He held out his hand with a subtle smirk. “Deal.”

  She took the hand before she could decipher that strange spark in his eyes, feeling like she was making a deal with the devil.

  They shook on it and headed to the ladder. “After you,” he growled with that same smirk.

  “No, after you.” She waved at the ladder, incapable of turning her back to him.

  He shrugged and jumped through the opening. Pain halted, a realization hitting her too late. Why had Jane used the ladder in the first place? Just because the others were doing it? They didn’t know what was up there in the dark, but Jane knew it was safe to jump.

  Pain leapt after the Beast, finding the unit empty, save for them. The two camps must have been keeping their distance.

  The screech of twisting metal pierced the air all of a sudden, and she turned to find Levi crouching over the trapdoor. He clutched the ladder and tore it clean off, then huffed as he pulled it out, snapped it in two, and dropped both halves on the floor with a bang. The trapdoor swung shut.

  Jane and Chad peeked into the unit from the side.

  Pain pursed her lips, not hiding her annoyance. The damn brute had outsmarted her. “So this is how we’re doing it?”

  He just shrugged and walked out into the snow. Unlike her, he didn’t care about turning his back as he stopped for a second and drew a lungful of fresh, chilly air.

  Down below, she could just make out two panicked voices, probably awakened by the noise. She’d have to deal with it right away, she thought, looking at the Beast.

  Raising her hood, she came out and found the Beasts crowding on the left. Jane and Chad stood ramrod straight to her right.

  Chad went to her right away, worry churning in his eyes. “How are you going to explain this to Peter?” he said in a low voice, glancing at the gang behind her.

  She shrugged as she took out her phone. The second she did that, Levi strode over to them.

  “I’m gonna have to hear that conversation,” he said.

  As if it wasn’t complicated enough.

  She put on a fake smile. “Sure.” Then she turned to Chad. “I guess I’ll just give it to him straight.”

  How? he mouthed, his face incredulous.

  Watch me, she mouthed back, then pretended to call Peter. “No signal,” she said, lowering the phone.

  The Beast frowned. She took out the radio. It hissed and crackled, and she had to repeat her words, “Team Delta to Boss, team Delta—”

  “Tell me you got something,” Peter’s voice cut in.

  “We found the place. Got four dozen of Devil’s Whores heading your way to help secure the perimeter. Over.”

  There was a long, charged pause. “You are out of your fucking mind.”

  “Copy that.”

  She switched it off and smiled at the others. “See? That was easy.”

  Chad and Jane both blinked at her.

  She turned to Levi. “It’s four miles that way,” she pointed up at the sky. “We’ll be right behind ya, buddy.”

  “Drop that act,” he snarled. “Your boss better go along with this.” He turned around and stalked away, but not before he’d given Chad a skeptical once-over.

  “So happy we’ve met,” she replied, for some reason unable to wipe the stupid grin from her face. Must be the nerves.

  She raised her phone—the signal was just fine—and quickly texted Marco: ASAP extraction unit 126. Then added: Make it look real.

  A smirk twisted her lips as she looked at the Beast’s retreating back.

  She turned to find Chad and Jane watching her with round eyes, as if still shocked at everything that had happened.

  Her hand clasped Jane’s shoulder, the same stupid grin sliding onto her face.

  “Good job, partner.” She watched the gang disappear in the sky, eye twitching. “We are so fucked.”

  Chapter 46

  Pain landed not far from Peter, the others close on her heels. She watched him talk to Levi, probably giving instructions, making sure his men would keep their distance. Skull stood beside him, his posture tense, his eyes darting between the crowd of Beasts hiding from the wind in the trees, and Pain, with Jane and Chad behind her.

  Someone dropped to the ground nearby, and she saw Ryan hurry to catch up with her sister. They had pulled up to the hospital, tightening the perimeter, getting ready to storm the building—or rather, what was underneath it. While Ryan and Jane exchanged muted words, Levi walked away and Peter turned to them, locking gazes with Pain through the distance and fog.

  She jogged up to him, knowing it was better to get it over with. He spread his arms, as if speechless.

  “This isn’t ideal, I know,” she began.

  “Ideal?”

  “But you wanted more men, and we got them.” The scowl etched even deeper into his face. “You said it yourself, about the truce, remember?”

  “With one man, not fifty! Not here,” he hissed.

  She lowered her voice, “We didn’t have a choice, all right? We only found the place because of Jane, and then we had one shot at taking out the guards. Who knew those guys were in the cells.” She jerked her head toward the Beasts, then glanced to find them dispersing to their positions.

  Peter scratched his jaw, taking a deep breath. “He only asked for instructions, said you’ll tell me about your deal. I put them on the ground, mostly around the back of the building. They’re unarmed, and we got thirty more men. They froze their asses off flying in, warming up in the cars right now.” He shrugged. “Still, I don’t like the odds.”

  “I told him we have a hundred men. They don’t know where the others might be.”

  Peter just shook his head.

  “It was either this or get killed in that basement, with a big chance of them breaking out, killing Chad, and coming after you all. So we promised him a truce for tonight, said they can take their three men or what’s left of them from the lab, plus the one we got.” Peter’s eyes widened, and behind him, Phoenix snorted. “He’s a cripple, Peter. What were you gonna do with him, anyway?”

  “And you believe him? Think he’s gonna follow through, knowing how we’ve been after them for years, and now what, we’re just gonna let them go?”

  “He needs this more than we do.”

  “I can’t do that,” he said, leaning close to her. “I can’t trust them.”

  Jane stepped in, breaking off their staring contest. “Stop arguing, you two. I put a tracker on them.”

  Pain whipped to her, spreading her arms just like Peter a minute ago.

  “What? I knew he’d never go with this,” Jane said. “I did what I had to do.”

  “So that’s what all that was about, with you jumping in their middle? Could’ve warned me, at least! They’re freaking animals, Jane.”

  “It all went like I planned. I had the tracker, so I figured I’d slip it into some guy’s pocket.” She gave a smile, which Pain didn’t return. Jane shrugged. “Besides, they were nice.”

  “Of course, they were nice, with you dangling your ass in front of them,” Pain hissed. “They’d been locked in that basement for weeks.” She looked up to find Peter’s eyes bulge at what he was hearing.

  They fell silent, and he expelled a thin, long breath. “I don’t even know which one of you is worse anymore,” he muttered, then raised his gaze to sweep the foggy clearing before them. “All that matters is you got back in one piece. Anything else? Marco went to the storage, by the way.”

  “Yeah, the Devil’s… Sons or whatever will be coming back for the guards. Had to trick them for now. There are more cells, probably. Got these keys off the guards. Their phones, too.” She looked at Peter, frowning in confusion. “One thing I don’t get—why capture and hold so many people? Why still go after Dave and Elena, if they got dozens already? Except if they’d need all those lab rats at once for some other stage of their plan.”

  Peter gave her a troubled look, nodding. “Well… it doesn’t matter now. All those people are going home. I’ll send a few men to the storage. We’ll start simultaneously. Though I doubt they have signal down there, better not risk anyone calling them.”

  “What are we waiting for?” Pain asked, shuffling from foot to foot as her feet began to go numb.

  “We wanted to see if any more jeeps were coming, but it’s all quiet. Looks like they don’t know about us. Those three were here for a pick-up.”

  “The driver share anything else useful?”

  “Yes, but he might be lying. We’ll be going in soon, just waiting for our backup to thaw off. And the Eagles are coming, too.”

  Pain blinked, long and hard. “Please tell me you mean the band and not the mohawked bastards who’re gonna get Marco all riled up again.”

  “This is bigger than Marco or Martin or you or me, all right?” Peter snapped. “They have two buses, and they’re offering their infirmary, too. We don’t know how many people we’re gonna find in there. We could use the help. There’s only one Doc and one chopper, but with the nurses and the Eagles’ help, we got six medics waiting for our call.”

  “All right,” Pain backed off, “sounds good. No sign of Dave yet?”

  “No, and what’s up with him, by the way? I had to send a few men to sweep the area, but he’s not here. He really put a tracker on you?”

  “Yeah, and now I’m thinking it was less about where we were going and more about when. I think he’s up to something, and he wanted to see how much time he had before I reached this place.”

  “Dammit. Rooney said his phone is at HQ. We’ve got no idea where he is.”

  “Well, at least he’s thinking rationally,” Pain said. “Not another bender then.”

  Peter looked behind her, squinting. “Marco’s back.”

  Turning around, she found a broad silhouette approaching her. Marco pulled down his mask, saying, “Got your guys out and pointed them to the highway. It’ll look like they got out on their own.”

  “Thanks,” she said, clasping his hand.

  “What’s up with that?” Jane asked, frowning.

  “Oh, just…” Pain trailed off when Jane’s eyes darted to something behind her, and her face went slack.

  Someone had just landed not too far from Peter. He was wearing their winter gear and holding up a short, half-frozen man. Dave.

  “Shit.”

  “That’s an understatement,” Jane muttered.

  Dave’s gaze trained on them, his face flushed, feverish. All around them, men were pulling closer, until Peter held up a fist and they stopped.

  “Who’s that?” Peter asked curtly, nodding at the wide-eyed man in Dave’s grasp.

  Dave held up his captive’s head so Peter could see his face, like a cat toying with a dying mouse. Pain frowned at the sight.

  “Philip Delamere, one of the shareholders of Recorp Holdings. They own this place, along with the storage facility and all those warehouses where they disappeared whenever we caught sight of them.” He looked at Peter. “But you know that already, of course.”

  Peter only shrugged, his poker face on.

  “When did you find out?” Dave asked.

  “We weren’t sure about him until Rooney found out about his daughter. She was killed the same day his wife got injured. I sent a couple men to his house just a half-hour ago, but he wasn’t there. What are you doing, Dave?”

  The girls exchanged troubled looks before turning their gazes back to Dave.

  “Making sure the man who killed Elena gets what he deserves. He would’ve slipped right through your fingers if I hadn’t found him first.”

  Peter’s eyes narrowed, but his voice came out calm, “You’re wrong. Let’s not make a spectacle here though, all right? Let’s get out of the cold and question him.” He glanced somewhere behind Dave, and Pain followed his gaze, finding Levi lurking in the shadows.

  “He’s not going anywhere with you. And I already know what he’s got to say.” Dave’s hands unclasped, and Philip slumped down, his knees hitting the frozen ground.

  “Please,” he croaked, and cleared his throat. “I have to finish what I started. You can’t just… destroy everything. It’s all for the best. I’m sure you can understand.”

  An incredulous grimace overtook Peter’s face, and he took a small step closer. “Understand?” His gaze darted to Dave. “What is he talking about?”

  Philip’s eyebrows twitched, as if surprised Peter still didn’t know.

  Before he could reply, Dave said, “He found a way to strip skyfolk of their power. A serum, he said. Except it’s not finished yet, so his lab rats just keep dying instead. All so he can make some one man suffer, because simply killing him is not enough.”

  Pain swallowed hard. If the Beasts decided to go after this knowledge, to take control of the lab… But no, Levi’s face was a grimace of disgust as his eyes drilled a hole in Philip’s back.

  Peter opened his mouth, but Philip interrupted him, “It’s not just about him, not just about me! It could be revolutionary, a… an instrument, a measure of control for anyone who breaks the Code. It will make them fear, more than death, more than anything you’ve done up until now. Think about it! I lost my child, nearly lost my wife—no one else should have to go through that.”

  “And I lost someone who was like a daughter to me,” Peter said through his teeth. “Thanks to you and your experiments. I’m sorry if some Beast went after your family, but it should’ve ended with his death, not spreading the misery all over New York.”

  Philip’s face twisted in a wry grimace that vaguely resembled a rueful smile. “He’s no ordinary Beast. No one would stand a chance against him. I… I just wanted justice for my family. And I knew I had to do something about it, stop it once and for all.”

  “And he came after you for no reason?” Peter asked, a skeptical note in his voice.

  Eyes cast down, Philip tugged on his too-light coat as he hobbled up to his feet. “I only met with someone, just wanted to talk. Next day, my family was ruined by this… abomination. How was I supposed to know?”

  Dave interrupted his muttering, “He found another man like…” he trailed off, but Pain understood. Like Dave and Albert. “Was trying to figure it out.”

  Peter rocked back suddenly, something passing between him and Dave. Apparently, Philip had stumbled into something forbidden. Curious little human.

  “What you’re trying to do,” Peter said, his face setting into a stony mask, “Your wife would never survive, and you know it. The rest is… destructive at best. A catastrophe for my kind at worst. I can’t allow it. We’re shutting it down.”

  Philip’s expression instantly changed, all traces of begging wiped from his face. He really believed, Pain realized. Thought that someone would approve of his twisted ideas, support him even.

  “The man who attacked your family,” Peter said. “You got him locked up somewhere, too?”

  Philip’s lip curled, and he spat on the ground. “You deserve what’s coming for you.”

  Then he darted up into the air.

  “What the hell!” Pain yelled, about to berate Dave for not telling them, since instead of surprise, his face expressed only annoyance.

  But before Philip could get high enough and before anyone could follow, he dropped to the ground, like some bird shot out of the sky.

  Dave went after him and back in a blink of an eye, and when he held Philip up against him like before, a trickle of blood coming out of Philip’s mouth gleamed in the moonlight.

  “This is the second time that happened,” Dave said. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “You fucking moron,” another voice cut in, dripping with disdain.

  Pain looked to the side, seeing Levi step closer, along with two of his men.

  Dave whirled to glare at him, still holding Philip with one arm.

  “He’s a filthy half-breed,” the Beast growled. “He will die for betraying his own kind like this.”

  Dave’s brows went up, but he quickly recovered his composure. “Not by your hand.” He turned to Peter. “Who the hell is this?”

  “Nobody.”

  But Dave had picked up on the Beast’s attitude. “You’re working with Beasts now, Peter?”

  Behind Levi, more of his men slowly crept closer to back him up. Pain looked over her shoulder, finding Ryan lurking behind a tree, at least a dozen men behind him.

  “No,” Peter said. “It’s a temporary truce. We’re dealing with a bigger threat, and you’re well aware of that.”

  “And then what? You gonna let them go, keep killing? Like you did with the Commandos, when you didn’t want to rush in, to kill humans? Here’s the man responsible for Elena’s death—take him, kill him. Before he bleeds out from his dumb suicide attempt.”

  You fool, Pain thought. Fool, for thinking the world is black and white.

  Peter shook his head. “Not like this. It’s beneath us. Only a fair fight.”

  Dave snorted, shaking Philip up, and backed off farther into the clearing. “I’ll make sure he suffers then. I’m taking him. Don’t try to follow me.”

  “The bastard dies!” the Beasts’ leader cut in before Peter could say a word. He and the other two strode toward Dave.

  “One more step, and the deal is off!” Pain barked, drawing the katana.

  Levi looked at her, his step faltering, but the Ghosts behind her were already moving, and his lip pulled up in a snarl.

  He lunged forward—only to drop to his knees.

  Everyone froze, the whole clearing falling silent as they watched the three Beasts clutch at their throats, eyes wide and mouths gasping for air. The Beasts’ faces turned a darker shade of red with every passing second, until Peter seemed to realize what was happening and ran to Dave.

  Dave’s head snapped toward him, and he jumped backward, dragging the half-conscious Philip with him.

  The Beasts dropped to all four, drawing wheezing breaths, while the others behind them stood in a stupor.

  Steel gleamed, and Peter yelled, “Dave, don’t!”

  But the sword went straight through Philip’s chest, the tip black with blood as it came out the other side.