The Takeover

by Teyla Branton

  Ritter froze, and something in his demeanor whispered of shame. “You’re right, we can’t send you in like that. But we still need Mari inside. Otherwise, it could take days before Erin gets to the generator.”

  “I understand that,” Keene said, sorrow in his eyes. “But having one prisoner showing up will be hard enough for them to stomach without throwing in a second group.”

  Ritter sat back down slowly, his face drawn in thought. “There might be a better way, but it means Cort and I won’t be there initially to help.” He paused, looking up in the direction of the wall, as if going through different scenarios in his mind.

  Finally, he dragged his gaze back to Keene. “You’ll be the one to go in then. I think the best way is for you to contact your father and say you want to come home. Do it before Jeane calls so the two events don’t appear to be connected. Try to make him believe you’re coming back for good. You’ve been hidden pretty much in plain sight while under their noses in DC, so he might buy that you were only with us for a short time and regret leaving him.”

  Keene nodded, his mouth tight as though he didn’t trust himself to speak.

  “My father may hate me”—Cort didn’t sound too shaken up about it—“but Keene was always a favorite, or he wouldn’t have led so many hit teams. Once he knows Keene has Changed, and especially about his unique ability, he’ll be persuaded.”

  Keene’s nostrils flared. “Oh, he’ll be willing to have me come home, if only to do experiments on me.”

  “Exactly.” Regret oozed like defeat in Cort’s voice, and I knew he wanted Keene to do this as much as I wanted to walk through those doors.

  “And Mari?” Keene asked, glancing at Mari, who nodded at Ritter encouragingly.

  “I want to help,” she said.

  Ritter blew out a sigh. “Mari still goes in—but as Keene’s girlfriend. She’ll help Erin disable the generators. Mari and Keene will be Erin’s backup and vice-versa.”

  Keene stared at him blankly for a moment before he sank into his chair, his body relaxing. “Right. Okay. At least they’ll have a slight chance of believing Mari’s there because she wants to be with me. Since she’s an unknown, not someone related to Cort or the Renegades, they won’t have reason to watch her too closely.”

  “That’s a great idea!” Mari said with her usual abandon. The tension seeped from the room. “I think I just might be able to get into that role.”

  Jace snorted a laugh. “Yeah, tell us about it.”

  “We could still go in,” Cort told Ritter, “or get ourselves caught somehow. I might be able to talk Stefan into not letting my father kill me.”

  Ritter didn’t speak for a long moment of internal debate that had his hands clenched on the armrests of his chair. “No. Keene’s right that more of us would be too much of a coincidence. We’re stretching things as they are. We’ll wait until Mari and Erin can shift us inside to deal with the Triad.”

  “Are there any more comments? Objections?” Ava asked, looking mostly at Dimitri, Chris, and Oliver, who had been silent during the exchange. All of them shook their heads. “Okay, then we’re in agreement,” Ava continued. “We still need to fine-tune the details, but before that we need to discuss the Emporium headquarters in San Francisco. They will likely be the first ones to offer aid if New York doesn’t go exactly as planned.”

  “The black ops team the president offered could form a blockade there,” Ritter said. “They’re well-trained and should be able to capture small groups of Emporium agents as they leave. But they know nothing about Unbounded or how to deal with them, so one of us will need to be in charge.”

  “I agree.” Ava’s attention roamed the room. Oliver sat a little taller, but her eyes landed on Chris. “You think you’re up for it, Chris? You can have George, Marco, and Charles on your team, but you’ll be calling the shots.”

  Chris blinked in surprise at being chosen. “Yeah. I can do that.”

  I wasn’t sure how to feel about his appointment, but Chris had been training as hard as the rest of us, and he was an excellent shot. Our mortal guards all looked up to him after he’d apparently saved George and Stella’s lives from an Emporium hit team when we were away on an op. At least he wouldn’t have to storm the building.

  “I’m hoping you won’t have to take more than a dozen prisoners during the entire op,” Ritter told Chris. “But there could be a lot more if things don’t go smoothly. You’ll need to stop them from going to New York, even if you have to shoot them down in the street.”

  “Without a sensing Unbounded, I’ll need air support,” Chris said. “I’ll work with Marco and the others to figure out coverage. Needless to say, we’ll try to capture them first.”

  “We’ll get you a chopper.” Ava paused for a minute, tapping a finger lightly against the table as if eager to get started. “That only leaves the other headquarter locations. We’ll need to contact our other Renegade cells to see what they can do about blockades there.”

  “Will they agree to the plan?” I asked.

  Ava surprised me by chuckling. “Since I’m only asking them to capture or delay anyone who leaves those buildings instead of demanding an outright attack, I’m sure they’ll agree. They understand only too well what we’re facing here. This is the battlefield. If we fail, they know they’ll be next.”

  AFTER AN HOUR, I LEFT the others still deep in planning to go talk to Jeane. She was the key to making this work, and I needed to know more of her motives before I let her call Stefan, which we’d be doing far too soon for my comfort.

  “Erin, wait!”

  I paused, turning in the hallway to see Jace hurrying out of the conference room after me. Looks like I wasn’t the only one who needed a break. Or maybe he was going to take another stab at trying to convince me he should go in my place. I’d thought he’d backed off just a little too quickly.

  “So, what did you do to Jeane?” he asked when he reached me.

  I grimaced, both at the question and because that couldn’t be why he’d skipped out of the meeting. “I’m not really sure. What I did should have made her black out, but instead she calmed down. It’s happened twice now. I wish there were more time to figure it out, because I’m thinking Cort could probably decipher whatever language her thoughts are using.”

  “Or whatever the Emporium’s done to her, you mean.” Jace’s frown made him look angry. “The Unbounded gene doesn’t act like this. They must have done something genetic.”

  “Cort suggested the same thing. You’re probably right. But there’s nothing we can do about it now. I’d better get to Jeane to find out what more I can and to coach her about what to say.” I started walking again, but Jace grabbed my hand.

  “You’re afraid,” he said. “I feel it.”

  So that was why he’d followed me—my little brother knew me too well. I sighed, turning to face him. The hallway suddenly seemed too quiet, too deserted, and Jace too fragile. “Stefan Carrington is an awful man,” I said, the words coming quietly because of my reluctance to speak of Stefan at all. Jace leaned forward, turning slightly so his ear was closer to me. “He tried to have you killed, and our parents.”

  “But?”

  I sighed again. “When I first saw him, I felt how much he wanted me. Me! How much he cared for his family—all his offspring.” Something stirred in my brother’s eyes, but I shook my head, willing him to understand. “It wasn’t what I thought. He did care for family, but only to build his empire, to expand the Emporium. I saw in his mind that he would snuff out my life as easily as he would a candle if I didn’t fall into line. He only wanted me for what I could do for him.” I paused, swallowing hard. “He stood there at our first meeting and pretended he hadn’t ordered Lorrie’s death or the attack at the house. But he had.”

  Anguish filled Jace’s face, and this more than anything was the real reason he couldn’t take my place at the Emporium headquarters tomorrow. He wasn’t prepared to see Stefan as the monster he really was. “Don’t
think for a moment I will ever trust him, but so help me Erin, I want to look into his face. Into his eyes. I want to see for myself.” He forced a laugh. “You heard what Ava said—our directive is to get them by any means possible. But don’t kill him before I get there, okay?”

  “You guys are coming in to help us get him to sign the papers. He’s got to be alive that long, right?”

  “And then?”

  “I don’t know,” I lied. Surely Jace understood that we couldn’t leave Stefan alive. It would be too dangerous. A thousand years in a Mexican prison compound wouldn’t be enough to change his ways or pay for the lives he’d taken.

  I also didn’t want Stefan anywhere near my brother.

  Jace’s face smoothed out with my assurances. He thumbed over his shoulder. “I’d better get back there. I want to make sure I’m with Ritter when you guys shift us in.” He shook his head. “He about lost it there for a moment when he realized it wasn’t good planning to go in with you.”

  “But he did realize it. Ritter will always go with the plan that has the most chance of success.”

  “I get it.” A ghost of his usual grin returned to his face.

  I watched him reenter the conference room before I reached out to Ava. Her mind was open as if waiting for me. We need to watch Jace. I think he’s okay, but just to make sure.

  I’ll put Stella on it. But he’s a smart boy. I think he understands it has to be you.

  Satisfied that Jace would be all right, I went upstairs to the holding room to find Jeane. Belying its name, the suite was considerably plush. Jeane had to share a bathroom with Eden and a sitting room with the others, but she had her own bedroom. She and Eden were in the sitting room together when Marco, who was standing guard, opened the door for me.

  “I wondered when you’d come,” Jeane said lazily from the love seat she was sprawled over as if posing for a magazine. Her makeup looked freshly reapplied, including heavy mascara, deep red lipstick, and black eye liner over her mole. Stella must have given her makeup with the other supplies.

  “Hey,” Eden called a greeting from the minibar where she was pouring herself a drink. Alcohol didn’t last long in our systems, so this stuff was especially potent, but even then getting drunk was impossible. Eden’s brown hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail, emphasizing her numerous freckles. She looked compellingly wholesome compared to Jeane’s sex kitten act.

  “I’ve been wanting to ask you if you thought I could dye my hair blond again,” Jeane added. “Really, blondes do have more fun. Men seem to notice them more—like your man, for instance.”

  I was glad she’d noticed his lack of interest in her, but I wasn’t going to explain that it had nothing to do with my hair. “You can’t change your hair for another fifty years, at least,” I said. “Especially if you insist on darkening your mole like that.” Hadn’t anyone told her that beauty marks had gone out of style while she’d been a hunk of drying flesh? Now most women tried to hide them.

  Jeane huffed and folded her arms over her stomach. “Well, it’s not my fault I can’t get rid of it. My body keeps remaking it every time I cut it off.”

  I perched on the edge of the love seat. “A mole is not a defect,” I reminded Jeane. The fact that we were discussing beauty marks when the fate of humanity was at stake made me feel ridiculous.

  “I think it’s defective.” Jeane rolled her eyes. “At least it could have been black.”

  “We need to go over what you’re going to tell Stefan.” Fear gnawed at my gut even mentioning the man.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I know exactly what to say.” She made a loose fist and brought it to her ear. “Hi, Triad Carrington—Stefan, darling. It’s me, Jeane.” She batted her mascara-laden eyes for effect. “Look, I’m sorry for buggin’ out on you all like that; I had some stuff to do. But I have something I think you’ll be excited about.” She paused before continuing. “Well, shush, now. You’ll want to hear this. It’s about that girl the Renegades stole from our LA headquarters. You know, your daughter. Well, I have her with me. No, I didn’t kidnap her. I simply told her you were a reasonable man. Ha ha. Yes, of course, I’m lying. I do have her tied up. What with all those moves she can make even when I’m nulling her ability.” Jeane gave a sultry laugh that hinted she was offering more than just me. “She has strong hands like her father. Now, all I want is to be forgiven. Her ancestor is sensing, as I’m sure you remember. Using her, Lew and I will help you get that team of sensing Unbounded you’ve been wanting. No, I can bring her in myself. Okay, see you soon.” She gave a final smirk into the pretend phone and dropped her hand.

  “You think he’ll buy that?” I asked.

  “Of course. He’s a man.”

  I stifled my irritation. She obviously didn’t know any real men. “What about Ropte? Are you willing to give up Ropte to get to Lew? What did you have in mind for that? Because he has to be a part of this or the deal’s off.”

  “Do I have to do all your work for you?” She stuck out her glistening lips in a sensual pout.

  “You sounded like you had a plan earlier.”

  “Well, I was thinking I’d call David and have him meet me there. But he might not come.” She smoothed her hair, pretending his indifference didn’t bother her. “Maybe it’d be better to tell Stefan you have information, or an offer from the Renegades for the whole Triad.”

  “Yeah, we’ve planned something along those lines.” I didn’t tell her it was because we thought Stefan would suspect we’d tricked her into capturing me. “But what makes you think he’ll invite Ropte? If he’s got Tihalt in hand, he doesn’t need Ropte for a majority vote.”

  “Fine. I’ll call David and hint that you hold pertinent information that Stefan might hide from him. That should work. There’s been tension between them lately. And to answer your earlier question, I don’t believe you’ll kill David. Once he learns about the takeover, he’ll play ball. I’ve no doubt about that.” She made a shooing motion with her hands. “Then you can send him off to Mexico for however long it takes him to become a good little boy.”

  Eden finally spoke up from the couch across from us where she’d settled with her drink. “He’ll never reform. Think about it, Jeane, they have no choice but to kill him. I would.”

  Jeane tossed her a derisive look. “That’s because you’re trained by the Emporium. You don’t know the Renegades like I do.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said.

  Eden was right, of course. If Ropte did survive the takeover, he wouldn’t be heading to Mexico but awaiting trial for treason and murder. The trick would be leading him to believe he’d be all right and making him do what we wanted before he learned the truth.

  I felt sick thinking about it. I’d fought and temporarily killed Unbounded many times, and a few had permanently died. Either way, killing was never easy or pretty—or my first choice. This time things were different because the Triad weren’t ordinary Emporium agents. They represented centuries of pain and horror, and we needed to make sure they were never released on the world again.

  “I want to go with you.” Eden straightened, and her aura of defeat and worry slid like a cloak from her shoulders.

  I let several seconds of silence pass before I said, “I don’t think that’s possible.”

  “I can help. I want to help.” She held up two fingers an inch apart. “I’m this close to getting away from the Emporium and making sure they never find my daughter. If you fail, all of that’s gone. I want it to finally be over. To end them—all of them.”

  “Wow!” Jeane crossed one leg over the other and narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you tell us how you really feel?”

  Eden ignored her. “I’ll fight. I’ll do anything. I’ll even sit in this room for the rest of my life if I have to. I just want you to destroy them and make sure they don’t have information on my daughter. I want them to forget she ever existed.” Her mind shield was down, and I could see she meant every word. She didn’t really w
ant to fight, or have anything to do with the Emporium ever again, but she was serious about making sure her daughter remained with the adoptive family who loved her, even if that meant Eden would never be a part of her life.

  I studied the pale eyes, the upturned nose, the splay of freckles, the intense determination. In that moment, she could be any mother fighting for her young. Slowly, I nodded. “You’ll have to take up your request to Ava about being part of the op, but I’ll do my best to get rid of any records the Emporium might have about your daughter’s adoptive family.” Or any of the adoptive families.

  I turned to find Jeane studying me. “What will you do when the Emporium is under your thumb?” She leaned forward quickly. “Or under our thumbs? Because I’ll be right there with you as a Triad member. At least for a time.” She smiled with an open mouth that showed a flash of tongue.

  “I wouldn’t make too many plans.”

  She sat back and yawned. “Oh, well. Easy come easy go.”

  A takeover wasn’t going to be simple, not by a long shot, and yet everything was falling into place so well that the ease bothered me. I felt a little like a puppet on a string, and that decided me. Before I went to the Emporium headquarters, I’d have Cort and Stella help me record Jeane’s thoughts. I needed to know if we could decipher them.

  I arose and went to the door, with both women watching me. Before I knocked to be let out, I paused and said, “Jeane, one more thing. What’s Ropte’s ability? I don’t want to meet him unprepared.”