A Fraudulent Death, Draft 02 CH 49 (Patreon)

“What do you mean, you don’t know anything about it?” Trembor demanded of the person on the other end of the pad conversation. He’d been brought to the interrogation room by a bull Trembor had met a time or two before becoming an RI. He’d convinced him to lend him his pad so he could check in on his nephews while they waited for whoever wanted to question him.

“I’m sorry sir,” the female replied, a Cub Care Services administrator, “but there is no mention in the system of anyone going to the academy.”

Trembor forced himself to exhale slowly. “The academy contacted me when they couldn’t reach Herelex and Isenson’s father. Someone claiming to be from Cub Care Services picked them up. I want to know where they are and if their grandparents have been contacted.”

Trembor shouldn’t have been told about it. It was against procedure for anyone to answer his pad while it was in storage, but the weasel on duty there had worked with Trembor, so he’d checked the displayed message, then had sent word about it just as the bull had come to escort him to the interrogation room. The bull was staying until Trembor was done with his call.

“And as I’ve said, we have no record of anyone from Cub Care going there. We keep meticulous records of which cub we interact with, sir,” she added as Trembor was about to tell her to check again. “If they are not in our system, then I promise you, Cob Care didn’t pick them up.”

“They had all the proper identification,” Trembor said, dread settling in. He believed her, but the implications scared him. “All the forms were in order. The academy adviser double-checked everything.”

“Alright, that’s good. If you give me the ID number of the agents who picked up the cubs, I can see why they didn’t file the paperwork properly.”

“I don’t have that.” He cursed himself for forgetting to ask for something so basic. “Contact Adviser Whitetail at the academy, he’s Herelex’s adviser. He’ll have the information.”

“Very well, I’ll do that immediately, Mister Goldenmane. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.” Her tone was too bubbly for his liking.

“Can you have anyone look for them?” he asked the bull, handing him the pad back.

“There’s nothing we can do officially until they’re reported missing by their parents, the academy, or CC,” the bull replied. “But I’ll pass the word around, just remember how things like that go. We can’t let it interfere with the rest of our work or the top of the food chain pounces on us.”

“They’re just cubs,” Trembor whispered. How could anyone take them like that—he refused to think of what might happen to them. Herelex was strong, he’d be insulted Trembor still thought of him as a cub, but Isenson hadn’t taken what had been happening around his father well. Did they even know Bo was dead? “Fuck.” Had they been told Trembor had done it?

He looked at the door, a growl escaping. He needed to be out there, looking for them. He had to go to Maoma and do whatever he needed to make sure she let them go.

“Don’t even think about it,” the bull said, moving to block the door as Trembor stood. “I will stop you.”

“Get out of my way, Karbek. I don’t want to hurt you, but they are my family. I’m going out there and—” The door opened.

“Karbek? What are you doing there?” a female asked. “Why are you blocking the door?” The bull hurried out of the way to reveal an Ibex in uniform, with the captain’s insignia on her right shoulder. She looked at the bull, then Trembor unhappily. “You’re not supposed to fraternize with prisoners. Never mind, we’ll take about this later.” She motioned for the bull to exit. “You have a visitor, Mister Goldenmane.”

The bull paused. “I thought we had orders for him not to see anyone who wasn’t his lawyer.”

She fixed her gaze on him. “Yes, you do. But Mister Goldenmane seems to have friends who are willing to bend the rules for him.” She motioned to the camera. “As I’m sure you know.” The bull swallowed hard and left. She stepped out and looked to the side. “I advise you to be done before his lawyer gets here. I won’t be held responsible for what happens if it gets out one of his friends visited him.”

The wolf entered, and Trembor couldn’t understand what he was seeing. There was no way he could be here. He couldn’t know about the arrest yet, since he hadn’t been there. Procedures would make sure he wasn’t told because of their relationship.

“Marl.” He found he couldn’t say more. How could he explain how he’d gotten into this situation? How he’d done everything he could to not tell his wolf.

Marlot stood on the other side of the table, his face unreadable, his scent a mix of anger and concern and an obvious effort to keep more under control. Was he disgusted that Trembor had gotten pulled into this? His wolf saw him as just, strong, unbreakable. If he was here, he knew what Trembor was accused of doing. Did he believe it? Did Marlot think Trembor had it in him to kill his brother?

His wolf looked up and to the side. He mouthed something Trembor thought might be “please,” and he turned to follow his gaze in time to see the light indicator on the camera turn off. Surprised, he turned back to his wolf, only to be pushed against the wall and kissed hard. Trembor melted against his wolf and kissed him back.

Eventually, he broke the kiss and gently pushed Marlot away. “What are you doing here?”

His wolf smoothed his jacket down and stepped back to the other side of the table. “Sit down,” he instructed. “We don’t have long. I know a mole named Maoma Burrows has her claws into you. So here’s what you’re going to do so I can get you out of this mess.”

The tone froze Trembor. He hated himself for it, but doubt crept back in. You didn’t give me any choice. Was his wolf showing his true self again? Had it all been another act? Had he fallen for it, yet again? Was he always going to—

“Fuck,” Marlot cursed, looking scared. “I’m doing it again.” He put his head in his hands and groaned.

Trembor thought he might end up with a broken neck from the whiplash.

Marlot looked up at him. “I’m sorry. I can see how much this hurt you, me snapping orders. It’s not an excuse, but I’m kind of stressed right now. I just—” He strangled a cry. “We so don’t have the time for this.” He rubbed his face. “Please, sit down. I know this revolves around Burrows and her criminal cartel.”

Trembor had to sit as his legs began giving way. “How? I was so careful.”

Marlot fixed him with an angry gaze, which he brought under control with effort. “When this is over, we’re going to have a talk about what it means for us to be mates, Trem. You had no right to keep this from me.”

“I wanted to protect you,” Trembor answered weakly.

“And that’s what pisses me off,” Marlot snapped, then took a long and slow breath. “You’re lucky we don’t have the time right now.” He forced a smile. “I need you to let me help you, Trem. I need you to let me be your mate and let me take on some of this problem for you.”

“Marl, you don’t understand what you’re asking. You’re going to get yourself killed taking them on. That’s why I didn’t tell you, I can’t lose you too.”

His wolf’s smile became genuine. “That one’s out of your hands because even without you, I’m involved. Turns out my case also deals with that same cartel. I’d say it’s too much of a coincidence for both you and my case to be run by that Burrows female, but there are only three major cartels in the city and I suspect that she was told to handle me when they found out about our relationship. Anyway. No time to really work that out.”

Trembor nodded, not understanding what Marlot meant or how he knew so much about the city’s cartels. “Alright, what do we do?”

Marlot placed his hands on the table as if he needed to steady himself for whatever he had to say. “You are going to shit the entirety of this onto me.”

“No!” The chair clattered back as Trembor stood. “Absolutely not! I’m willing to work with you to fix this, but I will not allow you to destroy yourself for me.”

“So, the destroying yourself for someone you love is a Trembor exclusive thing?” Marlot replied wryly. “You’re a lot of things, Trem, but I didn’t think a hypocrite was one of them.”

“Marl,” Trembor began, then had to swallow. “You don’t even know what I’m being accused of. This goes beyond an unclaimed death, or even tampering with evidence now, they’re—”

“Setting you up for attempting to take over the city’s power structure.”

“How?” Trembor asked, feeling like the world had shifted sideways.

Marlot smiled. “I’m a tech-head, remember? So are most of my friends. There isn’t much that happens these days that doesn’t touch the network in some way.”

“Then you know this doesn’t end with me paying a few people’s taxes. Marl, if I let you do this, you’re going to end up caged.”

His wolf canted his head. “Will you visit me?”

“Of course I will! But that’s not the point! You don’t deserve to be caged!”

“And you do?” Marlot asked, tone sharp, borderline angry.

“I broke the law,” Trembor replied, trying to convey how important it was he pay for it with the tone.

Marlot leveled his gaze at the lion. “Do you want me to start listing the numbers of times I’ve broken the law? If I keep it to today, I might be under a dozen. Of the two of us, I deserve to be caged, not you.” He raised a hand to stop Trembor’s protest. “But it won’t happen. I have prime meat stored where Burrows can’t get to it without making a deal with me. And I know how badly she needs to get it. The only problem with that part of the plan is that if she controls you, she can force me to give it to her.”

Trembor grabbed the chair and sat. “You’re going to lose your license, Marl.”

His wolf sighed. “Will you stop drawing the predators to you, Trem? If it’s not me, it’s you who loses his license. What are you going to do if you’re not an RI? You won’t be able to go back to being an enforcer with a criminal record.”

“And what are you going to do?” Trembor replied angrily.

Marlot grinned. “Trust me, they don’t want me as an enforcer.”

“Be serious!”

“Only once you start.” Marlot let out another breath. “I have other skills I can fall back on to maintain my productivity. Burrows was quick to point out I can make more from my programming than being an RI. Maintaining my rating isn’t going to be a problem.” He grinned. “With a little help, I might even be able to increase it.”

“But…” Trembor was at a loss how his wolf could consider giving up his job. “You love being an RI.”

“I love you more, Trem.” He rubbed his face. “And you love being an RI as much as I do, so don’t use that on me. One of us has to give it up. I can survive it, you can’t. It’s that simple.”

“No, it isn’t,” Trembor replied. “What do you think it’s going to do to me to see you miserable?”

“So you want to be sure I’m the one watching you be miserable? Trem, why can’t you believe me when I tell you I can be happy without being an RI so long as I have you in my life?”

Trembor didn’t have an answer. As easy as it was to imagine Marlot having fun with his programs, it had always only been a hobby for him. Was there a life in programing for his wolf? What if Marlot was wrong? What if Trembor agreed to this and his wolf found no one was interested in the programs he wrote? He needed his wolf to be happy, to be fulfilled.

Marlot’s expectant expression demanded an answer, so Trembor changed the subject. “When you leave, I need you to look for Herelex and Isenson. They’re missing. The academy says CC came and picked them up, but I called their central bureau and they have no records of anyone going there. It means Maoma has them.”

Marlot let out a curse-filled sigh, then smiled. “Okay. It’ll probably simplify things, actually.”

“Marl, they have my nephews how is that not a bad thing?”

“It means they’re somewhere they won’t be accidentally hurt. Burrows knows what they mean to you. She’ll make sure they are unharmed, physically or emotionally. At this point, the only damage that can be done to them is the intentional kind, and she won’t do that until she’s given her ultimatum, to which I should have a proper response. So long as—”

The door’s handle turned.

“Trem, you have to shift the blame to me. Please promise me you’ll do it.”

Trembor could only stare back at his wolf as the door opened and a massive brown bear entered. How could Marlot ask that of him?

“I’m sorry, RI Blackclaw,” Bahamel said, “but I’ve just been informed there’s a problem with the camera in this room. I need to move the suspect to another interrogation room. If you still need to speak with him, you’ll have to come with us.”

“It’s okay,” Marlot answer, eyes fixed on Trembor, pleading silently. “I’ve gotten everything I can out of him.”

Trembor could answer him. If words couldn’t convey how painful what his wolf was asking of him was, a look certainly couldn’t. It was his job to protect his mate. To ensure he was happy. Not to put suffering on his shoulders. Not after everything his wolf had already endured.

Bahamel took Trembor by the arm and led him out of the room, as the Ibex escorted Marlot toward the exit. The bear leaned in close and whispered. “Don’t be an idiot, Lion. Trust your wolf.”

Posted using PostyBirb