Page 108 of He Who Sleeps

“I’ll get changed once we have a fucking plan. Car? East? You guys find anything yet?”

"Maybe." Carter was frowning at his screen. "There's nothing else from the cameras around the shelter, but this one guy has been casing her building a couple of times a day for weeks now. I never noticed the pattern at first because he's a cop, so I figured it was just his beat, but he's been doing walk-bys out of uniform, too."

"He's been hanging around the gallery, too." Easton turned his screen so Carter could confirm it was the same guy.

"He's a cop?" Finn crowded in to look over their shoulders at the screens.

"Maybe." Carter shrugged. "The uniform looks legit, but it could be a fake. I know a couple of guys at that precinct that I've worked with before. I'll reach out and see if any of them can identify him."

"Don't tell them why, though," Finn cautioned and Carter rolled his eyes.

"I'm not a fucking idiot," he replied. "I'll let you know when I get a response."

“Baby steps,” Jack said. “Now what?”

Rix sneered from his spot across from them. “I think we need to talk about what’s going to happen when we catch this asshole.”

Emerson nodded. They needed this handled so they could know she was out of any danger. At first they had thought the organization was involved but they learned quickly that wasn’t the case. Now, with all the insurrection Elders dead, Stephan included, the priests were in charge in the Balkans, and they had counseled handling this business quickly, because He Who Sleeps would require an audience.

If they didn’t get her back unspoiled the world was going to burn, and screw Him and his sleepy ass.

“We kill him. I would say slowly but...” Emerson offered his brother.

“Anyone else think he’s in for it with our girl?” Jack asked. “She’s no shrinking violet.”

"He's going to die, but we need to plan this carefully," Finn said. "If he is a cop, we can't just disappear him. Not without bringing down some serious heat. This needs to be flawless. No evidence. No accidental appearances on private cameras. No witnesses. Yes, this is Petra and we're all in primal rage mode, but I need you all to park your feelings and get your heads in the game until we have her in hand and him in a deep dark hole somewhere."

“He gets sacrificed,” Emerson said with clarity. “Taking what’s ours, what’sHis...” He shot a meaningful look at all of them. “We do this like we do a devotional.”

Jack nodded. “Except we do it as a team.”

"And when we take him, we take him quickly, quietly and invisibly," Finn said. "Even if his cop buddies think he's a douchebag, they're going to be all over this with a fine-tooth comb."

"He is a cop," Carter confirmed. "Just had a response. It's an Officer John Douritz. I'll start looking for an address."

“Emerson, touchdown in twenty,” they heard as his pilot, another member of The Order and one of his oldest friends, called through the doorway. “Providing we are still going to the airfield.” He knew exactly what was going on, and was all in with helping get them there. “Don’t need to do some helo shit?”

“I think the only one of us rated for that is Carter,” he said dryly. “Yes, take us to the airfield.”

“Carter might be the only one rated but I would chance it,” Rix said.

"No. We need to plan this," Finn said firmly. "No half-assing. We find out where he lives. We do recon. Then we go in and smoke him."

“Obviously, Finn...” he looked at their leader, seeing the worry and fear. “Airfield, Mark, no missteps.”

“You got it, boss.”

Jack sighed. “Anyone have eyes on her apartment? Perhaps we need to talk to the friends. They do know about us,” he offered. “Though don’t let Em call, lord knows what’s coming out of his mouth.” He frowned. “We should have tagged her. I knew we should have tagged her.”

"None of us saw this coming," Carter said quietly. "There's no point beating ourselves up about it now."

"I'm watching her apartment and there's been no sign of movement since she disappeared," Easton told them. "I've been over all the footage."

"I don't think we should bring her friends in," Leo spoke up for the first time. "It's just more people who know about what's going down and will need an explanation when the guy disappears. She was definitely taken. There's no need for them to know about it."

Jack nodded. “Just trying to be proactive.”

Emerson could feel how raw they all were, but he also knew they would be ready, and would get her back and everything would be...well, it would be over. He wasn’t sure what they would be getting back, but Jack was right, she was a handful and there would be no way she would be there without a fight and causing this asshole one hell of a problem. Thank god Rix taught her how to use a knife. He just hoped she knew they were coming for her.

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