by Cree Storm
The sound of a throat clearing had everyone turning to see who it was. Illan stood at the entrance with both of his mates. Giving a slight nod to Suneth and Wade, Illan said, "Also, you won't be going it alone. My clutch will have your backs for whatever danger you must face."
"As will my blaze," Justice stated.
Avery looked at Wade, saying, "And I'm sure my father would agree when I say, the pixies will also be there for you and your men."
"I do believe you and your men might have a very helpful place in our town, Wade. That is if they are willing, but first, I want to know who you think is trying to kill you all so maybe our men can help," Illan stated firmly then sat down at the table.
CHAPTER 6
“Admiral Savage is my contact with the government. He was my Captain when I first joined the Navy. He was the one who recommended me for Seal training, then followed my career. He’s been a good friend and mentor for many years. Once I decided I was done and wanted to come home, he was the first person I told. Before I came back state-side, he called me in and offered me and my men the opportunity to form this Black Ops team under his command. He is the only one I speak to, and he is the only one who is supposed to know about our team,” Wade explained.
“So no one in the US government knows about you but this man?” Justice asked.
“Not exactly. Certain members of the government know of these types of groups. They are the ones who find these cases for us and get the most intel they can for us before they approach us. If for any reason we don’t feel comfortable with a mission, we can reject it. But these men and woman don’t have a clue who or where we or any of the other teams are.”
“Well, they’re not supposed to know. It’s called plausible deniability if one of these teams were ever discovered and these people were brought before Congress for questioning,” Snake said.
“I am guessing that each of these teams, whoever they are, has a contact in the government, but none of them are the same person?” Suneth asked.
Wade smiled at Suneth and nodded. “You’re right. Our contact is a member of this government group who fishes out cases and together they decide which Black Ops team is best suited for each mission. Then the one designated as that team’s contact gets in touch with them. Or in our case, me. Our contact will never try to contact anyone else on my team, or vice-versa. It’s a safety net. If Savage were to make contact with any of my men, then we would know something was wrong, and the same if any of them tried to contact him.”
“You said on this last mission that something went wrong. That you think your team was set up. So what happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” Illan questioned.
“Everything seemed fine and was going as planned until we hit the village down in Guyana. As soon as we hopped off the chopper and made our way through the forest and into the village, we knew something was off. The intel we had said that the village was an established area, which means that it was an inhabited village full of people and businesses, but once we got there we could see that the village had been abandoned for many years,” Snake replied.
“We could also see that the village was still being used, but not in the normal way. There were signs of car traffic but not much, as well as foot traffic. As we assessed the area, we all came to the conclusion that the village looked like it had been purposely straightened out and cleaned up,” Six added.
“What does that mean?” Illan asked.
“The place hadn’t been lived in for a long time, which means that nature should have taken it back a long time ago, but it hadn’t. Yes, there were weeds growing everywhere and most were big and overgrown, but they should have been covering everything. Especially in that region. Which meant that someone still used the place,” Bullseye said.
“We could also tell that some things were moved, like they had been dragged off and hidden away, like whoever had done it wanted the village to have the appearance of being a working village. One would have to step into the area to realize it was a ghost town,” Shadow added.
“Do you have any idea who could have set you up? Maybe this Admiral?” Justice asked.
Wade finished taking a sip of his coffee, then answered, “That is the one thing I know for sure didn’t happen. I know deep in my bones that Savage didn’t set us up, which makes me wonder if he is being set up as well. And if he is, then I need to warn him.”
“You said no one knows who or where you are but this man and that your men don’t know him,” Illan pointed out.
“If we weren’t in the situation we are now, I never would have mentioned him by name. This is the first time my men have even heard me use his name.”
“I must admit we kind of had a feeling it was Savage, but never knew for sure. Anonymity is the best recourse for what we do,” Flyer said.
“So who else would possibly know about your team?” Suneth asked.
Wade turned his head and looked at his mate. “That’s the question. I put through a call to Savage yesterday, but I haven’t received a reply yet. Which, before you ask, is not out of the norm. Our mission is over, so now we are between missions. When we’re out in the field Savage will contact me back immediately, but with the down time we wait twenty-four hours to return calls.”
“What are you thinking is your next course of action and is there anything we can do to help?” Illan asked.
“That’s why I called in my men. We need to sit and go through every second of the mission from each of their perspectives. Even the smallest thing may help us to figure it out. Once everyone is fed, we’ll head back to my place to start, while Rory goes over all the intel we originally received and anything he was able to acquire, then he’ll do it again as if it were a fresh case and see if he missed anything. Once we have all of that info, we can take the next step. So at this point, there probably isn’t much you can do for us,” Wade replied.
“My men and I are pretty good at warfare and strategies. I offer you any help from us. Maybe if you have a few outside perspectives of those who were not there but know how you all think, we might see something you’re missing,” Suneth offered.
Snake looked around at the others with a raised brow. “That may not be a bad idea, Commander.”
“I agree,” Shadow said. “Suneth is the king of the gargoyles, which are an equally trained faction as any military team. Then, there is the angle that we are all too close to this. This is not just a mission that went FUBAR, this was a direct set up of us so Suneth and his men may be able to see what we don’t.”
Wade sat quietly for a moment as he contemplated what everyone was saying. He knew his men were right, Suneth and his men would probably be the best to help them deal with this and it would also bring their two groups together to work and learn how to operate with each other. With he and Suneth mated, both of their men would be coming together from now on so it might as well start now.
Wade took another sip of his coffee then looked at his mate. “I agree. Our men need to start learning how to work together so why not start now. Can you and your men be at my place tonight around eight?”
Suneth smiled and nodded. “I’ll let them know.”
“Now that that is settled, can we hurry up our grub because I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Flyer grumbled.
“Don’t say that too loud around here, a horse may actually hear you,” Six said and winked at Flyer.
His eyes opened wide, before he caught the smirk Six tried to hide. Flyer grabbed a spoon and threw it across the table at Six, causing him to laugh.
“I’ll go get Twix and let him know we’re ready to order too, and while we eat Illan and I can fill you in on our thoughts for your men here in Crystal,” Justice said cryptically as he stood and headed for the door.
Everyone looked to Illan in question. “Crystal has been having some issues. With Suneth and his team’s help, we all feel a little better about things these days, but our police force could use a boost.”
“Wait a minute, you’re asking us to be cops?” S
nake asked in surprise.
Illan turned to him and replied, “Why not? You have the training already and we need the help. Our force is down to Nash, Angelo, Vik, and Marco.”
“And with the baby, even Marco has been taking quite a bit of time off. We have our boys, Day, Morgan, Jett, Zev, and Finn that step in and help when needed, but there are times when they’re out on a fire and can’t be there to give Nash a hand. Crystal needs a solid police force,” Justice added as he took his seat.
“And, I have already talked to both Nash and Wade about this. With everything that has gone on with the humans in this town lately, I think they may feel better knowing that the police have a few humans who are also more than capable of protecting them,” Illan said.
“You all were saying something about retiring, right? Well, Rory and I feel the same way. But then there is also the fact that our skills could come in handy with helping keep this town and everyone in it safe, human and paranormal alike,” Wade replied.
“So you’re taking this seriously then, Commander?” Shadow asked.
Wade looked to Shadow. “Yes, I am. Crystal is my home and it’s under attack. I can’t in good conscience not help, but that’s my thing, not yours and I wouldn’t expect you to do this just for that. The paranormals have created a new council and they have asked me to be a part of it so that they have a human perspective. I think it’s a great idea and,”―Wade turned to look at Illan, ―“I accept the position. I have also found my mate, so running off to god only knows where, for god only knows how long, and what kind of dangers, is not an option anymore. I have my shop here and I had always planned on coming home and building custom bikes for the rest of my days, and even with all the skills you all have, I would offer you jobs with me, but I don’t think it would be enough to keep you busy. And let’s face it guys, with our personalities we would go crazy if we didn’t have some kind of risk or adventure in our lives and this option would do that for us.”
“I wasn’t liking living in Red Mesa anyway. Crystal seems like a nice place, and I am a shifter after all, so if my kind is banding together to protect our kind, then…what the hell, count me in,” Bullseye stated.
“I fucking hate Alamosa. Not enough going on there for my taste. And even on the rare occasion Six and I run into one another, we have always pretended we don’t know each other. So, sure. If your town officials and the police chief are okay with this, then call me Officer Snake.”
“Amen to that. I’m not thrilled with Alamosa either and there is nothing there holding me. I’m in,” Six replied.
“I can live anywhere, doesn’t matter to me,” Flyer stated. “As long as I can find somewhere to store all my babies and keep flying them, it works for me.”
“I’m guessing this place doesn’t have sharpshooters, but if what you’re all saying about a paranormal war, then maybe you could use one,” Bullseye said.
“You know where I stand, Wade,” Rory said. “Crystal is my home too and I’m not going anywhere. And, it’s been nice helping Nash and the others lately. As well as the people in Maddox.”
Wade knew that even though they had all had enough and wanted to retire and distance themselves from the military, especially after this last mission, that his men couldn’t live without some kind of purpose or excitement in their lives, just like he couldn’t. It was part of their DNA. So when Illan approached him about this, he knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew his men would as well. Wade also knew they would want to stick together. They had spent too much time together over the years to just walk away from one another. They were not only brothers in arms, but brothers.
Wade turned to the last of his team, Shadow, who still sat silently just looking around between them. When their gazes met, Wade knew what Shadow’s response would be before he even uttered a word. He smiled in typical Shadow style and simply said, “I’m in.”
Illan and Justice’s face lit up and Illan smiled as he said, “That’s fantastic. Welcome to Crystal. How about after we finish our meal, we all head over to the station and I’ll introduce everyone to Nash.”
“That would be great. Then we need to find places to live,” Six said.
Justice smiled. “I think I can help you out with that. As Mayor of Crystal, I have a pretty big spread on the outskirts of town. Since mating Illan and Avery, we have just bought another place down the road. The two properties border one another. We were moving into the new house and were going to leave the other until we figured out what to do with it. But, it would be big enough to house all of you very comfortably and there is plenty of land. Enough to build a hanger and airstrip if you wanted. And, Wade and Rory live in the house on the other side, down the road about a mile. Their land butts mine on that side.”
“Wow, that would be great. But, if you already live there and have all that space, why would you buy another right next to it and move there? Is there something wrong with the place?” Flyer asked.
Justice’s eyes saddened and he gave Flyer a small smile. “It was the home I shared with my late wife, Nina. Now that she’s gone and Ethan has a family of his own, as well as my finding my own mates, it just doesn’t seem right for me to expect Illan and Avery to live there. We should have a place of our own. A fresh start. But I didn’t want to give up the other house because it is where Ethan was born and raised.”
Illan turned to Justice and cupped his cheek tenderly. “You know Avery and I would live wherever you lived. It’s the people, not the place. And Nina was a wonderful woman. Her memory should always be respected.”
“I know, love. And the three of us have talked about this. I think it’s the right move for us. And now with Wade’s team moving here, it’s the perfect solution,” Justice replied.
“You’re a good man, mate,” Illan said, then kissed Justice gently.
“Well, I guess that answers a lot, not only Flyer’s question. You’re the Mayor and both of you are part of the paranormal council which means the question of the town officials okaying this is answered, as well as if being gay was okay here, seeing as each of us are gay,” Six said.
Wade smiled. “I told you most of the paranormals in Crystal are gay. There are a lot of gay couples here and in Maddox, so you all would be accepted here. It’s one of the things I love so much about Crystal. We can be ourselves here and not have to worry about walking down the street holding hands and hearing hate being thrown at us.”
“And paranormals are free to be who they are too. You can shift into your animal freely here and not have to worry about the humans. Well, most can. People still find it a little shocking when a dragon flies by,” Rory added.
“And with the recent problem with the hate group, we need to watch out for right now until things settle down,” Justice replied.
“Hate group?” Bullseyes asked, his brow raised.
“We’ll get into that later when you meet Nash,” Wade answered.
CHAPTER 7
As everyone headed into the squad room at the police station, Suneth held back a minute and shot off a text to Ozcog letting him know to have everyone at Wade’s house at eight. Seeing as he just got the man talking, and…other things, he wasn’t prepared to let him out of his sight yet.
“Everything okay, little man?” Wade whispered in his ear as he stood before him and placed his hands on Suneth’s hips.
He smiled up at his mate, secretly loving when Wade called him little man, but only in private, he did have a reputation to uphold. “Everything’s fine. I was just letting my men know about your house tonight.”
“Shall we head in and help with the introductions?” Wade asked, then leaned in and placed a small kiss on his lips. Suneth just wanted to melt against Wade’s strong, broad chest and deepen the kiss, but he knew now was not the time.
“Let’s go,” he replied. Wade took his hand then turned them and headed into the squad room.
Angelo and Vik were sitting at their desks, but Suneth was surprised to see Baldwin sitting behind a desk adj
oining Vik’s that held a placard in the front that bore his name. “You look comfortable there, Baldwin,” he said.
Baldwin smiled as he looked up. “Hey, Suneth. Yeah, I am. After helping Vik with that murder case, Nash offered me a job as a detective and Vik’s partner. How could I turn that down?” He chuckled.
“And this was okay with Dain and Destrain? What about the griffions, I thought you were their commander?” Suneth asked.
“Yeah, I was, but Dain and King Destrain understand and are thrilled for me finding my mate. I’ll still be there for them when they need me, but they have promoted Pelt to leader of the griffions. He’ll do a great job.”
“Congratulations to you. Crystal is lucky to have you here. You and Vik do great work together,” Suneth said.
“Yeah, and once in a while out of the bedroom as well,” Angelo mumbled.
Suneth looked at the cute phoenix with a raised brow and a smirk. He loved how quick-witted and sarcastic Angelo could be. A few of the others chuckled and Angelo looked up from what he was doing.
