Visiting an old “friend”

*Tjeck*

 I’m riding on the back of Kattie's motorbike. She insisted on driving, claiming that the bike is easier to maneuver through the woods than my car. The idea of using motorbikes came from Clay when he arrived. Adis managed to obtain two bikes, and Kattie is just as thrilled about them as the guys are. Both cars and motorbikes makes it easier to transport stuff, than running in wolf form.

 Our first stop in the search for Toph, or Christopher as he goes by now, is the Noble estate. Kattie hangs back as I knock on the large oak door and wait.

 A young she-wolf opens the door, her gaze fixed on the ground the entire time.

 "Good afternoon, miss. I'm looking for Mr. Noble." I don’t think it’s wise to ask directly for Christopher since this isn’t his home.

 "The Alpha isn't home," she replies meekly.

 "What about his son-in-law?" I ask, unsure if Christopher has adopted a last name since moving back to the city. "Do you know where I can find him?"

 "At his office in the casino," she says, still maintaining her humble demeanor. "Or at his own mansion just down the road." She points.

 We decide to head to his mansion first. The young she-wolf who opens the door there is much more assertive and informs us that Christopher was indeed at the casino, leaving her all alone. "So if the gentleman is thirsty, he’s welcome to come inside for a bit." She bites her lip, glancing at me through her lashes.

 Kattie rolls her eyes and grabs my arm, pulling me away. "Oh no, he doesn’t have time for a cheap skank like you. We have business to attend to."

 "Well, well. Someone seems a bit jealous," I say with a grin, waving at the girl at the door. Not that I had any real interest, but I can’t deny the thrill Kattie’s reaction gives me.

 She hisses at me. "I couldn’t care less who you sleep with, but I’m not standing here waiting for you. We have things to do."

*****

 At the casino, we are met by two guards who refuse to let us in. "Go tell Christopher we want a word with him," Kattie says, sounding irritated. In this tourist area, proper decorum isn’t as strictly enforced, but our attire gives us away, and we are clearly unwelcome.

 "Tell him it’s about Sarah," I add.

 At the mention of her name, the guards snap to attention. One of them immediately presses a button, announcing that a man and a young she-wolf wish to see Christopher. I hear his voice through the speaker, exactly as I remembered it from ten years ago… sharp and powerful. "Names?"

 "It’s Tjeck and Kattie," I say, stepping forward to speak into the intercom, knowing he can hear me. There’s no hesitation in his response. "Send them up."

 A secretary greets us and opens the door to Christopher's office. He sits in a large armchair, looking relaxed in an expensive suit with a genuine gold watch. He is definitely not the man I once sank my teeth into in battle.

 "Sit down," he gestures toward two ordinary chairs opposite him. I immediately notice the gun on the table in front of him… likely placed there in our honor. "So, you have information about my Sarah?"

 "Yeah, I’d say so," Kattie replies, crossing her arms over her chest. "But first, I’d like to point out that we didn’t pay Sunny to take her."

 "Really? Because it seems odd to me that one day two pack members from The Eagles show up here, claiming to know who I am, and three days later my fiancée goes missing." Christopher leans forward, placing his hand on the gun. "You two happen to be the only ones who know what I did."

 "We didn’t even know you were still in the city," I defend ourselves, wondering who else has visited him. "If we wanted revenge, we would have come for you directly. We wouldn’t let an innocent girl pay the price for you."

 "I’m not stupid." Christopher’s glare is fierce. "You’re both older now and much stronger. Don’t you think I’ve been waiting for this day?"

 "Which day?" Kattie asks. "If you’ve been waiting for your fiancée to disappear, shouldn’t you have been protecting her better?"

 "Kattie!" I shoot her a warning glare. She needs to keep her cool. "Let’s pretend you believe us for a moment." I turn my attention back to Christopher. "If I say Amber, you know who I’m talking about, right?"

 "Amber? Wasn’t she the girl who fanned the sparks between Adis and Zombie into a raging fire before getting herself killed?" Christopher leans back, keeping the gun in his hand. "What does she have to do with my Sarah?"

 "Well, as far as we know, nothing except that they look almost identical." I respond casually. "Same face, same eyes, even the same beauty mark on her ear. The only difference is that your Sarah has many more scars on her body than Amber ever managed to get, which is odd considering her upbringing."

 "How do you know that? No, wait, I forgot who I'm talking to; I’d rather not know." He shakes his head, looking as though he’s about to say more.

 I cut in, "I saw her body when I treated her injuries after Adis found her in the woods. Have you ever seen her naked?"

 "Of course not! She’s a daughter of a Catrista high pack; she can hardly be alone with me before we’re married, and she’s always very demurely dressed," he replies.

 "So demurely that you’ve never noticed her neck or wrists?" Kattie glares at him. "Was she a freaking nun or what?"

 Christopher’s face betrays that he knows exactly what we’re talking about.

 "I’ve never seen so many scars from torture, violence, and rape on one body before," I tell him angrily. "Not even in the underworld, and we live in a constant state of pending war."

 "I didn’t know." Christopher moves to the edge of his chair. "I swear I didn’t know. I thought it was just her hands… that he tied her up when she didn’t comply."

 "And tried to strangle her with a rope?" Kattie interjects. "What a nice father you must have thought him to be."

 "If I had known, I would have run away with her." Christopher looks at me earnestly. "I promise he will never get a chance to hurt her again."

 "Of course he won’t, because she isn’t coming back home," Kattie responds. "She woke up without any memory of who she is. She doesn’t remember you, her father, or the name Sarah. All she knows is that someone hurt her badly."

 "What?" Christopher asks, falling back into the chair, looking shocked. "She doesn’t know…"

 "We don’t know why. There’s no indication that she hit her head in a way that should cause it, but she doesn’t want to come home. She won’t risk returning to the abuse," I tell him calmly.

 "And where is she now? At least let me see her. Let me remind her of who she is, and then she can make up her mind," he replies.

 "She’s with Adis," I say, studying my nails. They need a trim. "She’s an almost exact copy of the she-wolf he loved and buried. He wouldn’t let anyone say anything that could make him lose her too. Sorry."

 "And now she’s running around thinking she’s his girlfriend? Is that what you’re telling me?" Christopher stands up. "If he’s touched her..."

 "What then?" I look at him. "What exactly would you do about it?"

 "He hasn’t lied to her," Kattie interjects as she stands up too. "He’s just given her the same name. She knows very well that she’s only just arrived with us."

 "I’m begging you. Let me see her," Christopher says, sitting down again and resting his head in his hands. If I didn’t know him, I might feel sorry for him. "You have no idea what her father is capable of. He will tear the underworld apart to find her."

 "Well, then you’ll just have to stop him, won’t you?" I look at him, challenging him. After a long silence, I get up. "If you show your face in the underworld, I’ll have to turn you in for what you did."

 "On what grounds? It would be your word against mine, and I still have a tattoo that grants me certain rights." Christopher’s gaze challenges me.

 "I bear the same tattoo as you," Kattie points out. "And, contrary to you, I have allies in the underworld."

 "Zombie would side with me, and since you would be the one turning me in, it would come down to who they trust more: an unstable young she-wolf or me."

 Christopher has switched back to being Toph just like that… the beta who always knows what to say and still sees me and Kattie as kids.

 "I wonder who they’re going to believe," I say, leaning over the table toward him. "The man who ran away and lived in exile for ten years, or us?" I hold his gaze for a few seconds. "If you had kept yourself updated, you would know I took over as Alpha of the Eagles two years ago. My words carry far more weight than yours now."