“Seriously?” Sheldon asked.
Zach nodded. “The first time I met Ami, she found me up on the roof, riddled with wounds and afflicted with so much pain that I nearly shook with it. Do you know what transgression warranted such punishment?”
“What?” Marcus asked, his gaze piercing.
“The night the mercenaries attacked network headquarters I found Seth in South Korea and told him his phone was broken.”
Lisette had heard none of this and was as stunned as everyone else at the table.
“That’s it?” Marcus questioned.
“I also mentioned that his people here in North Carolina were trying to reach him.”
“And for that you were punished?”
“Yes.”
Seth leaned back in his chair. “Because he interfered.”
“By telling you your phone was broken?” Étienne asked incredulously. “You would’ve figured that out on your own fairly quickly.”
Richart nodded. “It’s not like Zach joined the battle or anything.”
“But he killed the butterfly. Or stepped on the bug. However you wish to view it. He took an action, minute though it may seem to you. And the Others are fanatical about not doing anything that might interfere with the natural course of mankind.”
Roland donned his usual scowl. “What the hell do they think will happen?”
“If they interact with humans?” Seth said. “Armageddon.”
Leaden silence.
“No, seriously,” Sheldon said. “What do they think will happen?”
“They think any contact with humans could kick-start the Apocalypse,” Seth repeated.
Étienne turned to Zach. “You believed that, too?”
“Until recently, yes.”
“Why?”
“Believe it or not, there was compelling reason to believe it. But I won’t elaborate.”
Étienne fell silent for a moment, during which Lisette suspected he unsuccessfully tried to read Zach’s thoughts. “What changed your mind?”
“Your sister.”
Étienne shifted his gaze to Lisette.
Smiling, she shrugged. “I am woman. Hear me roar?”
The women present all laughed.
“When the Others learned Zach had met with me again,” Seth continued, “they tortured him for months and would likely still be torturing him had he not escaped.”
Guilt suffused Lisette. “Did they know you saved my life? Is that why they captured you?”
Zach shook his head. “They knew nothing about that. All they knew was that I had spoken with Seth.”
“And for that you were tortured,” Bastien stated. “Again.”
“Yes.”
Lisette leaned into his side. “Because he has strayed from the path again to be with me, the Others are hunting him.”
Marcus shot Seth a look. “Will their search bring them here? Is it safe?”
“They won’t touch David’s home or harm any of you. It’s Zach they want.”
“Okay,” Ethan said. “So . . . I think it’s safe to say they aren’t involved in this. Which means it has to be one of our own.” He looked to Seth. “What do you want us to do?”
“Nothing yet. I’ll leave momentarily to check out the compound and—”
“Alone?” Lisette asked. David had always accompanied Seth before.
“Yes. David needs to remain here with Ami.”
“I’ll go with you,” Zach offered.
Chris spoke up. “Checking it out tonight is good. But I think, when it comes to eradicating the place, we should go in during the day. Since the mercenaries are new to the whole vampire thing, chances are good they haven’t developed protective suits yet for their supersoldiers. The vampires will be vulnerable and will have to remain in their residence, while the suits you’ll wear will give you free run of the compound and shield you to some extent from the darts. I’ve had my guys make a few modifications.”#p#分页标题#e#
If that was the case, Lisette wouldn’t complain about having to wear a protective suit. She did not want to get tranqed again. Zach had scared the hell out of her when he’d pointed out that the enemy could up the dosage even more.
“I’d also like a few days to do some recon,” Chris told Seth. “Learn their routine so we’ll know where their men are during the day. The damned place is so huge, if we don’t know their training schedule and how spread out they are on a regular basis, it could bite us in the ass.”
“How may days do you need?” Seth asked. “Every day we delay, we risk their gaining enough confidence in this venture to reveal their seemingly indestructible army to potential buyers.”
“Three,” Chris said. “A week would be better, but three days will tell us more than we know now. Plus you guys are going to need a hell of a lot of support from the network to ensure that every inch of the fence that surrounds all four thousand acres isn’t jumped by fleeing mercenaries. I’ll need a little time to coordinate that and to call in every Special Ops man we have to scour the grounds while you hit the main buildings.”