Page 87 of Knot my Alphas

I peer closely at the small viewing panel, finally noticing several black pinheads moving around the perimeter of the manor’s outer wall.

“Get it to fly over the grounds,” Raiden commands.

I obey, letting the drone hover over the property surrounding the ancient, crumbling building. Trees and wild bushes cover most of the grounds around it. I spot several guards closer to the fort’s gates.

Dragonfly hovers around the dark stone building, giving us a view of the numerous guards that have been stationed in every direction. It was a good decision to stop here and not go any further.

“Focus on their uniforms,” Raiden commands. “Check if they’re the Black Widow.”

I use the controller to get a closer look at their uniforms.

They’re all wearing black camo outfits that are similar to the ones our men wear. I check out a dozen men before disappointment sets in.

“They look like regular soldiers,” I say. “I don’t see the Widow’s mark on any of their uniforms.”

“Here’s what I need you to do,” Raiden says, continuing to gaze at the laptop’s screen. “Take photos of the men you see guarding the gates.”

“What’s the point?” I mutter.

“Run a facial recognition sequence on them,” says Raiden. “If Callahan is using legitimate soldiers to guard his property, we’ll know. If not, we could use this against him. I’m sure his seniors would beveryinterested to know why he’s recruiting non-military personnel. Not just that. They’d like to know why he has them so heavily armed, especially to guard an abandoned, old property like this one.”

Hope flickers through me.

This trip wouldn’t be a complete waste if could prove these men belong to his shadow army. Staying patient, I take close-up shots of the guards on the grounds.

“How many did you get?” Raiden asks after a while.

“Over a hundred,” I say.

“That should be enough,” he says, finally closing the laptop. “It’s time we got out of here.”

He sounds anxious.

The number of guards surrounding the manor is worrying me too. It’d be impossible to escape them if we get caught.

I command Dragonfly to hover back to us.

The moment it lands before me, I switch off the controller and grab it from the ground.

“Have you got everything?” Raiden asks as I open the car’s door.

“Yeah. Let’s go home,” I say, dragging myself onto the passenger seat.

I let out a long sigh when Raiden starts the car. It’s pure relief to be driving away from this abandoned area.

I can’t believe how smartly Callahan has used his position in the military to hide his activities so well. He’s been managing his shadow army for decades without arousing any suspicion.

“We wouldn’t have known anything without Iris,” I say. “It almost feels like fate that she landed among us.”

“I’m just glad we found her before he did,” Raiden says. Anxiety is etched onto his handsome face. “I can’t even imagine what he’d have done to her if she fell into his hands.”

“I know.” Grabbing my phone, I check for new messages.

“Anything from Iris?” Raiden asks.

“Nope! I don’t think she’s noticed us missing yet.”

He groans. “That must mean she’s still in the gym.”

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