Final Extraction by Julie Trettel

Silas

Chapter 7

 

 

 

When our plane finally landed, and I stepped out onto the tarmac it was hot as balls as the sun beat down on the tarmac.

“Welcome to the panhandle of Florida,” Baine said with a grin as he slapped my back. “I sure hope this is it and we’re in and out quickly. I’m pretty sure even my C-4 is starting to melt here.”

“It’s only May. Imagine how much worse summer feels,” Taylor teased.

“No thanks. Take me back home to face the wrath of my mate’s family all over again. Even that hell was cooler than this.”

I snorted. We all knew damn well Baine was on good terms now with his old bear Clan.

“Please tell me the hotel has air conditioning,” Ben said when he emerged.

“O’Connell’s too cheap for that,” Tarron teased.

“Pretty sure there isn’t a place in this state without AC. Now if it were winter, heat might be an issue, but air conditioning is pretty much guaranteed,” Grant said.

“Great, then let’s check in quickly,” Baine insisted,

“Since when can’t you take a little heat,” T tormented.

Even I groaned at her terrible joke.

“Come on, you pansies move it out before your petals wilt or something,” Painter barked. “I’ve never heard a group complain so much. We’re in Florida in the spring. People spend thousands to vacation here.”

“I’m not seeing anything that remotely resembles a beach nearby, Chief,” Grant said.

“It’s weird seeing Painter take control, right?” Taylor said.

“It’s almost comical, but I’m trying to behave, so don’t keep pointing it out,” Baine whispered.

“You behave? Why?” Tarron snickered.

“Just go,” I finally said, having enough of it. All I wanted to do was locate the new Raglan location, verify it’s correct and not a trap, then get my mate out of there, blow the whole thing to the ground, and take her home. Sounded like a simple enough plan to me.

Several cars pulled up blocking our path. I froze. The others tightened into a half circle and transformed into full alert.

The passenger door opened on the first car and Martin stepped out.

“At ease gentleman, and lady,” he acknowledged nodding to Taylor.

The others immediately relaxed seeing our Verndari friend. I was still on edge though and imagined I would stay that way until Vada was safe in my arms.

“Martin, it’s good to see you,” I managed to say as I shook his hand.

“Painter called and said you could use a little help.”

“Called the calvary in. If she’s there, we’re going to get her this time.”

My lips pursed with emotion as I nodded to my oldest friend and brother in the truest way possible.

The doors opened on the second and third vehicles as others poured out. Ben’s mate’s sister Clara and her mate Gage were the first to approach. They went straight to Ben to catch up. Their human friends Chelsea and Eddie were right behind them. Martin’s buddies Dave and Larry soon followed. I knew them all by now.

The core of the group were doctors of some sort or specialized in animals. They worked for the Verndari, a human faction that monitored shifter activity and helped to keep us safe and our true nature concealed from the human world. They were the good guys, or at least they were supposed to be.

The Raglan that had my Vada were also part of the Verndari, a rogue group that decided our lives were inferior to humans. They were small in numbers but somehow had the backing of a massive network. Martin along with another Verndari ally, Jacob Winthrop, had been working hard to flush out the culprits supporting the Raglan, but in an ancient secret society such as the Verndari, they knew much about hiding the truth of things.

So far, we knew Stephan Daniels, a high ranking and well-respected member of the Verndari, was backing his son, Trevor, who, as far as we could tell, was the man in charge of it all.

In all the time that I had been after the Raglan, I had never understood why. What had spurred this drastic change of heart from the zero interaction, monitor and protect only policy of the Verndari to the kidnapping, torture, and experimentation of shifters. It went against everything their ancestors had worked so hard to promote.

“How’s Emma doing?” I heard Clara ask Painter.

His face lit up at the mere mention of her name. I had never been the jealous type, but I envied him and all he had together with his mate. It was something I never dreamed I could have for myself, yet here she was, only miles away at most.

“She’s wonderful.”

“Shelby says she’s great with the triplets and that they just love her to death.”

He grinned proudly. “She adores them too.”

“Not to interrupt this reunion, but my fear is that we’re on borrowed time here,” I reminded them.

“They’ve been briefed on the situation,” Painter assured me.

“Let’s get checked into the hotel and start setting up surveillance. Do we have confirmation they arrived, and this is definitely the location?” Martin asked.

“We literally just arrived,” I reminded him.

The condescending look he gave me made me want to punch him in his face. I knew Painter had updated them on the fact my mate was among the prisoners. I knew it was probably a necessity to explain why Painter was suddenly in charge. I still hated it. I wasn’t so compromised that I couldn’t think rationally—yet. I did fear that time may come though. I was barely holding on by a thread as it was. Every time I thought of her in that cage I’d seen her enter on the video, I wanted to kill something. Not just hurt or maim, but kill everyone responsible for putting her in that situation.

“I hear you acquired a laptop?” Larry asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been going through the files. Nothing really seems encrypted which is odd to me, but there are so many that it’s just taking time to sort through it all. T and I have been tag teaming it all day,” Tarron told him.

“Is it possible it’s a trap or was left behind as a decoy to throw us off their trail?” Larry wondered.

“I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “We have a guy on the inside. I truly believe he made this happen.”

“But until we get there and start surveillance, we can’t be certain,” I reminded them impatiently.

“He’s right. Let’s roll out,” Painter said.

I somehow managed not to growl at him for it. While I understood his need to take control was only for the good of the team and that he was protecting me too, my gorilla clearly hadn’t gotten that memo which was putting us at odds.

Without further words, everyone began loading into the vehicles. Martin cut me off and pulled me into his car.

Once inside he put the security window up between us and the driver. He didn’t speak until he was certain we were secure to do so freely.

“Painter tells me you think your mate is inside.”

“I don’t think, Martin. I know.”

“But Patrick had said she was killed in the blast during the Colorado extraction.”

“I don’t know how, but she survived.”

“Do you have visual confirmation on that?”

“Yes,” I told him.

His forehead crinkled in frustration. “I’ve been fully brought up to speed on what happened there. Tarron used the new technology you acquired from the US military through Echo team to search every inch of the place.”

“I’m aware of that and I’m telling you the equipment failed.”

“I’ve reviewed the schematics and data we have on that device. There’s no way he would have missed her. It penetrates through every element tested. The only thing that distorted results was Kevlar, but that only applies to the area directly covered. There was no reason for her to be wearing a Kevlar vest, but if she were he still would have seen the majority of her in the findings.”

“I don’t understand it either, but it’s what happened. No females were lost in that explosion.”

“Who told you that? The bunny?”

“Yes, actually she did.”

He groaned. “You know better than to trust her.”

“And if that was the only intel I had on this, I would cautiously approach with optimism at best.”

“There’s more then?”

I nodded, but there was no way I was going to give up Jake. Even though Taylor had vaguely mentioned we had an inside man, no one outside of my immediate team knew about Jake. For his safety, I wasn’t about to give that up.

“I have other intel that confirms her report.”

He shook his head. “I’m on your side here, you know.”

“I’m ninety-eight percent certain of that. I’m not willing to risk my team or my mate on that remaining two percent.”

He sighed and nodded. “It would make things so much easier, but if you want to do this the hard way, then fine. But you should know, I’m going back in.”

“What?”

“They crossed a few too many lines this time. People aren’t willing to overlook what’s happening any longer. I’ve been given orders to get in for a full evaluation, and then report back so the Verndari can make a call on exactly how to proceed. I’ve been in before so of course I’m the logical choice.”

“How’s your wife feel about this?”

Martin wasn’t just anyone. His wife, Alicia Kenston, was a Hollywood A-lister. His face was plastered all over the internet and magazines everywhere. While he had tried to lay low within the Verndari, over the last few years with his close ties to Westin Pack he had been shoved up the ladder of the organization. Even if that wasn’t the case though, if he were going in undercover for an extended time then the world would be watching and know it. No doubt rumors of a split would surface once more. I knew they’d been through it before but was surprised to hear he was putting himself into that situation again.

“Alicia knows how important this is. While most wouldn’t understand, I know you do.”

I nodded. His adopted daughter, Ember, had turned out to be a squirrel shifter and attended Archibald Reynolds, the exclusive all-shifter college in California. It was a close kept secret as interactions between the Verndari and shifters had always been forbidden.

There had been yet another Raglan breach on campus this year, though, I knew that had to have hit a little too close to home for him. I had not been involved with it, but I had been kept informed as half of my team assisted. It was the second time we’d discovered the Raglan preying on students there. Having so many in one location certainly provided them with easy pickings. Patrick now had a small fulltime team on staff at the ARC keeping a very close eye on things.

“Do you have a lead back in?”

He nodded. “Jacob already arranged it. Trevor’s waiting for me. He actually talked to him this morning and was grateful for it. Apparently one of his lead scientists was killed. The situation was vague at best.”

“I’d bet that’s the laptop we have. Tarron had mentioned there was a lot of experimental data on it.”

“You think Trevor killed him? Not one of the shifters?”

“We’ve been watching Trevor Daniels closely for quite sometime. There’s something off there. I don’t understand what is driving him, but he seems sloppy and more desperate lately.”

Martin pondered that for a second. “I’d like to see the data on the laptop.”

“You think you can determine what he’s looking for?”

“It’s possible. I’ve had my suspicions for a while, but this could confirm or negate them.”

I nodded. “I’m sure Larry’s already diving in. When we settle at the hotel, I’ll have Tarron give you full access to the device. He will insist on being present of course. This is, after all, one of the biggest finds we have.”

“Understood. I expect nothing less from your team. Now, are you going to tell me who your inside man is?”

“No, nor am I going to share who my mate is, but I will get word out that you’re safe and an ally.”

“Fair enough. Trevor knows me well and believes I’m on his side. In case I haven’t made myself clear enough, I’m not. There aren’t many who know Emmy’s true identity, but I would do anything to protect my daughter. As long as the Raglan exists her safety is at risk. That’s not okay with me.”

I nodded. There was a fierceness to him that told me there was more to it than that, but I didn’t press him. We all dealt with our own demons, and I wouldn’t intrude on his.

As the car came to a stop in front of the hotel, I jumped out to start issuing orders, but Painter was already one step ahead of me. I bit my tongue. It wasn’t easy on me to let go, but as I listened in, he did everything I would have. In some odd way I was proud of him.

“Where are Tarron and Larry setting up?” I asked him. “Martin would like to look over the files and see if he can figure out what the hell they’re actually up to.”

“We already know that. They’re researching shifters for advancement in humans,” Taylor told me.

“But why?”

“Silas says Trevor’s getting sloppy and showing signs of more assertiveness. If I can see the files, I might be able to tell what he’s really up to,” Martin added.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you can tell us that might help would be great,” Painter approved.

“I’ll show you where they’re setting up,” T volunteered.

“Thanks Taylor,” Painter and I said at the same time.

While it slightly annoyed me, Painter just looked humored by the entire situation.

“Where do we stand on getting surveillance up and running?” I barked the second they left.

“Already on it, big guy,” Ben assured me as he rounded the corner, but then he spoke directly to Painter instead. “If it’s cool with you, I’m taking Taylor and Grant to help with setup.”

He nodded without hesitation. “The faster you get confirmation, the more this one will start calming down.”

“Don’t count on it,” I grumbled.

Everyone had assignments and things to do except me. It left me pacing and irritating the others in my quest for more information.

The second we had the green light, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to stop myself from going in, and I prayed no one was dumb enough to try and stop me.

Two hours later Martin called me in to talk.

“I’m sorry that took longer than I expected. They’re right, there’s a lot of files here. Too many. Each file is an experiment on a shifter.”

“There are thousands of files, Silas,” Tarron told me. The look of horror on his face told me how disgusted he was by it.

Clara and Dave were leaning over Martin’s shoulder helping him dissect the data.

“Basically, he is trying two fronts towards a common goal here,” Clara said. “Ultimately he’s looking for a cure for cancer.”

“Not just any cancer, but brain cancer,” Martin added.

“Right. So he’s coming at it from multiple fronts. He’s injecting similar parameters into some of them and seeing how their natural system responds to the disease. It looks like he saw some positive success early in this direction,” Clara continued.

“Exactly,” Dave intervened. “So he’s trying to isolate the genetic differences and we’re not just dealing with shifters anymore. According to this, he’s moved on to human targets, too. He’s injecting them with a synthetic vaccine that makes them sick at first while it changes the human DNA to appear similar to yours.”

I groaned. “Gerard Redmond.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” Martin asked.

“He’s the human that was stalking Jackson Holt and then turned up dead at the ARC,” Painter said. “What about him?”

“They practically handed this to us, and yet we missed it. Gerard was human, but he passed enrollment into the ARC. We know there was an insider helping him in, but something only a few people know is that anyone that comes in without a sponsor from the shifter communities goes through a genetic testing now that we know the genetic differences to look for. Shannahan didn’t expose this during the investigation, but he feared someone inside has skewed his test results, but if this is true, maybe they didn’t.”

Painter let out a hard breath and I could see his mind whirling. “We’d have to exhume the body to verify this.”

“No need,” Tarron yelled. “Silas might be right. I ran a search on the name, and we have a file.”

“Let me see it,” Clara said taking control. My fists clenched and opened over and over again as we waited. “They did it. They changed his DNA. He didn’t die of torture but of natural causes.” She snorted in disgust. “Well, as natural as an artificial brain cancer can be considered. It appears that when their initial plan to get him in for easier access to specimens failed, they moved him into a different trial.”

“Such a waste. If I’m remembering correctly, we wiped that kids mind and sent him back to his life,” Martin said.

I nodded. “We did.”

“Why are they doing this?” Clara asked.

“It’s simple really. His mother is dying from a brain tumor. He’s desperately seeking any cure, or even just relief he can give her. I’d heard rumors she was going downhill quickly now,” Martin said,

Gage shook his head. “That doesn’t justify this.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“I didn’t even know the mother was in the picture. I thought she was dead,” I said. I couldn’t even bring myself to empathize for them. One person could never justify the needless deaths and trauma that the Daniels have caused to so many. I knew with absolute certainty that no matter what happened to Vada, I could never sacrifice so many to save her.

But isn’t that what you’re doing now?

“Change of plans,” I blurted out. “I always knew I couldn’t stop until the Raglan were ended once and for all, but this is so much worse than I imagined. We aren’t just extracting my mate. I want them all saved. No shifter or human victim is going to be left behind this time. Are we clear?”

“I thought that was always the plan,” Tarron said giving me a questioning look.

“Well, it just solidified.”

Painter grinned. “We’ll get her. We’ll get all of them.”

While the team kept pouring over data to build the bigger picture, I went back to pacing the hallways.

It felt like hours before Ben and his team checked in.

My phone rang making me jump.

“What the hell is taking so long?”

“Nothing exciting. We’re on our way back now. Just checking in,” he said, completely unaffected by my harsh tone.

“What’s wrong?”

“I said nothing. We set up cameras in the woods surrounding the warehouse.

“Are there signs that they’re there?”

“Definitely. And Silas, I have a visual confirmation on Vada. I saw her riding back to the building in an ATV with Jake.”

Relief filled me. She was really there. Jake had her. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Then my stomach dropped. “Ben, he doesn’t know who she is to me.”

“I’ll find a way to get word to him, but she’s here, and she’s alive.

“Their camera systems aren’t even online yet. Tell him they aren’t online.”

“T says to tell you…”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard her. Thanks. Any chance she can tap into theirs so when they do come online, we’re set?”

“Tell him I already did that. Tell him.”

“You hear that?”

“I heard, thanks. As much as I want to rush in and rescue her, we need to do this right. There’s too much at stake, more than just my mate.”