Page 13 of Eden and her Mercenary
Ryker and I exchanged glances. "Trust is a strong word," Ryker said carefully. “He was the captain of the Irish mob until he got married. Now he and his wife live here in Pearl Lake.”
"But he owes us," I added. "And when it comes to protecting animals, Declan's solid."
Eden bit her lip, clearly torn. Her fingers absently stroked Stella's fur as she considered our options. The pit bull leaned into her touch, those intelligent eyes never leaving Eden's face.
"Okay," she finally said. "Call him. Just make sure he takes care of her because I’m going with you to get that neural thing.”
I started to protest, but one look at her had me changing direction. “Of course. Wren, his wife, will be there too and all those rescues I told you they have, were her idea.”
Ryker stepped away to make the call while Mack continued examining Stella, taking notes and occasionally murmuring to himself.
"There is something there," he said, showing us close-up images on the ultrasound screen. "See right there? There’s a crack in her skull that has been fusedtogether with what looks to be staples."
I watched Eden's face as she processed this information, the tension in her jaw revealing her struggle to maintain composure.
"How did they even develop something like this?" she whispered.
Mack shook his head. "Military research has always been decades ahead of what the public knows about. Neural interfaces have been in development since the early 2000s."
Ryker returned, tucking his phone away. "Declan's on board. Says to bring Stella to the east entrance of the estate in one hour. He and Wren will be waiting."
Relief washed over me. "Did you tell him about Prophecies?"
"Yeah." Ryker's expression was grim. "He's not thrilled about us breaking into a military contractor's facility, but he's making some calls, getting us blueprints and security details."
Eden looked up sharply. "He can do that?"
"Declan has connections everywhere," I explained. "Former military, intelligence agencies, corporate security. If anyone can help us get in and out of Prophecies safely, it's him."
"We should move soon," Mack advised, powering down his equipment. "I'll pack some supplies for Stella—sedatives, pain management, antibiotics. Whateverhappens, she'll need them."
As Mack gathered medications, I pulled Eden aside. "Are you sure about coming with us to Prophecies? It's going to be dangerous."
Her eyes met mine, unwavering. "I've been transporting rescue dogs through dangerous situations for fifteen years, Royal. I can handle myself."
"I don't doubt that," I said. "But this isn't just angry owners or local police. These are professional mercenaries with military training."
"All the more reason for me to come," she insisted.
I studied her face—the determined set of her jaw, the fierce protectiveness in her eyes. There was no talking her out of this.
"Alright," I conceded. "But you follow our lead inside, understand? Ryker and I have done this kind of thing before."
She nodded, then hesitated. "What about the other dogs? They still need to get to their destinations."
"I can take care of that," Mack offered, overhearing our conversation. "I know the families expecting the shepherds and the beagle. And I can arrange transport for the others to Kingston."
Eden's shoulders sagged with relief. "Thank you."
Chapter 5
Eden
Forty minutes later, we pulled up to the imposing wrought-iron gates of the MacGallan estate. Stella sat in the back seat of Royal's truck, her eyes alert as she watched the lakefront property come into view. I couldn't help but marvel at the yellow A framed house with white trim. I envied the people who lived inside of it. This place looked like something out of a magazine for cottage country. With its manicured lawns and a balcony on the top floor that overlooked the lake, and yet, it belonged to people Royal had casually referred to as ‘the Irish mob.’
The gates swung open silently as we approached, security cameras tracking our movement. Royal drove slowly up the winding driveway, gravel crunching beneath the tires.
"You okay?" he asked, glancing at me.
