Hallie asked. "How do you know that doesn't mean they left five years ago?"
"We don't, not completely. But nothing else points to that possibility. Ownership of the building never changed hands, and no permits were filed in that area. It was Portal's Seattle office five years ago and is today. But now, they're more organized," Jagger said.
"They aren't operating aboveground, though. That much is clear."
Huntley's emphasis on aboveground could only mean one thing.
"An underground evil lair," Jazz announced like he'd been given a job narrating movie trailers.
We stared at him, Knox as well, but with a dopey smirk.
"I know, I know, this isn't anything to joke about. They are evil and wish me and Storri dead, but c'mon. We got to take the humor where we can find it."
Knox cleared the plates away, the sign for the twins to cover the table with the surveillance photos they'd taken.
"These were the photos I took from the cams we installed. Up until this day, the place is a ghost town, and now…"
The picture showed an average office building surrounded by manicured grass. The picture didn't reveal much: a handful of cars and some people standing, facing the other direction so we had no chance of making out their faces. It wasn't a huge difference, but any difference was one we shouldn't ignore. They could be mobilizing to attack or moving operations. Our chances of learning more at that location were dwindling.
Storri's plate wasn't quite empty, so Knox hadn't taken it, but Storri pushed it from in front of him.
I looked his dish over. "You hardly ate your bacon."
"I'm finished." He barely moved his lips as he spoke.
An hour ago, he'd been naked, satisfied, and sleeping soundly at my side, and though I understood why this conversation had to happen, I loathed any topic that made Storri unhappy.
"Before we talk about how to attack someone else's compound, we need to protect our own. We can be sure Portal knows where we are now. The sooner we recognize that, the sooner we can start taking steps against it, starting with a panic room." Diesel slid back from the table.
Hallie stood as well, but she braced her palms against the surface and leaned over the table. "Oh, I know, how about we protect our home by not risking our lives trying to save people who rightly deserve whatever horrible thing Portal is doing to them right now?"
Storri shuddered. Maybe this was too much. He'd only recently begun taking a more active role. This was a lot for anyone to take in.
Which was why I felt guilty when I replied. "He might deserve it, but I won't let Portal learn any more about Storri. He's a loose end."
"Which of you goes, then?" Jazz asked. "You aren't all leaving again. I didn't like what happened the last time that was our plan."
"Half the team will stay here and protect pack lands. The other half will infiltrate the Portal campus and—"
"Hope?" Jazz spat.
It wasn't difficult to see why emotions were flaring so high. We'd be flying blinder than usual attacking the Portal base, but if we waited and the moved locations, who knew when we'd get another shot? And this wasn't only about Storri or even Jazz. Our mission for the past five years had been discovering who had destroyed our home, murdering every person living there. We knew who now. With a little more info, we'd be closer to learning why, and then we'd be able to decide how to make Portal pay.
The others continued to argue as I turned to my mate. His face was white, his rosy cheeks now pale. His scent changed, but it wasn't the scent of his fear that jumped out at me. It was bubblegum.
"Storri?" I got to my feet just as his mouth opened and he let out a torrential stream of rainbow vomit. It covered the table, like a glittery liquid tablecloth.
This didn't make any sense. We only recently had sex for the first time days ago. But whether it made sense or not, the truth of the situation spread over the table and dripped into the carpet in beautiful chromatic rivulets.
My omega was pregnant.
Chapter Fifteen
Storri
"Super-radioactive sperm, but, like, superhero radiation," Jazz offered as a reason for how I was already pregnant.
"It could be a fluke." I'd offered that same suggestion the day before, but nobody else agreed with me. Not even Faust. Of course, he'd been on the phone before the puke had even stopped dripping.
Holy smokes that