Chapter 15
Gunnolf
D amn, I’m nervous. I’m not usually so emotional when it comes to the job, but having Val involved puts a whole other level of intensity on the situation for me. My pulse thuds in my neck as I look toward the surveillance van with Minna and Val in it through the rearview mirror.
So much for Val ‘not needing to be here.’ Goddess, that woman is maddeningly stubborn. At least she’s in an armored vehicle, I repeat for the millionth time today.
We’ve already established an outer perimeter of plainclothes and undercover officers. We are not letting Marcus get away from us—not this time. He’ll be locked up behind bars by the end of this night, exactly where he belongs.
“The summit leaders showed up yesterday to ‘check out the new space.’ I can almost guarantee that Marcus Crowe had them tailed. He’ll be here. To plant his bombs.” Hati says confidently from the back seat.
A flutter rumbles in my stomach. This is a good thing. We want him to be here. But I can’t help but snap my eyes back to the surveillance van, which is now taking a turn down the block to park itself off on the other road.
“The trap is set,” Kato confirms, nodding. “The false intel has been leaked, and we’ve been scrambling the usual security protocols to make it look vulnerable. Crowe will be here tonight, ready to claim victory if he is as arrogant as we think.
I stand behind cover, waiting for Kato’s command. The decoy summit location is perfect. It’s a sprawling event center on the outskirts of town. It’s the ideal place to lure Marcus Crowe into thinking he’s about to claim a major victory.
Goddess, I hope this all goes off without a hitch.
I adjust the earpiece, listening to the team’s chatter. Hati and Bruce are stationed at the north and south entrances while I cover the interior, hidden behind a stack of crates. Kato’s voice crackles through the comms, calm and authoritative. “All units, report positions.”
“All clear on the north,” Hati responds, his tone a low growl.
“South side’s quiet,” Bruce confirms, his voice steady.
“Perimeter’s secure,” Callie says from her perch on top of a close building.
Kato’s Alpha presence is felt even through the comms. “Minna, status?”
Minna’s voice comes from the surveillance van parked a few blocks away. “Picking up some interference, but nothing solid. It could be residual signals from Crowe’s tech. I’ll keep monitoring.”
I exhale slowly, trying to keep my wolf under control. He’s pacing, claws scraping beneath my skin, ready to rip into Crowe the second he shows his face. But I have to stay focused. If this goes wrong, if we’re too late, there’s no telling how many lives will be lost.
“Stay sharp,” Kato orders, his voice cutting through the silence. “Crowe’s not going down easy. He’ll have contingencies.”
We wait in the oppressive darkness, minutes stretching into what feels like hours. My grip tightens on my weapon, eyes scanning every shadow, every flicker of movement. My wolf is on edge, sensing something coming, and then it happens—the faint hum of an approaching engine, tires crunching over gravel.
Kato’s voice comes through, low and tense. “We’ve got a vehicle inbound. Looks like it’s our target.”
I peer through the shadows as a black SUV glides to a stop just outside the warehouse. The doors open, and figures dressed in black tactical gear pour out, moving with deadly precision. Then I see Marcus Crowe step out, surveying the area like he owns it. A smug confidence in his movements sets my teeth on edge.
As Marcus steps closer to the warehouse, he pauses, turning to his assembled team with a look of fervent determination. “Today,” he begins, his voice steady but laced with intensity, “we’re taking the first real steps to change the world. They’ll remember this day—and us—as the ones who stood up, the ones who knew what needed to be done.”
He lets his gaze settle on each member of his team, ensuring his words sink in. “Together, we’re laying the foundation for a new order, and nothing will stop us.”
My jaw sets tightly, does he think he’s some kind of fucking messiah?
“Hold positions,” Kato commands, “Wait for my signal.”
Crowe’s men spread out, heading toward the entrance, unaware they are walking into our trap. Crowe strides forward, flanked by his guards, moving closer to the building. My finger itches on the trigger, but I wait, trusting Kato’s lead.
“Now!” Kato barks into the comms.
Chaos erupts in an instant. Hati and Bruce spring from the shadows, guns blazing. Callie from her sniper spot, and Kato, cut off any who retreat securing the perimeter while I step out from my cover, aiming straight for Crowe. The warehouse fills with the deafening sound of gunfire and shouts. Crowe’s men are caught off guard, scrambling to respond.
But Crowe... he’s not panicking. He’s grinning like a man who’s just played his winning card. OMG, that’s can’t be good. He knew this was a trap. But why would he come here?
“Brace yourselves!” Kato yells, but it’s too late.
A series of explosions rock the warehouse, the ground trembling beneath my feet. Dust and debris fill the air as bombs being carried by Marcus’ men go off, one after another, with no regard to the men carrying those bombs. My heart stops, a cold fear gripping me. “Val, Minna, report!” I shout into the comms, but all I get is static.
I break formation, and I don’t care at all that I did, as I sprint toward the surveillance van, lungs burning, fear clawing at my insides. If anything’s happened to Val... I can’t finish the thought. I won’t.
The van comes into view, doors flung open, and I see Minna hunched over her laptop, fingers flying over the keys.
“Gunnolf, thank God!” Val’s voice reaches me, and relief crashes over me like a wave. She’s standing beside Minna, frantically typing on another laptop. But there’s no time to dwell on it.
“What’s going on?” I demand, skidding to a stop beside them.
“Crowe’s bombs—the human aspects of the bombs, I can hack. But the supernatural elements... they’re linked psychically to Crowe. He can set them off remotely.” Val explains, eyes glued to her screen.
“Can you stop it?” I ask, my voice rough, trying to mask the fear.
Val doesn’t even look up. Her focus is razor-sharp. “I have an idea. I don’t know if it’s going to do anything but I’m working on disrupting the psychic link, but it’ll take a minute.”
A minute we don’t have. Another explosion rips through the air, and I see Kato dragging Bruce, who’s bleeding from a cut on his forehead, back to cover. My wolf howls, desperate to join the fight, but even more desperate to make sure that Val is safe.
“You’ve got this, Val,” I murmur, leaning in close, trying to give her the strength she’s giving us. “I know you do.”
Her fingers move even faster, her breath coming in short, controlled bursts. “Almost... there...”
“She’s crafting some kind of magical virus,” Minna says, eyes wide with awe and admiration.
“I watch Val in the surveillance van, her fingers flying over the laptop keyboard, her face lit by the blue glow of the screen. She’s locked in, focused with a level of intensity I rarely see in anyone. And damn if it isn’t impressive. I can’t look away as she narrows her gaze at the screen, murmuring to herself, “Alright, I’m in.”
My pulse kicks up. “She’s got something,” I mutter under my breath, trying to keep the hope out of my voice. Val’s eyes sharpen, and her fingers don’t stop moving. I catch snippets of what she’s saying, the tech jargon foreign to me but clear enough in its meaning—she’s isolating the frequency Crowe’s using to keep the psychic link to the bomb.
She pauses, then adds in a low voice, “I can scramble his connection and sever it remotely.” She doesn’t look away from the screen, fully absorbed. My heart’s racing just watching her. If she can cut off Crowe’s link, he won’t be able to detonate a bomb even if he tries.
“Come on, Val,” I whisper, hands clenched at my sides as she taps a few final keys.
A green bar flashes across her screen. “Link’s down,” she says, sounding almost surprised but relieved. “Crowe won’t be able to connect. He’ll think a device is live, but it won’t respond.”
I exhale, tension finally easing from my shoulders. “Nice work, Val,” I murmur, barely audible. She just bought us time, and every second counts.
“It wasn’t a virus. It was a signal-cloaking program I developed once I discovered what Marcus was planning. I adapted it specifically for the magical components he added. I couldn’t disable them directly, but I could alter how their signals were sent and received, blocking his control.”
Kissing Val briefly on the forehead I set my sights on Marcus just as confusion shrouds his expression when he realizes he no longer has the control he’d been banking on to detonate the rest of his bombs.
Now it’s my turn to smile.
He turns to run, but I’m on him in seconds. I tackle him to the ground, pinning him with a snarl that rumbles deep in my chest. “It’s over, Crowe,” I growl, hauling him to his feet, hands locked around his throat. “You’re finished.”
Marcus, now in restraints, locks eyes with me, a knowing smile curving his lips. “You can throw me in a cell, but you can’t hold back what I’ve started,” he says, his voice unwavering. “Everyone is blind, you included. When the world is scrambling to survive, I’ll be the one they look to. I’m not just a man with a grudge, Agent. I’m the answer they’ve been waiting for—the only one who sees what lies ahead. What do you think will happen to you when they find out what you’ve taken from them?”
“I think we are going to blow up your entire operation and you aren’t nearly as special as you think you are,” I say through gritted teeth.
Hati and Kato rush forward, ripping Crowe from my grasp, all for the better, and I move forward with the rest of the tactical team, rounding up the rest of Crowe’s team.
Within minutes, the fight is over. Crowe’s men lie scattered across the ground, some unconscious, others restrained with cuffs, and a few not moving at all. The air is thick with smoke, sweat, and the muffled curses of those still struggling against the inevitable.
One by one, officers haul them up and drag them toward the line of waiting police cars, the flash of red and blue lights cutting through the settling dust.
A weight lifts from my chest. This was a close call, closer than any of us wanted to admit, but we did it. I glance over at my team, all bruised and battered yet standing tall.
A few officers clap each other on the back, a rare smile breaking out as they regroup. This wasn’t just a victory—it was a message. We’d won back control from Crowe; this time, he wouldn’t be slipping through our fingers.
A gust of cool night air sweeps over us. I exhale, letting the tension drain from my shoulders, and a small but hard-earned satisfaction settles deep within. Crowe’s not nearly as smart as he thought, is he?
No, my Val is much smarter.
Val rushes out of the van, her eyes lit up with triumph. Goddess, without hesitation, I pull her into my arms, crushing my lips against hers. I am not gentle like I have been since she was injured.
I am hungry. Desperate. I want to consume all of her.
The world falls away for a moment. I don’t care about the smoke, the debris, or the shouting back and forth of orders. Right now it’s just Val and me, and that’s all that matters.
When we finally pull back from each other, her cheeks are flushed, her eyes wide with surprise. “What was that for?”
“For saving our asses,” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her lips. “And for being a damn genius.”
She laughs, the sound like music in the chaos. “Guess we make a pretty good team.”
“Yeah,” I agree, my voice rough with emotion. “We do.”
The team is watching, but I don’t care. I feel a spark of hope for the first time in a long time. Maybe we’ve finally put this nightmare behind us.
As the distant wail of sirens grows louder, signaling the arrival of reinforcements, I hold Val close, whispering against her ear, “Let’s go home.”
And for once, it feels like ‘home’ is a real possibility.