“Spasibo.Twenty-three.”
“Maybe we should start having a meeting before a raid,” I suggested. “Just to get all the questions out of the way.”
Christian barked out a laugh. “We would never be able to leave, and Spooky would find a way to weasel out of it.”
Wyatt glowered. “Rollergirl and I aren’t meant for this kind of Rambo stuff.”
Gem straightened her back. “Speak for yourself.”
Wyatt crossed his feet at the ankles. “I tag along when you need a professional to hack computers and gather evidence. I did that already. My job is done. But here I am, sitting in a van with guns strapped to my crotch. You know I can’t kill anyone. That’s the worst thing a Gravewalker can do.” He swung his gaze to the space next to him. “Nobody asked the freshy. Go find a light to jump in.”
I checked the push daggers on my belt, inside my leather coat, and strapped to my hip. I also had a stake inside a fitted loop in my jacket. Shifters couldn’t heal if impaled—another reason Shepherd brought guns. Sometimes bullets went through, but sometimes they didn’t.
The van stopped, and Viktor turned off the engine.
It was quiet enough you could hear a pin drop. Was it possible to sneak up on a wolf pack?
As if reading my mind, Viktor twisted around in his seat. “A pack won’t flee on their territory, especially if they have something more than land to protect. Remember what I said earlier: no one leaves the building except the children. I want each of you working with your partner.”
“Swell,” Shepherd grumbled.
I met eyes with Christian. Something about going into a fight filled me with arousal, and I could see the same amorous look in his eyes.
“Remember what we are here for,” Viktor stressed.
Shepherd stood. When he neared the back door, he looked between Christian and me. “Whenever you two are finished eye fucking…”
Christian winked and popped open the rear door. “After you.”
Claude waited outside, also dressed in black. His golden locks were tucked inside a black knit hat. Wyatt stuck out more than the rest of us sinceHave a Nice Afterlifewas printed on the front of his shirt.
Gem leaped out of the van, her chunky boots crunching on the concrete. There was an air of confidence about her I hadn’t seen before on one of these missions.
I noticed my surroundings—concrete roads, dilapidated buildings, and a stop sign bent in half. “I thought we were going to their house?”
“We’re here.” Blue jumped out of the van next. “This pack lives in the city.”
“I thought packs liked woods and shit.”
“Not every pack is approved for Shifter land, so they buy up large apartment buildings or abandoned warehouses. Wyatt couldn’t find the blueprints on this place; that’s why we didn’t have a meeting. There’s not much to discuss. Here we are.”
Wyatt stepped out and twisted his ankle. He leaned down, gripping his leg. “It’s not that I couldn’t find it. The blueprints weren’t in the public records. Someone deleted them. Ow…”
Viktor joined us. “Cowards erase their existence so they are off radar.”
Christian peered around the van. “You’re not concerned they’ll see us?”
“Nyet. Shepherd scouted the building yesterday.”
Shepherd folded his muscular arms. “They only have a few windows in the back, and they’re up high. It’s a two-story warehouse. They welded shut all the doors. The only way in and out is through a garage door.”
“That’s how Niko and I went in,” Blue explained. “We parked just inside, and I guess that’s when the girl snuck into the trunk. There’s a staircase that goes to the upper level and a walkway that takes you through the building. It’s an open plan, like a running track. You can see the entire first floor over the railing. We didn’t get the full tour, so I don’t know where they keep the kids or if they have a bazooka. We’re all going in blind.”
“Who volunteers to guard the front door so no one escapes?” Shepherd asked.
“I will.” Niko squared his shoulders.
Shepherd shook his head. “No offense, but if someone slips by, you’ll stumble all over the city trying to chase after them.”
