He remembered that when they sat down to discuss the events of the day, while their hosts had been asleep. Mario Gonzalez had raised the stakes and they would answer.
«We can't wait any longer,» Sebastian said decisively. The entire team was gathered around. Steel and Cameron sat together. Matt sat between Christina and Hastings. «With Marc and Atticus safely away, this is up to us now. Gonzalez has to be stopped here. By us. Before he goes after anyone else.»
«I agree,» Cameron said easily. «By hurting the boy today, he was sending us a message. He knows more than we gave him credit for, I'll wager. At least about us.» Cameron's crafty eyes shifted to the mortal at his side. «But I don't think he has a clue about you, Steel. You might be our ace in the hole – if you're willing.»
The former SEAL shifted in his chair. «I hope you're right. And of course, I'll help in whatever way I can.»
«All right then.» Sebastian took control once more. «Let's do this simply. Steel, I want you to call Mario. Get him to meet you at a warehouse I own downtown. Tell him you've got a lead on Christina. There's a caretaker's cottage attached to the guard house on the property of the warehouse. You can say she's been hiding out there since the run-in with her husband.»
«Sounds plausible.» Steel nodded.
«We'll be lying in wait, though Christina will have to be exposed more than I like to get him to take the bait.» Sebastian reached out to cover her hand with his. «I'll be with her. When Mario comes, he'll find us together. Cam, at this point, I hope you'll be nearby.»
«Wild horses couldn't keep me away,» the fey warrior confirmed.
Sebastian turned sad eyes to the werehawk. «Your people have already taken enough casualties in this battle, but we need backup, in case Mario doesn't do as we expect.»
«This is personal now,» Hastings said. «He's hurt my people. We'll be there. I'll have operatives at every perimeter point. Gonzalez won't escape, no matter what happens inside the warehouse compound.»
«Good.» Sebastian nodded. «So that leaves Steel outside near the target, with Christina, myself, and Cameron inside the warehouse.»
«And me.» Matt spoke for the first time, his voice strong and clear, as if he expected an argument.
«No, Matt.» Sebastian didn't make him wait. «You can watch our backs well enough from the perimeter.»
«I beg to differ.» Matt's voice was firm. «Look, you, Steel and Christy have got to be out in the open. Gonzalez is expecting you, but Cam will be hidden, biding his time for the right moment to spring the trap. I propose to do the same. If Gonzalez zigs when Cam expects him to zag, I want to be close enough to redirect the bastard. We can't wait for him to hit the perimeter. We need at least one other person hidden on the inside of the compound to help steer the man in the right direction for Cam to do his thing.»
«The lad has a point.» Cameron scratched his chin thoughtfully.
«I don't like it.» Sebastian bit out the words.
«There is also the fact that I'm connected to you two.» Matt clinched the deal. «If something goes wrong, you can communicate with me without anyone-and I mean anyone-being the wiser.»
The plan worked like a charm. Up to a point.
Mario Gonzalez seemed normal on the phone. Steel called him in for backup, as he had many times before. Mario responded as always with cold efficiency. No hesitation. No questions. Just as it had always been.
Why then, Steel asked himself as they waited within the empty warehouse compound in a desolate part of town, did the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Something wasn't quite right, though he couldn't place his finger on exactly what it was.
«He's coming.» Steel flipped his phone shut and looked at the assembled players. Sebastian and Christy stood arm in arm, Matt hovering nearby. Cameron watched all with a discerning eye and Hastings, as always, looked ready to move. He was finalizing his team on the perimeter and would join them shortly.
«What's wrong?» Cameron asked quietly.
Steel shook his head. «Maybe nothing, but I've got this spooky feeling.»
«You think Gonzalez knows something?»
«At this point, I wouldn't put anything past the man,» Steel said grimly. «I can't believe he fooled me for so long and frankly, I don't trust my own judgment when it comes to him.»
«A wise course when dealing with Venifucus.» Cam's eyes darkened. «It's good to listen to your inner voice. What is yours telling you now, Benjamin?»
Steel was silent for a moment. «Trouble,» he finally said. «There's something bad on the way and my hunch says Mario knows more than we want him to.»
«There's no way to stop the wheels we've put into motion now,» Cameron said with a sigh. «Best we make the most of this opportunity. It will not come again.»
«I'll hit the perimeter now.» Hastings began moving away. «Unless there's trouble, I'll keep my team out of sight until you signal.»
Sebastian nodded. «The rest of you had better go too. Get in position and wait for all hell to break loose.»
«I'll be outside the gate.» Steel turned to go, walking to his agreed-upon position outside, looking in, as if he'd been conducting surveillance. He had a view of them all as he left.
Cameron took off for the concealment of a stack of crates on the other side of the yard. Matt hugged both Christy and Sebastian before trotting off after Cameron. Steel watched them go as he took his position outside, moving around a bit to make it look as if he'd been in the area for a while.
Steel had his senses fully extended, hoping to catch some glimmer from Gonzalez, but when the man appeared at his side about twenty minutes later, he didn't feel even the faintest hint of magic around him. It was unsettling. For the briefest moment, doubt crossed his mind, but then he thought of the people he'd gotten to know over the past few days. He knew them now. He'd witnessed the very real love between the mated pairs and the decency of the other folk. Now way could all of them be deceiving him. He'd been able to sense the magic in the air around them. They had nothing to hide.
Unlike Mario Gonzalez.
«What's up?» the man asked, eyeing the warehouse compound through the fence.
«Christina Kinsey. This is where she went to ground. I checked around and this land is owned by a shell corporation. Ultimately, the owner is a vamp. He's in there with her now.»
«Convenient,» was Mario's reply. It set the hackles on the back of Steel's neck to tingling.
Current Altor Custodis policy was to have two eyewitness accounts to any supernatural surveillance, hence the need for a backup man in the vicinity when Steel was actively investigating. Mario was here to document Steel's observations, and then, if all went as it should, they'd both leave and move on to the next case.
He'd been sent to check out Kelly LaTour's friends, of which Christina Kinsey was one. This lead had panned out and now they knew she was, at the very least, under the protection of a vampire and the facts would be filed with the AC hierarchy. That was supposed to be the extent of his work. Others would be sent to keep tabs on the couple from time to time, now that they'd been identified.
But in the case of the others he'd tagged with Mario as witness, normal procedure flew out the window shortly after Steel left the scene. Mario-if all the evidence was to be believed-had left a bloody trail in Steel's wake from one end of the country to the other.
It would stop here. Tonight.
They watched for a few minutes until Sebastian came out of the small cottage with Christy following behind. He went to his car, removed a few shopping bags and stopped to give Christy a quick kiss before they both headed back inside.