CHAPTER 7
Where was she?
“What’s the plan?”
Nitro turned to Eveque after another scan along the Bat-tie grounds. “Her being here already is the plan.”
“Belle Eveque just told me they spotted her at the ferry with your boy Seth and her feathered friends.”
Nitro’s guts loosened and Eveque chuckled. “Mon Freire, you act like a man who put his dick in it.”
“I put a lot more than that in it,” he assured as 8-Bit and Hurricane came into the dug-out area where Nitro waited with seven of his men to basically play capture the flag with her birds if he understood correctly.
“What’s all these ruffled feathers I’m seeing?” Hurricane muttered on his right with a hard clamp on his shoulder that gave him a punching urge.
Ever since 8-Bit handed over his intel on Jake Drysdale and his dirty brother Ray, he’d wanted something to hurt. Now he had to piss Felix off. But after talking to Seth about what she said they could do, he needed to see it for himself. She’d agreed to use an animal but he needed to know if they’d attack a human. A human threat. And if they could, then he wanted them in their army for the upcoming war.
“If one of you manages to catch a flag, just let them know not to be aggressive. If they sense I’m scared or getting hurt, they could attack.”
“Don’t you have signals for that?”
“I do, but they’re smart creatures and protective. I just don’t want to take a chance.”
Well, he wanted to take a chance and would. The question was, how would he get them to attack?
“Hey!” he called, getting his men’s attention. “Remember the goal is to capture a flag. We just need one. Get the rest of your gear ready, she’s about to get to the field. There’ll be entertainment before the main event but, not sure how long that will last.”
They yelled out their Hatch’s BoomBoomChakalakaBoomBoom game chant, getting roaring answers from the crowds in the stadium. Felt a lot like one of their annual football games between the Hatches with them all in uniform. That was for protection from any possible attacks. Felix was positive they were all healthy birds, but he wasn’t taking any chances with one of his men getting bitten. He’d even had them add black screen over the front of their helmets for eye protection. Last thing he needed was one of them accidentally blinded before a war.
With their Hatch colors being black and gold, they resembled numbered royal crows, the golden crests on their chests matching his tattoo with their Hatch insignia.
The sound of applause drew his gaze to the field where his Petite Rebelle entered waving and smiling with her huge falcon perched on her shoulder. She stopped in the center of the field as a huge covered cage was pulled by a tractor.
It parked on the edge while Felix looked around. When her eyes reached their dug-out, he waved, getting her attention. Her smile bloomed when she recognized him before hurrying across the field to him.
He met her halfway, reminding himself they were supposed to be somewhat at odds. “No hugging,” he reminded her.
“Right,” she gasped, not quite wiping her grin from her face. “You told them the rules?”
“I did.”
“No aggression.”
“Right.” He still wasn’t sure how them trying to get to her wasn’t seen as aggressive. “How long before we’re up?”
“Maybe thirty minutes. I don’t want to over do it. They’ve never performed for a big crowd like this so I’m keeping it simple.”
“Good idea.” Nitro caught Bishops wave from in the bleachers, seeing him pointing to his phone.
He saluted him. “I’ll be the last one to try for the flag,” he told her. “Good luck Mah Petite Rebelle.”
“Same to you, Mah Bien Monsieur.”
He headed back before he gave in to the urge to kiss that smirk off her pretty face while wondering what Eveque wanted. He found his phone on the bench and dialed him. “Hey.”
“We have company here.”
Panic hit him at his tone. “Who?”
“Jake and Ray Drysdale. Along with a Noctambule.”
“What?”
“Seer said he recognizes him.”
“What’s the plan? Why the fuck are they here?”
“Not sure yet. For now, we’re watching them. They’re not leaving here till we find that out. You want to call this off?”
“Fuck,” he muttered, thinking. “I’d hoped to find out what those bats were capable of.”
“Hmm. Maybe you still can. Wait for my call. I have an idea.”