Page 10 of Sergi
“Killed?” Bella asked.
Decker shrugged and wiped his hands on his pants after popping a couple nuts in his mouth. “It’s possible they were taken by wild shifters, killed by security teams protecting the lab, or worse.”
“Subjects for experimentation?” Simone’s fangs dropped when Decker nodded.
“We can’t be sure, but Remus doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t want to send more wolves in until he can find a way to make it safer.”
Before anyone could respond, Cressa crashed through the door.
“Oops, sorry.” Cressa’s face reddened, but when she glanced at Sergi, he caught the amusement in her eyes. “I just got off the phone with Harlow and Roxie.”
“Excellent timing.” Devon waited for her to take a seat.
Sergi, like the rest of the cadre, had noted Devon’s change in his meeting style since Cressa arrived at House Trelane. Nowthat the two had developed an intimate relationship, Devon’s approach to handling House business had become more casual. The only exception was with security.
Some Houses, like Venizi’s, would see Devon’s form of leadership as a weakness. Perhaps at one time, Sergi would have agreed, but when he looked at House Trelane from an unbiased viewpoint, the cadre was more cohesive. And, in his opinion, blending the teams with shifters, humans, and dreamwalkers strengthened the House, not diminished it.
Who would have thought humans as chaotic as Cressa and Ginger could bring more stability? The answer was simple. They brought a different perspective. Though not true for all, most vampires preferred to color inside the lines.
“So, what do Harlow and Roxie have for us?” Devon asked.
Harlow, the leader of a small group of human thieves, had a knack for finding stellar members for his team. Cressa, using her street name of Pandora, had been invaluable with her skills at cracking safes. Roxie was a relatively new member after their previous hacker had double-crossed them. It turned out to be a good move as Roxie was one of the best he’d seen, and she kept up with all the latest technology. Harlow’s team didn’t always have the money to invest in hi-tech, but when it was required for a House mission, Devon bought the tech and let Harlow keep the items as part of their payment.
“Subcutaneous trackers.” Cressa gave the two-word answer and sat back, seemingly proud of her answer. Sergi couldn’t argue with the suggestion.
Devon squinted as he considered her answer. “How do they work? And how far away can we track them?”
“The tracker works off GPS. Once the tracker is placed, usually in the arm, the person can be tracked from anywhere.”
“That’s something Remus should have been using.” Decker shook his head. “Are they easy to come by?”
Cressa glanced at Devon, and he nodded. “I can have them delivered by tomorrow.”
“How many will we need?” Cressa asked.
“Three,” Sergi answered. “I’ll be leading the team with Rafael.” He turned to Decker. “I believe Remus has made his decision.”
“Carlos. He should be here tomorrow morning.” Decker closed the container of nuts, stood, and set it behind the counter. “I’ll be back in the morning to meet him. I have an appointment I need to get to.” He nodded at Devon and squeezed Simone’s shoulder on his way out.
“Cressa.” Devon turned his attention back to the map. “Can Harlow and Roxie join us tomorrow to set up the trackers?”
“I believe so. I’ll call him right after the meeting.”
“When is the team leaving?” Simone asked.
“Tomorrow evening,” Sergi responded. “Remus is providing a plane that will take us to Spain. From there, we’ll fly commercial. There will be no communication once we enter Europe. We’ll have burner phones, but we won’t use them until it’s time to call for a ride.”
“This doesn’t feel right.” Cressa bit her nail.
“Come now, Cressa.” Sergi gave her his best smile, which usually made her snappish. “You’re not going to worry about me.”
She stiffened and gave him a scathing look. “I’m worried about Rafael.”
He grinned, but a knot formed in his gut. He was worried, too. A light shiver ran up the back of his neck. An old battle sign that told him the mission wouldn’t go as planned. Tomorrow might be the last time he’d see his Family.
Chapter Five
I coweredin the corner of the lab, focused on a spot on the floor as the screaming increased. S-272 sat next to me, his head down as well, but his leg touched mine. After three weeks of working with him, I’d come to recognize it as his way of connecting, especially when it got bad.
