Masked

CHAPTER 8 | Into The Public Arena

Daniel sped through the thick forest that flanked the valley, thankful he was alone. He struggled not to lash out. He was already overtaxed with the Wildfire disaster, and now Jessica had gone behind his back. Not only that, but she had lied to him for the past three years. He did not need his own flesh and blood stacking another layer of stress on him. He clenched his fists. His own sister. How could he ever trust her again? Damn! He knew Parker was trouble. The only question was, how much more damage would she inflict on them before this was all over?

Daniel recoiled. He had never had so little self-control over his emotions. While his temper often seethed below the surface, he always had enough control to channel it elsewhere. Now he had argued with Parker in front of his betas. His stomach dropped. What must they be thinking.

He stopped and looked up into the forest canopy as if the trees held the answers he was after. Not finding any, he leaned against a tree trunk and rubbed his forehead. Much to his irritation, Simon was more than happy to voice his opinions aloud, albeit when they were alone. If he heard his friend utter the term sexual frustration one more time, he would punch him into next week. The man's answer for everything was always the same, no matter the situation.

I am not attracted to Parker. She's too outspoken, too argumentative, and far too infuriating.

He let out a low growl and rubbed the back of his neck. He needed to find a way to get through this with his sanity in check, but if she kept countermanding his orders, there was very little chance of that.

He jerked and felt alarm projected through his telepathic link with Simon. Alpha, you had better get back here now.

He raced through the forest toward the house, a sour taste in his mouth. What now? The trees blurred as he navigated the miles with ease. In less than five minutes, he was in the house and heading toward the offices. He heard bickering coming from down the hallway.

"Hit the AV button and then select the channel," Adam said.

"No, it's the TV/Sat button, dipshit," Simon said.

As soon as he walked into the room, Daniel rolled his eyes at the sight of his four betas crowded around the flat screen TV, arguing over the remote. They stopped and he looked from one to the other and shook his head. He scowled and grabbed the remote from Simon's grip, pushed a button, and the TV came to life.

"What was so urgent that it couldn't wait?"

Simon pointed to the phone on his desk. "Nigel Hardy in San Fran just phoned in. He's on speaker." He pointed to the TV. "Change it to KGO."

The words Breaking News - Brutal Massacre - San Francisco Peninsula - Locals Terrified ran along the bottom of the screen. Behind the police cordons and tape, the cameras focused on four covered bodies, while both police and crime scene investigators swarmed the area. Dozens of reporters and photographers hounded the city's outgoing Chief Medical Examiner.

Daniel turned up the volume.

"Dr. Hart, Dr. Hart, can you tell us the cause of death?"

"Was this carried out by a single person, or do you suspect it was a gang-related incident?"

"Dr. Hart, is it true an animal ravaged the bodies?"

"Do the police have any suspects yet?"

"We understand that the victims were high school students. Can you give us the name of the school they attended?"

Dr. Hart turned to the flock of reporters. "I have no comment at this time." If her haunted expression was anything to go by, she was struggling to come to terms with what she had just seen.

Dread overwhelmed Daniel as he watched the news piece. "One of ours?"

The question hung in the air.

"Yes," the pained voice of Officer Nigel Hardy said. "We tracked him down before anyone got to him. He went to ground in an old abandoned warehouse. When we got there, he was as messed up as the one from the other night."

Daniel closed his eyes and inhaled. "Is he still alive?" While the Werewolf needed to pay for his crimes, they needed answers. Answers a dead man couldn't provide.

There was a slight pause. "We had no choice. He was out of control." Hardy's voice cracked. "In the end, it took all three of us to finish him."

Daniel focused on the speakerphone. He trusted Hardy and knew there would have been no other option. However, that also meant they had lost their best lead to tracking down who was behind the murders. "Damage control?"

"We have all the victims' cell phones, there was no CCTV and, so far, no witnesses. The local authorities don't know what to make of it, and the ME's office is backlogged and understaffed."

Daniel rubbed his jaw and worked through a list of containment actions. "Those bodies can't be autopsied until we know there's no evidence that can be traced to us."

Like a well-oiled machine, he quickly communicated the actions they had repeated far too often in recent weeks. "I'm sending an extraction team. The evidence on those bodies needs to disappear. This will be high-profile, so we need to tread carefully."

Daniel turned to his betas. "Adam, put a clean-up team together. We won't be able to get to the airport before the last flight, so we'll leave first thing." He leaned closer to the phone. "Hardy, you need to make sure we can get in and out without being seen."

"What about the photos?" Simon said.

Hardy broke in. "Already taken care of. When they get back to the lab, the techs will discover that all the SD cards are missing."

"Have you identified the Werewolf?" Daniel said.

"Working on that, sir. It doesn't look like he was a rogue. His family's affiliated with the local pack, and he went to school with the victims. From what I can tell, the kid's wolf emerged earlier this year. I'm waiting on Alpha Bryant now. We're going to speak to the family as soon as he arrives."

"I want a report as soon as you have further information."

"Yes, Alpha."

He ended the call. The room remained silent, each digesting the scene still playing out on the now-muted screen.

Daniel sighed. "I think we'd better prepare ourselves. This situation is only going to get worse."

For a long while after he had dismissed his betas, he sat in silence, sifting through the possible aftermath these deaths could cause. His mind flashed to Jessica, and what they went through when it looked doubtful Mandy would ever come home.

This has got to stop.

He was about to notify the council when he noticed Jessica and Parker heading up from the valley. His fists clenched as he watched their progression. How could his sister have forgiven and forgotten so quickly? He let out a low growl. He now had the misfortune of Parker camped in his home until this mess was over. Damn Morgan and the council for putting him in this position.

His only consolation was that the house was so large he might get through this ordeal without having to bump into her each day.

He turned back to the TV,which was still focused on the deaths of the teenagers in San Francisco. Hestared at the body bags and let out a tortured sigh. He and Parker needed tofind a middle ground if they had any chance of finding out who was behind this massacre.