Love Hurts (Eternal Flames Book 12)

by Cree Storm

  “Thanks to Logan over in Maddox, and a call from Colonel Lansing, our contact, we were able to finally put the pieces together,” Wade answered.

  “We also went over all the videos again from when Savage was attacked, and it confirmed what we were thinking. My mate was able to focus on certain spots on those videos and we finally spotted him,” Snake added.

  “Your mate? Rory, right?” Flyer said with a smile.

  Snake chuckled as he reached out and grasped Ozcog’s hand. “Yup. I got me two sexy ass mates. Rory and Oz.”

  “Son of a bitch. Well congratulations man,” Flyer said and held out his hand, waiting for his friend to accept it.

  Snake clasped their hands together and shook, then Ozcog did the same and sadness filled Ireland. He felt like he was drowning in it and if he didn’t get away soon he would go under and never come back. Maybe that was the answer? He should just shift back to his animal and stay that way.

  Flyer’s genuine happiness over his friends’ mating touched Ireland but confused him. How could his mate be so joyful over others’ matings, but be so against theirs? In that moment he needed to get away. He needed to run. His animal began to whimper and crumble inside him. He too was confused and hurt by Flyer’s actions and contradictions.

  “What’s wrong, Ireland?” Flyer asked as he rubbed Ireland’s arm in comfort.

  “Nothing, I just need…” he replied as he pulled from Flyer’s hold and stood. “I need to go…um…”

  “I’ll go with you,” Flyer offered and went to stand, but Ireland cut him off.

  He pushed Flyer back to his seat as he protested, “No, you stay here and keep talking with your team. I won’t go far. I’ll be able to hear you still.” And with that Ireland moved away from the group and headed about fifty yards away and ducked behind a tree. He couldn’t let anyone see the pain within him. Now was not the time for him to fall apart. He needed to stay strong until they got him off this mountain and back home, then he and his porcupine could cry.

  CHAPTER 12

  Flyer didn’t know why Ireland had suddenly stiffened in his arms and pulled away, then hurried off like the hounds of hell were nipping at his ass, but he knew something was wrong. Maybe hearing how much danger they truly were in had him scared and the man needed a moment to hide and control himself. Flyer wasn’t sure, but the one thing he was certain about, was how amazing it felt to have Ireland sit on his lap. It felt…right.

  “So how have you been holding up?” Wade asked, and Flyer could hear the genuine concern in his commander’s voice.

  He shook his head and pushed all thoughts from his mind except the situation. Even though he couldn’t see, and his injured arm wouldn’t help them, Flyer needed to report everything to his commander and the team. They needed all the intel they could get before they went after the bad guys, and Flyer had no doubt his team was going to go after them as soon as they got him and Ireland to safety.

  Somewhere in the middle of his tale, Ireland came back to join them, and Flyer felt his heart sink when the man didn’t join him again on the rock he was sitting on. He couldn’t see Ireland’s face, but he could hear him return, then heard him sit on the ground across from him as the dry leaves crumbled under the man.

  Flyer continued his story, with Ireland joining in here and there, adding more details because of his ability to see what they were doing. Once they were done, the guys all sat around quietly for a few moments and Flyer knew they were all thinking about what they had just been told and absorbing the information.

  Suddenly Wade cleared his throat. “Okay, and you’re sure of what you saw, Ireland?”

  “Yes. I may not know the names of any of those guns and explosives, but I do know there was a shit ton of them. The one cave had at least fifty crates all stacked up against one wall, and they all had the same markings on them. I can’t remember the exact name printed on them, but I know it was some kind of semi-automatic gun. Then there were stacks of the other crates, like the one I opened which had the grenades and explosives inside. There were also more drugs than I thought could ever be in one place and so much money that even a shifter with a long life could live off of forever and never have to worry about money again.”

  “And this cave isn’t far from here?” Shadow asked.

  “No. It’s back down the mountain that way, then a few miles to the cave. There is a secret back entrance we came out from, which leads down into an underground river,” Ireland replied.

  “I’m guessing this entrance isn’t easily found,” Wade said as a statement, not a question.

  “Nope. The only reason we know how to find it is because we came out of the caves that way, otherwise I don’t think we would have even seen it if we were just walking past. It was covered with downed trees and surrounded by a few boulders,” Ireland said.

  “So, you two are the only ones who know where it is?” Suneth asked, and Flyer could hear something in his voice, but wasn’t sure what it was. All he did know was that it made his stomach twist and his heart begin to beat faster.

  Hesitantly he answered, “Well, yes and no. Without my sight I have no idea how to get us back there.” As the words fell from his lips, what they were all thinking dawned on him and Flyer wanted to stand up and scream ‘Hell No’, but before he could, the next question, the one he knew was coming, and dreaded, was asked by his Commander.

  “If you had to find it again, would you be able to, Ireland?”

  He stood, yelling in protest at the same time as Ireland answered, “Yes.”

  Flyer swung around to face his mate and took a step in his direction. “No, Ireland. It’s too dangerous for you.”

  Ireland laughed, but Flyer could hear no merriment in it. “This whole trip has been too dangerous for me. Since I fucked up and made you crash the plane, my life has been one big ball of dangerous, but do you know what, Flyer? As scared as I have been every second of the way, I have done what I needed to do to survive.”

  Using Ireland’s voice as his guide, Flyer moved to his mate then, while taking care of his injured arm, he reached out and felt for his face. Once he captured it, he cupped Ireland’s cheek gently between both hands. Yes, the irony wasn’t lost on him that he was thinking of Ireland as his mate and of his safety, but in that moment, he was too filled with fear for Ireland’s life to give a shit. “But that’s just it, baby, you have survived. You did an amazing job keeping us both alive and you’re safe now. You don’t need to do this. We can get you out of here and back to Crystal. Back to where you belong.”

  “If what Wade, Suneth, and the others are saying about these men is true, then I can’t in good conscience just walk away, Flyer. What if those guns and drugs hit the streets? How many people will be hurt by them? How many lives destroyed? And what about you and these guys? You’ve been telling me all about this cartel since the beginning of our wonderful journey and now these guys show up and tell us they have something to do with whoever is after you. I know I’m not a warrior like any of you and I have no skills in fighting, but if there is something I can do to help, and I don’t do it, I’ll never be able to live with myself,” Ireland said in a pleading voice.

  “We’ll do everything in our power to keep him safe, Aiden, you know that, but we do need his help,” Wade said.

  He knew what Ireland said was true and if the man wasn’t his mate and he wasn’t so scared for his life, Flyer would have agreed with Wade without question that they needed Ireland’s help. He had no doubt the guys would find the cave system and the cartel on their own, without any help from Ireland, but he also knew that it could take too long and the bad guys, along with all their stash, would be gone before they could be apprehended, and everything confiscated.

  Flyer pressed his forehead to Ireland’s and took a deep breath, then released it. He pulled back slightly, then gently kissed those soft lips again, loving the feel of them against his. “Fine, but I go too,” he declared.

  “Flyer, man, that’s not a good idea. Your
sight is crap and we can’t―”

  But before Wade could finish his protest, Flyer interrupted. “I will not let Ireland go out there without me. We have been going through this together ever since I left Crystal and I’ll finish this with him. It’s not like I don’t trust any of you to keep him safe, because I trust you all with my life, but I…”

  He couldn’t finish. His heart felt like it was being squeezed and it was stuck in his throat. Flyer had no idea why he was suddenly so emotional, but he knew he needed to keep that in check. He was grateful for the gauze that covered his eyes, so no one could see the tears he felt burning inside them, and they couldn’t see his fear.

  He was filled with a sense of loss just thinking about Ireland being hurt or worse, but he was afraid to voice those fears. He didn’t want to get Ireland’s hopes up that they meant anything deeper than just concern for his friend.

  No, it was more than that. He could keep denying it and lying to himself all he wanted, but deep-down Flyer knew it was more. He knew what he felt for Ireland was deeper and more powerful than his words, but the fear inside him that he would be just like his father, bubbled up and he couldn’t voice any of that. So instead he said something he knew would hurt his mate but would keep him safe in the long run. “Ireland has said since the beginning that we stick together and he’s right. So, until we get back to Crystal and get back to our lives the way they were before all of this, we stay together.”

  He could hear the soft, quick intake of breath and felt Ireland tense up, then pull away. Flyer’s heart felt like it was in a vice in that moment, but he knew what he was doing was what was best for Ireland. He could never be faithful, just like his father, and he would never put the sweet man through the hell that his father had put his mother through all those years. So, Flyer dropped his hands and took a step back, then reluctantly turned to face his team. “So, what’s the plan?”

  * * * *

  The helicopter flew overhead circling once before it dropped lower, and a rope was pushed out of the open side door. Emilio stood watching as three large men carrying rifles on their backs rappel down first. Once they hit the ground they quickly grabbed their rifles and spread out, pointing their guns in all directions as one of the men said something into the comm attached to his ear.

  Another figure dressed in a smart suit appeared in the opening of the helicopter and also began the abseil down. He was followed by another three large men carrying guns.

  Once they were all on the ground, the helicopter rose higher and flew off. The man dressed in an expensive, dark Italian suit looked to him and he swallowed hard. This man was someone that no one in the world in their right mind would want to mess with. His boss, Khan Bharrat, the most fearsome drug lord out of not just Guyana, but the world. He was the leader of them all, including his own Vasquez Family.

  He moved closer as Khan came toward him, then he bowed his head respectfully. “Don Bharrat.”

  “Emilio. Tell me why I was interrupted in my meeting in Albuquerque with the families and summoned to personally come to this…mountainous wasteland in America?”

  “I’m sorry to have interrupted you, Don Bharrat. Please know that I would never have done so had it not been of the utmost importance. My men were chasing down the Americans who were on their way to the ranch. The ones whose plane crashed.”

  “Yes. Commander Wells and his men. The biggest thorn in my side. Go on,” Khan replied as he put his hands behind his back.

  “As I had informed you during our last phone conversation, my men were able to reach the crash site, but the Americans were gone by the time they got there. My men have been tracking them every step of the way, but once they tracked them here, they called me to come.”

  Bharrat stared at him with his cold hard eyes and Emilio felt a shiver of dread rush down his spine. Bharrat’s jaw clenched and Emilio could see a tick begin in his temple. “You mean to tell me that Commander Wells and his team, the team who have been disrupting our trade for the past few years, the biggest pains in my ass, have actually located our secret caverns in the Jemez Mountains and made it here to this exact place?” Bharrat said in a calm, controlled voice, but Emilio could hear the fury building, and when that happened, people died. He just wished he wasn’t one of them.

  Emilio bowed his head respectfully again as he answered, “Yes, Don Bharrat. My men were able to track them right into the cave system. The good news is, they are sure there are only two of them and neither looked like Commander Wells. Also, there is no evidence that they have come back out of the caves. At least not from this direction. I’ve sent some of my men further into the tunnels with the dogs.”

  Don Bharrat’s eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at Emilio, whose insides suddenly felt like they were being burned as his stomach churned within. Sweat began to form on his brow and Emilio knew he had to control himself or this lethal man would kill him without batting an eyelash for showing his weakness.

  “Have they checked the storage cavern? Is anything missing?” Bharrat asked as he moved closer to the cave opening.

  “Yes, Don, we have checked, and it appears the two Americans made it into the cavern. We found traces of their shoe prints in the sand and a box had been opened, but they are no longer in the cavern,” Emilio answered as he tried to match the Don’s stride.

  “I want every tunnel checked. We must find them before they get away and alert the authorities, or worse…their team. I have just made a deal with the Todorov family, which means double our monthly shipments, Emilio. Now that I have done the impossible and convinced the Russians to join us, we will be unstoppable. This mess could ruin all of that. We need to find them, and we need to do it now. Oh, and Emilio, when you do, I want you to make an example out of them and send what is left, back to Commander Wells.”

  “What if they were able to somehow get word back to the Commander?”

  “We need to clear out these caves before anyone can get here. If these men are able to escape us and report what they have found, we’ll make sure everything is gone before they return. Call in an air transport. There’s no time to ship everything back on the boats through the tunnels into Mexico.”

  “Yes, Don Bharrat,” Emilio said and bowed again as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and followed Bharrat into the cave.

  CHAPTER 13

  Flyer had insisted that Ireland get at least a few hours of sleep while it was still dark, and Wade had agreed, So Ireland had lain down on the pile of leaves he had collected earlier and rolled away from the group, then closed his eyes.

  Wade ordered his men to double up and begin patrols around the area. He didn’t want the cartel’s men trying to sneak up on them. Ireland could hear the guys all spread out, then he heard Wade talking to Rory on the satellite phone.

  Rory was so relieved to know that they were all okay and finally together. He informed Wade that just before sundown a helicopter had been spotted hovering over the coordinates to the entrance of the cave.

  “Shit, they must know we were there. It’s not like we advertised our presence, but I’m sure we left a few shoe prints behind. Do you think they’re gathering the troops to hunt us down, Commander?” Flyer asked.

  “No. I think they’ll send out a few people for you, but otherwise they’ve given up on finding you and they’re too busy working on getting rid of the cargo. It’s what I would do in their shoes.”

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Suneth agreed, then asked Rory, “Hey, Rory, I know the heat sensor equipment won’t penetrate the earth to that depth, but can you tell us if there’s any movement outside the cave?”

  “Hold on and let me update the system,” Rory replied.

  After a few moments of silence, Rory’s anxious voice came back. “Wade, Suneth, that’s an affirmative. I count at least fifteen enemies at any given time going in and out. Not sure on the exact number, but I would guess to say a hell of a lot more men than you have.”

  Ireland could hear the mischief in
Wade’s voice as he replied, “Yeah, but we all know size doesn’t matter. It’s what you do with what you’ve got, and me and my men have more than the Vasquez family can handle. Keep us updated, Rory.”

  “Ten-four, and Wade, be careful,” Rory replied.

  “Always, little brother, always.”

  Ireland heard the satellite phone click off, then Wade, Flyer, and Suneth began to whisper. As much as he wanted to hear what they were saying, he was exhausted, and his body was protesting his nosiness. His eyelids became very heavy and he closed them, allowing sleep to claim him.

  Two hours later Ireland was woken by Flyer gently shaking his shoulder. Neither said much of anything, both seeming not to know exactly what to say. As Ireland rose to his feet, Wade immediately told him of their plan. It had changed slightly since he had fallen asleep and the new information made Ireland a little apprehensive, to say the least.

  Because of his nap, they had less time to get back to the caves and needed to leave as soon as possible. Rory had called and told them that he had been checking all transportation routes out of the area, figuring the cartel needed to move their supply fast and he got a hit on a large box truck rental out of Albuquerque which, from what he said, wasn’t too far from where they were somewhere in the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico. It was being rented by someone named Carl Harris which brought up red flags to Rory for some reason.

  Ireland was getting lost with all the information they were throwing at him. He listened carefully and nodded his understanding, but he still had no idea of everything they were talking about. This Harris guy was supposedly the son of a Senator and very rich, so exactly why would he have the need to rent a truck that big?

  Rory did a little more digging and hacked into the surveillance cameras at the rental place and saw a man known as Abelino Vasquez come in to get the truck Harris had rented. Then Rory hacked into traffic cams around the area and followed the truck to an old private airstrip that sat by a lake, not far from where they were. The place was supposed to be abandoned according to Rory, but satellite images showed him that there was a lot of activity going on, including what looked like the fueling of a large Cessna Grand Caravan 208B Wipline 8750 seaplane with floats attached.