Chapter Four

ANNA

My left hook connects to the face of the one eyed rogue.

"TELL ME WHY YOU WERE AT THE BORDER!!"  I grab his shirt and command him to answer me.

I've been interrogating this guy for over an hour and was starting to lose my patience.

He spits his blood on the floor.  "I'm not telling you nothing, bitch."  He grins an ugly, bloody grin.  Glaring at me with his good eye.

"Fine."  I stand up and stroll around him and the chair he's chained to.  I run my fingers up his good arm, around to his back and down to his casted arm. He watched as I walked around, snapping his head to follow.  I pause.  The corner of my mouth ticks up as I grab the fingers of his broken arm and bend them backwards.

He screams in agony. 

"ANSWER ME!!"

"OKAY. OKAY."  I let go.  "Fuck...alright.  some guy, okay.  He comes into a bar I was at in Delwork.  Says he'll pay me if I get some Intel for him."

I stood with my arms crossed.  "What kind of Intel?"

"Like border weakness, numbers that kind of shit.  I needed the cash so I said sure."

"The guy.  What'd he look like?"

"Oh come, he'll fucking kill me...."  the guy whined.

I lean on his chair putting my head close.  "If you don't tell me what I want to know, I'll fucking kill you first."

"Jeez lady, you sure you're not a dude?"  

I stood up, smiled and backhanded his right cheek.  

"Alright!  Fuck!  I've never seen him before, but he's got a dragon tattoo on his right arm.  Looks weird.  Like a crest or something.  And his eyes were like this light blue.  Almost white.  He never told me his name, but I'm supposed to meet him tomorrow in Delwork."  The guy sat defeated chained to his chair in silver cuffs.  

"You sure about this?"  I said concerned.

He glanced up at me.  "Yeah.  You don't forget someone like that."

I walked across the interrogation room, grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.

The rogue looked at me.  "Hey, you're not gonna kill me right?"

I turn and shoot him an evil grin.  "Once the Dragon Pack hear of your confession, you'll be begging for death."

"Yo...you aren't gonna tell them, right?....right?...."  his face was full panic.

I chuckle and leave the room to the rogue screaming, begging for me not to tell them.

I leave the holding area and stop by the showers to grab a towel, wiping the rogues blood off my hands as I walk into Drake's office.

Drake is seated behind his desk with River seated in the chair across from him.

River sees me enter and immediately stands at attention.  "Agent Riker."

I snort.  "Relax, soldier."

He goes into a relaxed stance but it's still stiff as a board.

Drake looks at my bloody towel. "Please tell me you got something."

I leaned against a bookshelf across from Drake's desk and cross my feet, still wiping my fingers. "Oh, I got something, but you're not going to like it."

Drake leans back in his chair and rubs his forehead.  "Report." He sighed.

I put my hands down on the bookshelf.  "It's the Dragons.  Specifically, Karver." I glance between Drake and River.

River raises a brow.  "Karver?"

Drake stands up and walks to a file cabinet.  He pulls a file out and walks back.  He tosses it on the desk in front of River.  "Cole Karver.  Mean Son of a bitch.  Would sooner kill you then look at ya.  We've been hunting this bastard for five years.  He's dangerous.  He responsible for the attacks on Helana, Silver Lake and Timber.  Killed hundreds. Intel suggests he's the Dragons Beta."

I smirk. "And I know where he's going to be tomorrow night."

Drake raises an eyebrow looking at me.

River opens a file to show a photo of an evil face.  White murderous eyes.  He's running his fingers through platinum blonde hair.

Drake taps the photo with his finger.  "If we get this bastard, that'll blow the Dragons wide open."

River picks up the file and flips through it.  "I don't know.  This guy's heavily guarded.  Looks like a suicide mission.  You'll need our help."  He closes the file and drops it on the desk.

Rivers words send anger through me.  I push off the shelf, raise my finger to him.  "Nuh uh.  No way.  This is my case."  I tap my chest with my finger.  "I'm not about to let some politicians send their political muscle in to fuck everything up.  Forget it."

"Riker stand down."  Drake sits.  "No one's taking your case, but River's right.  Karvers a heavy hitter.  We need artillery we just don't have.  The security unit could provide that for us."

River looks at me. "We just want to assist that's all."

I walk straight up to River's face.  Stare him dead in the eye.  "I have been hunting this fucker for five fucking years.  If you or any one of you security unit assholes get in my way, I will end your career faster then you can blink."  River swallowed hard.  

He put his hands up.  "No.  Don't worry.  We'll just be back up.  Just let me call my commanders, bring them up to speed and I'll report with their recommendations.  We only move on your word."

I squint my eyes.  "Fine."  I turn to Drake.  "Call me when you have a plan."

"Will do.  Now, go get a beer or something and calm down."

I nod, fling my black motorcycle jacket over my shoulder and walk out.

I'm half way across the station parking lot, when I hear my name.  "RIKER!"

I turn and River is jogging up.  "Hey.  Um....look I hope you don't feel like I'm stepping in on you.  I get the feeling this is important...."

"Damn right it is..."  I turn and start walking.  

He jogs again to fall in line beside me.  "I really just want to help.  This guy......uh...Karver....he looks like one bad ass dude.  You could use all the help you can get."

We stop and face each other.  "For five years this bastard has slipped through my fingers.  Five years, he shows up then he goes ghost.  When we finally get a bead on him, he disappears again.  I can't lose him this time.  He needs to pay for the blood he's spilled."  My face scrunches up as I look down.

River tries to search for my eyes.  "With my help, we'll get him.  I promise you that."

I half smile.  "You...uh...have time for a drink?"

He smiles.  "Yeah.  I think I do."

The Falcon isn't far from the station so we walk the 3 blocks.  

We walk in and grab a couple of beers and sit at a table.  It's early so the bar is barely half full.  

River picks at his bottle.  "I know it's not my business, but....you want to talk about it?"

I raise my beer. "Talk about what?"  I take a drink.

"Why this is so personal to you."  He tipped his beer back.

I put my bottle down.  "No.  Karvers bad news.  That's enough."

He leaned on the table.  "Okay.  Just seemed like a personal vendetta to me."

"I just take my job seriously.  Murderers like Karver are a threat to all of us.  What happened to other packs, can happen to us.  I refuse to let that happen."

"But you know we're all a team right.  You don't have to carry this yourself."

"Yes I do.  If it wasn't for me, Timber wouldn't have happened.  Hundreds would be alive today."  I swallowed hard looking at my bottle.

River looked confused.  "How was it your fault?"

I shook my head.  "No."  I sighed.  "Look can we talk about something else?"

He sat back in his chair.  "Sure.  How about why isn't a girl, with your skill set, not part of the security unit."

I lean back and laugh.  "Me?  Part of you guys?  You're joking right?"

"No."  He rests his arms on the table.  "I mean yeah, your attitude is a bit....harsh, but you got skills and brains to boot.  We could really use you."

I raise my beer.  "I ain't no puppet.  Sorry."

"I'm not a puppet." He scrunched his brow.

I take a swig of my beer.  "Oh, please.  'Yes, sir.  Right away, sir.'  You're a puppet.  Just a yes man with a license to kill."

He crosses his arms.  "And what, you don't follow orders?"

I put my bottle down.  "No.  I follow my gut.  I do what's necessary at the time.  Sure we have protocol, but to make a good protector, you need to be able to say fuck protocol.  You security unit guys can't do that."

"Listen.  I don't think you fully get what being with our unit really means.  Why don't you try it out?  If you don't like it, go back to border."  He emptied his beer.

I put my arm on the back of my chair and crossed my legs.  "Why are you trying so hard to sell this to me?"

He picked at his empty bottle.  "I don't know.  Because I've seen you fight.  You're good.  I'd be happy to have you around."

I raised a brow.  "You'd be happy....."

He perked up when he realized what he said.  "Um.  Well, not...me personally...."  He laughed nervously.  "I meant we, like the unit.  Of course,  why...would...I..."  

I smile a bit as he tries to back himself out of the hole he just dug.  "Want another?"  I point to his beer.

He rubs the back of his neck.  His cheeks red.  "Uh...yeah."

I wave to the bartender for two more and the waitress brings them over.

****

RIVER

I'm sitting here.  Listening to her talk.  I can't get over how sexy she is.. she radiates beauty.  I'm trying to hide my interest, but it's damn hard.  Her eyes are mesmerizing.  She's a complete knock out.  And yeah,  she talks like a dude, but for some reason I like that.  She's a hard ass and that makes her so attractive.

As I find out more about her, I find myself feeling in awe of her strength.  Her independence.  She could literally not give two shits about anything.  I'm actually jealous of her freedom while still being in a pack.  If only I had her out look on life, I'd probably not spend my days fighting with my dad.

But, I didn't miss her baggage.  She's blames herself for what happened in Timber.  From what I remember, four years ago, Timber was a relatively decent sized pack.  When the Dragons attacked, they left no one alive.  I remember my dad and the other alphas arguing about what to do.  I remember seeing the trucks of security units driving through town to Timber in hopes of finding survivors.  I remember a few days later, when they came back with the solem news that everyone was killed. Murdered.  

I don't know how it was Rikers fault, but she seems to be determined to beat herself up for it.  And possibly get herself killed.

I know I can turn her pain and anger into something more.  I know if I can reign her in somehow, get her on board, she'd be valuable to me and our packs.  But, from what I've seen so far, it's not going to be easy.  She's tough as nails and won't let anyone tell her what to do.

Karver will be a start.  If I can help her shut him down, she'll see that her impression of my unit is wrong.  She'll have to join us.  Join me.  Be with me.  

"Earth to soldier boy....."  her snapping fingers in my face break my thoughts.  "You in there?  Where'd ya go?"  I shake my head and look.  She smiling.  

I giggle.  "Uh sorry.  Just got lost there for a second.  Must be the beer."  

"A lightweight huh?"  She smirked.

"Well, at least I'm a cheap date."  I chuckle.

She stands up and puts her jacket on.  "Well, soldier.  I'm off.  I gotta be rested up if we're going to nail karver."

I stand too.  "Oh..um...ok...do you think...I could, like, call you or something?"

She stands arrogantly.   "Why would you want to ruin the good thing we have?"

I didn't know how to respond to that.  I just stood there like an idiot.

She smiled.  "Bye, Soldier boy."  And with that she left me standing there  wishing I could grab her and kiss her within an inch of her life.

I'm not sure if I'll be successful, but this girl will be my favorite challenge yet.