a woman makes you a man. Stabbing and beating a woman proves your prowess. Thinking the whole world owes you a favor because Daddy said so is so ludicrous it’s laughable. Well, Liam. The time is upon us! In four days, your Daddy will die. Oh he plans to attack and he will believe he has a chance. But trust and believe..he Will die! That will make you Alpha. And yes, your pack is safe. I am ruthless but I’m not heartless. But you aren’t man enough to be an Alpha. Here is my one and only offer to you. Once you feel the bond break…and you will…his power will become yours..to merge with what you have had since birth. I don’t want you to have no warriors. And that is what you will be left with if you do not issue a stand down order to your troops as soon as you feel the Alpha burst. You do that, and I will release you and your mate to go home never to return to this side of the country. If you don’t do this, I will kill every single one of your warriors. Every manjack of them! Dead..essentially by your hand and you will feel each bond snap. Ah the privilege of being an Alpha…am I right? If you do not do this, you will rot in your little cell on the other side of this wall. There will be a warrior here to link me once you’ve placed your order..best make it an Alpha command. They may resist the order. Once the stand down in working, the warrior will release you and Cassandra and escort you off and away from my territory. You will be given plane tickets home, as well as clothing brought before the attack so you will be clean. Now…decision time.. what’s it going to be? You’re going to be an Alpha…or you’re going to remain a prisoner. Tough decision. Take your time”
Jax said “damn man! I would go with being Alpha..no matter how much you suck at it” Liam sat there..staring at his hands… then says “My dad will die you said.. how can you know.. how can you be sure?” Rafe said “I know…because I am the BlackAlpha. I know because my warriors are the mightiest in the country. I know because your daddy didn’t do his due diligence and I did. Time’s up boy! What’s it going to be?”
Liam looks up and says “I’ll do it. And I never have to see you again? I can live with that”… Rafe said “Jax, hand me the contract “ Liam says what contract? Rafe says “ you sign it and I sign it. It states you and your pack are free from my persecution as long as you never come back to the state of Montana! If you are found in breach of any of these terms.. you will be killed immediately. And not in a nice way!” He handed Liam the pen and he signed it. Rafe signed under it. Jax links “you have a nice way to kill someone? Asking for a friend “ Rafe laughs and says shut up Idiot!
Just after midnight the night before the full moon, Rafe and Andrea had just gotten in bed praying for some quiet time alone…such dreams were not to be. Security Control linked Rafe to tell him the drones have eyes on movement from the Northwest.
Rafe and Andrea race to SecCon and she’s struggling to get a slipper on her left foot..she at least got her right one on before he decided Mach5 was the speed of the day. They barrel through the door and Jax said “why are you holding your shoe?” She slips it on her foot and rolls her eyes.
Gideon flicks on 4 separate monitors with live feed from the drones.. Rafe is looking at a good size body of men. He watches them setting tents and building fires. He said “How far out are they?” Gideon says “500 meters.” Rafe nods..so a day’s run. As they watch the feeds they see a large dark SUV roll into the campsite. Five men get out.
Rafe recognizes Duncan as one of the unknowns so it’s a safe assumption the other unknown is a guard, too. Rafe says “Well…there’s our three moving parts. I wondered who planned this out? Their strategist is a fucknut! Baby…if they don’t spread out and try to move into flanking positions,our shielding idea will work beautifully!” Rafe stood to his full majestic height and growled loud enough to shake the windows. And his face cracked a dark, sinister smile. He said “The devil stands ready when death comes knocking “