ManBeast - Book 1: A Kingdom of Predators

Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

"We were able to pay off the construction company and realtors, Mum. The location of the Fang fight has been secured," Ulric's thick voice spoke through an intercom speaker. "Excellent work, Ulric. Have there been any updates about the murders?" the Chairman asked in return. "Yes Mum; our department connect said that the Tactical Narcotics Unit made a major bust of Feral recently, coming into Scylla Port Bay via freight ship. It wasn't been released to the media yet, but the manifest on board suggests that some of the major chemical ingredients used in Feral were coming from far down South, a set of small tropical islands near Central America. That's "Black Paw's" territory, Mum; it looks like they're trying to set up shop here."

The Chairman let out a soft "fuck" before regaining her composure; bad enough the sale of drugs tied to Beast-Men were now on the radar, the added issue of said sales emanating from an extremely dangerous starting point added a layer of complexity. This would undoubtedly involve the Brotherhood if the murderer could not be produced. "Noted. Wire the usual amount to our connect and tell him to stay on notice; I may be reaching out to himself soon," said the Chairman.

Ulric grunted in affirmation before continuing: "One other thing, Mum; the Committee signed off on the narrative in the Fang Fight; another quorum of votes passed. You guessed right; they're going after Frankie." The Chairman leaned forward in her chair, fully engaged in the severity of what Ulric's information meant. "Before you do anything else, make plans to secure "the package" and keep it safe; they can have their narrative if they think betting payouts will be lucrative, but a civilian casualty would be catastrophic right now, let alone that civilian being a minor. Do you understand me, Ulric? That "package" remains secure to the utmost, no matter what."

Ulric gave a "Yes, Mum" once more and hung up on the call. Alone in her office, the Chairman placed her head in hear hands: "Lord, please grant Frankie strength, as even for all of his faults and mistakes, he does not deserve this."

Frankie immediately bared his fangs and tensed up, ready for an altercation; "In public, Drego? You'd break Brotherhood code to confront me, in public? With Presence at that? You've got some fucking nerve," Frankie growled, beginning to foam at the mouth. Manny chuckled softly as he walked past Frankie and took a piece of the sandwich Frankie was eating from the bench.

"Hmm. Roasted chicken, organic romaine lettuce, garlic aoli spread, Brandywine tomato, Himalayan salt, cracked pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of apple cider vinegar. Personally, I think the aoli is a bit rich for my blood but hey, Francis Mack DOES have expensive, frivolous tastes" he sneered. Manny bit the sandwich, pretending to enjoy the act; the exaggeration of his bite that had shown his razor-like teeth, coupled with completely ignoring Frankie's earlier words, caused Frankie indescribable fury. "What do you want, Drego?" Frankie hissed through clenched teeth. Manny placed the sandwich back down on the bench and faced Frankie, wiping his mouth off in further exaggeration. "You're a bitch, Frankie. A human-whipped pussy that scrapes and caters to a lesser species. I just came over to remind you of that," Manny cooed with emphasis, blowing the smell of the eaten sandwich towards Frankie.

For a moment, Frankie almost forgot himself, and prepared to strike at Manny, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw parkgoers huddled and whispering, petrified at the sight and energy of the two Beast-Men. Seeing children among those afraid brought Frankie back to his senses; he combed his hair down, straightened his tie and sat back down on the bench. "You're not that stupid to try something now, Drego. You'd lose your Fang-hood, and all that mock-up power you try to flaunt. You enjoy the attention too much, and that will be your downfall," Frankie stated coolly.