Page 60 of Fate Awakened

“The voice in my ear, I presume?” Keith says, looking over at Presley and back at me.

“Uh yeah,” she responds, giving him a waving salute before turning back to me, “Evacuation routes?”

“Got ‘em,” I respond, pulling the pages from my back pocket. “Keith, this is Pres. She’ll be riding in your rig. You take your orders from her. If shit hits the fan, stay out of the way and follow directions. No hero bullshit. You still might wind up dead, but if you blow this trade, I can guarantee it,” I say, not mincing my words for him. I’ll kill anyone who keeps her from me. Consequences be damned.

“Okay,” he says, actually saluting me. I look over at Pres to find her staring at him, her expression unreadable.

“You good?” I ask, causing her to shake her head and pull her attention back to me.

“Yep, not my first babysitting gig,” she quips, the corner of her mouth tipping up as she climbs into the back of the rig.

Her van is set up similarly to any surveillance vehicle. Computers, speakers, and wires line the sides along with monitors and tv screens displaying different camera feeds. It’s rather remarkable how fast she could gear out the three vehicles we’d be taking to the site. Four, if you count the one the black team took out there hours ago.

“Okay, check your gear. We roll in ten,” I say over my shoulder, walking back to the van that will take Dante, Jake, Erik, Mason, Kole, and myself to the meet. The third vehicle will carry both the red and blue teams.

Once we received the location, we planned everyone's entry, placement, and exit plans. Presley’s van will be parked off the main road, east of the meeting site. The red team will drop our blue team members at high-ground positions that can flank our meeting location, then park with the black team van south of the meet site. Mason will drop us off just north before circling back to the south lot to stand guard near the evacuation vehicles.

Once Mason rendezvous with the other two vehicles, the red team will sneak off to the meeting area's border, ready to grab Bri if things go sideways.

Things can’t go sideways.

Erik loads Kole into the backseat of our van. He’s still cuffed in silver restraints with a bag over his head. His comfort isn’t our concern tonight. Mason jumps behind the wheel, and Jake slides into the passenger seat. Dante and I ride in the middle row. This arrangement is less than ideal, but we’re making it work.

It’s rare that an Alpha and their Second travel in the same vehicle, for the same reason you never see the President and Vice President traveling together. Line of succession. If this was a setup, Marlo’s pack could take the core of our council out with a single-car bomb.

I shake my head, throwing the negative thoughts out and focusing on the task at hand.

“Comm check, Alpha?” Pres speaks over the radios and earpieces.

“Lima Charlie.”

“Second?”

“Lima Charlie.”

“Echo 1?” she asks Erik

“Lima Charlie.”

“Echo 2?” to Jake this time.

“Lima Charlie.”

She continues down the line, checking Mason, Colt, Carter, Wyatt, and Jess before continuing.

“Alpha, is the black team on site and responding?” she asks, going through our checklist.

Dante closes his eyes, his jaw flinching as he sends mind-link messages to our team that's shifted on-site.

“All reported in. They’ve spotted two from Marlo’s crew on site scanning the area. Keep an eye on the camera feeds. We'll have the red team replace anything that gets disturbed in their search.” Dante responds, opening his eyes and throwing his focus back on the road in front of us.

Three miles later, we pull off the road, watching as Jay follows and establishes a spot just inside a clearing of trees, far enough off the road to avoid traffic seeing them, but still with the ability to bail if needed. Before we pull away, Jay jumps out and begins scanning the perimeter. He can’t shift with Keith in the van, so he uses his tactical training to ensure the area is clear before sending a thumbs-up our way.

With the red team’s van following, we drive off and head for the second drop zone. Once both blue team members are released, and we’ve confirmed the red team has linked up with the black team's vehicle, Mason heads to the main drop-off point.

The tension in our vehicle is palpable. Each member locked in, muscles tight, wolves reeling for a fight. Every encounter with this pack has deepened the hatred felt between us. Watching how Deacon tried to manipulate Dante in the wake of his father's death was enough to make me have a deep-seated hatred for him, not to mention the number of times he’s attempted to take control of our territory.

Tonight isn’t about Marlo. It’s about my Mate.

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