Predatory

DRAKE POV

“Wasn’t expectin’ t’ see ya up an’ at ’em so soon,” Commander Baryshnikov remarks to Sasha once his heavy steel office door clangs shut behind us. The office itself is nicely furnished, with a large antique desk, brown leather couches, and framed abstract art, but the lack of windows bothers me. I’m sure it’s for security reasons. But how far underground are we?

“I thought our plan requires me to be in optimal condition, Commander. I simply wanted to see how far in the future that might be,” Sasha answers smoothly.

“I already told ya, you outrank me now. None o’ this ‘commander’ nonsense.”

“Old habits die hard. And we both know you’re in charge here.”

“Not so much that I could deny yer demand that Drake join us.” Baryshnikov sends a cold glance my way. “Care t’ explain why ya invited him?”

“I find it’s always beneficial to bring fresh insights into a strategy meeting. And his commitment to seeing justice served rivals ours.”

The Regional Commander arches an eyebrow. “All right, then. Might as well get on with things. Reason I wanted this meeting, aside from wantin’ t’ keep ya from hurtin’ yourself sparrin’, is to work out a timeline for yer return to HQ. The doctor told me ya need at least a few more days.”

“I will abide by his judgment and yours. But Tempest and Ariadne are getting impatient. They’re not sure how much longer they can stall on my behalf.”

“How often are you talking with them?” I ask.

“Less than they’d like and more than I’d like. It’s always so hard to tell where one stands with fae. But they like me, or at least Ariadne does. I think we can count on them. But we need to move quickly.”

“Healin’ has its own pace. Can’t rush that,” Baryshnikov points out. “But I see your reasonin’ for doin’ some sparrin’ today. How’d it feel?”

“Good, mostly. Better than I expected it to. Endurance is off, and I was a bit tight to start. Certain movements still hurt a bit.”

“Guess we’ll just have t’ keep gettin’ ya up an’ movin’ a couple times a day an’ see where we stand. But probably we got no more than a week before we send ya in.”

“Rika and Zoe should come with me, and Rika should spend the time before we go setting up a way for you to keep an eye on me. I always wear her surveillance jewelry in the field anyway.”

“If you’re afraid you’re walking into a trap, why would you want them to come with you?” I demand. Does she see her own teammates as expendable?

“Just because they come to HQ with me doesn’t mean anyone other than Tempest and Ariadne, who I can force to swear to absolute secrecy, have to know about it,” Sasha replies, looking at me like I’m an idiot. “My thought was that they can help streamline the invasion from within. They’ve never failed me on backup or support, and they’re the best in WASP at what they do. Samson, unless you have a better strategic position for them—”

“No, I see yer point. An’ I suspect it’ll be some comfort to you to have them close, with what you’re gearin’ up for. I ain’t much of a fan of all Rika’s techno gizmos, but I see the use in ’em. We can definitely put that idea into action. But as soon as you’re back in HQ, you’ve got to have them fae assistants mobilize the rest o’ special ops on yer behalf.”

“I agree that it would be useful to have them fighting with the Underground, but they’re loyal to WASP, not to me. Mobilizing them might turn into a liability rather than an asset.”

“I think that depends how you frame it,” I interject. “You’re supposed to be the best in WASP, right?”

“Ain’t no question of that,” Baryshnikov affirms while Sasha rolls her eyes.

“I mean, I didn’t doubt it. Just verifying. Because Anselm asked you to do something that violates your oaths of service, as I understand it, and if he would do that to you, he would have done it to any other operative, for sure. That’s not how WASP is supposed to work, is it? Anyone with ethical standards ought to be really invested in making sure nothing like that ever happens again. Couple that with the idea that you’re fighting for your life, because apparently authority matters more than standards of conduct, and there ought to be genuine outrage from other special operatives who could be put in the same shitty situation at any time.”

“All valid points, but it’s not like I can go on a speaking tour to convince them all of that,” Sasha muses. “Besides, Anselm is dead now and won’t be trying to force anyone to do anything ever again.”

“You don’t have to go on a speaking tour. Rika’s definitely got the skills to send a message from you to all of Special Ops, however you want to send it. And just because Anselm’s dead doesn’t mean that his views and ways of doing things did with him. You’ve indicated the brass are more or less cut from the same cloth.”

“Video would be best, for the impact Drake’s talkin’ about,” Baryshnikov determines. “Gotta make it as personal as possible.”

“Special ops aren’t exactly the most emotionally responsive people,” Sasha points out. “Nor are they typically what I’d call bastions of upright moral and ethical conduct. But it’s a better chance than anything I’ve thought of.”

“Good idea, Drake.” The Commander seems to be warming up to the idea of me being here.

“Thank you. Do you think….” I swallow hard. There’s a good chance one or both of them will want to kick me out for this suggestion, but I can’t leave it unsaid. “I just. Hate the idea of Sasha going in to face the WASP brass alone.”

“No one goes with me,” Sasha glowers. “Not you. Not Rika. Not Zoe. No one. It was my decisions with Anselm that ended his life and got me into this mess, and I alone will pay the price for it. You’ve all risked more than enough for me already.”

“They wouldn’t let ya in, anyway,” Baryshnikov adds. “You’re not part o’ WASP. Got no business bein’ in HQ at all.”

“I mean, I know. But Sasha—”

“Your place is fighting with this revolution you’ve wanted for years and years, and I did not put so much on the line to spare your life just so you could throw it away on stupid sentimentality,” Sasha snaps.

“What, you think just because I can’t match you in martial arts—”

“Leave your ego out of this. On top of what Samson said about your having no place in HQ, Anselm wanted you dead. The people at HQ who are loyal to him will want to finish what he started, to achieve his goals in his honor, and they won’t hesitate to kill you as soon as they know who you are. Especially if they take into account that Anselm’s dead because I stood up to him on your behalf.”

“Then they just won’t find out who I am.”

“You’ve seen Rika’s file on you! Every WASP operative top to bottom has access to that information, if they know where to look. There’s surveillance cameras everywhere in HQ with facial recognition software that’ll link directly to your files if a single one of them gets a clear view of your face. Fuck’s sake, Drake, I can’t protect both of us in there!”

“Don’t worry about protecting me! I’m not gonna just let you throw your life away—”

“That’s more than enough o’ that,” Baryshnikov interrupts, physically stepping between us from behind his desk. “Plans ain’t set in stone. No sense gettin’ all worked up about hypotheticals. Sasha, why don’t you go find Rika? I think she oughta be here to help with the technical aspects of the plan that we’ve already decided on.”

“Gladly,” Sasha mutters, turning on her heel and stalking out. I move to go after her, but a huge hand on my shoulder stops me in my tracks. The door slams shut. I want to scream.

“Don’t do anythin’ rash,” Baryshnikov advises, his voice low. “This ain’t easy for her. An’ I know you’re tryin’ t’ help, but you’re goin’ about it all wrong.”

“What do you mean? How does her going in there and letting the brass kill her help anyone in any way?” I demand, spinning to face him. Damn, forgot just how big he is. Doesn’t matter. I’d rather fight him than let her go on this stupid suicide mission they’ve been planning.

“Since she survived that fight with Anselm, Sasha’s got to go back to HQ, no question. And she’s not wrong about how they’re gonna take it. She’s gonna have a rough time, an’ that’s a fact, but our best chance of her survivin’ for us to get her out is if she faces the brass with no one to protect and nothing to lose.”

“Wait. You think this isn’t just a suicide mission for her?”

“If we play our cards right, it won’t be. She can’t fight all four o’ the other brass alone for long and make it out, but she’s a brilliant actress as well as a formidable fighter.”

“Tell me about it,” I deadpan. How long would I have been oblivious to her lies if Anselm hadn’t shown up on that date?

“She’s really put ya through the wringer. You sure she’s the one for ya?”

Wait what?

Baryshnikov chuckles at my expense. “Ain’t hard to tell you’re into her. More than’s usual for your kind o’ shifter to be into anyone, unless she’s your mate.”

I shrug. Baryshnikov’s got a really nice woven rug in here. “She’s already told me her kind doesn’t work the same way,” I mutter, hurt by the memory.

“She’s tryin’ t’ do right by you, then. An’ rest assured I got no intention of lettin’ her die in this showdown with top brass. But we gotta let her go in at her most dangerous. She fought Anselm with nothin’ to lose and everythin’ to gain, the way she tells it. We need her to be at that level again.”

Nothing to lose and everything to gain?

She wasn’t thinking about me when she went into that fight. At least, not nearly as much as she was thinking about vengeance. Fucking hell.

“She’s not going to have the same fire. These brass aren’t the ones who killed her family,” I mumble.

“Brass won’t jump straight to violence. An’ she got every reason to drag out the interrogation as long as possible. Plenty she can find out that way that’ll give her the fire she needs.”

“What are these top brass like? You seem to know them pretty well.”

“I’ve been tryin’ to get elected to Anselm’s position for a while. The others have all been there a while, far long than he was. They’re all the type to exercise caution, to do nothin’ rashly. But there’s a fair bit o’ paranoia amongst ’em. Their values line up with what Anselm’s were, far as I know. An’ they’re all responsible for atrocities of their own.”

“If they’re so paranoid and bloodthirsty and cautious, then how the hell are we gonna get her out of there, once she goes in?”

“Well. I figured you could bring Eric Sadoques in to help us.”

Excuse me?!

“I mean, I’d be happy to ask him, and he spoke highly of you, but what do you think he has that your Underground doesn’t?”

“Exactly the right kind of stealth troops and healers we’ll need to pull off stealing an assassin from under their noses.”