Chapter 856 Chapter 856
Uri took a screenshot and then changed to the next camera. It had been a long day sitting here staring at the screen, but it wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to. Having Oryn to talk to had made it seem shorter. She had been able to point out all of the fifteen men she had said were in there. Until now, there hadn’t been any evidence of anyone else being inside that building.
He checked the driveway view and then brought up the screenshot. It was of two males with collars, carrying dishes. That changed how the team was going to enter. If captives were involved, they had to go in soft so they didn’t alert anyone, or the lives of the captives would be at risk.
He put the camera views back up and sat back.
The passenger door opened, and Oryn got in.
“Better?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m not used to sitting still so long.”
He chuckled. “I’d say you get used to it, but there’s been times when I’ve had to get out and jog on the spot to get the circulation pumping.”
She smiled. “I liked placing the camera’s better than watching them.”
He shrugged. He wouldn’t argue with that. “Our hours of numb butts have paid off.”
“How?” She got a bottle of water out from behind the seat.
He glanced into the back of the SUV. She'd arranged everything back there just to move around earlier. He turned back to her. “There are two captives in there.”
She lowered the bottle and looked at the screen. “You seen them?”
He reached and used the tracking pad to bring up the screenshot. “Judging by how thin they are, I’m guessing they’ve been prisoners for a while.”
Her face blanched as she slid forward on the seat to get a closer look. “Can you make that bigger?”
Her tone made Uri’s owl alert him. Something was wrong. He quickly zoomed in. “Do you know them?”
She reached and touched the screen on the face of the one man. “It’s Taron.”
“Taron?”
“My brother.” The emotion was so strong that her voice cracked. “It's my brother.” That time, there was a growl in her voice. She opened the door and got out so fast that it was a few seconds before Uri reacted.
“Shit.” He got out and went around to her. She was taking off her coat. “No. Oryn.” He rushed over and put his hands on her arms to stop her from taking the coat off. “You can’t go down there.”
“It’s my brother.” She stepped back out of her touch. “He’s been a prisoner all this time. I thought he was dead. I stopped looking for him.”
Uri stepped in front of her, holding his hands out so he could catch her if she bolted. “I get it, but if you try to go in there right now with no backup—” He stepped closer so her back was against the SUV. “You could die, or they will kill him.”
She stopped moving and looked at him. The pain in her expression made his heart pound. “I can't just stand here…”
He moved closer because he wasn’t convinced she wasn’t going to take off. “He’s found a way to survive this long. Another couple of days is all we need. Once the team is here, we can go in and get him out.”
“You expect me to just sit here and do nothing? We could—” She looked down at the building. “—go in with guns and shoot all of those fifteen men…”
“A woman after my own heart.”
Uri and Oryn both jump and spun around. Uri’s breath whooshed out when he saw Amari standing there, grinning at him.
“Who are we killing?” She wiggled her brows. “I’m jonesing for a good bloodbath.”
Tripp stepped out of the trees behind her. “As much as I’m all for going in guns blazing, I’m sure we’ll catch hell if we do that, darlin.”
Amari gave him a bored look. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. “Maybe they’ll resist, and you can use your little zapper on them.”
She smiled like he’d told her she was the most beautiful woman in the world. “That would be fun too.”
Uri was trying to remember the reason why it was thought sending them here was a good plan.
Tripp kissed Amari’s cheek and then released her. “Uri.” He nodded. “We almost walked right by you.”
Uri shrugged. “It’s a good location.” Oryn’s eyes were darker. Her owl was close. “This is Oryn.” He moved back, giving her more space so she wouldn’t feel boxed in. He waved his hand toward the scary duo. “Oryn, this is Amari and Tripp.”
Amari smiled at her briefly. “Did I hear right? Your brother is being held by that Kenric dick?”
Oryn nodded and then looked at Uri. He could tell she wasn’t happy he stopped her. “Yes. I thought he was dead. Slaughtered with the rest of my clan.”
Amari’s expression hardened. “He killed your clan and left eight children orphans?”
Uri noticed Tripp was watching his mate closely, and that worried him.
“Yes.”
Uri opened the door and reached for the laptop. He still had to watch the cameras.
“Uri won’t let me go get him.”
Uri set it on the passenger seat and checked the views on the screen. “There’s fifteen of them. It’s a big building.” He glanced at Tripp. “We still don’t know if they’re holding a water clan member…”
Tripp nodded and turned toward Oryn. “As good as we are—” He motioned to Amari and then himself. “—chances of them killing the captives is high if we go in without the right numbers.”
Uri’s phone vibrated. He reached in a grabbed it from the holder. It was a message from Calum. At a hotel. The kids are bathed, fed and resting. We’ll reach Esen’s land in the morning. He turned the phone around and held it out to Oryn. “This is why rushing in and possibly dying is a bad idea. Those eight kids would never recover if anything happened to you.”
Oryn stared at the phone, and he could see the soft look momentarily in her eyes. She nodded. “I’ll wait, but I want to find a way to let Taron know I’m here. We used to use whistles...”
“Bad plan.” Tripp shook his head. “Kenric and his people have been doing this a long time and staying off everyone’s radar. If he managed to get to your entire clan, then he’s too good, and he’d notice any sort of communication out of the blue.”
Uri sighed. “He’s right.” He moved closer and touched her shoulder. “We need to stick to the plan. When we check in windows tonight, we may be able to figure out where they’re being kept, so when the team goes in, they’ll be able to reach them without incident.”
Tripp raised one brow to that but didn’t comment.
Oryn’s gaze landed on the monitor as she thought about that. “Fine. “She pointed to it. “There’s a truck pulling in.”
Uri turned and looked at the screen. “We don't have a view to see if anything is being loaded or unloaded.”
Amari came over and leaned closer to the laptop. She nodded and then went around to the other side of the SUV and looked down at the property. “Good growth across the road.” She took off her jacket and set it on the hood. “I’ll go observe.”
Tripp sighed and went around to her. “You shouldn’t…”
She pulled her shirt over her head.
Uri looked back at the monitor because he had no doubt Tripp would kill him for seeing her shirtless.
“Wrong words.” She sounded amused.
“Shit.” Tripp looked in through the windshield at Uri. “You have a rifle? We left our gear in my ride.”
Uri knew better than to step into anything with Amari. He nodded. “Yeah. In the back. Oryn has hers too.”
Tripp’s expression was cold now. He leaned down and kissed Amari. “Be careful.”
“Always.” She smiled and then bent down. Uri looked away because he didn’t need to see what was coming off next.
“I’ll go watch over her.”
He spun around to see Oryn dropping her coat on the ground. “Oryn…”
She gave him a warning look. “I will sit in a tree and watch. I won’t go near the building.”
Tripp opened the back of the SUV. Uri glanced at him, and he gave him a brief look that said to go with it. He sighed. “Stay out of sight. Now that we know they have your brother, an owl your size will be very recognizable.”
She nodded. “I know what I’m doing.” She pulled off her boots. “It’s not like I’m going to dive into water. It’s just flying and sitting in a tree.”
He clamped his mouth shut and nodded. He couldn’t say anything to that. When he realized he was going to have to watch the video feeds and wouldn’t be able to watch that she was all right, he leaned in and looked at Tripp. He was getting the rifle out of the case. He moved just his eyes and looked at him. The look told him that both women would be safe.
He heard bones shifting and stood there listening. He didn’t hear her make a sound during it. At times, even he had to gasp his way through the pain.
Turning, he saw her owl standing behind him, stretching her wings.
Amari came around the front. Her cat looked huge next to Oryn. She chuffed at her and then padded softly by them and went to Tripp. She butted his leg and then rubbed up against him.
“Observe only, babe.”
Amari made a noise that, to Uri, sounded like a laugh, and then she took off.
Oryn was in the air and flew so close to him feather tips brushed the side of his head.
He turned back to the video feeds. As long as he didn't see either of them in the camera view, he might not have to go rescue anyone.
Tripp came around, the rifle in his hand. “She’s got spunk.” He shrugged and walked over to a boulder that Uri had purposely parked near.
Grabbing the laptop, he went over and squatted down a few feet from him. “I need Amari to convince Oryn that Kenric has to be alive when we get to him.”
Tripp snorted but didn’t look at him as he moved to the side of the boulder and leaned on it. “Amari just learned he was responsible for making eight kids orphans, so that might be a big ask, Uri.”
Uri watched the video feeds. “I know, but Raymond believes Kenric knows the safe houses the Tomas family used.”
Tripp grunted. “I’ll talk to her, but I can’t control her –” He scoffed. “I don’t want to control her. She is a beautiful, vengeful light in all of this darkness, my friend.”
Uri blinked at his description. He wanted to look at him and comment, but he couldn’t miss any movement on the camera. Two of the men he recognized came out to talk to the driver. He needed to see the driver’s face. “I need to grab the camera.” He got up and turned back to the vehicle.
“I have the ladies in view. Unless you know to look for a cougar and owl, you wouldn’t know they were there.”
Uri popped the lens cover off the camera. “That’s something, I suppose.” He’d never rushed an assignment before, but right now, he was wishing this one was over.