“Looks like they b-bought up the surrounding buildings a f-few years ago… planned to expand but…” He hesitated. “But the project was stopped due to funding.”
My words snapped tight. “What buildings?”
More clacking. “Uh… a strip mall with a coffee shop, a thrift store, and a massage parlor. And?—”
He paused again. “Oh. And a local bank.”
My chair scraped the floor as I shot upright. Conrad moved at the same time. Zeth already had his phone to his ear, barking orders until I threw out a hand.
“Wait. Tell them to stage a few miles out.”
He relayed the order without question.
Deslen drifted to my side, brows pulled together. His strawberry and peppercorn scent had me licking my lips. “Why not roll in and take the place now?”
I shook my head, mind already moving ahead of him. “We don’t know what the hell we’re stepping into. A full assault could spook them or give them enough time to slip out a back tunnel. A small, quiet team gets in cleaner. We gather intel and grab the doctor for answers before getting rid of him.”
Zeth hung up and faced me, jaw set. “They’ll get into position and wait for our signal.”
A feral smile slowly curled across my face, one I hadn’t felt in a long while. The thought of the doctor’s blood covering my hands, his screams traveling through the air as I beat the truth out of him, sent delicious tremors down my hands.
I looked at my men, my mates. Smart. Fast. Precise. The perfect blend.
Still could use a scrappy black wolf with good instincts.Shaking that thought off, I made sure to keep my smile in place. I didn't want them to know who I was thinking about.
“Looks like I’ve got my go team,” I said, letting my gaze drag over each of them. The energy in the room spiked, all of us needingsome kind of action after the week we’d had. “Ten minutes to get ready, boys. Gear up.”
They wereready faster than I expected, already lined up by the door. Black shirts clung to muscle, cargo pants fitted sharp, boots planted. A dark, menacing, lethal wall of men. My men.
My wolf slammed against my skull.
Mates. Ours. Take them. Now.
For once, I didn’t force her back. I let her rise up and press against the edge of my skin, her hunger entwining with mine. Heat licked up my spine as I dragged my gaze over all three of them. Every instinct screamed to pin them to the nearest surface and ride out this lust.
Conrad smirked, his voice light with mischief. “We should probably wear these outfits again. Preferably when we’re… not in a time crunch.”
A ridiculous laugh nearly slipped out of me, but I caught it in time. That was too soft for someone who planned to spill blood tonight. I took one more heartbeat to indulge in the sight of them, in the ache pooling low in my stomach.
Then, like flipping a switch, I closed my eyes, inhaled, and opened them again with rage and violence simmering right beneath my skin.
“After,” I said, my voice all wolf. “Right now, I want that man’s blood coating my claws. His bones cracking between my fangsas he screams every secret he’s been hiding. Tonight, he learns what trespassing in my territory costs.”
The shift in the room was instantaneous. Focus sharpened. Hunger redirected.
We left the house and headed to my Jeep since it could fit all of us, but something prickled at the back of my neck. Eyes on me, watching. The sensation stalked me all the way to the vehicle. While the guys climbed in, I scanned the tree line, nostrils flaring, senses stretching to catch the watcher hiding in the shadows of the forest.
“Nova?” Deslen stood beside the open door, hand extended.
It took me a second to understand the gesture. He was trying to help me in, which was cute. Sweet. Ridiculous, even. My immediate reaction was to tell him I didn’t need it. That I’d climbed in and out of cars long before he learned to shave, but instead, I slipped my hand into his and let him steady me. Let myself enjoy it. A girl like me only got so many chances to be treated like this.
Zeth drove us out to meet my men, and once I got there, I met with the lieutenants and gave them the rundown in clipped, direct orders. Spread out, stay low, and wait for my signal. I had a magical device that could ping my men within a five-mile radius. As soon as they felt the ping, that meant:tear the place apart.
I couldn’t have any slip-ups—not this time. I’d be damned before I let this bastard embarrass me in front of my siblings. I’d become the laughingstock of the family, and I could never let that happen… ever.
The low rumble of an engine approached, too fast, too close. I tensed, ready to shred whoever thought about ruining this op. An off-road motorbike skidded to a stop in front of me.
He killed the engine and removed his helmet to show off a Syndicate tattoo on his neck before pulling a thin box from his backpack. “Delivery to Boss Rossey from Boss Winstale.”
