Chapter 44 The Serup
Grayson's POV
I stood in the garage staring at the screen of Jax’s tablet while my blood started to boil, because the realization hit me that the sick children weren't just a random act of cruelty but a calculated field test for the Syndicate's new poison.
They had used my pack's families as lab rats to see how fast the toxin would move through a shifter’s system, and the fact that they did it just to keep us busy while they moved their pieces into place made me want to tear something apart with my bare hands. I looked over at Aria, who was still holding the greasy rag from the bike, and I felt a sharp pang of guilt for bringing her into a place that was now a confirmed target for bio-weapons.
"Jax, get the tech team to scrub every vent in this building again, because if they left a residue of that poison anywhere else, I want it neutralized before the sun goes down," I barked, while I grabbed my leather jacket from the workbench and started checking the holster at my side.
"I'm already on it, Alpha, but there’s a new message coming through on the encrypted line and it’s specifically addressed to you," Jax said, and his hands were shaking slightly as he tapped on the screen to pull up a video file.
The screen flickered to life and showed the face of Darius Rucker, the leader of the Iron Fangs, who was sitting in some dimly lit basement with a smug grin that made me want to reach through the glass and choke him.
He didn't look like a man who was afraid of a war, because he knew he had the backing of the Syndicate’s money and their strange new toys, so he just leaned back in his chair and adjusted the collar of his vest.
"Grayson, I hear you’ve been busy playing nurse to a bunch of sick pups, so I figured it was time we had a real face-to-face talk about the future of the east side docks," Darius said, and his voice was like gravel rubbing together.
"I’m calling a territory meeting for tonight at the old cannery, and you’re going to show up alone if you don't want the next batch of that fever to be ten times more lethal and spread to every house in your territory."
"You’re a dead man, Darius," I growled at the screen, but the recording just kept playing because he couldn't hear me.
"Don't be late, and don't bring your dogs, or I’ll tell my friends at the Syndicate to flip the switch on the transmitters we’ve hidden all over your residential blocks," he added, and then the screen went black, leaving the garage in a heavy and suffocating silence.
I turned around and saw Aria watching me, and she looked like she wanted to say something, but she was smart enough to see that I was right on the edge of losing my temper. I walked over to the rack of keys and grabbed the set for the heavy armored truck, since I wasn't stupid enough to go into a trap without some kind of protection, even if he told me to come alone.
"You aren't actually going to meet him, are you?" Aria asked, stepping in front of me to block my path to the door.
"He just tried to kill the children in this house, Grayson, so you know he’s not going to play fair at some meeting in a cannery."
"I don't have a choice, Aria, because if he’s telling the truth about those transmitters in the city, then I have thousands of pack members who are at risk of getting that same fever," I explained, and I had to force myself to keep my voice calm so I wouldn't scare her.
"I have to see what he wants and find out where those devices are hidden, so I’m going to go there and I’m going to end this tonight one way or another."
"Then let me go with you, or at least take Jax and some of the other scouts," she pleaded, but I just put my hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye.
"No, because you're the only reason those kids are still breathing, and I need you here to keep an eye on them in case the symptoms come back," I told her, and I felt a lump in my throat because I hated leaving her behind while the Iron Fangs were circling the building.
"Jax is going to stay here and run the security, and you are going to go to the safe cellar with your Nana the second I walk out that gate, because I don't trust anyone right now."
I walked out of the garage and headed toward the main courtyard, where I found Miller and a few other guys leaning against their bikes and talking about the news of the attack. They all stood up straight when they saw me, and I could see the hunger for a fight in their eyes, but I had to give them the one order they were going to hate the most.
"Nobody leaves the property tonight, and I mean nobody," I shouted, which caused a murmur of confusion to go through the crowd.
"I'm going to a territory meeting at the cannery, and if I’m not back in two hours, Jax is in charge of the pack defense and you are to initiate a full lockdown of the east sector."
"Alpha, you can't go alone, that’s suicide!" Miller shouted, stepping forward with his fist clenched.
"It's an order, Miller, so sit back down and watch the gates like I told you to," I snapped, and I didn't wait for him to argue as I climbed into the truck and started the engine.
As I drove toward the gate, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Aria standing in the doorway of the garage, looking small and alone against the backdrop of the massive clubhouse.
I felt like a part of me was being ripped away as I pulled out onto the main road and headed toward the docks, because everything about this meeting felt like a setup designed to get me away from my people. I knew the Syndicate was behind it, and I knew my sister Delilah probably had her hand in it somewhere too, but I had to play the game until I could find a way to break the board.
The drive to the cannery took twenty minutes, and the closer I got to the water, the more the air felt thick with the smell of salt and old blood. I pulled the truck into the empty parking lot and saw Darius standing under a single working light, surrounded by ten of his men who all had their hands on their weapons. I climbed out of the truck and didn't bother shifting, because I wanted him to see the man who was going to kill him before I showed him the wolf.
"You're late, Grayson, but I guess you had to make sure your little human pet was tucked into bed first," Darius said, laughing as his men moved to surround me.