Koios turned on the large touchscreen monitor on the wall behind him before he pushed back his chair and stood. “One step closer.”
A map lit up the screen, marked with tiny red dots. Each of them represented one of the security cameras the pack had installed throughout the region. It had been a months-long project with most of it taking place under the cover of night.
“I’m glad you aren’t stubbornly insisting on monitoring all of this on your own,” Logan grumbled. “It’s a massive undertaking.”
“It is,” Koios agreed. “But if we mark the key players in this little drama of ours, it makes everything clearer, doesn’t it?”
Logan nodded. “There has to be something significant about the area. Everyone didn’t end up here on accident. It’s too big of a coincidence.”
“Yes and no,” Koios said. “Dakota didn’t run far when he rescued us from our captors. Goddess, he was barely eighteen and had six kids he didn’t know how to keep safe. We got to the nearest town, found shelter, and hunkered down. We didn’t know that less than an hour away, the Jerricks had another set of kids. The question is why Palinourous had so much of his so-called research done in this area.”
Logan shot him a look. He hated any mention of the now-deceased god who’d spent decades performing experiments on shifter kids in an attempt to steal their magic. The more they’d all learned about the battle for power going on around them, the more they’d all begun to question everything they knew about their world.
“Because Sawyer was nearby,” Logan said. “Everything Palinourous did revolved around gaining power from his brother.”
“Maybe,” Koios conceded. “But I’m not convinced he knew Sawyer’s location until later. Either way, we have a massive triangle now with a decent sized city and two small towns on the outskirts. With Nick and Sawyer’s compounds next door to each other now—and conveniently right in the center of our triangle—we can start keeping a closer watch on the area.”
“Whatever happens next will be somewhere within this zone.”
“Our very own Bermuda Triangle,” Koios said.
The clichelooking for a needle in a haystacknever felt more apt. So much area to cover with no real guarantee that they’d catch the elusive Jim in their trap.
“Speaking of places you wish would make you disappear, Bailey wanted me to remind you that dinner is in an hour.”
“I have an alarm set,” Koios replied.
He continued staring at the map, envisioning the completed net of cameras. With the tracking software set up, they’d be able to capture both license plate numbers of any passing cars and images of the drivers for facial recognition. Once they identified the locals, any intruders would be easy to spot.
The strategy required time and patience, both of which Koios had in limited supply at the moment. However, it was something, and a longer-term investment in keeping some of the power brokers of their world safe.
“And speaking of alarms, how was your appointment?”
Koios fought back a groan. He’d been hoping to avoid the conversation. He should have known better. “Weak segue, Logan. I know you were trying to beat my Bermuda Triangle thing, but that one disappointed me.”
Logan smirked and leaned against the wall. “How about this one? So, what were you looking at when I walked in? Weak window closing skills, Koios. You disappointed me.”
Koios scoffed. “Lies.”
“Let’s try truth then. How was your appointment?”
After walking back to his computer, Koios brought the windows up. “Apparently, I have something called anterior pelvic tilt, among other things.”
Logan leaned over and studied the image of the lower back and hips on the screen. “I’ve seen this before with some guys in the military who hit the gym too hard.”
“Theyhit it hard, huh?”
Logan shook his head. “How did I never realize what a smart ass you are? But yes, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can mess stuff up. I’ve been training for years and have seen some weird shit happen. Your muscles become unbalanced.”
“Ben mentioned something along those lines.”
Logan didn’t glance at him, but Koios could feel the curiosity seeping from the alpha’s pores.
“Yes, you heard me correctly,” Koios added after a long silence. “I said Ben. He’s the one I’m going to be doing daily therapy with for a while.”
Logan continued staring at the screen. Koios wondered what curiosity smelled like. His office likely reeked of it, not that he had superior senses of any kind. Logan continued the silent treatment, though. It wasn’t a bad tactic, especially considering Koios felt somehow compelled to tell Logan the truth.
“He’s going to come here,” Koios continued, “since it isn’t safe for me to be out every day. And you can comment now.”
