Chapter 10
Seconds after Viktor broke the news about Gem, Claude’s eyes went black, and he flipped his switch. To prevent him from running wild through the train, Christian pinned him to the floor. Claude stayed that way for a long while, even after Viktor explained that Gem was missing and not dead. He couldn’t fight his Chitah nature, the primal part of him that emerged when a woman, child, or someone he cared about was in danger. And this wasn’t just anyone; it was his partner.
We were blindsided by the news, and the details made little sense. Wyatt said that she’d gone for a swim, and when they went to check on her, she wasn’t there. Switch’s wolf detected a strong scent of intruders within the courtyard that ended by the back wall. Outside Keystone, the scent trail went all the way to a distant road before it disappeared. Gem never went off on her own. Not at night. Not alone. That wasn’t like her. She stuck close to the house and mostly went out in the daytime.
“We have to go back,” Niko insisted. He pounded his fist on the bar, refusing to sit down with the rest of us.
Viktor put his head in his hands as Shepherd, Blue, and I watched from the curved breakfast nook where we were sitting. “We cannot,” he said, his voice pained. “These children depend on us. We put their lives at risk if we go back. There are spies who know what these children look like and where they stay. They are high-risk, and that is why we are transferring them. It was very difficult to orchestrate a plan to get them out.”
“We can’t abandon her!”
“We have no choice,” Blue fired back. “Viktor’s right. If something happens to these kids because we called off the mission, what did we accomplish? Our job has always been to protect the innocents, puttingtheirlives above our own.”
From the sofa, Christian had his arm around Claude as if they were a couple. Christian wasn’t offering moral support; he was staying close in case Claude decided to go primal again.
I pushed up my sleeves and folded my arms across the table. “What do you think happened, Viktor? How could someone have broken into the house without them knowing? We keep everything locked up tight.”
Viktor sat back and waved away the smoke from Shepherd’s cigarette. “Wyatt saw no evidence of a break-in.” Viktor drifted into Russian before Shepherd poked his arm. “Apologies. Gem is usually the one who corrects me.” He rubbed the deep lines in his forehead.
“So how did they get in?” I pressed. “Did they fly?”
Christian shook his head. “Don’t be daft.”
I cut him a sharp glare. “Then explain it. Most of the outside windows are lattice and not the kind you can easily jump through. Our doors have bolts. No one heard her screaming for help? Gem would have screamed. She would have blasted them with an energy ball.”
Claude leaned forward and buried his fingers in his golden locks.
“What would be their motive?” Blue pondered from her spot next to Viktor. “Why Gem?”
Viktor sat back. “Where is my phone?”
I stood up. “I’ll find it.”
Viktor had tossed it somewhere during the melee. I scanned the seats and floors as I walked toward the back where the kids were hanging out. When I reached the corner, Carol peered up at me with wide eyes. Her knees were drawn up, her face illuminated by artificial light.
“Sorry.” She swiped her finger across the screen. “I was just playing a game.”
“You should go back to the bedroom while we talk. No sneaking out for snacks.”
Carol had a doll-like face, but instead of a smile she wore a look of apprehension. She sprang up and hustled to their room, the twins following close behind her.
I handed Viktor his phone.
“Spasibo.”
We listened while Viktor called Wyatt for an update and gathered more information. Wyatt must have had more to say than Viktor, because there was a lot of silence on our end.
“That’s a good plan,” Christian remarked the second Viktor hung up.
Blue scooted closer to him. “What did he say?”
Viktor set his phone down. “Switch was concerned about Hunter’s safety, so he called Raven’s father. Mr. Graves made a few calls, and I trust that he will do everything in his power to secure our people.”
Shepherd stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray. “Who did he call?”
“The cavalry.” I turned my head to look at Shepherd on my right. His eyes were darting around, and he couldn’t seem to stop fidgeting. “You don’t have to worry about Hunter from here on out. If my father asked his buddies to defend our property, they’ll do it with their lives. They’re good people. Crush never calls on favors, so I’m willing to bet a lot of men stepped up for this one.”
Claude attempted to stand, but Christian yanked him down by the back of his shirt. “What about Gem? How did they get in the courtyard? Even I can’t climb those walls.”
