All Hell Breaks Loose (20 page)

Hazel didn’t flash Gabi her customary sunny smile or return her greeting.  “He’s not back from the weekly meeting yet.  It’s running overtime,” she told Gabi shortly, barely looking up from her computer screen.  Hazel appeared uncharacteristically annoyed by the tardiness.  “Do you want to wait in his office or come back later?”

Gabi was momentarily lost for words.  The secretary rarely allowed anyone into Byron’s office except on direct orders from him.

“Uh, I’ll wait in his office,” Gabi ventured, and when Hazel said nothing more, she let herself into Byron’s inner sanctum, pulled up one of his guest chairs and kicked her feet up onto his desk to wait for him.

A couple of minutes later she heard Byron arrive.  Hazel told him that Gabi was waiting in his office and then asked if she could go home, as she wasn’t feeling well.  Byron agreed immediately, asking if she needed someone to drive her.  She declined, saying it just felt like a migraine coming on, and she wanted to lie down before it got worse.  Gabi was relieved that, for once, it wasn’t her or something she’d done that had made the woman grumpy and irritated.

“Gabi, honey.”
  Byron greeted her with a kiss and a hug.  “What a lovely surprise to see you outside work hours.”  He dropped a pile of files on his desk and went to the coffee maker in the corner of his office to pour two cups.

“Maybe not such a lovely surprise when you find out this is sort of an intervention,” Gabi warned him as he placed a steaming cup on the desk in front of her.

“An intervention?” he asked, an intrigued smile playing around his mouth.

Gabi could see dark marks under his eyes and wondered how long they’d been there without her noticing.  Meryl was right; he looked tired and over-worked.

“You’re going to tell me exactly what is going on at the City Council that is making you worried, upset and tired, and then we are going to figure out how to take some of the pressure off of you,” she said emphatically.  When she saw the stubborn set to his jaw, she continued.  “If you don’t
come clean to me, I’m going to call Ian and tell him you’re over-doing things.”  Now he actually glared at her.  She smiled back innocently.

“That’s not playing fair, Gabrielle,” he complained.

“Them or me, she said, not budging.  “Take your pick.”

He sighed and sat down heavily in his leather office chair.  He took off his glasses and rubbed absently at his eyes.  “His name is Jason King, though that doesn’t appear to be the name he was born with,” Byron began tiredly.  “For some reason, he is doing his very best to block every move Olivia and I make.  I have contacts far and wide, but he has even more, and they are making things very difficult for us at every turn.”

“Jason King,” Gabi murmured, “why does that name sound familiar?”

“He’s a big-time socialite, makes the newspapers and tabloids regularly, a business man and property developer with a taste for the high life.  One of these self-made millionaires, pulled himself out of obscurity a couple of years ago by developing the new shopping mall and casino out in the western suburbs,” Byron explained.

“Oh yes,” Gabi said, “I think I know who you’re talking about.  Medium height, dark hair, mid thirties, a little on the pudgy side, always has a leggy, blonde model on his arm. 
That one?”

Byron nodded, though only someone who ran with
Werewolves
and Vampires would call the man pudgy.  “That sounds like him.”

“Why would he be making trouble for you?  Have you tried to block any of his property developments?” Gabi asked.

“No, that’s just it.  Olivia and I rarely get involved in blocking land development, unless it directly affects the Society, and I can’t trace back anything that we’ve done that could anger him enough to go after us like he is.”

“Does he have underground businesses that could be affected by Council decisions?” she suggested.

“I’ve recently tried to do some digging in that regard.  Where he got his start-up funds from is very murky, and it certainly seems likely they weren’t come by legitimately. But it’s proving very hard to find anything useful about him.”

“Do you think it’s possible he knows about the SMV and is actively working against the group as a whole instead of simply against you and Olivia?”  Gabi wondered.

Byron shrugged.  “It’s certainly a possibility, though we haven’t found any links between him and anyone in the Community.  Unfortunately, the problem with the
Werewolves
is taking precedence at the moment, so Mr King’s interference will have to take a back seat until that is cleared up, I’m afraid.”

Gabi knew that was the truth, but it wasn’t helping Byron’s situation.

“But, honey, you don’t need to worry about me.  I’m a tough old coot.  I think I’ve just gotten used to having things my own way for so long that nowadays I see obstacles as a hindrance instead of a challenge.”

Gabi pursed her lips.  “I’ll mention this to Julius, maybe he knows something about this Jason King character; he’s involved in so many businesses in the City he’s bound to have come across the man before.  Maybe all we need is a bit of leverage,” she mused.  “And once we have that sorted out and the
Werewolf
business calmed down, it’s time you took a holiday,” she said firmly.

Byron laughed.  “I’ll take a holiday when you take a holiday, how’s that for a deal?” he asked her.

“I just came back from six weeks’ holiday,” she groused.

“Sick leave is not a holiday,” he pointed out.  He seemed a little less strained having shared his concerns with her, so Gabi left his office feeling less worried, but added the new complication to her growing list of concerns.  She just couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this than an egotistical idiot flexing his political muscles.

She was just on her way to check the roster board to find out who she was pulling patrol with tonight when a text message chimed on her phone.  It was from Derek.  It read, ‘Sorry for being an ass last night. 
Pls
stop by so I can apologise in person.  Kyle is taking me for training after lunch but I’ll be here after that.  Forgive me.  Bo.”  Gabi couldn’t help a wry smile.  He hated her calling him Bo; she only did it to annoy him, so he must be feeling contrite.  Another little weight lifted off her shoulders at the thought that their friendship wasn’t unsalvageable.

Gabi was on patrol with Kyle and Fergus (she was pleased about that, she had a soft spot for the loud Scotsman) and two
Werewolves
from the
Blackriver
Pack that she’d met once or twice.  Kyle would know them better.  She hoped they didn’t all get in each other’s way.  She, Kyle and the other Hunters were so adept at working together that they rarely tripped over each other in a fight.  Throwing unknown fighters into the mix could be a recipe for disaster.  Maybe that was the strange, niggling concern gnawing at the edges of her brain.

She stopped at a burger joint for three takeaway burgers, large fries and a milkshake and then drove to the Estate.  She was hoping to have a chance to chat with Trish before Kyle and Derek made it back from training.

She was in luck; Trish was alone in Hawthorn House when she arrived.  She was in the communal kitchen of the apartment block, dressed in a pair of track pants and a sweatshirt, which reminded Gabi of her promise to take Derek to fetch some clothes and personal items from Trish’s house.  She knew Julius wouldn’t mind Trish and Derek staying here until they made some decisions about their future.  It was more comfortable here than at SMV HQ, where they’d have to stay in the secure underground rooms designed more for prisoners than guests.  She still looked a little shaky, but her face lit up in a smile when she saw Gabi.

“Hey, come on in,” she said cheerfully.  “I was just sitting down to some lunch, do you want some?”

“Thanks, but I’m good.  I just
ate
myself almost into oblivion on burgers and chips,” she explained.  “You carry on.”  She joined Trish at the large dining table.

“Oh,” Trish almost wailed, “I wish I could pig out on stuff like that and still look like you.”  She rolled her eyes with a smile and placed a bowl of salad with lean chicken on the table.

Gabi frowned.  “Hasn’t anyone explained to you that you don’t need to eat sparingly anymore?” she asked.

The other woman looked great; she had a full, curvy, womanly figure, nothing to be ashamed of, though Gabi could understand her being careful of what she ate to keep herself in shape.

Trish looked up from the salad in surprise.  “Well,” she said hesitantly.  “Jonathon did say that I’ll need to eat more than I used to, so I assumed he meant slightly bigger portion sizes.”

It was Gabi’s turn to roll her eyes. 
“Men!
  They don’t think about these things like a woman,” she lamented.  “I’m glad I got you alone for a few minutes, it’s easier to talk without them around.”

Trish nodded wry agreement.

“Trish,” Gabi said, leaning in towards the woman, “lots of things are going to change about your body.  Some are good, and some aren’t.  Your metabolism is about to go into overdrive.  I’m no expert in things
Werewolf
, but I am friends with a couple of women in the
Blackriver
Pack.  In a few weeks you won’t have a spare ounce of fat on you, no matter how hard you try.”

Trish was staring at her in amazement.  “You mean I can eat whatever I like and never gain weight?”

Gabi grinned.  “I told you it wasn’t all bad.  As I’m sure you’ve noticed, your body heals at an alarmingly quick rate, you won’t pick up flu or colds, and you’re immune to most human infections and diseases.”

Trish’s eyes were as round as saucers as she grasped another slice of the reality that was her new life.

“On the negative side is a temper that is difficult to control, especially close to the full moon.  That gets easier with time and experience.  Most animals, especially dogs, won’t come anywhere near you.  Relationships with ‘norms’, uh, full human men are near impossible even if your male Pack mates would allow it, which they won’t. 
Werewolf
males are very protective of the women in their Packs and are also annoyingly possessive.”

Trish suddenly stilled, and the fork she held over the salad bowl slipped from her fingers.  Her face went white, and
Werewolf
scent filled the room.  Gabi realised what she’d said and how a woman who’d been in an abusive relationship might read into it.

She reached over and put a hand on Trish’s arm, capturing the woman’s eyes.  “The Packs in the City would never tolerate violence of any kind towards one of their women.  Not a single one of them would touch you if you didn’t want them to.  And they would never allow another man to, either.  I know each of the Pack leaders personally, and while the men may have to fight for their places in the Pack and for respect, the women are shielded and protected.  From other men at
least,” she warned wryly.  “You may have to put a few women in their place to establish your own niche, but we’ll discuss that in more detail another time.”

Trish relaxed enough to pick up her fork and pick distractedly at the salad.  Gabi didn’t encourage her to eat it; she’d get Kyle to fetch something more substantial from the main communal kitchen later.

“So, what else haven’t the guys told me?” she asked.

Gabi paused a moment, trying to work out the best way to phrase her next statement.

“What many of the women find most difficult to deal with is the fact that they cannot have children,” she said finally.  “The need to Change means you can’t carry a foetus to term, even if you could get pregnant, which is difficult as male
Werewolves
are rendered sterile due to their body temperatures being too high for viable sperm.”  She paused, watching Trish’s reactions as the terrible knowledge sank in.  “You could get pregnant by a human male, but you would miscarry the first time you
Changed
.  Most women prefer to not go through that, so they either stick to
Werewolf
males or take specially developed contraceptives.”

Trish was staring into her salad with a blank expression, but Gabi knew the news had shaken the other woman to the core.  Gabi wasn’t very good at doing the best friend stuff, she had far more male friends than girl friends, but she went to Trish and pulled her into a hug.  “I’m sorry,” she breathed as Trish gave a little muffled sniff.

After a moment Trish pulled away and went to stand at the window, staring out unseeingly.  “It’s not like it’s something I had even thought about yet,” she whispered.  “I’m not sure why it’s upset me so much.  Sorry.  I don’t mean to blub all over you.”  She gave Gabi a watery smile.  “Thank you for telling me.  I’m sure the guys wouldn’t have thought to.  But it was better hearing it from another woman; I don’t think a man can ever understand the emotions it brings.”

Gabi grabbed a roll of kitchen towel and handed Trish a couple of sheets.

“Don’t be too sure about that,” Gabi told her.  “They may not talk about it often, but the men are also very aware of the fact that they can’t produce children.  It’s not exactly the same, but they do understand that need and the sense of loss.”