I said what's with this place," Kaz barked, his voice raw, his patience thinner than paper. His gaze cut between them like a blade. "And what the hell are those dumb, ugly fucking shades? Somebody gonna answer me?"
The silence dragged. Finally, Kaz's eyes fell on them one by one.
The short chubby one was first—Pips. He'd been the one to greeted Kaz earlier with that same nervous grin, the kind that barely hid his shaking hands. His round face was boyish, with a patchy attempt at a beard, his suit straining against his gut. His power wasn't flashy—just a twitch of instinct that made bullets miss by inches, a knack for slipping past danger without ever knowing how. He'd been a joker in high school, always getting himself and his two friends into trouble, but his loyalty had been the reason the Sharks let him in.
He needed the family. Without them, Pips would've been chewed up by the streets long ago.
Next to him sat Ray, tall and broad with a scar splitting his eyebrow. His knuckles were raw from years of fights, his shoulders rolling with restrained violence. He could controll and manipulate earth, a common but useful power. In high school, he'd been the quiet one, always cleaning up after Pips' antics, the rock holding the group together.
Joining the Sharks had been natural for him. He wasn't a dreamer. He was a man who needed work, and his fists had always been worth something.
The last was Haze. Lanky, with eyes sunk deep into his skull and a constant twitch in his fingers.
His power let him blend into shadows, vanish from sight if he stood still long enough. He'd been a thief before, a street rat who could pick pockets without being seen. In school, he'd been the one who always knew how to sneak out of class or cut corners. Joining the Sharks gave him protection from the people he used to steal from—and it let him put his talents to better use.
They had been friends since they were kids, bonded by trouble, by surviving together, by believing they were untouchable when they had each other's backs. Now, standing in Kaz's presence, they looked like three rats cornered by a starving wolf.
Pips' phone buzzed. He jolted, pulling it out of his pocket with clumsy hands. "Y-yeah?"
Kaz narrowed his eyes.
The voice on the other end was rough, commanding. Joseph. One of the Shark lieutenants.
"Jamie called it in," Joseph said. "Reinforcements. Said that Alexandrov is at the compound. Get every man you can pull from downtown, now. I want them at his location before the Tigers move on us. Don't waste time.
Pips swallowed hard. "Y-yeah. On it."
The line clicked dead.
Kaz's silence filled the air. He waited until Pips' phone lowered, his voice calm but deadly. "What's going on?"
The three exchanged looks, panic flickering between them.
"Just… uh, routine stuff," Riku muttered. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed him. "Jamie needs extra bodies, that's all. Nothing for you to—"
Kaz slammed his palm against the wall, rattling the frames of old portraits. The sound cracked through the hall. "Don't lie to me."
Haze flinched, muttering, "It's nothing—"
Pips broke first, words spilling out in a rush. "They've got Amy and Kimara!"
The air went silent.
Kaz's eyes went dark. His chest rose, fell, the bandages around his ribs straining. "What did you just say?" His voice was quieter now, quieter than death.
"They've got them," Pips stammered, tears already threatening to form. "Grigorovich's people took them. Reina and Dimitri—Zorya's crew—they were spotted. Jamie didn't want you to know. He said you'd—"
Kaz's hand shook at his side. His vision blurred, rage boiling beneath his skin, hotter than the black flames inside him. He wanted to burn the whole damn manor down. He wanted Alexandrov's skull in his hands, crushed to dust.
But he forced himself still. Slowly, carefully, like a man trying not to break the knife he was holding. He straightened, the fury coiling into his veins like venom.
"Where are they now?" he asked.
"They're… they're at the compound," Ray admitted. His jaw clenched. "Some White Tiger lab. Jamie's already moving in with a crew."
Kaz exhaled once. His teeth grit so hard it hurt. "You're battered, boss," Haze said softly. "You shouldn't—"
But Kaz was already walking away, his steps echoing down the hall. He didn't look back. The anger in his veins numbed every wound. All he could see, all he could taste, was Alexandrov Grigorovich's blood on his hands.
He went to his father's old office. His new domain. The air was heavy with the smell of old cigars and dust, books stacked like soldiers along the wall. He stared at one of the cabinets, a grim smile spreading across his face as he opened it.
The view shifted.
Rain poured in sheets over the White Tiger laboratory compound, its walls high and gleaming under the floodlights. Guards patrolled in black coats, rifles at the ready, their eyes sharp against the storm.
Through the shadows, the Sharks moved. Jamie at the lead, his hair slick with rain, his expression cold and focused. Behind him, stood Vali adjusting his gloves, mist curling faintly at his feet. Riko flexed obsidian spikes along his arms, the sheen glinting whenever lightning cracked overhead. Toma lingered in the darkness, her shadowy aura blending her into the storm itself. Daiji tapped a ring on his finger, the sound reverberating like a war drum.
They crouched against the tree line, eyes fixed on the compound like predators stalking prey. Jamie raised a hand.
"Three teams," he whispered, his voice clipped and precise. "Team One stays put. Your job is to wait for reinforcements, and to draw their eyes if we need a distraction. Team Two's priority is the girls. Quick, quiet, efficient, we can't afford any mistakes. Team Three…" he looked at Daiji, then at Toma, "…find the kids they've supposedly been experimenting on. If the Tigers are running human trials, we end it tonight."
The rain drowned out their breathing, the storm swallowing their silence.
"Alright people, Move" Jamie ordered. The Sharks split into the dark, teeth bared, ready to tear into the White Tigers' den.