Chapter 4

• Taggart looked around the room. It was good to see the faces to go with the voices he heard on the phone. He was anxious to hear the plan to get the peoples off the island.
• “Connecting it now.” The man called Illias said. Taggart wondered about his story. He worked with the electric things, but he had a scar down the side of his face. He touched the shirt covering his throat. He understood about scars that showed you were a survivor.
• He glanced at Deva. She looked very different now in her dark clothes, with her hair pulled back from her lovely face. He had a fire in his belly for her more now than when she was dressed delicate and feminine.
• “Okay, we should all be here now.” Illias stared at the phone he had plugged into a little speaker.
• “Who is all?” Taggart knew Konner’s voice.
• “Fill them in, Illias.” That was the prince, now king’s voice. When the king was taken, Taggart feared the deal he had made with him would end and his sister’s safety would be an issue again. His son was a very honorable man and agreed to the same as his father. He had deep respect for him.
• Illias nodded. “Konner and Terah are on the call, along with Jett and his team.” He looked at the paper beside him, “His team being, Kelii, Andi, Gideon, and Tait.” He glanced at Calum. “Calla and Slater are remote, along with Asher and Journee.” He leaned back and then sat forward again. “And Blaise, Griffin, and our—” Calum shook his head. “Devin and Rayne from the Factory.”
• “Great,” Devin said. “I wanted to be there with all of you, but with the recent events, I’m unable to.” He paused for a second. “There are nineteen team members involved in this. Including Terah and Journee.” He added. “Konner and Terah won’t be coming to the house. They’re nearby, acclimating to the salt water.” Several in the room nodded. “Deva, Calla, Taggart, and Slater are going to play tourist tomorrow and get us some close shots of the island.” Someone said something in the background. “During the operation, Creed is going to fly above to keep an eye on anyone coming too close to the island.”
• Taggart looked at the Creed man. He was a flier. He had wondered what that would be like, but he enjoyed running too much to be distracted by it.
• “Dev, a thought occurred when we were driving to the house.” Calum walked over and stood closer to where the phone sat.
• “What’s that?” The new king asked.
• “They have to have some way of monitoring the island and anyone coming close to it.”
• “Cameras?” Devin asked.
• Calum shook his head. “I don’t think so. There’s no power there, and Journee would have remembered seeing something like that.”
• “Okay. Fallan just brought up a map of the area. Are you thinking from an elevated point? They’re keeping an eye on it?”
• “It makes sense.”
• “Slater here. We could scout the nearby mountains.”
• Taggart sat straighter. “If I can talk?”
• “Go ahead, Taggart.” The new king said.
• “Lars is in the area. I could ask for him to fly around and look.”
• Creed nodded at Taggart.
• Calum turned to him. “Is he close enough to get it done tomorrow? The team looking for the boy’s camp will be going out tonight, and if our tourists,” he looked at Deva, “get us a setup, we’ll be going at dawn the next day.”
• Taggart took out his phone and held it up. “Ja. I call him when we done here.”
• “Who’s on the team looking for the boy’s camp? Amari and I could go for a run and help.” Tripp sat back and put his arm around his very pretty mate.
• “Jett, are you there?” Devin asked.
• “Yes. Setting up a home base right now. We’re about an hour’s drive from the house location.”
• “Let us know when you’re headed out.”
• “Will do.”
• “Jett has three that are from flight clans with him,” Devin said. “So it will be easier.”
• Tripp nodded. “Shout if you find it, Jett. We can hit it right after the island.”
• “I’ll save you some scraps, Tripp.” Jett chuckled.
• “We’re hoping they find it quickly,” Devin stated.
• “What’s the setup for the island team, Dev?”
• Taggart understood the impatience in the man Calum’s voice. His mother was said to be on the island. What he would do if it his own mother—anything in world to see her again.
• “Taggart was able to arrange the small boat they’re using tomorrow. A yacht will be used for transport to go up the coast and get everyone to the safe location.” He paused for a second. “Obviously, Konner and Terah will be in the water before we get on the island. On the smaller vessel, you, Cal, Shaelan, along with Journee, Taggart, Asher, and Deva, will go in first.”
• “Sounds good.” Calum crossed his arms over his chest and looked at the floor.
• “Amari, you, and Tripp will be on the bigger one. I want one of you armed on deck and the other on the rifle watching the island.”
• Amari looked happy with this.
• “Got it.” Tripp glanced at Calum and nodded.
• “Calla and Slater are going to rent a small motorboat, pick up Creed, and then watch all of your backs when you’re heading up the coast.”
• “If they have a way to watch the island, it will have to be dealt with when we’re heading to the island.” Slater sounded like a serious man.
• “Hopefully, Lars will find it quickly. Calla, I need you and Slatter to go relieve Asher and Journee for the night. They’ve been on the top of the hill for two days now.”
• “A hot shower would be great.” Taggart knew Asher’s voice now.
• “I’ll go meet him at the dock, and we’ll go up.” A soft female voice said.
• “Anything else?” Devin waited.
• Taggart looked around the room. All of the faces were very serious, and the look of focus was on them. This was good. They were going to be successful on this mission.
• “Okay...”
• “Any word on Shepard?” The Jett man asked.
• Calum looked at Taggart.
• Taggart sat forward. “I will talk to Dobry and see if there is new things to know.”
• “Let me know when you do, Taggart.”
• “Ja. I will.”
• “Okay, everyone. Get some rest. The next few days are going to be hectic.” Devin sounded like a tired man. Taggart got why with his father was missing.
• “I can’t wait.” Amari smiled, and it was not a pretty, happy one, but one full of vengeance. He liked the woman and her mate. They were his kind of peoples, willing to do whatever was needed.
• Taggart got up and left the room. He needed to talk to Lars and then see if Dobry was in a place where he could talk. Finding the Alliance’s king was most important. Doing that would ensure that he and his men’s families would have a place here for always.