They pulled a set of scrubs from a supply cabinet, which the clan kept there for exactly this purpose. The light blue fabric made the guard look like an escaped hospital patient, which wasn't far from the truth.
Max gathered the man's original clothes and shoes and put them into an insulated bag and zipped it. It wasn't as good as the box, but since they'd already scanned the clothes, he wasn't really worried about that. The phones and tracker were in the signal-proof box, which Theo would deliver to William to take apart.
Max hoisted the unconscious guard over his shoulder in a fireman's carry while Theo grabbed the box and the bag and held the door open for him.
When they emerged from the warehouse, the van's occupants all looked their way through the open side door.
"Did he have any trackers?" Kyra asked.
Max nodded. "In his shoe. But it's in the box." He pointed to Theo. "No signal can go in or out of this thing."
That alleviated some of the tension in the van.
"You see?" Kyra said. "The clan has the best protocols for keeping everyone safe. You have nothing to worry about inside the village. No one can find you there."
"But what if he was there looking for us?" Soraya asked. "That would mean that they know we are in Los Angeles."
"That's not likely," Max said as he climbed into the van with the guard slung over his shoulder, careful not to let his head hit the door frame. "I think it was pure coincidence, but we will know more after we interrogate him. Onegus is meeting us in the keep."
"I'm coming with you," Kyra said.
The dungeon wasn't a place she should see right now. They had prisoners there that the Avengers had brought from the raids on the pedophile rings—more guinea pigs for Ell-rom to test his strange ability on.
"Your sisters need you right now," he said, knowing it was an argument she couldn't refute.
Kyra's shoulders sagged, but she nodded. "Okay. But you call me the moment you know something."
"I will," Max promised.
The guard began stirring again as they pulled into the keep's parking garage.
"Should I?" Theo asked, raising his fist.
"No," Max decided. "He'll need to be conscious soon anyway. Just watch him. If he starts to thrash about, hit him again."
When they reached the lowest level where the clan's vehicles were parked, Jackson waited for the gate to slide open and then eased the van as close to the entrance as he could get.
Max leaned over to kiss Kyra's cheek. "Jackson will take you all back to the village. Get some rest and try to relax." He swept his gaze over the worried faces of her sisters. "It's over. No one knows you are here."
Once he and Theo disembarked with the prisoner between them, the van pulled out, made a K-turn, and left through the gate to start its ascent back to street level.
"Do we put him in a cell or an interrogation room?" Theo asked.
"Interrogation room three is vacant, and it has a cot we can put him down on."
