Second Chance Mate to the Shadowmoon Mafia Boss

Finn The gears of the large, industrial elevator whirred as it carried us to the top floor of the empty warehouse. I glanced to my left. My two companions remained quiet and focused, which was exactly how I needed them. Asher wore a surly scowl, bangs flopping in front of his face. Felix's ever-charming smile tugged at his lips. Even with no one to charm, he still played the part but I knew it wouldn't impede his concentration. “Are we even sure this tip is legit this time?" Asher grumbled, crossing his arms. I sighed and stared at the grated, elevator door. “It doesn't matter. We follow every single lead Dunstan ferrets out." Felix ran his finger down the Crescentmoon tattoo on the side of his face. If he ever got promoted from Underboss, he'd regret getting that tattoo in such a noticeable spot. I should have ordered him to get it removed immediately and put it somewhere else. Felix was representing me and all of Shadowmoon. That tattoo was like waving a flag around and announcing our presence. The elevator lurched to a stop and the gate flew open, revealing a dingy hallway with one flickering light. Dunstan stood at the end of the hall waving to us. I grunted and led the others down the hall. The warehouse was rancid with the scent of old beer, piss, and garbage. I wrinkled my nose. Why did we have to meet in such grotesque places? “He's just a low-level soldier in Sablepelt, but I think you'll find what he has to say most… illuminating." Dunstan grinned a gap-toothed grin. I brushed past him, my only interest in the bound prisoner on the other side of the steel door. “You!" the soldier growled, his dark eyes lighting up dangerously. Dunstan had him tied to a chair. The man was sweaty, his lip split, hair all messy. He had bruises forming on his cheeks and eyes. The perfect cliché, right from an old mafia movie. I guess that explains why we met in these places. “Me," I hissed in a low, threatening voice. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at that scum. “I heard you have something to tell me." “I don't answer to you." I arched an eyebrow. “Wrong answer," Felix chuckled. He really needed to work on his professionalism. I hooked my foot under the seat of the chair, between his legs, and tipped the chair back. He cried out as he slammed into the floor. I heard the audible crack of bones. The back of the chair must have cracked his ribs. He coughed and spit up a little blood. The chair creaked as he strained against the ropes, groaning. “Would you like to try again?" I asked, smirking. “You want answers about some b***h that died two years ago? Is that what all this is about!?" My blood raced and I clenched my fists. He was going to die for spewing such insults. “Finn!" Asher grabbed my elbow and pulled me back. “Give him a chance to talk, brother. He's the first real lead we have." I scoffed and pulled away from Asher. “I don't need this. He obviously doesn't know anything. I'd rather crush his skull." Asher grinned and shook his head, his floppy bangs wavering. “I'll be the one to crush his skull when the time comes. You just control yourself. You're the face of Shadowmoon." “All the more reason to remind him who he's dealing with." I glared around Asher at the soldier in the chair. “He already knows. You're not supposed to get your hands dirty with this kind of thing anymore." I ground my teeth together and flicked my eyes to the filthy waste of space on the floor. Sighing, I tilted my head back. Sometimes, being the boss had its downsides. “Fine." The soldier coughed a wet, sickening cough. “Dammit, a lung got punctured." I pulled the chair back to a sitting position and bent down, looking directly into his eyes. He wheezed, each breath rattling like wind through dry leaves. His eyes were wide. “Wh-what do y-you want t-to know…?" “Two years ago, a shifter female from Shadowmoon was viscously chased down and torn apart. I want to know who was responsible." I forced the forming lump in my throat away. My wolf gave a soft whine in my head but I ignored him too. One slip, one sign of weakness, and this guy wouldn't give me anything. “Y-yeah, I remember her." He lifted his head slightly and grinned at me, blood-stained teeth glistening in the dim, fluorescent light. “If you must know, Sablepelt is responsible for taking her out." “Why?" I ground out through clenched teeth. “The way I hear it, she was screwing some big wig in another organization, and that made her dangerous to my boss. He thought she was an unnecessary liability." I growled and grabbed the man's throat. My heart pounded in my ears, my vision blurred and all I could think about was feeling his neck crack between my fingers. Asher and Felix yelled my name but I barely heard them, like cotton was stuffed in my ears. My wolf boiled to the surface, just under my skin. He was ready to break out and rip this guy to shreds and I was prepared to let him. “Callum gave the order. Who carried it out?" I snarled. The man in my grasp wheezed and choked. He twisted in my grasp, helplessly tied to the chair. Today, I was going to get my answers and I'd make those responsible pay. “Finn!" Asher's fist hit the side of my face with a heavy smack. My jaw twinged. “Ow!" I rounded on him, my teeth bared. “Let him go." I creased my brow and looked at the soldier. My fingers gripped his throat so tightly that I lifted him and the chair off the floor without even noticing. He dangled in my grasp, eyes bloodshot, breathing labored. Scoffing, I dropped him. I needed to gain control of myself and my wolf if I was going to get any information from this guy. This was the closest I'd ever gotten to my answers. The wooden chair splintered apart against the concrete floor and he fell in a twisted heap. I took a deep breath and settled myself, and my wolf. “Who carried out the order?" I repeated. I stared down at the soldier as he writhed and twisted on the floor. He knew he wasn't getting out of there alive and had nothing to lose. “I don't know. I'm not high enough up to know that." “Then your usefulness has worn out." I snapped my fingers at Asher. “You'll take care of this?" “You got it, boss." “I want you to send a message. Make sure his death is… meaningful." Asher smirked and nodded. “I've got just the message." He grabbed the soldier by the neck and lifted him up. “No, wait. I can be of use to you. I know things about Sablepelt, things that will give you a leg up," the soldier begged. I headed for the door. “You already told us you weren't that high up." Asher's voice echoed behind me. “You can't change your tune now." I left Asher to clean up. He would make the soldier's death just violent and messy enough to let Sablepelt know that I was on to them. Felix and Dunstan trailed after me as I headed back to the elevator. “Dunstan, you did good work. I'll have a handsome bonus wired to your account." “Th-thank you." He tried to hide his grin and failed. “I want you to get back out there and keep digging. Someone knows who killed Laurel and I want to know, too." “I won't stop until I have your answers, sir." He peeled away and headed to the staircase. Dunstan wasn't the only spy I had digging up information on Laurel's death, but he was the only one that turned up tangible leads, so far. Felix and I rode the whirring elevator back down. He was quiet, and I was grateful for the silence. Sablepelt was my greatest business rival. Callum headed Sablepelt. I'd seen him at a few events and he'd always been cordial. We had our rivalries but nothing that would lead him to attack Shadowmoon through me or the people closest to me. Before I took over, I remembered a few times when my father clashed with Roman Dillinger, the former boss of Sablepelt. By the time I took my father's place, Roman was old and Callum was calling the shots. Roman died less than a year later. We'd come up against each other in business dealings but we'd kept things professional. That's how the game was played. If Callum was responsible for Laurel's death… I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white. If he was, he'd gone too far. The elevator let us out at a service entrance. Luce was waiting with the SUV. She jumped out of the driver's seat and waved me over, a cell phone plastered to her ear. She spoke rapidly and I caught her eye rolls. Luce covered the microphone and let out a heavy breath. “This guy…" she rolled her eyes again. “Wrap it up, Luce." I rotated my pointer finger in a slow circle. She narrowed her eyes at me and took a few steps away. “Alright, I'll let him know and get back to you." She rejoined me beside the car. “If you'd rather handle these things…" I shook my head. “No. There's a good reason you're the main contact for the lower Shadowmoon associates." “Don't I know it?" Luce grinned at me and clapped my upper arm. “How'd it go in there?" A strangled cry echoed from the top floor of the abandoned warehouse. My ears prickled and I licked my lips. “Do you need to ask?" “Well, as long as Asher's having fun." Luce put her hands on her hips and flashed an endearing smile. “Can we get out of here? The smell of rotting fish is giving me a headache." She waved her arm over the nearby dock and the bay that extended into the ocean. Shadowmoon had several warehouse locations on the bay to accept incoming shipments. The abandoned warehouse was shut down for regular operations but the organization retained ownership of it for days like today. “We're done," I confirmed. “Good. The Baltimore Solstice Ball is starting in an hour. We've got just enough time to make it." Felix's lips tugged up in that charming smile of his. “Oh, are we going to be entertaining the single ladies?" “Not exactly. There are a lot of younger, unmated males in Shadowmoon. We need to keep our numbers up." Luce opened the driver's side door and Felix went around to the passenger side. I slipped into the back seat. There were two other security SUVs on the docks. Once we got to the Solstice Ball, we'd rendezvous with the rest of our entourage. “This year's Solstice Ball holds only one purpose for us. We need to recruit as many breeders as we can."