“Self-inflicted?” Did I scare him bad enough for him to take his own life?
“Not unless he fell on his knife ten times and shot himself in the back of the head.”
I jump to my feet, and the rest of the world fades away. “Tell me everything.”
“It’s better if I show you.” And a few seconds later there’s a video hitting my notifications.
Tim curses and cries as he walks out of a bedroom, but then he turns around and the camera focuses on the blood-soaked carpet and the holes in Eddie's back. And yes, there’s a gunshot to the back of his head. Tim nudges the body with his foot, and it rolls over. A cold sweat drips down my back as Eddie’s lifeless face looks at the ceiling. The camera pans over to the wall where there’s a message in what I can only assume is Eddie’s blood.
‘No one’s safe- D’
I can’t protect...Anyone. My body wants to revolt and shut down, but I don’t have time for that. Think. The Deviant went to Eddie, and he’s connected to CJ who is connected to…
Grae.
His chest rises and falls two times in the second I’ve been looking at him. The concern on his face shifts, because something on my face must’ve changed. For a second, his lips part and close again like he’s buffering his words. There’s a mix of fear and concern in his eyes.
“Alana?” He finally says.
“Tim get your ass into hiding right fucking now!” I snap. I push past Grae and open the storage closet. Old gym equipment, a few coats and a pile of DVDs. I fling it all across the room and push my hand to the back panel.
A computerized voice says, ‘Good evening, Lioness.’ The left side of the closet opens up. It glows a pale blue, shaded by ten identical military-grade backpacks. I yank them off their hooks and come back out to see a room of familiar and terrified faces.
“I have six cars in the garage and weapons upstairs. Lance, unlock them.”
To their credit, the Four Families jump to attention and wait for instructions. Izzy is my first in command in these sorts of situations. She needs to manage both her family and Mastodon’s logistics.
“Izzy, send notice out to the teams. I need eyes on Unicorn, Pegasus and Fuck Nugget in the next thirty seconds, and I want them moved to secure locations. Water, air and underground. Then take Lance and Drew and go to that place we went that one time.” I pause and give the order, “Then lock down.”
“Got it!” she says while taking out her phone while running upstairs.
I hand Waverly her bag next. “Take your sister and Lukas to the place with the pink sky, understand?” Over the years, I made sure she was well trained in this situation.
Monica is already reaching for a bag when I lock eyes on her. “Take Maria and Thiago to The Shire—you know the code?” She hitches the bag over her shoulder and gives me a nod. Thiago is already up the stairs calling the kids down and telling them to grab the puppy.
Jenny stands in the middle of the room, her eyes wide, laced with panic. Clear tasks, easy recall. “Jenny, you remember the blue cow?” As soon as I knew she was sticking around, I took her on a drive to a vineyard where the storage closet is a panic room and information hub. But her eyes drift upstairs.
“Are we bringing the dog?”
“Of course. Kingston gets one potty break, but once you’re inside, you lock down. Understand?”
Joey grips her hip. “Do you know the location, because I sure as shit don’t.” The blue-haired woman blinks. She dashes over and grabs a bag, pauses, and gives me a hug.
“What do you need me to do?” Katya pulls her hair into a ponytail, and she’s locked in. “Extra people on Siren?”
“That’s a good idea but no.” I offer her a bag, but she doesn’t take it. “Go to the Driftwood.”
“You need me.” I do. She’s one of my best agents. But…
“I need you tomorrow and the day after. Ian’s already lost one mom. I won’t let it become two.” She pulls the bag out of my hand and motions with her chin. Dimitri follows her, but Uri stays behind.
“I’m Mastodon." Damn he’s picking a really stupid time to be loyal.
“No, you are Four Families. You always were and always will be.” I squeeze his arm and hand him a bag. “Go.” I don’t realize my hands are shaking until I start to send the text out to the Fathers.
Me: Scatter
Lance and Izzy are already running to the garage with Drew, some extra food and a small arsenal. Everyone else stands in my living room with military-grade weapons. To the kids' credit, no one looks scared, and that breaks my heart. They shouldn’t live in a world where this barely registers. Maria has her puppy in her arms, its tiny legs swing from side to side. It’d be cute if it wasn’t so awful.