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“Modest,” I said blandly.
He chuckled low and deep. “Not nearly my setup in the city, but it’ll work for the time being while you and your mate are squirreled away and we figure this shit out to take the bastards down.”
“You consider this less impressive than what ye’re used tae?” I prompted sardonically and looked around. Although the Lycans and the Guard back in the Highlands had a state-of-the-art technological system that helped with the security on our territory but also kept us connected to all Otherworld factions around the world, this small outfit Adryan had put together was notable for such a small window of time we’d had, and also from a strategic standpoint.
“Am I picking up some sarcasm in your voice, wolf?” He crossed his big arms over his chest. “Don’t tell me you Lycans back in Scotland are still using chisels and stone to send messages?” He started laughing at his own joke, and I reminded myself that I needed him alive in order to keep Evie safe.
“Let’s get this the fuck over with,” I said low and with a growl in my voice. Being here just pissed me off even more. But he didn’t continue with his arrogant bullshit, which was good for him, because I was pretty sure I would’ve snapped and gone after him, which would put a kink in the entire situation.
He gestured toward the map that was spread out, little red pins marking the terrain in intervals.
“I assume Odhran told you about what those Assembly fuckers said about his female?”
Instantly I felt rage on Odhran's behalf. “Yeah, he told me,” I said and left it at that. I didn’t feel comfortable speaking about Odhran’s female when he wasn't here.
“Yeah, pretty fucked-up. He’s been here a hell of a lot in the last twenty-four hours helping figure this out. Stand-up male, even if he is a Lycan.”
I narrowed my eyes at Adryan, and he grinned, the bastard. I gritted my teeth.
“Impatient to get back to your female?” He lifted another black fucking eyebrow I didn’t bother hiding the menace I felt. “I told you the house was mystically protected from being tracked, not only from Otherworld but from humans as well. We're the only ones who know where it’s at, and this house doesn't have a ward, so believe me when I say your mate is safest there.”
I didn’t say anything, and he exhaled as if annoyed.
“You are one stubborn asshole.”
I turned to face him and bared my teeth, letting my canines lengthen in an act of aggression. It was clear by his stoic expression that he wasn’t the least bit intimidated. “Listen, I would no’ trust ye tae handle my baggage on a flight, let alone the most precious thing tae me. So forgive me”—I grinned, not meaning that last part in the least— for wanting tae get back tae her, because no one can protect my female like I can.”
Adryan was silent for long moments but then exhaled and ran a hand over the back of his head. “What the fuck ever. One day you’ll learn that I’m not this ultra-enemy persona you and your kind like to place over my head.”
I snorted and shook my head, looking back at the map. When I didn’t say anything in return, just kept staring at the terrain, Adryan pointed to the airport where Odhran and I had landed.
“We’re starting here, since we assume that’s where they found you.”
Along with the red pushpins, there was also a red string that connected each pin to the next. From point A to point B. He pointed at the airport pin again, dragging his finger along the red string all the way across the map to where we’d been attacked in the motel parking lot.
“We have to assume they’re working with somebody on the inside, whether a mole within your ranks or in mine.”
The growl in Adryan’s voice told me how much this bothered him, as it should. But I couldn’t think of someone who would betray me or our kind on the Lycan side. I didn’t bother saying that, even if I had a feeling Adryan knew that as well. The most likely answer was that it was somebody disloyal on his end, given the fact all of this was taking place in the States.
“I had James and Matteo do some deep digging on the Darknet.” He tipped his chin toward the two vampires, and they stepped forward. “What’s the new intel we got, James?”
“I sent a team out there to do cleanup and gather any information we could. Got the van the humans used, cleaned up the bodies before the authorities could show up, and dealt with any witnesses.”
I didn’t ask how he dealt with the witnesses, because I knew it wouldn’t matter. They wouldn't tell me, and I could assume the lengths they’d gone to keep things quiet.
“The van was taken to a shop we had close by, and although it was pretty clean and standard, we did get DNA, but there were no hits. It’s clear they wipe the identities of those associated with them, so they don’t even exist in the outside world. We did confiscate two cell phones on their persons.”
I’d been so frantic with panic to get Evie out of there that I hadn’t even thought about the cleanup. Not that I gave a shit, because my mate was the only important thing to me, that and making sure Odhran stayed alive. But I was thankful Adryan had been smart enough to at least take care of all that. The last thing we needed was our DNA getting into the hands of human scientists and the media and the stories they’d spin on that.
“The phones are encrypted, but we have a team that’s the best at cracking and hacking.” James grinned and looked over at Matteo before he turned his gaze to me.
I narrowed my eyes at the jab. It was clear he thought my kind were lowly, no doubt seeing us as illiterate and feral animals, probably thought when we weren’t in our wolf form, we were running around naked like wild fucking beasts. I crossed my arms over my chest and let my eyes flash blue as a grin spread over my face. I stared at James, at the wicked scar across his throat. He was a survivor; that was clear by the fact his head was still attached when someone wanted it gone. But animal or not, I could take that fucker out without breaking a sweat.
“We were able to get a number that was used by both phones,” the vampire called Matteo said. “Although that number was also encrypted, we still unscrambled it. Bad news is it led to a burner phone.”
“Fucking hell. You know how fucking annoying this shit is?” Adryan gritted out.
“Yeah, it sure the fuck is, but the good news is we dug deeper and traced the number and coordinates to a motel room an hour away, then pinged it off another set of encrypted numbers that led to a warehouse a short distance from there.”
