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“Milwaukee team in position,” Cillian added. “Julian’s ready with the ward seal.”
“Copy that.” Ethan kept his eyes on Ashford. “Proceed with operations.”
Ashford struggled against the shadows, his broken wrist hanging at an unnatural angle. “You think this ends with me? Pope has connections. The network runs deeper than you know. Kill me, and ten more like me will take my place.”
“Who said anything about killing you?” Ethan tilted his head. “You’re going to stand trial, which is more than your friend Pope got to do. Federal trafficking charges carry mandatory minimums, and Wisconsin doesn’t look kindly on city officials who abuse their positions. You’ll be alive for decades in a maximum security prison, watching everyone you ever worked with turn on each other for reduced sentences.”
Rook’s shadows tightened fractionally, and Ashford gasped.
“Rook,” Ethan said quietly.
The pressure eased. Rook moved to Ethan’s side, his eyes still swirling with darkness, his human form barely holding. One hand settled on Ethan’s shoulder, and Ethan got the impression Rook was grounding himself rather than offering comfort.
“Kenosha entry confirmed,” Thorn reported. “Three guards, non-lethal neutralization. Six victims were located in holding cells. All responsive, no major injuries visible. Local PD contacted for victim services pickup.”
Ethan watched the feed on his phone. Thorn’s operation was quick and efficient. The guards were disarmed and restrained with zip ties before they’d had a chance to realize what happened to them. The victims, five women and a man aged between nineteen and twenty-four, huddled together while Thorn’s massive form somehow made himself non-threatening enough to speak with them calmly.
“Milwaukee encountering resistance,” Cillian’s voice came through tighter. “Eight guards, four with automatic weapons. Julian’s making for the basement ward seal.”
“Copy.” Ethan switched feeds so he could see.
The Milwaukee facility was a converted brewery basement, all exposed brick and industrial piping. Guards fired blindly into shadows that moved faster than human eyes could track. Cillian’s form flickered in and out of visibility, disarming one guard while simultaneously yanking another off his feet. Julian, smaller and faster, slipped through the chaos like water, heading for the furnace room where the ward was likely to be located.
A guard swung his rifle toward Julian’s back, and Ethan grinned watching it. Cillian materialized behind the man and drove his head into a support column. The man crumpled like a piece of paper.
“Ward seal located,” Julian announced, his voice steady despite audible gunfire. “Copper bowl with blood offering, four anchor points. Collapsing in three, two, one…”
The sound quality changed through the feed, like pressure equalizing.
“Wards down,” Cillian confirmed. “Finishing up.”
It took another four minutes. Cillian moved through the remaining guards with the efficiency Ethan was starting to see as a hallmark of the guardians. When the last man dropped, unconscious but breathing, Julian called out locations.
“Nine victims, two rooms. Ages approximately twenty to thirty. One needs medical attention. It looks as if she has an infected injury on her leg. The rest are mobile.”
“I’ll ensure medical is en route,” Silas confirmed. “Local authorities will be on site in twelve minutes.”
Ethan checked the third feed. Nothing had changed there, but it was going to. The abandoned meatpacking plant, code-named Epsilon by Ashford, was a mess of rusted metal and broken windows. But looks could be deceiving.
“Silas, are you just about finished?”
“The download is complete. Ashford’s phones are wiped, his emergency contacts have been routed to a dead server, and I’ve locked his home security system to keep anyone from entering until the authorities arrive.” A pause. “You can probably make your way to Epsilon now.”
“Copy that.” Ethan looked at Rook. “We need to move.”
Rook’s shadows lifted Ashford higher, pressing him against the wall with enough force to keep him immobile but not enough to suffocate. “Silas will wait for Rowsell. She’ll find you exactly where we leave you, with enough evidence to put you away for life.”
“The buyers…” Ashford tried again.
“Will be very disappointed when their merchandise doesn’t arrive,” Ethan finished. “Hopefully they didn’t pay a deposit, otherwise you’ll owe them money, too. But don’t worry. We intend on hunting them down. Maybe you can chat to them about your experiences in prison. Pope gave us quite a bit of information once he understood how little negotiating power he had left.”
They left Ashford pinned to his foyer wall like a bug in a display case, shadows wrapped so tightly he could barely draw breath. Silas emerged from the basement as they reached the front door, a tablet under one arm and Ashford’s external drives in a bag.
“Is that everything?” Rook asked, taking the bags.
“That’s everything.” Silas glanced at Ashford. “You can stash it in the van. Detective Rowsell’s ETA is eighteen minutes. I’ll stay until she arrives, then meet you at Epsilon.”
The drive to Green Bay didn’t take long at all, considering Rook didn’t seem to believe in speed restrictions. Ethan kept a close eye on his mate - Rook’s shadows were edgy and unsettled. The bond hummed with his barely contained violence, the need to reach their destination and, most of all, to eliminate every threat to Ethan’s safety.
