Chapter 174
Lynette's POV
Cole disappeared into the crowd. One second he was there, the next he was gone.
I stood alone by the cargo containers. The salt air stung my face.
My hands were shaking.
I pressed them flat against my thighs. Forced them to stop.
A biological weapon. Gene-specific. Targets shifters.
I needed to find Kael. Now.
I headed for the elevators. Took them to the seventh floor.
His door was closed. I knocked. Quiet but firm.
No answer.
I knocked again. Waited.
Nothing.
Damn it.
Where was he?
I pulled out my phone. No signal. Of course not. We were in the middle of the ocean.
I couldn't just stand in the hallway. That would draw attention.
The main hall. He might be there. Gathering his own intel.
I went back down.
The heat hit me first. Bodies packed together. Expensive perfume mixing with champagne and something sharper. Fear, maybe. Or greed.
I needed to blend in. Look natural.
I spotted the bar in the corner. Headed straight for it.
"Whiskey," I told the bartender. "Neat."
He poured without looking at me. Slid the glass across.
I took it to a corner booth. Leather seats. Good view of the room.
From here I could watch the entrance. See if Kael came in.
I sipped slowly. Let my eyes wander.
About thirty people in here. All masked. All pretending to be relaxed.
But I could see the tension. The way they stood too stiff. The way their eyes tracked movement.
Everyone here was dangerous.
And everyone here wanted something.
I caught fragments of conversation. Deals being made. Threats wrapped in polite words.
Then I heard it.
A man in a red suit. Loud voice. He had his arm around a blonde woman in a gold dress.
"This auction isn't simple," he said.
The woman tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"The organizer is Limen Research Institute."
She frowned. "Never heard of them."
"Exactly." Red Suit laughed. "A year ago they were nobody. Sent me proposals begging for investment. I rejected every single one."
"And now?"
"Now they're hosting an event like this on international waters." He gestured at the room. "They've got serious backing. Serious money."
The blonde pouted. "So what did they develop?"
Red Suit opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
His eyes swept the room. Suspicious.
I looked down at my drink. Swirled it.
When I glanced back up, he was leaning close to the blonde's ear. Whispering.
She giggled. Fake.
"You'll find out," he said louder. "No point spoiling the surprise."
He stood. Pulled her up with him. "I need to handle something. See you at dinner."
They walked away.
I stayed in my seat.
Limen Research Institute.
I turned the name over in my head. Didn't recognize it.
But if they went from begging for money to hosting this in a year, someone powerful was backing them.
And whatever they'd created was valuable enough to bring all these people here.
I finished my whiskey. Set the glass down.
Time to leave.
I stood.
That's when I felt it.
A prickling at the back of my neck. Cold. Sharp.
Someone was watching me.
I didn't turn around. Didn't react.
Just walked toward the exit. Steady pace. Not too fast.
I used the mirrored wall panels to check behind me.
Nothing obvious. No one staring directly.
But the feeling didn't go away.
I pushed through the doors into the hallway.
The cool air was a relief. I took a breath.
Whoever it was, they're good.
Good enough that I couldn't spot them.
That was bad.
I headed for the elevators. Kept my shoulders relaxed. My pace even.
The prickling faded as I got farther from the hall.
Maybe I'd imagined it.
Or maybe they'd decided I wasn't worth following.
The elevator doors opened on the seventh floor.
I stepped out.
And stopped.
Kael was standing outside room 707. His hand on the doorknob.
He turned.
Our eyes met.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then his expression shifted. Surprise. Then something more complicated.
"Where were you?" His voice was controlled. But there was an edge to it.
I walked toward him. "Downstairs. In the main hall."
"Why?"
"I wanted to see who else is here." I kept my tone light. "Know your enemies, right?"
His eyes narrowed. "You went alone."
"I can handle myself."
"That's not the point."
I stopped in front of him. Close enough to see the tension in his jaw.
"Then what is the point?"
He didn't answer right away.
Just looked at me. Like he was trying to read something in my face.
Then he exhaled. "Come inside. We need to talk."
His room was identical to mine. Same layout. Same sterile luxury.
He closed the door behind us.
I stayed near the entrance. Arms crossed.
"What did you find out?" I asked.
Kael moved to the window. Looked out at the dark water.
"I talked to a few people," he said. "Carefully. No one knows I'm here investigating."
"And?"
"This auction..." He turned to face me. "It's about genetic modification."
My stomach dropped.
"Limen Research Institute," I said before he could continue. "I heard that name downstairs."
Kael's eyes sharpened. "What did you hear?"
"A man in a red suit. Bragging to his date." I pushed off from the door, moved closer. "He said a year ago they were nobodies. Begging him for investment. He turned them down."
"And now they're hosting this."
"With serious backing. His words." I crossed my arms. "Someone gave them a lot of money very fast."
Kael was quiet for a moment. Processing.
"That fits," he said finally. "The drug they developed. It alters werewolf genes. Makes them stronger. Faster."
I thought about what Cole had said. Gene-specific weapon.
"Or weaker," I said quietly.
Kael's expression darkened. "Yeah. Or weaker."
"Where are they showing it?"
"Upper Deck. Tonight." He checked his watch.
I processed that.
A drug that could change werewolf genetics.
In Rezar's hands, that meant...
My breath caught.
Kael stepped closer. "What is it?"
I looked at him.
"The rogues," I said. "The ones Rezar's been collecting."
"What about them?"
"What if he's not just recruiting them?" The words came faster now. "What if he's using this drug to control them? To make them into soldiers who can't disobey?"
Kael went very still.
"An army," he said. "Not just hired muscle. An actual army. Programmed to follow orders."
"Hundreds of them." My voice was shaking. "Maybe more. All enhanced. All loyal to him."
We stared at each other.
The implications were staggering.
Rezar wouldn't need to convince anyone to follow him. He could just make them.
And if the drug worked both ways, if it could make wolves stronger or strip their power entirely, he could threaten anyone who opposed him.
"We need to see that demonstration," Kael said.
I nodded.
My hands were shaking again.
This time I didn't bother hiding it.