Evan’s cheeks pinked, and he nodded curtly. “Grace’ll be back tonight. Tony’s on set. Filming for some new movie he started. Haven’t seen him around much since Hell opened.”
Mary pushed through the large men crowding around Wyatt. Flint wasn’t far behind. The two of them had aged. He was used to them being so energetic and youthful. The last he’d tried, Mary could still master him during a sparring session. But the past few months had been hard on them. Sara had blown a hole in their family dynamic, and their children were flirting dangerously with their sins. The Syndicate was knocking at the door, threatening to make Mary’s foreseen diabolical future a reality.
New worry lines were etched around both sets of eyes. Flint had more gray at his temples, and Mary’s slick dark braid had lines of silver streaking through it.
“Mijo.” Mary cupped Wyatt’s face, her brown eyes turning liquid. The woman knew how to kill him a hundred ways, but the tears of gratitude glistening in her eyes hit him the hardest. “I’m so happy you’re home.”
Wyatt drew her small but strong, muscular frame into his body and hugged her tightly. The only mother he’d ever known, she’d been the first to understand the self-destruction and devastation in their futures. Her clairvoyant powers had pointed her in their direction as children and rescued them from the lab and the Hildegard Sisterhood—another faction of fanatics who wanted to use them. It was Mary and Flint who took it upon themselves to give the Lazarus children a semi-normal childhood and then taught them to be warriors for good. Never forced to do anything they didn’t want to—except of course the seven years of combat training—after that, it was up to them who decided to team up and fight crime. Mary and Flint supported them when they fought, they supported them when they all took a few years off after Sara’s first death. And they supported him now. Without the unconditional love from Mary and Flint, Wyatt might have lost faith completely after Sara. Seeing the two of them now, with love for each other still in their eyes, it gave him hope.
Mary pulled away, and then surprisingly, Flint drew Wyatt in for a hug, clapping him on the back proudly. “Good to have you back, son.”
Twenty-Eight
“Right,” Parker said loudly. “Let’s get to work. We need to inform Wyatt about what’s been happening, and he needs to explain what the fuck is going on with this Bratva mess.” He frowned at Wyatt. “Do we need to be worried?”
“He’s in league with the Syndicate,” Wyatt rasped, then cleared his throat when his words caught. “The silver-haired woman was there. They tried to get a sample of my blood, but—” Wyatt strode over to where Liza sat and pulled her pistol from her holster.
Being a Cardinal City detective, she carried one on her most of the time.
Wyatt pressed the pistol into his palm and fired. He bit his tongue at the excruciating pain, and for a moment, when he tasted blood in his mouth, he worried that his invincibility had worn off. But when he pulled the gun away and opened his fist, a squashed bullet fell out. He shook his hand out. Fuck that hurt.
He licked the inside of his teeth, tasting blood. Must only be his outer skin that was invulnerable.
Evan whistled in awe, and a few collective “Oohs” went around the room, but Liza put her phone down and scowled at Wyatt. “You discharged a government-issued weapon, you dick. Now I’ll have paperwork.”
“Get some more rounds from downstairs,” Griffin said, ever the pragmatic one. “No one will know.”
“That’s not the point,” Liza grumbled.
She was acting off today, or maybe it was more noticeable now that he wasn’t in a perpetually foul mood. As a matter of fact, any of the seven who weren’t matched with a mate were snarky. What a difference some time with Misha had made, even more evident now with distance from his past self.
“So,” Evan said. “She didn’t get a drop of your blood.”
Wyatt shook his head.
“Well, she’ll be back for more,” Parker said. “This Falcon woman doesn’t seem the type to give up.”
A ping sounded at the elevator. Suzi from Heaven’s kitchen came in with a bag of takeout. She’d been Wyatt’s sous chef, and a talented one at that. He was surprised to see Parker had given her access to their private rooms. Must trust her.
The robust woman had blond pixie hair and blotchy rosy cheeks from the heat of the kitchen. As she approached, Wyatt noted she wore the uniform of the head chef—his old position.
Upon seeing Wyatt, she froze. “Chef.”
He made a pointed look at her uniform. The old Wyatt would have made some passive aggressive statement, but he honestly didn’t care that she’d taken his job. It wasn’t for him anymore. He loved cooking, but he didn’t want to work in a big kitchen. He didn’t know what he wanted to do with himself. Getting back into his battle gear would be a good start. He had a lot to make up for. All those bodies he’d wasted during his tour across the country with Betty… it did no good except incite more violence in the bars he’d left. Perhaps now, he could approach his sin with a calm head. He could do some good.
“Suzi,” he said. “Uniform looks good on you.”
Her cheeks brightened. “Well, I had a good teacher.”
He folded his arms and snorted. “I was an ass, but I’m glad you think so.”
She handed him the bag and gave Parker a short salute, then left. Once they were sure she’d safely gone, they continued their conversation.
“How did Falcon know about your DNA unlocking so soon after the fact?” Liza asked. “I mean, the Syndicate only want our blood after we’ve met our mate. With Evan, Sara discovered his blood had changed purely by accident. With Griffin, he had a public display of power, but with you, Wyatt, did that happen? How did they get wind of your situation?”
Wyatt cast his mind back over the past few weeks to determine whether anyone other than Misha had witnessed his transformation, and then it came to him. “The fire. I walked out of a burning building unharmed. It wasn’t exactly a secret. I think Dimitri was already working for the Syndicate, so he probably passed the information on.”
“They’re everywhere.” Liza threw her hands up in defeat. “It’s like they have someone who knows us as well as they do. They know our habits, they know our places of work, they probably know what we eat and who we fuck.”
“No need to get crude, Liza.” Parker arched an eyebrow. “But I get what you’re saying. It might even be possible that they know about the importance of the mates. They know too much about us, and we’re still yet to learn about them.”
But maybe, Wyatt did know something about them.
“Falcon looked familiar,” he said cautiously.
“I’m assuming you mean beyond the interactions we’ve had with her over the past few months.” Griffin nudged Sloan aside to make room for himself on the couch.
Wyatt turned to Parker, the only other one old enough to remember. “Does she look familiar to you?”
Parker’s brow puckered as he inspected the food bag. “No.”
“What if you imagine her with dark hair, instead of silver-white.”
“I don’t pay that much attention to other people,” he replied.
Wyatt walked over to the window, pulled aside the curtain and peered down the three levels to the center city park. “Maybe it’s nothing.”
Mary came to stand near him. “It’s not nothing. Tell us what you’re thinking.”
“She reminded me of Despair.”
Mary gasped, as did the other members of the family.
“Come to think of it,” Parker said, eyes narrowing. “She does look familiar. Is this possible, Mary… Flint? Could she have survived the fire that killed our biological mother?”
“It’s possible.” Flint came forward to stand next to his wife and rub her shoulder. “You can all heal extraordinarily well. We’ve seen them make clones that grow in tanks. There was a friend of mine who worked at the lab—Barry—he was almost as big of a genius as your mother. He grew limbs from cells in
a tank. Anything is possible.”
“No. It’s not. It can’t be Despair,” Mary said firmly. “I would have seen her in my visions.”
“They know how to circumvent your visions, Mary,” Parker said. “Not to mention, your visions are drying up. Evan only dreams about whatever is on his mind the most, so it’s definitely possible you’ve all missed the connection. But me—” He sat up straighter. “There’s no way I’d have missed it. Despair is dead.”
“That’s your pride talking, Parker.” Griffin narrowed his eyes. “You’re not all seeing.”
The tension thickened. Wyatt could feel the hostility on his skin, and for once, it hadn’t come from him.
“We need to get Falcon,” Wyatt said. “Whether or not she’s our sister, she holds the answer to everything. She will be the key to stopping the Syndicate, once and for all.”
“I agree,” Evan said.
“Me too.” Liza helped herself to a bread roll from the food bag.
“And how do you propose we do that?” Parker asked, although it seemed like he already knew the answer but was holding back.
“Since we know nothing about them, except she’s working with the Bratva, we set a trap.” Wyatt also took a roll from the bag, and turned it over in his hands, thinking. The trap had to be good. Unpredictable. “We neutralize Dimitri’s threat to Misha’s family, and then we take Falcon. Maybe Dimitri can be the trap.”
“Except we know the Syndicate are smart,” Liza added. “If we go in guns blazing, they’ll be prepared. If we go in quietly, they’ll see us coming. They know what we all look like.”
“Liza is right,” Griffin added. “The Syndicate were the ones who paid Lilo’s father to gather photographic evidence of our true identities. We intercepted those pictures, but who’s saying there weren’t more? It’s obvious they know who we are.”
Liza continued. “The Syndicate has the numbers, they have Faithful coming out of their asses. Even if we do manage to stop this Dimitri dude, Falcon will get away.”
“So what do we do?” Wyatt asked.
This was the point Parker decided to share his plan. The fact he saved it until they’d all made suggestions, reeked of hubris. “We go in disguise. Tony is perfect for this. He has makeup artists on speed dial, he knows how to act… it’s a strip club. It’s like this mission was made with his name on it.”
Griffin wasn’t so sure. “Still, there’s only so much intel he can gather as a patron.”
“I need to go back.”
Wyatt spun around at the sound of Misha’s voice, his heart tripping. “No. Absolutely not.”
Misha had returned with Lilo and both stood by the exit. “Think about it, Wyatt. Dimitri has an unhealthy obsession with me. It goes beyond the fact we used to go to school together. I used to think his warped attention was because I was nice to him back then, but now I’m not so sure. He needs me for something. I don’t know what, but he does. We can use that.”
“That’s exactly why we can’t use you. We don’t know what’s going on in his mind.”
Misha wasn’t swayed. “I can claim that you kidnapped me against my will, that you’re even scarier than he is, and that I need protection from you. It will appeal to his ego, you know it will.”
“That man doesn’t have an ego. He’s pure psychopath.” Wyatt folded his arms.
“I’ve been inside his office many times. I know where he keeps his ledger book. If I can get some solid evidence of his criminal activities, you can put him away for good, right?” Misha said to Liza, already discounting Wyatt’s opinion, and that grated at his nerves.
Liza frowned in return. “Stealing his ledger won’t be enough. We need to catch him in the act, we need supporting evidence, or we need a confession.”
“There is a girl who went missing,” Misha added. “I’m sure he got rid of her after a private party went wrong. If she is dead and we can tie her death to Dimitri…”
“That could work,” Liza said, tapping her chin. “A homicide connection would also involve me professionally, all above board.”
“No,” Wyatt tried again. “I’m not accepting this.”
“Good,” Misha said as if Wyatt hadn’t spoken. As if he had no voice again. “Me groveling at Dimitri’s feet will make him feel as though he’s won. It will take him by surprise. As long as I’m out here, on the run and evading him, he’ll be paranoid that his people think he’s weak. He burned down our restaurant to prove a point to his followers. When I went back after that, he was grateful I kept my head down and went back to work, just like he’d publicly ordered. I know how to placate him. I know how his mind works. Not only can I get some evidence of his crimes, but I can get close and get information about this woman you want. I’ve seen her there many times.”
Wyatt couldn’t believe Misha was saying this. Dimitri burned down her place to prove a point, and that was only because of an unpaid debt. This time, personal humiliation was involved. “And what happens if Dimitri decides to punish you on the spot—to eliminate you this time?”
“He won’t do that. He likes to have power over me. And if it comes to that, Tony will be in the club, right? He’ll be my backup.”
“You’re a civilian, Misha. You’re not prepared for this kind of subterfuge.” Wyatt stepped toward his mate.
“You have no idea what I’m prepared for. You hardly know me.”
Her words were an arrow to his heart. The two of them glared at each other.
Seeking to keep the peace, Parker gestured at Sloan. “Sloan, you can take Misha’s place. Get a job at the club.”
Sloan didn’t respond. In fact, she’d failed to utter a single word the entire time Wyatt had been there.
“Are you kidding me?” Liza said. “Have you seen Sloan in a bikini lately? Then again, maybe if you say she’s working for V-bucks, she might get off her ass.”
Sloan poked her tongue out at Liza.
“Aw, come on, Sloanie. That’s gotta get you laughing.” Liza stretched out her foot to nudge Sloan across the couch. But Sloan just ignored her, as if she didn’t have the energy.
Lilo piped up. “I’ll do it. I know how to defend myself. I know how to gather intel.”
“No, Lilo.” Misha gave her friend a soft smile. “This isn’t your fight.”
Lilo folded her arms and cocked her hip. “Oh, so it’s okay for you to put yourself in danger, but not me? I want your family protected as much as you. They’re my family too.”
A low growl rumbled from Griffin’s throat as he crossed the room to be with his mate. “No. Definitely not. You’re not going in.”
“Don’t you start.” Lilo glared at him. “You know once I set my mind to something, there’s no stopping me.”
Griffin shook his head. “Your face is on the video news networks now. You’re too recognizable.”
“So is Tony!”
“He can act.”
Uneasiness rolled in Wyatt’s gut. He didn’t want to come between Griffin and his mate. “What about you, Liza? You worked in vice. You had girls in the trade as informants. Can’t you get one of them to go in for you?”
“Don’t look at me. I’ve been working homicide for years now. And I have a job. I can’t just disappear to chase down some old contacts. Although, playing stripper does sound like fun.” She shot a worried glance toward Lilo, and then Misha. “And I would prefer not to rely on Lilo. No offense, Lilo.”
“None taken.”
“No. Too risky. The Syndicate knows what we all look like,” Evan added.
“Well, if Tony can go undercover, so can I,” Liza simpered.
“Tony’s an actor. You can’t act for shit,” he shot back.
“She doesn’t need to act. She just needs to dance,” Misha said. “Can you dance? Shake your ass, you know, that sort of thing.”
“Babe, when men see me naked, they fall to their knees and weep. When they see me naked dancing… let’s just say we’d better have the paramedics on standby. Give me a wig, som
e clever makeup, and I’m there.”
It was Griffin who pointed out the obvious fact they’d all missed. “The lust in that club will make you physically sick.”
“Come on, it’s not that bad,” Liza drawled. “I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t be angry at me, Wyatt,” Misha said. “I think it could work. I can handle it.”
“No.” Wyatt couldn’t accept it. She was right. He hardly knew her, and he could lose Misha before he’d had a chance to keep her. But with the look of defiance and stubbornness in her eyes, he knew if he didn’t agree to this, he’d lose her anyway.
Shit.
And that’s when the knowledge settled on him.
He didn’t trust her. Not yet.
Wyatt turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.
Twenty-Nine
After seeing Wyatt storm out, Misha turned to his family, pleading. “You know me going back is a good idea. I know that club like the back of my hand. I know Dimitri’s every mood, where he keeps his ledger book, and… I can’t explain it. I just know I can handle him. I’ll be safe.”
She hated the feeling of guilt churning in her gut. She had to do something to help.
Parker rubbed the bridge between his eyes. “You probably can, but we won’t go in blind. Sloan, hack the club’s CCTV. Deep dive into Dimitri’s financial records. Let’s put him under the microscope. There has to be a reason he’s working with the Syndicate. Maybe we can find a trail that will lead us right to them.”
Sloan whined, but one cutting glance from her intimidating eldest brother, and she shut up. She pulled out a laptop from between couch cushions and opened it. “On it.”
“Evan, Griff, I want you shadowing Dimitri’s men and the Faithful at the club. See if you can find another base of operations. One thing we learned from Sara’s time as a member of the Faithful was that they hole up somewhere to plan. She had a nest, remember?”
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