by Sydney Addae
Once the door closed, Lee stood and walked to the conference table. “Sir, if I may have a few moments of your time, I’d like to speak with you on a few matters.”
Bents nodded and stood. Together they left the conference room and headed to Bents office. Inside, Bents sat at a much smaller table and waved to Lee to join him.
“Well? What did you think?” Bents asked.
“On one hand, I don’t like the timing of pulling all the Knights. I don’t believe in coincidences. But listening to him, the arrogance of believing he pulled one over on us... it’s possible that’s all it is. Plus, we’ve noticed no movement from the Compound. Our people in town near La Patron’s Compound haven’t heard anything, they haven’t locked it down, staff’s still coming and going.”
“Which means he didn’t get the signal you sent begging for help,” the Admiral said disappointed. They’d been working on hijacking the pack’s internal communications systems for decades without success.
“He didn’t hear from his Knights either. So we’ve learned how to keep them from communicating,” Lee said.
Bents snorted. “That only works with them drugged. We can’t drug all of them, plus it doesn’t work on half-breeds, just full-bloods.”
“There’s something new,” Lee said into the silence. “A researcher named Gent modified some of the Liege’s old equipment and developed a patch. He thinks the patch could disrupt the communication signal and give us control over the full-blood for short periods of time.”
Bents straightened and met Lee’s worried gaze.
“But it’s risky.”
“What kind of control are you talking about? The kind Silas Knight has over his pack? Or a few hours while they’re out in the field on assignment?”
Lee shook his head slowly. “He doesn’t know, it hasn’t been tested. But he thinks it would be along the lines of Alpha dominance.”
That sounded good. To have a group of dual-natureds to use at their discretion was the gold ring.
“What do you think of the research? Is it solid?” Bents asked.
“Yes. Gent’s good. High security, excellent credentials. He’s been working on this for the past eight years and is excited because this formulation is stabilized. His team feels this will work.” He shrugged. “It’s the closest we’ve gotten in all this time, just might work.”
“What kind of tests does he need to run?” They had four drugged Knights hidden at a facility in Honduras, not the most peaceful place, but harder to infiltrate because of all the violence. They planned to release the soldiers today. But with the others away on vacation for a month, who knew when they’d have an opportunity to test this new drug.
“Several and there’s no telling how long it would take. But, if we don’t release the Knights today, we run the risk of La Patron finding out they’re missing.”
Bents understood the danger of that. “He’ll contact us to ask questions. I can hold him off for a day or so. We can appease him by saying we’re looking for the men. That can buy us at least two, three days at the most before he stops talking and starts acting. If testing started immediately, that should be enough time.” The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of running the tests beneath La Patron’s nose.
Lee nodded slowly and pulled out his phone. “I’ll contact Gents, have him start right away. They’ll need to move the Knights to the research lab near the mountains, I’ll have a team accompany them.”
“Go there yourself to oversee everything,” Bents said. “I have to stay here to deal with La Patron and any fall out. But I want your eyes and ears on-site to make sure we know if it works or not. If the first two tests fail, pull it and get those Knights back here for release. Don’t keep them any longer than necessary. Remember, they’re our soldiers.”
“Yes, Sir.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
SILAS, ANGUS, AND HAWKE, appeared as three old Spanish men walking quietly through the airport after passing through customs. They picked up three rental cars and drove several miles out of town to the house Jacques secured for them late last night. Hawke had been first in their convoy and stopped in front of a black iron gate barring entrance. Once he opened the gate, he waved for Silas and Angus to enter. Silas parked in the carport, Angus beside him and Hawke behind them.
“Just two homes on this street,” Silas told the others pleased with the isolated location. The more populated areas were wracked with gang violence. A few years past, the country’s murder rate averaged 20 a day which was ridiculous, even for humans. The sad part was nothing much was done about it. Silas didn’t want to get caught in the web of treachery during his short visit and made sure they were a distance from the capital, and other major cities.
“Yeah, it’s great,” Angus said as he grabbed his bag from the trunk. “I’ll get set up inside, Hawke you on security?”
Hawke opened a bag and started pulling out equipment. Individually they appeared like clothes hangers and passed through customs without a problem. Once Hawke put them together, they would form a strong scanner and assist in identifying the best places to install security features. “Yes.”
Inside the yellow and brown house were four bedrooms and one and a half baths. A large dining room was located off one of the smallest kitchens Silas had seen in years. Grateful they’d been able to secure private lodgings on such short notice, he didn’t voice his displeasure at the dingy, broken furniture or cracks in the tile floor. With the Goddess’ help, they’d be here less than 48 hours, so he would ignore the unpleasant accommodations.
“Jasmine,” Silas said as he entered a bedroom at the end of the hall and dropped his bag on the small bed. He morphed into his modified Silas persona. He preferred not to use anyone else’s body unless he absolutely had to. His modified form kept his height, physique, hair color and length. His face was more rounded, his eyes a nondescript brown and he lacked the swagger of La Patron.
“Silas, you’re there?” she asked sounding relieved reminding him of David’s advice.
“Yes. Took a little longer to get to Texas to catch the flight to Honduras but we made it just under the eight-hour window we gave ourselves. Everything okay?”
He smiled as she shared having breakfast with the kids. It disappeared when she told him about the meeting with the Joint Chiefs and her suspicions.
“All in all, we think they bought it. Either you have more breathing room to find the men...”
“Or we need to bust our asses before they decide to run more tests on their limited supply.” He cursed their lying, deceitful asses.
“Bird in the hand better than five in the bush,” she said.
“What? Birds?”
“It’s an old saying which means I agree with you.”
“Okay. As long as they think I’m at the Compound, they’ll think they have time. Good thinking by the way. I’m sure Tyrese did a great imitation of me.”
“He had you down to that bored scowl you wear just for the Joint Chiefs.” She laughed. “I miss you. I couldn’t sleep last night. This is the first time we’ve been separated this long since we mated.”
“Since we had sex the first time,” he corrected. “I never spent a day without you after that, sleeping on the couch doesn't count.”
She chuckled. The sound warmed him. “We’re going into town in a few minutes to find officers to access the base and get a feel for the place. Hawke wants to find someone with a high clearance to connect to their main computer system.”
“Sounds good.” She yawned. “Renée, Rose, Shyla and Asia are coming over later to do some baking. I hope I can stay awake.”
“Get some rest, let them do most of it.” He smiled when she laughed.
“No one bakes in my kitchen without me, you know that.”
“I do. Get some rest, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you,” she said.
“Love you too,” he said and disconnected. Pleased that all was well on the home front, Silas strode into th
e den where Angus set up his equipment.
“Almost ready,” Angus said.
Silas nodded and took a seat.
Hawke walked in. “Security’s checked and online. Blockers are up.”
“Good. Let me see the bios of the officers at the base.” Hawke handed him the folder. They’d reviewed them during the long flight but hadn’t decided who would be the best choice to get the information they needed. Their first choice would be one of the officers who spent a lot of time off base.
Silas told them about the Joint Chiefs contacting him while they were in the air.
Angus grunted and turned on the computer.
Hawke smiled and continued going through the files.
“Military personnel live on base and spend a lot of time in town, that would be the place to find them,” Angus said.
“Major Gillian Franz, 53, single, no kids, 5’10, 190 lbs., muscular build, brown hair and eyes. Round face, no tats or marks,” Silas said looking at a page. “The Commanding Officer for the base is away leaving Franz in charge.”
“On it,” Angus said. “He’s been seen off base in the early evenings around four, that may be when his shift’s over. We can hit the bars he frequents, might get lucky, otherwise we may need to take a local who works on base and work our way up.” Angus looked at Silas.
“That could get risky, too many bodies,” Angus said.
Silas agreed but they were short on time and with military personnel living on base they were short on options.
“Petre Salvador,” Hawke said. “Works communications, high clearance. Weighs 165, stands 5’8, brown hair, brown eyes, round face. Must be a thing here.”
Angus clicked a few keys. “Good choice. He’s single, local. Take him from his home.”
Angus had improved the chameleon so that when they merged with a person, the individual didn’t realize they’d been hijacked and would still function if allowed. This improvement allowed Silas and the others to go human deep, and still communicate via their links. Plus, some levels of their wolf abilities, like smell and keen eyesight, continued to work. Afterward, they could leave the person intact with no memory of being taken or having a dual personality. The one downside is the hijack couldn’t last longer than five days. After that period, the host started to die.
Hawke nodded slowly. “Sounds good, I’ll take him tonight before he goes in for his shift. I’ll need you to drop me off near his home, he rides a bike to work.”
“Where does he live?” Silas asked.
“Two and a half miles from here,” Angus said.
Hawke stood and left the living area with his bags.
“Franz is our main target. As an officer, he should know something about the Knights or any odd tests or happenings on post.” Silas looked at Angus, who nodded.
“Shouldn’t be too hard to find.” Franz, twice divorced, had a reputation as a lady’s man and frequented the local bars when he was off.
Hawke returned to the living room and did a few stretches. “Ready?”
“Just about.” Silas stood, stretched and watched Angus as he continued gathering information on pertinent staff.
“Franz’s shift is over but he hasn’t left the base yet. If we hurry, we might be able to follow him once he leaves,” Angus said.
“Sounds good.” Silas wanted to know what happened to his pack and who was responsible. The sooner he had answers, the sooner he’d make sure it never happened again.
Angus shut down and locked the system. He took the equipment with him into one of the back rooms. A few moments later he returned. Silas’ brow rose as Angus changed his appearance to a woman Silas had never seen before wearing snug fitting jeans and a short top
“Don’t ask,” Angus said as he adjusted his stacked heel shoes.
Hawke whistled.
Silas chuckled at the finger Angus gave Hawke. Since Angus appeared as a woman to lure Franz, Silas morphed into a large male, hoping he’d blend in as a human tourist.
“You plan to knock on Salvador’s door as an old Spanish man?” Silas asked pointing to Hawke’s current form.
“I hope we get there early enough for me to check-out his neighbors, see which homes are occupied before I approach his house. I don’t want anyone to get suspicious,” Hawke said. “Plus, no one pays attention to stooped, old men.”
Silas nodded as he looked at his watch. “Let’s go.” He and Angus strode toward the cars. Silas drove Hawke’s rental since it was parked behind the other car. Angus took his rental and pulled out the driveway.
“I’ll meet you there,” Angus told Silas.
“Okay,” Silas said as Hawke keyed in the address for Salvador into the GPS.
When they reached the end of the street, Silas and Hawke turned right, Angus turned left.
“You’ll be the first one on base,” Silas said as they turned down a dirt road with several homes, in close proximity to each other. Every house had bars. Metal bars covered windows, doors and gates. Hawke would need to be really careful.
“Salvador reports to work in a few hours, and works all night. I should be able to tap into the main database to search for our Knights,” Hawke said, his voice and commitment solid.
Silas nodded and hoped they could find the men quickly and leave so he could unleash his anger on the Joint Chiefs. They drove past Salvador’s home, a small white building behind an iron gate and stone wall.
“I sense one heartbeat,” Hawke said. “He’s alone. There are too many people around to jump over his fence, someone lives behind and beside him.”
Silas nodded and pulled over to the side of the road to watch the street activity. A package delivery truck made its way slowly down the street. Silas looked at Hawke. “That may be your only way inside. Go inside with the driver.”
Hawke opened the door, morphing into a slender muscular man as he did and jogged down the street. When he reached the truck, he shook hands with the driver and stepped inside. When the truck stopped in front of Salvador’s home, the delivery man stepped out, rang the bell and waited.
Moments later, Salvador strode outside. Hawke, now dressed similarly to the driver, hopped out, went to the back of the truck and lifted three large boxes. When Salvador tried to read the names on the box, Hawke placed them in the driver’s hand and touched Salvador. Anyone looking on would think the three men were having a nice conversation. Salvador opened the gate to allow the two men inside.
Silas watched to see if anyone came outside or watched from their windows but saw no signs of activity. A few moments later the driver returned with the large boxes, placed them in the back of the truck and drove off.
“Everything okay?” Silas asked Hawke.
“Yes, he’s an interesting character. Hates his job because he must support so many others and is forced to live in this area. But he has access to the information we need. I’ll follow his routine and get inside the base, and search the data to find our men,” Hawke said.
“Watch out, this area’s congested, neighbors might be watching. I’m headed to the bar to back up Angus. Let me know if you need anything.” Silas pulled away from the curb and drove slowly down the road and out of the neighborhood.
“Will do,” Hawke said.
With the GPS giving clear directions, Silas made his way to Main Street and headed toward the bar Franz often frequented.
“I’m pulling into the parking lot now,” he told Angus after telling him about Hawke’s success.
“Franz’ car isn’t here.”
Silas parked in the back of the lot with a good view of the entrance. He did a sweep, searching for full bloods. There were a few in the shopping center nearby and some inside the bar.
“Full-bloods.”
A few seconds later Angus spoke. “We’re human deep, they shouldn’t pick up anything. Who's the Alpha for this area?”
Silas shrugged. Protocol dictated him introducing himself to the Alpha and asking permission to seek his Knights while in another’s territory. S
ilas hadn’t given it a thought until now. “Not sure. How long should we wait?”
“Don’t know. The information we have on his social activities is sketchy. I’d say an hour here, if we miss him, then hit the other place..
Time crawled. At the hour mark Silas started the car. “Looks like a lot of people are leaving.”
“Shift change maybe?” Angus asked.
Unconcerned about human behavior, Silas pulled out of the parking lot.
“Wait,” Angus yelled. “That’s him. Franz is pulling in now. Come back.”
Silas drove down the one-way street, turned and headed for the bar. Angus walked into the bar as Silas returned to the parking lot. “Full-bloods.” He noticed three males head inside.
“I see them,” Angus said as he stepped inside. “Franz is at the bar, I’m going to start a conversation with him. See if I can find out anything.”
“Okay,” Silas said taking his time walking into the dim bar. Inhaling, he realized there weren’t any humans inside. He took a seat in the back at a small table and assessed the place. Less than ten people milled around the front. All full-bloods. Someone turned on loud music.
“Do you want something to drink?” the waitress asked.
Silas glanced at her name tag, Raven and nodded. “Gin and tonic.”
She looked over her shoulder, leaned forward. Her dark ponytail swayed against her back. Darker, deep set eyes in an ordinary oval face stared at him. “It’s getting late, you might want to get something to drink closer to town.”
That surprised him. “Where in town?”
Raven bit her lip in consideration before glancing at the others sitting at the table. “The hotel in town’s nice, the big one, can’t miss it. Safer there at night. You should go there.” She turned to leave.
“Thanks. I will, after my gin and tonic.”
She nodded and walked off. Slender in jeans and a short-sleeved tee with the name of the bar on the back, he wondered about her age. She looked younger than his girls.