When Joe called Enrique, they had picked up their gear from the airfield. He sent them to Wal-Mart with instructions to get supplies for them. Top on the list was clean underwear, shorts and T-shirts. He also told them to pick up food, LOTS of food and drink, that they could eat in the car. The would meet them outside Salisbury on the way to the Bay Bridge.
The group was on the road by eight in the morning. Joe and Linda were exhausted, having been up all night, but two women volunteered to drive and both Suburbans had navigation devices in the glove box-es. At least the Mob had nice stuff, and they knew they would have disabled the GPS transmitters in the car. After a short drive, they arrived in Salisbury and followed Anna's Navigator to a nearby park. The parking lot was deserted and the bathroom was open. As soon as they parked, the women were out. Anna laid out clothes options on the hood of the car, and the ladies grabbed their sizes and went into the bathroom. The mood was festive, now that they were really out and feeling normal again most of the women were riding high. It had also helped that they had a burner cellphone in each car, so the women had taken turns calling their mates. If their Alphas weren't so exhausted, the squeals and cries would have woken them up; as it was, they had to keep reminding each other to keep it down. Reunions were on their minds.
As they loaded back up, three of the girls asked if they could ride with Enrique and Anna. Lois, Jennifer and Robin were allowed in, the new van wasn't as spacious with all their gear in bags, but there was plenty of room for the three of them. Anna was going to rest the first shift while Enrique drove, so she moved to a seat behind the girls to lay down. "So, ladies, why did you want to come with us?"
The girls looked at each other before Lois spoke up. "We don't want to go to the other pack. We can't."
Enrique looked in the rear view mirror at them. "Why not? Don't you want to get back home?"
Jennifer looked at her hands. "That's just it, we have no homes. Our mates were kicked out of our packs while we were being held. They are rogue now, and they can't risk coming to Pack lands to get us."
Anna put her hand on her shoulder. "Did they say why they were kicked out?"
Robin looked back. "My David left his patrol assignment when they told him to go pick up a package."
"My Alex stole a car from the Pack garage in order to complete a job." Lois looked at her hands.
"John punched the Beta when he told him that it was his fault I got taken, and he didn't deserve a mate he couldn't protect."
Anna laughed. "I think I like your mate." Using the bond, she contacted Joe and filled him in on what was going on. "All right, so he agreed we will keep you with us for now, in fact we won't even go with them into the mountains. Do you think your husbands can get a flight out here?" All nodded. "Have them fly into Dulles and we will pick them up tonight. You can have them rent a car to drive home, even fly if they bring your ID along."
"Maybe we weren't clear enough," Lois said. "We don't want to be rogues, and we can't go back home when our mates aren't welcome. We want to join the Nightmare pack."
Thurmont Pack, Maryland
Alpha's Office
Ron barged into his Alpha's office without knocking, which normally would get him in trouble, but one look at his face and Alpha Nichols knew it was important. "Leave us." The three Pack members immediately got up and left, nodding respectfully at their Beta as they exited the office. As soon as the door was closed, Ron asked his Alpha to turn on Fox News. He picked up the remote from the corner of his desk and turned on the flat screen over the small bar area on the far side as Ron took a seat on a chair by his desk.
"FIRE DESTROYS MOB BOSS'S ESTATE." The title was under the reporter standing in front of an FBI crime scene tape, and the Alpha turned up the volume. "Sources tell Fox News that the fire was intentionally set last night, and dozens of bodies have been found inside. There is no official confirmation, but reports are that both Victor and Sammy Torchelli's bodies are in the house. If this is true, the Torchelli crime family has come to a violent end." He muted the TV, which was now showing a helicopter view of the smoldering ruins.
"So?" Alpha looked at his Beta.
"So, Linda said the Nightmare pack was from the Southeast. The only Alphas I know down there are from the Gila pack, so I called and spoke to Alpha Renee Hastings." He sat forward. "She hadn't heard of the Nightmare pack either, but she knew a Linda. Her mate is Joe Miller. She's Black Ker."
Alpha Nichols jumped to his feet, his chair smashing into the file cabinets behind him. "BLACK KER? Fuck me sideways. She took out the Luna of the Telluride pack a few weeks ago."
"Yes, we've gotten the updates from the Council. She is to be shot on sight, her mate is wanted dead or alive. Every Pack wolf that has tried to capture them has died. There's a reward too."
