Page 30 of Wilde and Untamed
He ducked into a utility closet as Jess and Dr. Keene walked by, headed to their quarters. He waited for several seconds to make sure they were gone.
Enough snooping. He needed to call his brother.
He hurried to his and Rue’s room. She wasn’t back yet. Good. Closing the door, he unzipped his jacket pocket and pulled outthe secure satellite communicator—a WSW prototype Daphne had pressed into his hand before departure.
“Only if absolutely necessary,” she’d told him.
Three hours at Thwaites, and it was already absolutely necessary.
He powered on the device. It bypassed the station’s communication system, establishing a direct uplink. The tiny screen glowed harsh and blue in the dark room as the connection indicator blinked amber, then steady green. Encrypted. Secure.
Elliot keyed in the priority code for WSW headquarters and waited, watching as the system authenticated his credentials. Seconds later, the screen flickered to life with an image of Davey and Rowan, both hunched over his brother’s office desk with identical expressions of concern on their faces.
“That was fast,” Davey said, not bothering with small talk. “You’ve been there what, three hours?”
“Three hours, seventeen minutes,” Elliot confirmed. “And we’ve got problems.”
He kept it brief. The unexpected summer crew. Excessive surveillance. Lab access restricted. People dodging basic questions.
Davey did not look happy. “All right, give me the details on the summer crew. I’ll have Daphne and Celeste run backgrounds.”
Elliot rattled off names and descriptions, then hesitated. “Not sure if Jess is short for something.”
“The twins will figure it out,” Davey said, jotting the names down.
Rowan leaned in closer. “What about Rue? Is she safe?”
“For now.” Elliot ran a hand over his jaw. He hadn’t shaved since leaving New York, and the stubble was rough against his palm. “She’s doing her job. Establishing protocols. Gettingeveryone settled. She’s noticed the same inconsistencies, but brushed them off in her usual flippant way.”
Davey and Rowan exchanged a look. The connection stuttered, the image freezing for a second before resolving.
“We’ve received some... concerning intelligence,” Davey said, choosing his words with care.
“Dad confirmed that Dr. Irina Volkova is Evgeny Volkov’s niece,” Rowan blurted. “And now with this Russian lab at the base...”
Fuck.
Evgeny Volkov, former head of Russia’s infamous Volkov Group, a mercenary army known for toppling governments, silencing journalists, and leaving mass graves in their wake. At least until HORNET took them down thirty-some years ago. The group splintered, but that didn’t mean the remnants weren’t still out there, lurking in the shadows and waiting for a chance to resurface.
Was Irina hoping to step into her uncle’s shoes? Elliot’s mind raced through the implications. If she was carrying on the family legacy, then this wasn’t just about scientific research—this was about power, influence, and probably a whole lot of violence.
“Jesus,” he muttered. The ventilation system’s hum seemed louder now, almost oppressive in the confined space of his room. He itched to get back to Rue. He didn’t want to leave her alone with those people any longer than he had to. “You think Irina’s trying to rebuild Volkov Group? But how would coming to Antarctica help with that?”
“Unknown,” Davey said. “But you gotta admit the timing’s suspicious as fuck.”
Genuine worry shone in Rowan’s hazel eyes. “Elliot, if your gut says something’s wrong, you need to get Rue out of there. Now.”
“It’s not that simple, Ro.”
“Yeah, it is. Call Griffin and?—”
“We can’t leave,” he interrupted. “Whatever’s happening here, Rue and I might be the only ones who can stop it.”
“That’s assuming you know what ‘it’ is,” Rowan snapped, then sucked in a sharp breath and straightened, pacing away from the camera. Davey also stood, so that all Elliot could see was a broad chest covered in a worn US Navy t-shirt. He pulled Rowan into his arms and rubbed her back, murmuring something Elliot couldn’t hear.
They both came back a moment later.
“I’m sorry,” Rowan said, her eyes shining with tears she was too stubborn to cry. “But my sister thinks she’s invincible. She’s not.”
