He’d waited for half an hour before sending a heavily-armored team into the Commandos’ base. There was nothing left, not even any bodies. The Eagles had taken everything with them, leaving only some furniture and a single taser that someone had dropped in a corner. A cheap black-market device.
Peter had come back home and paced his office until dawn.
Now, after just a couple of hours of sleep, he sat in his chair and watched Skull process what he’d just told him. The scowl etched deeper into the younger man’s face with every minute.
“I need fresh ideas,” Peter said. “Thought maybe you’d have something.”
Skull’s brows knitted. “We did get something out of this. We know the Eagles aren’t working with the Commandos. Martin’s telling the truth—they really are looking for them, and they’re desperate, just like us.”
“It’s not worth it, this intel! I thought he’d either tell the Commandos, and if they run we’d have a chance to follow them; or just stake out the place, and we’d know he’s not a rat. But now we’ve lost everything there was at the base, plus whatever those Commandos could’ve told us. The Commandos will lie low now. We won’t get another chance like that.”
Skull looked at him for a long time, as calm as ever. At last, he said, “You don’t know if we lost anything at all. If there was any good intel, the Eagles will be taking their lab tonight. We’ll find it anyway, and without risking our men.” Then he added, “From what we know, they didn’t keep anything important in there. Just the stuff for the civilians. The guard we captured confirmed it. He didn’t even have Victoria’s number. She called him from a blocked number.”
Peter’s swirling thoughts slowed down. It took him a minute to process Skull’s words. “Martin won’t tell us. He has no reason to.”
“I’ll just go and keep an eye on them. Even if they do get there before us, so what? They’ll have to tell us so we can come pick up our men. We’re still allies, technically. And the important thing is the Commandos will be shut down.”
Peter nodded, realizing Skull was right. “We’ll have to be prepared though, just in case. Twenty men, body armor. Tell them it’ll be like this every night from now on, just a precaution.”
“All right. Anything else?”
Peter scratched his chin, his thoughts moving sluggishly. “That’s all for now. I got a couple more ideas. Need to take a look at the surveillance footage from last night first.”
Skull got up from his chair with a quiet sigh. “What you need is some rest, Peter. You could’ve figured all this out on your own, if you were thinking straight.”
“There’s no time for that.” Peter waved him off.
“There’s plenty of time. There’s time till tonight. If you sleep for half of it, the world won’t end, and you’ll be much more use to us.” Skull raised his index finger, his gaze turning distant. “I do have something I wanted to discuss. Maybe we should set up a special team for cases like this, someone who will investigate more deeply before it gets out of control, like with the Commandos? Because we’ll always be too busy with something else. Maybe just a couple men will be enough.”
“Huh.” Peter rubbed his chin. “I even know exactly who could do it. They stick their noses everywhere anyway.”
Skull arched a scarred brow, and Peter smiled.
“Not a couple men,” Peter said. “It’s a great idea, thanks.”
* * *
Pain stuffed the last of her clothes into the bag just as Marco’s voice reached her through the window, “Pain, come on! Everyone’s waiting!”
“Coming…” she muttered, dropping to the floor to check under the bed. The last thing she wanted was her underwear in Albert’s collection of lost things.
“Move your ass!” Marco yelled, and she rolled her eyes.
It wasn’t her fault everyone was so organized they could pack in five minutes. She had always preferred organized chaos.
Taking one more look around, she grabbed the bag and hurried into the hallway and down the stairs. Marco and Ryan stood outside, waiting by the car.
Albert caught up to her as she strode through the big doors. “Tell Peter I need to speak to him in person. Preferably this year.”
“You sure? Skype won’t do?”
He gave her a long, weary look. “Off you go,” he said with a sigh. “Safe travel.”
She turned to the car, waving her hand over her shoulder. “Thanks. We’ll be back next year.”
“Please don’t.”
She grinned, stuffing her bag into the trunk next to her katana and Ryan’s swords, and joined her sister and Dave in the back seat. As they pulled out of the driveway, Albert watched them from the doors, his face troubled.
Dave held up his hand in goodbye, and the old man nodded once, before disappearing inside the house. She studied Dave’s expression, traces of his old self already peeking through the grim façade, and couldn’t help but wonder what secrets were now hidden underneath it.
Chapter 23
Pain poked her head out of the jet’s door and cursed.
She had expected to see Peter’s SUV waiting for them on the tarmac, but apparently everyone had forgotten about their arrival. All she saw was the black sky and the mad dance of snowflakes.
Fishing her cell phone out of her jeans pocket, she dialed Skull and turned back inside. Chad gave her a quizzical look, while everyone else seemed too exhausted to care.
“Not picking up?” Chad asked.
She shook her head and called Peter, only to hear the voicemail.
“Suit up,” she said. “I’m not sitting here waiting for them.”
There was a chorus of sighs as everyone dug into their bags for their gear. They changed in grumpy silence, crowded in the small space of the plane, the
