Delta Force Desire

by C. J. Miller

  The boat pitched as if in warning about following such a risky plan. Griffin caught Kit before she slammed into the door. “Not in this storm.”

  “Do you know how to drive a boat?” she asked.

  “Yes.” More or less. He understood the gist of it. Don’t hit anything and don’t run it aground. “Stay here. Wait for me to get you.” He would have felt better if Kit was with him, but if bullets started flying, he didn’t want her caught in the crossfire.

  “I believe in you. I know you can do this,” Kit said. Those words on the tail end of his confession about his wife meant a lot to him. “If you can, find me a phone, a computer, anything. I’ll send an SOS message to the West Company.”

  “Will do.” Griffin slipped out of the room and waited to hear the door lock.

  With the storm, the crew was focused on steering the boat and keeping it moving through the water. The boat was small enough that it was tossed by the waves. Griffin braced his legs as he walked. His limited experience on the water told him the boat was heaving too far left and right. They could capsize. Was it dangerous to leave Kit in the room?

  Three men were seated in a small cabin near the ladder leading to the upper deck. A quick glance into the room told him nothing about their status. Were they armed?

  The boat pitched again, and Griffin took advantage of the men being off-kilter to attack.

  The first two men scrambled at him, fists swinging. Griffin had twenty pounds on them and years more fighting experience.

  “Get out of the way. I’ll shoot him,” the third said.

  A knockout punch to one attacker and a kick to the other and both were on the ground motionless. The third was holding a gun, aiming it at Griffin.

  Griffin dove for his waist, ripping the gun from his hand and using it to strike him, rendering him unconscious. He left the men in the room.

  Moving stealthily, Griffin climbed the ladder to the main deck. Two men were in the captain’s perch, attempting to navigate the storm.

  He stalked toward them, silence difficult with the boat rocking. One of the men must have sensed his approach. He turned, weapon in hand. He leveled his gun at Griffin and shot him, no warning given.

  The bullet hit Griffin in the shoulder. The heat of the bullet lasted a moment before pain set in. Blood ran down his arm, dripping onto the gun he had stolen. He reached for the weapon with his other hand, preparing to defend himself.

  The shooter aimed again. “Try it and I’ll kill you.”

  “Stop, you fool. They’re wanted alive,” the other man said.

  The shooter lowered his gun. “He came at me.”

  “Put him back in the storage room. Check the others. We’ll hit land in twenty minutes.”

  Griffin’s gun was taken and he was escorted back to the storage room. “Just because there’s a better price on your head alive than dead doesn’t mean I won’t kill you if you make trouble. She’s worth more, anyway.”

  Banging on the door yielded no response from Kit. Cursing, the shooter used his key to unlock it.

  Griffin was pushed into the room and the door slammed shut behind him.

  “Griffin!” Kit knelt next to him on the floor.

  The room was spinning, the dip and sway of the boat not helping.

  “What happened?” Kit asked, her hands scouring his body. At least he could still feel something.

  “Shot in the shoulder.”

  Kit gasped as she looked at the wound. She ran to a box in the room and opened it. “I saw some blankets in here. We’ll use them to stop the bleeding.”

  She pressed a blanket over his shoulder, and he gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t scream in front of her. It wasn’t the most pain he’d been in, but unconsciousness pulled at the edges of his vision. He had to stay alert. He wasn’t much good to Kit in any case, but he couldn’t leave her alone.

  Kit went to the door and tried to open it. It was locked. She pounded her fist against it. “Someone better bring me a first aid kit and bandages. Do you hear me? We need medical help! He’ll bleed to death!”

  Griffin closed his eyes, focusing on staying conscious. How long would mind over matter work?

  Kit returned to him, pressing on his shoulder. He opened his eyes. Tears were running down her face.

  “Hey, stop. No crying. We’ll be fine,” he said. Was he slurring his words? They sounded garbled to him.

  Kit pressed on his shoulder and lay next to him. “Tell me what to do. Just tell me what I can do to fix this.”

  The boat bumped against something hard and then drew to a stop. Kit sat up, her eyes wide with fear. “Did we hit something?”

  The door to the cabin flew open. The man who had been driving the boat pointed to them. “Get up. We have an appointment.”

  * * *

  Kit wiped at the water on her face, wanting to appear strong. Her tears and sweat were mixing with the rain. Griffin was walking next to her, and she didn’t know how he was managing. He had lost a lot of blood from his shoulder. His cheek was swollen and his lip was cut, injuries sustained on the island. He needed a hospital immediately.

  Anger swelled inside her. Anger at Incognito, thinking they could use people in whatever manner they wanted to pursue their cause. Anger at the West Company, which was supposed to protect them. Anger at herself for not being more careful, for not taking the money she had earned working on the Locker and disappearing. She had wanted to be near her family, but once she had made the decision to work on a top secret, dangerous government mission, she had given up her freedom.

  At the end of the dock, a man waited for them. He was dressed in black and in need of a shave.

  “Welcome to our island,” he said. “I am Cypher.”

  Their island? “My... Griffin needs medical attention,” she said.

  Cypher looked at Griffin. “Whether or not he receives it depends on you.”

  “What do you want from me?” Kit asked.

  “You’re a smart woman. You must have figured that out by now.”

  Dread curled in her stomach. “The Locker. You want me to do something with the Locker.”

  “I knew you were smart. Don’t disappoint me.”

  “Griffin needs medical attention now. Fix him first. Then I’ll help you.”

  “You are not in a position to make demands,” Cypher said.

  “You are not in a position to test me. You need me. Otherwise you wouldn’t have bothered putting a price on my head,” Kit said.

  Cypher rubbed his bearded chin and then sighed. He took his phone from his pocket and spoke into it. “I need a medic at the pier.”

  As the rain pelted them, Griffin slipped to his knees. Kit wrapped her arms around him. She would protect him as he had protected her too many times.

  A red pickup truck pulled up to the pier, and a woman in a purple rain jacket carrying a tote bag climbed out. She looked at Griffin and then at Kit. “Help me get him into my truck. I can’t see enough to work out here.”

  Kit helped carry Griffin to the pickup and climbed into the back with him.

  “You stay with us,” Cypher said.

  Kit shook her head. They could take Griffin anywhere and kill him. She was staying at his side. “I’ll see that he is cared for first. Then I will help you.”

  Cypher nodded. The medic climbed in the car and drove the short distance to a warehouse. The warehouse was less beaten than the other buildings in the vicinity, with fewer smashed windows. Was this an Incognito base of operations located close to a United States military base and yet undetected?

  “Griffin, can you hear me? Everything will be okay. They have someone to take care of you,” Kit said.

  His chest was rising and falling, but his eyes were closed. “I was supposed to take care of you,” he said.


  “You have taken care of me,” she said.

  “Not well enough,” he said.

  Not this again. Kit took his face in her hands. “Stop that. Needing help from time to time isn’t a weakness. I’m sorry that you think what happened with your late wife will happen to every other person in your life, but it won’t. You tell me to think positive. Nothing bad will happen to me, not as long as we are together.” She stroked his hair.

  “Love you, Kit,” he said.

  Did he say he loved her? “Griffin?”

  He didn’t respond. The medic parked the car. She and Kit, with the help of a couple of Incognito terrorists, carried Griffin’s dead weight into the warehouse and into a small room with an examination table in the middle and medical equipment.

  The medic cut Griffin’s clothing away from his shoulder. She inspected the wound. “Good thing he passed out. I’m low on morphine, and this will hurt. I have to dig the bullet out of his shoulder.”

  Kit took Griffin’s hand. The medic worked on his shoulder. Griffin’s body was covered in sweat, and he periodically shivered.

  Kit prayed for Griffin and she prayed for their safe rescue. It seemed like hours had passed. Kit watched Griffin’s stomach, his breathing her only comfort.

  Finally the medic pulled off her gloves. “I’ve done all I can. Bullet is out and I’ve stitched and bandaged it, but he needs a hospital. Whatever you’re asked to do, you better do it fast.”

  “What is this place?” Kit asked.

  “I can’t say. I’m sorry,” the medic said. She spoke not another word and fled the room, leaving Kit alone with Griffin.

  His breathing seemed even. Kit had no medical training. She didn’t know what signs indicated he was healing. Incognito cared about Griffin’s health only in that keeping him alive forced Kit to help them. Kit set her hand over his heart, reassuring herself Griffin was breathing.

  The door opened again. This time two armed guards appeared with a battered-looking man between them. The prisoner lifted his head, and shock rolled through her.

  “Arsenic,” Kit said.

  When Arsenic saw Kit, he narrowed his eyes as if trying to focus. “What are you doing here?” Arsenic asked.

  “We were brought here,” Kit said.

  “They will kill us no matter what we do,” Arsenic said. “They have Stargazer.” His voice was devoid of emotion.

  Kit’s eyes grew wide. “How? He’s...sick.”

  “He is sick. He has been for a long time,” Arsenic said. “Incognito has been questioning him. Stargazer can’t do anything. He can’t answer them. Their patience is wearing thin. If we can’t make the Locker work, they’ll kill us. All of us.”

  A chill of terror shot down her spine. Incognito had gathered her, Arsenic and Stargazer in the same location. If they wanted to steal or reengineer the Locker for their purposes, they had the dream team, at least on paper.

  The guards pushed Arsenic into the room and then closed the door behind him. Kit heard the door lock. What mind game was this, and could Kit outsmart them?

  * * *

  Griffin heard voices and waited until he and Kit were alone with Arsenic. Griffin pushed himself to sitting and took in the room. “We’re leaving this island.” His shoulder was throbbing, and he felt nauseated and weak.

  “How?” Arsenic asked. He seemed weary and ragged.

  “We’ll find a way,” Kit said.

  Arsenic’s right leg was wrapped with bandages that had turned dark red.

  “What happened to your leg?” Kit asked.

  “Do you think they brought me here willingly?” he asked.

  “Can you walk?” Griffin asked. Whatever had happened, he would have medical attention when they were off the island.

  “I can walk,” the older man said.

  Arsenic was in pain, but he seemed clear-headed. Formulating a plan, Griffin pointed between Kit and Arsenic. “Kit, help him, and I’ll clear a path.”

  “What about Stargazer?” Kit asked.

  “Do you know where he is?” Griffin asked Arsenic.

  “I’ve heard him screaming. He must be close. Maybe inside the warehouse,” Arsenic said.

  What state would he be in? If Stargazer had lost his mind during the building of the Locker and was now being held against his will and tortured by Incognito, he might be in no shape to flee. He might fight them and refuse to leave. Was it worth the risk to look for him? Griffin could send reinforcements when they were safe.

  A man with wild brown hair stepped into the room. His T-shirt hung limply on his thin frame, and his jeans were old and worn. “Thank you for making this easy for me.”

  “Stargazer!” Kit said.

  Griffin was surprised that he was safe and alive. Stargazer’s mental state was another matter, of course. What was Stargazer dealing with? Paranoia? Delusions?

  Kit started to run to him with her arms open, but Griffin stopped her. Something about this wasn’t right. They were keeping Stargazer locked up, and now he was waltzing into this makeshift medical room to speak with them?

  Stargazer smiled and leveled a gun at them. “I’m in charge now. What I say goes.”

  Stargazer stared at Kit. “Whatever you did to the Locker, undo it. We’ll have a brainstorming session. We’ll get the Locker running. This time, under my terms. Defy me, and your boyfriend dies. Looks like he’s half-dead anyway.”

  Kit moved in front of Griffin. “Leave him alone.”

  “He’s made my plans much more difficult,” Stargazer said.

  “You were in the hospital,” Kit said. “You were sick. How did you get here?”

  “You were being tortured,” Arsenic said, sounding as shocked as Kit was.

  Stargazer let out a bark of laughter. “I got the idea from you, Arsenic. You faked a stroke. I pretended to be crazy. Only good old hardworking, naive Kit stuck with the project. If she had snapped and quit, the Locker would be one more failed government project.”

  Griffin moved to get a better vantage on Stargazer and put himself between the gun and Kit.

  “I am touched to know that you were worried about me,” Stargazer said and put his hand over his chest. “Trying to protect me. I knew that was how you’d respond if you thought I was in trouble.”

  “Why do you work for Incognito?” Kit asked.

  Stargazer snorted. “I don’t. You’re sadly out of the loop. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

  Stargazer was dangerous. He had a large spear tattoo the length of his forearm. That was all the information Griffin needed. Stargazer was enemy number one at the moment, deeply involved with Incognito.

  “The Locker is worth nothing. But the information it is protecting is worth billions. I realized I could be the auctioneer in an amazing public sale of classified information to interested groups. There are many parties who were willing to partner with me and provide the manpower I needed to make it happen. Break into the Locker, get access to every high-value piece of data and then sell it,” Stargazer said.

  Top secret documents, classified identities and government secrets were in high demand. Warfare wasn’t about guns and bombs. It was maneuvering and mind games and double agents.

  “You’re the mastermind behind the Locker. You could hack into it yourself,” Kit said. “You don’t need us.”

  Stargazer pinned her with a look. “I invented it. I built some of it. I thought when Arsenic left and I faked a breakdown, you would have lost your mind. You were so young and fragile and expected perfection. No one can survive under those circumstances. But you surprised me. You stuck with it, and I couldn’t break your work. That might make you a genius, but it also makes you a pain in my ass.”

  Griffin heard helicopters overhead. Was it the West Company or members of Incognito returning from their assau
lt on the United States military base? If they had ever needed a savior, now was the time.

  * * *

  Stargazer pointed his weapon at Griffin, and Kit’s heart felt like it would explode. How much more could Griffin take? He had to be in extreme pain.

  “If only you had left Kit at the safe house on day one, we could have avoided all this. No unnecessary injuries and deaths,” Stargazer said.

  “Stop it!” Kit shouted. “If you want me to fix what I did on the island, give me a computer and leave Griffin alone.”

  Stargazer leveled a look at her. “Don’t call for help. You need the connection to the Locker, perhaps, but don’t attempt to send a request for help.”

  Her face must have been defiant and angry. Kit pictured herself flying at Stargazer, fists swinging and knocking his smug, skinny self on his butt. “I will give you what you want. I can get you access to the files.” She wasn’t sure she could, but with Stargazer holding a gun on them, she would have promised him anything. Buy them some time. She would find a way out of this. She met Griffin’s eyes. “I will get you home.”

  The corners of Griffin’s mouth turned up, not quite into a smile. “I’m supposed to save you.”

  “You’ve saved me plenty. It’s my turn.” She wouldn’t tell him she loved him again. If Stargazer knew how much Griffin meant to her, he’d use Griffin to manipulate her even more.

  Giving access to the documents breached laws and ethics and her personal moral code. But if she couldn’t stall under these circumstances, what choice did she have?

  Stargazer pressed a button on the wall, and a cabinet opened. A laptop slid out. “Use that one. Get the job done.”

  Kit waited for the computer to boot up. “Griffin needs a hospital. He needs meds and proper treatment.”

  “Our medic looked at him,” Stargazer said.

  Griffin was sweating and he was pale. He was trying to hide his pain but couldn’t from her. She knew him too well. “That’s not enough.”

  Stargazer sneered. “Then it looks like you’re on a tight timeline. Work now. I’m watching you.”

  Kit began typing.

  Help would come. Someone would save Griffin.