Free The Pack-Retribution by LM. Preston

seat next to him. Her chest felt a slight pull from her guilt at disappointing her one champion, her dad. But yet again, she had to do it in order to save them all. Shamira clasped her hands tight against the tremor caused by her final look at Nan’s burning building. It didn’t help her to fake a straight face for the purpose of keeping calm for her father’s interrogation.
    He climbed in, punched several buttons on the dashboard, then took several audible, calming breaths. “Cut off coms. Top Secret discussion—on mute.” He ground through his lips the command to his vehicle’s security system.
    Uh-oh, it’s going to be one of those talks. She sat back in the seat and closed her eyes while she feigned calm.
    “What the hell is going on? And don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m asking you.” The car pulled forward.
    She swallowed slowly to stall for a response. “We were visiting a friend, like I said. Valens had been helping her family.”
    He mumbled, “Yeah right, this is rather far from the movies you told your mother you were heading to.” His fingers squeezed the wheel. “You want to give me the actual reason you were down here? Mysteriously, the same place as the old Monev gaming club Snake Ice used to be?”
    “I know what it looks like, but we wanted to check on Valens’ friend. He thought she might know something. I won’t deny we want to be on the case to find Cal’s killer, and now who blew up the people that lived in that building. But this visit—it was personal.” She blinked back tears, feeling guilty telling a lie to her father.
    “Why do I think you are holding something from me?” He pushed backwards in his seat. “Well, I’m going to be crystal clear here. I know you kids want in, but you are still cadets. You have another two years of advanced, focused training after you graduate. That training doesn’t involve working on active cases in highly dangerous situations.”
    She glanced at him. “That’s not the only way we are useful to the Force. Let’s face it, we have hidden entrée to leads that you don’t have. Those leads shut up when grownups come knocking at the door. Especially the Security Force or the Mars Police, and you know it. I don’t see why we can’t be promoted. It’s what Cal would’ve wanted.”
    “Right now, you guys are not being promoted. You know what your promotion is based on? You staying out of trouble!” His fist hit the wheel in sync with his last words. “Don’t mess this up for yourself or your team. I know you kids aren’t the cause of Cal’s death. Cal made a big mistake. He should’ve taken another Elite with him for your final training. It’s done that way. Always. But knowing him like I do, he felt he could protect you and also felt that you all were more than ready for a promotion.”
    “Do you know if he had any suspicions? Or thoughts that he had to investigate something that was starting up? Like a new copycat to Monev?”
    He laughed. “Why should I spill it to you? Give me something and I’ll give you something.”
    At that moment she knew her dad had more information that he was holding. “You first.”
    He shook his head. “Negative. I’m your father so I call the rules. You spill, then I’ll decide if I want to.”
    “Okay. I think the attack is personal. That it’s an outright attack at the Force—but more specifically on my team. When I downed one of the guys who attacked us, he threatened that there was more to come.”
    Her father nodded and slowed the car in slight traffic as they approached the Force. “Cal didn’t take anyone on your final training session because he wasn’t confident all Monev’s moles within the organization were flushed out.”
    She inhaled a deep breath. “What now?”
    He winked at her. “I’m leaving that up to you, Security Force Leader in training.” Pulling in to the garage, he searched out a space amongst the chaos of other cars returning from the explosion