Forsaken Duty (Red Team #9)(54)

“The night Jax and I left,” Owen said, “we ran into Edwards. He broadsided Jax’s SUV. We tried to fight our way out of it, but they used a flashbang to stun then capture us. We spent several days in rotting cells in the basement of a mental institution out on the plains, getting worked over pretty good. Edwards wanted to know who was funding us. I didn’t tell him, but I did ask him about my son. I’m afraid I’m why he took Beetle from you, Lion.”

“Shit,” Kit grumbled.

“I bet Edwards is seeing his house of cards about to tumble down,” Ty said. “We knew they’d begun cleaning house since they’re killing off their researchers.”

“So what does Edwards want with Beetle?” Kit asked. “Why take him?”

“Leverage. Against Addy or Owen. Or the senator, since he’s Jacobs’ grandson,” Ty said.

“My parents and Cecil are friends,” Addy said. “They visited us several times, knew what was happening to me, to my sons, but refused to go against my husband. It wasn’t until Augie was taken and I spent time in a hospital with a broken jaw that things began to change. Wendell had been estranged from us for years. Somehow, my dad got him to help me. Wendell worked out a divorce agreement. Or, I guess, just a settlement, since I was never legally married to Cecil.”

“So does that mean your dad and brother had a falling out?” Ty asked.

She nodded. “When we finally spoke, Wendell told me he’d been searching for me for years. My parents knew where I was, so why didn’t he? I tried his number a couple of times, but it never went through. Owen’s, too. I didn’t have internet at the house until after the settlement. I learned early on that any attempt to reach the outside world had severe consequences, so for the most part, I quit trying. I couldn’t put my sons in jeopardy. When my parents wouldn’t help me, I thought Jax wouldn’t either. And Cecil had me convinced that Owen was King. My parents said what was happening to me was Owen’s choice. Even Jax, when he did come back into my life, said Owen wasn’t to be trusted.”

Addy knew her words hit Owen hard. So much pain could have been avoided if she’d somehow found him. How she could have done that when everyone surrounding her was owned by Cecil, she didn’t know. She should have tried harder.

She, not Owen, was to blame for Augie’s fate.

“That explains a lot about Jax,” Owen said. “After the train wreck, he became distant, and we went our separate ways in the Red Team. I thought it was just how we both reacted to our grief over losing you. But after talking to him yesterday, I can see how it’s possible he thought I made all of this happen.” Owen sighed. “He said he’d collected a DNA sample from the girl who was killed in the crash and that he was working with the FBI to identify her.”

“That’s something we can corroborate with Lobo,” Kit said.

“Do it. Jax has a safe house northwest of Denver. He wouldn’t have taken me there if he still doubted my loyalty.” Owen looked around at the group. “You know, my mom and Addy’s died the same year. Jax thinks their deaths weren’t accidents. He said he thought Roberta killed his and Addy’s mom so she could take her place in the senator’s household.”

Addy shivered. “I never liked her.”

“None of us did,” Owen said. “Greer, Max, see what you can find out about her. Who was she before marrying the senator? Also, on the phone I gave you are dozens of pictures I took at Addy’s of her art collection. Given all the stolen pieces found in the tunnels, I’m curious to know if those pieces are also hot. Jax said he was working with the FBI on that, but pass those on to Lobo. It’s another way we can confirm info from Jax.”

“Copy that,” Greer said.

“What’s next?” Owen asked.

“We’re reconfiguring the basement to house Lion’s pride and any others we recover,” Kit said.

Owen looked at Ty. “That okay with you?”

Ty grinned. “Not really. You know how I hate that basement, but I don’t have a logical argument. Kelan’s gonna bring in his shaman to bless it. So, I guess it’ll work out. It’s a big space; we could house several prides down there.”

“Did Jax tell you what he did with the watchers Ace handed over?” Val asked.

“No. But he acknowledged having them,” Owen said.

“Sheriff Tate’s on our asses to turn the boys over to their parents,” Kit said. “We’re working on identifying surviving family members, but the boys haven’t only been sourced from the Friends. They’ve come from some of the other Omni isolationist groups around the country. Reuniting them is not going to be a fast exercise. And we can’t send them back into the same conditions that put them in danger. So we’re stuck for a while having them in our custody.”

“Hopefully, we can change that around soon,” Owen said.

“Only if it’s in the best interest of the boys,” Remi said. “Some of them identify with their pride as their family, so ripping them away and returning them to strangers may cause more damage than help.”

“Hmmm,” Owen grunted.

“Moving on,” Kit said. “Angel discovered that Wynn’s grandmother’s body had been exhumed. Not sure who has it, but we’re leaning toward it being Jafaar. Angel mentioned Jafaar kidnapped Wynn. He used a drone made to look like a bumblebee to deliver a sedative, then hijacked the ambulance she was in. While she was a prisoner, she saw him talking to a couple that may have been her parents. She overheard them discussing setting up a lab for Jafaar so that they could replicate the genetic modifications they produced for the Omnis. He’s angry that he was left out of the equation and wants a piece of the pie for al Jahni.”