Page 29 of Sergi (Of Blood & Dreams #7)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Devon checked his watch. The two hours he’d given the team was almost up, so he gathered his backpack and stacked it with the others next to one of the cargo vans. They would go in with minimal gear.

He walked through the now larger team, ensuring the readiness of those who’d been severely injured in the last battle. After confirming the vampires were ready, he reviewed the shifters and paused at the last one. The shifter was an older man with a full head of gray hair and a face that held few wrinkles. His eyes were a sharp blue, almost as light as Devon’s, and belied his age. They were clear, focused, and reflected determination. Devon also noted that the male was leaning on his left leg, making his right leg appear shorter.

“You’re not fully healed.” Devon’s tone was calm and steady as he studied the shifter’s expression.

The old shifter grinned, revealing strikingly white teeth, and there was a general sense of merriment about him. “An old injury from many battles ago.” His accent was British, most likely from around London.

“You were in one of the cargo vans.”

He nodded. “Caught me coming out of my favorite pub just after closing. Must have been four or five of them, but they darted me, and I woke caged in some warehouse with other shifters. I don’t know where it was, but I can tell you it was a good six hours to get here.”

Devon’s brow lifted. “Interesting.” Six hours would cover many miles, but it would depend on their speed and whether any border crossings were involved. If he assumed a speed that wouldn’t attract police and no borders, the warehouse could be four hundred miles away. But Devon didn’t think it was that far, and he would guess one border crossing. Either way, it put the building in Europe and not the UK.

They must capture an easy target, move them to a central facility, then once they have their specific target number of shifters, they transport them all here. If they were gathering them one at a time from all over, no one would be aware of the connection between missing shifters from around the globe, let alone connect the dots as to why.

“If you’re wondering if I can pull my own weight…” the old man ventured. “I can assure you the only reason I was injured earlier was because I’d been clubbed during our last stop.”

“Why was that?”

His grin slipped easily back in place. “I might have been causing a bit of a rebellion inside the van.”

Devon chuckled. “Making it impossible for the guards to determine if everyone had broken their restraints and could rush them when they opened the door. The director would probably be unhappy if his cargo were killed.”

“Exactly.” His smile faded, and he shook his head. “But they called my bluff. I only had a few out of their restraints before they opened the door. They beat us all, but they knew I was the one who riled them up.” He rubbed his right leg as if it were an affectation as much as something that bothered him. “They aggravated my old injury. The shift helped.” He met Devon’s eyes. “I’m not a hundred percent, but I can still fight.”

Devon held his gaze for a long minute. He didn’t doubt the shifter. Remus, who stood behind him remained quiet, giving Devon the final decision. The fact he didn’t say anything was enough for Devon.

“Then let’s see this done, and then we’ll get you home.”

The shifter stood straighter and never lost his smile.

Devon turned to Remus and Bella. “Let’s move the teams out.”

He’d let the two of them rearrange the teams to fit everyone’s best skills. He’d found a quiet place to review the plan. They had a larger force now, but the guards would know they were coming. But after mulling over it, he discussed it with Rafael, Bella, and Remus, and, with a few minor modifications, decided to leave the plan as is. The only difference would be who was on which team.

The initial breach consisted of Team Three as the bait, and Team Four would take the blind and gain computer access. No changes were made to that plan. Once successful, Team Three would regroup into a larger force, assuming there was a tunnel to the main facility. Team Four would include the remaining team members and would blow the doors and move in.

With the addition of the unexpected shifters, two additional teams were added. Team Five would be the first team to move out and consisted of four shifters in wolf form. They would approach the parking lot from both sides of the road, running through the forest for cover. Their mission was to alert Team Six once Team Three was darted.

Remus gave this last group their choice of whether to stay in human form or wolf. The group quickly determined that two-thirds would shift while the rest would remain in human form for the initial charge.

Team Six moved out next, led by a Beta who’d been captured in Frankfurt. They would stop a quarter mile short of the parking lot. Once they heard a howl of all clear from Team Five, they’d race in and help infiltrate the building.

Team Three was the next to move up the mountain, and Devon nodded to Rafael, who led them farther west of the road, using the same path he’d taken with Sergi and Carlos. Team Four, the last group, stayed several hundred yards behind. Four of the shifters in this group morphed into their wolf forms and split into two groups, running to the left and right of Devon. The entire team moved quickly and quietly and didn’t stop until they reached a point where the parking lot and building could be seen from the woods.

Remus gave a low whistle, and the four wolves positioned themselves just behind where the underground blinds should be. Devon waited five minutes to see if the wolves triggered any alarms.

When they didn’t, Devon, Rafael, and Beckham, a shifter in human form, continued on while Remus took control of the remaining team with Bella beside him.

Devon pulled at the collar of his mesh suit and noted that Rafael and Beckham were also fidgeting with their own suits. No one wanted a dart to hit flesh. The last thing any of them wanted was to be tranquilized and miss the battle.

This was the trickiest part of the plan—getting the guards to believe they’d been darted. If they showed any resilience against the darts, the guards in the blinds might open fire instead, which wouldn’t kill Devon or Rafael, though they might be out of commission without blood from their supply. It would definitely kill Beckham.

Devon, with Rafael and Beckham spreading out on either side of him, slowly approached the parking lot. He scanned the area where the blinds were hidden and, now that he knew where they were, easily identified the faint lines. They would be near impossible to see in the dark.

The question Devon had worried about was whether they had changed their security protocols when Rafael escaped. And what other surprises waited inside now that they’d received a call that the cargo vans had been attacked? Too late now for any misgivings. This was still the best plan.

He continued, moving slowly and stealthily, as any team would do. They were two hours behind their original schedule, and the guards must be curious why a team would attempt something so foolish in the late afternoon. Maybe they would forget the tranquilizers and just shoot them.

He was halfway to the doors, blocking out all the ways this could go wrong when he felt something hit his neck. He hadn’t heard the blind open, but he turned back as he reached for his neck, and saw the tips of the rifles as the blind continued to rise. He managed a quick glance at Rafael, who was already on his way to the ground. Devon struggled, attempting to take another step as he turned to Beckham, who, wide-eyed, had a hand to his neck. Then the shifter fell a few seconds before Devon collapsed to his knees, and his body dropped to the ground.

His head was turned toward Beckham, whose eyes were closed. The shifter was on his side, his back to the blind. His left hand twitched then fisted into a peace sign. He was okay.

A lone howl echoed through the trees as boots hit the pavement. Devon assumed they were guards on their way to confirm the three intruders were down.

They never reached Devon before the teams attacked.

Devon had been expecting the howls to increase, but the cries for blood from his vampires surprised him. The team knew what was at stake—gaining evidence to fight Venizi. In that split-second moment, the realization hit him that the team wasn’t just fighting for the mission but for themselves. Rafael for his guilt at leaving his team behind, Bella’s worry for Sergi and her deep hatred of Venizi, and Remus for the shifters who’d sacrificed themselves in the search for the lab.

They weren’t alone. He’d lay down his life for his Family, but he had to admit that his relationship with Sergi went deeper than with the rest of his cadre. Sergi had spent centuries with House Trelane defending Devon with his life, first as the Captain of the Guard, then as his personal bodyguard, and then as cadre. They’d been at each other’s side in too many battles to count and endless missions. He was more than a friend—he was a brother.

Devon rolled to his side and sprung into a squat, readying for the guards, but they were already down, and he stood. Two were dead, and the rest were in restraints. Two dozen wolves raced around the parking lot, sniffing the ground, getting a sense of who and what they were seeking.

Bella stood next to the open blind, talking to someone inside. Rafael, assigned to infiltrate through what was hopefully a tunnel, was up and running toward her. Remus whispered something to Bella then jogged over. His face was grim for the battle yet to come, and the anticipation explained the gleam in his eyes.

Remus held out his hand, which Devon shook. “I know this might be premature, but this went better than expected.”

“I assume there weren’t many guards in the blinds.”

“Only a handful, and they gave up easily.” He turned to one of the dead a few feet away. “Well, most of them did.”

A shout came from the doors to the building as Team Four placed the C4.

“The team didn’t waste any time.” Devon shouldn’t have expected any less. The wolves had split into two groups, waiting for the doors to open.

“The shifters are eager. They have a score to settle.”

Devon’s attention was drawn back to the blinds when two wolves ran over and jumped in. After a few seconds, two more followed.

“I assume there was a tunnel after all?”

Remus chuckled. “Bella has excellent insight. She’d been the first to consider a tunnel and refused to believe anything else. Rafael is reviewing the security system to see what’s waiting for us in the command center.”

“So, which is it, old friend: the tunnel or the front door?”

Remus grinned. “You know me. I always prefer a grand entrance.”

Devon shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Devon gave last-minute instructions to Bella with Remus’s additional guidance on how best to use the recently kidnapped shifters.

“They’re angry. They’ll want to be the first in. Use that rage, but be careful. These wolves are all strangers to each other. Use my wolves as a barrier.”

Devon and Remus left her to her tasks and strode across the parking lot toward a group waiting outside the blast radius.

Beckham stood at the far end of the building with a remote control in his hand. He glanced at Remus first and then at Devon.

When Devon nodded, Beckham grinned and yelled, “Fire in the hole!”

The doors blasted outward, and team members scattered as pieces of metal flew across the lot. Debris and rock fell as if the sky had sent it. Before the dust settled, gunfire erupted from inside, and the entry team waited until they could see figures dashing around the garage before returning fire while wolves raced in, their bodies low to the ground. When the sound of screaming started, Devon strode toward the gap in the mountain where the double-wide doors used to be, Remus by his side. Two wolves raced in, and Devon pulled his daggers as he bent low to enter.

When he heard the “all clear,” he straightened, confused.

Remus, who followed him in, stopped next to him. “I was expecting more of a welcome.”

Beckham, who’d been the first to run in, raced toward them from somewhere deeper in the facility. “They’ve combined their forces at the command center and barricaded the other hallways. We’re setting up in one of the conference rooms.”

Devon cursed. “They’re holding us off until they can destroy documentation of everything they’ve been doing here.”

Remus growled. “Now we know what they’ve been up to while waiting for us.”

Devon and Remus found Bella in a conference room around the corner from a hallway that led to the command center. Several team members sat in the hallway, their heads leaning against the wall as they waited for new orders.

“The blockades are almost cleared.” Bella stood over a table, studying a map.

“Already?” Devon asked.

“The teams had excess energy they needed to burn off. The barricades confirm they were waiting for us, but even with the two hours we gave them, they were sloppy.”

Remus grunted. “We caught them shorthanded, and they weren’t prepared.”

“All to our advantage.” Bella pointed to the map. “We found this in one of the vehicles in the garage, and we’re having copies made. The facility has three levels. We’re on level one where security, housing for the staff, and the labs are located.”

She frowned, and Devon prepared himself for bad news. “Levels two and three are cells. One of the captured guards admitted they keep the shifters in them until they’re needed for experiments.”

Remus’s howl was followed by a punch through the wall. Bella waited for the dust from the drywall to settle before she continued as if his outburst was an everyday occurrence.

“There’s one elevator and two staircases, and we believe guards are stationed at all of them.” She grinned at Remus, who only growled in response. “Oh, I think you’ll like this.” She gave Devon a quick grin. “The shifters mounted an uprising. They’ve taken control of the two lower levels, supposedly led by a vampire, who was one of the prisoners.”

“Sergi?” Devon asked.

“I assumed so, except…” She pulled out her satellite phone. “A red dot has appeared on our map. It appears to be coming from somewhere on the other side of the facility.”

Devon pulled out his phone, and Remus looked over his shoulder.

Remus ran a hand through his hair. “There’s only one signal.”

“Is it inside or outside the facility? Maybe there’s a back door.” Devon wasn’t sure what was going on, but an uprising wasn’t what he’d expected. He glanced at Remus, understanding what he was going through, knowing shifters were being held for experiments, but unable to do anything for him until their mission was complete.

“This might be something.” Bella pointed to an area on the third level. “There’s nothing specific on the map, but most of the engineering and mechanical rooms tend to be in the basement, or in this case, the third level. It wouldn’t be surprising to have a door there when the facility was being built. The only ones who can tell us for sure are the shifters. We need to get control of the command center and remove the guards blocking the entrances.”

“Agreed.” Devon had to find evidence before it was all destroyed. “Continue to work on that. I need access to the labs.”

Bella tapped a spot on the map. “You should be able to get through to this hallway by now.” She trailed her finger from the conference room to the hallway that led to the labs. “Be careful. There could be guards anywhere.”

“I’ll take a small team. Me and two others. You’ll need the rest to secure the facility.” Devon turned to Remus. “I assume you’ll want to lead the effort to clear the entrances at the stairs and elevator.”

Before Remus could answer, Rafael rushed into the room.

“We broke through to the command center. They’ve set a self-destruct for the facility. I have one of our guys working on it, but he doesn’t think he can override it in time.”

Devon’s gut clenched. “How long?”

“One hour.”