Crimson Highlander (Onyx Assassins 2)

“He was one of my father’s attorneys at Pratt and Goldstein but left that practice years ago.” Her brow puckered. “You think he started up a practice of his own?”

“Yeah, and took on a whole other branch of your father’s business,” Ransom answered.

Disbelief washed over Valor’s features. “Sorry, I just thought I knew pretty much everything about the business—the setup, at least. I’m a little surprised, that’s all.”

“Don’t blame you,” Alek said, crossing one ankle over his knee and leaning back. “Operations like this would divide up the intel. I’m sure you knew a few things your brother didn’t and vice versa. It’s probably one of the reasons they want you back so badly.”

Valor nodded.

She’d already told me as much.

“Okay. So Edgemont BioMed?” she asked, squaring her shoulders.

Fuck, I was proud of her. You could throw a tank in Valor’s path, and she’d only gawk for a second before finding a way around it. Her resilience and determination were incredible. My chest practically caught on fire with how much I loved her.

I’d made my peace with the emotion sometime in the last week, once I’d realized that loving her didn’t weaken me. She was already my weak spot and had been since the day I’d seen my mark on her neck. Loving her didn’t change that. It only made me that much more determined to keep her safe.

“That’s the facility Xavier brought to our attention,” I answered. “It’s located on the shore, about five miles outside the city limits, and it looks to be comparable to the compound where Lyric was held. The security is thick, patrols don’t gap, and the walls appear to have iron rods.

She nodded. “That’s standard practice. There will also be traces of rubies, steel, and silver nitrate.”

A corner of Hawke’s mouth drifted upward. “You do know that lycans can’t be harmed by silver unless it comes in direct contact with their skin, right?”

“Well, I do now.” She rolled her eyes. “But before I got my permanent tourist visa here in Vampire-ville, I had no clue. The only information we had was what was passed down through journals, and though some supernaturals, like the demons who attacked Lyric, might have been willing to go against him”— she motioned at Alek — “they didn’t betray their own kind, so we didn’t exactly get a lot of tips on how to take down a particular species.” Red crept up her neck, but she kept her chin high. “And yes, I know how fucking callous that sounds—”

“Stop,” Alek ordered. “No one in this room cares about what you’ve done in the past. All that matters to us is who you are moving forward.”

The group grunted in agreement, me included.

“Thank you,” Valor whispered, then cleared her throat and leaned forward slightly, focusing in on an aerial shot Ransom had pulled off some server. “Wait. Shit. Ransom, can you blow that up?”

“She’s talking about the drone shot,” I added. It wasn’t like everyone in the room was so in tune with everything that captured my mate’s attention.

“Gotcha.” Ransom clicked on his keyboard, and the photo took over the largest monitor.

“Oh shit,” Valor whispered, her gaze scanning the photo. “They actually built it.”

“You’re going to have to be a bit more forthcoming than that, lass.” My whole body tensed at the apprehension I felt on the other side of our bond.

“I may have designed that compound. A long time ago.” She shook her head. “You can’t get in there. It’s physically impossible. See those?” She pointed to a row of buildings. “Those are supposed to be barracks. There will be at least a hundred and thirty men there at all times.”

“You have an army,” Hawke said, a note of amusement in his voice. “Look, Lachlan, she’s a general just like you.”

“Used to,” she snapped his way. “And yes, the Sons have soldiers, but I never saw any of the facilities actually being built. If they built this thing, it’s pretty much impregnable.”

“Fun times,” Benedict drawled. “I was wondering when it was going to get interesting around here.”

“Where’s the easiest approach?” I asked.

She sighed, studying the photo, then shook her head. “Probably over there, where the gate opens to let the trucks in. Lachlan, this isn’t just a facility. It’s a munitions plant. See those greenhouses?”

My stomach hit the fucking floor. Valor wasn’t just good at everything she did, she was fucking phenomenal, so naturally the plans she’d drawn up to bring us all down would be just as foolproof.

“That’s all Night Thistle?” Ransom asked, the color fading from his face.

“That whole greenhouse is likely to be Night Thistle, but trust me, that’s not all of it. Every family in the Sons has their own system for growing it, but my family focused on militarizing it.”

“And how close to that antidote did Gabriel say we are?” Benedict asked.