Sawyer wondered if Caleb would push the plunger and dump the entire syringe’s worth of blood straight into the creature’s neck. If the disinterested expression on Jake’s face was any indication, then the answer to that was yes.
He was getting the feeling Caleb had a screw loose somewhere.
“I don’t know his real name,” Kajus said a few moments later, swallowing hard as Caleb jiggled the needle in his neck again. “No one ever told me, and I never asked. Everyone calls him Boc.”
Sawyer remembered hearing the term years ago when he’d been in Odessa. It loosely translated to boss in Ukrainian. Kind of literal, but he supposed it made sense. At least it was something to start with. If nothing else, they could dig into known traffickers with a Ukrainian background.
“He has a lot of people working for him, both humans and supernaturals,” Kajus added. “I get the feeling trafficking is a side business for him, but I have no idea what else he’s involved in.”
“Where’s he based?” Jake asked.
The vampire tried to shake his head, but then thought better of it. “I don’t know. He shows up to talk to us whenever he wants, then leaves again.”
“Is he a supernatural?” Sawyer said.
“Not that I can tell,” Kajus said.
“Is anyone else ever with him?” Caleb asked. “Like a lieutenant?”
“There’s a woman,” Kajus said. “Dark hair, dark eyes. Pretty, French. I think her name is Brielle. I don’t know her last name, but she’s always with him when she’s not out with the tracking teams. She doesn’t talk much, but somehow she always seems to know where to look for the freaks we’re after.”
Sawyer got the feeling Kajus had been hired for his muscle because he obviously wasn’t very observant. Sawyer wouldn’t be surprised if the vampire didn’t know the full names of any of the people he worked with. He probably considered them takeaway meals he wasn’t allowed to eat.
“You knew exactly when we were going to be down in those tunnels below the Central Market, didn’t you?” Sawyer asked.
When Kajus hesitated, Caleb moved the needle back and forth, grinning at the creature.
“Yes,” Kajus said. “We knew when you’d be there, what your entry points would be, and your route through the tunnels. The kids were bait, and our job was to split you up and take out as many of you as we could.”
“How did you get this information?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know where Boc got it. He just called and told us where to be and what to do.”
Caleb shoved the syringe deeper. “You don’t know much of anything, do you?”
“I know where the auction is!” Kajus shouted, as if he knew that Caleb was getting tired of his lack of useful information. “I can tell you if you let me go.”
Sawyer glanced at Jake. There was absolutely no way in bloody hell they could let the vampire walk out of there. Every person the creature attacked and drained from this point forward would be on them. There was no way Sawyer could live with that and he doubted the other werewolves could either.
“We aren’t letting you go,” Jake said. “But if you tell us something worthwhile, we’ll make sure you go someplace where you’ll be allowed to live and provided with the blood you need.”
Sawyer frowned. What kind of place was Jake talking about? Sure, the Americans obviously had a head start on this supernatural stuff, but were they so far along they had a place that not only held vampires but provided them with blood? That was kind of creepy.
Kajus hesitated. “The auction is being held in the Meteora in Greece. Boc has arranged for access to one of those old cliff-top monasteries. They film a lot of movies there, so he told them that’s what he was doing, figuring no one would be suspicious when they see a lot of people coming and going.”
Sawyer could already envision the kind of place Kajus was talking about. He’d seen pictures of the monasteries on those mountains before. The thought of trying to sneak into a place that remote and difficult to access made his gut tighten. “When is the auction?”
“In three days,” Kajus said. “Collectors from all over the world will be there.”
“Like who?” Sawyer prompted.
“I don’t know,” the vampire said. “I’m not important enough to have access to that stuff. That’s all I know. I swear!”
Sawyer threw a look at Jake, then Caleb. Both of the other werewolves nodded, probably thinking the same thing he was. The vampire honestly didn’t have any more information to give them. Caleb yanked the needle out of the vamp’s throat without another word.
Kajus was starting to relax when Harley walked in, the little girl, Maya, holding fiercely on to her hand as they approached the table and the restrained creature sitting there.
The thing’s black eyes went wide and he strained against his bonds. “You never said anything about knocking me out! Keep that freak away from me!”
Harley led Maya around the table to the creature’s side. At an encouraging nod from Harley, the girl reached out and touched the vampire’s hand. There was that barely felt thud through the air, followed by the pulse of silver light, then Kajus was out cold, sagging against his restraints. Thankfully, Maya didn’t pass out this time, but she still looked exhausted. Harley bent down to pick her up and snuggle her close. Something in Sawyer’s chest twinged at the sight. Harley was a natural when it came to nurturing children. She’d be a great mother someday.
“Now what?” Harley asked as Maya sleepily rested her head on her shoulder.
“First we get the vampire packaged up and headed back to the States,” Jake said, pointing at Kajus. “Then we head to Greece.”
Sawyer stood. “Without either of our support teams.”
Harley looked shocked, but Jake interrupted before she could say anything. “We have a leak somewhere in either STAT or MI6. That’s how we walked into that ambush last night.”
“And since it wasn’t anyone in that maze with us, it has to be someone on the support teams,” Sawyer added. “It will make our jobs a lot more difficult, but we’re going to have to do the rest of this mission on our own. At least until we figure out who the leak is.”
Harley sighed, but didn’t look comfortable with the idea. “Okay. McKay has transportation home for the kids, so I need to get them ready.”
Sawyer watched her leave before trading glances with both of the other werewolves. “I hate to even think about what I’m going to say, but I have to call my branch chief and somehow explain why my MI6 team is going off the radar.”