Chapter 340 Chapter 340
Konner didn’t watch her go; he was too busy looking at Terah. “Where did you learn how to sing like that?” He knew the emotions he felt inside were bleeding out in his voice, but he couldn’t help it.
“My mother. She would do that when I afraid.” She smiled, a faraway look on her face for a moment, then she blinked and saw he was carrying her shoes. “Thank you.” She held her hand out for them.
Konner handed them to her.
“Oh good, you’re done with the doctor.”
They turned to see Rayne standing at the door.
“Devin and I were wondering if you’d like to have lunch with us.” She smiled at Terah, “it’s a tuna salad.”
Terah looked up at Konner and then back to the princess. “I would like to try that.”
Rayne smiled and motioned to the door, “perfect.”
Konner came back, the maps in his hand. He paused at the door to the office and listened to hear Rayne and Terah both laughing. Her laugh sounded so much like her song, melodic and touching.
Devin stood by the desk watching him when he went in. “They’re trying on clothes.”
Konner didn’t care what they were doing, as long as she was happy, that’s all that mattered. Motioning to the table, he waited for Devin’s nod before he went over and opened the map on it. “The first part of the trip will be easy enough,” he tapped his finger on the map, “there’s water available in every direction you look.”
“Where’s your chopper?” Devin came over and stood beside him.
Showing him on the map, he leaned on the table and looked down at it.
“Your map shows the water more than the roads.” The prince grinned, “I guess driving is not your priority.”
“It’s a secondary thing for us.”
“How long can you go without the water?” Devin tucked his hands into his jeans.
“Three days,” Konner tapped his chest, “four if I’m wearing this and have to push it.” He undid a few buttons to show him the material underneath it. “It holds water and moisture against my skin.”
“I don’t suppose you carry extras with you.”
Konner rebuttoned his shirt. “No. With the design, they have to stay wet, so I’d have to carry them around immersed in water.”
“If it’s money...”
Konner smirked, “it’s not money.” He shrugged, “with the team, I’m in and out, we’re never gone long.” He rubbed his hand across his forehead, “the new protocol of riding with transports though,” he blew out a breath, “I’m going to have to rethink things.” He looked back to the map. Before he could concentrate on it, his phone rang.
Pulling it out, he looked at it and hoped he wasn’t about to get Fallan into trouble with the Alliance, but she wouldn’t call unless it was important. “Excuse me.” He answered it and stepped away from the prince. Shifter hearing was exceptional. “Fallan.”
“Turns out tracking large fish tanks wasn’t all that hard.”
Devin watched him with mere curiosity on his face and from what Konner could tell, he wasn’t judging.
“That’s good news?”
“Yes and no. There’s a lot of them.”
Konner looked at the floor, “is there a way to weed out those actually used for fish?”
“Not really, but I’m calling to see if it’s okay with you if I take it to some of the higher-ups and get permission to go through them, maybe get a little help.”
Konner looked over at Devin again, “I may be able to help with that. I’m with the prince right now, hold on I’m going to put you on speaker.” Lowering the phone, he tapped the screen and walked back over to Devin, “earlier I asked Fallan, from the tech team to see if there was a way to find out about large tank sales across the continent. After what your mate said about Terah being a showpiece.” Devin raised an eyebrow.
“I take it the information has been found.” He looked at the phone.
“She’s found a lot, but with everything going on, she’s going to need help weeding through them.”
“Fallan?”
“Yes, sir?”
Devin nodded his head slowly, “what do you need to do this?”
She made a hissing sound, “well first I need Nate to not be pissed I did this. He doesn’t like us branching out without backup from the team.”
“That shouldn’t be an issue, taking such an initiative,” he looked at Konner, “on your own, should be rewarded.” He gave Konner a questioning look.
“Right. It was exactly that.”
“Explain what you’ve found.” Devin leaned back against the table and crossed his arms over his chest. Konner didn’t know him well enough to know if this was good or bad.
“Konner mentioned sales and large tanks, so I did some digging and found manufacturers—there’s not as many as I thought there would be, that specialize in them large enough to hold,” she paused, “people-sized bodies,” she mumbled that sounded like she was cursing, “but the list of purchased ones is long.”
Devin nodded, “and there’s no way to know if they are just zealous people with pet fish or not?”
“Right. So, narrowing it down will take a lot of digging, checking addresses of sales, the registrations on who or what is there...”
“Okay.” He rubbed the back of his neck and then walked quickly to his desk. He opened a binder and started flipping through pages in it. Konner went closer to the desk so he wouldn’t have to yell. “Just give me a second.” He glanced at Konner, “I’m just looking at the list of teams that have been cleared to bring into things.”
“Cleared, like we can trust they’re not traitorous bastards?” Fallan asked.
Devin grinned at her wording. “Yeah. That.”
“I have that list here.”
He gave the phone a surprised look. “That saves time. What team is best to hunt down this for you?”
“I don’t know what the research group does really, I mean that sounds like it fits, doesn’t it?”
Devin looked down at the list. “And they’ve all been cleared to do things?”
“Yeah. All of their computers are being monitored now as well, along with anything else in this building or taken out of this building.”
“Okay, you have my permission to get them on this, and if there are any locations that need eyes on, work with the surveillance team. They can set something up.”
“That works. This will save me a lot of hours, thank you. I have a long list of things to be doing.”
Devin straightened from the desk and crossed his arms again. “Let’s keep this between us, for now, call me when you find anything.”
“Ah, will do, sir.” She cleared her throat, “Konner, that other thing, I’m still working on it.”
Konner watched the amused look on Devin’s face. “Thanks, Fallan. I owe you.”
“Nah, you and I bounce back and forth, it’s all good. I better go. Later.” The line went quiet.
Konner tucked the phone back into his pocket.
Devin looked at him for a moment and then flipped back a few pages in the binder. He ran his finger down the page. “Fallan Norris, tech team.” He glanced up at him, “you’ve worked with her before? Off the record?”
Konner nodded, “yes, she set up the security for the Sanctuary and my network,” he tapped the pocket he’d just put the phone in, “my phone, so it’s secure.”
“And you do what in return?” He stood up and moved around the desk.
He debated briefly on lying, but so far, he felt the prince wasn’t all about following protocols. He hoped he was right. “Help smuggle hers across oceans and borders.”
“Hers?”
“Her clan. Most of hers are still on other continents and it’s not a safe place for them to be.”
“Does the Alliance know this? My father?”
Konner went back over to the map and looked down at it. “Some. But it’s breaking treaties and agreements with ambassadors to take them out of their zones, so,” he shrugged and looked over his shoulder at him, “I help. I have contacts keeping an eye out for mine as well, so it’s no different passing other information down the line.” Devin stood beside him now. “Calum asked me to help Deacon look for any of his as well.”
“You’re a handy person to know.”
Konner smirked, “none of it goes against the Alliance.” He sobered, “some of the ambassadors are not representatives because they are in it for the good of our kind.”
“Does my father know this?”
Konner nodded, “he does, but dealing with it is hard to do with everything else he has to deal with.”
“Yeah.” Devin inhaled a deep breath and nodded before releasing it, “I’ve been trying to come up with something that makes,” he motioned to his desk, “all that easier—it’s out of control, so many branches all over the world and it’s,” he sighed, “a mess.”
Konner gave him a quick look, “I have enough trouble looking after mine, I don’t know how your family does it.”
“Not very well apparently.” He gave him a steady look, “I don’t have a problem with Fallan helping you out, sounds like it’s doing good.” He cocked his head to the side, “what’s the other thing she’s working on?”
Konner held his look, “figuring out those transactions they found.”
Devin nodded, “again it would only help, so okay, as long as she’s not falling behind on whatever it is she’s supposed to be doing, I guess it’s all good.”
Konner grinned, “she can use three keyboards and watch five screens at the same time, I don’t think her getting behind in her work will be an issue.”
Devin gave him a wide-eyed look, “I can barely handle typing on my phone.” Shaking his head, he motioned to the maps, “let’s get a route planned so we can get you and Terah on the road.”