by Kelly Moore
“That’s not my problem. It’s yours.”
“You need to be here by tomorrow.”
Rebel is storming toward me. “Alright,” I say, hanging up and stuffing the phone in my pocket.
“What’s going on here?” Rebel’s voice is harsh.
“Nothing to concern you.” I don’t have time for him; I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve to prevent him from going on this mission, but I have to work fast. I try to walk by him, but he grabs me by the elbow.
“Look, you can’t be angry with me for wanting to protect my men.”
The mask of lies goes into place. “Do you think I’d purposely put you in danger?”
“No, but I know how badly you want to capture Abba Bari, and I don’t want your ego getting in the way by trusting the wrong person.”
He only thinks that because that’s what I’ve made him believe. “My ego? You’re the one that has an ego around here. Always disobeying orders. If anyone puts your men in danger, it’s you.” His ego is what I love most about him.
“I’ve never lost one man. Wait, is this why you wanted me to bow out of the mission and let someone else take over? You don’t like that I don’t take orders from you?”
“No, that was not the reason, but maybe you should think about it!” I grit my teeth for effect. Please think about it, Derrick. I’m not sure any of us are safe. I scoot by him, and he chases me.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you in front of my men, if that’s what’s pissing you off, but I would’ve questioned anyone’s intel after what happened to the last team. I don’t want to send my men home in body bags.”
“Are we done here, Captain Rebel? Because I have a lot of things to do to prepare for while our team makes its way to Abba Bari’s house.”
“Don’t be pissed, baby. I hate leaving on a mission with you angry at me.”
Don’t be sweet to me. “Then you should’ve thought about that before you started questioning me.” I stop and glare at him to make him think I’m really angry at him, when in truth, if I’d pull off my mask, I’d run into his arms and confess everything.
“I wasn’t questioning you. I was questioning how reliable your source is.”
“It didn’t sound that way to me.” I defiantly put my hands on my hips.
He wraps his hands through my arms and pulls me to him. “Please don’t be angry.” He kisses me. It takes everything I have not to give into him.
“I have a lot of work to do.” I look past him, and he lets me go. I stomp off but turn around before I make it through the war room door. “Goodbye, Derrick.” It’s the first time in my life I’ve regretted leaving any man. I go inside and duck into Commander Lukas’s office.
“May I borrow your computer?” I point to it.
He nods
I access Derrick’s file and print out what I’m looking for to stop him from this mission. I throw the paperwork on his desk. “Captain Rebel needs to be removed.”
“He’s the best leader I have. Why would I want to have him stand down?” He flips through the paperwork.
“Keep reading. He’s stressed and out of sorts lately.”
“I haven’t noticed anything different.”
“Trust me. He’s not the man you want on this mission.” I sit across from him and let him read.
“I’ll take care of this.”
We both get up, and I follow him into the war room where Derrick has a picture of Abba Bari on the screen. I lurk in the back, and Commander joins the men. I watch Derrick as the commander goes over the plan. My heart, that hasn’t hurt since the day I left my sister at the fire station, begins to ache. I could confess everything, but it will kill anything Derrick felt for me, so either way, I’ll lose him. I might as well keep the ball in my court.
Derrick glances up, and our eyes lock. I lift my chin and look the other way. I can’t look him in the eye anymore.
Commander Lukas looks at me, and I nod. “There is one more thing.” He turns toward Derrick. “Captain Stark will be leading your men. It has come to my attention that you haven’t taken any time off that is required of you.”
Derrick glances at me, and I look away again. “I haven’t needed the time off, and we’ve all been putting in extra hours since the other SEAL team was killed, sir.”
He states military policy about required time off. The men fight back, telling him if Derrick doesn’t lead, then they won’t go on the mission.
Commander Lukas is not one to be backed into a corner. “If your men refuse to go, they’ll be pulled from the team.”
They all argue back.
“This isn’t about what you want, Captain Rebel. It’s about you following rules.”
Derrick’s fist makes contact with the table, causing me to jump. “Everyone out now!” His men scramble. I hustle out with them. I rush back over to the cantina for another beer. I have to stop this. If I do, it will cost me everything I’ve worked for all these years. I’ll still have a few million in the bank, but I’ll be in prison, so a lot of good it will do me. I’ll go to Bari like he wants and put a bullet in his head. That will stop him, and Derrick will be safe. I rush out into the daylight and lower my sunglasses, but only make it outside the cantina before I have another argument with myself. I lean against the wall and tap my finger to my lips, trying to think of the best plan to keep him safe and still get what I want. I see Derrick heading my way. I push off the wall and start to walk away.
“Wait!” he yells, and I stop dead in my tracks. I shouldn’t, I should keep going as fast as I can. “Would you like to explain to me why you don’t want me to go on this mission with my men?”
I yank my sunglasses off. “I’m afraid you won’t come back from this one.” It’s the first truth I’ve spoken. I cross my arms over my chest and don’t realize I’m crying. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to cry. The last time I did, my mother smacked me across the face.
He closes the distance between us. “Why? What makes this one different than any other one I’ve been on?” I bite my bottom lip, not wanting him to know it’s because I don’t have his back. “Is it because of the other team? Are you doubting your source now?”
“No. I just know how ruthless Bari is, and if you get caught, he’ll kill every one of you.”
“And you think I’d let my men risk their lives and I step out of the way? Fuck that, Nina.” He braces his strong arm on the wall behind me. “I love you, baby, but don’t think for one minute that you’ll take this away from me. This is what I do.” He places a quick kiss to the side of my face and heads toward his men.
“And this is what I do,” I whisper and wipe my tears.
As soon as it’s dark, I slip out of the barracks and take a jeep, headed for Bari. I need to get there before the Gunners. I drive all night and park the jeep a mile outside Bari’s place and go in on foot. His men know me, so as soon as I bring down the dark mask I’m wearing, they recognize me, lowering their weapons and escort me into Bari’s home hidden in the mountain.
He’s briefing a few of his men. When I walk in, they disperse. “I’m glad to see you’re capable of following orders.” His voice is annoyingly sarcastic.
I could slit his throat, but there are too many of his men here. “Why did you summon me for a problem with a shipment. That’s not my end of the deal until the ship arrives in Seattle.”
“That’s not the real reason I asked you here. I want to purchase your port and wash my hands of you.”
“It’s not for sale, and if you don’t want to continue to do business with me, then I’ll find someone else.”
I fucking hate him.
I storm out of his house only to hear gunshots ringing out. When I go to step back inside, I hear Derrick’s voice telling Bari not to move, or he’ll kill him. I listen to their footsteps, walking toward the back of the house. I creek the door open and tiptoe inside. Derrick and Theo have a gun pointed at Bari, and they are going out the secret entrance.
I’ve got to find
a way out of here without being noticed. I open the front door again, and the gunshots are closer. I hear an explosion and cries of agony. I shut the door. I’ll have to wait until it’s settled down. They won’t come back in here; they have who they want. I hear another bomb go off, and soon after, Bari and his men are dragging Derrick and Theo in the door. Derrick is out cold, and his face is covered in blood. Theo is thrown on the floor, and his arm is gone. It’s a gory sight like I’ve never seen.
Bari’s men set Derrick in a chair and tie his hands behind his back and bind his legs with a rope. His muddy blood drips down his pant leg. His eye is so swollen, I don’t think he’ll be able to open it. Theo groans a few times and passes out.
As Derrick starts to stir, I yank his head back by the hair, and Bari points a gun at his head. If I don’t act like I’m still on his side, he’ll kill me too.
“I see you’re still with us, Captain Derrick Rebel.” He spits in his face. “So unfortunate for you and your friend.”
Derrick tugs at his binds, and I let go of his hair and walk away. I step in the other room and heave several times. I listen to Bari tell Derrick his men are all dead and that no one can stop him.
Derrick tells him he’s a sick fuck, and Bari does nothing but laugh.
“You have no idea how powerful I am.”
Arrogant little bastard. I should’ve slit his throat.
“Even the powerful will fall. We took your father out, and you’ll be next.” Why does Derrick have to taunt him?
Bari tells him he’s going to make his death slow and painful. He motions for one of his men armed with a sword and grenades to go to Derrick.
“I made it this far, I deserve to know who tipped you off that we were coming.”
Shit. Bari will not hesitate to sell me out. I need to find a weapon to kill him before he does. I quietly move back in his direction. There is a guard only a few feet away from me. I could grab his gun and shoot Bari between the eyes before he even knows what happened.
“You do deserve to know because it will cause you much pain.”
The guard moves out of my reach.
“Wait, how did you know my first name was Derrick?”
That’s it. He’ll expose me. Better I do it myself so I can save grace with Bari. I’ll walk out alive. If I play my cards right, I can get Derrick out of here too. He’ll hate me, but at least he’ll be alive.
I walk up behind him then stand in front of him.
“Ekko.” He swallows hard.
I pull down my mask. “I tried to convince you not to come on this mission, but you’re one stubborn SEAL.”
“You’re responsible for the death of my men? They trusted you. I fucking trusted you! Why would you do this?”
“They were the highest bidder. Bari realizes my worth.” I hope Bari believes what I’m saying. “He knows my knowledge will make him more powerful and richer than any other person on this earth.”
“Money! This is all about money for you!”
“It’s always been about money.”
I see the defeat in his face. “Let Drake go. Kill me, but let him go.”
I kneel down in front of him. “I’d rather watch him die than kill you.” Another truth from me. I run my hand down his uninjured side of his face. “I cared enough about you to try and get you out of this mission. Why couldn’t you have obeyed orders?” I have to make this believable. “I’m going to miss fucking you. Better yet”—I stand— “maybe I’ll keep you around and fuck you anytime I want.”
Derrick’s hands break free, and he grabs a grenade off the Bari’s man's belt, pulling the pin. He topples over in the chair and covers Drake’s body. I flee as quickly as I can. Bari runs close behind me, and I turn around, shoving him toward the grenade rolling on the floor.
Chapter 8
geNetics
Two years later…
* * *
“Ms. Parrot, I have some DNA testing you need to look at right away. I sent it to your email,” my assistant says, peeking his head through my door.
“I’ll look at it when I get a minute.” I finish signing a contract with my best dealer to get more results on organ procurement.
I disappeared for a year after Afghanistan. I changed my name and sold all my properties, including my ownership in the poppy fields, which alone made me millions to the next ruler of that area. I’m finally where I want to be. Human trafficking is more profitable than what I ever imagined, especially now that we are selling organs to the highest bidders around the country. I should feel bad for the evil things I’ve done, but none of them measure up to how I felt about losing Derrick. I forced myself to move on and not look back.
“You really need to open the email.” He steps further inside.
“What is the rush on this one?”
“We’ve found a match with your DNA.”
I drop my pen, and my fingers fly over the keyboard to open the results in the email. I scan it. “Run it again to be sure,” I bark.
“We’ve already run it three times. It’s a ninety-eight percent match to yours. That’s as good as it ever gets.” He turns and walks out.
I’ve searched for my sister for years. I’d almost given up finding her. The only way that would ever happen is if she donated blood to the DNA bank in search of her identity. I look through her case file and then look her up on the internet. I buzz my assistant. “Buy me some time with this one, but I want her brought here. Do not harm her in any way. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I can’t believe I finally found her. I scan the pictures of her and any information I can find. She’s pretty, but she has a sadness to her eyes. I touch her picture on the screen. Too bad she can never know about me, but I want to know her. What’s her life been like? Is she in love? Does she have any children? A tinge of jealousy runs through me. I wish I could’ve escaped my upbringing. She has me to thank for that, but she’ll never know that I saved her life.
I unlock the top drawer of my desk and take out the one and only thing I’ve kept from my childhood. The leather-bound journal is worn, but the pages are still intact. All my memories are stored safely inside it. Sometimes I look back at the little girl I wrote about and wish I could’ve saved her. Maybe I wouldn’t be the monster I am today, and Derrick would’ve always loved me.
I type up a card for her and put it in the outgoing mail cart. It will give me some time to figure out how I want to handle things with her.
My assistant comes back into my office. “Do you want me to focus solely on your sister?”
“No. I want girls moving as usual. The auction is booked. I have surgical procedures scheduled in our new facilities. Finding her changes nothing as far as production goes. I want her picked up next week and brought to our secure location. Notify me when we have her. When she does get here, no harm is to come to her unless I order it. I want our surgeon to see her to make sure she’s okay. Don’t indicate that to him. Let him think she’s like everyone else around here.”
One week later, I’ve received word that they have my sister in custody, so to speak. Tonight is an auction. I attend all of them, along with my second in charge. No one sees my face in the darkness, looking down on at them. I wear a mask over my face and eye patch, so there is no chance of anyone getting a good look at me. I’ve had multiple surgeries on my face, but my eye couldn’t be saved.
When the lights go out and the girls are bound and marched on stage, I take my seat beside Karl. He’s a face with no name to our employees, but they know he answers directly to me. My computer screen lights up, and the bidding begins. I glance out over the crowd, and my gaze locks on an old, familiar face. It can’t be. How did he get out alive? I switch out of the bidding and search the names on our database. He’s infiltrated our company under the name of Sam Larkin. I remember you well, Theo Drake. He can’t be here after me, and he was too much of a good guy to be any part of this. I wonder? I search for the first time in a long time, Derrick
Rebel. He’s still a navy SEAL. He has an ugly scar down his face, but he’s still as sexy as I recall.
I lean over to Karl. “That man sitting next to Lance, he’s not one of us. You need to take care of him.” My heart, which has been stone-cold since the last day I saw Derrick, races for the first time. “Find out what he’s after and who.”
He nods, and I get up before the auction has ended. I don’t want there to be any mishaps where he might see me. I duck into my office, and that’s where I spend the next several days, delving deeper into Theo and Derrick. I find their link and anger rages in me like never before.
It’s another auction night, and I have no desire to be there, but I have to maintain my position. I pull on my mask and meet Karl at the door. We make our way to our seats when the lights go down. Within minutes, all hell breaks loose with gunfire being heard. I know in my gut that it’s Theo and Derrick behind it. I rush to my office and take the gun from its magnet under my desk. Karl is right behind me. “Make sure you’re armed. We’re going to need it.” I check our security monitor and see Derrick. “This is where we are going and the man that needs to be taken out.
We make our way down the stairs and into the room with rusted-out vats. “I know you’re in here, Derrick,” I say, with Karl walking behind me, sweeping the room with his gun. “I can make you a rich man.”
“I don’t want your dirty money!” his voice rings out.
I prowl toward him. “I don’t have time to try to convince you to leave. You’ve never listened to me anyway, so you’re forcing my hand. I don’t want to kill you, but you’re not leaving me any choice.” I whisper to Karl to move the other direction and go behind him. “Come on, Derrick. I’m sure we can work this out. You can join forces with me. We were a good team at one point. I’ve missed us being together.” That part is true. I’ve never met another man that could satisfy me like he could. I make calculated moves toward him.
