“All but one. He wasn’t with us when we first started out. I spoke with him last after the rest of my crew had signed on. He went out in a blaze of glory.” Billy motioned toward the door. “Your mercs told me I had two minutes. They have to keep us segregated. I get that. I’ll see you on the other side, brother.”
“Take care of yourself, Billy.” Asp shook the man’s hand and watched him walk back through the door. He knew chances were he’d never see the man again.
Several Guardian team members walked into the room, moving to the side to let Billy pass. Asp recognized one from a previous operation. “Duke, how’s it hanging?”
“Low and heavy.” Duke stuck out a hand and Asp took it. “That your kill?”
Duke’s team member stepped over the body and took out a digital camera. Asp, Thanatos, and Lycos all grabbed for the device at the same time. “Whoa! Dude, what the fuck?”
Duke chuckled. “Shadows don’t like cameras, dumbass.” He nodded his head toward the man who’d pulled the camera. “F.N.G.”
Asp took the camera and scanned the disk. He handed it back to Duke. The fucking new guy, as Duke labeled him, paled and swallowed hard. “Have you gotten any intel from Billy’s crew?”
“Haven’t even started questioning them. Something specific you’re looking for? I’ve got one of the best interrogators in the business with me.” He glanced at the man beside him. “Go get Giovanni.”
“Roger that, skipper.”
Asp waited until the kid left and nodded toward the paperwork Lycos had stacked. “Keep your eye out for anything, either electronic or paper. We found some interesting information. Not sure if it is useful, but…”
“Oh hell, believe me, we learned how to process a scene from Jared King himself. When we were taking down that human trafficking ring, he and his people ran a scope up our evidence collection process.” Duke laughed and shook his head. “It was a pain in the ass, but those bastards are off the streets now.”
“You called for me, skipper?” The soft, sensual female voice drew every eye in the room.
Duke nodded and held up a finger towards her. “What do you need to know?”
“There were two executions, roughly four days ago. An old man, Mateo Garcia, and his son-in-law. His last name was Gadson. The younger was tortured. Omega team gathered intelligence that the FARC weren’t involved. I need intelligence on who killed them.”
“Do you want to know why?” The woman asked.
“I want the motherfucker who killed them. He’ll tell me the reason why.” Asp had a few tricks up his sleeve. He’d skin the bastard alive to get the answers he needed. This time it was personal.
Her eyes widened, and she popped the gum she’d been silently chewing. “Roger that.” She swung her head to her skipper, totally dismissing the three assassins in the room. “You want me to start with the Company guys or the survivors?”
Duke narrowed his eyes at her. “Who do you suggest?”
“Survivors. They are terrified right now. If I wait, the shock will wear off. Company guys know what’s coming and they’ve been trained to avoid and evade. I’ll get more intel from the ones crapping themselves.”
“Do what you have to do. If you get any information regarding the situation he mentioned, let me know ASAP. Other than that, you run your investigation.”
“Roger, Skipper.” She ducked out of the room.
“Where did you find her and more important does she have sisters—ones who don’t carry automatic weapons? I prefer my women less lethal.” Lycos picked up the papers as he asked.
“She’s one of a kind, and she’s off-limits. I don’t let anyone fuck with my team. Literally or figuratively.” Duke hid the threat with a shit-eating grin.
“Your people must hate you. You’re cockblocking everything and everybody with that rule.” With his arms full he nodded toward Asp. “Get him to sit down before he falls down.”
Asp would have made a smart-ass comment but sitting down sounded damn good. Better yet, being horizontal and sleeping would be heaven. God, that thought was almost orgasmic. But he had shit he had to get done.
“Got him. The barracks are in order. They should be clear by now. I’ll send Doc in to check you out.” Duke motioned toward the door. “Come on, big guy, I’ll escort you to a cot and make sure you get a hot in about twelve hours.”
“I need to debrief first. The bosses need to know what he said.” Asp motioned towards the corpse.
“Hold tight, I’ll get a Sat phone in here.” Duke headed out of the room.
Thanatos brought the rickety ass folding chair over and pointed at it. “Sit.”
Asp shook his head and moved to the wall to lean against it. “If I sit down, I won’t get up. I was running on fumes. I don’t know what the hell’s keeping me upright now.”
“Sit, I’ll get your big ass up or enlist one of those teams to carry you to a bed.” Thanatos pointed at the chair again.
“You know I’m not going to be able to sleep here, right? I gotta find a hole and…” They were shadows. The sooner they got lost, the better for everyone.
“Bullshit. I’ve got you, and so does Lycos. Just get some sleep. We’ve got your back, my brother.”
Duke came back in and handed a brick to him. “Alpha’s online.”
“Sir.” Asp acknowledged his boss.
“The connection is secure. What do you have?” Alpha’s strong, loud voice was jarring in his ear.
“There is a group of six, well, now five, people. The leader is paranoid, Flowers’ words, not mine. I don’t know what they are planning, but it is a conspiracy of some sort. Somehow the economics professor Halo had me kill was involved in the situation. That was the case that caused me to open the black door and expose Halo to his superiors. The professor’s name was Regis Thornton. Flowers, or the man acting as Flowers, indicated Thornton could have helped further their plan but refused. He threatened to expose what was going on, so Halo used me to shut the man up. And we found documents. They mention Stratus.”
“Repeat your last?”
“What did you say?”
“Say again?”
Through the phone, three voices jumbled over the top of each other. He recognized Alpha, Archangel, and Bengal. “Sir, I repeat we found documents that mention Stratus. Lycos has the papers. He’ll get them to you.”
There was a distinct pause at the other end of the line. Asp waited, assuming he was muted and another conversation was going on because of the information he’d conveyed.
“Roger that. Good work. Get some rest and food, or in your case, food and then rest. Is Duke nearby?” Alpha was the one to speak.
Asp chuckled, because, fuck yeah, he was hungry. “Yes, sir. Sir…may I inquire…”
“Omega Team got her down the mountain. She spent yesterday taking care of her family’s funeral arrangements, wouldn't leave until she took care of it herself. We’ve intervened with the government on her behalf. The burial can happen anytime, but she wanted to wait until you could be there. She boarded a plane and is probably in our airspace as we speak.” Alpha knew what he needed to hear. She was safe. Thank God.
Asp let out a long sigh and shook his head. The events of the last seventy-two hours rested heavily on his shoulders, weighing him down. He was crashing, and he knew it. The hand holding the phone started shaking. He glanced up at Thanatos who stared at him intently. “Roger that, sir. Here’s Duke.” Asp fell against the back of the chair and tried to lift the phone. He blinked at his hand and then rolled his head, so he could see Thanatos. The man was on his knees in front of Asp. His lips were moving, but his voice sounded like it was making its way through sludge. He was so fucking tired.
Chapter 23
Lyric stood on a small hill and turned in a three-hundred-sixty-degree circle. The rolling hills to the east turned into mountains in the west. The Black Hills were nothing like the Andes, but the country was beautiful. Cattle dotted the horizon, and every now and then she could hea
r a momma cow calling for her calf. The little buggers were so cute the way they frolicked in the deep grass. She glanced up at the vast blue sky and sighed. It had been three weeks since she’d flown out of Colombia. Three long weeks without Isaac.
Kaeden, the friend Isaac spoke of was, in fact, a very nice man. His wife Sky, and daughter Kadey, had taken her into their newly constructed home. She played with Kadey and her friend Elizabeth, so Sky was free to paint and decorate the beautiful house.
Lyric could imagine a life here. The women who lived here were close. One night a week they got together, drank wine and watched Supernatural. That made Lyric laugh. She’d watched the show before she left for Colombia, and Sam and Dean were still going strong. She’d met many women whose spouses worked for Guardian. There were still others that had nothing to do with the company, but their men worked the ranch. Ranch, heck it was a village. It was bigger than the villages she traveled to in Colombia. Strange how she now compared everything to Colombia instead of Jacksonville. Jacksonville seemed like someone else’s life.
“You okay?” Kaeden’s voice pulled her back to earth, or rather, South Dakota. She turned to watch him walk up the small knoll where she stood.
“I am.” She could acknowledge that. She was lonely, but she was okay.
“I know it isn’t easy. The waiting.” He sat down and stretched out his long legs and leaned back on his arms.
Lyric sat down beside him and picked a stem of grass to play with. “When he called last week, he said he would come to me when he was finished.” Lyric hadn’t asked him how long it would take. She didn’t want him to worry that she wouldn’t wait for him, because she would wait. Forever if need be.
“Thank you, by the way. We don’t expect you to babysit Kadey.”
“I don’t mind. She’s adorable.” Lyric smiled at the surprise the little girl and momma would get if Isaac ever did get her a pony.
“So, you and Isaac, huh?”
Lyric turned to give Kaeden her complete attention. “Yes. Why?”
The man shook his head and then gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “He’s my friend.”
The statement said more than anything else could. Lyric called up images of her lover. First, when she’d nursed him back to health, and then the first time they’d kissed, the first time they’d made love. She felt herself smile and closed her eyes. “You are lucky to be his friend. I don’t think Isaac lets many people close. He’s an amazing man.”
“Who has a tough job.”
Ah, there was the purpose of this visit. Lyric opened her eyes and turned her head toward Kaeden. “I know what Isaac does. What do you want from me, Kaeden?”
He stared at her for several long seconds. “Do you? Do you truly understand what he does?”
Lyric repositioned herself, so she was facing him. “I do. What is your concern?”
“Frankly, I’m concerned you’ll leave him. That you’ll hurt him. He’s a friend. I have, like, five people that can claim that title.”
“Then you have four more people than I do. Isaac Cooper, or whatever his real name is, is my only true friend. There are no guarantees in life, but I know I would rather die than hurt that man.” She cocked her head and asked, “Does your wife know what you do for Guardian?”
“In abstract terms, yes.” He glanced over to where the new house sat nestled against the tree line,
“Abstract terms.” Lyric mused over the words. She knew what her man did. Isaac fought monsters and won. There was nothing abstract about it. “I don’t have that luxury. I’ve seen the ugly reality.” She picked a stem of blue-eyed grass and twirled it between her fingers. “He makes the world safer without people knowing.”
“He does.” Kaeden sat up and brushed his hand free from the dark, fertile earth. “Are you okay with that?”
She was. “The world needs a hero who will battle the monsters that live among us.” She’d made peace with what he did.
“You know what?” Kaeden stood and offered her a hand up.
“What?” She took it an allowed him to help her stand.
“You’ll do, Lyric Gadson. You’ll do.”
“I’m not sure what that means, but I feel like I should say thank you.” She brushed off her hands and jeans.
“No, I need to thank you. Take care of my friend, Lyric.”
“Do you know when he will return?”
Kaeden shrugged. “Any day now. He had a loose end to tie up, but I have a feeling he’ll be back within the week.”
Lyric squeaked in surprise. “A week? Isaac will be back within a week?”
“I believe so. Sky and I took the liberty of cleaning out the Drover’s Cottage.” He nodded and pointed to a small house settled behind the massive barn and next to the main house, an enormous log home with a wraparound porch. “We figured you’d want your privacy. Kadey has terrible timing, and she has no idea what a closed door means.” The man’s cheeks turned a dark red.
“I take it there is a story there?” Lyric laughed as they made their way toward the cottage.
“Oh God, several.” He groaned and rubbed his face with both hands before he laughed.
“You are lucky to have them.” Lyric’s heart lurched. She missed her family. Grief often hit her the hardest when she witnessed others with the ones they loved.
“I am. I almost didn’t have them.” He stuck his fingers in the front pocket of his jeans as they walked. It took almost ten minutes to get to the cottage. They walked in comfortable silence for the most part.
“We can go back up to our house and get your things. We wanted to make sure you were okay with staying here. It isn’t much.”
She stepped inside. There was a kitchenette at the front with a window looking out toward the big house with the porch. To the left of the door as you entered was a small table and two chairs. A loveseat, radio, and bookshelf sat mere feet from the queen-sized bed. She wondered if Isaac’s feet would hang off the end. The thought made her smile. He could spoon her when he slept. That would keep him on the bed.
“It's perfect. Thank you.” She ran her hand across the little table before a thought struck her. “Do you know what Isaac’s favorite meal is? I would like to have it ready for him when he comes home.”
Kaeden’s eyes got large, like silver dollars. “What did you eat in Colombia?
“I made him stew once. But for the most part, we existed off fruit and the protein bars he had in his pack. I never asked him what he liked to eat.” Not that she could really cook that well, but surely the ladies here on the ranch would help her? Right?
Kaeden covered his mouth, and his shoulders moved up and down. A low rumble of laughter filled the small cottage, and the man doubled over, slapping his leg. Lyric had no idea what Kaeden found so funny.
“What do you know how to cook?” When he was able, he gasped and started to compose himself.
“Chicken and rice, slow roasted pork…”
“That, cook that and make oh, about three times the amount you would normally make. Isaac eats anything and all the time.”
Lyric lifted an eyebrow. She doubted that, but Kaeden seemed to think he was right. She couldn’t imagine the man whose entire subsistence for a day was one protein bar would eat to excess the way Kaeden suggested. Isaac had said his friends had harassed him. Maybe that was why he didn't eat much in front of her.
“I want to be a fly on the wall the first time you feed the man. Oh, better yet, invite us down.” He opened the door and shook his head. “Yeah, no. We probably won’t see you two for a week or so, but seriously, I’ll remind Sky to help you stock up on groceries down here.”
Lyric followed him out and closed the door behind her. “Ahh...thank you?”
“What are you thanking him for?” Lyric twirled toward the voice. She recognized the man as Drake. They’d been introduced by several different people.
“She’s never seen Isaac eat.” Kaeden started laughing again.
“Isaac? Who is...oh...oh�
�no way, seriously? How is that possible?” The man joined Kaeden in the joke.
“Field conditions, dude.” Kaeden managed between laughs.
“Well, sh…shoot, that would explain it,” the man conceded. He tipped his cowboy hat towards Lyric. “Nice to have you as neighbor for a while, ma’am.” He nodded at Kaeden. “Make sure she stocks up.”
“I know, right?”
Lyric put her hands on her hips at Kaeden’s agreement. One thing was obvious. According to his friends, Isaac liked food. God, she needed help. She’d ask Sky and maybe Miss Amanda. She was the wife of the ranch owner, and she always brought good food to the Wine & Winchester Wednesdays. Hopefully, she wouldn’t burn down the cottage in the process. No, her mishaps in the kitchen were something from her past she’d like to keep firmly buried. Lyric’s smile faded. She still had to bury her family. Kaeden had assured her they could do it when Isaac got back. She’d bury her father next to her mother and send her grandfather’s ashes to the wind from the mountain shrine where her mother, grandmother and uncles were memorialized. That was his wish and one she intended to honor. She’d like to find someone to engrave her father and grandfather’s names into the granite face beside that of her grandmother and mother.
Kaeden seemed to pick up on her change of mood. He nodded toward the ‘Guardian’ side of the settlement. “Shall we?”
They started down the path together. She watched Drake reach down and scoop up a cat as he headed toward the large house just across the clearing. “I wouldn’t take him for a cat person.” She pointed at the odd couple.
“Yeah, from what I heard, that thing adopted him not too long ago.” Kaeden shrugged. “Cats are self-sufficient, and with the amount of time that man spends at work, a poor dog would pine away.”
They made it back to Kaeden’s house after stopping to visit with others who were out on the warm spring afternoon. Kadey launched herself off the porch at her daddy and immediately started to chatter about her day and adventures. Lyric followed them into the house. This is what she longed for with Isaac—simple times wrapped in love and spent with family. She’d have the possibility for that type of love home, in her arms, within the week. Her heart soared at the prospect.
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