“Sergei Yakut,” Niko murmured. “I saw him once in Siberia when I was a kid. He was the first Gen One I ever knew—hell, the only one, until I came to Boston and met Lucan and Tegan. Yakut’s name is not on this list.”
“You think you could find him if you had to?” Lucan asked. “Assuming he’s not already some long years dead, that is.”
Nikolai chuckled. “Sergei Yakut is one mean son of a bitch. Too mean for death. I’m willing to bet he’s still alive, and yeah, I think I could probably locate him if he is.”
“Good,” Lucan said, his expression dark. “I want to get a handle on this fast. Just in case we are looking at a potential serial situation, we need to get names and locations of every Gen One in the population.”
“I’m sure the Enforcement Agency knows of a few more than what we have here,” Chase added. “I’ve still got one or two friends left over there. Maybe someone knows something or can point me to someone who does.”
Lucan nodded. “Yeah. Check it out, then. But I know I don’t need to tell you to keep your cards close when you’re dealing with them. You may have a few friends in the Agency, but the Order sure as shit doesn’t. And no offense to you, Harvard, but I trust those useless Darkhaven ass-kissers about as far as I can drop-kick them.”
Lucan turned a serious look on Rio. “As for the other potential you brought up—that the Ancient may be revived and being used to breed a new line of first generation vampires?” He shook his head and exhaled a low curse. “Nightmare scenario, my friend. But it could very well be a solid one.”
“If it is,” Rio said, “then we’d better hope we get a lead on it soon. And that we’re not a couple of decades behind the bastard.”
It wasn’t until after he’d said it that Rio realized he was using the word “we” when talking about the warriors and their goals. He was including himself in his thinking about the Order. More than that, he was actually starting to feel a part of the whole again—a functioning, valid member—as he stood there with Lucan and the others, making plans, talking strategy.
It felt good, in fact.
Maybe there still could be a place for him here after all. He was a mess and he’d made some mistakes, but maybe he could get back to what he was before.
He was still reaching out for that hope as a little beep started up on one of Gideon’s monitoring stations for the compound. The warrior wheeled over to the computer, frowning.
“What is it?” Lucan asked.
“I’m picking up an active cell phone signal here in the compound—not one of ours,” he replied, then looked over at Rio. “It’s outbound, originating from your quarters.”
Dylan.
“Holy fuck,” Rio ground out, anger spiking—at himself and at her. “She said she didn’t have one on her.”
Goddamn it. Dylan had lied to him.
And if he’d had his eye on the ball like he should, he would have body-searched her from head to toe before he so much as thought about taking the female at her word.
A reporter with a cell phone in her possession. For all he knew she could be sitting in his apartments phoning in everything she’d seen and heard to CNN—exposing the Breed to the humans and doing it right under his fucking nose.
“There was nothing in her bags to indicate she had a cell with her,” Rio muttered, a feeble excuse and he knew it. “Damn it, I should have checked her over.”
Gideon typed something on one of his many control panels. “I can throw up some interference, shut down the signal.”
“Do it,” Lucan said. Then, to Rio: “We’ve got some loose ends that need to be snipped, my man. Including the one down the hall in your quarters.”
“Yeah,” Rio said, knowing Lucan was right. Dylan had a decision to make, and time was getting crucial now that the Order had other things to contend with.
Lucan put a hand on Rio’s shoulder. “I think it’s time I should meet Dylan Alexander personally.”
“Janet—hello? I didn’t get Mom’s room number. Hello…Janet? Are you still there?”
Dylan pulled her cell phone away from her ear. Signal failed.
“Shit.”
She held the device out in front of her and started pacing the room, looking for a spot where she might get a stronger signal. But…nothing. The damn thing was dead, just cut out on her even though the battery hadn’t quite choked yet.
She could hardly think straight for the panicked drum of her pulse.