AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Report.” Dane’s voice was hard. “I’m on my way to your location. Alpha one and parties secured.”
“I need you in here. No transmissions out, only in. The equipment has been tampered with, but security protocols are still in force. I need you to find out where the transmissions are set to go. They’ve been rerouted.”
“Execute a full sweep of the system and it should be displayed as I arrive. We’ll track it and burn the bastard responsible.”
She entered the command, working furiously as she kept her eyes on the security monitors that began coming back online. Each room of the mansion was programmed in, except bedrooms and bathrooms. Sitting rooms were displayed, the ballroom, main grounds and hallways.
She saw Dane rushing for the security center, Leo’s security force inside and outside the room where the Leo, Elizabeth and the children were being held. Mates were being escorted into that room now, the females mothers to the children and as much in danger as the children themselves.
“This isn’t about the children, its about information,” she bit out, speaking more to herself as she continued to tap into the alternate system the computers held. “Why take the children if they have the information they need? Why take this risk? Why? Patterns,” she continued to mumble to herself, barely aware of the silence in the room as she began to read the information racing across the computer screen. “Always patterns. Where are you? You’re here, baby, I feel you moving. Come on. Give it to me.”
Mercury listened to her, leaning close. The whisper of the accent, the curiously sensual tone of her caressing voice as she pounded out commands and worked the system, amazed him.
He had never heard anything like it. As she worked, caressed, cajoled, information began popping up on the screens—transmissions, commands entered and, finally, display.
They watched as the Breed moved down the hallway, lab coat hiding the weapons that were shoved beneath it.
The door to the security center opened.
“There you are, come in. We have the card table set up in the back. I’m getting my cash back out of you tonight,” Austin crowed.
The Breed smiled, stepped inside, and the monitor showed the bloodletting that began. Dane stepped into the room, stepped over the body and sat down at the control center beside Ria.
“Are you ready, love?” he asked her gently.
They paused. “One. Two. Go.”
Their fingers hit the keys at once, in identical commands, and then simultaneously hit “enter.”
“Sweet God,” Jonas whispered at the information set to send in less than seconds. “Holy Mother of God.”
Dane and Ria ignored him. They worked their keyboards, fed in commands, rushed to delete information coded to be impossible to delete, transfer or intercept.
They weren’t after the children. They weren’t after the Leo. This information was much more destructive. Source files fed directly from the lab computers were set to process and feed to another location: matings, testing protocols and results—every file, every ounce of information dealing with mating heat, the aging decrease and findings on the hybrid children, including genetic workups and full genetic testing.
“Fucker!” Dane cursed.
“Watch your language,” Ria muttered, and worked.
Their fingers flew through commands, and as they worked, information was deleted, page by page, wiped clean, Transmission failed displayed.
The ultimate betrayal, by one they’d all trusted.
Transmission failed. Please check network settings. The message displayed a second before the screen went blank.
“Your system has officially crashed,” Dane drawled, though his voice was savagely hard as he pulled a cigar from his shirt pocket, lit it and narrowed his eyes against the monitor, where the face of the culprit was displayed. “Do I get to do the killing do you think? I’d enjoy it.”
“So will I,” Jonas snarled. “So will I.”
CHAPTER 27
The guests at the party had no idea the undercurrents moving beneath the Breeds on duty, or those circulating through the large ballroom and buffet room. They had no idea the danger that stalked within them, or the treacherous games a few would play to destroy the many.
The plan to capture those few Breeds was simple, yet so much depended on the coordination of everyone involved. If they missed a suspect or conspirator, then the whole plan could be screwed. They couldn’t afford that. They couldn’t afford to allow so much as a single traitor to be left unaccounted for when it was over.
Leo and Dane had accounted for Council-trained traitors within the rescued Breeds. The Council was always big on placing traitors among the small packs and prides, Breeds specially trained, specially brainwashed and treated with care to ensure they did as they were programmed. As those now attempting to betray Sanctuary were doing.
Except it wasn’t for the Council. It was for greed. For the money they believed they would gain, and the dishonor of having destroyed their own community without Co
