“Good. Now, if you’re ready, let’s do another scan, okay?”
~/~/~/~/~
After reading the warrant twice, Jackson threw it down on his desk, cursing the judge because he’d signed it without proof thatthe crimes occurred. It wasn’t the first crooked judge who didn’t care about ignoring the law, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“Is it valid?” asked Groose.
Sighing, Jackson replied, “Yeah…it is, unless I can prove Theo’s parents didn’t file a complaint with the Alpha…and the only way I can do that is to get a sworn affidavit or testimony from them.”
“Shit! Can’t you challenge it without getting them involved?”
“I can, but Theo and Norm would have to surrender first…and it would also put me on the defensive since it would be before the same judge who authorized the arrest warrant…and who clearly is in the Ghost Bear Alpha’s pocket. The only real choice I have is to get Theo’s parents to swear they did not file the complaint the warrant is based on.”
“Fuck!” Groose muttered.
“Yeah…that about sums it up,” Jackson said.
“Since the warrant is valid, what do you want me to do with the bounty hunter? Smokey had me lock him up pending his interrogation,” Groose said. “But there isn’t any reason to hold him based on that.”
“Right, but I have every right to hold him for trespassing on my property. He’s a wolf and knows better. The law is very clear on that…he should’ve contacted me for permission first before setting foot on my land.”
“And attacking pack members,” Groose added.
“I’m within my rights to have him put to death for that,” Jackson mused, thinking about which way to proceed. Eliminating the bounty hunter would only result in the Ghost Bear Alpha finding another one willing to capture Theo and Norm. And the nexttime, the two might not be so lucky. The only solution was to get the warrant withdrawn, and in order to do that, he needed Theo’s parents, which meant their rescue had to be soon.
“By the way, he’s also demanding to see you,” Groose said, smirking.
“Fuck him,” Jackson replied. “Tell him I’m busy seeing to my pack members and he’s gonna have to wait.”
Chuckling, Groose rose and said, “Will do, boss. Anything else?”
“Yeah, double up the patrols and keep them close. I doubt there’s another bounty hunter out there, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
“Already done,” Groose said before leaving Jackson’s study.
Leaning back in his chair, Jackson thought about Theo’s parents and what role they might have played in the Ghost Bear Alpha’s getting the warrant. If Ollie was right, Theo’s parents couldn’t have filed a complaint since they’d been locked up in the Alpha’s basement as his slaves for a long time.But what if they agreed to do it to gain their freedom? Or were forced to do it?
Picking up the warrant, Jackson scanned it, looking for the date of its issue. He shook his head in disgust when he realized someone had signed it a month before Ollie saw Theo’s parents chained to the wall. Unfortunately, it didn’t prove that they hadn’t been involved in obtaining the warrant, only that, if it was a deal that would free them, the Alpha hadn’t kept his part of the bargain.
And then there was the whole affair with Arald that Theo’s parents were involved in. No one knew why they’d done that, especially since, according to Ollie, Theo’s parents loved him very much. But Jackson couldn’t ignore what they had done totheir only son. And now, if it turned out that they had signed the complaint, they would be complicit in putting Theo and Norm back in jail again. And that just didn’t jibe with what Ollie had said about them.
That realization led Jackson back to his original conclusion that the only way to void the arrest warrant and protect Theo and Norm was to get a sworn statement from Theo’s parents. And in order to do that, they had to be taken from under the Ghost Bear’s nose. Luckily for him, his pack had the skill to do just that.
Picking up his phone, he sent a text to Dylon and Zane, telling them to meet him in his study in half an hour and bring everything they had about the planned rescue. Then, slipping the warrant into his desk drawer, Jackson rose and headed out of the room to check on Theo and his cub. According to Groose, Ollie had protected Theo from injury, but the cub might not have survived. The stress of Theo’s worry about his cousin’s safety might have affected the cub, and that would mean Smokey would be demanding to kill the bounty hunter—as allowed for by the High Council laws. But that would open up a whole new can of worms that Jackson would prefer to stay closed. He could only hope the lack of a message from Mac requesting his presence meant Theo and his cub were doing fine, but he wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw it for himself.
~/~/~/~/~
Jackson pushed open the door to the hospital room and saw Theo asleep in Norm’s arms while Smokey stoically stood guard next to the bed.Judging by his rigid stance, Jackson could see how close to the surface the grizzly’s anger was. Not wanting to wake Theo, he silently gestured for Smokey to join him in the hallway before walking from the room.
Closing the door quietly behind him, Smokey walked over to Jackson and growled, “Did Groose tell you what the fucking bounty hunter tried to do? I swear I’m going to kill him if anything happens to our cub.”
“Yeah, he did,” Jackson said softly. “How’s Theo and the cub? What did Mac say?”
“Theo’s still recovering from the stress of the attack,” Smokey growled. “Mac said he’ll be fine once he gets some rest.”
“And the cub?”
“He thinks he’ll be okay, but we won’t know for a couple of days. The babe isn’t moving much, and its heartbeat’s a little too fast for Mac’s likin’. Theo has to stay in bed for the next few days to give the cub time to settle down from the whole fucking shitstorm,” Smokey growled. “Norm and I are gonna stay with Theo until the doc gives the all clear.”