“Okay,” I whispered.
He kissed my hand once more before leaving without so much as looking back at me. I trusted Savo, if he felt that he needed to leave right now, then it was important. Now it was my job to keep out of trouble and be here when he returned, no matter what.
Chapter 11
Iassumeditwouldbe chaos when I arrived at the Capitol building, but what shocked me more was the overabundance of security. A guard greeted me at my car as I handed the keys to Thomas.
“Good afternoon, Official Stone, I’m Rick Jones, and I’ll be your bodyguard for the day,” Rick explained. “Seems that arresting Official Alton’s fellow packmate hasn’t gone over well with the people. There’s already been one attempt to rush the Capitol demanding his release.”
My brows shot up at this. “I had no idea Eric had such a loyal following.”
“Oh, this isn’t for Eric, Alton has far more of the people’s favor than anyone realized. They are out for blood if the accusation is true,” Rick explained as he escorted me through security. “Official Dubois asked me to bring you into the council room when you got here.”
We rounded the corner and headed down a hall only accessible to us Officials. I nodded to the guards as we passed, their guns at the ready. When we got to the door, I noticed it was fully locked down, requiring me to use my handprint and code to let me in. Typically, it just took keying in my personalized sequence but clearly things were bumped up a level.
“Before you head in, I have a message for you,” Rick said, keeping his voice low. “Savo doesn’t ask for favors but he begged me to tell you the delivery is being sent early. The cookies leave tomorrow morning, but he can delay it if he knows there is more coming.”
Fuck! Of course, this would cause Yoram to move faster with his plan.
“Thank you, is he able to receive a message back from you?” I asked.
Rick rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at his feet. “Look, I’m not wanting any trouble from the CoF, and I know Yoram is the one who hired him. Just tell me this is worth risking my life over, and I’ll make sure to get a hold of him.”
I reached out and gripped Rick’s shoulder. “Helping us will save someone else’s life who never deserved the fate they are being given. Truthfully, I need what Savo has in order to save us all.”
“Fair enough, tell me what I can do,” Rick said, a determined look in his eyes. “Savo is a good man and so are you. If you’re working together, then I trust that whatever this is helps everyone.”
“I won’t be able to be a part of this, but the rest of my pack is waiting for this information. They need to know when to be there and how they can help. If he needs real backup, then we might require the help of any of your men who might not agree with how things are being handled right now. If we can get our hands on the right information, I can bring this whole farce of a government down,” I explained, knowing it was risky to trust this man, but there weren't many options left, and time was running out according to Savo’s message.
“There is one other man that I know I can trust, who can get in contact with Savo. He’s one of the guards they took from me and placed him there indefinitely. I don’t want to tell you his name just in case something happens, so it gives you deniability,” Rick explained. “I know you don’t know me and it’s crazy for us to trust each other off the bat like this, but something has to change. Our city is dying, and it's because of that man. So, you say you can get him out of power, then I’ll take my chances putting my lot with yours.”
He took a step back and saluted me as I placed my hand on the sensor and the door clicked open. Only Officials were allowed in here, ensuring that whatever was discussed couldn’t be leaked and if it was, we’d know who might have done it.
“Marius, took you long enough,” Yoram barked as he paced the room. “The city is in chaos and you’re waiting for the call before you come in? What does that say about your commitment to this country?”
Never before had I seen Yoram exude anything other than calm confidence. This must have rattled him, finding out just how much backing Alton had even after being out of the limelight for two months.
“I’m sorry you see it that way. I was trying to understand what was going on, so I spoke with Alton to get first hand knowledge,” I answered, walking over to the coffee machine and making a cup.
Coffee was the last thing I needed right now, but I had to put on the show of not being worried about any of this. It was known in the building that I drank large amounts of coffee throughout the day, since I didn’t get much sleep.
“Oh, is that right?” Yoram questioned. “You weren’t already at his house?”
“Alton is a good friend, and my pack decided to spend some time with him. Being cooped up at home for a month isn’t something he’s a big fan of,” I said, taking my seat. “Setting that matter aside, what do you plan to do about this situation? There is no way you can slap a government verdict on this. He’ll need to go through a trial.”
Yoram stopped and whirled around to glare at me. “You don’t think I realize that? I’ve been an Official of Oscad for nearly thirty years, I don’t needyoutelling me how to do my job.”
“That wasn’t what I was trying to do at all, merely stating facts,” I countered. “None of us had any idea people would be so up in arms about this. Eric hasn’t been in the public eye for some time now, choosing to distance himself from Alton. I don’t have to tell you how vast the distance was between them. The only reason they live in the same house is because they’re bonded to the same Omega.”
“This is why you shouldn’t bond with them, they just need to be breeders,” Fredrick interjected. “Asturg might constantly be at war, but they understand the way things should be. Use the breeders to get what we need, which is adding to the population. I bet they use the drugs we banned to increase their chances as well.”
I’d known that Fredrick sided with Yoram on this matter, but it was the first time I’d heard him spewing this nonsense. If anyone but the two of us heard him, he’d be under attack by the people in seconds.
“I don’t think now is the time to bring that suggestion into play,” I reasoned. “The public is already furious, and what we need to do is calm things down. Let them know we are going to have an outside group look into the accusations. Then they have no grounds to stand on saying we manipulated things.”
Yoram harrumphed as he took his seat. “We control all law agencies, laboratories, and other such facilities. In the end it doesn't matter, they will give the answer I want them to. As their leaders, we need them to see we are taking steps to investigate this, but ultimately, we do what we must to protect our city from those who would destroy it.”
Frowning, I leaned forward. “I’m sorry, forgive me for being a little slow but are you saying that Alton is trying to destroy Oscad?”