by Mikayla Lane
Dree turned bright green eyes to his own. “Because we may finally get to do something! I’m tired of being stuck in the house. Even slogging through the damn icy water to get here was more exciting that sitting in the kitchen reading reports,” Dree said with a wink.
Drago had to agree with her there. He’d been about to go stir crazy from being stuck in the house as well. Thoughts of Devon were making him an emotional wreck and he wanted to get this over with so that he could go back and see her again. He also had to get the bugs in her house.
No one had been surprised, when an hour after Grai had promised the equipment they needed to bug Devon’s house, the doorbell had rang. When Drago had gone to the door to answer it, he found nothing but a large box sitting on the front steps.
It wasn’t until Drago had brought the box into the kitchen and opened it, that he found the note inside of it, addressed to him. He palmed it quickly so the others wouldn’t notice and helped unpack the equipment they needed to set up the surveillance on Devon’s house.
He looked back through the dead grass and was glad that they had decided to go full tactical while knocking on the doors of Satalis’ homes. With one of the Brazar with each of the teams, they had easily placed a normal illusion over their gear so that no one could see that they were fully armed. But, the material was definitely keeping him warm while he laid on the frozen ground beside an irritatingly excited Dree.
“We have movement,” Drago said as Dree whipped her head around to look in the direction that Drago pointed out.
Although their enhanced vision allowed them to see at greater distances and they could pinpoint each person easily, the battle lens in the headgear had a built in binocular technology and they used it to watch ten heavily armed men come out of the warehouse dragging a terrified blonde woman by her hair.
“They have a victim,” Dree said needlessly.
Drago had tensed the second he saw the blonde hair. It wasn’t until he saw the woman’s tear streaked face that he let out a sigh of relief that it wasn’t his Devon. It was still an innocent though and they had to do something. From this distance, there was no way to tell if she was human or hybrid. But from the bruises and cuts all over her, it didn’t matter. No one deserved to be brutally beaten in such a fashion, Drago thought, his anger rising.
Drago relayed the new information to Dread and the others and was glad to hear that they were already trekking through the woods to their location and would be there in a few minutes. He was itching to go and get the woman before they could do more harm to her.
“Shit, shit! They’re going to transport her! Mir, Trick! Throw a deer in the middle of the road!” Dree whispered loudly into the active comm attached to the headgear.
Drago watched in frustration as they threw the crying woman into the back of a black van, with tinted windows. “Get a team back to the road to head them off!” Drago ordered through the comm, knowing they would have thought the same thing and were probably on their way.
“We got it!” They heard Dread and Trick say at the same time through the comm.
They heard the smile in Trick’s voice when he added, “A lovely herd of deer coming right up!”
Drago and Dree didn’t turn from the warehouse as they heard Lara, Viper and Mir run up behind them and hit the ground on either side of him and Dree.
“Are there any more inside?” Lara asked, referring to the beaten woman.
“Drago and Dree both shook their heads, while Drago said, “She’s the only one we have seen, but we have a really limited view from out here and we can’t detect any of their energy to determine what they are.”
Lara confirmed it. “I can’t sense anything. The energy disruption caused by the illusions is limiting the range of my power. We have to get closer. What’s the best route in?” Lara asked Drago, knowing he’d been studying the building and the guards long enough to have formulated a way in by now.
Drago pointed towards the water, where the warehouse docks rested on the banks of the Potomac River, right across from DC. “If we follow the swampy water line we can get inside the back entrance of the docks. We’ve confirmed twelve different, heavily armed guards. There are six patrolling the fence area, two in the van with the woman and four that are wandering randomly around the warehouse. There are an unknown number inside the building.”
Lara looked around the area and Drago could tell that she was attempting to scan the energy again. “They’re leaving in the van now. Let’s wait until Dread and Trick take the van and we’ll pull a Trojan horse,” Lara said with a grin.
At everyone’s puzzled looks, Lara explained. “If Trick and Dread take the van, Trick can project himself and Dread as the beaten female and one of the drivers. It will distract the guards at the gate and outside the warehouse if the van comes right back instead of going where it’s intended to go.”
Lara saw the dawning comprehension in their eyes and continued. “By the time they get there with the van and open fire, we’ll have come in through the back. Dree and Drago can go through to back them up, while Mir projects guard images over Viper and myself while we go search inside for more victims and guards. You guys can come in behind us.”
Dread’s voice came through the comm, “We should be able to ask the woman, if she is conscious, about anyone else inside.”
“Oh we definitely want to question her, so keep her close guys and watch your backs,” Lara said with narrowed eyes as the van pulled through the gate.
Drago updated Dread and Trick. “They just pulled through the gate.”
Drago stood, and keeping low to the ground, he led the others along the icy perimeter of the river to the back of the dock area. About the time that they reached the back of the building, they heard Dread come on the comm.
“We’ve got her. She said there are four more women inside and that they were taking her to the boss. She’s a hybrid guys and so are the others, although she seems to be clueless about it and is not beast bonded.”
Trick came on next. “We’re getting ready to head back in the van and we’re arming Sasha. She’ll stay in the van. One guard was a Relian hybrid, the other a full human, so we got a mixed bag of bad guys. Keep your head up!”
Drago and Dree followed the outer guards towards the front gate where the van was coming in and opened fire the moment that Dread and Trick did. They were confirming the kills when they heard gunfire erupt in the warehouse and turned to run inside, quickly followed by Dread and Trick.
Drago led the way through the warehouse to a back room where Mir, Viper and Lara were trying to calm the other four women. Upon seeing Dree, Mir and Viper stood and headed out of the room while Dree and Lara tried to calm the hysterical women.
They were covered in open cuts and bruises, with some sporting obvious broken bones. The overwhelming scent of blood and fear made Drago sick to his stomach. He sent a call through the Shengari’ to Grai and was relieved for the rapid reply.
Drago put a hand on Lara’s shoulder to get her attention. “Grai is sending a Med transport for them.”
Lara turned grateful eyes to his. “Thank you.”
Drago nodded at them to ensure they were fine before turning and heading back out into the warehouse. He was unneeded in there with the brutalized and terrified women and securing the area was more important. There was something about the place that was bothering him and he wanted to figure out what it was.
He joined the other men in the center of the warehouse and Dread divided the place into search areas. Drago weaved his way through the pallets and barrels that cluttered the center of the warehouse, heading towards a row of offices in the far corner.
He had just reached the first door when he heard a sound to his left. Without thought, he pulled his energy into his fist and hit out with the full force of his strength and energy, all in that one blow. The Relian’s face exploded on impact. With little emotion over what he had just done, Drago shook the mix of skin, blood and brains from his fist and wiped the re
st on the dead man’s shirt before calling through the Shengari’, “Be vigilant, there are more of the animals hiding.”
He heard Dread curse through the Shengari’. “Damn it Drago, try to leave one alive to interrogate!”
Drago saw the beaten bodies of the five women in his mind and he growled back, “I make no promises that I cannot keep.”
He pulled open the first door and entered the dark room, immediately dropping low as he opened his senses and scanned the area. It really wasn’t necessary though. Drago could smell the stink of fear and cowardice the moment he opened the door. He just needed a location and found it quickly.
Using his speed, he quickly crossed the room and jumped on the desk. The man behind it had barely let out a squeak of fear before Drago pulled him up by the back of his neck and dangled him in air in front of him.
Drago stared into the fear filled, dark eyes of the Relian hybrid. The image of the women still in his mind, he again pulled his energy around him, centering it in his arms and with a slight pop, he pulled the man’s head from his body, part of his spine still attached. With a look of disgust, he dropped the head and the body to the floor and strode casually to the next door, hoping to find more of the bastards to vent his anger and frustration on.
He had just reached the door when he heard the audible slide of a bullet being chambered, coming from inside the room. Opening his senses, he ran his hand along the wall. He didn’t have to go far before he could feel the difference in the energy emanating to him through the thin plaster and drywall. The stink of fear and sweat was so strong it was coming through clearly.
Drago gathered his energy again, mixing it with his anger over the women and his frustration over the situation with Devon, he channeled it all through his hands before he thrust forward, easily tearing through the wall with his fists. The moment he felt flesh on his hands, he pulled back until the human came through the wall covered in debris.
He looked down dispassionately at the lifeless body, the neck obviously snapped from the force of being pulled through the two by four studs in the wall. He scanned the area again and feeling nothing else, he checked the now empty office.
By the time he’d reached the end of his search area, he’d found no more enemies and had gone back to rejoin the others in the center of the warehouse.
He was almost there when he saw the lone captive on his knees in front of his brother Dread, his head bowed towards his knees. Drago didn’t even flinch when his brother scented the air then looked at Drago’s bloody, drywall dust covered hands, before shaking his head at him.
“It’s a good damn thing we caught one alive,” Dread said sarcastically to Drago.
Drago just shrugged his shoulders. “They were attempting to ambush me.” He said simply by way of explanation.
Dree whistled low and looked at Drago’s hands. “Damn, I’m glad you’re friend and not foe. I’d go look but I’d probably have nightmares,” she said with an exaggerated shudder.
The grin on her face and the twinkle in her eyes told Drago that she wasn’t the least bit bothered by it. He was a little surprised at her blood thirsty nature and wondered when that had come about.
Trick kneeled down in front of the human on the floor and jumped back in time to avoid the man’s spit that was directed at Trick’s face.
Drago squeezed his fists so hard his knuckles popped. The sound was like muted gunfire and caused the man to swivel his head and stare at Drago with wide, terrified eyes. Drago took an angry step towards him and the man whimpered and cowered from him.
“Let me teach him to use his mouth to speak,” Drago said taking another step towards the man who was now staring at Drago in open fear as he tried to scoot across the floor away from him.
Seeing the man’s reaction, Dread leaned down to him. “If he’s of no use to us, then you might as well finish him off,” Dread said, trying to sound casual since he hoped the man would talk.
Drago took one more, angry step towards him before the man threw his hands over his head and screamed, “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you anything, I swear! Keep him away from me!”
Drago looked into the man’s fearful blue eyes and scenting the man’s urine he stepped back in disgust. “What’s your name?” He demanded.
“Jack… Jack Dawson,” the man said, his voice quavering.
Dread nodded his head. “That’s good, Jack. Tell me what you were doing here.” Dread’s hard tone told the man that they weren’t playing around and with one more fearful look at Drago, Jack told him what they wanted to know.
“The other guys brought us the women from other locations in the city where they were being held. All we know was we were supposed to do whatever we wanted to them as long as we broke their spirit. Made them submissive. You know… less likely to fight back. Then they were supposed to go to the boss.”
Jack sighed heavily as tremors shook him. “They were so stubborn and the other guys… they were so intense. Me and a few of the others… it was more than we could stomach so we stayed on guard duty.”
Drago snorted in disgust and Dread spoke before his brother could ruin the man’s compliance. “Where were they taking the other woman?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t know. The only ones who did were driving the van. They came from the boss’s house, they were his men. I’ve never seen them before, I swear.”
“Shit!” Dree said before she could stop herself, angry that they had killed the two guys who could have led them right to the boss.
“What do you know about the boss? What’s his name?” Lara asked.
Jack shook his head. “Not much. We were offered a lot of money to be some rich guys muscle and guard this place, help train the women. We were never given a name and with the money they were giving us, we didn’t ask too many questions.”
Lara kneeled down in front of Jack with narrowed eyes. “Do you really think me stupid? You’re a human who has betrayed your people for mere paper that you will not live long enough to spend. You are not innocent of this. Who is your God?” Lara asked, seeing the flash in his eyes.
Lara stood and laid a hand on the top of his head. Summoning her energy, she sent it out into Jack. It took only moments for her to pull back with a start. Lara took deep breaths as she cleared her energy of the evil she found within the man.
“He was one of the worst of these bastards. Take his pic to the women before Grai gets here and verify it,” Lara said as she glared at the bastard.
Drago grinned evilly at the man and interlacing his fingers, he cracked his knuckles again. He enjoyed watching the bastard flinch. He wasn’t part of the fle’ te’ Trugh, House of Death for nothing and at times like this, he relished the unique abilities of his family.
Mir used his comm to take the pic and ran outside where Viper had put the women in the van while they waited for Grai’s Med ship to arrive. It didn’t take long for the women to confirm that this was the ringleader and the worst of their abusers. Drago couldn’t help but chuckle when the bastard turned white as a sheet.
Lara tried one more time to get him to answer something truthfully. “Who is your boss?”
The fool glared up at Lara while Drago motioned everyone else to step back from him while he backed up a few large steps himself. Dree watched almost in slow motion as Jack started to curse and spit at Lara and Drago gathered his energy and barreled forward at an amazing speed for such a large man.
Dree was a little shocked when he drew back his foot at the last second and punted the guy’s head right off his shoulders. As if watching a football, all heads turned to see the head go through the wall of the warehouse and outside. Somewhere.
“Damn it Drago! Now we have to go out there and hunt for the damn head!” Dread said with a few other choice curses under his breath as he looked at the expanding pool of blood around the rest of Jack’s body.
Drago shrugged. “I’ll go get it.” Without another word he turned and moved in the direction of Jack’s head at
the same time they heard the transport and knew that Viper was getting the women aboard for treatment and debriefing.
Dread looked at Dree seriously. “How bad is he on edge? Because if that was him calm, then we’re a little fucked!”
Dree giggled. “You’re kidding right? How was that any different than any other time when he saw a woman in that condition? He’s very protective and you know it. Don’t turn this into a crazy mate thing when it isn’t. If I thought he was over the edge I would be the first to tell you.” Dree crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Dread, daring him to call her a liar.
Everyone looked at Dread in varying degrees of disbelief and amusement, until he felt uncomfortable and threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! The next time he punts a head half a mile away you remind him to go get it!” When everyone tried to stifle their laughter, Dread stomped off in the direction of the rooms Drago had searched earlier.
“Well,” Lara said. “Let’s get this place cleaned up. Can’t have the locals finding the bodies. Look for anything that may give us information and find the illusion. Maybe we can get around this one.” Viper came back inside just as they were scattering throughout the warehouse.
He walked up to his mate and gave her a kiss just as Drago came back in with the head in his hand, held by the hair. It was obvious that the entire left side was crushed inward by the impact of Drago’s foot connecting with it.
Viper looked at his brother and shook his head. “Should I ask?” He said looking at Drago with a grin.
Drago shrugged. “Nah, just learning how to play American football.”
Viper nodded his head. “Ah, kicker would be my guess. How far did it go?”
“About a quarter of a mile,” Drago admitted with a grin.
*****
Angel paced her living room while she waited for her brother to pick up his comm. Things were going to hell and he was ignoring her calls, she thought, just as he picked up.
“Angel, what is it? I’m a little busy,” Chris asked, irritation obvious in his tone.
