Gibbs swallowed, considering whether to do his duty or listen to his conscience. He snapped out of it and lifted his radio. “DE Gibbs to main house security, over.”
“Gibbs, goddamn it!” I yelled. “Don’t make me do this!”
“DE Gibbs to main house security, do you copy?”
I looked up at Zeke. “Can you walk?”
He nodded.
I leaned into Zeke’s ear, my voice just above a breath. “Follow the knife markings in the wall. When it stops, turn right. You’ll end up in the warehouse. Walk out the yellow door near the big rigs to the cliff where we found you and your hotshot crew. There’s a dirt bike there. Take 25 north to Black Forest. Second right, two miles on foot you’ll find a car with a full tank of gas. Keys behind the driver’s side tire. Go find my father.”
“In Arizona?” he breathed into my ear.
“We’ll be safe there,” I whispered.
He shook his head. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“Zeke,” I hissed, trying to stay quiet, “you can’t stay here another day. I can take care of myself, remember? I’ll catch up with you.”
He leaned back to look into my eyes, seeming conflicted. Promise? he mouthed.
Tears burned my eyes. “Promise.”
“Do you copy, main house?” Gibbs looked at me in horror then took a step back. The rest of his team did too.
I breathed out a sigh of relief.
“What is this?” Gibbs barked. His tone didn’t fool anyone. He was afraid.
Trex stood next to me, then Kitsch, Sloan, Martinez, and Harbinger climbed out, pointing their rifles at the Deep Echo team.
“It’s a fucking rescue mission,” Trex said. “Didn’t they warn you who we were before we walked the halls here?”
Zeke’s mouth fell open, watching my team train their weapons on the men in front of us.
“You made it,” I said, leaning in as Trex kissed my sweaty, dirty cheek.
One of Gibbs’ men reached for his sidearm.
“Go ahead, peckerhead, I dare you,” Sloan said. “I haven’t gotten a headshot in a while.”
“Stand down,” Gibbs said. He glared at Trex. “You’re all going to federal prison.”
I held up the recorder, letting it play. My voice filled the dark room, then Peter’s.
“I’ll play the game, but your word is worth nothing to me.”
“What if I told you for every hour you spend with me, that is one less hour of Zeke’s contract he must fulfill?”
“That son-of-a-bitch,” Zeke said through his teeth.
“Tell Peter not to follow us,” I said. “I have the entire recording of our conversation uploaded, and if I don’t check in every week, it will go straight to every news network in the world.”
Gibbs glared at me then looked at Trex. “Now what?” Gibbs asked.
Trex kept his eyes on Gibbs and his team but spoke to me. “Get him out of here. We have forty minutes before their comms are back online.”
“Trex,” I began.
“We have a plan B, and you’ve got the recording. I’m sure Bennett will be even more willing to negotiate.”
I hugged him, and he kissed my forehead. “What’s your plan B?”
“We’ll just say I called my old boss in Cali. He’s sending someone. Now, get outta here, and don’t forget about my note. You’ll understand later.”
I nodded then took Zeke into the vent.
As I predicted, we struggled. It took twice as long to get half the distance, and we still had farther to go, but Zeke was hanging in there. When the vent got smaller, that was when I had to reach back and pull him along by the jacket. The alarms began to sound, so I moved faster.
Finally, soaked with sweat, Zeke and I reached the warehouse. I grabbed two helmets, and he sat behind me as I drove one of the ATVs to the smaller door. I jumped off, opened the door, then climbed back on. We soared through the grass and over rocks, only slowing down when we reached the back gate. It was chained.
“What now?” Zeke yelled over the engine.
I got into my backpack, handed him a water, then pulled out wire cutters. I snapped the chain, opened it, and we burst into the night at full speed.
A pair of headlights shined into my eyes, and I gripped the brakes, sliding sideways to a stop just before we hit the small SUV in our way.
A puff of dust and dirt provided enough cover for me to grip the throttle. Just as the engine revved, a man jumped out, pointing a Glock at us.
I slammed on the brakes again.
“Who are you?” he yelled.
Zeke and I pulled off our helmets and I stood, shielding Zeke.
“Your code name!” the man barked. “I’m not fuckin’ around, lady. You have five seconds to tell me what I wanna hear.”
“I don’t…” I began, remembering what Trex said before I left.
“Desert Flower,” I said. “I’m Desert Flower.”
Zeke looked at me, confused.
The man jogged back to the SUV, opened the back door, and flashed his FBI badge. “Get in.”
I turned off the ATV and grabbed Zeke’s hand and my pack, leaving everything else behind.
Zeke got in first, and I scooted in behind him.
“Trex said Sasabe, right?” the man said, slamming on the gas toward the highway.
“My father is in Sasabe. We can hide there.”
“Hope you’ve got an army,” the man said, glancing at me in the rearview.
“I do, actually. They’d be stupid to come for us there.
“I’m guessing your name isn’t really Desert Flower?”
“My name is Naomi, and this is Zeke.”
“You look familiar,” Zeke said, exhausted.
“You okay?” I asked as he lay in my lap.
“Yeah. The water helped. I just need to rest.”
“Don’t die on me,” I said.
“I swore I’d never leave you again. I meant it. I’m feeling better. Plus, my girlfriend’s like … a motherfucking superhero, so there’s that.”
“What if I wasn’t your girlfriend anymore?”
He frowned. “Where is this going?”
“Marry me,” I said, touching his cheek.
Zeke laughed, surprised. “Are you proposing?”
“Doesn’t that sound like something I would do?”
He offered a tired but appreciative smile. “Hell yeah, I’ll marry you.”
I bent down, kissing Zeke’s lips. “I love you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know why, but I love you too.”
“Sleep. We have forever to go.”
Zeke’s eyes closed, and his head wobbled back and forth as we drove over the rocky terrain. He was unconscious within seconds, but I checked his pulse and it was strong.
I sighed, letting my head fall back against the seat. “I can’t believe that worked.”
“Hey… I have medical supplies in the passenger seat if he needs it,” the driver said. “And we’re going to be fine. Trex has an exit strategy, and he tells me you have leverage? We’ve got coverage all the way to Arizona. No one will touch you.”
“Thank you,” I said, keeping my hand against Zeke’s cheek to stabilize his head.
“Is he okay?”
“He’s just sleeping. He’ll be okay once he gets some rest. Trex said he called his old boss. Does that mean you’re with the FBI?” I asked.
“Undercover. My brother sent me. Nice to meet you. My name’s Travis. Travis Maddox.”
the end.
epilogue
Zeke
T
he sky slowly transitioned from a hint of color in the darkness to vivid splashes of pinks and purples. I had to wake up early to appreciate it because I’d been warned that once the sun was in the sky, the Arizona heat would make it difficult to appreciate much of anything.
I turned in the threshold of the open double pivot
doors, seeing Naomi still asleep in bed, one bare leg hanging off the mattress, her cheek smashed against the pillow. Her hair was a mess, but she was wearing my old Metallica T-shirt, and to me—and any other man on earth—she looked like perfection.
A collective yell turned my attention to the bottom of the small hill our cabin was perched on. Naomi’s father, Victor Marcel, was a commanding officer of the Arizona Border Recon, and the squadrons were already in formation at the flagpole that set center to the 200-acre camp. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I was unconscious when we arrived and woke up in their sick bay after dark. I’d been sleeping off and on, but what I was looking at was damn near magical. An organized, sovereign town in the middle of a desert, and I was standing in a cabin I now shared with the love of my life.
“Good morning,” Naomi crooned from behind me. She sat up and stretched, her hair in rats, her skin already darker from the desert sun. In the morning light, at home and away from the Springs, she looked more beautiful than I’d ever seen her. “I called Jenn and let her know you were good. I had to make up a story. I’m sorry I had to lie to her.”
“It’s not like you could tell her the truth. She probably wouldn’t have believed you anyway. Is she okay?”
“She is now. How are you feeling?” Naomi asked, sitting on her knees.
“Good,” I said, unable to stop staring at her bare knees and thighs. “Better every passing hour.”
She tensed. “Has anyone heard from Trex?”
I gestured outside. “They got here at five a.m. They’re staying in the cabin next door.”
“All of them?” she asked.
“All of them.”
She covered her face with her hands, then climbed off the bed and strolled over to me. She wrapped her tone arms around my middle, and her lips touched my neck.
“You look amazing in my shirt. I’m still amazed you got Watts to send my things here on time.”
She smiled sleepily. “I am known to push men to be their best selves.” She touched my cheek. “You look like you’re feeling so much better.” She closed her eyes and let her head fall back, taking in a deep breath. “It doesn’t seem real. We’re going to be okay.”
I wrapped my arms over hers, pulling her tighter against me. “I am. I am better. Does that mean I have something to look forward to tonight?”
As I nuzzled her neck, she giggled. She was a different woman behind the safety of the Recon’s fences. It didn’t take me long to realize why.
“All right,” Vincent said in his low, gruff voice. He stepped onto our wooden porch, his reddish-brown handlebar mustache bordering the large cigar in his mouth. He clamped the unlit tobacco in his teeth. “It’s too early for that shit.”
Naomi wasn’t tense in the presence of her father, instead relaxing against my chest and raking her hair back with her fingers.
“How’s he feeling?” Vincent asked.
“Dad. Ask him, he’s right here,” Naomi said.
Vincent hesitated, but when he decided to address me, he looked me in the eyes. “Any improvement, Lund?”
“You can just call me Zeke. Everyone else does,” I said.
Vincent eyed me, waiting for the response to his question.
Naomi giggled. “No one has a first name here except him. Even Foley.” She looked at her dad for validation.
Vincent gave her a courtesy nod.
“Foley is…?” I asked.
“The HMFIC,” Vincent said.
I looked at Naomi, and she obliged. “Head Mother Fucker In Charge,” she said. “Dad’s militia was first organized in the US, but Tim Foley runs the Arizona Border Recon. Dad’s people merged with the ABR. Dad can turn an altar boy into a bad ass, but Foley is more organized.”
Vincent didn’t appreciate the remark, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he chewed his cigar before talking. “I asked about Lund because we’ve got incoming.”
Naomi’s demeanor and posture instantly changed. “When?”
“They’re about fifteen klicks out. A US military caravan kicking up a lot of dust.”
“Oh shit,” I said, my eyes dancing between Naomi and Vincent.
She held her palm against my chest. “We’ll be okay. Short of blowing us to shit, they can’t breach our walls. Plus, I have a deterrent.”
“A what?”
Below, the previously organized squadrons were now running to various stations, guns in hand.
“You think it’s Peter?” I asked.
“Of course it is,” Vincent growled. One corner of his mouth turned up. “I’ve been waitin’ for that little shit to come at me for a long time.”
“Dad,” Naomi warned, watching Vincent walk away.
She turned, rushing to the closet. In less than a minute, she came out in a tan shirt and desert camouflage utility pants, the pattern different than I’d seen on any soldier. Her elbows were forward as she tied her hair into a low bun and fastened it with the black band she’d held between her teeth. She bent over to tie her boots, then stopped abruptly to look at me. “You coming?”
“Uh … yeah. Yeah.”
“They put clothes for you in the closet. Hopefully they fit. We don’t have time to stop at the tailor.”
“You have a tailor?” I asked, following her into the closet.
Once dressed, Naomi led me outside and down the hill. I could tell she was making mental checks of my breathing. She grabbed for my hand once, slyly holding my wrist while she checked my pulse.
The longer I walked and the harder my heart worked, the more excited I became. I wasn’t winded or dizzy. I felt strong, but as thrilled as I was, I couldn’t ignore Naomi’s contagious grin.
“What?” I asked.
She bit her lip. “I don’t know. I think it’s a combination of being home, being here with you, and facing off with the US government.”
“That’s a good thing?”
She shrugged. “It reminds me of my childhood.”
I frowned, letting her pull me along to the front gate where a group of forty or fifty militia were standing with her father, and that was only a section of their militia.
Foley radioed from his position. Everyone was where they were supposed to be, ready for anything.
“Mornin’,” a deep voice said behind us.
Naomi turned and jumped into Trex’s arms. “Trex!”
Trex laughed, and Sloan, Kitsch, Martinez and Harbinger chuckled behind him. She let him go only to hug the other four.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said to Harbinger.
“You think Caroline would want it any other way?” he asked.
“I was supposed to tell you as soon as possible. The Alpines send hugs and kisses.”
“Do they know?” I asked.
Trex glanced at Naomi. “They know you had a procedure and you’re here with Naomi while you heal, and probably for the foreseeable future.”
I nodded. “That’s all they need to know.”
Someone from the gate yelled, signaling the arrival of the caravan. Vincent and Foley climbed up.
“Morning, Vincent,” Peter’s voice came over a megaphone.
“Senator Bennett,” Vincent said. “Lovely to see you, as always.”
“You know why I’m here. I’m afraid you have someone who happens to be property of the United States Department of Defense.”
“And who might that be?” Vincent asked.
“Zeke Lund,” Peter said without hesitation. “We know he’s here. If you’d kindly turn him over, we’ll turn around and be on our way.”
“He is indeed here,” Vincent said. “He won’t, however, be traveling back with you today. You see, he’s had several illegal medical procedures, and he’s healing inside our impenetrable compound. As a citizen of the United States, it’s the priority of the Arizona Border Recon Militia that Mr. Lund’s rights are upheld, and as such, you’ll be turning your sissy ass around and headin’ on back to your
desk job.”
“Impenetrable? You may have noticed, Vincent, that I didn’t come alone,” Peter said, amused.
Vincent seemed unimpressed. “You know what I don’t see? Tanks. That’s the only thing getting you inside these walls.”
“Send him out, open your gates, or become an enemy of the United States, Vincent. Militia laws don’t cover that.”
Vincent smiled and chewed his cigar. “Do what you will, Senator.”
“Don’t be a fool, Vincent! Your daughter’s behind those walls!” Peter yelled, his voice cracking.
Naomi climbed up, standing next to her father. Peter was surprised for just a few seconds before starting to speak, but Trex, Sloan, Martinez, Kitsch and Harbinger joined them, and I followed suit.
“Come out, Zeke,” Peter said, his voice calm. “You don’t want anyone dying for you, do you? Come back and finish your contract. Simple as that.”
Naomi took a step in front of me. “He’s staying.”
“We’ll come in and get him if we have to, Naomi. Don’t make me do this,” Peter said. “Because I will.”
“Don’t make me shoot you in the face,” Naomi said. “Because I will.”
“You’re not serious,” he said.
She cocked her sidearm, but kept it pointed at the ground. “Try me.”
“You’ll all be arrested!” Peter yelled, waving his arm around.
“Did I ever tell you what I got Naomi for her birthday last year?” Vincent began. “Of course not, because I don’t talk to trash like you. But I’ll tell you now. I bought her a recorder. It’s a tiny thing. Fits inside a shirt pocket or under your sleeve. Have you ever said anything to her you didn’t want to go public, Peter? Think about it. Anything about your personal life? How you’ve misspent tax dollars for a crush? How you’ve manipulated, lied, and put lives and entire military operations at risk because you’re a goddamned infant who can’t stand to share his toys?” Vincent patted Naomi on the back. “Not that you’re a toy, baby girl. No offense.”
“None taken,” Naomi said, glaring down at Peter. “Leave. I’ll send those recordings to every major news outlet from Fox to Al-Jazeera, I swear to God.”
“Naomi,” Peter began, the megaphone away from his mouth.
The Edge of Us (Crash and Burn Book 2) Page 31
