Demi continues. "The following day, Chris received word about his father's death. I followed him back to his pack, never hating myself more in my entire life. Chris was seething by the time we arrived. Kiersten was my best friend. I couldn't bear to watch her die. Instead, I begged Chris not to challenge her and take another option: send her to Alban prison. He had to at least consider it. Even though I was his mate, as Alpha Commander, Iwas still his superior. I could override the decision to kill her. It wasn't murder, after all. So, that's what I did.”
"It is not our place to deny a wolf his vengeance,” I grumble.
"I know,” she hangs her head. “I’ve had plenty of time to regret it."
Jabir's throat bobs. He too failed to prevent the untimely death of his father.
While stroking his back, Nell’s forehead wrinkles with a thought. "Kiersten was a chemist, right?"
Demi blinks back tears. "Apparently she stillis.”
"Then we can assume she has the fundamental knowledge of common nightclub drugs and their chemical composure. Like Ludone."
Shit. I can sense where this is going.
"I would think so. As teenagers, we used to mess around with psychedelics. Mushrooms we found foraging on Tilaak lands."
Nell starts to home in. “Let’s run with a scenario. Kiersten gets the tip that vamps are searching for the Sponsa Noctis by collaborating with rogues. She has the background knowledge to infiltrate our territory but wouldn't be able to get close enough to Tukkon. So, she sends a crew out to push a newly enhanced form of Ludone, targeting humans under the influence. That night at Sonic Jungle, Cora noticed that Gemma Belgrave also had the powder on her clothes. She must’ve heard about the prospect of a reward after bumping into Kiersten’s crew. I think Dr. Caulder was onto something—when Ludone enters the bloodstream, it amplifies the scent. Maybe Vessa presented with the sign Kiersten was looking for, but she needed a better way to draw her out. Especially after what happened at Tukkon Motors. So, Gemma became their contact."
Jabir frowns. "Like the hideaway cabin? I thought that only Skornokovys know of its location . . . Other than you."
Demi scratches her neck. "Not necessarily . . .”
Fuck.
A snarl builds in my chest. “You took her there?”
The office swells with tension as my sister averts her eyes. I don't think I can bear to be in the same room as her much longer. This is the second rule she has bent to benefit Kiersten. One that could very well cost my mate her life.
"Let me see the rough sketch of the man from the club," Demi barks.
In two seconds flat, the paper is in her hands. My sister looks like she's going to be violently ill.
"That has to be Levi," she croaks. "Her cousin. He's been in prison for as long as I can remember.Heartlandsprison. How the hell is he out?”
I note the similarities in his appearance to Kiersten’s. I must admit, I've never met the bastard. “By using the same underground network that planned her escape.”
Demi's face grows paler. "Before enforcers picked him up, Levi was involved in a trafficking ring back in Delore, hence the tattoo. If that sociopath is our scorpion, then we're in deeper shit than I thought. He’s a Sadist.”
Jabir wrinkles his brow. “Meaning he has the augment?”
Sadists are one of the most intimidating augments to encounter. Inflicting pain on their opponents is like a power trip. They absorb the spent energy, funneling it into strength. In Levi’s case, it’s likely just as arousing.
My shattered fingers start to throb. How has this piece of shit managed to stay off the radar this long?
Demi rejoins Nell at the back table, scavenging through old prison records. She reads aloud the official statement from the director of Alban Penitentiary regarding Kiersten Hawley’s escape. An outlandish theory begins to take form, blocking out the pain swelling in my hand. It’s been chafing at me since we satMaurleen and Wyatt down, only to be blindsided by an ancient curse.
How many Auxes did I summon after Kiersten’s jailbreak? Seven? Ten? The only reason Chris and I were able to find her was because she was sloppy in killing one right before we hit the border to Bissex.
Nell lifts her voice, flipping to the second page. “Witnesses reported seeing three people smuggle her out in a blue van. Axe, your letter to the Council states that while the van headed south, her scent carried north. After Chris apprehended her, you redirected four officers to pursue her partners.”
“That sounds right. It should state in the Auxes’ briefs which one found them. And where.” That’s the gap in my memory.
Jabir’s computer finally reboots. “On it,” he says.
“No,” Demi asserts, crossing over to my desk. “I’ve got it. You find a way to get that IP.”
She helps herself to my chair and navigates to a password-encrypted folder, hidden within my Alban files. One that even she doesn’t have access to. I hunch over and punch in the nine digits required to view it.
