Brotherhood Protectors: Rough Justice (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Out of the Wild Book 1)
Page 7
“His code name?”
Shamus closed his eyes tight, trying to pull the memory up as if it were a motion picture inside his head. When they’d left for the mission, their success percentage had been low, but they figured it increased when they realized there were less men than originally thought.
Only there were more men hidden in the hillside that they hadn’t seen in the forty-eight hours they watched from a distance.
Flashes of them yelling at the target who screamed back, guns pointed at each other. The first bullet fired seconds after Noonan had found the book and haphazardly tossed it in his direction. It landed on the ground, pages flipping open.
Rapid gunfire erupted from the north side. Three of his men returned fire as Shamus reached for the book. The target went after Noonan, and Max got in the middle.
“Yes. His code name.” Shamus reached for his back, remembering the searing pain. He’d twisted, ditching into another tunnel as Max raced out, his body jerking as bullets tore through his body.
Compromised! The Bull is a tr…
Those had been Max’s last words before the explosion.
“Are you okay?” Amber asked, her hands roaming up and down his arms.
“Yes,” he whispered, concentrating on his memory, allowing himself to be pulled into past as if it were happening right now.
Max’s body lifted off the ground as the bomb went off, rendering Shamus deaf as he flew backward, smacking the sides of the rocky wall. A shadow, behind Max…
“Shit,” he said, blinking his eyes open. “Seconds before the explosion, I saw a man running past whoever was shooting at us, dodging down another tunnel.”
“You reported that in your official statement, what about it now feels different?”
“I think it was Noonan.” Gently, he took her hands from his body, needing to let the rage flow freely. “Fuck, I should have seen it.” He smashed his fist through the thick drywall near the front door.
“Seen what?”
It amazed him how tender her voice sounded, cutting through his fierce need to toss a second punch. “Noonan and I always butted heads. He was cocky and constantly pushed back. Some of us wondered how he managed to finish Special Forces training, he wasn’t much of a team player, but he had started to settle into the team. Even if we didn’t like each other, he always came through in the clutch.”
“I can see the wheels spinning in your head. Be blunt and tell me exactly what you think.”
“Noonan is alive. He’s a traitor. And he blames me for something and wants revenge.”
“We need to get his military records,” she said, racing to the cell phone on the metal table. “I’m sure Hank can, what’s Noonan’s full name?”
“Noonan is a nickname.”
“I figured that was his last name.”
“It’s from the movie Caddyshack, and he was notorious for shouting out Noonan in a round of golf, dart game, or any sport that requires skill and concentration.” Shamus scratched the back of his head, while Amber stood across the room, phone to her ear. “It was fucking annoying as hell.”
She glanced in his direction. “Name?”
“Jeremy Watkins.”
***
“Jeremy Watkins,” she whispered as the phone slipped through her fingers, crashing to the floor. She gripped the metal chair as the room spun, her gut filling with the kind of nausea that hit you seconds before vomiting.
“Whoa.” Shamus wrapped his strong arms around her body, holding her upright. “What’s wrong?”
“I know Jeremy,” she said, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She hadn’t heard that name in years, and she’d wished she’d never met the asshole. For years, she’d never given the man a second thought. He’d been a blip in her life.
“How?”
“I dated him.” Though it was more of a meaningless rebound relationship.
“What the fuck?” Shamus cocked his head, taking a step back, but kept a hand firmly around her waist. “When?”
“My first year in college. It lasted all of two months. I was still hung up on you and dealing with making sure my mom had all the help she needed. He demanded too much attention, wanting me to swoon all over him. And he was the jealous type. Made me crazy.”
Shamus helped her to the sofa while she let the shock of hearing Jeremy’s name in conjunction with her current situation, subside.
“Who broke up with who?”
“I dumped him, which pissed him off. Thankfully, he hated Chicago and transferred to…God, I have no idea where he went.” That first year of college had been hell. The guilt of leaving her mother ate at her, but Hank assured her she was doing the right thing. Not to mention, she needed to get the hell out of town if she were to ever get over Shamus.
“Michigan,” Shamus said, sitting next to her, his arm still holding her close. “He wore a Michigan State sweatshirt all the damn time.”
“He never mentioned me to you?” she asked, remembering how upset he’d gotten when he found pictures of her and Shamus, along with a letter she’d written. While Jeremy, Noonan, or whatever he went by these days, had every right to be upset that she was still pinning over a man she’d left behind, he had no right to go through her things. She’d told him to take a hike right then and there. For a month, he made her life miserable.
“Never,” Shamus muttered. “But it explains his instant dislike of me if he knew about us, but it’s concerning that he didn’t say anything to me. He was that kind of man who’d brag about who he’d been with.”
“He was a dick,” she muttered.
“I won’t argue that point.”
“How long had he been on your team?” She forced herself to forget her brief relationship with Noonan and focused on what the connection could mean.
“Eighteen months, but I’d met him before, worked a few ops together in the same Battalion.”
“You know, my story was just supposed to be about refugee policy. I stumbled onto the three men trying to smuggle intel. You and I being in the same country then has honestly got to be a coincidence.”
“I agree. No way could Noonan have made that happen, not to mention, he wouldn’t have wanted those men to get caught, but it gives him more motive to want to fuck with both of us.”
She rested her head on Shamus’s shoulder, biting back a yawn, not that she’d be able to sleep at all. “What do you think was supposed to happen in that tunnel?”
“I can only speculate.”
She was about to ask him to share his thoughts, but a thud rattled the back of the house.
“What was that?” Stiffening her back, she glanced over her shoulder, her heart racing. The sun had lowered behind the mountains, leaving the sky streaked with red and orange. Soon the night would take over and leave them in the dark.
“I don’t know,” Shamus said as he stood, taking one of the rifles in his hands. “Call Hank. Tell him what we need. I’m going to walk the perimeter.”
“You’re not leaving me alone in here.”
He pointed to a bull horn. “You get spooked, honk that a few times, and I’ll come running. I’ll leave you a rifle. Just make sure you check to make sure it’s not me before you shoot.”
“Then you better give me a single. I tend to be trigger happy.”
He let out a slight laugh, waggling his finger at her. “I remember that about you. I’ll whistle twice like this.” He pursed his lips, making a high-pitched noise.
“Please don’t be gone too long.” Her voice trembled. She resented how needy and scared she sounded. Her entire career, she’d been in close proximity to danger, but no one ever went after her personally.
“Fifteen minutes top.” He nodded as he slipped through the door, closing it gently.
Tapping her foot, she waited for Hank to answer.
“Shamus, what’s up? Everything okay?” Hank asked.
“It’s Amber, and we found something.”
“What’s that?”
&nb
sp; “A man by the name of Jeremy Watkins, also known by Noonan.” Her mouth suddenly tasted like rotten eggs. She’d never thought she’d utter that name again.
“That’s the man Shamus lost in Syria.”
“We need his military records, and anything else you can dig up on him.”
“Pigtails, the man died in the line of duty,” Hank said. “But let me see what I can do.”
The phone went dead, and the quiet of the cabin sent goosebumps rippling across her skin. She shivered. Wrapping her arms around her middle, she sat on the sofa, staring at the computer, unable to do anything but listen for the double whistle. A light breeze kicked up. Tree branches scratched the window pane, reminding her of the Freddy Krueger movies.
And now she had to pee.
Well, it would give her something to do while she waited. Ducking into the bathroom, she contemplated leaving the door open. An owl hooted in the background.
She jumped.
“Fuck,” she muttered, slamming the door shut. The likelihood that Noonan survived and was in the US had to be pretty slim odds.
After washing her hands, she smoothed down the front of her jeans as she pushed back the door and gasped.
“Surprised to see me?” A man, with a face of pink and white skin, swollen lips, and a missing ear smiled. “I look a little different, don’t I?” He held her rifle in one hand and an AK assault rifle in the other.
“Jeremy?” she whispered, clutching her chest.
He no longer had a right eyebrow and under his cap, she suspected the burns had destroyed most of his hair.
“In the flesh.” He smiled. “Well burned flesh, but I’m still kicking.”
“Shamus will be back shortly, and he’s—”
“I can’t wait to see him.” Jeremy sat on the sofa, crossing his legs, pointing his weapon at her. “Sit.”
She swallowed, thankful that nothing had happened to Shamus, or at least she hoped. Her muscles shook and her feet barely lifted off the floor as she shuffledto one of the metal chairs, not wanting to be too close.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked.
“I’m not telling this tale twice, so let’s wait for your boyfriend to get back.”
“You’re not going to get away with this.”
“Sure I am.” He turned his head and smiled. “I’m dead. No one is looking for me.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket. “And when they find the two of you dead, they will also find this.” He waved it in the air.
“What’s that?”
“It proves that you and Shamus were planning on selling top secret Missile Defense intel, but tried to double-cross your buyer, and oops.” He held up his hand like a gun and pulled the trigger. “Boom. Traitors and dead.”
Chapter 9
NOTHING SEEMED out of place, which made Shamus worry even more. He wanted to believe Noonan was still alive, but he didn’t want to wrap his brain around the idea the man could have betrayed his country.
His brothers.
And for what?
Shamus rummaged around in his mind about the events leading to his last ops, and the more he thought, the more he believed Noonan had led the team into a trap of some kind. The only thing that stood out, making him hold onto that tiny piece of hope, was that Noonan had warned them of the bomb. Why would he do that?
Okay. To give himself more time to get out.
But Shamus had the book. The one piece of intel they had come for, which Shamus assumed Noonan planned on selling.
His mind could go round and round all night, creating more questions than finding answers.
He whistled twice as he approached the cabin. He half expected Amber to greet him at the front door with a smile and open arms. When this was all said and done, they were going to have to have a long, serious talk. He needed closure on the past and wanted to pave a path to the future.
One that had her waking up in his arms.
He pushed opened the door and froze. He blinked twice, but he couldn’t eradicate the sight. He raised his weapon, aiming at Noonan’s heart.
“I’d put that thing down if I were you.” Noonan pointed an assault weapon in the direction of Amber.
“You okay?” he asked Amber as he set his weapon by the door, raising his hands as he took a few steps inside, assessing the situation. The chance of them getting out of this alive right now was about as slim as could be, but he was betting that would change as long as he kept Noonan talking.
“I’ve been better,” she said, hugging herself. Her face was pale, her lips were pulled into a tight line, and her body was rigid with anger.
Shamus moved one of the cold, metal folding chairs, setting it between Noonan and the door, across from Amber. “How’d you get back in the country undetected?”
“That’s your first question?” Shiny, overstretched skin spread across Noonan’s once charred forehead. The scars, more like veiny patches, weaved across his face. A flare of pain swelled across Shamus’s back as he wondered what was worse, being burned, or having shrapnel slice through your back.
“What should my first question be?”
“Did I fuck your girlfriend?”
Shamus laughed, though he didn’t find it funny at all, and the idea this asshole had his slimy hands on Amber made him want to add a few bullet holes to his face. “She wasn’t my girlfriend at the time you dated. I’m surprised you didn’t tell me, though. You always enjoyed bragging about your conquests.” Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Amber shift. From the way her lips curved down, she didn’t like him tossing her dating life around like a paper basketball aimed for the trash can.
“So, you don’t care that when I had her, we fucked like—”
“This isn’t about you dating my ex-girlfriend.” Shamus swallowed hard. He needed to get Noonan talking about what happened in Syria. That had to be the focus.
“No. She’s a cross between collateral damage and icing on the cake.”
“Did you come here to kill me?” Shamus asked. He knew the answer, but he hoped Noonan would go off on one his tangents, giving Shamus more time to figure out how the hell to get out without putting a scratch on Amber.
“You disappoint me,” Noonan said, resting the assault rifle on his lap, but keeping it aimed at Amber.
The Noonan Shamus remembered could have been a sniper and definitely was a better shot than him. Shamus needed to outsmart him, only Noonan was about as smart as they came.
“Answer me this. Why did you warn me about the bomb?”
“You’re really not as bright as I thought you were,” Noonan shook his head. “I was double-crossed. We were supposed to walk in, get the book, and walk out. I didn’t want anyone to die; I just wanted the book.”
“Had you already sold the intel to another group?” Shamus asked, still piecing together the information. The book contained details about the troops on the ground, so it was already in the hands of the enemy.
“I had a buyer,” Noonan said with a crooked smile. His lower bottom lip was swollen and damaged from the bomb.
Or maybe something else.
“And the three men I talked to trying to cross the border as refugees?” Amber asked.
“That was an interesting twist of fate that I obviously didn’t know about until I started to recover from my injuries, and I used it to make sure I could corner Shamus into coming out to play.” Noonan pulled out a toothpick and shoved it between his teeth.
“Why?” Shamus asked, tilting his head. “What the hell did I ever do to you?”
“Really? You have to ask that?” Noonan raised a hand, waving it over his face. “This is your fault.” His voice became a low growl.
“I don’t see how,” Shamus said, hoping to get Noonan so caught up in his own tale, he could disarm him with minimal damage to himself and none to Amber. “Seems like the men in that tunnel didn’t trust you to begin with. That they intended to kill you. I suspect they found out you were going to double-cross them.”
“He was a hero,” Shamus said, bile coating his stomach. “He figured out you were a traitor, and he tried to—”
“It got him killed.” Noonan stiffened, holding the rifle tighter in his hand, finger over the trigger.
“You got him killed,” Shamus corrected.
“And now I’m going to kill you and frame you for treason, destroying your career, your reputation, stripping you of a medal you didn’t earn.” He stood, inching his way toward Amber.
Shamus leapt from the chair, sending it crashing to the floor with a clank.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Noonan shoved the rifle at Amber’s chest.
She gripped the seat of the chair, groaning.
“Get that gun off her.” Shamus puffed out his chest, balling his hands. “Do whatever the fuck you want to me, but back away from Amber.”
“Awe, aren’t you the sweet guy.” Noonan took the barrel of the rifle and traced it down from her neck to between her breasts.
Her dark orbs turned fiery orange.
Shamus was going to enjoy taking Noonan down. “I’m your worst nightmare,” he said behind a clenched jaw. A tiny, red light beamed through the window, landing on Amber’s shoulder. It blinked three times, then disappeared.
Hank.
A sudden jolt of adrenaline roared through Shamus’s body. His pulse raced, but his mind calmed.
“That’s laughable. I’m the one with the gun,” Noonan said, pushing the rifle farther down, exposing more of Amber’s cleavage. “You ever fuck her when she’s angry? Damn.” He raised his free hand and kissed his fingers, making a smacking sound.
Shamus sucked in a deep breath, letting it out in one controlled exhale. “You’ve always been a lone wolf.”