Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
CHANCE
“Is that how all missions go?” I asked Archie after the comms were disconnected. The team was in the SUV heading back to the office already, which meant there wasn’t a need for constant communication. It also gave me the opportunity to ask questions without the others listening in.
Archie shrugged. “Yes and no. I haven’t been around for too terribly long, but things don’t always go to plan. This is an unfortunate surprise though.”
It really was.
Not just because the tunnels meant there was more going on than everyone thought, but also because Tank had taken two lives in the process. I wasn’t so naive as to think the man I loved had no blood on his hands.
Pretty much everyone in the room did. At least those who were employed by NightShade did in some manner. Maybe not Damari, Arick, or Archie, since they were more on the backend of things rather than going out into the field.
“Are you worried about Tank?” he asked.
“No, I’m not. He’ll be fine. I’m more concerned about the idea of having more questions than answers. We’re running in circles.”
Memphis chimed in. “No, we’re not. We’ve got a better idea of how he’s moving around.”
“And with my cousin and his guys on watch duty, we’ll be able to prevent him from using his system any further. He’ll be forced to show his face around the city.”
I nodded at Mindy’s observations. She was right. It was technically some sort of progress. Just not the kind we’d been hoping for.
“Delivery,” a voice called from the doorway.
We turned to see a man with a cart carrying two water jugs. He pointed to the dispenser on the side of the room.
Ronan scowled at him. “Who are you?”
The man ignored the look. “I’m Zip. Here to replace your water.”
“You’re not our usual guy,” Memphis added.
“I’m not. He’s got the flu or something. Whole family is down with it. Boss was mad since his route is so big. We had to split it between four of us. You guys want me to replace it for you or just leave it?”
“Replace it, please,” Jared said as he came around the corner. “Sorry, guys. I waved him down the hall because I was trying to distract someone. Figured it was ok. Didn’t mean to startle anyone.”
“You’re fine, Jared,” Ronan said, though his gaze remained on the man at the water station. He watched as everything was replaced, then he followed the guy out as he left.
I raised my brow at Archie. “You can’t say that’s normal.”
“Actually, it is. Ronan is always suspicious of new people.” Damari’s smile told me how much he enjoyed seeing his boyfriend get protective.
After Ronan made it back to the room, conversation turned to discussions about the tunnels and the possibilities of what all they connected to. We’d have to wait for the others to get back with the map and photos they took to find out all the details.
Memphis hadn’t been able to find anything online to show they existed, which either meant they were never documented, or someone went through and scrubbed their existence from the records. There might be physical proof at the city offices; however, given the fire and how the building had been closed down to assess damage, we weren’t getting in there anytime soon.
Orion strode into the room with the map in hand as if it were a trophy. “Memphis!” he shouted, jutting the paper his way.
“Got it.” The other man took the page, then laid it out on the table for everyone to see. Arick handed him a large wand that he waved over it slowly, then he was back at his computer while the rest of us leaned over the desk having our own look at it.
Tank’s hand snaked up my spine. “How are you?”
“Fine,” I answered quickly. His raised brow told me he wasn’t impressed at the lie.
“The truth, please.”
I sighed, leaning further into him. “Ok, not fine, but not horrible either. I’m surprised to know this even exists under the city. I’m angry you didn’t get the revenge you wanted. And I’m worried about what comes next after this.”
“No need to worry. We’re going to get them. The plan is still the same. It’s just added a step or two.”
Memphis snorted. “Try sixteen steps. Or rather, pathways. Because that’s how many there are on this fucking thing.”
He brought up a digitized version of the map on the wall. It was overlaid with a scale of the city to show us where it all connected.
“Wow,” I murmured.
“Looks like he had access to everything.” Arick stood and moved closer to the screen. “He never had to come up for anything if he didn’t want to. And that development had been on hold for years. How long has he been biding his time?”
“Years would be my guess,” Ronan answered.
“I agree.” All eyes turned my way. “What? I’m only adding my opinion. From everything we’ve seen so far, this is personal. Why would Lune work so hard to bury his identity, aside from his Gilded Ones connection? Even they didn’t really know him. Plus, Pratt went through FBI training. That couldn’t have been easy.”
Mindy snorted. “It’s really fucking not. I hated it, but we do hard things for family.”
The men around the room shared looks. I knew it was because they felt this group was their family, and they had done hard things for each other at some point or another. They always would.
“No matter how long it’s been, the fact remains that we don’t have a location on him anymore and we need to get one. Pratt’s phone must have been in the house. We didn’t stop to look for it, though I suspect it was left there after he left since they realized we’d started making the connections.”
Given how little Godric spoke, his words hit everyone hard. There was so much truth to it as well. We needed to stop worrying about what we’ve missed and focus on what we had.
Tank took the lead, stepping up to the table as he motioned Mindy forward. “Do you think Enzo would be willing to send a few of his guys down the tunnels to do recon?”
“Probably so. He’s got a lot of men. More than people realize.”
I raised a brow at that statement. While I couldn’t say I was clueless to the darker side of the law given my position, it wasn’t something I really dug into deeply. I figured I would have to if I became mayor. Until then, my focus was on my role and the upcoming election.
Ugh. The fucking election.
It was going to be hard to explain my disappearance to everyone when the time came. Given I hadn’t heard from Emmett or my father, I had to wonder if they’d finally given up on me.
I didn’t know if I even felt sad about the idea.
Did I need to really be mayor of this city? Could I make the changes I wanted from the position I already held?
Hell, if I really thought it out, did I want to hold a political position at all?
The questions plagued my mind as the men around me discussed ideas on where to go next. They argued over whether going down the tunnels to check everything out would be a good idea. Mindy swore Enzo wouldn’t mind sending his guys, though we all hated the idea of him losing good men for our cause.
After they eventually agreed to let Enzo decide for himself who he could and couldn’t send out, the discussion shifted to food at Archie’s insistence. The man was a stickler for ensuring everyone ate three meals a day.
We paused all discussion long enough to order food and dig in once it arrived. Even Jared joined us since we grabbed food from his favorite Thai place. Due to an allergy issue, Detective Stabler wound up ordering a pizza for him and Mindy.
As the food and drink went down with ease, I felt myself loosening. It was as if nourishing my body made me suddenly lethargic.
Except, no.
It wasn’t just me.
Looking around the room, I saw confusion on multiple faces. “What’s going on?” I asked Tank. I wasn’t sure he could understand since my voice sounded slurred even to me.
He shook his head slowly, which only worsened everything. Before I could manage to catch him, he tumbled from his chair. I went to reach for him, only to find myself facing the same fate.
With us both on the ground, I watched helplessly as the men around the room slumped in their chairs or fell to the ground. It was a domino effect in a way, with more bodies succumbing to whatever the fuck was going on.
Mindy was the last to go, her eyes wide as her body went lax bit by bit. It was only when she was out completely that I felt my own body sink into the darkness.
What the fuck just happened?