In his musings, he didn’t pay much attention to where the guards were taking him. They were pushing and poking him anyway so he figured that didn’t require plenty of brain power. One of them pushed Antonio Rufus’ home office door open and the one behind him shoved him. An act that made him bristle for some reason. He stood immobile and turned his head around to look down his nose at the fool. He wanted it clear that if he chose not to move, his shoving would achieve nothing. The man swallowed hard under his cold scrutiny and his eyes darted to his colleagues.
“Move, wolf-boy!” one other guard said in a low menacing tone. Angel directed his steely gaze at him and the man hesitated, not quite sure how to react.
“Come inside, Angel!” Daniel yelled.
“There is hardly any reason to shout, he is not freaking deaf,” Antonio Rufus said, causing Daniel to grow red in the face – mortified. He gave Angel a retributory glare. The thought of the bastard finding out about Nadia and using her against him made him curtail his anger. He strode in and stood in a corner with legs slightly apart. The guards quickly came to flank him again.
“Unchain him…” Antonio Rufus said.
“Father…” Daniel started to object but a silent glare from his old man made him shut his mouth. The two men held each other’s gaze for about a millisecond and then Daniel gestured to the guards to obey. Two of the guards quickly removed the chains around his ankle while one unlocked his cuffs from behind him. Angel rubbed his wrists, directing his eyes to Antonio Rufus.
“Come closer, Angel,” Antonio Rufus said. Angel took a glance at Daniel, the younger man was openly glowering at him. Angel thought if not for the fact that the bastard could kill any of the captives just to make him pay for any slight disrespect, he would have smirked. He stepped forward to stand a few feet from Antonio Rufus' massive desk, wondering how they would react if they knew that the chains were like jewels around his ankles and wrists now, thanks to mating with Nadia. But he knew he could not dare let them know. He might be able to save himself and even manage to escape, but a lot of dead bodies would be in his wake and that was something he wanted to avoid.
“I am certain you must have heard me talking earlier about Alexander Miller’s demise. I know about your hearing ability and I know it must have brought you great joy to know how the poor bastard died. I don’t really care for the man too but he was very useful to me as you very well know. He was supposed to get me important merchandise which he did, unfortunately, the people managing his affairs are imbeciles. His heir, I discovered, is a fucking maniac who thinks he is untouchable. The owners of this merchandise I speak of kidnapped him and now his father’s men are planning to go after them to get him back. I was able to convince them to join forces with us. But that part is not your concern. Why am I telling you this?”
“I was wondering the same damn thing! He is a bloody guard dog!” Daniel exclaimed in anger. “You don’t need him. Let me get my men and come with you, so we can kill all those motherfuckers!”
“One more word out of you, Dan… and I swear!” Antonio Rufus threatened with gritted teeth. His son blanched and took a step back. Antonio Rufus was vibrating with contained anger. Angel watched the display wondering what had happened that got him this way. He was like a volcano only what was inside him wasn’t lava, or perhaps it was. Whatever he had planned for his friend’s men, son, and the supposed owner of this new merchandise must not be good. Especially since he was planning to involve him. Angel tensed up not liking where this was going. Was he going to use him against more innocent people? If whatever retribution he was planning was going to be against Alexander Miller’s family, Angel thought he would enjoy killing every single one of them. They were responsible for most of his kind’s capture and he knew the others would be happy to hear the bastard had died. The information about a new son made him weary though. The bastard might think to follow in his father’s footsteps, and that would not be good for any of them.
“These people have a lair… somewhere in a mountain,” Antonio Rufus continued with gritted teeth. Angel felt his heart slam hard against the wall of his chest. A mountain! Could it be?! “ I know you are not stupid so I am going to lay it all out for you. With or without your help I will go there, get what I want and kill them all. But with your cooperation, I will only get what I paid for—that they stole from me—and retreat. I want you to be in charge of the ten Weres I will choose to come with us. And no, I will not be picking any of your regular guys. I don’t trust them. I don’t trust any of your kind. I only know you would give your life for them, and that, Angel, is what is going to get you killed one of these days. But it is not my headache. Your role is to assist me to get the merchandise, serve as backup security for me and my guards, and make sure I get back home safe. If I don’t return, Daniel and Mathew will kill every single one of your kind left back here. Do you understand me?” Antonio Rufus said, holding his gaze intently.
Angel merely nodded, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing him react. His inside though was twirling with worry. He wanted to know more of his plans and which of the mountains and where it was located, perhaps the new guy could verify if it was the legendary frosty mountain he told them about. But he knew he could not ask. That would be an apparent giveaway. The fact that Antonio Rufus planned to use him against his own kind made him feel sick to his stomach. And what was worse, he could not refuse. Just as he said, they could invade the so-called lair with or without him and could force him to do it by using one of their devices to render him mindless and that would be tragic. He knew the best thing was to play along and hope for intervention.