Chapter 80 THE HEIST

Chapter 80 THE HEIST
Logan’s POV

Morrison blocks the only exit, and I am holding stolen property that could save Monty's life or get me killed in the next sixty seconds.

"Logan Reeves." Morrison's voice carries across the lobby like he is greeting an old friend. "Dr Moore said you were here, but I wanted to see for myself. The brilliant scholar who mated a True Luna. I have been curious about you."

I shift my weight and calculate distances. Twenty feet to Morrison. Thirty feet to the emergency exit on the east wall. Guards closing in from behind. The vial of Morrison's blood is tucked inside my shirt.

"Let me pass. I got what I came for. There is no reason to make this complicated."

"You have my blood." Morrison takes a step closer. "That makes this very complicated. Do you have any idea what someone with your intelligence could do with access to my power?"

"I am not interested in your power." I edge sideways, trying to create an angle that does not end with me trapped. "I just need the blood to save someone."

"Ah, yes. Montgomery Torres." Morrison smiles. "The unfortunate mate who died and came back wrong."

"Then you understand why I need this." I gesture to the vial. "Let me go, and we can both walk away."

"I could do that." Morrison tilts his head. "Or I could take the blood back and offer you something better. A guaranteed cure. Professional extraction and transfer performed by our best scientists. Monty could be fully restored instead of relying on some experimental procedure you found in ancient texts."

Professional help versus amateur attempts with magic, I barely understand. But the cost would be surrendering to The Veritas, and I already saw what they do to wolves in their care.

"No deal." I shift toward the emergency exit. "I will take my chances."

"Your funeral." Morrison shrugs. "Guards, take him alive. The blood is irreplaceable, but Logan himself is also quite valuable."

Corrupted wolves pour into the lobby from three different hallways. I count fifteen at least, and more coming. I grab a fire extinguisher off the wall and hurl it at the nearest guard. The metal cylinder hits his skull, and he goes down hard. The extinguisher rolls across polished floors, spilling foam that makes the surface slick.

Two more guards rush me from the right. I dodge the first and use his momentum to throw him into the second. They crash into a reception desk that splinters under their combined weight.

"Impressive." Morrison watches from his position near the exit. "You have been training."

Three more guards converge, and I am forced to shift partially. My hands become claws, and I rake across exposed throats. 

A guard tackles me from behind, and we hit the floor together. I twist and get my legs between us, then kick hard enough to send him flying backwards into a wall. He hits with a wet thud and does not get up.

"Enough playing." Morrison's patience runs out. "Take him."

Human soldiers appear with rifles loaded with darts designed to drop supernaturals instantly. I see them aim and throw myself behind a concrete pillar as darts whistle past my head. One grazes my shoulder, and numbness spreads from the impact point.

I rip the dart out before the full dose can enter my system. My left arm hangs uselessly, but at least I can still move.

More guards flood the lobby. 

The emergency exit is still blocked by Morrison, but there are windows on the second floor overlooking the parking lot. If I can reach them, I might be able to break through and drop to the ground outside.

I sprint for the stairs, dodging guards and leaping over fallen bodies. A wolf catches my leg, and I go down hard on the steps. My chin cracks against concrete, and blood fills my mouth.

The wolf drags me backwards toward the lobby. I twist and drive my claws into his eyes. He releases me with a howl, and I scramble up the remaining stairs.

Second-floor hallway. More guards are waiting.

A door to my left is marked Morrison's Personal Laboratory. Authorised Personnel Only.

Morrison's own lab. Where he would store his most important studies and perhaps more samples of his blood.

I kick the door open and slam it shut behind me. The lock is electronic, and I fry the panel with a burst of electricity I channel through my good hand. The door seals.

The lab is smaller than I expected. Surgical equipment lines one wall. Specimen storage takes up another. And in the centre sits a desk covered in notes written in Morrison's distinctive handwriting.

I scan the storage units looking for anything labelled with Morrison's designation.

Inside are a dozen vials of the same red liquid I already stole. Morrison's blood is stored in quantities that suggest he uses it regularly for something.

I grab three more vials and tuck them carefully into padded compartments in my pack.

The door shakes as guards try to force it open. I hear Morrison's voice directing them to use explosives.

The window overlooks a three-story drop to concrete. Survivable if I shift and land right. Destructive if I do not.

I shift fully into wolf form, and my dead arm comes back to life with pains that hurt worse than the original injury.

The door explodes inward. Guards pour through the opening, and Morrison walks in behind them, looking annoyed.

"You are making this harder than it needs to be." Morrison watches me back toward the window. "There is nowhere to run, Logan. Surrender, and I promise your death will be quick."

"Not today." I turn and leap through the window.

Glass shatters around me. Then gravity takes over, and I fall.

I hit the parking lot, and my legs absorb the impact that would shatter human bones. I roll and come up running.

Alarms shriek behind me. Guards swarm out of the building, and wolves give chase. I run flat out, heading for the tree line two hundred yards away.

Gunfire erupts. Bullets crack against pavement around my paws, and one grazes my flank. I push harder, ignoring the burn in my muscles.

The trees get closer.

I hit the forest at full speed. The guards follow, but trees slow them down, and I know these woods better than they do. I memorised the terrain during three days of surveillance before attempting infiltration.

I run for twenty minutes before stopping to check if I am still being pursued. The forest is quiet except for normal night sounds. 

I shift back to human form and collapse against a tree, gasping for air. My body is covered in cuts and bruises, and the graze on my side bleeds steadily. But I am alive.

And I have Morrison's blood.
I pull out the vials and check them carefully. All four survived the fall, and the glass shows no cracks.

I did it. I infiltrated The Veritas headquarters and stole exactly what I needed to save Monty.

Then I hear footsteps behind me.

I spin with claws extended, ready to fight whoever tracked me this far. But it is not a guard or a corrupted wolf.

It is Morrison himself standing between the trees.

"I knew you would come. I have been waiting."