Page 7 of Gargoyle Defender

Samir cleared his throat. “What if it’s more insidious than that? Less obvious?”

Cassiel regarded him. “Enlighten us, champ.”

“It wasn’t long after I escaped that my lover did the same.” Samir’s features fell. “But they were watching him more closely because of me, and he was gravely injured before he got away. By the time he made it back to me, Evan was fading fast. All he was able to croak out before he passed was that ‘they’ve found another way. Not us. Not demons.’”

Victor leaned back, crossing his arms. “That supports what the prisoners told us when they arrived. But it still doesn’t answer what the ‘other way’ is supposed to be.”

Ronen drew his eyebrows together. If humans were interacting with the demons, they either had to be possessed or they had no idea what was going on.

“So,” Ronen began. “What does the outside world think the facility is supposed to be? No way did it simply materialize without the city noticing. Maybe there’s a logical explanation for why the Defense Secretary would be there. Do they manufacture weapons or ammunition? Uniforms? Field Gear?”

“Pencil sharpeners?”

Everyone turned Cassiel’s way.

Victor smirked. “Hilarious. Samir, help us out here.”

“Their cover is a gaming console manufacturer,” Samir said. “They have one storage facility on site that distributes pre-purchased gaming systems to help maintain the ruse. The rest of the buildings are for more nefarious activities.” He sighed. “To be honest, I wasn’t there long enough to get the entire layout. One large complex housed the fully transformed shadows. Another, the torture chambers and retraining gym. I heard rumors of a lab, and there was a three-story office-style building at the front. That was the face of the operation to the outside world. I saw many humans coming and going, so I assume they worked there unknowingly.”

“That must’ve been quite the job listing.” Cassiel rolled her eyes. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work for the powers of darkness? No experience necessary, huge signing bonus. Call now for an interview!”

Victor gave her a withering look. “Cassiel, please focus.”

She gave him a half smile. “I was born focused.”

He arched his eyebrows. “I’m not sure what that means.”

Cassiel patted his arm. “That’s all right. I do.”

Ronen held in a laugh, covering his mouth with one hand. He caught Samir’s eye, surprised to discover the reformed shadow was chuckling. Ronen quickly looked away, the moment unnerving. Maintaining a healthy level of suspicion would be difficult if he started feeling chummy with the guy.

“Then what’s the plan?” Ronen asked, directing the question to Cassiel rather than Victor. “If we’re doing reconnaissance, how are we approaching the facility?”

Cassiel tapped her fingers against the table. “We need to go in phases. First, aerial surveillance to confirm what we know about the layout. Then, we infiltrate the facility to gather more intel on this Marianne Walker and whatever meetings are happening in that southern wing.”

“I can help with that,” Samir offered. “I know which security systems they typically use to monitor the perimeter. There are blind spots we can exploit.”

“That’s helpful,” Victor said, nodding at Samir. “What about inside? Any suggestions on how we can move around undetected?”

“The ventilation system.” Samir pointed to several locations on his sketch. “It’s oversized to accommodate the equipment they house there. A gargoyle in human form could navigate it easily.”

Cassiel studied the map. “And what about Walker? Any idea where she might be staying while in Miami?”

“There's executive housing on the northeast corner of the property,” Samir replied. “I’ve marked it here. Heavy security, but not impossible to penetrate.”

A thought struck Ronen. “What about the humans that work there? Perhaps one of them could be of use, a good way in.”

Victor’s forehead creased. “You mean cozy up to someone and pry information out of them? That might take longer than we have time for. Plus, it’s unlikely the demons would have shared anything with a human that’s of use to us.”

“Actually,” said Samir. “I know of a human who has all the intel regarding what’s going on in there. He runs the computer systems, and even though he’s pretty young, the rogues seem to rely on him quite a bit. I have no idea why, or what he’s doing exactly. I just noticed how carefully they protect him. None of the shadows are allowed anywhere near him.”

“Weird.” Cassiel narrowed her eyes. “Then that’s our play. We leave tonight. We’ll fly under the cover of darkness. It’s a straight shot down the coast, should take us about four hours at a steady pace.”

Everyone but Victor nodded. He figured that the surly gargoyle was butthurt that he wasn’t in charge.

Ronen mentally cataloged what weapons he’d need. His freshly sharpened blade would be first on the list. While he still harbored reservations about Samir being part of the team, the fact that they had a plan reassured him.

“Hey, Vic.” Cassiel tapped his shoulder as he rolled up the maps. “Ever been to Miami?”