“I smelled everyone in the room for a few seconds during the binding. Isaac was something that lives in the water, but not a fish. Abbott smelled cold. I could tell you and Duke were the same thing.”
“Yeah, I picked up on the fact you had it a few seconds, but I’ve never known that to happen before. I don’t know what it means, but apparently you and Duke aren’t talking to each other telepathically, right?”
“I haven’t heard his thoughts, if that’s what you mean.”
His voice grew sharp and he told her, “Hold.”
She went quiet, as he’d told her that was the word he’d use when the men on the op got back in touch with him.
She turned and saw a screen with red dots, all grouped together, showing up.
“Look back to your own screens, please. I need you to be sure no one does anything to the compound. Their cellphones are coming back online, I expect to hear from them shortly.”
Gen had wondered why Brain wasn’t following them, and now she knew. They’d turned their cellphones off, and likely the GPS units on their bikes so there was no way to trace where they were. Made sense — if they’d gone to do something illegal, they wouldn’t want technological proof they’d been there.
“Roger that,” Brain said, obviously talking to one or more of the men and not her. “We have eyes on us, but no activity. Lockdown level two implemented.”
“Sending images of the vehicles now, as well as info I’ve pulled on visible people.”
Ten minutes later, Gen watched the bikes fall into line behind the two vehicles she had on camera at the moment. Four bikes behind each car. A quick glance told her Brain had the other two on cameras farther away from the compound, and those two cars had bikers behind them as well. They went off her screens and she turned to watch but Brain said, “Keep an eye on the compound, please. They’ll follow these cars out of our territory, but we need to make sure they don’t have another car close. They’ve used decoy cars in the past.”
Gen saw nothing else suspicious for a while, and then suddenly someone was standing on a corner looking at the entrance.
“Brain, not sure, but this guy doesn’t look right.”
Brain took one look and started barking orders into his headpiece. Half the bikers peeled off from the cars they were following out of the territory, and Brain ordered all in-house brothers to battle stations.
“I’m pulling your views to my monitors, but leaving them for you as well. If you see something just tell me the number of the screen, don’t go into detail, okay?”
“Got it.”
When the bikers roared up to the man standing across from their entrance, he didn’t look at all afraid of the eight bikers practically surrounding him. The engines shut off and Duke got off his bike and walked to the man.
She had a feeling Brain could hear the conversation, but she heard nothing except the hum of all the computers.
The conversation lasted a while, but no one else got off their bikes. Duke and the other man both looked relaxed, as if they were having a normal conversation, but Gen had a feeling there was nothing casual about this discussion.
Gen zoomed in on them better and decided both men were equally hot, but for different reasons. The other man looked as if he had both African American and Latino features. He was about the same height as Duke, his chest not quite as large, but his arms much more defined.
A sleek looking black Jaguar pulled up beside them, and the man tilted his head and Gen read his lips this time as he said, “We shall see.” He stepped to the car, slid into the passenger side, and was gone.
Brain uttered a breathy, “Fuck me,” and said, “Everyone home. Lockdown level three. I need Duke straight to the control room.”
He clicked some keys and said, “It’s just us. I needed to pull in extra help, so don’t go ballistic when you walk in. I followed protocols.”
Gen heard the keys clacking again and Brain said, “You did excellent, Duchess. Duke’s gonna change clothes before he comes to you. When he gets here, go to him if you want, but let me talk at first, okay?”
“Is he mad I’m in here?”
“He isn’t pleased, but he trusts my judgment. My guess is he’ll do a walkthrough of the compound after he changes, and by the time he gets here he’ll be okay.”
Gen was still watching her monitors and said, “I think one of the drivers from earlier is back, but in a different car.”
Brain hit a few keys and said, “Bash, need you outside. Green piece-a-shit Honda. We just ran him off, he’s back.”
Gen watched her monitor as Bash strode out of the gates and down the sidewalk until he saw the Honda. Without pausing, he stepped into the street, rammed his fist through the opened side window, grabbed the driver by the back of the head, and slammed his head down on the steering wheel. He pulled his hand back enough to unlock the door, retracted his hand, and opened the door.