“Do you think a man of Salem’s intelligence would work in a secret lab without any clue what they might be doing? Even if he didn’t know the details, he knew about illegal experiments. A smart guy like him must have put the pieces together at some point, but he chose to look away.”
“He helped Joy escape,” Montana fired back.
“Afterhe grew a conscience. The only difference between him and the others is that he did something. If the otherworkers chose to stay after Salem freed the captives, that’s on them. They know what legacy they’re leaving behind with these experiments.”
Montana crossed his arms. “Anyone free of sin can leave this table.”
Atticus was losing his patience and looked to the Packmaster. “Maybe you should leave your pack out of it. All I need is the lab’s location and any additional information on workers you can find in that phone. I’ll do what needs to be done. I can assure you, when I’m finished, you’ll never have to wonder if they might come for you.”
Tak pounded his fist on the table. “They hurt one ofmypackmates. If that doesn’t entitle me to be involved, nothing does. Don’t presume to run this operation.” Tak gave Atticus a scrutinizing gaze. “How do you plan to do it alone? Can you take on more than one Vampire with your kung fu?”
Atticus lowered his voice. “My employees are skilled in more than just plating food.”
“And you want me to put my pack’s lives in the hands of a few cooks in your kitchen? They could blackmail you… or us.” Tak propped his chin on his fist and quieted. “I hear your concerns, Montana. But we don’t know how many people they’ve hurt and how many they’ll continue to hurt if we show mercy. You were a detective, so you know how these groups operate. We only have a brief window of time to act. How long do you think, Lucian?”
The Chitah’s dark eyebrows slanted, and his angled cheekbones gave him a menacing appearance. “A week. Two weeks tops. Their boss knows that because of the pack situation, it won’t be a straightforward job that’s done in a day. He doesn’t want his men to attract attention.”
Krys snorted. “That ship has sailed.”
“Maybe we should find out what experiments they’re running,” Lakota proposed.
Lucian rubbed the side of his face. “It’s better not to know. That information never leaves your brain, and that’s a dangerous thing to know when a Vampire can pull it out.”
The jukebox switched over to a noisy song, so Atticus blocked it out.
“Are you sure those Vampire bones can’t come back?” Virgil asked, his mind clearly not on the matter at hand. “I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night. It sounded like someone was on the roof. I once knew a guy who knew a guy?—”
Lakota gestured for him to keep quiet on what they’d done with those men.
“Gather as much information as you can,” Tak ordered Lucian. “Especially on the workers. How many, their names, where they live. Work your nerdy magic.”
“I’m not a wizard,” Lucian grumbled. “There’s only so much private information a person puts in their phone.”
“That’s what you think,” Virgil quipped while playing with his necklace.
Tak stared at his glass. “We already got enough from the one we interrogated, but it’s smart to prepare for battle. The more you know?—”
“The more you grow,” Virgil finished.
Archer quelled him with a glance. Because those two were good buddies, Virgil took that as his cue to get serious.
“There’s no need to prepare,” Atticus said. “Give me the information, and I’ll handle it.”
“No.” Tak played with a turquoise bracelet on his wrist. “I’m not sending the entire pack, but I need assurance this is done right. That means seeing it with our own eyes. You need backup. How many of your people do you trust with something this sensitive? Think carefully, because the wrong decision could put our lives at risk.”
Atticus gave it consideration. “Two.”
Tak directed his gaze at Lakota. “Maybe I should send Melody. She’s good with a bow.”
“Yeah, but her wolf isn’t strong enough to fight a Vampire,” Lakota pointed out, his heart accelerating.
He’s afraid for her.
Tak scanned everyone’s faces. “I don’t want my second-in-command or third to go, so if I have to choose another wolf who’s right for this job, it’s Krys.”
“Fuck yeah.” Krys straightened up. “But I’m not riding with the fang.”
Tak wagged his finger at him. “You’ll do what I command. Keep an eye on our friend, especially since he’s courting one of my packmates. Let’s see if he’s true to his word. I can’t invite someone into my home without knowing what kind of man he is in all situations.”
