Predatory

XANDER POV

BRRRRRRRRRIIIIING

INCOMING CALL FROM DRAKE SADOQUES

“Bit early for the date to be over,” Callum mutters as he pushes the button in my truck to accept the call.

BRRRRRR— “You all right, Drake?”

“Um. No,” Drake answers—frantic, distracted. “You guys were right. I should’ve kissed her sooner. A lot sooner. Then maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess—”

“What mess? Is she your—” I ask.

“Yes. But she’s also…what Callum’s been worried about us running into this whole time. She and the two others.”

WASP special operatives? Those three?! Callum looks like he’s barely surprised, and I wanna punch him in his smug, overly cautious face.

“You’ve gotta be shitting me. Nikki was a total martial arts novice, and none of the three were stellar at archery—”

“They was flubbin’ it,” Callum interrupts sullenly. “I knew somethin’ was up with them—”

“I know, and I should’ve listened, but that doesn’t change…Nikki’s still…Fuck, we don’t have time for all of this. Can you come to where you dropped me off? I’ll fill you in as you drive, but we’ve got a serious situation—”

“Yeah, we comin’.” Callum motions for me to start driving, but I’m already shifting the truck into gear. “What’ve you done? You break some law or somethin’—”

“No, and I’ve got you to thank for that. The other two basically said you’ve kept all our heads off the chopping block, and they’ve been fighting to have their investigation into us dropped, but their boss ain’t keen on the idea…”

Callum and I listen in stunned silence as he tells us how that evil-looking body builder we saw at Easton interrupted his date with Nikki, how he’s apparently the girls’ boss in WASP and wants at least Drake dead, how she challenged the evil boss guy to a duel instead of following orders to execute Drake and now they’re both gone at some unknown location—

“Bro, this sounds for all the world like a trap,” Callum cautions.

“Yeah, I know that,” Drake snaps. He sounds like he’s on the verge of a mental breakdown. And I can’t blame him. This shit’s ridiculous. “But whatever else has been true since we met them, that kiss…She’s still the one. And I have to find her, to keep her safe, to make her answer for all the lies. You get me?”

“Yeah, bro, I get you,” I reply. And I do. If his connection with her is the real deal, I wouldn’t ask him to give that up for anything. He and his family took me in when I had no one and have done everything they can to make me feel at home; the least I can do is try to help him find happiness of his own.

And I’d give just about anything to give this Nikki chick hell for putting Drake through this kind of pain, and that ain’t happenin’ if we don’t find her.

“No way, man. I get where you comin’ from, but I ain’t been workin’ so hard to keep our asses alive an’ outta trouble for you to walk us straight into a trap,” Callum argues.

“Callum, man, I hear you, but bonds like this don’t just fade away,” I remind him grudgingly. “And if all this shit’s true and Nikki dies—”

“Don’t you think I know that? My momma up ’n’ moved us from Louisiana all the way to nowhere, Maine, to be with Vance once she found him. And I don’ begrudge her that none—he’s a great dude—but he wasn’t working for the enemy, and makin’ that move wasn’t signin’ no death warrants. That bond don’t mean shit if Drake’s dead, either.”

I pull into a parking spot next to a black SUV that looks more or less like the one the girls drove to that archery range. Sure enough, Angel, Effie, and Drake are coming up the grassy slope next to the building in front of us.

“Right,” Angel calls, and I roll the windows down so’s to hear her better. “You’ve got every reason to be cautious. And I know you’ve had bad experiences with people in our line of work. What do you need from us to believe that, as far as we’re concerned, you’re innocent victims of a needless investigation and we’re just looking to get our friend out of a potentially deadly situation, with or without your help?”

“You think he’ll kill her?” Drake yelps. I shut the truck off, ending the call with Drake. No point in leaving that running when we can hear him in person.

“We know she’s got plenty of reasons to want him dead, so the terms of the duel are likely ‘to the death,’” Effie sighs.

“You think she got any chance of pullin’ that off, or is this a suicide mission?” Callum demands as he jumps out of my truck. I’m only a moment behind him. “That guy’s huge.”

“He’s definitely a formidable opponent. But she’s an incredible fighter,” Angel answers. “It’s probably anyone’s match. But if you want more details, we’ll need to discuss it on the way. Every second we waste could be the grain of rice that tips the scales out of balance, and if he beats her, your lives are likely forfeit, whether or not he executes her.”

“And you’ve got a better chance of surviving with our help than on your own,” Effie adds, gesturing to the SUV.

“But why should y’all give a shit what happens to us?” I retort.

“Our oaths are to see that justice is served and the law is enforced. You have not broken the law and therefore qualify for protection from law enforcement.”

“Also, we’re at least as invested in keeping Nikki alive as Drake is,” Angel adds. “You coming or not?”

“I am,” Drake volunteers immediately. “Whatever it takes to find her.”

“Ain’t no sense in letting him dive into this alone,” I tell Callum. “We’re going, too.”

“Fine,” Callum grumbles, but he’s clearly uneasy about this, not that I blame him. It’s a shit situation, and it still smells like a trap, but it seems pretty plain that the only way we’re getting anywhere near Nikki is by going with these chicks, and she’s got a lot of fuckery to answer for.

“Good,” Effie smiles. “Angel, you’ve checked the whole vehicle for…tech that could cause problems?”

“Yes, and we’re clear,” the vampire replies. “I’ve put a nice little bug in their tracking and audio recording devices.”

“Wait. This SUV is—” Callum begins.

“Relax,” Effie interrupts with a steely glare. “Angel’s the best tech wizard in the whole organization.”

Angel hops into the passenger seat and closes it, making it the last door to close; Drake’s moping in the far back and Callum and I are in the middle, ready to rip doors off and bolt if the situation gets ugly.

“What Effie means to say is that I’ve been with WASP for as long as computers have existed and I can bend all the computerized equipment we use to my will. I invented most of their surveillance technology,” she clarifies. “We can speak freely here. And we have to in order to plan our next move. But first and foremost, from here on out call me Rika, not Angel.”

“Wait what? Why?” I protest, immediately suspicious.

“We’ve been using code names for the mission. We always do. My real name is Zoe,” the blonde we’ve been calling Effie explains. “Rika, babe, you got coordinates for Sasha?”

“Sasha?” Drake asks weakly.

“That’ll be your Nikki’s real name,” the vampire answers coolly. “And yes, I’m sending them to your GPS now. Looks like a WASP property on the south side of the city. Hang on, guys, I’ll get you a visual.”

As a map pops up on the center console and Zoe shifts the SUV into gear, screens fold down from the SUV’s ceiling, split in half with a map on one side and a satellite image of what looks for all the world like an abandoned warehouse.

“Dope tech,” Callum remarks grudgingly.

“All this time I haven’t even known her real name,” Drake mumbles to himself, staring into middle space. I think they broke him. But the truth was bound to come out, sooner or later. Hard to doubt that these two, at least, are what they say they are, with the technology and information in front of us.

“That place looks sketchy as fuck,” I point out.

“It’s a touch screen. You can play with the viewing angle and stuff,” Rika informs us. “But yeah, it’s meant to look super sketchy. WASP doesn’t want any reason for humans to be poking around this place, apparently. According to the property records, the building is mostly used as a training facility for supernatural creatures in Columbus, but it hasn’t even been used for that for a little bit, probably because everyone’s been wigging out about the possibility of WASP special ops in the area. And also because there are no operational entrances.”

“Then how the fuck are we supposed to get in? How does anyone use it?”

“Likely fae transport people in and out. That’s definitely how Sasha and the boss got in. As for how we gain access, I’m taking suggestions on that, but a discreet break-in is probably our best bet. Zoe, ETA?”

“Probably between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on traffic and presence of law enforcement,” the blonde replies.

“This don’t sound like a normal engine,” I remark. It’s way quieter than my truck, but based on the vibrations through the floor, it’s extremely powerful.

“I’ve made a few modifications to it. One of my hobbies.”

“You can manipulate metal,” Callum guesses. “Drake, you ever find out what—”

“Feline shifter, I guessed tonight, and she said that was right, but I don’t know anything about her for sure anymore,” Drake mutters.

“She’s really a feline shifter,” Rika confirms. “And you’re right about Zoe, too, Callum. Drake, I don’t know if this will help you or not, but she’s told you the truth whenever she could during this mission. Which is not something she normally does with our targets, by the way.”

“I guess that’s nice to know, but y’all see what a shit situation he’s in right now?” Callum asks testily on Drake’s behalf.

“We’re fully aware,” Zoe grumbles. She’s weaving in and out of traffic like some sort of daredevil speed racer, which I gotta say is pretty hot. Never seen a babe drive like this before, and it’s pretty dope that she’s a gearhead, too. “No one in this situation is having a good time, but we recognize that Drake’s gotten the shortest stick in the lot. Well, Drake and Sasha both.”

“Can we go any faster?” Drake cuts in. “I’ve got a really bad feeling—”

“Doing the best I can, lover boy. You wanna help her, focus on making a plan with Rika.”

“Here, guys. I’ve got data on what the inside of this place looks like,” the tech wizard announces, and the images on our screens change to piles of boxes and shelving under dim fluorescent lights. Corrugated steel walls are barely visible in the background. “Looks like there’s a couple different doors, but all of them are padlocked and barricaded.”

“Do you have explosives? I can open those doors, no problem, with the right tools,” I volunteer.

“Gonna have to veto explosives. Taking a page out of Sasha’s playbook, we should try to sneak in and assess the situation rather than going in with guns blazing.”

“Sasha’s playbook?” Drake inquires.

“She’s the best assassin in all of WASP. The night we met you, she singlehandedly wiped out around three dozen rogue vampires,” Zoe explains.

Holy fucking shit. If that’s true, so much for teaching her any sort of lesson, unless that big guy’s got her mad worn down first. Drake looks just as stunned as I feel, but Callum seems to be taking everything as a matter of course.

“Xander, are you any good with bolt cutters or lock picking tools?” Rika continues.

“Not as fun as explosives, but I can do stealth. Doors are as good as open. Then what?” I press.

“Looks like the door with the most cover for a sneaky entrance is on the southwest corner of the building. Zoe, plan accordingly. Once we’re in, we’ll have to—”

“Even with the stealthiest entrance possible, whoever’s in there will know we’re there right away. They’ll smell us or hear us or something,” Callum interjects irritably.

“Whether they hear you or not is on you. But I can keep them from smelling you.” The vampire hands us a bottle that looks like it should contain sunscreen, but when I sniff the nozzle, all the scents from the SUV are temporarily erased. What the fuck kind of witchcraft is this shit?! “Each of us will liberally apply that before we go in—you can choose to use either your current forms or your wolf forms, but shifting after application messes it up—and your scent will be blocked until the next time you bathe.”

“That’s why we’ve never been able to I.D. a scent on any of you. How’d you even make this?”

“That’s correct. And I have extensive training in biology and biochemistry. Now, let’s talk combat specialties. Zoe and I are both handy with whatever, but we mostly provide support for Sasha. She’s by far the best of the three of us in combat operations.”

“Drake’s stupid fast. We’re all good at martial arts. Of the three of us, Callum’s the best medic. I prefer to work with firearms and explosives,” I supply.

“Don’t know that we’re gonna be any use to y’all whatsoever. Everyone says special ops are on another level,” Callum adds sullenly.

“Okay, on the one hand, yes, we probably outmatch you,” Zoe snaps. “On the other hand, Anselm and whoever else is in there with Sasha are not expecting a rescue mission and probably don’t know shit about your abilities. They know Rika and me. You three are the wild cards. Tell us what you can do so we can make a plan that gets Sasha out of there and keeps all of us alive.”

Damn, all right. Blondie’s got a temper.

“If it was a robbery, I’d say we have Drake do a speed run in and snatch the valuables while the rest of us create a diversion and cover his exit,” I offer.

“In case you ain’t noticed, this ain’t no robbery, 'n’ Drake’s kind of a mess right now,” Callum points out.

“You got a better idea?”

“If she’s badly injured, we’re going to have to get me in there to stabilize her,” Rika muses.

“How strong a possibility is that?” Drake panics.

“We prepare for everything. Zoe, there’s a lot of metal in there. Walls, shelving, etc.”

“I can definitely provide cover, then, once we’re in, and plenty of distractions,” Zoe offers. “We’ll be there in two or three. Is Sasha’s jewelry providing any intel?”

Rika taps her tablet screen a few times. “Audio is fuzzy but some combat sound. More than likely she took it off and it’s a catfight.”

“What the hell?” I question.

“My teammates always wear tracking and audio recording devices in the field, so I can’t lose them,” Rika explains.

“Nono, the catfight. I thought she was fighting that giant dude?”

“Yeah. He’s also a feline shifter. He’s a lion, though, and she’s a panther,” Zoe says.

“So she’s been at a disadvantage from the beginning,” Callum calculates.

“Not necessarily. She’s wicked fast, and she thinks on her feet. Stamina is likely to be the critical issue. Cats are naturally sprinters, not endurance hunters.”

“We’ve got the start of a plan that can work, I think. Everyone uses the scent-blocking serum as soon as we get out of the car. We give Xander firearms from our stash and he’s rear guard once he gets a door open for us. Callum, you stick with me as something of a bodyguard; we’ll give you whatever weapons you want from our arsenal, as well,” Rika plots. A whole ass arsenal? Holy fuck, this might be my lucky day. These lying WASP bitches ain’t all bad. “Drake, you and Zoe will take lead with Zoe providing cover. Your choice whether you go like that or as a wolf, but as soon as we get an opening to snatch Sasha out of there, you’re doing the snatching if you’re the fastest one in the bunch. You up to it?”

“Whatever it takes,” Drake mutters.

“Good, then. As soon as Zoe parks, we move.”