“Aksel Sigfodr is a key player in Chicago politics. He also has ties to the criminal underworld, but no one’s been able to pin any crime on him or his family.”
Emma arched an eyebrow. “So he’s part of the mob?”
Patrick shrugged. “Who the fuck knows? Organized crime has never been my specialty. Reed’s people seem to think he might have some information on the staff’s possible location.”
“And that would be enough to bring the Dominion Sect to Chicago?”
“Yeah. More than enough.”
“Well, fuck,” Leon said. “Is this going to turn into another crazy sacrifice mess?”
“Now you’ve jinxed us,” Wade muttered around a mouthful of strawberry Pop-Tart as he returned to the living room.
Jono looked over at Patrick. “When do you have to be in Chicago?”
Patrick grimaced. “I fly out tonight. Setsuna signed off on sending me to Chicago under the guise of a different case. Something about a corrupt candidate that needs looking into. I’m to meet with Sigfodr separately.”
“Sounds like regular old Chicago politics to me,” Sage said dryly. “Why would the SOA need to get involved?”
“I’ll find out when I read the file and get there.”
“Who’s going with you?”
“You know I don’t have a partner. I’m going by myself like I always do.”
Sage shook her head. “That might’ve worked before you declared our god pack, but not anymore.”
“I’m traveling under SOA jurisdiction.”
“Pack law still matters. You’re going to need to ask for pass-through rights from the Chicago god pack. Since you’re one of our pack’s alphas, whether or not you’re a werecreature, you shouldn’t go alone.”
“I’m trying my hardest not to have the rest of the SOA know about my pack. As a government agent, it puts my cases in jeopardy to have so obvious a bias. Me waltzing into Chicago with a request to talk to the god pack alphas there isn’t good PR for my agency.”
Jono frowned, the worry in his eyes easy enough to read. “I’m with Sage on this one, Pat. I don’t like you going alone.”
“You can’t come with me. I leave all the time for my job, but right now, we can’t afford for you to be missing from our territory. One of us needs to stay.”
The borders they claimed were still too fragile, and Estelle and Youssef weren’t going to stop testing them. As much as Patrick hated not being able to have Jono with him, he disliked it even more that he’d have to leave Jono behind for the duration of this mission. He wouldn’t put it past Estelle and Youssef to strike while he was gone.
Patrick trusted their own pack and a handful of their allies; he just didn’t trust anyone else.
Sage pulled the straw away from Marek’s mouth and set the potion bottle aside. “I can’t go. I have a motion for summary judgment due on Friday, and I’m crunched for time as it is.”
“Sorry,” Marek mumbled.
Sage leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips. “Not your fault.”
“I can go,” Wade said.
“You have class,” Patrick reminded him.
Wade shrugged. “I’ll get my therapist to write a note and excuse me. Worked during December.”
“You’re still making up classwork from December.”
“I’m still pack. I can go.”
Patrick would’ve preferred Wade stay in New York and keep working toward getting the equivalent of his high school diploma. But choice was a big thing for Wade, and it was something Patrick refused to take away from him. Wade had spent four years fighting to the death as entertainment for the rich. He hadn’t known what he truly was after being kidnapped and enslaved by the god Tezcatlipoca. Wade’s ignorance was the only reason the immortal had been able to keep control of the teenager over the years.
Being free didn’t mean life was immediately easy. Wade still saw a therapist weekly to help him work through years of trauma. Getting to have control over his life and make choices was an integral part of his recovery. Patrick and Jono might set limits for the safety of the pack, but they were careful about giving Wade orders because they both understood losing bodily autonomy in a way most people didn’t.
“I think you should take Wade,” Jono said after a brief pause.
Wade fist pumped the air before pulling out the second Pop-Tart from the silvery wrapper. “I’ve always wanted to try a Chicago-style hot dog.”
“Of course you’d make it about food,” Patrick muttered as he stood.
“You can call me if you have any pack law questions,” Sage said.
Emma smoothed her hand over Marek’s messy hair before clearing her throat. “I’m pissed you kept this from us, but I get it. The gods don’t give you a choice about what you’re allowed to share. If you need backup, I can send some of our pack along with you.”
Patrick wasn’t close to anyone in Emma’s pack outside the core leadership. He liked them well enough—everyone was loyal to her and Leon—but he couldn’t afford for knowledge of his ties to immortals to get out into the general public.
“Thanks for the offer, but Wade should be enough help. If shit goes down, he’s a good ace in the hole. No one expects a dragon as backup.”
“Just like no one expected the Spanish Inquisition,” Wade said with a snicker.
“You are banned from watching any more Monty Python.”
Jono snorted. “Now you’re asking for the gods to throw a spanner in the works.”
Patrick shrugged. “I expect that on a daily basis.”
“What time does your flight leave?”
“Six o’clock,” Patrick replied, remembering to use civilian time. “I need to go home and pack.”
Wade frowned. “I need to pack. Do I even have a suitcase?”
“Yes,” Jono said. “We found one when we cleaned out your apartment last month.”
“Right.”
“Pack a jacket. You need to act like Chicago is cold. It’s February and it’s still snowing over there,” Patrick told him.
Wade made a face
