Cooper (18 page)

"I was sworn to secrecy, on pain of death. I was told if I could produce a son I would assure my place in the Inner Sanctum, not just on the Board. And though we tried, it never happened. In the end we went to fertility specialist and Gloria finally became pregnant. But you were as much a failure as no child at all, and fertility treatments never worked again… So you became my downfall. You stole my chance at ultimate power! You!" There was foam at the corners of his mouth and his eyes were growing wild. Had he finally gone over the edge?

"Where does he live? He wants me dead and I need to end his life before that happens." She spoke slowly, as if to a madman, lifting her head to stare intently into the monster's eyes.

“
End his life? You? You don't have it in you. Now
,
don't just sit there asking stupid questions all day. Get me out of here!” He flew to his feet and lunged for her, his chains forgotten. But like a dog reaching the end of its leash, he slammed to a sudden stop, moaning in pain.

“I can’t get you out of here unless I can find him. Please...you have to help me, so I can help you.” Amy cowered back on the metal chair, trying to maintain her fearful persona. But the longer she had to spend in the madman’s company, the more she wondered how she could ever have been afraid of him.

She was reminded of that cupboard in Harry Potter where a person’s greatest fear was to be found. Only the ridiculous spell could destroy it. And that was what was happening now. She didn’t see a terrifying man in front of her, she saw a ridiculous bully who was so stupid he didn’t realise just how completely he was being played.

“I don’t know where he lives! That's the problem. He lives in seclusion. Gloria's mother was little more than a brood mare to him. He was no partner to her. No husband. He didn’t live with her. Just set her up in a luxurious house and visited her like a mistress. That's what all the Alphas do to maintain the position. Because it’s a hereditary role, unlike places on the Board and Inner Sanctum." He collapsed back onto the mattress in defeat.

"What does he look like?" she pressed.

Hays had to give her something she could use to locate the Alpha. Her grandfather’s voice had sounded upper-class English, but with a slight accent she couldn't quite place. It was as if he was born somewhere else and educated in a British grammar school.

"Like your mother. White hair, even when he was younger. He must be in his seventies by now. I haven't seen him for many years. He's very tall and scarecrow-thin. But elegant with it, like those English aristocrats can be. They call that look metrosexual now, don’t they?"

"So you don't know how mother contacts him?"

"I didn't know she
was
in contact with him,” Hays said in exasperation, rolling his eyes at her like she was a fool who should already know these things. “He supposedly washed his hands of us years ago. Are you saying your mother is a party to this? That she was involved in bringing me here?"

Amy had gained all the information she was going to get, and she felt sick to her stomach just listening to him. No wonder he abused a child. That was all cowardly, insecure bullies like him
could
do.

Standing, Amy drew herself up to her full height, so she could look down her nose at him. "No, Mr Hays. In fact, Ackerman had nothing to do with bringing you here. That was me, the Scorpio Sons and the Résistance. You'll learn more about them shortly when you are tried for your crimes against humanity."

"You? But you’re Guild. Why would you care about my crimes against the cattle on this planet?"

She smiled sweetly, but knew her eyes would have been anything but sweet in that moment. "For years you have berated me for not being good enough. You claimed I wasn't your child. Couldn't be, even if the DNA tests said otherwise. Well, you were right. I'm
not
your child. I'm a genetically engineered human. Let me introduce you to my mate."

She went to the door and asked Cooper to step in. He prowled into the room like a caged animal; his cat so close to the surface she wondered briefly what would happen if Cooper killed Hays before he got to trial. Would her mate be in trouble?

"In 1988 the Guild were carrying out experiments in gene therapy. They bio-engineered clones, using panther DNA; gestating a hundred of them in their labs at one time. They were to be the Guild's very own army. But, for as long as you have existed, there has been a group of humans who have tried to bring you down. One of those men was involved in the experiments and made sure those baby super-soldiers got as far away from the Guild as possible. He manufactured females with that panther DNA, too. But he left them as embryos, which were sent out into the world at the same time the labs were shut down. One of those embryos ended up in your wife's womb. So you were right all along. I am the cuckoo in your nest." She smiled toothily.

"And now you'll face justice for your crimes, and I'll replace you as head of your company. I may even make it to the Board. If Rothmen's wife can do it, why can't I?"

"Are you mad? Let me out of here this instant. Amy, you've gone too far this time. When I'm free I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" He rushed at her again, but the chains kept him in place.

That’s when Cooper turned cat. She felt it seconds before her own cat also fought to be free. He lunged at Hays, faster than the eye could see, and had him two feet off the ground, his hand clamped around Hays' throat.

Flailing helplessly, Hays tried to draw breath.

Fearful of the consequences, Amy rushed to Cooper's side and placed a cautioning hand on the arm that held the monster in a death grip. "Let him go, Coop. He doesn't deserve the sudden death you're giving him. He has to see what's coming. He has to squirm. Let him go. He can't hurt me anymore."

Slowly, Cooper relaxed his hold and let Hays slide down the wall. Then he took a swift step back and strode for the door. Amy knew better than to try to detain him. He was so close to killing this man. If he didn't get out of here now, he might lose the last of his control and not even she would be able to stop him.

"What
are
you?" Hays croaked out, holding onto his throat as he gasped in air.

"I told you.
We're
the superior race created by your so-called superior race. Now we fight to destroy your kind. I'll go now. But I'll see you in court shortly. Enjoy your trial. I know I will."

With that, she strode out of the cell with her head held high. She had never felt so powerful in her life, and it had nothing to do with the cat's influence. This was the very human Amy claiming her power. All her choices had led to this moment. And it felt wonderful.

After the emotional roller-coaster ride of confronting Hays in his cell, the trial proved an anti-climax. Hays kept glaring at her while the list of his often horrendous crimes were read out. He barely blinked an eye at the volume of incriminating evidence presented against him. At the end, when he was asked if he had anything he wanted to say in his defence, he simply shook his head, suddenly brought back to the reality of the situation.

That was when he began to blubber and blame everyone else for his crimes. If she hadn't already decided he was a coward, this display would have settled the issue for her. He called out to Amy, begging for her help as he was led away.

"You okay?" Coop asked, placing an arm around her shoulders as her name echoed repeatedly down the corridors leading to the execution chamber.

"Ye...s, I think so. I just don't understand why I feel sorry for him right now. After everything, how can I feel sorry for him?" She looked up into Cooper's compassionate eyes.

"Because you're a kind and empathetic person. It's your greatest strength and your greatest vulnerability. Just don't lose those qualities, okay? They make you the woman I love."

She rested her head on his shoulder for a few moments as everyone began filing out.

"You aren't going to the execution," Cooper said softly, brushing back her hair.

"Telling me what to do, Mr Adams?" she asked with a tired smile.

"In this case I'm playing the mate card. Enough is enough. You don't have to inflict that on yourself as well. His death by electrical charge to the heart will be painful, but fast. That's all you need to know."

She nodded, grateful he'd made that decision for her. Having lived her life having other people make her decisions for her, she hadn't realised how exhausting it was to make them for herself. This one time, she'd let him make it for her.

"Because you need to have that Will validated, the Sons are breaking protocol by leaving the body in a dumpster down by the bay, so it can be found. You need to be able to claim your inheritance."

She sighed heavily and nodded. "Unless my grandfather finds a way to change the Will, or ends my life before I can inherit."

"Now we know who he is – and by the way, that information is a game changer, likely the most significant piece of information we've ever received on the Guild – we'll be onto him before he gets a chance to take action, I promise you."

Though Amy's heart cried out to go home with Coop and sleep for a week at his side, she did what was required of her; heading back to Gloria's house to begin work on her climb to power.

Once back in the limo, she slumped into the seat and stared sightlessly out of the window. She'd hated seeing the expression on Cooper's face when she left him. She hated that her decisions were cutting him into little pieces. But there was nothing she could do. There was too much at stake for them to put their personal needs first.

She'd left her bag in the limo when she went with Cooper, as a precaution. So it was a bit of a surprise when her ordinary cell phone began to ring. She scooped it out of the Prada and frowned when she didn't recognise the caller.

"Amy, so nice to finally talk to you."

Oh, God, it was him. It was her supposed-grandfather. The Alpha. How had he found out her phone number? How had he known to call now and not earlier in the day when she was at the safe-house? Paranoia hit like a baseball bat to her temple.

"I…I'm sorry. Who is this?"

An indulgent laugh at the other end of the line made her skin crawl. "I'm your grandfather, Amy. I just rang to pay my respects. Losing your father is so tragic."

"We don’t know my father is dead yet, so your condolences at this stage are offensive. And you’re claiming to be my grandfather? I didn't know I had one." Fears that he knew about the trial and Hays’ death screamed to life in her head, making her suddenly dizzy and nauseous. The call, so soon after the event, was too well timed to be coincidental.

"Yes, well, my identity has to remain a secret. When you wield the kind of power I do, the less people who know of your existence, the less likely you are to find a knife in your back or a bullet in your head."

"Why would anyone want to do that?"

"For the same reason your mother wants you put down. You threaten her."

"P...ut down? I'm sorry, that's absurd. My mother would never…" Amy tried to sound confident as she lied, but she didn't think it worked.

"Don't play games with me, Amy. You know as well as I do that it is unlikely your father will turn up again. He is yet another member of the Guild to go missing, never to return. And we both know your mother holds no affection for you. Now you stand in her way, what with Hays' Will giving you everything she expected would be hers. What do you want to do about it?"

This sounded so much like his question to Gloria last night that she almost suspected he was quoting it to her, to let her know he knew she'd been listening in. But of course that was impossible. She'd been in the corridor. Only because of her super-hearing had she been able to listen in on that call. And he knew nothing about her abilities.

"I want to
not
be put down, of course. I want to fill the role my father has left,
if
it proves necessary. I want to be mentored by Deirdre Rothmen so I can get the kind of power my father never managed to achieve. The power he kept me from, because I was a girl."

She heard the laughter, as dry as dead leaves, and she shuddered.

"Excellent Amy. Just what I wanted to hear. What if I could give you all that, except for Rothmen's irritating wife's wing to hide beneath? What if I offered to mentor you myself, bringing you in at the highest levels of power? What if I found you a husband who was every bit as ambitious as you seem to be? What a magnificent pair you would make: my legacy to my people."

Wasn’t Gloria supposed to be his legacy?

Suddenly the penny dropped. This call had nothing to do with the trial. This call simply followed up on from the one he’d had with Gloria the night before. He'd wished Gloria was twenty years younger so he could marry her off to this rotten apple in the Guild barrel. When he'd thought about it, he'd clearly realised he actually had just the person to fill that role. After all, Gloria had called Amy
formidable
last night, and that was something his daughter was never going to be, no matter how much training her father gave her. No, he was either changing sides or playing both sides against the other.

But the more Amy considered the two options, the more she could see how useful she could be to her grandfather. Gloria had failed him, but maybe Amy wouldn't.

Good God, she was being offered the chance to reach the very centre of the spider's web. This demonic puppet-master was going to turn her into his replacement. Or her husband into his replacement, if she proved less ruthless than the Alpha hoped.

But Amy had discounted the idea of offering herself up to a Guild male. She was Cooper's mate. Neither of them would handle someone coming between them. That was a path she couldn’t and wouldn’t take.

"Who is this man you wish to marry me off to, and how do I know he'd be amenable to the idea? My parents have been very vocal over the years, pointing out my many physical flaws. Even an ambitious man wants an attractive woman in his bed."

That frightening laugh came down the line again. "My dear, I've seen pictures of you. You are quite the most lovely young woman I have seen in many years. With the right incentive, any man would happily take you to his marriage bed, especially someone like Cameron Haversham Smythe. He has engaged himself to the daughter of a man with some power, thinking it would be enough to get him what he wants. But if the price is right, I am sure he'd be open to a counter-offer from me."

The limo had reached the gates of Hays' property and she noticed that all but one reporter had gone. While the gates slid open, she thought quickily. She needed to let the Sons know of this turn of events and get their advice. It was too important a decision to be made lightly. But on the surface, this did look like the kind of offer she couldn't refuse.

"How do I know you have the kind of power you say you have? You could be some low-level Guild wanna-be."

"Ah, so you aren't as gullible as people think. You have hidden your light under a bushel, haven't you, my dear?"

"I've kept my head down to survive, that's what I've done. The Guild underestimates people like me." Never had she said a truer word, and that must have been conveyed to Ackerman in her voice.

"Survival instincts. The ability to hide in plain sight. The more I get to know you, my dear, the more I know you are the one I've been waiting for. And to answer your question, I will have one of the Inner Sanctum ring you personally. I will tell him to offer you his condolences and a chance to get away from San Francisco for a while. He'll invite you to London. Will that convince you of my power?"

"Yes. Will I meet you there?" she asked, seeing an opportunity to find this man's location.

"It is very likely. I move around a great deal, for obvious reasons. But it would please me greatly to have the opportunity to meet you in person. When you receive the call, come immediately."

With that the phone went dead. She drew her first real breath since the conversation started.

"Are you all right, Miss Amy?" Miguel asked, as he parked the car outside the front door.

"Need I worry about what I say?" she glanced around the limo.

"I removed all the bugs as soon as your father…urm…Mr Hays disappeared. You can speak plainly."

"I'm all right. I think I've just made a bargain with the devil, but I'm all right. It seems my grandfather is the man behind the man behind the curtain. I'm being offered a chance to fast-track to the top of the Guild."

Miguel's eyes opened wide and he let out a loud gust of pent air. "No wonder they went to so much trouble to place you here. Hays never seemed a big enough fish to warrant what we've done to keep you in this family. It now makes sense."

"But how would someone in the Résistance know about this man when ordinary Guild don't even know about him?"

"Our network goes deep, Miss Amy. We're everywhere. It might be that his butler is Résistance. Or maybe a mistress in his past. Who knows? Someone knew and made sure that this big fish got the grandchild he wanted. His move to claim you would have happened sooner than this had you been a boy."

She nodded and shrugged. How interesting that the small, yet significant, piece of information about her embryo had gone astray. The man who arranged for her placement must have been cursing when she was born female. How many more people were going to be disappointed by her?

Amy laughed. She was over worrying about other people's expectations. After years of pop culture, she knew that women were as good as men. The Guild were just a little behind the times, that's all. Now she was going to prove just how wrong they'd been to underestimate women.

She pulled out her cat-phone and felt her heart leap in her chest. She was going to see Cooper sooner than she expected. This information was not something she could share over the phone. Especially as she and Cooper were going to have to have a real heart-to-heart about her being offered up as a bride to this ambitious Guild member. Had the rotten apple registered on the Son's radar yet, or was he as clever as Ackerman seemed to think he was?

When Cooper's voice came on the line, wild with worry, she smiled with gratitude. For all the challenges in their path, there was no doubting this man's love for her. It was causing him unknown amounts of stress, which hurt her greatly, but she couldn't regret it.

"I have news. I need to come in immediately."

"What? Are you okay? Of course. I'll meet you at our spot in half an hour." His machine-gun comments came too fast for any reply on her part, but it wasn't needed.

"See you then."

As Miguel started up the car again, Gloria came flying out of the house, her usually perfect coiffeur somewhat bedraggled. Tearing open the back door of the limo she leaned in and glared at Amy.

"Where have you been? You can't just go off wherever you want, whenever you feel like it. You have responsibilities!"

Amy smiled politely at the enemy. "Where I've been is none of your business. I can go where and when I like. And I have more important responsibilities than sitting and listening to your friends discuss what decorations they're planning to use for their next charity ball. I don't think you get it, mother; I'm taking over from father. Making money is now my only concern."

Gloria's face fell and she took a step back, under the deluge of words. When Amy told Miguel to drive on, the door almost hit Gloria in the side before she hastily scrambled out of the way of the departing vehicle. That stunned expression stayed with Amy all the way to the meeting place.

"Is it wise to poke at her like that?" Miguel asked as they drove.

"She asked her father to have me put down. I think I can poke at her all I want, especially now that her father has jumped ship and joined Camp Amy instead. Won't she be horrified when she finds that out?" Amy felt almost gleeful, which covered her fears about the coming meeting with the Sons.