Running On Empty: An LCR Elite Novel

by Christy Reece

  “Not exactly helpful in determining a traitor.”

  “No, but somewhere in all this shit, something’s going to pop. I feel it.”

  “Angela still helpful?”

  “She’s amazing.”

  “Good. She’s saved LCR’s ass plenty of times. Last year, she—” The phone in her pocket chimed. Holding up a finger, she grabbed the phone and held it to her ear.

  As she talked, apparently to McCall, Declan studied her. The long, lean lines of her body, the generous, lovely breasts that he had caressed, kissed, and suckled with endless delight, the intelligence gleaming in her eyes, the beauty of her fair, clear complexion. Her thick, auburn hair that he had grasped in his hands and held as he pounded into her. The well-toned legs that had wrapped around his waist while he— Ah hell, what was he doing?

  Declan pulled himself away from the lustful thoughts about his wife and instead thought about the deceptively delicate-looking package that made up Sabrina Fox. In no way, shape, or form did she look like a woman who could bring down a man twice her size without a weapon. Since he had trained her, seen her in action, he knew what she was capable of, what she could do.

  She had amazed and enthralled him when he had been training her, and deep in his soul, he acknowledged she still did.

  Unbelievable as it seemed, life had become routine and easier after their discussion. Declan gave Sabrina full credit. She had every right to kick him out on his ass. And, actually, he should have moved out. He didn’t need to be living in her house. He could get his own place. But he hadn’t mentioned moving out, and neither had she.

  The memories of his life before his capture were constant companions. He could never forget the days and weeks of falling in love with Sabrina, their ops together, the laughter, the tears, the amazing camaraderie of being with the one person who totally understood him and loved him in spite of knowing everything—the good, bad, and downright ugly. That kind of love came along only once in a lifetime.

  She’d gone on several more assignments while he continued to work with Angela to uncover every strand and thread of information regarding all EDJE employees, former and current. Within this mass of mostly dry but sometimes salacious information was the key.

  “Hey.” Sabrina stood in front of him, snapping her fingers. “Where’s your mind? You okay?”

  “Sorry. Yeah, I’m fine.” Noticing the excitement on her face, he said, “What’s up?”

  “You remember Reuben Pierce?”

  “Rotten Reuben? The asshole that sold a truckload of stolen military equipment to some militants in Egypt. Took out an entire elementary school. Hell yeah, I remember the scumbag. Don’t tell me he’s started taking hostages along with his other slimy deeds.”

  “Kind of. He’s now doing double duty as a human trafficker—mostly kids. Selling them for a tidy profit.”

  “And the scum just gets scummier.”

  “Yep. Anyway, we almost got him right before you, um…found me.”

  “You mean before I kidnapped you and tried to kill you?”

  She grinned. “Potato, po-tah-to.” She shrugged and continued, “Anyway, we rescued the kids and most of his goon squad, but Reuben got away.”

  “Bet that riled you.”

  “You have no idea. But that was Noah on the phone. He’s resurfaced in Italy. We’ve got someone on the inside already. We’re setting up an ambush so we can finally nail the bastard.”

  Sabrina’s excitement was contagious. Her eyes gleamed, and waves of energy seemed to bounce off her body. She was born to this kind of life.

  “So I’m assuming you’re in on the op?” Declan asked.

  “Oh yeah. He’s not getting away from me again.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  Her expression brightened even more. “You mean, when are we leaving, don’t you?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “We’re short a team member. Riley’s still out of commission, recovering. Noah asked if you’d like to join us.”

  The very idea fired his blood. See Rotten Reuben get his just deserts? Hell to the yeah. “I’m in.”

  “I’ll call Noah back.” And before he knew what she was going to do, she strode over to the desk, grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him hard on the mouth. “It’ll be like old times.”

  Torn between telling her he’d changed his mind and grabbing her for a harder, deeper kiss on that soft, luscious mouth, he instead did nothing but watch as she placed a call to the LCR leader.

  Like old times? No. Those days would never be again.

  Teramo, Italy

  The takedown should be simple and straightforward. Dylan Savage, one of LCR’s top deep-cover operatives, had infiltrated Reuben’s band of sleazy thugs last year. Dylan had been within days of springing the surprise that would have brought down the man’s entire operation. Something had spooked Reuben, and instead of a successful op, the mission had fizzled into nothing. Reuben had moved on to another city, leaving more than half his employees behind, including Dylan.

  Intel had revealed that Reuben had gotten wind that he was being actively hunted and took only the men he’d worked with for years.

  Then, the opportunity to utilize Sabrina’s deep-cover personality of Lucia St. Martine had come along. But, once again, Reuben had evaded them.

  LCR was determined that the third time would be the charm. Reuben Pierce was going down.

  Dylan had bided his time, and when Reuben had surfaced in Italy, the operative had reconnected with the creep. To prove his loyalty and usefulness, Dylan was bringing in a truckload of stolen military-grade weapons—among Reuben’s favorite contraband. Unlike many of these kinds of deals, Reuben had insisted on inspecting the merchandise himself—perhaps as a test for Dylan, or maybe a show of his arrogance. Whatever the reason, this might be their last chance to apprehend the bastard. Things had to go off without a hitch.

  Sabrina took in the faces of her team. Aidan sat in the back, the expression on his face one she’d seen dozens of times—determination. She knew he’d been just as pissed as she was when Reuben had escaped in Honduras.

  Her eyes shifted to Justin Kelly. Since his partner’s injury, the man had become even grimmer. As young and fit as Riley was, the prognosis for a full and speedy recovery was excellent. Still, the shadows in Justin’s slate-gray eyes revealed a darker-than-usual sadness. It was apparent that he missed his partner. She’d never seen two people who were more in tune with one another during an op.

  Moving her gaze again, she amended that thought. Yes, she had seen two people more in tune with each other than Riley and Justin. She and Declan. Since they’d had a strong bond even before they’d started working ops together, their partnership had been seamless. She could read every nuance of his body language, every expression on his face as easily as she could read her own thoughts. And he had been able to do the same.

  Removing all the hurt and volatile emotions she’d been feeling over the past few weeks, Sabrina studied her husband. Still the most handsome man she’d ever seen. The thick black hair might have a few strands of silver, but that only added to his allure. She had once thought he had a poet’s face, elegant, refined, and still totally masculine. That wasn’t the case anymore. Maybe most people wouldn’t notice the changes, but having loved him for so long, she saw distinct differences. Declan now had the face of a hardened warrior—tough, ruthless, uncompromising.

  She had loved him when he had been so harsh in her training she hadn’t believed she would survive. She had loved him when he’d made love to her with a passion so intense and unequaled that her body still trembled at the memories. And she loved him still.

  He had told her they were over. That once they’d identified and apprehended those responsible for his capture, he would no longer be her husband. Declan had apparently forgotten an important characteristic of her personality—she was a fighter. As a kid who’d been through multiple rapes and beatings, imprisoned in a psychiatric hosp
ital for the criminally insane, so drugged she hadn’t even known her own name, she had never stopped fighting. EDJE had honed her fighting skills, but at her core, she was a rebel.

  No one, not even her beloved Declan, was going to keep her from what she knew to be right. And what she wanted most. They were meant to be together. He wouldn’t agree with her thought process, but she didn’t give a damn. No way was she letting him go.

  “Okay, listen up.” Noah’s voice came through the speakerphone she’d set on the small table of the camper. “Savage is making his way inside the warehouse. He’s been frisked, so we were correct with our decision on no mics or weapons. Infrared is working well. Ten men have come in so far. None of them Pierce. This needs to go down clean and simple. I’ll let you know the minute our target arrives. Angela and Mallory are with me, set to go. The minute I give the word, we all go in as planned. Any questions?”

  When no one spoke, Noah continued, “Fox, you and Thorne have the show.”

  “Roger that,” Aidan said. “You give the word, we’re a go.”

  “Stand by,” Noah came back.

  While they waited, she and Aidan would give one more quick review. Sabrina rolled out the blueprints of the large warehouse. “Aidan and I will enter through the front. Justin and Declan, you’ve each got an entrance in the back. Noah will take the south side door. Angela and Jake have the north.”

  “The instant McCall gives the signal,” Aidan followed up, “we go in quiet. Kelly and Steele, the instant you’ve unlocked your entry, alert us. Then it’s radio silence till we make our presence known. If we can do this without bullets, we will. If not, just make sure you’re the one shooting.”

  Each operative doubled-checked their weapons one more time. When she finished checking hers, she glanced over at Declan. His eyes held resolve, but the relaxed set to his mouth told her he was looking forward to the action. Even though they weren’t rescuing anyone tonight, her heart lifted that he could be involved in her work.

  “Okay, it’s a go.” Noah’s voice came through low and calm. And with that, the four of them exited the camper and headed toward their designated areas.

  Blood pumped through Declan, and he felt alive and purposeful. Damn, he loved the excitement of an op. That spine-tingling knowledge that anything could happen but also the assurance that he’d trained for years for everything to go as planned. Out of the corner of his eye, before he headed to the back of the warehouse, he spotted Sabrina and Thorne running to the front. No one would move until everyone was in position.

  When he and Sabrina had worked ops together, he’d always taken the lead. Felt a little odd to see her under the command of someone else. Felt even odder to see her team up with another partner.

  Declan arrived at the back of the warehouse. He stooped down at the door and double-checked the lock. Never seen one he couldn’t pick. In less than a minute, he had released the lock, then spoke into his mic. “This is Steele, all set to go.”

  Less than thirty seconds later, Justin Kelly responded with the same words.

  Declan held his breath. Any second now... Sabrina’s voice came through, soft and calm, “Go, go, go.”

  Opening the door, he went low, his favorite SIG Sauer gripped in his hand. The room he entered was empty other than a couple of folding chairs, cigarette butts, and a few candy wrappers. He crossed the room, put his ear to the door, and listened. No sounds. He cracked open the door enough to peer in and spotted the main part of the warehouse, where the deal was going down. A large semitrailer truck sat in the middle of the cavernous room…several men surrounded the truck. He searched for Pierce. Didn’t see him. Where... Then he heard the man’s hyena-type laughter and knew the creep was on the other side of the truck. Dylan Savage’s gruff voice responded to whatever Pierce had said.

  Declan waited. When the time was right, either Sabrina or Thorne would give the signal, and they were to swarm the area. He heard the wheedling voice of Pierce, and then Dylan said in an overly loud voice, “Open the doors and let me show you what we’ve got.”

  With all attention on the doors, Declan knew the time was now. Thorne’s deep voice said, “Go.”

  Declan took off.

  Staying low, he ran toward the truck. It took several seconds for the ten goons and Pierce to realize what was happening. The men turned in unison. Declan targeted two men closest to him. “Okay. Real slow, drop your guns and kick them toward me.”

  One guy quickly complied. “Hey, I just teamed up with these guys. I don’t know nothing.”

  “Bad luck for you then, mate.”

  Keeping his eye on the other man, who had frozen in place, Declan quickly secured the compliant man and pushed him to his knees. “Stay there.”

  He addressed the other man, “Now, why not be as good as your partner and drop your gun?”

  “He ain’t my partner,” the man sneered.

  “Do it anyway.”

  The guy was obliging enough to lower his gun, but instead of dropping it, he aimed it at Declan. Reading his expression correctly, Declan kicked the man’s hand, knocking the gun to the floor. The guy went to one knee for his secondary weapon at his ankle. Declan put his gun to the man’s head. “Maybe you misunderstood me the first time. Now, with your left hand, take the gun from your ankle holster and put it on the ground. If I even see you flinch, you’re going to have a neat little hole going straight through the middle of your brain.”

  Cursing fluently in both Italian and English, the man did what he was told. The gun slid several feet away from him. “Good job. Now, stay down there and put your hands behind your head.”

  As soon as the man complied, Declan secured his hands with a plastic zip tie. Pulling both men up by their elbows, he led them over to the wall. “Sit. Stay.”

  Declan turned and surveyed the rest of the team. Seven other men were either sitting or kneeling, all secured and ready for transport. Reuben Pierce was in a chair. Though his hands were secured behind his back, he looked as arrogant and unconcerned as if he were getting a speeding ticket. Declan hoped like hell that McCall had the clout to keep this bastard behind bars.

  Searching for Sabrina, he felt his heartbeat tick up when he didn’t see her. Noticing Aidan struggling with one of his captives, he shouted, “Where’s Fox?”

  Thorne jerked his head toward the door. “One of them got loose.”

  Without waiting for more information, Declan took off. Trees, bushes, and giant weeds surrounded the perimeter of the warehouse. Declan stood and listened for a few seconds. Not hearing anything, he spoke into the mic, “Fox, where are you?”

  “Chasing this asshole through a briar patch. I’m about five hundred feet north of the warehouse.”

  He grinned at the breathless aggravation in her tone. She was pissed. “Right behind you.”

  Declan ran northward, wondering if he should figure out a way to head the guy off. Before he could ask for an update, he heard Sabrina’s scathing voice. “Listen, jerk, it’ll be easier on both of us if you just come on in quietly.”

  “Come and get me, bitch.”

  Declan headed toward the voices. He stopped abruptly and watched Sabrina facing a man. He was a few inches taller with a whole lot more meat and muscle than Sabrina. Didn’t matter. Declan would bet his last magazine cartridge that the guy had never come up against anyone like Sabrina.

  Leaning back against a tree, Declan crossed his arms and settled in to enjoy the show.

  Eyes narrowed, Sabrina circled the man. The jerk had gotten away from her and led her on a chase through a briar patch. Her favorite camo pants were ripped, and she had a scratch on the side of her neck that stung like a bee. She was angry and hot, not a good combination. Bastard had managed to get the drop on her, and she’d lost her gun. Fortunately, he had also been disarmed. She could go for the gun at her ankle or the knife in a sheath at her waist, but she was too furious to take the easy way out. Guy wanted a fight? She was more than happy to oblige.

  The man swun
g a fist toward her fast. She ducked, pleased that he appeared to have had some training. Maybe this would be a worthy opponent after all. She spun on her left foot, brought her right leg out, and caught the guy with a good one on the chin. He spat out a curse, along with some blood.

  He circled her a couple more times and then rushed her, ready to throw himself on her in a full-body tackle. Deciding to prolong it a little longer, Sabrina leaped out of his way at the last second. The man thudded to the ground, but she was pleased to see him get back on his feet. They danced around each other for several seconds.

  She knew Declan was watching her, most likely enjoying himself. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Aidan take a position beside Declan.

  “What’s going on?” Aidan asked.

  “Idiot doesn’t want to come quietly.”

  “Hell, Sabrina,” Aidan said, “he’s surrounded. We can easily take him.”

  “And miss the fun?” she asked.

  Declan smiled fondly at his wife. They used to have sparring matches all the time. Neither of them had given any quarter. It had kept them both well trained and ready for anything. He was pleased that she hadn’t let her training slip. In fact, he thought as he watched her deliver a roundhouse kick and then pivot for a left-right punch to her opponent’s nose and then his stomach, she had picked up a few new moves.

  “I’ve missed this,” Declan admitted.

  “She do this a lot when you were working together?”

  “Not as much as she liked,” Declan said. “Hand-to-hand combat is one of her specialties, but most of the men she took down were the power men. Fighting them was never her intent.”

  “Killing them was her goal?”

  Not taking his eyes off Sabrina, he said, “You got a problem with that?”

  “Hell no. I know her well enough to know she would never kill someone if there’d been another way.”

  “Some people believe there’s always another way besides killing.”

  “Those people are usually never faced with the consequences if the scumbag ends up living and doing even eviler things.”