Copyright © 2015 Karice Bolton
ISBN-10:0990972682
ISBN-13:978-0-9909726-8-6
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any printed or electronic form, or stored in an unauthorized retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, and events either are the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover art: DepositPhotos Stock Image by: © konradback 45161735
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DEDICATION
For my wonderful husband, mom, family and friends.
I’m so grateful to have you all in my life.
BOOKS BY KARICE BOLTON
LUKE FLETCHER SERIES
HIDDEN SINS
BURIED SINS
REDEMPTION – Sept. 10th (pre-order available)
ISLAND COUNTY SERIES
FINDING LOVE IN FORGOTTEN COVE
LOVE REDONE IN HIDDEN HARBOR – Coming Soon
BEYOND LOVE SERIES
BEYOND CONTROL
BEYOND DOUBT
BEYOND REASON
BEYOND INTENT
BEYOND CHANCE
BEYOND PROMISE
BEYOND the MISTLETOE – Holidays 2015
AFTERWORLD SERIES
RecruitZ
AlibiZ
UprisingZ–Coming Soon
THE WITCH AVENUE SERIES
LONELY SOULS
ALTERED SOULS
RELEASED SOULS
SHATTERED SOULS
THE WATCHERS TRILOGY
AWAKENING
LEGIONS
CATACLYSM
TAKEN NOVELLA (A Watchers Prequel)
THE CAMP
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
RecruitZ (Excerpt from Afterworld Series #1)
Acknowledgments
Contact the Author
Luke
I’d missed Hannah so much. Everything about her was soft and tender. Things I needed to calm my chaotic world. The memories of holding her in my arms, my hands sliding along her hair, my lips against hers, colored every thought I had even as I rode in the van. It had been weeks since I’d seen her, and I’d been counting the minutes until I could pick her up from the airport this morning. Then the call came in that shook my entire organization. One of my men had been captured, and we were on our way to get him back.
“These latest images show that Mitch is being held in the building’s basement. They just moved him there. He looks to have regained consciousness,” Alex said, swiping at the iPad in his hand.
I glanced at the other men sitting in the cargo van with us and thought about each one of them and the sacrifices they made on a daily basis to make my organization run smoothly, and I let them down.
“That’s an improvement,” I agreed. “And you forwarded everything to Sam at the bureau?”
“I did. Their ETA’s an hour.”
“I’m sure Sam will forgive us for not waiting for them to arrive to get Mitch back,” I muttered.
“Usually does,” Alex agreed.
“This whole setup makes no sense. Whenever we received a message before, it was far subtler. It’s always been from a distance,” I said, leaning against the wall of the van.
“Maybe they felt they wouldn’t be able to get your attention quickly any other way,” Alex offered.
“Meaning?”
“You’ve been preoccupied.”
“True. There’s no arguing that detail, but if that’s the case, does that mean they’ve been quietly stalking me? It’s been silent for over eight months. No emails. No letters. Nothing.”
“We can’t be sure it’s related to your past,” Alex said.
I nodded. “True, but we can’t be sure it’s not.”
I looked out the back window. We were less than a klick away from the building. Confirmation that my other team had arrived on scene came through my earpiece.
“Team two’s on location,” I relayed.
Alex nodded. “There’s no evidence that his captors located or tapped into any of the security footage so they won’t see us coming.”
“So we think.” I bobbed my head in acknowledgment just as a text came over from Hannah. She and my sister had just landed and were pulling into the gate at LAX.
I’d been looking forward to picking her up at the airport for so long and now all of the plans I had in place weren’t going to see the light of day. Instead of me picking her up with dozens of roses and a box from Tiffany’s in hand, my assistant, Kimberly, would be meeting them. I let out a sigh and quickly texted back.
Babe, I’m so sorry I won’t be there to pick you up. I’ll be back to the house as soon as I can. I’ll make it up to you. I promise. Kimberly is coming instead.
This was why I’d always led a less complicated life that didn’t involve a partner.
I didn’t want to tell her what the issue was until I rectified it, but this certainly wasn’t how I pictured her homecoming.
Hannah immediately replied.
Oh. Well, that’s disappointing, but it’ll give me more time to hide the Frenchmen I stowed away in my suitcase. I’ll be waiting….
Man, I loved this woman. I let out a sigh as the driver parked the van. Alex stood up, his body half-hunched over, as he began unhooking the AR-15’s from the racks. Besides a Glock 17, each man would carry an assault rifle for the breach. There should be no issue gaining access to the building, but I’d learned never to assume. So Alex would be carrying a Master Key to blow the hinges off, if needed.
We all jumped out of the van, and I took the lead, snaking us along the side of the building to the delivery entrance. The building where they were holding Mitch was in the middle of a business park, which hadn’t come alive for the workday yet. Our other team was stationed at the front of the building waiting for my command.
I tapped the brick wall and signaled to Alex who radioed our readiness to the team. Two men would be stationed at each exit when we breached the building. I slung my arm out in the direction of the door when the firs
t explosion sounded and the pavement shook ferociously. My pulse pounded in my ears as the earth’s movement stopped as quickly as it began. I glanced at the team and signaled for the two to stay at the exit as planned.
My men had trained for this and would execute their assignments. Our goal was to dominate the area and cover any potential dead space. Once the threats, if any, were eliminated, we’d control the situation and conduct our search. This would be done for each section of the building until we found our package, Mitch.
As expected, the door was locked and Alex blew the deadbolt off the door with the Master Key. I opened it and Alex and I approached the opening with weapons ready as my team stood behind me. I scanned the empty space, and exactly as the map indicated, it was a mailroom that held nothing more than shipping containers and an empty desk. The concrete floors led to another closed door, and if the map continued to be accurate, the door would lead into the back of the lobby.
The video footage hadn’t changed since we first plugged in, and Mitch was still being held downstairs in the basement. We quickly moved through the first empty room. The team spanned out and searched all crevices and corners.
We were ready to move onto the next room. Alex opened the door, and I snaked around the corner with my weapon raised as my eyes scanned the lobby. The grey, industrial carpet spread in all directions and would soften our footsteps. The reception area held a large counter and three chairs. I spotted the false wall where my other team would be waiting for us on the other side. I saw Alex’s lips moving but didn’t even hear a whisper as he spoke into the microphone informing the team of our location.
A glass wall divided the lobby from the sea of cubicles.
God, I hated cubicles.
According to the map, the stairs to the basement were in the far corner of the room handing our team a maze of danger. We would slide in and out of each quadrant, leaving no desk or chair unturned.
I slipped around the false wall to the waiting team members. They were all focused on the glass in front of us. The situation was precarious. It was see or be seen with only a sheet of glass between us and whoever was holding Mitch hostage. There wasn’t even the slightest movement from my team, but even though we trained to become invisible, we were completely exposed.
Alex opened the glass door, and we moved into the large room. Each team circled through the cubicles, moving chairs and checking under desks. There was no one here. Two men made it to the door that led to the basement. They assumed their positions, providing us cover as we made our way over.
Another explosion shattered the glass wall we’d just left behind. The floor shook violently, and I was surprised we didn’t land in the basement. Alex hurriedly checked the door for explosives and gave the all-clear sign, but we knew that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone waiting on the other side of the door.
Adrenaline coursed through me as I opened the door and was greeted with the smell of explosives and deathly silence. Descending the stairs quickly and quietly, the lingering odor turned to a veil of smoke. I kept my rifle snug to my shoulder, and my gaze straight down my thermal sight, searching for any sign of movement. Each AR was equipped with a HISS S100, which saw through smoke and fog to spot our targets.
My team behind me ducked as another blast boomed into the air. The explosives weren’t enough to bring down the building, but they sure as hell were enough to kill a person close by. My foot met the concrete, and I motioned for the men behind me to stop. It was as if I was looking into a pot of coffee. I saw nothing but steamy darkness and no heat images. It wasn’t until I heard the slight gurgle to my left that I knew Mitch was in trouble.
Hannah
I stretched in my seat and glanced up at Mia standing in the tiny cabin of First Class.
“What?” she asked, arching her brow. “What’s wrong?”
I smiled. “Absolutely nothing.”
Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was in a sleek jumpsuit, which she’d been fighting with the entire flight. She gave the fabric one last tug before reaching into the overhead cabinet to remove our bags. Mia set my bag on her empty seat and gave me a wry smile as she stood in the aisle of the plane.
“Well, hopefully you can contain yourself for the next ten minutes,” Mia teased.
I stood up and picked up my bag off her seat and scooted right behind her in the aisle as people began moving off the plane. We made it off the plane and started up the ramp when I decided to mention the text I’d received from Luke.
“Actually. I got a message that Kimberly will be picking us up.”
Mia stopped in her tracks and I nearly ran her over.
“Are you serious?” she asked, turning around and blocking the disembarking passengers.
“Yeah. I guess there was some emergency,” I said, trying to hide my disappointment.
She took off again, and it was a struggle to keep up with her as we scrambled up the ramp leading into the terminal.
“That explains your mopey look then, but I know how excited Luke was to see you. It must be something serious.”
My pulse quickened, and I glanced around the busy terminal. Hearing those words from Luke’s sister signaled danger to me, and my nerves ignited with worry. A brisk hustle and bustle of passing travelers in the corridor made my steps that much quicker, but I still had to step up my pace to stay on Mia’s heels. I could sense this latest development had bothered Mia and that in itself had me concerned. Both Mia and her brother were masters at playing it cool and it was a characteristic I’d yet to master.
I kept my eyes focused on the artwork embedded in the tile walkway as I followed Mia down to the baggage claim. I tried to keep things light with Luke so he wouldn’t feel bad about not picking us up, and I refused to let myself get paranoid about what made him send his assistant. Regardless of Mia’s reaction, I wasn’t going to go down that road.
But seeing Mia’s response and tightened grip around her carry-on bag as she rolled it behind her didn’t help. The small amount of anxiety that I’d managed to tamp down was now rearing its ugly, paranoid self. What did she know?
“Do you think he’s safe?” I asked Mia, catching up to her right at the escalator.
“Totally. He’s probably helping some helpless reality star stay hidden from a wacko or something.” She grinned as she rolled her suitcase behind her and stopped on the metal stair of the escalator.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I joked. “Let’s see, should Luke pick up his long-lost girlfriend from the airport or help a poor inept celebrity?”
“Yeah. When you put it that way, I’d be upset.”
“Upset but not worried?” I smiled.
“Exactly,” she said, as she exited off the escalator.
I lugged my bag off the escalator and hopped off the remaining step to catch up with Mia. I knew she was hiding something. The longer I was around both Mia and Luke, the better I got at detecting it.
“The world travelers have returned,” Kimberly’s voice rang through the crowd, but I couldn’t spot her in the sea of people.
Mia craned her neck and pointed. “There she is.”
I followed Mia’s finger and saw Kimberly holding a bouquet and a Tiffany Blue bag. I couldn’t help but smile. Poor Kimberly. Being sent with an assortment of gifts that her boss was making her deliver to his girlfriend wasn’t anyone’s idea of a fun time, especially this early in the morning.
“Oh, my gosh,” I said, wheeling my bag over to Kimberly. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I did.” She grinned and handed me the bouquet. My cheeks warmed as she handed me the bag. I was embarrassed that Luke made her do this. “Besides, he’s giving me the rest of the week off.”
I laughed. That sounded exactly like Luke. He knew how to treat his employees. He might ask a lot of them, but they were well rewarded.
“Well, thank you for picking us up. Is everything okay?” I asked.
Kimberly glanced over at Mia, who was stand
ing at the carousel, waiting for our bags, and brought her gaze back to me. Her expression was filled with trepidation. “As far as I know.” She looked uncomfortable and her gaze dropped to the floor. “I can go get your bags.”
Great. She knew there was a problem and was instructed not to tell me.
“Don’t be silly. I’ll go get them. Do you mind holding everything again? Sorry.”
She shook her head and took back the bouquet and bag before I bounded over to the carousel.
Mia reached for her bag and lifted it off the belt and set it onto the ground.
“It didn’t feel this heavy in Paris,” she sighed.
“And mine was the heavy one.” I scanned the carousel, waiting for my bag to make its appearance. “So Kimberly knows what’s held up your brother and was obviously told not to tell us.”
“Is that so?” Mia’s expression changed. She hated to be excluded.
“Yup.” I spotted my suitcase, which had been slapped with an oversized luggage sticker, and waited for it to circle in front of me. I gripped the handle with both hands and attempted to drag it off the belt, but it wouldn’t budge. Did I pack lead in this thing? Mia stepped in too, but just as it looked like I’d have to wait for the suitcase to go around again, a man hauled it off the carousel for me and plunked it at my feet.
“There you go,” he replied. “Do you have any others?” I snapped my head up to see a guy probably in his thirties, looking down at me, grinning. His wavy, brown hair fell past his collar, and he looked like he’d just stepped off the beach. His shorts hung below his knees and his sunglasses were propped on his forehead. I never understood how people could get them to stay there.
Buried Sins Page 1
