by Sydney Addae
“Maybe they split up,” Pearl said.
“Do you think they’ll keep that lab open? Maybe they’ll shut it down and we won’t have to. Or they’ll increase security to make sure it doesn’t get blown up again,” Tip said.
“We didn’t know about this lab until Owen talked and Hermes’ thoughts confirmed it. The one that blew up today probably wasn’t where heavy tests are run. This one is.” Max pointed at the screen. “On the way here, we drove by and got these stills. Security is tight.”
They stared at the different images of men walking the fence with dogs, cameras, high barbed fences, gated entrance and security on the roof.
“Are they experimenting with Kirlethanium in these labs? Is that what this is really about? Extending the life of soldiers?” Thomas asked Matteo.
“I don’t know.”
“Who was your client?” Thomas asked.
Matteo’s cheeks reddened. He looked at Lizzie. She nodded. “Lieutenant Bill Lassiter, United States military. Good references. Claimed he oversaw a covert operation to locate Kirlethanium outside of Russia. My name had been given to him as an expert geologist by someone, although I suspected Owen. I never met him. Everything was done electronically.”
Thomas held Matteo’s gaze a few seconds. “You’ve never met him? Talked to him over the phone? Anything like that?”
“No. Everything was done through private texts and payments were wired into a private account I have in place for that kind of work.” Matteo exhaled. “I turned it down. Owen contacted me, begged me to take the job, said it would help him. We were close friends once. I relented, flew to Costa Rica.”
“Lieutenant Bill Lassiter was Hermes and is dead,” Thomas said.
Matteo and the other’s eyes widened.
“There’s the link to Kirlethanium. They’re experimenting with it. Do you know if they received the crystals you found in Costa Rica?” Thomas continued.
“No, I don’t know. I turned them over to Rafe. He signed for them. I sent a copy of the receipt to Lassiter and my final payment was placed in my account. That’s all I know,” Matteo said.
“Lucian is experiencing some problems behind this. I’ll update Hawke and Angus soon.” Thomas stared at the lab a little longer. “I want cameras on that building, let’s watch it for a couple days. I want to see the competition.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
SILAS ENTERED THE CONFERENCE room where Jacques, Angus, Hawke, Asia, David, and Adam waited. The twins, Tyrese and Tyrone, were still assisting Razor.
“Are you sure Bella and I can’t go help Renee and Storm in Argentina,” Adam teased. “I’m sure they need help.”
Silas snorted. “They won’t be there long. I’m sending him to Lyrill. I found out Lucian has Kirlethanium in Costa Rica and someone has been smuggling it out of the country.”
“Lyrill? Why are you sending him there?” Adam asked. “What’s the connection?”
Silas hated going back in time, especially when it highlighted dumb decisions he made. “When your Mom and I had our mating ceremony, the military asked, begged for Tyrese to rejoin his team for a rescue mission of a high-profile target. We struck a deal, Tyrese went. Turns out the target was Princess Miriam from Lyrill. Tyrese went in to rescue her, they kidnapped him and tried to keep him for her. I think she asked him to be her prince, even offered to pay him. He said no. Plus, he sensed his mate nearby. Danielle was in Lyrill as a journalist and her beast was not happy to see Rese standing next to the Princess.” Silas waved his hand to forego telling more of the story. Things had been rough during that time. Jasmine had told him he was making a mistake by allowing Rese to go, he hadn’t listened... their relationship had been in trouble. “Anyway, the people in Lyrill remain young and survive by using Kirlethanium. It’s possible that Raven’s been taken as leverage to make Lucian give up the crystal or allow mining at the very least.”
David nodded slowly and spoke. “Costa Rica has that much? I mean it would take a lot to support a colony or small country. Is it reasonable for Lyrill to go after crystals so far away, especially if there aren’t large deposits?”
Silas looked at Angus.
Angus shrugged. “Have no idea.”
Jackie and Quinn entered the room. “Sorry, we’re late. What did we miss?”
Adam filled them in.
“Good point and questions. I don’t have any of those answers. Is there a way to find out? I mean are there geological maps available?” Silas asked after taking a sip of water.
“I’ll check,” David said.
“When will Thomas and the guys come home?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know. They’re working in Europe right now,” Silas said, watching David’s fingers fly across the keyboard.
“Seems there’s a healthy amount of Kirlethanium in Costa Rica, but nowhere near what’s in Russia which is much closer to Lyrill. In fact, there’s quite a bit in three places on that continent. It makes no sense for them to fly over 12 hours to take Kirlethanium from Costa Rica,” David said.
Adam whistled as he looked over David’s shoulder. “That’s over 6,500 miles. They can get it closer with less hassle.”
Silas hadn’t thought about either the availability of the crystal to Lyrill or the distance to ship it from Costa Rica. The cost would be astronomical. He’d been so sure the Princess was behind stealing the Kirlethanium he hadn’t thought much further. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the monitor over David’s shoulder. There were a lot of places with more Kirlethanium much closer to Lyrill.
“The Goddess wants this problem fixed. Lucian is in the middle of uniting Central America. Raven has been missing for several days and we’ve got to find her before Lucian abandons his position to search for her.” He looked at his pups and team. “All of us would do the same. So, put on your thinking caps and let’s come up with a plan.” Silas and Hawke told them everything they knew about the kidnapping.
“Alpha Lucian contacted me the night before last about a necklace with Kirlethanium stones someone purchased in Costa Rica. They told the salesperson he asked them to buy that particular necklace for Raven. He did not.”
“That’s either arrogant or sloppy. I’m not sure which,” Jackie said. “Can she remember what the guy looks like?”
Hawke repeated Lucian’s description.
“That could be anyone,” Adam said.
“Did Raven take the necklace with her?” Jackie asked.
“Duke couldn’t find it in her room,” Hawke said.
“It’s possible the crystal was fine-tuned to work on her the same way a suppressor or collar would,” Angus said.
“What do we know about this crystal?” Quinn asked.
“Not much. That’s the first thing we need to change,” Adam said.
“I’ve sent all the information we have on it to your emails,” Jacques said.
“Thank you,” Jackie said as she pulled out her tablet.
“Kirlethanium may not have anything to do with Raven’s kidnapping. What if someone wants to stop Lucian from bringing all the countries together beneath his authority and plans to use Raven as a lever?” David said.
“Or what if someone wants to stop the expansion of the school system?” Adam said.
“Or medical facilities?” Jackie said looking at Quinn. “Have there been any protests over land grants or purchases? Are they expanding in hostile areas? Clouds on titles?”
Silas hadn’t thought along any of those lines and nodded to Jacques. “Find out that information.”
Jacques turned and typed.
“What about rebels?” Asia asked. “We have them from time to time, is it possible a rebel faction took her?”
“Possible but Duke doesn’t think so. She was wooed from the house and is a seasoned fighter. This whole setup is too sophisticated for the locals,” Hawke said.
“Money? Most problems are about money,” Adam said.
“There’s been no financial demands. Nothing,” Silas
said.
“Um... couldn’t the Goddess give you a hint in which direction to look?” Jackie asked.
“She could have... but She did not,” Silas said as he met and held her gaze until she turned away.
“She is a BlackWolf,” Angus said slowly. “There aren’t many females in our Clan. Given what we’ve just been through is there any possibility she’s been taken because of her lineage?”
No one spoke as they pondered his question.
“Goddess I hope not,” Adam murmured.
“Definitely something to think about,” Hawke said, rubbing his chin.
“If we go with that line of thought, how would that benefit anyone?” Jackie asked, looking around.
“There aren’t many BlackWolf full-blood females left,” Hawke said.
“Which means?” Jackie pressed.
“Any pups Raven births will be extremely valuable,” Angus said.
“Wouldn’t she have to agree? I mean, we control our pregnancies by permitting our eggs to become fertilized,” Jackie said.
“That’s unique to half-breeds,” Silas said. “Full-blood females don’t have that protection.”
Jackie frowned. “I don’t like that scenario.”
Silas exhaled. “Neither do I. Plus the letter sent to Lucian said she would be returned soon.”
“But the Goddess does not believe that?” Adam asked.
“I don’t know what She believes, just what I’m told. We’re tasked to assist Lucian in stabilizing Central America which means finding Raven,” Silas said.
“There were no land disputes or problems for the schools or medical facilities,” Jacques said into the silence.
“Cross that off the list,” David said.
“You said the private flights went to Milan and Greece?” Asia asked.
“After landing in New York they refueled and flew to those destinations,” Silas said.
“Thomas and the others are in Italy, right?” Asia said.
“Yes, they’re finishing our list. Met with the last guy, Matteo Barresi, a couple days ago,” Angus said.
“Can they find Raven?” Jackie asked.
“How?” Silas said.
“Dreamwalking?” Jackie said.
“If they could find her in her dreams, her Alpha would be able to find her,” Silas said. “She’s unconscious, her wolf is not responding.”
“Oh, okay,” Jackie said.
“Someone gave her a necklace with a Kirlethanium crystal. Someone stole Kirlethanium from Pack lands. Raven was taken not long after Kirlethanium is taken. Seems the crystal is the common denominator,” Adam said into the silence looking at Jackie and then David.
“Do we go talk to the salesperson? Have Renee draw the face of the man? See if we can find him and go from there?” David said.
Silas met Angus’ gaze. “These pups are sharp. Let them run with it, see what happens. They’ve thought of things I missed.”
“I agree. Renee will be able to draw a good rendition of his face. We can run it through a database, might get a hit. It’s more than we have,” Hawke said.
“I’ll have Renee and Storm return to Costa Rica,” Silas said. “Lucian has not told his people she’s missing, so be careful with who you talk to. Who’s going?”
“I’d like to search for the necklace. It’s possible it’s somewhere in the house. I don’t see her wearing it to work in her home office,” Jackie said.
“Bella and I can meet Renee in Costa Rica. I’ll try to learn more about the crystals, what it’s capable of and its value,” Adam said.
Silas looked at David who stared at the monitor.
“The Kirlethanium angle... it’s important but there’s more, something we’re missing. I’ll keep digging from here and pass on anything I learn to the others. Sarita and I can meet them if necessary,” David said without looking up.
“Sounds like a plan. Renee and Storm are preparing to leave on the next flight which is in five hours.” Silas stood, nodded to the others and left the room to find Jasmine. Although the plan sounded solid, he wasn’t sure Kirlethanium was the real problem either.
SILAS STRODE INTO THEIR living quarters and headed toward the kitchen. Jasmine measured flour and other ingredients into a large mixing bowl. He leaned against the doorpost for a few moments watching her create a culinary masterpiece.
“How did the meeting go?” she asked without pausing.
Preferring to speak, he waited until she turned off the blender and looked at him. “The Goddess insists I help prevent Lucian from leaving his position as Alpha because of everything going down.”
“You told me.” Jasmine placed the pan into the oven, then turned on the water and washed whatever was in the sink.
He shared what their pups came up with and the next course of action. She looked at him over her shoulder. “You don’t agree?”
Silas ran his hand through his hair and moved to stand next to her. “It’s not that I don’t agree, for some reason I don’t think that’s it. There’s not enough Kirlethanium in Costa Rica or anywhere in Central America to warrant this kind of action. There’s something else, has to be.”
“Like what?” Jasmine pulled out more ingredients and started measuring flour.
“I don’t know. It’s really frustrating.”
“Silas? Thomas just contacted me. You and Hawke need to hear this,” Angus said.
Silas placed his hand on Jasmine’s shoulder. “I want you to listen in.”
Nodding, she wiped her hand on a dishcloth and looked up at him.
“Go, ahead,” Silas said.
Thomas shared information regarding the lab explosion, the separate lab, and more details about Kirlethanium.
“These Olympians, does Noah know any of them?” Silas asked.
Thomas answered. “No. When I terminated Hermes, Mia and I were able to access information from his memories when his mental barriers fell. They’re the same group that administered Noah’s shot and are building. They’ve lost a lot of soldiers to the shot but aren’t stopping. It seems they plan to add Kirlethanium to augment whatever they’re using. We don’t know. They are here in Italy. I’ve seen Gil Schmidt, he’s in charge of the program and arrived as the fire took out the building. He left with two SUV’s minutes later. They’re searching for Hermes and the three soldiers.”
“Any chance they’ll find them? I don’t want anything connecting them to you,” Silas said.
“No. Matteo’s really gifted with the earth. I don’t want to gross you out and will only say those men returned back to the dust of the ground,” Thomas said.
Hawke whistled. “Have you given him the shot?”
“No. He and I will sit down for a one on one after we’re done here,” Thomas said.
“Sign that man up,” Angus said. “I’d prefer he works with you and us than against us.”
“Agreed. He has a few questions and then we’ll move forward. He’s moving in with Lizzie when we go home,” Thomas said.
“Hermes hired the geologist that went to Costa Rica. Which means the Olympians are aware the crystal is there, but it’s not a large deposit. If I found that out within minutes, they must know that as well. How does this connect to Raven?” Silas asked.
“I don’t know that it does,” Hawke said moments later. “However, we need to prepare Lucian in case enhanced humans arrive on Pack lands in search of this crystal. He has no idea about what they’re capable of. One of them destroyed Noah’s house and barn with a hand clap after tossing Ryan and Ryder around like toy soldiers.”
Silas thought about it. “Not yet. That’s something I’d need to clear with the Goddess. That information, with his sister missing, may do more damage than good right now.”
“We can’t allow him to be blindsided either,” Angus said.
“No. Which means we cannot allow them on Central American soil,” Silas said.
Silence.
“One of them turns into water, Silas. How can we stop him?” A
ngus asked.
“I’ll tell you after I speak with the Goddess. I’m positive She doesn’t want them invaded by Olympians or to even have knowledge of their existence. Thanks for keeping us informed, Thomas and congratulations on your new team-member. I agree with you that the best course of action right now is to watch the lab and the Olympians. If you need any help, I’ve already cleared it with Barticus. He has Pack waiting to assist you. Bottom line, all of you will return home when you’re done.” Silas made sure it came out as an order.
“Understood and thank you. We are all in agreement on that score. I have no intention of losing anyone,” Thomas said.
“Be careful, you took out four of theirs. They’ll be looking for you,” Angus warned.
“I wouldn’t respect them if they didn’t,” Thomas said. “While in Hermes mind I saw what they’re capable of and some of the things they’ve done. They may say they work for the military, but they’re not patriots. They’re almost at the brink of insurrection and Schmidt cannot control them. Even while Hermes called for them to help him, he didn’t think they’d come and cursed them for it. They aren’t united, not really, which makes them more dangerous.”
“Perhaps that’s why they’re experimenting with Kirlethanium, to fix what’s broken,” Angus said. “Can it do that, Hawke? Have you worked with it?”
“I’ve never dealt with Kirlethanium, neither did the Liege while I was there and have no knowledge of what it can do,” Hawke said.
“Keep Matteo safe. He may be one of the few people outside Lyrill who knows how to make that crystal work in a positive manner,” Silas said.
“I’ll talk to him, make sure he understands. How much can I share with him? Is it alright to mention full-bloods and Packs?” Thomas asked.
“If he’s moving in with Lizzie, he’ll learn soon enough when Jasmine and Asia go visit,” Silas said. “Once he’s under your authority, feel free to share information about us.”
“Will do. We’ll watch the lab for a few days and the streets. If they aren’t using humans in experiments we’ll try to help those infected and then leave,” Thomas said.
