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“No clue,” Scotty said, and I could sense his honesty in his facial expression and tone.

“All I know is that he hooked up with Kyle a few years ago, got him to invest in his research. It’s part of why Kyle’s been trying to take over shifter towns.

He gets money and power, sure, but the secondary benefit is that we can kidnap shifters and let the doc take their blood to further his experiments. ”

“He’s taking shifters?” Langston asked.

How was he able to keep the horror out of his voice?

Scotty nodded. “Yeah. Me and some of the other guys tried talking him out of working with the doc, but he wasn’t hearing any of it.

I think Kyle wants some sort of weapon he can use.

Right now, with the way laws are and how hands-off the human police and military are with shifter stuff, he can move around in the shadows.

He’s got it in his head that deep down, all humans want to be shifters.

He thinks people will pay big money to get transformed.

Thinks anyone and everyone will jump at the chance to be a shifter.

He’s used the initial formulas on some of the humans in North Crest, but so far none have become shifters, only animals. He’s not real happy about it.”

“Is it all about money?” Trent asked, frowning in confusion. “Seems like overkill.”

“It’s more than money,” Scotty said. “It’s power.

The doc has other things planned for this drug.

I overheard them talking a few days ago.

Apparently, he thinks he can alter the genetic makeup of people who are already shifters.

He says he’s already working on a formula that can alter the cell structure of shifters to transform betas into alphas, and alphas into even more powerful alphas.

Kyle wants to be the alpha to end all alphas.

He doesn’t want to control a few packs, but every pack everywhere. ”

I wouldn’t have been more surprised if someone had just tossed a grenade into the basement with us. Langston and the others had the same shell-shocked expression on their faces.

“That’s impossible,” Langston muttered.

The prisoner scoffed. “You said you saw the video. It’s supposed to be impossible to turn a human into a wolf, yet here we are. It’s coming. If there’s one thing I’ve figured out while working for Kyle, it’s never doubt the doc when he says he can do something.”

“But a single shifter can’t rule every pack,” Trent said. “The logistics alone would be?—”

Scotty scoffed. “Kyle doesn’t give a shit about logistics. He’s drunk on the idea of power.”

The idea of being in charge of every shifter was terrifying.

Managing Harbor Mills alone was stressful enough for me.

There were shifters in higher levels of power, sure.

There was an entire contingent of them in Congress.

But they didn’t rule us. All they did was represent our interests.

They helped shape laws that allowed us to live comfortably alongside humans while still keeping our autonomy. They weren’t kings or queens.

“I knew this dude was a maniac,” Porter said, “but this seals the deal. Even if it was physically possible, there’s no way he could implement it.”

That part was accurate. No single man could be alpha to the myriad of packs across the world. Kyle was even crazier than we’d thought, and that was saying a lot.

“What about my son?” I asked, leaning forward hungrily, desperate for news. All I could think of was this psychotic doctor experimenting on my boy.

“As far as I’ve been told,” Scotty said, shrugging one shoulder, “he hasn’t been hurt.

He wants his hostage kept secure and safe.

Last I checked, the kid was bored, sitting in a locked room.

Three meals a day. I think they gave him a TV to stream movies and shows. It’s a prison, but I’ve seen worse.”

“Where is he?” I barked.

“At Kyle’s place. It’s a big fucking mansion he… uh… procured from a well-to-do shifter who lived between North Crest and Carltonville to the west.”

“Tell us where this place is,” Langston said. “We’ll go in, get Ash out, and we’re done.”

“You aren’t listening,” Scotty urged. “Kyle and the doc think of everything. This mansion was already a fortress, but he added more security when he took it over. The whole basement floor was turned into labs. Kyle keeps his best-trained men there as security. There are cameras, silent alarms, fences. It’s like fucking Fort Knox.

You’re not gonna stroll in there and grab your kid. ”

“Son of a bitch,” I hissed.

Langston looked equally disappointed, though I wasn’t sure why either of us were surprised. If I’d been in Kyle’s shoes, I’d have done the exact same thing—keeping my treasure locked away safe and sound like a good little pirate.

“There’s no way in,” Langston said. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Getting in without an invite is one hundred percent impossible,” the kid agreed.

“We need an inside man,” Trent said. “Someone who can help us from that end.”

Our prisoner did his best to lift his bound arms. “I am obviously not in any position to help there.”

He was right. He’d been compromised when we took him. It was like Langston said—if this guy showed back up on Kyle’s doorstep, Kyle would automatically think he’d spilled secrets, and the poor piece of shit would be in a shallow grave by sundown.

“Do you know anyone we might be able to flip?” I asked, hoping against hope.

He rolled his eyes at me. “On Kyle’s payroll?

Nah. Shit, we all know the score. He even told us when we were brought on.

If anyone offers you more money, go to him.

He’ll double what you’ve been offered and give you a bonus if you help him kill the prick who tried to turn you.

You could offer a guy something, and he’ll only use it to get a raise. Not happening.”

“But you said some of the guys are scared of what he’s doing,” Porter said. “Wouldn’t some of them be willing to turn? Decide to do the right thing?”

The look he gave Porter was one of withering scorn.

“Right and wrong go out the window when it comes to life and death. Lots of guys talk big shit about dying for a cause like fucking Braveheart or something, but when it comes right down to it, most of us want to live. The few guys who might come over to your side aren’t going to.

Kyle knows everyone’s life. For the guys Kyle thinks might betray him, he’s got other things held over them.

Threats to parents and loved ones, financial stuff, things like that. ”

“What about the woman?” I asked. “Sydney? Could she be turned?”

“Woman?” He chuckled. “That chick’s the best hacker I’ve ever seen, but she’s only twenty. Just a kid.”

“You’re one to talk, bro,” Porter said. “What are you? Twenty?”

“I’ll be twenty-two next month,” he responded bitterly.

“If you survive that long,” Porter snapped.

“What about this girl?” I prodded, dragging the conversation back to where I wanted it.

He shook his head. “No clue what her deal is. Kyle only brought her in a few weeks ago. She talks a big game and acts pretty cocky, but I think she knows she’s in over her head and uses that as a shield. My personal opinion,” he added.

“Give us whatever names you can,” Langston said. “Anyone you think might have even the slightest chance of turning on Kyle. We’ll discuss and come back later.”

He gave us a short list of names, and we left him.

“Hey!” Scotty shouted after us. “Can I get something to eat, for fuck’s sake? A PB&J? Bologna? Anything?”

“You’ll eat when we tell you to,” Trent muttered, and slammed the basement door behind us.

“Is this the best place to keep him?” Porter asked.

“For now, yes,” Langston said. “Everything he told us could have been bullshit. Including these names,” he added, shaking the paper.

“I don’t think so,” I said. “You could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth.”

Langston leaned against the counter. “Yeah, you’re right, but it’s still better safe than sorry. Hell, he could assume we’re lying and are gonna kill him regardless. A cornered animal is dangerous. A cornered animal that’s tied up and secure is not .”

“Fair enough,” I said. “But it might be better if we move him. If Kyle decides to come for him, this is probably the first place he’ll look.”

“Shit.” Langston ran a hand through his hair. “Hadn’t thought about that yet.”

“Somewhere else in town?” Trent offered.

“No, that’s the next place he’ll think to look,” I said.

Langston snapped his fingers. “My dad’s got some vacation houses around here. I think we can use one of those. Maybe the one on Lake Lanier.”

“Hold up,” I said. “Did you say ‘vacation houses?’ Like, plural?”

Looking uncomfortable, Langston shrugged. “Yeah. He likes mountains and lakes. He only has the one beach house down in the gulf. I keep asking him to get one in the Caribbean.”

“Okay,” I said, slapping my hand on the counter and grinning at Langston. “Who the hell is your dad? Jesus, it sounds like he’s got more money than God.”

Langston chuckled, and Porter snorted. “Maybe I’ll tell you one day.”

“All that time in the service together,” Trent said, “and I never knew you were a spoiled rich kid. Weird.”

Langston grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl on the counter and tossed it at Trent. It bounced off Trent’s head.

“What the fuck?” Trent said.

“That’s for calling me a rich kid.”

Porter had his hand over his mouth, trying to hide his laughter.

“You asked for that,” I said, glancing at Trent.

“Whose side are you on?” he shot back with a grin as he rubbed his head.

“What do we do to get Scotty moved?” I said, trying to get us back on track.

“If we have a house, great, but we have to move him. And,” I added with a weary sigh while eyeing the basement door, “we do need to figure out how to feed and take care of the guy until then. I, for one, do not want to be cleaning up piss and shit when he eventually needs to go. I’d rather not have him doing that in his pants. ”