Alpha Convict - Burgov Series I

6. Sasha

Watching that train wreck of a man from across the street having his hands restrained behind his back was something, maybe not entirely satisfying, but at least it gave me a sense of justice. I would much rather have my best friend beside me and gossip, go for the run, or even cook together, than this. But I still hold onto hope that she's somewhere out there. It's fading with every passing minute that she's missing, but until there is still a sliver of possibility I must think positive. But if facts turn out to be the ugliest shade of my fears the only thing I can do for her is to make sure that the mystery behind her disappearing would see the daylight. And that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

Alpha Van Woert was glaring at me with a deep rooted hatred when the League's men were packing him to the back seat of one of their SUVs. But I wasn't afraid anymore. There's nothing he can do that I don't expect from him, and I believe that the fear comes from the element of surprise, but when you expect every bad outcome possible it suddenly loses its power. Therefore Benson VanWoert lost his power to scare or intimidate me.

When the SUV with tinted windows drove past me I adjusted the collar of my jacket and wrapped my arms around myself to keep away the cold wind and I started going back to my home. Well, my most likely, temporary home. I have no idea what we're going to do, but we can always live among humans. That would make us somehow targets for every hunter on the loose, but it's not impossible.

Once I opened the door to my home Jinx and Bummer greeted me with their happy jumping and barking making me glad that I still have at least them to bring this effortless joy into my life. But that ends there. The further I went into the cottage the more tension I could feel in the air.

Yesterday, just after the call, Vanya informed our Father that we would most likely need to move once again. Father didn't react in any way. He just kept on eating his dinner as if he hadn't heard what my brother said, but that night after I heard a squeak of window opening and I peeked into Father's bedroom I noticed he was gone. For a moment there I thought he finally abandoned us, but when he showed up this morning for breakfast like nothing ever happened I started thinking that maybe he too had some unfinished business in the Pack. But what could it be? Say bye to his drinking buddies, if he had any at all?

Ilia wasn't too fond of sorting through the things he gathered for the last two years either. But at least this time I noticed he was acting a lot more mature. There were no tantrums or shouting. My fifteen-year-old brother was acting like an actual adult. His grunts and one word answers made it perfectly clear that he still wasn't a fan of the situation we entangled ourselves with, but it didn't look like we would have to take him by force from the home this time.

I have a feeling that despite what he says, our discovery shook him up hard. Claudia wasn't his best friend, but she was at least a close acquaintance. They spent more than one evening together, when she was staying in our home for the night and I know Ilia's heart well enough to decipher when he lets someone in. Claudia was definitely in his inner circle, and I'm glad my baby brother finally started showing a back bone of a man our Mother wanted him to become.

Strangely it was Vanya who worried me the most. Not because he made me feel in any way guilty that our situation is drastically changing for the worse, but because he once again took the whole world on his shoulders. First thing in the morning he left the house and I know he went straight to the bank, withdrawing almost all of our money.

How do I know that? Because he made me co-owner of the account and whenever there was a transaction bigger than two thousands I got a notification.

And the worst of all, before I left the house to see VanWoert meeting his well-deserved moment, I wanted to check on my brother. But he wasn't anywhere to find, just as a bunch of his stuff. I bet he was covering us financially by cashing most of our savings, which wasn't a lot, and selling anything that was worth anything.

The guilt. It pained me just as much as losing my friend. Over one event I once again lost the most important woman and more or less comfortable life. History really does repeat itself.

I dragged my feet to my bedroom, where since yesterday I packed most of my belongings in three boxes. It wasn't a lot, clothes in one, books in the other and the third for the heirlooms, the last palpable pieces of my Mother. It was almost sad that seventeen, almost eighteen years of my life could be packed in just three boxes, but it is what it is. At least it will be easier to move this time.

I sighed loudly looking at the bare walls and went back to the kitchen. We may not have tomorrow in this place, but at least we still have today, so I should show my gratitude to both my brothers by at least preparing something special. Things tend to look slightly better on a full stomach.

I started kneading dough and at the same time stirring the filling. The steam combined with a cramped space of my kitchen made a few drops of sweat appear on my forehead, which I quickly wiped with my slave each time I felt them. But it was worth it. I know just how much my brothers love my Pirozhki, so if I receive at least one approving moan that would be a win. A small victory, but at the times like this I can't be too picky.

I was in the middle of forming a small buns when a doorbell rang followed by barking of my two furry companions. My hands froze mid air, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. Neither of my brothers would bother with using a bell, they would just simply come inside. Norvin always texted me before showing up, and I definitely wasn't expecting Claudia to appear out of nowhere, that would be too good to be true.

Vanya never invited anyone over, and Ilia usually went out to meet with his friends, because he knew how I felt about Jackson. That means that's probably someone from the Pack House.

Crap. They worked faster than we expected. And why do I have to be home alone when that happens?

I washed my hands and slowly went for the doors, trying to push my boys to the back. But once I opened the door I was surprised by an unknown man with a welcoming smile standing there. He looked kind of familiar, maybe it was one of the men I saw this morning in front of a Pack House?

"Hi, I'm Noah Quentin, an investigator sent by the League. Is this the Burgovs residence?" - he asked with a polite smile.

"Y-yes." - I answered hesitantly feeling oddly self-conscious that I'm alone. For f**k's sake, I was almost eighteen and here I was shivering at the thought of a strange man on my doorsteps.

"I believe it was Mister Ivan who called me. Is he by any chance home?" - the man that introduced himself as Noah asked with once again a polite smile, but there was something unsettling behind his facade. Or maybe I was just paranoid at this point.

"N-no." - I answered like a frightened little pup, but at the same time my eyes settled on the figure coming from behind the investigator's back and I almost breathed in relief. - "Actually, there he is."

Mister Quentin turned to look at my brother and his smile widened even more making his face look like a comedy clown mask. Not very good may I add.

"Wonderful." - he said and we waited those few tense seconds before Vanya reached us. - "Mister Burgov, I presume?" - he asked Vanya and my brother nodded, sending me a worried glance, but once I answered with a short nod, assuring him that I was alright his eyes moved back to our guest.

"That's right, mister…"

"Quentin. Noah Quentin. I was sent by the League to investigate your notification." - Vanya nodded, keeping his face as expressionless as ever. - "I have a few questions concerning this case, can I come in?"

"Of course." - my brother said, motioning with his hand towards the door. I stepped aside letting the two of them come inside and while I was waiting for them to pass me, my eyes landed on the mirror and my reflection almost made me laugh.

I looked like a crazy woman, the fact that Investigator Quentin hadn't laughed in my face spoke highly about his professionalism. My hair was a mess, most of the strands sticking out of the braid. My cheeks were all flushed. And don't even get me started on the fluor smeared over my entire forehead and left cheek. I wouldn't take myself seriously, that's for sure.

I used the moment both men spent on taking off their coats to make my personal mess slightly less messy and then I followed them to the dining room where Vanya offered Mister Quentin a proper place to sit and spread his folder on the table.

By the time our unexpected guests had all of his papers in order I joined them by the table with three mugs of steaming tea.

"So Mister Burgov, I wanted to let you know your suspicions were correct and my men indeed found a lot of blood in Alpha VanWoert's car. However I have a few things that need to be straightened up." - Mister Quentin said once again with a smile, which now that I think about it, was highly inappropriate while investigating missing person filling or potential murder.

"Go on then, but I'd like my sister to be here, she was the one who discovered Claudia's… Miss Montgomery's disappearance, I simply made a call since she's not of age yet." - Vanya said matter-of-factly and our guest looked at me curiously and nodded.

"Alright then." - he said, glancing down at his papers. - "You stated that the last time you saw Miss Montgomery was on Friday night. Do you remember what time exactly?"

I sent Vanya a cautious look, but my brother's stoic expression gave me just a little bit of courage I needed to get through this.

"Well, she joined us for dinner, like she often did. We usually sat by the table at 7 pm. just after my brother got back from work. We ate, she helped me clean and we chatted for a while, and I think it was around 9:30 when she left." - I said.

"And that was the last time you heard from her?" - Mister Quentin asked, not even looking at me, he was too busy with making notes. And let me tell you, his pen was going so fast on that piece of paper that I was expecting it to burst into flame at any second now.

"N-no. Not exactly. She sent me a text when I was going to sleep. It was shortly after midnight."

He shuffled with the stack of his documents and pulled one up.

"A, yes. The one informing you that she found her mate in Alpha VanWoert, is that right?"

"Yes."

"May I see it?" - he asked.

I nodded and started pulling the phone out of my jeans pocket, trying to take a grip iver my trembling hands. I showed him the text and a chain of my one-sided messages desperately asking Claudia to contact me.

"I would need to contact your operator to make sure there was no forgery, would it be alright?" - he asked, glancing at me from under his too-perfect brows.

"Of course, if that'll help you in any way."

Another seemingly pleased smile crept on his thin lips.

"Is there anyone who could have sent that on her behalf?"

It took me a moment to come up with why exactly he would ask such a strange question.

"You think that's not true?! That someone is blaming her disappearance on the Alpha?" - I asked, feeling somehow offended by the mere insinuation.

"No. But it's my job to overrule every possibility." - he answered with yet another smile.

I gritted my teeth with annoyance, because his stupid smiling face was making me angry for some reason.

"No! Claudia had her phone protected by password, and not even I, her best friend, knew it. So it was definitely her who sent it."

He nodded, accepting my answer and obviously letting go of my annoyance. Maybe that was his tactics to make someone lose his cool, because that's probably when the most secrets are spilled.

"And the next day you had an unpleasant encounter with Alpha VanWoert? Did he look somehow unusual?" - he asked, smoothly going to another part of our statement.

"Nothing unusual, but he was definitely intoxicated. However, in his case that's nothing unusual."

Mister Quentin glanced at me for a longer moment leaning his head on his fist.

"You're not too fond of him, are you Miss Burgov?"

"It's not that I hold any grudge, I just don't approve of neglecting his duties and Pack, that's all."

"I see." - he said, glancing back down at dozens of his papers. How can he already have so much written? - "And on Sunday morning you started looking for Miss Montgomery."

I nodded. - "That's right. After I hadn't heard from her I went to her apartment in the Pack's Compound, but she wasn't there. So I returned back home and tried to track her phone with the 'Where's my phone' app, and that's how I stumbled upon Alpha's car."

"U-hum, and you asked your younger brother to try his unusual sense of smell."

"Yes and he recognized Claudia's scent." - I confirmed.

"Is he here by any chance?" - Mister Quentin started looking around the living room and down the corridor where the bedrooms are.

"Unfortunately, no."

He sighed loudly and gathered his papers adjusting them over the table top with a loud thud.

"I'm going to be honest with you two. That's not enough to lock Alpha VanWoert for good. We took him for standard forty-eight hour questioning, but if we don't find more on him, he'll most likely walk out." - he said and my mouth immediately fell open.

"What?! But…" - he stopped my rant even before I spread my verbal wings.

"As od this moment he's arrested, but since we only have a text message Miss Montgomery sent to you, Miss Burgov, and your brother word stating that's her blood in the car… well, those are the evidence that any lawyer would easily challenge. And if I may be honest, they would probably brush it on the hostility towards Alpha VanWoert."

"But… but… How can it be? He did it, and yet he will walk out freely?" - I asked, feeling how my nose started tingling but I pushed the feeling to the back of my head. No, not this again, not another unpunished murderer. I won't have it!

So all of this was for nothing? He will walk out, and my family will either way lose a place to live? Where's the justice in that?" - I muttered mostly to myself watching the shiny table too as if there was an answer. Spoiler alert, there wasn't.

"I wouldn't want that." - suddenly Mister Quentin spoke making me look up at him - "The young man I met today gave me the feeling that he could be what you accuse him of. But without solid proof I have nothing on him. And to my disappointment we haven't found enough DNA in Miss Montgomery's apartment to have it match with the blood from the car. Either someone cleaned the place up, or she was a neat freak." - he said apologetically and for the first time his smile faded. At last he's taking it seriously. Finally.

"It could be either. Claudia liked to keep her things in order." - I said with a sad smile remembering how many times she told me to put all of her stuff in their rightful place. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a slob by any means, but Claudia and cleaning were like an actual couple, with a strong and solid relationship. That's why she often cleaned Ilia's room, because she simply couldn't bear the thought that behind those doors was a massive mess.

I started thinking if I got something of hers that could be helpful, but what exactly could I offer? We haven't made friendship bracelets from our hair. But as disgusting as that idea sounds, I'm totally doing this with everybody I care about from now on.

But then I saw the light at the end of that tunnel.

"The blood!" - I shouted suddenly.

Mister Quentin and my brother both looked at me as if I was insane.

"Yes, we already secured Alpha VanWoert's car and the blood in it." - the older gentleman said slowly, already treating me like a mental hospital patient.

"No, no, not that. On Friday, before we came here, she visited the Pack's Clinic. She wasn't feeling well and she wanted to check if she wasn't sick. Maybe they still have her samples." - I said and I watched as a slow smile once again appeared on Quentin's face.

"Well, Miss Burgov, if you're right this might be everything I need."

"Good, good." - I muttered in relief. - "But what about looking for her? Maybe he's keeping her somewhere?"

Quentin's brows knitted together and he started looking rather uncomfortable. I waited with a bated breath for his next words, even though I was fairly positive I wouldn't like them.

"I'm sorry Miss Burgov, but the amount of blood in the trunk would indicate that she wouldn't make it."