KnightForce Deuces, page 19
Koolong and Dr. Crysman, the two remaining Liege, were in the shadows working on funding and another project. Dr. Crysman, a well-known chemist, thought he was close to creating some type of compound that would mask the scent of humans and dual-natured beasts which would give them the advantage in an attack. Roderick would contact him for the testing results of that project. Koolong, an Asian businessman, worked with various factions of governments selling their products and gained ground every day. Not enough to return them to their former glory but he believed it would happen eventually. Roderick decided against telling them of Lancaster’s demise, it wasn’t good for morale and neither man had spent much time with Lancaster.
“Sir, there has been a confirmed visual of Lord Barticus’ men in the area above ground,” Prokam said through the intercom.
Roderick made a few clicks on the keyboard. The image on the wall disappeared. He released the flash drive and placed it in the case before stuffing it into his pocket. Rising slowly, he looked around the small room, his temporary home for the past two weeks. Never in his wildest imagination did he ever think he would be at such a low point, hunted constantly like an animal, forced to run and hide.
Anger, hot and potent rose in his chest. He pulled out his cell and looked up the information that had been sent to him recently. A video and photo of three human men bulked and moving at inhuman speed. Lancaster claimed they found some type of formula that allowed them to fight full-bloods and win. The grainy satellite picture didn’t show the details of their faces but it was enough to know these men were not ordinary.
“Is this what killed you my friend? Or did you involve yourself in human affairs again as with the Griggs woman?” He continued to stare at the picture. Would Lancaster have taken such a drug? Roderick doubted the man would have placed himself at risk. Although lately, Lancaster’s infrequent communications had a fatalistic tone. If Lancaster aligned with a group, there would be some type of trail, loose ends he could use for money.
Wheels turned in his mind as he tried to think of a way to buy time and space to rebuild his organization. If Lancaster had contacts in the States for this drug, he would have left that information in one of their hidey holes. Roderick could fly into the States under the radar, grab the formula and product if there was some on hand and then return to Romania. The more he thought of retrieving Lancaster’s final effects, the more he liked the idea. Prokam looked enough like Lancaster to play the role he had in mind.
Roderick looked at the picture again and then slid it in his pocket. “Prokam,” he called. “There is something you need to do.”
Chapter 25
Silas watched as Jasmine opened the door and embraced Asia. The two remained locked together for a few moments, no doubt talking through their link. He nodded to Hawke who followed his mate into the room.
“Care for something to drink?” Silas asked Hawke as the large man passed the two women who stared at each other without making a sound.
“Yes, water would be appreciated,” Hawke said glancing over his shoulder at his mate. Silas headed into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water and a bottle of beer and returned to the living area where three platters of baked goods sat on tables.
He handed Hawke the bottle. “Help yourself to anything here.” He waved to the baked goods that made their home smell like vanilla and cinnamon. “Jasmine loves to bake and made these.”
“Looks good,” Hawke said taking a small plate and took one of everything before sitting on the loveseat.
Jasmine and Asia joined them. Asia filled a plate and sat next to Hawke. Jasmine returned from the kitchen with a pitcher of sweet tea and handed Asia a glass.
“Thank you, these are delicious. One day I’d love to learn how to make this.” She held an apple fritter in her hand.
“Let me know when and we can make a day of it,” Jasmine said taking a seat next to Silas before pouring them both glasses of tea.
Silas brushed a kiss against her lips in thanks and then spoke to his guest. “I asked you here for several reasons. First I want to thank you, both of you for your service to us, our den and our Nation. The past few days your loyalty and commitment to the Wolf Nation has shone bright. The Goddess could not have given me better teammates to complete her mission here. For the sake of time and to avoid repeating myself, again I say thank you for the sacrifices both of you have made.”
Asia’s eyes widened when he began and then she looked away, now she smiled. “It’s an honor to serve both the Goddess and your den.”
Hawke placed his arm around Asia. “Yes, we are honored to be chosen to serve.”
Jasmine cleared her throat and looked away. Silas glanced at her, took her hand and squeezed it.
Silas looked at Asia. Yesterday had been doubly hard for her. First, her mate almost died from the poison and then her system shut down from double doses of that vile chemical. He and Jasmine had worked in tandem flushing the potent mixture from her system. But they noticed a difference in Asia that hadn’t been in anyone else.
“When the poison entered your system Asia,” Silas said, choosing his words carefully. Hawke and Asia stared at him. “Something happened.”
Asia frowned.
“Happened?” Hawke said.
“Yes.” Silas shook his head and met Hawke’s gaze. “I’m trying to find the words but I’ll just put it out there. By the time I linked with Jasmine to help, the lethal toxin had been in your system for over 30 seconds and should’ve killed you in half that time. It was that potent. We tried everything and couldn’t stop it or reverse the damage.”
Hawke’s lips pursed and then he nodded slowly. “The real threat to the poison is the accelerant. It speeds past the antibodies and attacks the major organs, causing the body to collapse and suffocate. I linked with her immediately and saturated her system with energy, which slowed it down.”
“Yes, but Asia was hit with the poison directly the first time. Even with our combined energies we couldn’t stop the poison from damaging her system. When the second hit came, I thought we’d lose her for sure. I still don’t understand how your body works but it’s a gift from the Goddess and new technology,” Silas said meeting Asia’s stunned gaze.
“But, I feel fine.” Asia looked at Jasmine. “I sensed you and La Patron working on me. I was able to stand and fight later.”
“Yes, which is a miracle and explains why the Liege were desperate to recapture you. It also helps me understand Lord Barticus and his dealings with Nicromja better,” Silas said in a thoughtful tone.
Asia’s frown deepened. “Nicromja? My dad? What do you mean?”
Jasmine leaned forward with her hands clasped together on her knees. “What Silas is trying to say is we didn’t, couldn’t save you last night. The poison was too fast and had done a lot of damage. But your body… you have ninja blood cells or something inside. After we failed and couldn’t stop the poison, something must’ve triggered your warrior cells. They exploded through your body and destroyed the poison, we flushed out the trash. Then your natural healing kicked in. It was quite a sight.”
Silas chuckled at Hawke’s surprised expression. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Your body has a built-in immune system that destroys anything that would destroy you… does that make sense?” he asked trying to explain the unexplainable. Was she immortal? He didn’t know but she was damned hard to terminate. The Liege had thrown everything at her, including enough poison to take out hundreds of humans.
“So, my antibodies destroyed the poison, not you?” Asia said slowly.
Jasmine nodded. “Yes. We flushed your system and when you returned to the compound, Hawke was supposed to finish. But you were so tired, you fell asleep. Rest is the best medicine after what you went through.”
“Lord Barticus?” Hawke asked.
“According to Barticus his physiology was altered by the priests of Nicromja.” Silas looked at Asia. “She is his daughter. I think she inherited something that allows her body to heal and regenerate in ways no one else can. Asia you are uniquely you.”
Asia’s jaw dropped and then she snapped it shut. “Thank you, Sir. I had no idea. I mean I had an idea, just not to that extent.”
“She is quite unique,” Hawke said pulling her close and brushing a kiss against the top of her head. “Thank you for sharing that with us, knowing she has those innate abilities puts my mind more at ease, especially with her traveling all over for KnightForce.”
Silas nodded. “Jasmine and I were surprised and happy to see the damage reversing, it made our jobs easier.” He looked at his mate and pulled her close. “Plus, Jasmine refused to accept any other outcome.” He kissed the top of her head and blessed the Goddess again for saving Asia. Jasmine had broken down when she realized she was losing Asia. Her tears had crippled him.
“That’s right,” Jasmine said smiling at Asia.
“Thank you, Mistress,” Asia said returning her smile.
“My thanks as well,” Hawke said.
Pleased with the conversation so far, Silas continued. “The Liege suffered a blow with the death of Boris Lancaster. Not that his demise has been made public but I informed Barticus so he could focus his energies on those remaining. Thanks to you, he’s aware of Crysman and Koolong, those two Liege lords who flew under his radar before. He is hot on Roderick’s trail and believes he will apprehend the slippery devil soon.”
“Crysman,” Hawke said shaking his head. “Another world-renowned scientist. How do they convince these men to work with them? At some point they must know the ceiling would crash around them.”
“But in the meantime, they are allowed, encouraged even, to play god with others and develop horrific toys or chemicals that would wipe out mankind. For some, the ability to create anything you want is too hard to pass,” Asia said in a soft, yet certain tone.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
“Lancaster was a small man with huge dreams. Nothing would have ever been enough for him. I think he despised himself, his beginnings, possibly his father. For some reason he never thought he was good enough. Maybe the time period he lived in didn’t foster the idea of moving up through the ranks. But he always believed in a class structure and hated not being in what he considered the upper crust. It drove him,” Asia said.
Hawke snorted. “That’s true. I’m glad the bastard’s dead and left his secrets in our care.” He winked at Asia.
“I’ll transcribe the information I received from Lancaster this week and submit it to you, Sir. What is the status of the KnightForce training?” Asia asked.
“Angus returns later today. He wanted to be here when we lay Froggy and the others to rest.”
Asia and Hawke nodded.
“Chances are we’ll continue as planned but I want to talk with him about it after the services.”
“I understand, Sir,” Asia said.
With the mention of Froggy, the mood of the room plummeted. Hawke stopped eating and stared at the far wall. Asia looked at her lap. And Jasmine swallowed hard a few times.
“I look forward to learning more about Lancaster and the Liege so that we can prepare to combat others like them in the future,” Silas said drawing everyone’s attention.
“Yes, that’s wise,” Hawke said. “Last night we confiscated poisons, tranqs and drugs, all of those things are harmful to pack and the Liege had a finger in them all.”
“Combatting those are your first challenge, Hawke. That horrible-tasting root saved Rese and made his recovery easy. We need to get ahead of this new drug that enhances humans. If an old man like Lancaster can knock a full-blood on his ass long enough to defeat him, we need something that gives our pack leverage,” Silas said.
“I’ve been working out a couple ideas in my head and when I return to the lab will work on it. But that poison… that needs to be stored in a place inaccessible to anyone. The Feds are going to want it back,” Hawke said with feeling.
“The Feds have already proven they can’t protect their experiments, so I have it in a secure place,” Silas said.
“Great. I like that better anyway,” Hawke said. “We didn’t get all of the drugs, they shipped a batch the day before. That shit’s on the street.”
Silas frowned and wished he knew about this earlier when they first returned. But everyone had been exhausted and agreed to meet later. “Do we know where it was shipped? I need to alert my Alphas.”
“Ask Tyrese. He handled a lot of the data. The location may be on one of the flash drives he found,” Hawke said.
“Tyrese?” Silas called.
“Sir?”
“Find out where the last few shipments of the drug was sent and quantities,” Silas said.
“Yes, Sir. I was going through the flash drives and will send that information as soon as I come across it.”
“Tyrese is searching for that information; the last thing I want is for full-bloods to defend against amped-up humans. It would be impossible for them not to shift if they fought for their lives.” A full-blood’s wolf would take over before it would allow its human part to die.
“That may be something you can announce through the disk system as well,” Hawke said. I’m assuming it’s working so far.”
“We can do that,” Silas said thinking how he would word the message to keep everyone calm. “I’ll share it first with my Alphas and then decide how to alert the rest of the pack.”
Jasmine looked at Asia. “What happened with you and David? I asked him and he said you needed to get to Hawke but the look on your face when you walked out the room said more.”
Silas frowned. He had forgotten Jasmine’s concerns over the children being able to link but he didn’t know she’d discussed it with Asia.
“I can’t believe I forgot to mention that to you,” Asia said, her eyes lit with an inner light. “My wolf demanded to see Hawke after he passed out. For some reason, I had a hard time keeping her under control and was about to shift when David walks in, touches me and instantly calms my wolf. Next he told me Grandfather would help me get to Hawke.”
Silas stared, uncertain he heard correctly. “What? Who’s Grandfather?”
“I don’t know. At the time, my beast rode me hard, I couldn’t process much. But I remember thinking, wow.” Asia looked at Silas. “Talk about unique, David’s unique.”
“Yes, I can see that. Sarita was with him, you think he shared something with her?” Silas asked trying to wrap his mind around his youngest child being a mouthpiece for someone he didn’t know. At least Silas didn’t think he knew this Grandfather person, yet.
“She begged me to return, I promised her I would. But I don’t know what he told her. Those two… they are close. If you like I can have a conversation with Sarita, see what she knows about this Grandfather person,” Asia said.
Silas thought about it for a minute. “No. We’ll talk to them together. That way we can put the pieces of this puzzle together easier.” He looked at his mate, she looked thoughtful. “What is it?”
“We need to talk to the children, all five of them, now,” she said.
“Five?” He frowned and then nodded. “You’re including Sarita?”
“Yes, she’s very involved in all this. I want to know when David started talking to this Grandfather,” Jasmine said.
“You think it happened after Sarita arrived?”
“Maybe but we need to know more about what’s going on with them before they go to school.”
Silas agreed. “If you have a little time, I’d like us to head to the nursery and talk with the children. I’ll send their nurses out and we can ask a few questions. I’m curious about this Grandfather.”
“My time is yours,” Hawke said.
Asia nodded.
“Good.” Silas stood and took Jasmine’s hand. “Let’s have this conversation first and settle a few things.”
Asia and Hawke followed them to the nursery. When they entered, there was a hush and then all five voices started talking at once.
“Mama, look at what I made,” Renee said holding up a paper filled with bright colors. Adam ran across the floor and grabbed Silas around his leg. “Can we go outside and play?”
“Not right now, son.” Proud of his pups and their excitement over his presence, he sent their nurses instructions to leave the room. The pups didn’t notice their departure.
Sarita’s arms were wrapped around Hawke’s neck as she talked to Asia. David stood next to Jasmine asking why she smelled like cookies. And Jackie stood next to Adam waiting to speak to him.
Silas raised his hand. “Quiet, I need to talk to you.” Five small faces stared at him with expectation. He released a breath and waved them back, further into the room. “We want to sit and then we’ll talk.”
“Sit with me, Mama,” Sarita said grabbing Asia’s hand after Hawke put her down. Asia sat against Hawke’s legs with Sarita in front of her on the floor.
David looked at Sarita for a moment and then sat next to Adam. Renee and Jackie sat near Jasmine.
“Who’s Grandfather?” Silas asked, his gaze touched each pup but lingered on David a little longer.
Adam’s face scrunched. “Who?”
“Grandfather,” Silas repeated noticing the frowns on Jackie and Renee’s faces.
“What’s a Grandfather?” Adam said.
“David, what’s a Grandfather?” Jasmine asked.
David met her gaze. “Someone who talks with you at night when it’s dark and keeps you from being afraid or alone.”
Silas’ heart slammed in his chest. When had the pup ever been alone or frightened?
“He comes to you?” Jasmine asked.
“No.” He tapped his forehead. “He’s here and here.” He touched his chest.
Jasmine smiled. “That’s good. What does Grandfather look like?”
