Page 72 of The Tracker's Dawn: Sunderverse
Jake stood. “Let’s discuss how to go about this, then.”
CHAPTER 24
Two hours later, afterthe Pack Rule meeting was over, I was stuffed in the van again, but this time I wasn’t alone. Rosalina and Damien were there with me while Eric drove us toward our rendezvous place—an empty lot several blocks away from our target and the place where we would meet the others. A small ball of light floated above us, a bit of magic Damien was using to illuminate the dark interior.
Jake had gone with Craig, and I hated that. I wanted him to be here with me, part of our team.
I shook my head. In this operation, the team was larger than just us. The team would have other werewolves, including my biological father and siblings. I didn’t like the idea very much, but I understood we couldn’t do this alone. A bigger force was needed if we were to encounter hybrids. We knew little of what to expect. It was possible Mekare had entirely moved out of the warehouse, and we would find nothing there. Or we might encounter the witch’s monstrous army. It could go either way, and it was best to have more people with us.
The van came to a rolling stop. Damien doused his light. After a few beats, Eric opened the back door and let us out. He had stopped next to what looked like an abandoned building. A parking lot riddled with cracks and weeds stretched before us. One lonely lamppost shone a distance away, flickering on and off. The night sky was covered by a blanket of clouds that hid the stars. A plane engine whirred in the distance.
Next to me, Rosalina patted her trench coat, checking her weapons. It seemed to be a nervous habit she was developing. She’d done it four times already since we’d left Eric’s place. She was quiet and took deep breaths every once in a while as if to center herself.
We hadn’t talked much about our agency and its future. The claim was with the insurance company, but there would be a lot of paperwork and back and forth before we heard a definite answer. I bet the assholes were making sure the destruction of our beloved agency wasn’t due to some sort of insurance fraud.
But even if I hadn’t made an effort to talk to her about it, it was on my mind, and I was sure it was on hers, too. With everything that was going on, however, it was impossible to make any decisions. Until this was all over, and we could see past our current problems, it was best to wait. I just hoped that when we came out on the other end, there would be enough left of our dream, of us, to build everything back up.
We waited for several long minutes before three more vehicles arrived. One was a big Ford Expedition, another one a Lincoln Navigator, the last one a Hummer. All three were black and new.
Ulfen and three guys I recognized stepped out of the Expedition. I had met his betas at Packmind when I went to tell them about the hybrids. They were the wiry guy and the giant whose fight had caught my attention when I first walked into the training room. They walked on either side of Ulfen. All three of them wore black military fatigues, guns holstered at their sides, and swords at their backs. Clearly, they remember the hybrids didn’t tend to stay dead for very long.
Travis and his son and daughter stepped out of the Hummer. They were dressed the same as Ulfen and the others, down to their boots and the weapons they carried. No doubt, they shopped at the same mall.
Jake got out of the third car. When he came back from New Orleans, he only drove his Harley, but apparently, he also owned a truck and who knew what else? A man of average height accompanied him. He had dark skin, black hair, and a hooked nose. He appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. They also wore fatigues, guns, and swords of their own.
Man!I was starting to feel left out.
But really I shouldn’t. Before long, I’d probably be tearing what I was wearing to bits. I was decent with a gun and useless with a sword, so trusting my teeth and claws was the sensible thing to do. Eric didn’t have any weapons either and Damien, well, he didn’t need any—not even fangs. He had his twirling fingers.
Jake glanced around, his eyes pausing on me for a long moment before he spoke. “All right, everyone’s here. Any questions before we go?”
Olivia, my half-sister, watched Jake with interest. Red perked up, growing restless. I took deep breaths to control the alpha vibes that were trying to pour out of me.
“This is Jacob Knight,” Travis said, noticing his daughter’s interest.
“Nice to meet you,” she said as the interest that had sparked in her eyes died. I figured she knew about Jake’s engagement to Allison Blackridge, which, in her mind, put him in theunavailablecategory—even if that wasn’t the real reason Jake wasn’t on the market.
