Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Dewi
With Ray Dorland and Faegan Lewis both confirmed dead, Trent let Asia and the kids return to Idaho after they spent a couple of weeks in Florida relaxing and having fun.
Peyton, however, wanted Gillian to remain in Florida for the duration, so they left Asia’s new SUV there at Dewi’s, and Peyton and Gillian would drive it back to Idaho once he returned home for good.
Peyton made several secret visits to Florida, although they started telling more of the inner circle and some of the Enforcers that he was safe as they started recruiting people for the team to raid the lab.
And they were instructed not to reveal anything publicly yet.
As far as everyone was concerned, Badger was still the acting Pack Alpha.
They kept the news of Ray Dorland’s and Faegan Lewis’ deaths quiet from everyone else except the Pack Alphas in the new alliance.
But there were no new tips phoned in.
That didn’t mean the abduction operation was shut down.
If it was still active, they were likely lying low to regroup.
Several weeks into their prep to take down the lab, Jake had returned to Europe to work with Peyton and Trevor, while Aisling remained in close contact over the phone regarding logistics. She would fly over in a few days.
Using Jake and Prime Alphas, they had already compromised most of the lab facility’s security personnel and almost half of the lab workers.
That wasn’t a guarantee of success, though. They had to be very careful so that no one spotted them talking with the workers and raised suspicions.
The security personnel never went down into the lab area. They believed the facility worked on chemical and biological warfare weapons. So they were never curious about what went on underground.
They also had no dealings with the teams who delivered captured people to the facility.
When someone arrived, they alerted the lab workers, who came up and got them and took them underground via the large elevator.
The last person brought in was over eight months earlier, if the information they gleaned was correct.
While most of the security personnel were former military, the lab itself was not run by the military, as far as they knew.
The lab techs were more difficult to approach. They spent days at a time in the lab facility, and then were driven to the apartment building they all lived in. And they were bussed in together with others working their shift. Meaning it was trickier to approach them without being seen.
They had not yet compromised one of the main researchers in charge of the lab, but they at least had names and computer access codes.
And they had confirmed that, as far as anyone knew, this was the only lab of its kind.
The doctor in charge of it was in his seventies and had been there longer than anyone.
It wouldn’t be possible to compromise him ahead of the operation, because he literally never left the lab. He lived on site and had for years. None of the personnel they talked to, medical or security, had ever seen him go above ground, much less leave the facility.
As they gathered more intel, Peyton and Dewi enlisted Lowri Thompson-Harries for help with deciphering some of the information they received. She was the mate of Aaron Harries, one of their Enforcers based out of Charleston, South Carolina.
Lowri, with a degree in organic chemistry, had so far provided invaluable insight into what they were looking at.
And, apparently, that’s why Lowri and Aaron were now standing in Dewi’s living room, while she, Badger, and Ken sat there talking.
Arbitrating a marital dispute between one of her Enforcers and his Alpha female mate wasn’t exactly the last item on Dewi’s list of things she needed to deal with that day, but it was pretty damned close.
And it was already a long fucking list to start with.
Lowri wouldn’t get into the issue on the phone, but now that they were here, she wasted no time.
“Please tell Aaron I should go on the lab raid,” Lowri pleaded. She ticked off points on her fingers. “I’m trained in firearms. I have hand-to-hand fighting skills. I’m an Alpha. I have technical knowledge that could be critical when the raid happens because I know what could be important.”
Lowri was one of the few non-Enforcers who knew about the plan, and she’d been Primed not to reveal it to anyone else.
“You have never done anything like this,” Aaron argued. “You can phone in your help. There’s no reason for you to be part of the field ops.”
“Look, I’m literally trained! I have a degree in organic chemistry!
They’ll need someone like me in the lab, on site, to see what’s going on and what to grab or leave.
And if it’s even possible to rescue people.
They’ll likely have some of the victims heavily drugged, especially if there are Primes.
I could be the difference between saving people and people dying, because you know damned well they’ll execute the personnel when they’re done, meaning I’ll have skills we can use to save any prisoners.
And once people are rescued—if any are—they may need my expertise dealing with whatever compounds have been used on the subjects.
And if they have to euthanize people… Well, then I might be the best person to make the judgment call. ”
Aaron glared at his wife. “No. I told you that I am not allowing it.”
She glared back, her hands jammed on her hips. “Uh, you can’t stop me. You might be my mate, but this is why I’m going straight to the Pack Alpha about this.” She pointed at Badger.
“Acting,” Badger and Dewi both wearily said in nearly identical tones.
“And while I hate to override a mate on this,” Dewi continued, “she has a point. Several valid points, actually.”
“If she were pregnant,” Badger added, “I’d say absolutely not. But she’s not. An’ she has a right to make up her own mind about this. This is an issue bigger than a marriage. It’s bigger than our pack. If ye wanna go with her, Aaron,” he added, “yer welcome to join the attack party.”
Aaron looked murderous. “Fine,” he spat. “But I am not happy about this.”
“Ye don’t have to be happy,” Badger said. “No one is happy about any of this, ye know. But it has to be done. Lives are at stake.”
Dewi rubbed her forehead. “Look, this sucks all the way around. And Aaron, you know damned well if Lyssa wasn’t an infant, and I wasn’t pregnant, I’d be right there with Peyton leading the charge.”
“Like hell you would,” Ken rumbled.
She turned, arching an eyebrow at him. “This is work. We agreed we don’t interfere with work.” Dewi thought it was adorable how Ken grumbled, because it lit dark places deep inside her soul she once believed untouchable by anyone.
“I don’t understand why anyone who isn’t a trained fighter will be allowed to go,” Aaron argued. “Yeah, I was in the Army. I get it. But what is she supposed to—”
In a flash, Lowri threw him, and he landed on his ass, surprising even Dewi with how fast and strong she was. “Black belt in Judo, FYI,” Lowri said. “And while no, I wasn’t in the Army, you’ve seen I’m a damned good shot and can handle myself.”
Aaron jumped to his feet and stalked over to her. Dewi admired that Lowri didn’t appear to be the least bit intimidated, even though Aaron was about 5’11, and towered over her by seven inches. She stood there with her hands on her hips, not even flinching.
“What the hell was that?” he demanded.
“Harai Goshi,” Lowri said with a snarky smile. “Want to see my Ippon Seoi Nage?”
Boy, their sex life must be fun. Dewi clamped down on the laugh threatening to burp free.
“No amount of Judo will save you from automatic weapons fire,” he growled at her. “You’ve never seen combat! Never fought—”
“Uh, if you’ll recall, before you arrived the day we met, I’d successfully fought and killed a couple of the—”
“Guys!” Dewi barked. “Enough foreplay. Aaron, she can go. Besides, hopefully between all of the people who will be involved in the raid and all of the prep work Jake and the Primes are doing compromising personnel, the risk of gunfire will be low. There will likely be a few key personnel in the lab they won’t be able to compromise ahead of time, but the security up top should be well in hand by the time the operation starts. ”
“‘Hopefully’ doesn’t mean no risk,” Aaron shot back at Dewi.
“I know. But my decision stands. If she wants to go, she can. I suggest that instead of arguing about it, you go out ASAP and buy her appropriately fitted body armor, all-black tactical gear, and figure out the MOLLE sitch. Get her used to using and wearing it. We don’t want battle-rattle, okay?
Teach her that. Work with Aisling, and the two of you get her ready for the best chance of success.
Put whatever you need to buy on the pack card, and get your tickets booked on the same flight with Aisling.
That’ll give you even more time to work with her.
I’ll get someone to cover your territory while you’re gone. ”
Aaron glared at Dewi for a long moment. She arched an eyebrow at him, daring him to argue with her.
Finally, his shoulders drooped. “Yes, boss,” he muttered, tipping his chin enough to show his submission.
She’d allow that to suffice because she understood this was an emotionally charged topic for him.
Lowri engulfed him in a hug. “I love you,” she said. “I know you’re scared. I’m not saying I’m not scared. But this is about the survival of the pack, and we need to put aside our fear and keep the bigger picture in mind.”
His embrace tightened around Lowri as he buried his face in her hair. “I can’t lose you, baby,” he whispered.
“I can’t lose you, either. But we want pups, and right now we can’t risk bringing them into a world where this kind of threat hangs over our heads. Not until we’ve done all we can to make it safer.”
Dewi looked at Ken to find his gaze boring into hers, dark, unreadable in this moment.