“Oh, please.” Pain couldn’t stop herself from breaking off his ridiculous train of thought. “When was the last time you’ve seen our boys eat? Do they ever leave any food on the table?”
The others smiled but nodded slowly in agreement. Peter only shot her a glare.
“Besides, he said so,” she added. “They sent him an SOS signal, and no one picked up their phones. There must have been about fifty of them.”
Peter tapped a finger against his lips, mulling it over.
“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Rooney, we need more eyes on any cameras out there you can hack. Pick a team and schedule four-hour shifts for them. You can use the office next to the control room, like we did before.”
The young man nodded, his fingers flying over the keyboard.
“Luke, I want you to brief our fighters about the Commandos again and find some engagement for them, because we’re pausing all patrols.”
Everyone looked up at Peter, their eyebrows raised.
“All patrols? Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?” Luke wondered.
“When was the last time you saw Beasts misbehaving in the city?”
It took Luke a couple of seconds to answer. “Two weeks ago, I think.”
“Two weeks ago, exactly. It used to be five times a night. They’re lying low now, too. It started even before my message went out, because they’re not idiots. Now, they’ll stay out of the streets for good. So don’t worry about it. We will not have any more of our fighters abducted at work. Make it clear that until we’ve dealt with this problem, no one is to wander in the city alone. All clear?”
“Yes.”
Peter turned to his second-in-command. “Rob, your task will be forming a team of experienced, careful fighters and scouting the streets without drawing any attention, only from the air. As many people as possible. Report when you have the list, and we’ll discuss the rest in detail.”
The tall African-American gave a silent nod, and Peter went on with the instructions. “Skull will go over the intel we’ve gathered so far and work closely with Rob and Phoenix, making sure that…”
Pain’s attention wandered. Eventually, Rooney’s laptop caught her eye. She leaned close to him and whispered, “Any news from our source in the police?”
His new, short dreadlocks jiggled when he shook his head.
“And if I give you a candy?” she offered, holding out the gummy bears.
He gave a crooked smile and took a few. “Still no, but thank you.”
“Dammit.”
“Pain? Did you hear me?” Peter’s voice reached her, making her head snap up, her expression treacherously blank.
“Yes, of course,” she lied.
“So you agree with what I said?”
She fidgeted for a few seconds, trying to glimpse anything suspicious in the others’ expressions.
“Absolutely, yes.”
“Great. Then only the five best workers will get a bonus this month, and the rest will contribute to our fund for this Commando problem. You will announce it today in the canteen.”
She gulped. Peter’s face betrayed no emotion, but she could have sworn he had set her up on purpose.
“Nix, you’re free to do your thing. Go ahead and hunt but only from the air. If you notice anything strange, call Rob for backup.”
Phoenix nodded without looking up.
Peter looked over the gathering. “Any questions?”
“Why’s this one here?” Pain asked bluntly, chin pointed at the Mute—as she called him—who’d been sitting motionless for the whole time, only his eyes darting curiously from one to another.
Everyone looked as if seeing him there for the first time.
Peter let out a quiet sigh. “Could you at least pretend to be polite?”
“Nah… Doesn’t sound like me.”
“He’s here to know what we’re up to. That’s all you need to know. Which reminds me: Luke, I want…”
Pain turned to Rooney again. “Doesn’t it bother you that someone’s managed to keep to themselves here for so long?” she whispered.
“Totally.” Rooney didn’t take his eyes off the laptop. “Especially, with you sticking your nose everywhere.”
She pursed her lips and focused on Peter again.
“I want every man and woman in this building to know that we’re open to ideas that will help us track down those bastards or find out what they’re up to.”
“And what do you think they’re up to?” Luke interrupted him.
“If I had an idea, I’d have shared it already. I’m not even sure it’s them who attacked the Devil’s Whores, ’cause it’s all totally bizarre. If it was them, why did they pick the most dangerous gang in the country? Why us?”
“They’re remote,” Rooney mumbled, making everyone’s heads turn to him. “If these Commandos are trying to keep out of sight, and they’ve figured that our patrols keep to certain areas, they will only target gangs outside it.”
“Good point,” Peter said with a nod.
“They’re strong, healthy, and trained,” Skull suggested. “But really, it’s kind of an obvious target. Civilians would need tracking down, but us and other gangs? If they’re hunting skyfolk, going for the hornets’ nest is the right thing to do.”
Everyone nodded at that.
Skull added, “There could be another explanation why they’ve taken the Devil’s Whores.”
Peter lifted a brow.
“The Commandos don’t know who they are,” Skull said.
“What?” Pain blurted.
“Think about it. Who in their right mind would attack those freaks? It’s too dangerous. They could just be new to the game.”
“You mean drifters?” Peter said, making Skull shake his head.
“No.” He looked at the others, then turned his gaze back to Peter. “What if it’s humans?”
Chapter 2
