Michael
MICHAEL
“We need to move,” one of the agents snapped. ’s eyes were glued to the drone footage, the clearing visible in the growing darkness. Dozens of people gathered around a bonfire. There was dancing and drinking … and more than one couple … or trio … or more … had disappeared into the gloom of the forest.
“Have we still got eyes on Seven and Jack?” Baxter barked, peering at the screen. The agent in control of the drone swiveled the camera. A flash of pink clothing, and they zoomed in. It was the girl, Seven. She looked very different without her baggy jumpsuit on. Her hair was loose, and she was surrounded by young men.
“What is going on out there?” another agent demanded.
“It’s the full moon tonight,” Baxter replied, a smirk tilting his mouth. clenched his fists under the table. He wanted to punch that smug look off the man’s face. “If I’m correct, this would be the same peaceful pack of Shifters we monitor from time to time.”
“Even more reason to get them out!” the first agent snarled. “We don’t need them spilling information about this place.”
Baxter eyed the agent icily. “Those Shifters know of us. They’ve sent scouts to sniff around this place many times over the years. They don’t want trouble, and if they’re smart, they’ll stay well out of it. All the intel says they’ve never gotten involved in the politics of the Coalition. They fly under the radar. They’re unlikely to jeopardize that by coming to the aid of two virtual strangers.”
Baxter stopped, chuckling. “They all look too busy trying to fuck their way through their entire population to cause much of an issue for our plans where Seven and Jack are concerned.”
“Except we can’t see Jack anywhere near her!” blurted, surprising himself. “Which would be a massive roadblock in your ‘plans’ for them, would it not?”
He wished that Jack had disappeared almost as fervently as he wished to get eyes on his son. To get confirmation he was well.
Baxter shrugged. “Perhaps.” He turned towards the door. “What do you have to say about this, Jude?”
’s breath caught in his throat. He turned in his seat, and there, cuffed neck and wrist and ankle to what looked like a human-sized carton trolley, and looking more gaunt than ever, his skin pallid, his eyes sunken, was Jude.
“I have nothing to say to you,” Jude rasped. His eyes found ’s, and the darkness in them was like a bucket of ice water dumped on ’s scalp.
The agent standing by the door reached out with a prod, and Jude spasmed violently. A trickle of bloody drool ran down his chin.
“All I need is a simple confirmation of something I already suspect. The full moon. It makes it virtually impossible for potential mates to resist one another, does it not?” Baxter asked as if there wasn’t a prisoner being tortured in the middle of their meeting.
“I’m no Shifter, how should I know?” Jude snarled, then spat bloody phlegm at the agent who had just electrocuted him. And got another jolt of volts in retaliation.
Baxter held up a hand. “We need him capable of speech, Higgins.”
The agent stepped back. Jude’s head fell forward. froze, his heart leaping into his throat. Was the male breathing? Was he …?
Jude sucked in a jagged breath. slumped in his chair.
Baxter strode around the conference table, approaching the broken Drinker.
“If you want to see your daughter again, Jude, you’ll answer the question to the best of your knowledge.”
With what looked like a mammoth amount of effort, Jude lifted his head, his black eyes boring into Baxter.
“I’d rather die than see her again if seeing her means she’s in your filthy clutches, you pathetic, human trash,” he muttered.
Baxter eyed the Drinker for a moment longer, then shrugged. “That can be arranged. It may mean you will die sooner than you expect … just so you have all the information.”
Baxter signaled for Higgins to remove the trolley. If Jude’s eyes could have done murder, Baxter would have dropped dead on the spot. But to the Drinker’s credit, he held his ground.
“Well, despite our prisoner’s lack of cooperation,” Baxter continued, “I am almost positive that tonight will take care of any uncertainty we might have about the … relationship status of these two.”
He looked back at the screen, and ’s eye followed. The drone had picked up Jack, prowling at the very edge of the clearing. His eyes trained with a single-minded focus on the girl in the tight pink T-shirt.
Baxter chuckled coldly. “It appears my theory is about to be proven right. Tomorrow, when the Shifters have vacated the clearing, we bring them in.”