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Coming up with a plan is the easy part. The execution is where you can run into trouble- when unknown variables that you didn’t fully account for come into play and knock the train off its track.
That’s why plans like this are never simple. They’re plans on top of plans, contingencies to counteract every worst-case scenario. We picked apart every detail of Sloane’s vision to try to get a clear picture of what we’re up against, but there are still a lot of unknown factors, the biggest one being what the hell our enemy’s angle is.
We’ve heard about the hunters’ attacks on other packs. They never make their presence known beforehand- they use the element of surprise to sweep in and decimate the ranks. Their only goal seems to be extinction, and if they do take prisoners, it’s only to explore easier ways to kill us. They’ve already identified silver and wolfsbane as weaknesses to shifters, and the tactics they’ve employed in the aftermath of those discoveries have been devastating to the packs they’ve hit.
Those other packs weren’t ready for the hunters, but we are. Sloane’s vision has given us a unique advantage, and we’re using that information as an opportunity to stay a step ahead of the enemy. Our best assumption is that the hunter is coming here on a scouting mission, though if things go right today, he won’t get the chance to report back to his comrades about what he’s found. Not only that, but he may also be the key to us staying a step ahead.
“We’ve got a black truck incoming,” Lo says from the back seat of my Jeep, her laptop perched on her knees as she starts typing furiously. “Sending an alert out now to let the patrols know.”
I keep my eyes fixed on the tablet in my own lap, watching the live feed from one of the new cameras we installed out here a few days ago. We’ve got multiple views of the main road outside the territory as well as the access road leading into it, where Sloane saw the hunter in her vision. Our own scouts are hidden in the surrounding forest, ready to report back at any sign of a disturbance, and all three of the Raines siblings are out there too, armed and ready.
Andie, Archer, and Ares have the most experience with firearms out of any of us, and they’re all adept with long-range targets. Hopefully we won’t have to use them- our plan is to take the hunter alive so that we can get information out of him- but just in case, all three of them are waiting in the wings, more than capable of taking him out if it comes down to that.
I watch as the black pickup truck on the screen slows, ignoring the ‘no trespassing’ signs to turn onto the access road to the six-pack territory. All of us in the Jeep collectively hold our breath- Sloane in the passenger seat beside me, and Avery and Lo in the back. We’ve been waiting here for the better part of an hour, positioned about a mile from the main road on the northern end of the territory where the turn-off is. Iver and Tristan are in their own vehicle behind us, and we’ve all got earpieces in to remain in constant contact with one another.
“Everybody ready?” I ask, and am immediately met with affirmative responses from Iver, Tristan, and the Raines’ through my earpiece.
I tap a finger against the tablet screen to switch camera views, watching as the truck turns, then pulls off onto the shoulder of the road, the driver cutting the engine and climbing out.
“That’s him,” Sloane hisses, gripping onto my arm tightly as she leans over the center console to stare at the screen in my lap.
The image isn’t the clearest, but I’m surprised to see that the guy looks to be around my age- tall and broad with tan skin and dark hair. He slams the door closed behind him, stepping around the front of the truck and out onto the road.
“Let’s move out,” I say, handing the tablet over to Sloane and firing up the Jeep’s engine. The tension inside the cab of the vehicle is thick as I mash the gas, speeding toward our target. If he realizes it’s an ambush and attempts to flee, one of our shooters will take out the tires of the truck. If he tries to escape on foot, he won’t get far. We expect him to run, so we’ve accounted for that in our plan.
What I don’t expect is for him to just be standing there waiting for us when we crest the hill.
I hit the brakes, tires screaming against the asphalt as I crank the wheel and skid sideways in the road, coming to a stop about a hundred feet from where he’s standing. As soon as I get the Jeep in park, I throw open the door and jump out, Iver and Tristan quick to exit their own car and rush up to flank me on either side.
“I have a clear shot,” I hear Andie say through my earpiece.
Then I hear another door slam, turning my head toward the sound to see Sloane jogging around the front of the Jeep toward me.
“What are you doing?” I growl, as this was decidedlynotpart of the plan. She’s supposed to stay in the car, ready to get the hell out of here if this goes sideways. I’m willing to put myself in harm’s way, but not her.Never her.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” Sloane whispers, her panicked green eyes meeting mine as she steps up beside me. “I’m coming with you.”
I shake my head. “Get back in the Jeep,” I snap, the warning in my tone brokering no room for argument.
But this is Sloane we’re talking about here. Only a few people will ever step up to challenge me, and she’s one of them.
“No, Madd, I’m-”
“Tris!” I bark, not letting her finish. She may hate me for this, but it’s not like I have time to stand here and argue with her right now; not with so much at stake.
Tristan’s at my side in an instant, and I level him with a hard stare. “Stay back here with Sloane, and make sure shestays.”
Tristan furrows his brow, opening his mouth like he’s going to argue with my command, so I change tact, pulling out the only trump card I have in my arsenal.
“If you wanna make things right between us, then you’ll do this for me,” I say to him.
His head swivels between me and his sister, and for a moment, he looks torn- but then he sidesteps closer to Sloane. “I’m sorry,” he mutters as he grabs ahold of her arm.
Her jaw goes slack, her furious gaze darting between her brother and me as she tries to shrug off his grip.
I turn back to Iver, giving him the nod, and we start forward.
“Madd, wait!” Sloane calls after me, grunting as she struggles to free herself from Tristan’s hold.
