be there to back you,” Donovan, the senior officer on
the inside, conveyed the plan. “There’s one more man left between us and the
end.”
“Between
us and getting home to our mates,” Granger added with cheers from all the
others sounding in his comm device.
“Ready,”
Nico spoke as he backed away from the door. The explosive had
been developed to disintegrate the metal. It was muted by specially
designed putty to minimize the sound, but the blast would still throw off heat
fierce enough to singe. Not even a Valendite Breed wanted to mess with that.
They all ducked back in the side hallway and waited for the blast and smoke to
clear.
They
heard coughing before they could see clearly and knew they had the man they
were looking for. The asshole actually came barreling out of the room. Smiling,
Granger took him out in a single shot, twirling his gun and blowing on the
muzzle as he grinned over at Gage. “I win.”
Gage
saluted him and laughed. “Shit, I’ve got the best damn job.”
Madden
joined them as they looked down at the fallen breed. “I know you two jokesters
so I’m going to let the flippant talk slide. It’s how we cope. I got that, but
shit, we just took out one of our own. Sure, he shit all over our kind, but in
his core, he was one of us.”
Granger
nodded. “Right. Guess I hadn’t let myself think about
it. Easier to pretend he’s just another terrorist.”
“I got
you, brother.” Madden tapped them both on their shoulders.
“We’re
clear.” After Caedon gave the word over the comm device, they set about the
task of discarding the bodies into the incinerator not more than a few miles
away. Caedon came in and carried Mase’s body into the
van. They’d return his body to his family if they could locate a relative.
“Granger
and Gage, you watch the doors for any disturbance. You two have done enough for
today. We’ll clear out the lab. You just let us know if there are visitors.”
“Before
or after we take them out?”
Madden
ignored his little brother and moved into the lab where he’d oversee the sweep to
clean it of all remaining tests and experiments on the breeds.
Granger
was more than happy to sit up on the hill overlooking the laboratory and watch
for any unlikely visitors. The view through his rifle always brought his
thoughts into focus. Today though, he focused in on his mate. His entire
perspective had changed since mating. Despite feeling as if he made a
difference in his job, he wanted out. Granger wanted to move on.
Today,
he’d been forced to kill one of his own kind . Madden
was right. He hadn’t felt it right away since his entire focus was on the
mission, and still a piece of him was glad for the revenge he’d served for his
mate, but he hated what he’d had to do. Granger was ready for a new start and
he had some ideas about what he wanted to do.
He
considered all the possibilities while staying focused on his position as
lookout until Madden came back on the comm device. “It’s clear. We’ve pulled
what we needed and destroyed the rest. Time to go home, men.”
Granger
left his position, knowing he was doing it for one of the last times, and
headed back to his mate.
* * * *
Sadie spent
her day without Granger planning her Pronouncement. She was going for a grand
event. She’d never had a party where she dressed pretty and had everything
perfect. She’d never really cared before. Now she wanted all the bells and
doves and twinkle lights.
Sadie sat with both her mother and Adelina Santucci to talk through the
ceremony at the vineyard. They had a little time before she was meeting her
sisters for drinks and wanted to use the opportunity to ask about something she
was curious about. She knew the mothers could answer.
“I’m ashamed to admit I put such little stock in the mating ritual, or
any rituals growing up. Now, I’m unsure what happens during the Pronouncement.
I mean, of course, I know the outside appearance of things, but
the inside, conveyed the plan. “There’s one more man left between us and the
end.”
“Between
us and getting home to our mates,” Granger added with cheers from all the
others sounding in his comm device.
“Ready,”
Nico spoke as he backed away from the door. The explosive had
been developed to disintegrate the metal. It was muted by specially
designed putty to minimize the sound, but the blast would still throw off heat
fierce enough to singe. Not even a Valendite Breed wanted to mess with that.
They all ducked back in the side hallway and waited for the blast and smoke to
clear.
They
heard coughing before they could see clearly and knew they had the man they
were looking for. The asshole actually came barreling out of the room. Smiling,
Granger took him out in a single shot, twirling his gun and blowing on the
muzzle as he grinned over at Gage. “I win.”
Gage
saluted him and laughed. “Shit, I’ve got the best damn job.”
Madden
joined them as they looked down at the fallen breed. “I know you two jokesters
so I’m going to let the flippant talk slide. It’s how we cope. I got that, but
shit, we just took out one of our own. Sure, he shit all over our kind, but in
his core, he was one of us.”
Granger
nodded. “Right. Guess I hadn’t let myself think about
it. Easier to pretend he’s just another terrorist.”
“I got
you, brother.” Madden tapped them both on their shoulders.
“We’re
clear.” After Caedon gave the word over the comm device, they set about the
task of discarding the bodies into the incinerator not more than a few miles
away. Caedon came in and carried Mase’s body into the
van. They’d return his body to his family if they could locate a relative.
“Granger
and Gage, you watch the doors for any disturbance. You two have done enough for
today. We’ll clear out the lab. You just let us know if there are visitors.”
“Before
or after we take them out?”
Madden
ignored his little brother and moved into the lab where he’d oversee the sweep to
clean it of all remaining tests and experiments on the breeds.
Granger
was more than happy to sit up on the hill overlooking the laboratory and watch
for any unlikely visitors. The view through his rifle always brought his
thoughts into focus. Today though, he focused in on his mate. His entire
perspective had changed since mating. Despite feeling as if he made a
difference in his job, he wanted out. Granger wanted to move on.
Today,
he’d been forced to kill one of his own kind . Madden
was right. He hadn’t felt it right away since his entire focus was on the
mission, and still a piece of him was glad for the revenge he’d served for his
mate, but he hated what he’d had to do. Granger was ready for a new start and
he had some ideas about what he wanted to do.
He
considered all the possibilities while staying focused on his position as
lookout until Madden came back on the comm device. “It’s clear. We’ve pulled
what we needed and destroyed the rest. Time to go home, men.”
Granger
left his position, knowing he was doing it for one of the last times, and
headed back to his mate.
* * * *
Sadie spent
her day without Granger planning her Pronouncement. She was going for a grand
event. She’d never had a party where she dressed pretty and had everything
perfect. She’d never really cared before. Now she wanted all the bells and
doves and twinkle lights.
Sadie sat with both her mother and Adelina Santucci to talk through the
ceremony at the vineyard. They had a little time before she was meeting her
sisters for drinks and wanted to use the opportunity to ask about something she
was curious about. She knew the mothers could answer.
“I’m ashamed to admit I put such little stock in the mating ritual, or
any rituals growing up. Now, I’m unsure what happens during the Pronouncement.
I mean, of course, I know the outside appearance of things, but
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