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We always have been.
And I’ll need to save us all.
Alone. Like always.
Chapter fourteen
Gunnar
If I’m taking on Vance as leader of the Angels, there’s one person I absolutely must have on my side.
Rook is the beating heart of the Angels’ drug and weapons trade. He knows everyone there is to know, makes Stardust in his basement, has relationships with every gang from the Eclipse to the Fates up north.
And he’s been notably absent from dealings with Vance lately…which tells me that maybe I’m not the only one who has a problem with the Archangel.
Rook’s place is out on the fringes of Celestial Hills, close to where the ocean falls out of sight and fades into the desert at the foot of the mountains. It’s a shitty little house—nothing to write home about—but that conceals the fact that there’s a sprawling lab space underneath it.
The lab door buzzes open, and Oberon and I step into Rook’s world of high-tech chaos. Screens flicker with data, beakers bubble with neon liquids, and the air crackles with the smell of ozone. Rook has his back to us, seemingly ignorant to our presence.
He has the luxury to do that; if we weren’t already cleared in his security system, the drones outside would have us bleeding on the ground.
“Rook,” I call out, my voice slicing through the hum of machinery.
He whirls around from his workstation, goggles pushed up to his forehead, his eyes wide and a little wild. For a second, he just stares at us like we’re two ghosts that walked out of a nightmare into his lab.
“Well, speak of the devil—hey, newbie.” He pulls the goggles off, sets them down with a clatter, and tries for casual. Fails. “What brings you all the way out to the boonies?”
“Vance,” I say, and it’s like I’ve punched him in the gut, the way he flinches.
I can already tell he doesn’t want any part in this.
“Vance?” His laugh is sharp, short. “Always Vance with you. I swear, find out the man’s your brother and it’s all I can get you to talk about.”
I round one of the tables and lean back against it, Oberon at my shoulder as I cross my arms. Rook watches us nervously—even though he has no reason to. He’s safe here, perfectly protected, and I wouldn’t hurt him.
Would I?
“I need to know where you stand, Rook.”
“Just skip the pleasantries, why don’t ya?” Rook says, his Irish accent coming out clearer than ever. It tends to do that when he’s playing cool.
“I’m sure you’ve heard me and Vance are on the outs,” I murmur. “And I’m here because we’re friends, Rook—and because I know you’ve gotta be worried about Luka. Vance doesn’t seem to give a damn, but he’s losing his edge.”
“Luka’s just being Luka,” Rook chuckles, shaking his head and going back to his experiment. “The man can’t be pinned down.”
“Look at me,” I demand.
Rook glances over his shoulder, fixing me with hazel eyes. He’s a beta, I’m an alpha—together, me and Oberon could tear him to shreds. On some level, I’m sure he knows that.
But he goes back to his work.
“I like you, newbie, but I wouldn’t go making demands of me in my own house,” he says, his tone light.
“All we want is answers,” Oberon says quietly.
Now Rook turns around.
He sighs, his shoulders slumping as his hand glides over his messy brown hair. “You’re really going through the wars, hm?”
