The Alphas' Legacy (Alpha Eyes: Book 3)

Chapter 24

When we'd finished, Van marshalled all of us into the conference room for the debrief. I hadn't spent much time around Snuff, Bug, or Goggles, so I took a seat next to Stitch where I felt a bit more at ease. Not that the others were dangerous, but I didn't know them as well.

Snuff toyed with a little pocket lighter as we waited for Van to start, flicking the switch to light the flame for brief seconds at a time. Bug held some kind of communications device, which he'd unscrewed, and seemed to be examining the inside as if he'd never seen it before. Goggles had brought his laptop and was busy pecking away at the keyboard. They gave an air of 'introvert' that would have warned anyone to keep their distance, yet I had the feeling this was more of their 'mission mindset.'

"All right," Van announced, taking his seat at the head of the table. "We all know the basics of what happened. A contracted spy from Midnight sneaked in and was looking for Zoey. Goggles? What have you got for me?"

Goggles looked up through his large, dark-rimmed glasses. "As far as I can tell, he's a rogue-for-hire. His only allegiance is to the highest buyer, and Midnight paid him a pretty penny to sneak into our pack."

"Can we out-pay Midnight, if he shows up again?" Van asked.

Goggles shook his head. "He won't, and the amount won't matter. From what I found, he never works for the same pack twice in a row, and he never signs long-term contracts. He only takes on single assignments, and those are usually a once in-and-out if it involves crossing a territory. The guy's smart; he keeps a low profile."

I couldn't help the shiver that ran up my spine. Hired hitmen, contractors, mercenaries... they were all the same. A wolf with no allegiance was one of the most dangerous kinds of men. They followed their own path and only listened to their own counsel. Most were forced into such a life when their pack cast them out for one reason or another. They let their hatred for one specific pack spread to every pack, so they kept to themselves and chose a life on the run.

"So what do we do?" Van circled back around. "We changed the patrol route to cover the weak area. Should we expect to see him again?"

Snuff flicked his lighter and let out a sort of scoffing sound. "We'll be ready for him if he dares. I say we set a trap where he came in last time."

"Goggles said that he won't cross territory lines again," Stitch cut in. "What's the point of setting up a trap for someone who won't come? What if someone else gets caught in it?"

"Then we catch someone else who tries to break in! Yeah us..." Snuff drawled.

I slid down in my chair a little and pushed backwards a few inches. The conversation was happening around me, and I felt like an outsider who wasn't supposed to be there.

"This isn't about catching someone sneaking in, Snuff." Stitch scrubbed his hands through his short hair. "This is about keeping Zoey safe until she breaks her mate bond. We're here to make sure no one else comes snooping around."

"Surely Midnight won't send anyone else." Van leaned forward on the table. "Even if a contracted spy didn't find anything, why would they spend more time and money to look for her here?"

"...because they're a paranoid den of wolves," Goggles answered. "They know she has to be somewhere, so they'll keep looking."

I knew Goggles was right, but I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything. The team had their procedures, and it wasn't my place to interfere with them. If they asked me for my thoughts or opinions, I would give them. Otherwise, I'd listen and glean what I could. Maybe one of them would explain the details later.

"I'm sorry, Zoey," Stitch sighed, leaning back in his chair. "We're walking all over you, and this involves you just as much as the rest of us."

"I'm not feeling walked over," I assured him. "I just feel helpless because you are the experts and I'm the one along for the ride."

Goggles looked over the top of his laptop at me. "You know Midnight pack better than any of us. We may be experts, but you have knowledge that we don't."

"Goggles is right," Van jumped in, turning slightly towards me. "You can help us plan against them. You know how your ex thinks, how he reacts when things go wrong..."

"...violently," I answered that last thought. "He reacts violently."

"...but will he continue looking for you in the same place?" Stitch asked.

I chewed on my lip for a moment. Jax was a lot of things – paranoid being one of them – but he was thorough in his investigations. I'd heard him bark at a patrol guy who suggested researching an area, saying that they should have done a complete job the first time. If he'd hired a professional scout to search the lycan pack, and found nothing, he wouldn't waste time looking over the same place.

"No." I shook my head slowly and stared down at my hands. "He won't come looking here again, unless he thinks there's a solid lead."

"So we keep doing what we're doing." Goggles closed his laptop and set his hands on top of it. "We make sure there's no evidence that you're here; someone stays with you every chance possible. Van's with you at night, so that's a big risk factor covered."

I swallowed hard and forced myself not to look towards Van. Yes, we were in the same room at night, but that didn't mean we were with each other. I didn't know what happened last night, so I wasn't ready to wade in whatever that might mean in the long run. As far as the team knew, someone was guarding me at all hours. That was enough.