Predatory

44: The Underground

DRAKE POV

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK?!

The massive dude who said "welcome to the underground" is smiling. He seems like a giant, friendly lumberjack, and Zoe and Rika visibly relaxed since he got out of one of the Humvees that chased us down that tunnel and into this cavern. Callum and Xander, on the other hand, are just as confused and freaked out as I am.

"Samson. Thank the stars," Zoe exclaims, rolling her window down. "We were so scared! You all came out of nowhere—"

"Had to make the ambush look convincing to any WASP operatives who don't see things quite like I do," the big dude, apparently called Samson, answers. Could this be the Baryshnikov guy my dad mentioned on the phone?

"Well, you accomplished that," Xander snaps, drawing Samson's attention behind Zoe into the SUV. "Who the fuck are—"

"Xander, now is not the time," Rika hisses. "Shut it."

"What better time—"

"I see y'all've brought friends along this time," Samson observes. "Seems we didn't come up with code for every possible happenstance, when we discussed y'all comin' back t' my neck o' the woods if ya had trouble. But where's that spitfire panther shifter at?"

"Sasha's sleeping in the back. She's been through a hell of a fight," Rika explains.

"The 'disabled vehicle' you mentioned, then. I figured as much." He waves and makes some hand signals towards one of the other Humvees. "I'll make sure she gets proper medical attention right away."

"Have you heard from any of the WASP brass recently?" Zoe inquires, suddenly concerned.

"Heard somethin' 'bout a couple o' fae, Anselm's assistants or somethin' like, comin' to HQ an' sayin' that your friend Sasha dueled Anselm for his position. And won." He pauses, waiting for something—affirmation? contradiction?—but Zoe and Rika are like stone. "There's been a call sent to all regional commanders lookin' for verification o' their story. Evidently the fae ain't sayin' more. It'd be mighty impressive, though, if their report turns out to be true."

"Damn. Seems like them fae are true to their word, if this guy's trustworthy," Callum remarks privately to Xander and me.

"And if he ain't trustworthy?" Xander demands. "Still can't get a clear read on that, and—"

"Is it safe for us to stay here?" Rika demands.

"The WASP ops are askin' the right questions. Sit tight. They ain't steered us wrong yet. Thought for damn sure if this was a trap, we'd be dead or fightin' for our lives by now," Callum assures us. His rage has reduced to tight anticipation since Samson's chosen to talk rather than fight.

"I'd've never brought ya down here if it wasn't. You know Anselm an' I weren't friends. This here Underground is a secret from WASP brass, a safe place for those of us who'd like to see the whole organization reformed or destroyed."

I'm sorry, what?! There are others who think like me and my parents?!

"If the fae at HQ are tellin' the truth, I gotta assume that Anselm's dead an' yer teammate's t' blame for it," Samson continues.

"It was a duel. To the death. Neither one of them's ever been the type to surrender," Zoe mumbles. Are we sure it's safe to tell this guy that?! I mean, he's saying the right things, but.... I glance down at Sasha, whose eyes have opened to slits. She's listening, too.

"Can we trust this Samson guy?" I whisper.

"Samson? Big dude? In Montana?" she replies, barely audible.