Caia nodded, and then quickly looked to ensure there was no one around. Then she unbuckled her seat and leaned over, planting a kiss on his cheek quickly before exiting the vehicle.
Gabriel stared after her, his hand rising to gently touch where she had kissed him.
Damn, I love her.
Although it seemed rushed, he wasn't surprised one bit. His bear was absolutely crazy for her; it craved having her near every minute of every hour, and made its unhappiness known when she wasn't around. On top of that, he wanted her around all the time as well, and when they were together everything just felt complete and his life full. Or at least, he amended, full enough until we can have some cubs. The two of them hadn't discussed children yet, but the few comments Caia had dropped told him she was likely as interested in the idea as he was.
The idea of spending his life with Caia and raising their cubs together kept him warm and happy during the entire chilly walk across the courtyard to the Stone Bears garage. He slipped inside an access door and headed toward the offices. Two of the three heavy-duty trucks made especially for their use were missing, letting him know that Raphael and Uriel were likely out on a pickup, which was perfect, because he didn't want them to overhear his phone calls. He knew they were good men, but he didn't want one more person than necessary to be aware of what was going on in Genesis Valley.
Picking up the phone, he dialed the first name.
"Michael here," came the smooth tenor voice of the Alpha of the Whitepines.
"This is Gabriel," he said, before letting him know why he was calling. "I need to know if you've heard any rumors about a new drug in town, or if any of your crew have exhibited signs of increased arrogance, lack of respect for authority, and disregard for personal health."
Michael thought about it for a moment before replying. "No, nothing like that has come across my desk," he replied.
"Okay, make sure to let me know if that changes, or if you hear anything, but don't go asking around either. This needs to remain secret. When I can tell you more, I will," he said, adding the last bit to cut off any inquiry. He didn't want to spend all day on the phone explaining what was going on.
Michael seemed to understand. "Very well. I'll call you if anything changes."
Gabriel thanked him and hung up the phone. He then tried Marcel, Alpha of the Frostclaws, and got the same result, though he wasn't surprised there. The Frostclaws were the clear "B" team in Genesis Valley. They were heads above the next crew, and some days even challenged Michael and his Whitepines for supremacy, but overall they were the second-best crew in the Valley. They were also all polar bears, and preferred the cold. They spent most of their time in the high reaches of the mountains, mining the shafts the other bears would rather not. This also meant that they did not interact with those in the city much, so it came as no surprise to Gabriel that Marcel didn't know a damn thing about what was going on.
Feeling hopeless, he called Ajax. The Emerald Crew was rather well-known for being well behaved, so he wasn't expecting any luck there either.
But Ajax surprised him. "I can't say I've heard of a drug, specifically," he said. "But, I have heard rumblings of something, but not enough to track it down."
Gabriel felt his initial hopes falling.
"There was, however, one of my crew who exhibited those signs. This was several months back, just after the Ridgebacks were formed. One of my crew impersonated me, sending a report to you, saying that I felt Garrett was useless as Alpha of the Ridgebacks, and should be removed in favor of Evan. I ended him, because that was the last straw, but his prior warnings all came about because he was being cocky and arrogant beyond what was the norm for him. I figured it was just because he had been spending more time with the Sapphires and they were rubbing off, but now I wonder if it was more than that."
"I think it's safe to say it was definitely more than that," Gabriel confirmed. "It would line up with everything else that we're discovering, that's for sure."
He heard an unpleasant sounding grunt from Ajax, before he spoke again. "Shame."
"What do you mean?" he asked the Alpha.
"I assumed it was just Alex's personality showing through," he said, naming the ended shifter for the first time. "But if it was a drug, then I am to blame. I could have done something to help him, to get him clean. Instead, I ended his life."
Gabriel grimaced. He hadn't thought of it that way, and now his digging had given Ajax-one of the Alphas he liked most-something that he would probably hold against himself for a long time.
"It's not your fault, Ajax. There is absolutely no way you could have known. Nobody did. And besides," he added, "it was Alex's choice to take the drug in the first place. It wasn't forced on him."
"I hear what you're saying Gabriel, and I appreciate the words of condolence, but that doesn't make this an easier pill to swallow, to put it poorly."
Gabriel winced at the drug reference. "Well, if we get the chance to do something to those that put the pill in his hands, do I have your support?"
The voice that came back was hard enough to snap steel. "Count on it," Ajax snarled, then hung up the phone.
Gabriel sat back in his chair. Something wasn't adding up.
Where was the drug coming from? That was what was bothering him. The Sapphires weren't idiots, but he didn't believe they were smart enough to concoct a brand new drug all on their own. That was just way beyond their capabilities as far as he was aware.
So where was it coming from? Who was supplying it? Was it even being made in the Valley?
He had a feeling he didn't want to know the answer to those questions. That didn't discharge him from his duty to find out, however, and he knew the one person who might know them.
Heaving his large frame to his feet, he sighed deeply and headed deeper into the mansion complex. He was going to have to go ask someone who would know, as little as he might want to.
Reluctantly Gabriel's legs took him toward Marcus's office.
Chapter Ten
Caia
Caia had just finished telling Marcus that she and Gabriel were convinced it was a drug that was causing the problems within Genesis Valley.
Marcus sat back in his chair and contemplated what she had said.
The door into his office, the one that she had never been allowed through, banged open suddenly. She never saw Marcus move, but he was on his feet and halfway to the door before he stopped.
"What in the name of hell do you think you're doing Gabriel?" he snarled.
Caia froze, not wanting to get involved in a fight between the two of them.
"The drug isn't coming from within the Valley. It can't be. It has to be coming from an outside source."
This is what he interrupted for? Anger flared in her brain. Caia had already arrived at the same conclusion. Why couldn't he have let her meet with Marcus herself? This was just as much her case as it was his. Besides, she needed the respect of Marcus more than he did. Caia was still trying to prove herself. Gabriel had had the past eight years to earn that trust. She hadn't had eight weeks!
"I was just about to cover that bit with Mr. Kedyn," she said coolly into the silence as Gabriel wandered over to her side of the desk, warily watching his boss. She forced herself not to smile at Marcus, who looked like he had had his feathers ruffled more than he was willing to admit by Gabriel's entrance.
Something had him on edge, she realized. That couldn't be good.
"Thank you Gabriel, but that will be all," he said, sitting down.
This time Caia did allow herself a little grin as he was summarily dismissed before her and Marcus continued talking.
Serves him right for interrupting, she thought.
"What are your next steps then?" he asked, looking at her directly. "We've already lost one brand new crew to this stuff. I really do not wish to go through the effort of forming and training another one before we have it snuffed out. But at the same time, we're falling behind in our quotas as well. That is not good," he said icily.
Gabriel was just pulling open the door when someone else walked through it first. Caia's heart quickened as she recognized Marcus's brother Valen. The atmosphere in the office became instantly cooler. Valen was nowhere near as social, polite, or willing to put up with his employees as was Marcus. In fact, he spent most of his time out of the office as much as possible, much to the relief of the staff. When he was present, he was generally a walking nightmare.
Caia profusely hoped he wouldn't be long, because she had to ask Marcus a question that she really did not want to, and she feared that Valen would jump all over her if she asked it while he was there.
Marcus explained quickly what she and Gabriel had discovered. She expected Valen to brush it off, but to her utter shock, he exchanged a look with Marcus that reeked of worry.
"What?" she asked, speaking into the silence far more boldly than she felt.
Four eyes swiveled to look at her, imploring her to be silent, but she wasn't going to.
"You know something that you aren't telling the rest of us, don't you? Is this bigger than just the drug?" Their silence did not reassure her. "What does it encompass? If it's so large, why do you have me on it? I'm so new to everything, this is probably way beyond my abilities! What are you not telling us?!" she cried as they continued to look at her in silence.