“Large scale?”
“Weapons, drugs, sex, at the traffic ring level.” He pointed wide green eyes at his screen and whispered. “And guess what I just found. Encrypted conversations about a special event not far from here. Something they're calling the 'ultimate weapon' is to be demonstrated, which likely means it will also be sold, which likely means they’re trying to start a world war with it. Of course, all that assumes I've decoded the conversations correctly." He shrugged shirtless shoulders, lifting the broken angel tattoo that sprawled across his torso.
What were the odds that Ezekiel would be chosen in this mission? A man with direct links to such things? How much should he reveal? "I might be able to help a little. You know I'm originally from the Middle East?" At Lucian's nod, he continued. "My mother was Israeli, and I lived there a while, and in Jordan, but I ended up in South Africa mainly, and now here. Spending the last couple years in the private security business was a real education."
"I imagine it was." Lucian's noncommittal tone implied he might realize private security was just a euphemism for mercenary.
No matter. He'd made no secret of being a gun for hire. "Anyway, over the last year and half, I heard a little about a guy working on a weapon that would crush anything. Supposedly, not even the US military could field anything as powerful, even with their drones and nuclear warheads."
Something, a whisper of sound or a shift in the air, drew his attention to the other side of the room. Toren strolled in with a lazy grin. "What are you old women plotting now?"
Right behind him, Samantha caught his remark. "Excuse me? Are you implying old women are more likely to plot than old men?" She came up alongside him and caught his arm, hugging it to her chest.
Toren dropped a kiss to the top of her short cropped hair. "No, only that feminine plots are more intelligent." He grinned and she swiped a hand at him playfully. One glance at Lucian and Ezekiel and the grin disappeared. "So what are you two up to?"
Lucian shrugged and looked to Ezekiel to explain.
Reluctant as the new guy, Ezekiel gave his own shrug and waded in, filling Toren and Samantha in on what he and Lucian had just discussed.
Toren whistled long and low as Ezekiel finished telling of the supposed power of the weapon. "That's exactly the kind of info we need. The demon over lords would give their eye teeth for something like that. Find out all you can. I'll contact Kassern and Dorn." He turned toward the kitchen, holding Samantha's hand. "And you need to eat."
Lucian rose and went to a built in cabinet near the big screen TV and pulled out another laptop. "Here you go." He handed it to Ezekiel. "We'll figure it out faster if we work together."
Ezekiel looked at the computer a long moment before taking it. "I have no idea how to do what you're talking about." He was no slouch with a computer, but the kind of stuff Lucian was doing sounded far beyond his skills.
"No worries." Lucian shrugged again in what Ezekiel realized was a habitual expression. "It's a program I use. It crawls all over the web and filters out strings of text containing specific words. Then I check and see if any of them are relevant to our mission. When I find something, I follow it back to the source and dig deeper."
Well, that didn't sound too complicated. Ezekiel followed Lucian's instructions and they quickly zeroed in on the information they needed. Adrenaline surged when Ezekiel realized the event being spoken of would take place in only a few hours, and not even a hundred miles from where they sat at the moment.
And one of the men taking part spoke in a unique manner astonishingly similar to that of the man he'd pursued for nearly a year. An unfamiliar heat soared through his blood and seemed to magnify his senses and everything about him.
Troy and his wife, Devyn, came in and took possession of two more computers and the other sofa. Four laptops? The magnificent suite with separate bedroom suites for each of the six couples, the mysterious Peggy, and still three to spare. Add in the gourmet kitchen, living and entertainment area, fitness center and pool, and he figured the place must run several grand a day.
Who the hell was financing the operation? Those kinds of accommodations usually went along with criminal activity or the extremely rich. So far, he'd seen no evidence of either. He realized in that moment how foolish his hypothesis was with archangels in the equation. He’d had his heart ripped out and patted back into place, surely these guys would have no problems getting all the money they needed.
"Can I ask you guys a serious question?" He glanced at both Lucian and Troy, trying to gauge their reactions. "Who's behind all this?"