Soul Resurrected (Sons of Wrath, #2) (51 page)

Logan’s muscles tensed. “Who?”

“Don’t know. Couple of suits. And their bodyguard.”

“Be there in ten.”

A million questions zipped through Logan’s head on the jog down the stairs. He followed the long hallway to the left of the foyer, down another set of stairs until he reached the door of the garage. Among the color palette of vehicles, his bike, parked beside the one Gavin had purchased for Ayden, stood out like a silver splotch. A quick jog across the aisles brought him standing beside it. As he stared down at the helmet, visions of Calla passed through his head—their last ride, the snowball fight. Smiling at the memory, he hopped on the bike, fired it up, and took off up the ramp.

The dreary overcast sky mirrored his somber mood as he weaved through Detroit traffic. Like even the gods felt sorry for him, or something.

Who would possibly know anything about Calla aside from her Alexi cronies?

The long tunnel engulfed the bike and Logan fed it more gas, the roar of the engine echoing behind until he finally reached the underground garage of Sanctuary. After parking next to Gavin’s Mercedes, he hopped off the bike and took the elevator up to the fifth floor offices.

Logan’s pulse thrummed as he approached Gavin’s office, where Red the security guard gave him a quick nod, and Logan stepped inside.

Arms crossed over his chest, Gavin stood behind his desk, silently staring down at two men dressed in suits and sitting in chairs opposite him. Another guy almost as big as Logan—a bodyguard judging from his stiff pose—shifted on his feet as Logan passed.

What the …

Gavin’s intense stare seemed to lighten a little as Logan came to a halt beside him, where he got a look at the men.

Gray hair sat to the left, his suit a dark contrast to his pale face. Wrinkles put him somewhere about sixty, Logan guessed. The one beside him, much younger with dark brown hair and a cocky smirk, could’ve been in his twenties. Definitely a father and son duo, as they looked like one of the funny aging booth apps that Zeke liked to play with on his phone.

On the brink of snapping, Logan rested his knuckles against the desk and leaned forward. “What about Calla?”

Gray cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “I’m Daniel and this is my son, Oliver. We—”

“I don’t give a shit where you’re from. What do you know about Calla?”

Gavin remained silent beside Logan, like he knew shit would hit the moment he arrived.

Logan’s knuckles burned with the urge to pop the younger fuck, who kept a grin tucked away behind pursed lips like a pansy.

Tingles chased a chill down his spine.

Sins.
Logan’s senses picked up on it like piss in the punchbowl. The younger more than Gray.

Behind them, Muscles shifted his weight in a
remember me?
fashion, as if to suggest Logan better watch himself. One sniff confirmed his masters were one hundred percent human. Logan couldn’t quite make out Muscles, though, who carried a bit of a gamey scent, wild and possibly a little unstable—definitely not demon.

“We actually thought
you
might be able to tell
us
about her.”

“Apparently you overestimated my kindness.” Logan gave a dismissive wave. “Now, get the fuck out.”

“She may be in danger.” The younger clone gave a furtive glance toward his father then back to Logan. He leaned in, dipping his head, smirk downturned into something more serious, though he still looked like a pansy. “We’ve been tracking some
activity.
A new supe on the playground.”

Okay, they knew about supes. So what? “What does this have to do with Calla?”

“We think she may have been …
exposed
.”

“Exposed to what?”

Gray cleared his throat a second time, and by the frickin’ gods in Orcosia, if he did it again, Logan might have to snap his gullet. “We’re only human. Perhaps you might have more insight.”

“More insight into what?” Gavin asked.

Gray shrugged. “We don’t know, exactly.”

“One of you two better spill what you have, or I’ll be spilling your guts all over my brother’s nice carpeted office and Muscles over there can carry you home in a takeout bag.” He tipped his head. “Time is precious to me and you’ve wasted enough of mine.”

“Vampire-like.” Younger clone’s shoulders rolled back. “If we had to guess, we’d say they’re vampires.”

Damn
. Logan resisted the urge to give Gavin the
oh-shit
glance because, no doubt, he’d be thinking the same thing. Humans privy to lesser-known supe matters spelled trouble.

“And how the fuck would Calla have anything to do with this?” Logan leaned forward again. “Better yet, how the fuck would
you
know anything about Calla?”

“We’ve encountered one of her Alexi colleagues on the streets. He says she went AWOL. He confessed to having bitten her.”

“Draven?” Gavin sat down in his chair. “Where is he?”

“He’s being tended to by some of our medical staff. He’s critical after having been exposed to the venom himself.” Gray shifted in his chair as though his hemorrhoids flared at the thought. “If Calla doesn’t seek out some help soon, she may run out of time.”

“He doesn’t know where to find her?” In Logan’s periphery, Gavin entwined his fingers, his office chair creaking as he leaned back in it.

“No. He says she left him to die,” Gray answered.

Good.
That meant Logan could finish him off.

“So, say I know where she is.” Logan pushed off the desk and crossed his arms. “I tell her to pop in to her local urgent care and ask for vampire-like vaccine?”

“Well, not exactly. Not yet, anyway. You could bring her to us.”

Logan tipped his head to the side. “Now, why would I do that, shithead?”

“Because we have the cure for it.” Junior’s eye twitched as he spoke, a good indication that he lied.

“The cure.” Logan snorted. “You can’t even tell me what the fuck
it
is. How can you possibly have a cure for
it
?”

“
It
simply hasn’t been speciated yet. These processes are a lot of red tape and investigation. More so, if the organism in question isn’t supposed to exist.” Junior scooted back into his seat. “And neither is the lab submitting the data.”

Yeah, screwy.

“What you’re talking about doesn’t exist.” Gavin spoke in his starchy gambling voice as if he tried to call the guy’s bluff.

How much did they know about supes? “I’ve not heard of bloodsuckers except in shitty movies and Goth porn.” Logan rubbed his hand down his face. “Where’d you say you’re from?”

“Penwell Pharmaceuticals,” Gray said. “We have a research and development lab dedicated to this particular supernatural …
affliction
.”

Logan couldn’t help but cock a brow. “Supernatural affliction?”

“Please. No disrespect.” Gray held up his palms. “We fully recognize not all supes pose a threat to humans. But we are aware of this species. And we’ve proactively taken steps to prepare our kind for an attack.”

“What makes you think they intend to attack?” Gavin leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.

For the first time, young clone looked as scared as he should have from the off. “It’s already begun.”

“And just where the hell did you come across this
affliction
to have a cure for it?” Logan’s voice carried half the civility of Gavin’s, as usual.

“In patients, actually. We were referred a young man who’d become quite ill. He died, but his autopsy demonstrated a very strange substance. We amplified the sequence. Not DNA or RNA. Yet, it integrated flawlessly into his genome.” The fascination in Junior’s tone suggested he’d played some part in the lab. “We almost didn’t catch it.” He gestured with his hands as he spoke. “The problem is the cellular apoptosis. We’ve not found a way to reverse it. Yet, of course. Though individuals infected begin to show signs of atrophy and ultimately … death.”

Logan turned his attention to Gray. “You want to translate that bullshit explanation?”

Gray smiled. “It’s a fast-moving venom. It becomes part of the human makeup rather quickly. Meaning, within minutes, a human can become fully … uh, blood sucker, as you said. Unfortunately, it’s a little too fast. It begins to overwhelm the human cells and the individual dies.”

“So, how do I know you won’t try to eradicate Calla?”

“It isn’t too late for Calla.” The desperation in Junior’s voice had Logan wondering what kind of time she did have. Not that he’d ask—he had a sense they’d offer up some bullshit for the opportunity to poke her with needles. “She can be saved.”

Saved
. Since when were pharmaceuticals in the business of saving anything? “What exactly is Calla to you, some kind of pinup girl for all the lab techies to jack off to?”

Gray’s gaze fell from Logan’s. “She happens to be the first female infected. We have no idea what physiological repercussions being a female might pose.”

“You just said you could save her, though.”

“If her colleague is correct, that she is recently infected, there’s still time before it becomes fully integrated.” Gray cleared his throat. “Based on past experiences.”

“You know many supes?”

“Well, not many, admittedly. We’re only aware of Wraths because your reputation precedes you.” Gray gave a quiet chuckle. “It seems even your own kind fear your particular species.” He leaned forward, placing his elbows against his thighs. “We came into the knowledge that the Alexi harbor an antibody to lycan venom.”

Logan’s expression remained stoic.

“We can save lives.” Gray’s all-too-bright smile, like a commercial on TV, had
liar
flashing in Logan’s head. “You protect humans—”

“I don’t protect humans. I exact vengeance for clients. Get your shit straight.”

“Right. My apologies. I just meant to say that soon, you’ll be fighting an unseen force. As they grow stronger, other species will suffer. They are far worse than lycans. Far more effective and cunning. We have the power to halt their evolution, but the secret lies in the chemical structure of the Lywa antibody. We must know more about the Alexi. It’s imperative that we find the victims before the venom spreads.” Gray reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. The tremble in his stretch didn’t go unnoticed by Logan. “Give us a call, should you wish to know more or hear anything new.”

Neither Logan nor Gavin reacted, and Gray dropped the card on the desktop.

The apathy in Logan’s expression must’ve prodded the two of them along. Both suits stood up from their chairs, forcing Muscles back a step. “Nice to meet you. Both of you.” Gray bowed his head and allowed Junior to pass him.

Logan remained silent, gaze fixed on them as they shuffled toward the door and greeted Red the security guard, who’d remained outside.

“Dipshits,” Logan muttered. “You think they’re responsible for bringing back the Sang?”

Gavin puffed his cheeks and blew out a breath. “I don’t know where the hell they would’ve found the organism. It’s been extinct for centuries. It’d never survive the environment.” His steepled fingers tapped each other. “Not liking the fact that Calla seems to be an integral piece in this game, Brother. I think these humans know more than they’re letting on. And if they do, we’re in for a shitty ride.”

“Gav,”—Logan stared off at the small stack of papers piled on Gavin’s desk—“Calla and I visited Orcosia—”

“Whoa. Wait.” Gavin shook his head. “You
took
her to Orcosia? She could’ve been killed! Are you nuts?”

“Yeah, probably. But that’s not the point. I checked out the Cartazmus.”

“How the hell did you get permission to read it?”

Logan smirked. “Threatened the keeper.” He sat down at the edge of Gavin’s desk. “Did you know Sang were a plague?”

“I vaguely recall from history.”

“Yeah, guess what was missing from the book?”

Gavin rubbed his hands down his face and kicked his feet up on the desk. “I’m going to guess the part that explains where babies come from.”

“Yeah.”

“Calla is the first female infected. My guess is, that’s not coincidence.” After a moment’s pause, Gavin’s stare met Logan’s. “Only one thing differentiates Calla from any other Alexi female on the street. They think she’s a virgin.”

Logan scratched the back of his head. “Not … anymore.”

“They don’t know that.” Gavin kicked his feet down and rose to stand beside Logan. “Which means, you better get your ass out there and find her.”

CHAPTER 40

Calla wiped the blood from her lips and dropped the body to the wet pavement. Raindrops fell on her victim’s face, diluting the blood as the red bulbs disappeared beneath his chin.