EXPLOITING AJ

by Tl Reeve

  Fucking hell, guys. Hurry the hell up.

  Thomas was about to lose his shit. Noah was picking Federales off left and right as they continued to open fire on the people inside the club. Oscar, better known as Santiago, joined Thomas along with Miguel as they moved through the club trying to find Scotty. The initial blast had thrown Amelia and him from their chairs and sent them sprawling, but she’d quickly jumped to her feet and stuck close to him.

  Scotty, however, had disappeared in the darkness. Without a way to see him or communicate with him, they were all fucked. He pulled a 9mm from his ankle holster while Santiago threw Miguel an AK-47. They tried to push the patrons through the door while also returning fire. So far, they weren’t even making a dent in the officers who were fucking them over. Plus, if they didn’t stop the bastard with the flash bangs, it wouldn’t matter where they were, because they’d be blind.

  Another one of the canisters was shot into the club, Thomas used his coat to shield him and Amelia as it exploded. He stared down into her tear-filled brown eyes and saw the abject fear there. She’d lost her best friend, her family, again. This time, she may never get him back and that... Fuck! The leash holding back Thomas’ fury snapped. He barked into the comms as he pushed through the dead bodies and those injured by either the falling debris or from the gunfire.

  “Kill the bastard shooting off the flash-bangs,” he snarled.

  “Trying to,” Noah said. “Fucker is quick. He’s in the turret of the Bearcat. It’s like playing whack-a-mole.”

  “Where’s Hannah?” Murray shouted. “I lost her in the blast.”

  “Same for Christian,” Luca snapped. “This shit has got to come to a fucking end.”

  “Who fucking snitched?” Duncan said. “What fucking Federales got jumpy?”

  “Don’t give a fuck right now,” Thomas said. “I’m blind in here, and I can’t find our targets.”

  “Secure the scene by all means necessary,” Asher’s voice cut through the communications. “We’ve been given authorization through the Mexican government and the US government. There is a Mexican Special Forces group inbound. ETA Five minutes.”

  “Thank fuck,” Noah said. “Roger that. You heard him, everyone. Hold your position and keep the Federales from advancing. Make sure you reacquire the targets. Your mission has now changed from a recovery to an active mission. Take out the enemy.”

  “Roger that,” Thomas said, glancing down at Amelia. “You ready to kick ass?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Suck it up, baby girl. It’s time to go to work,” he said, handing her his gun. “Protect yourself and don’t get killed.” He kissed her then. Sure, it was a basic action-hero move, but his blood was pumping and, later, he’d blame it on the heat of the moment.

  Santiago whistled, catching Thomas’ attention. He threw another AK-47 in Thomas’ direction. Thank fuck for small miracles. He cocked the rifle and brought it to his shoulder as he pushed Amelia in a direction of safety while also shooting at the Federales who’d begun firing on the civilians trying to get out of the building. What a cluster fuck. He hadn’t used an AK-47 since his days in training. Sure, he had to know how to use one in case he went out on a take down, but it’d been years since he operated one.

  The pop of another flash-bag drew his attention as the person in the turret of the Bearcat snapped forward in a violent manner. “Cover!” He spun sideways and used his jacket to cover his eyes as the flash-bang went off.

  “Got the sneaky bastard. Oh, fuck!” Noah barked. “You need to get your asses out of there now!”

  “What’s wrong?” Murray asked.

  “They’ve got explosives. They’re going to take the building down.”

  “Isn’t that too much attention?” Amelia asked.

  “Not if you already have a narrative set,” Noah said. “Shit. Asher, you seeing this shit?”

  “Yep, eye in the sky is right above you,” Asher answered. “ETA for team is two minutes. They’re being updated as we speak.”

  “I’m on it,” Santiago said, running toward the gaping opening where the doors once stood. “Keep them off of my ass, will you?”

  “Roger that,” Miguel said. “I’m right on your six.”

  “Split up,” Murray said. “Priority are the targets. Use lethal when needed, otherwise, walk away.”

  “Roger that,” Thomas said.

  “Roger that,” Amelia added, staring up at Thomas. Her breath came in harsh pants. Her makeup was a mess. Grime and grit covered her face and arms. The pretty red dress he’d bought her was ripped and torn, covered in blood and other things he didn’t want to think about. She was his Valkyrie standing there.

  “Keep your shoes on. It’s a bitch to run in heels, but it’s better than fucking your feet up.”

  She nodded. “I will.”

  “Everyone, if you find one of the targets call it out,” Thomas yelled. “The meter’s running and we’re almost out of time.”

  “Why do I feel like we’re in a Die Hard movie?” Murray grunted. “You know, it's one of the better Christmas movies ever made.”

  Thomas shook his head. “It’s not a fucking Christmas movie. Focus, please.”

  Murray chuckled. “It’s totally a Christmas movie.”

  “Special Forces is here,” Noah said. “Target has been neutralized.”

  Thomas let out a breath. “Roger that. Don’t let your guards down, though. We don’t know who is friend or foe in here. And someone get me some fucking light.”

  “Working on it,” Duncan said.

  Thomas stepped over another turned over chair, trying to orientate himself. Though he’d done a good job of protecting his eyes from the flash-bangs, his ears on the other hand were still ringing and it was as if he heard everything through cotton stuffed into his ears. A muffled cry drew his attention as three Special Forces members entered the premises.

  Amelia stood where they’d been sitting. In her hands were a pair of glasses. Most specifically, Scotty’s glasses. Thomas’ gut clenched. His heart sank. No. He lost his glasses in the attack. They weren’t broken which meant they probably fell off when everything went to hell in handbasket.

  “We’ve got Scotty’s glasses.” He hurried to Amelia’s side. “Where the fuck is my light?”

  “Here,” Duncan said, turning on one of the giant spotlights.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the hint of brown hair peeking out over the edge of the stage. He narrowed his eyes. The platform stood at least a good eighteen or twenty-four inches off the ground. His heart lodged in his throat. Could it have been so easy? Had they missed all of them in all the chaos? He grabbed Amelia by the arm and maneuvered through the fallen debris and bodies strewn across the floor. By the time he reached the stage, his heart hammered, and tension filled him.

  Amelia gasped. “Blood.”

  Thomas glanced down and followed the trail around the side. “Hannah? Christian? My name is Thomas Kaine, I’m with the FBI. I’m here with your brother, Murray and your sister, Jaqueline to rescue you.”

  A woman peered up at him. Her cheeks were smeared with blood and dirt. A boy beside her poked his head up as well. Both were frightened out of their minds and he couldn’t blame them, so was he. At first, they didn’t say anything. He didn’t expect them to, they’d been through a traumatic situation.

  “AJ?” the woman said. “Is there an AJ?”

  “Here,” Amelia answered. “I’m right here. Is... Is Scotty with you?”

  The woman nodded. “He’s been shot.”

  Amelia bit back a sob. “How bad?”

  “Calf,” the woman said. “I-I tied it off and put pressure on it. He-he passed out.”

  “Noah, get me a medic and an ambulance. Looks like we’re going to a hospital,” Thomas said.

  “On it,” Noah answered. “How bad?”

  “Not sure, but Scotty’s had the shit beat out of him, too, so the primary injury could be causing additional issues
with the secondary wound,” Thomas answered, hurrying to the side of the stage.

  “Understood,” Noah replied. “Standby.”

  Thomas smiled down at the woman. “You must be Hannah. Your brother has missed you.”

  A sob broke loose from her as she launched herself into Thomas’ arms. Her jagged cries ripped at his heart. Thomas wrapped his arms around her while Amelia joined him and went straight to Scotty.

  “Hey now,” Thomas said. “You’re safe. You’re all safe now. Murray, you want to come see your sister?”

  “Already here, fucker. Let her go.” Murray nudged Thomas with his leg.

  Thomas eased back and Hannah pushed herself onto the stage then stood, surprising all of them. She wobbled on her legs as though she were a newborn gazelle then once she caught her balance, launched herself into Murray’s arms.

  “I told you, I’d always come for you, brat.” Murray held Hannah close. “Fuck, look at you. You’re not a teen anymore.”

  Hannah gave a watery laugh. “I can’t believe you’re here. Is this a dream?”

  “If it is,” Murray said, “I never want to wake up.”

  “Christian?” Jaqueline hedged, her voice a little reedy. “Mijo?”

  The boy lifted his head and Jaqueline gave a shout of surprise and excitement. The boy held his hand out to her, and she picked him up off the floor. Like a doting mother, or big sister, Jaqueline touched him everywhere while speaking softly to him in Spanish. The boy nodded a few times. Then he began to sign.

  “I taught him SSL,” Hannah said. “Spanish Sign Language. I thought it would be easy for him to learn. I... I can teach you, too, if you want?”

  Jaqueline bit her bottom lip and dashed away a few tears. “Yes. Please.” She held her brother’s face between her hands. “I missed you, Christian. I missed you.” The boy wrapped his arms around her, holding her close while she cried.

  Thomas glanced down at Amelia who held Scotty’s head on her lap. The guy was out of it, if the amount of blood on the floor was any indication, it could be due to blood loss. He went to her then, kneeling beside her. “You heard Noah, he has a medic on the way.”

  She nodded. “I can’t believe how close we came to almost losing him—twice.”

  “Me, too. However, we didn’t. He’s right here. A bit worse for wear, but we got him back.” Thomas pushed a lock her of hair behind her ear. “And, we’re not letting him out of our sight for a long time.”

  “Yeah.” Her bottom lip trembled. “He’s grounded.”

  Thomas chuckled. “Both of you are. I think I lost ten years worrying about the both of you.”

  She tried to laugh except she began to cry instead. Thomas wrapped her in his embrace, and she pressed her cheek to his chest as she wept. He didn’t know how long he held both Scotty and Amelia before the medics arrived, but he didn’t want to let them go, even though he had to. Giving the medics room—breaking the connection all three of them had—messed Thomas up, however, Scotty needed medical attention. Thomas whispered to Amelia while pulling her back, to his chest. The lead medic cut open the pant leg covered in blood, revealing affected area of Scotty’s injury. When Thomas saw the wound, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was a through and through and it appeared to have gone through the fleshiest part of his calf muscle.

  “We’re going with them,” Thomas said to Murray.

  “We’re following with these two. We’ll meet you there.” Murray clapped Thomas on the shoulder. “The paperwork for this shit, amirite?”

  Thomas snorted. “Fucking paperwork.” He loosened his tie as he looped his arm around Amelia’s shoulder. “They don’t pay me enough.”

  “Anyone see where Luca went?” Jaqueline said.

  “I thought he was with you guys,” Amelia answered.

  “Not us,” Murray replied. “The fucker is like a ghost.”

  “Or he knew what was about to happen and he got the hell out of Dodge,” Amelia muttered.

  “Or, he’s around here trying to help everyone,” Murray stated.

  “No, he’d get the hell out of here to keep up pretenses for the cartels. Can’t be seen talking to the good guys or in the fallout from something like this,” Thomas reminded them.

  “You’ve got a point.” Murray stepped out of crumbling shell of the club with the remainder of their team along with Christian and Hannah. “What a fucking night.”

  And, it wasn’t even close to being over.

  “Get in,” Noah hollered as he pulled up in a blacked-out SUV. “I’ll get you to the hospital where they’re taking Scotty. Seems Rae knows people.”

  “Guess an in-house doctor has some perks after all,” Murray teased getting into the back of the vehicle with Christian, Hannah, and Jaqueline.

  “Fucker,” Asher grumbled. “Everyone present and accounted for?”

  “We are,” Noah said when Amelia and Thomas got in up front. “We’re following the ambulance now.”

  “Good. Report in when you have an update.”

  “Roger that,” Noah answered before pulling out his earpiece.

  Everything fucking hurt. This is worse than being drugged. The last thing Scotty remembered was Hannah pressing down on his leg and then, nothing. His heart hammered against his chest. Where was he? Had someone taken him again? Had they been caught? Where were AJ and Thomas? His body was heavy, as though it were being weighed down by something unseen.

  Scotty cocked open an eye and grimaced. Yep, worse than being drugged. At least this time his head didn’t hurt, and his stomach didn’t feel like it would detach itself from his abdominal wall and exit out of his mouth every time he moved. However, he was in agony. Hell, it has to be hell. The back of his leg burned like a son of a bitch and something was poking him in the arm, restricting his movement. He opened his eyes again and a bright, white light filled his vision. Where the fuck am I?

  He lifted his hand and frowned when it didn’t move very well. He tried again and felt a stitch in his side. What the hell? He forced his eyes open again. The white blob of light took shape and he could make out four yellow walls, but everything else was a blur. He reached for his glasses then remembered he’d lost them sometime during the auction. Fuck me. Now how am I going to see? He rolled his head to the side and found a petite form beside him. He touched her head and smiled. He knew that hair anywhere. AJ. She was with him. But it didn’t explain where he was. She stirred beside him and gripped his hand before she shoved an object into them. In an instant, he realized what it was. His glasses. Scotty slipped them on, and the room came into focus.

  Hospital?

  She nodded. We brought you here. She lifted her chin in the direction of the window. There sleeping in a very uncomfortable position was Thomas. He still wore the tux he had on for the auction. When he looked at AJ, he noticed she still wore the same red dress. You’re messed up.

  That bad, huh?

  “Thomas,” AJ said. “He’s awake.”

  Thomas opened his eyes. At first his gaze was distant then, as though he realized where he was, he lifted his eyes to Scotty. The man was exhausted. Worried. The strength he’d glimpsed more than once in Thomas’ eyes had dimmed. About time.

  Scotty grinned. Where are we?

  “Juarez. A small hospital. One of Rae’s friends,” Thomas said while signing. “You gave us a scare.”

  Scotty grimaced. Sorry. I protected Hannah and Christian.

  We know. AJ took his hand.

  You went to surgery when we arrived. Thomas stepped closer to Scotty. You had a subdermal hematoma where your ribs were broken, hence why it wasn’t healing properly. The doctor drained it. Your calf will heal on its own.

  Well... Damn. He glanced between Thomas and AJ. How long here for?

  Two days so far. Rest up to you. AJ grinned. Hope soon. I want to go home.

  So did Scotty. Today.

  Thomas pressed his hand to Scotty’s shoulder. “Take your time. We don’t have to hurry.”

  Where is everyone? />
  “At the ranch with Jaqueline,” AJ said.

  Oh. Hannah and Christian?

  Safe, AJ signed. Rest. We have tons of paperwork when you’re ready.

  Oh, joy. Love you.

  AJ smiled. We love you, too.

  Chapter 12

  Two weeks later...

  It was good to be home. AJ stretched as she rolled over. Since they arrived in Virginia Beach, they’d been staying with Thomas at the hotel. Murray, on the other hand, chose to remain with Jaqueline in Mexico. She’d seen the writing on the wall during their dinner together with Luca. The man had it bad and it appeared he took a little bit of his own advice—went after the girl.

  She was happy for them. She also knew the next few months, probably years would be the hardest for all of them. Hannah and Christian had skeletons in the closets from their ordeal being held in that fucked-up club, she refused to give name to. Just thinking about it made her sick to her stomach. Although, due to the structural damage the building was no more, however, the memories would linger.

  Plus, after the information Murray found with using LIDAR, the government had begun excavating the site. So far, since they’d returned home, a team of forensic agents had found two burial sites. Like everything else in Mexico, there was a backlog at the M.E.’s office. Thankfully, Asher had a portable forensic office setup and the process for identifying the bodies went smoother than expected. Of all the remains found at the site, at least half were identified. Of those, a quarter of them had a cause of death recorded on their death certificates.

  Which brought her back to them. Scotty, her, and Thomas. AJ had no intention of keeping what happened between her and Thomas a secret. Scotty should know the truth. Seeing Scotty laying on the floor, bleeding and passed out, brought home how much she loved him and the reality of not being able to choose between Scotty and Thomas.

  She wanted them both.

  She opened her eyes and peered up at Scotty then glanced over her shoulder at Thomas. She also figured out how much each man meant to her, too. Those first few moments when the lights went out and gunfire erupted around them, she feared the worst. She’d lost both of them. Then Thomas found her and together, they located Scotty with Hannah and Christian. It would have been so easy to leave the minute they stepped out of the room where Scotty had been kept. Instead, they’d stuck with the mission and in the long run, saved several lives.