When Julian walked into the living room, he knew something was wrong. The air was thick with a feeling akin to grief. “What has happened?” he asked. Everything had been fine when he left the room to take a shower after eating breakfast.

Gregor and Tessa glanced at each other, both their faces full of sadness. It was Tessa who spoke up. “Connor had a vision about Athena. In it his grandmother was dead.”

“What? Alistair killed his own sister?” Julian knew shit was bad, but this? This was tragic. Gregor’s face was impassive, but Julian could feel the grief from across the room. Rafael and their other brothers had to be beside themselves as well as devastated.

Gregor sighed before saying, “We don’t know for sure. When Connor talked to Rafe about his vision, he said Mother had a smile on her face. Rafe thinks she willed herself to pass over before Alistair had a chance to torture her or use her further as a pawn.”

 “Did she not realize this would be so much worse? At least with her being held captive, we had a chance of getting her out. Now, fuck! Now, Rafael will rain damnation upon Alistair’s head.”

“Maybe that’s what she wanted,” Tessa added.

“What makes you say that?” Julian asked her.

“Think about it. She and her family have been tormented by her psycho brother for over six hundred years. Wouldn’t you be tired of the bullshit too?”

“You have a point. So, what’s the plan?” Julian asked as he went to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda.

“War.” Gregor pulled Tessa to him, placing her back against his front so he could wrap his arms around her waist, settling his chin on her shoulder.

“We need to go home,” Julian said, not bothering to hide the pain in his voice.

“No. Rafael has called Sin, and once he arrives in New Atlanta, they are going to get with Uri and Frey and decide what to do. He instructed us to remain where we are until we can get Katherine home safely.”

Julian turned to his cousin. “Gregor, I’m sorry, Brother.”

“Thanks, Jules. It’s a shock, but it isn’t like she’s been around the last two hundred years. Priscilla has been more of a mother to us all than Athena ever thought of being. There’s nothing we can do to help, not until Rafe and the others come up with a plan. We need to stay the course and get your mate. Then we’ll all go home and join the others.”

Julian knew in his heart there was nothing he could do to help back home, but he was still torn. If it were his mother, he’d be on the first plane to Greece and have the King’s head himself. They needed to move forward with their efforts. “We need to get close to Agent Everhart so we can record his voice. Since he never leaves his home, I think the best way to do that is to get into his house, plant a recorder, and pray he makes a phone call.”

“Or, we could just call the man and record his voice over the phone,” Tessa said. “I’ve had to do that on more than one occasion, and it works. Unless you feel you need to get into his home for some other reason…”

“I want to put in a camera to watch his mannerisms. I observed him last week, but I want to be able to portray him well enough to get in and out of the prison without causing suspicion. We need to decide how we’re going to incapacitate both agents.”

Tessa grinned. “I’ve got that covered. I brought a concoction that will paralyze them. We’ll inject them with enough serum to cause paralysis for at least eight hours. They won’t be able to move, but we should also use zip ties to bind their hands and feet, just in case. Unless someone happens upon them in their homes, the agents won’t be a problem. Once we have Katherine, we’ll go back in and give them the antidote.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? I am not so sure we should show our faces to either of them.”

“Oh, we won’t. We’ll be wearing the prosthetics when we incapacitate them. Being Gargoyle, we should be able to sneak up on them, but can you imagine seeing yourself coming at you? That will be enough to slow them down if they happen to see us. I’ve never been caught yet, and I don’t plan on starting now. Speaking of the prosthetics, I spoke to Sophia this morning. She put them in an overnight package, so we should have them tomorrow.”

Gregor grinned at his mate, and Julian had to smile. There was no doubt Gregor was proud of Tessa’s abilities at infiltrating someone’s home and posing as that person. “How often did you do this type of thing?” Julian asked.

“Eh, once or twice,” she fudged.

Gregor scoffed at his mate. “My ass. You’re too good at it, Red. Don’t forget we saw you imitate Isabelle. If I hadn’t known it was you, I wouldn’t have known it was you.”

“How many times doesn’t matter, Stone. The fact that I know what I’m doing does. Now, I’m going to call Everhart. I’ll record his voice and work on the transmitter. I already have mine completed.”

“When did you have time to do that?” Julian asked.

“This morning. I woke up early and worked on it for a couple of hours. Once I get Everhart’s voice, I can complete yours as well. Right now, I’m going to install cameras in Rayaz’s home. I don’t want to risk following her again since she’s seen my face.”

“Do you mind installing the cameras in Everhart’s home too? I’m good at the install, but you’re better equipped at the breaking and entering.”

“Not a problem. While I’m doing that, you and Gregor should continue to monitor the prison. The more we know about who comes and goes in what areas on a regular basis the better.”

 “Don’t forget, we need to try to find plans that contain the basement area. I don’t want you two going in blind,” Gregor added.

“I’ll work on that while you watch the monitors. Tessa, do you need anything from me?”

“Just Everhart’s cell phone number. I have a blocker on my phone so he won’t be able to trace the call.”

“I’ll send it to your laptop now. Sounds like we have our day mapped out. Thank you both, again. There’s no way I could have done this alone.”

“It’s what family does,” Tessa said. She stood from the table, assembled the items she needed, kissed Gregor on the cheek, and headed toward the front door. Gregor watched his mate walk away before settling in front of the monitors with a cup of coffee.

Julian got busy hacking into every government system he knew of, but he found nothing on the layout of FSM. He even searched the files of the contractors hired to build the facility. It was like the plans didn’t exist. Having cousins who were architects, Julian knew the plans were out there somewhere. It was a possibility the online files had been destroyed so someone like him couldn’t gain access. If the government wanted to hide their underground torture chamber, they were doing a good job of it.

In less time than Julian expected, Tessa called Gregor, and he put her on speaker. “Do you have eyes on Rayaz? I’m outside her home and want to make sure she’s far enough away I won’t receive a surprise.”

“Yes, both she and Everhart entered the facility less than thirty minutes ago,” Gregor stated.

“Okay. Call me if either one of them leave. I’ll… shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Julian asked.

“Nothing I can’t handle. Rayaz’s security system is different than any I’ve ever seen. I’ll figure it out.”

“Would you like me to hack into it for you?”

“If it won’t take more than five minutes. The company is Standard Security.”

“Okay, hang on a sec…” Julian switched screens and pulled up the company’s website. Less than thirty seconds later, he was inside their system and had found the codes for Agent Rayaz’s alarm. With the stroke of a few keys, he had it disarmed. “You should be good to go. I’ll text the code to your phone so you can re-arm it when you leave.”

“Thanks, Jules.” Tessa said and disconnected.

“She’s amazing,” Julian muttered.

Gregor laughed. “You have no idea. I’m ready for babies, but she’s afraid she won’t be a good mother. I can’t imagine my mate being bad at anything.”

“How is she going to feel when you go to Greece without her?”

“Who says I’m going without her? She’s a half-blood. Tessa’s proven more than once she’s invaluable in tough situations. You never know when we’ll come up against a human or a female we need help with. As much as I want to always protect her, I’m Goyle enough to admit she’s capable of taking care of herself.”

“I almost wish Katherine were a half-blood. Then I’d know she was better equipped to handle all the fucked-up shit they’re doing to her.” Julian couldn’t focus on that now. He had to concentrate on the computer files and figure out the layout of the basement.

 

 

Kallisto sipped her iced coffee while she waited for the person she was meeting. For whatever reason, the hacker contest had been pulled from the internet. She’d already failed to find a suitable replacement for Achilles within the timeframe her father had given her. That didn’t mean she’d given up. Kallisto was bound and determined to find someone who could work for Alistair, thus the reason she was hanging out in the coffee shop next to the university. When the bell rang over the door, Kallisto waved at the young man who walked in.

Hagen Rossum sat down, and his eyes widened for a brief moment before he smiled. Kallisto had done her best to cover the pink scars marring her once pristine face, but they were still visible under the heavy make-up. “Hagen, thank you for meeting me.” Kallisto had placed an ad on the university student website for an expert computer user. She hadn’t been specific when writing the ad. Instead, she waited until she met with the candidates to find out in person what they were capable of. Hagen was the fourth and last candidate who had answered the ad. The three before him were experts in their fields, but none had been able to hack into all the systems she laid out before them.

“I have to say, I’m a bit intrigued,” the young man said, as he took the seat across from her. Hagen was a senior who would be graduating in a couple of months. If he was capable of doing what she needed, he would have a job before he received his diploma. Kallisto pushed a piece of paper in front of the man and waited on him to read it. Once he had looked over the document, he raised his eyes to her, his smile even wider than before. “Please, tell me more.”

Kallisto had been vague in the ad, but the paper she’d shown Hagen outlined the specifics of the job. “I do apologize for the vagueness of the post, but I didn’t want to run the risk of having someone with no sense of adventure calling the authorities on me. I’ll be honest with you. I’m looking for someone who is capable of hacking into the best systems in the world. Most of what I will need you to do is above board, but there will be times you will need to be able to cover your tracks, if you get my meaning.”

“I have no problem with that, and I’m willing to sign the confidentiality agreement.”

“I will need to see what you’re capable of first, but if you pass the test, you will be given a job with one of the wealthiest men in Greece, my father. You will work for him, yet I will be your boss. You will move into the five thousand square foot villa where I live and will be given the salary stated on the paper in front of you, but your life will become mine. Once you receive your diploma, you’ll be on the clock twenty-four seven.”

“For that amount of money, I’ll paint your nails and give you massages.”

“That won’t be necessary, but I appreciate your enthusiasm.” Kallisto eyed the young man, thinking as cute as he was she might take him up on other ways to pass the time. “If you truly are interested, I would like to take you somewhere to test your abilities.”

“Let’s go,” Hagen said.

Kallisto stood and motioned for the man to move ahead of her, but he held out his arm, “Please, ladies first.” She inclined her head in appreciation and made her way to the door.

Once outside, she led him to the car where a Gargoyle named Rowan was waiting. He held open the back door until both Kallisto and Hagen were seated before making his way to the driver’s seat. Instead of taking him to the villa, Rowan drove them to an office building Kallisto had set up for this purpose. Having as much money as Alistair meant she had the resources to rent an office and outfit it with the most sophisticated equipment available. She still couldn’t believe in all the hundreds of Gargoyles that lived in Greece, her father couldn’t find another computer genius in the bunch.

When they arrived, Rowan opened the door to the back seat, helping Kallisto to her feet. The Goyle never spoke in front of others, but she knew his voice was deep and hypnotic. When he was first assigned to the villa, Kallisto had tried to seduce him. He’d told her he was flattered, but he was mated to a female and had no interest in straying. That surprised Kallisto, since she knew of few remaining female Gargoyles. She didn’t ask, but for him to have a mate, he must be as old as her father.

Kallisto directed Hagen to a room in the back of the office. When he stepped inside, his mouth fell open. “Holy shit. This is some high-tech equipment you have.”

“Yes, it is. Pass the test, and it’s all yours. Now, take a seat. Your instructions are on the paper in front of you. You have one hour to get in and back out of all the systems without being caught.”

Hagen took a seat and read over the typed instructions in front of him. He then laced his fingers together, cracked his knuckles, and began typing. Kallisto stood over his shoulder only momentarily. She had watched the others and couldn’t decipher any of the gibberish they were typing. If Hagen was as good as she figured him to be, he would be entering code that would disappear as quickly as it appeared. Making her way to the front of the office, she took a seat behind the desk and opened the laptop. She decided a little shopping was in order while she waited.

 

 

Katherine’s head pounded like she was on a three-day bender. Not that she’d been on one of those, but her pulse echoed with every beat of her heart. When she woke up earlier, she had been groggy. Wisps of a conversation from her dream taunted the edges of her mind. She had dreamed talking to Julian, hadn’t she? There’s no way she could’ve carried on a conversation with the man in her mind. While trying to make sense of the dream, Kat had eaten her breakfast.

The meal had been brought to her by a guard she didn’t recognize. The man didn’t speak. He placed the tray in the open slot and waited for her to take it, keeping his bright green eyes glued to hers the whole time. When she took the tray from him, he cocked his head to the side as if studying her before walking away without saying a word. He had an air about him much like Julian. He was handsome. Confident.

The food was the same as it had been every day since they’d started feeding her. It was soon after she finished eating that her head began to hurt. It was a slow aching at first, but it soon turned into the sharp stabs she was currently enduring. She had no doubt she’d been drugged, but to what end? Covering her head with her pillow to block out the light, she sat in the corner of her cell with her cheek pressed to the cold concrete wall at the back of the small room. She was already shivering from being cold. As long as she sat there, the pain never lessened and the shaking became worse. She didn’t move when she heard the slot open for her lunch. There was no way Kat could eat anything. She’d throw it up even if she could have moved from her spot on the floor.

When she didn’t get up, the slot closed, the door opened, and the sound of plastic met concrete as the tray was slid into her cell. At least that’s what it sounded like from behind the pillow. If this was another type of torture, it was one of the worst the way it lingered. Everything else she’d endured had been drawn out, but it ceased eventually. Kat didn’t think this pain was ever going to go away.

Add the throbbing behind her skull to the ache in her ear, and she was ready to pass out. Maybe if she moved and vomited, whatever was in her system would be flushed out and the pain would subside. Removing the pillow, Kat cracked her eyes open. The intensity of the light slammed into her brain, and the nausea washed over her. Twisting around, she made it to her knees before she expelled the breakfast she’d eaten earlier. Her gut spasmed over and over until she was dry heaving. She would probably be punished for soiling her cell, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to let them win at this fucked-up game they were playing.

Kat crawled a few feet away from the vomit and lay down on the floor with her cheek against the cool concrete. She once again covered her face with the pillow, blocking out the light. The pain was worse than before she threw up, but Kat prayed getting the poison out of her system would help alleviate the ache eventually. Closing her eyes, she wished the voice in her head would return so she’d have something to focus on other than the pain. Kat did her best to remember the conversation with Julian. He said he was close and he was coming to get her. He needed to hurry.