Primal Law (Alpha Pack #1)(88)

Whirling, it appeared to grow in density. Multiplying and reshaping.

Four walls formed, stretched upward. From the walls, flooring ejected, creating four stories. Then dividers for the many rooms. Kalen chanted another spell and two of the walls disappeared, creating a cutaway section they could see through, like a dollhouse. He left off the roof.

Kalen stepped back, removing his hands, and the blue light vanished along with the wind. There on the table was a replica of the NewLife building, created by stone and magic. The Sorcerer wiped his brow, and then gestured to the model. "This should help."

"Fuckin' awesome," Hammer said, impressed.

Jax and the others agreed. Even Aric, who clapped Kalen on the back. "You're all right, kid. What can't you do?"

The younger man shrugged off his touch. "Plenty of stuff."

Sensing his discomfort, the redhead backed off. "Yeah, that's true of us all. Why don't we take a look at this thing so we can get going?"

With the spotlight off him, Kalen began to appear more at ease. As Nick got started, Jax caught Mac gazing at the Sorcerer with barely concealed sympathy-and perhaps something more. Oh, boy. If the doc wanted to bark up that tree, she might be in for a rough ride, if Jax's glimpse into Kalen's little slice of hell was any clue.

"This is going to prove invaluable," Nick said by way of praise of Kalen's work. He didn't belabor the point, though, to the Sorcerer's visible relief. "The building is located in an industrial area just a few miles from here. We'll park on a side street and go in as before. Luckily, this property has no fence, which will make the approach simpler. However, when we go in, we're going to split up. According to Kalen and Zan, there's a helicopter parked on the roof, so Aric and Ryon are going to scale to the top to cut off that escape route. Ryon, as our Telepath, will let us know when they're secure, and we'll bust inside. Quick strike."

A rumble of varying opinions followed the decision, but none voiced an outright objection. Everyone understood that no plan would be foolproof.

Nick went on. "Looking at the model, the first and second floors have the largest spaces, with the third and fourth floors divided into smaller areas. I'm guessing the bottom floor is reception and conference areas, based on the layout and their business of disease research, and dealing with the public. At least part of what they're doing is legit, and they must have the facilities to conduct studies. That's where the second floor comes in-I'm betting these are the lab and research areas."

"The third floor is basically two long hallways with rows of cubicles," Zan pointed out. "I'm betting these are the holding cells, which are convenient for the lab folks to access their subjects."

Nick nodded. "With the executive offices on the top floor. The setup keeps the captives away from the public, trapped between floors with no easy escape going up or down." He pointed to the model. "When Ryon gives the go-ahead, we'll bust in and take out the guard in the lobby with a tranquilizer. No killing unless necessary, and no elevators in case they cut the power. We'll take the stairs straight to the second floor, where Zan will download the hard drive and then destroy the database. Then on to the third and fourth floors, doing a sweep to make sure any prisoners are liberated and the building is clear, and then all of us back down to the first floor and we get the hell out."

"Seems simple enough," Jax said.

Aric leaned on the table. "Which is usually when we need to worry."

All too true. There was a weighty pause.

"We carrying?" Ryon asked.

"Personal choice, as always," Nick told him. "Some of you have abilities that more than make up for lack of a gun, so use your judgment."

Hammer, Nick, and Ryon were the only ones who opted for man-made firepower this time around. The rest, Jax included, preferred to rely on their own talents. To the skeptic, Jax would retort that they'd been carrying M-16s in Afghanistan and it hadn't made a goddamned bit of difference to the pack of rogue shifters who slaughtered them. They might as well have been using flyswatters.

"We doing this tonight?" Aric asked their boss.

"No reason to wait. We'll head out at midnight; after Aric and Ryon secure the roof, we should be ready to take the building by one." Nick checked his watch. "It's almost nine. Everybody try to get some rest. You'll need it."

Mac and Melina took a bedroom, Kira another. Some of the team spread out on the sofas and the floor, and some sat at the tables, or paced. Jax and Nick were among those who couldn't sleep, and so they leaned against the counters in the small kitchenette talking in quiet tones. Something about Nick's demeanor struck him as off, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

"What's bothering you, Nicky?"

The man gave him a long, searching look, but shook his head. "Just thinking about tonight. Strategizing."

"It's more than that." An awful thought occurred him. "We're going to get our asses kicked, is that it?"

"Not exactly."

"Come on, don't give me that shit," Jax said irritably. "Tell me what's going to happen."

"You know I can't do that, Jax. I don't know everything, and even if I did-"

"I know. You can't interfere with free will. You can't change the future." Damn, this burned.