Deviant Games (The Controllers #8) - L.V. Lane Page 0,57

were taken to a mobile operations center one block south of Lucian’s fight club. Inside, we found Governor Brach pacing the confines. A three-dimensional map of an abandoned meat processing plant where our Omegas were being held was displayed on a flip-down table. The building was surrounded. It was fair to assume the bastards who’d taken them knew this and would be working through a backup plan.

We were discussing the best approach for the safe extraction of our mates.

I felt like pacing myself, but Ethan put a hand to my nape and ordered me to, “Stand fucking still.” I growled. He removed his hand, but I did try to be still.

I didn’t do patient very well when Lilly was in danger. I was more of an immediate action kind of guy. Governor Brach was supposed to be the bait. Then Lilly and Verity had unknowingly insinuated themselves into the situation, and the two Omegas had been snatched in his place.

“You don’t make very good bait,” I muttered. Ethan cut me a glare.

“Larissa warned me not to trust the Thetas,” Ethan said.

“And you didn’t think to mention this?” Woodrow asked.

Ethan shrugged. “No one trusts the Thetas. Especially not me after Erison Tsing.”

“Clearly, she knows more for her to bother mentioning that much,” Woodrow said, pinning Ethan with a glare. “We’re going to need her location, Black.”

“We can worry about Larissa when I’ve got my daughter back,” Victor interjected.

“I’m not worried about Verity or Lilly,” Woodrow said, surprising all of us.

“You’re not?” Governor Brach demanded, bringing his pacing to an abrupt halt.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Brock said, lifting his head from the map. “They picked the wrong Omegas to mess with. Do you never watch your daughter’s training sessions with Ethan?”

“She’s pregnant, asshole,” Ethan growled.

I was siding with Ethan on this. Lilly was still a work-in-progress as far as her training was concerned. Her power was erratic. I didn’t want her to need to defend herself ever again after what happened with the Uncorrupted. My foot started tapping maniacally.

“You said Omegas plural,” Victor said.

My manic foot-tapping stopped.

The two men were eyeballing one another across the interactive map. Woodrow’s humorless laugh broke the tension. “Lilly wasn’t the only Omega on Tolis to find herself in trouble.”

The senator raised a brow. “Verity is gifted beyond her Empathy skills?”

“She is,” Woodrow said. “And my sweet little angel is the wrath of fucking god. I’m more worried that I’m about to lose all my leads.”

“You covered it up,” Victor said.

My lips twitched. I couldn’t give a fuck about Woodrow’s leads. I just wanted Lilly back safe. Bring the wrath of the fucking gods, I said.

“You’re damn right, I covered it up,” Woodrow bit back. “And I’ll cover it up again. You even think of breathing a word, and I’ll end you in your sleep.” His steady gaze encompassed all of us.

I was starting to like Woodrow Brock. Raising both hands in surrender when his gaze settled on me. I knew all about the connections he still had and took him at his word. Also, I couldn’t stop grinning.

“Is he stable?” Woodrow asked Ethan, thumbing in my direction while raising a brow. “Taken his medication recently?”

“As stable as he gets,” Ethan said. He nudged his head at the map. “You satisfied with the plan?”

Woodrow nodded.

The order was issued, we exited the mobile command center—it was game on.

Lilly

The room they put us in was cold and bright. Stark, strip lighting beating down on us. White tiles everywhere but the ceiling and a drain in the center of the floor. There were no furnishings, no windows, just a massive metal door. Even in my befuddled state, I could see it was solid and fitted flush to the wall with no discernible handle.

I’d thought myself to be stronger now because of my gift. Drugging me had leveled the field. I worried about my father. I had a vague recollection of troops storming Chicos, of customers screaming and of bullets spraying the air. A fire-fight seemed the only explanation. I presumed we hadn’t come out on top since Verity and I were here.

My head lolled to my right, where Verity stood. She was leaning over me, palm pressed to my forehead.

“Oh, what have they done to you, Lilly?” Her worried face swam in and out of view.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, the words coming out slurred. I tried to lift my hand to hers, but I didn’t have the strength. “Drug you?”

She shook her head. “No, not after whatever they