Stone (The Elite Forces Series Book 3)

by Kathy Coopmans

  “We have to go.” Emmy is the first to speak up. “We have to get revenge for Mallory, and I have to save my nephew. Even if it means I go alone.”

  “You’re out of your fucking mind. I’m not taking you girls in there. No fucking way.” Kaleb slams his hand hard on the bar, sending a loud rumble through the room.

  “Kaleb. I’m not doing this bullshit with you again. I’m a fucking soldier when we’re out on these missions. We go in as if I am any of your guys, and you shut the fuck up about it. It’s not like you have any other choice or some place to hide us.” Jade meets Kaleb face-to-face.

  “Do you really think I have you here without a fucking backup plan?” He moves closer to me, so that I’m the only other person in the room who can hear what he says to Jade. “I need you to go in a separate vehicle that will arrive when ours does. I have a man on standby just outside the resort. You go with him and do exactly what he says.”

  “Kaleb. I won’t leave you again. Fuck off.”

  “Jade. I won’t go into this trap with you. I need you to keep my sister safe and promise me you’ll find my nephew if something happens to me.”

  “No. I’m not doing this. You two aren’t going in on this alone. I’ve proven myself over and over again.” Jade isn’t calming down at all as she starts to talk even louder.

  “Shhhh. And that’s why I’m giving you Emmy to take care of. I know she’s safe with you.” He pulls her closer. I have to take a step back. This is a lover’s quarrel, and I can see both sides of it, but honestly, I’m tired of waiting to move.

  “Kaleb. I can’t do this again. I won’t. You either take me with you, or you know what I have to do.” She silences him as he stares into her eyes. I know she means business, and I hope he knows as well.

  “We need to move before this guy gets a clue about what we’re doing. We have to act fast, and you both know it. So decide who’s going with me and who’s not before I leave by my motherfucking self.” I have zero fucks to give at this point. I know this is important to the both of them, but I refuse to let time pass and let this window of opportunity to find the fucker go by while we’re still talking.

  “Let’s go. I’m ready.” Jade turns to me, responding quickly, and I know I need to start moving now if I’m going to get these two to come together. Kaleb is infuriated. I get it, but we have a mission to finish.

  “What are we doing with Emmy? She’s not trained for this shit.” I stop dead in my tracks. I fucking don’t know what to do with her. I just know I have to move now. My focus is blinding me of anything else besides going to find Mallory’s killer. Right. The fuck. Now.

  “What if I take two of you to him and then we can turn the tables on him once we have my son? Two of you can stay back and follow us in. He’ll believe I could only get a few of you to come with me.”

  “I’m going in,” Kaleb speaks up instantly.

  Jade follows before I have a chance to even speak up. “We’ll go together. You told him we were couples, right?”

  “Fuck off, Ice. I’m not letting you walk into a trap like this and use you for bait.” I have to try to talk some logic into this girl. She wants to save the fucking day, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while she’s going in scapegoat for me. I’m the one with the bone to pick, and I need to do this.

  “We need to send the right people in and have the right people as backup. You know this, Harris. You and Emmy can come in behind us and surprise everyone.” She’s trying her hardest to make it seem logical, but she’s being ridiculous.

  “No. Emmy and I need to go in. They’ll capture us instantly, and then you and Kaleb can come in and bust shit up. We’ll just hang tight until you get there.” She laughs at my response.

  “Hang tight? What if they start to torture you or move you before we can fucking get there?” Jade is the only one talking back to me. I know Kaleb knows this is the best move, because I can see him looking at Emmy with fear across his face.

  “Ice. Stop. They’re going in, and we will take it over within minutes of them crossing the threshold. We will let the element of surprise work for us.” Kaleb moves to take Jade into his arms. I can feel Jade’s cold stare on my back as she takes in what’s about to happen.

  “She’s not trained for this shit.” She attempts one last time to convince Kaleb to change his mind.

  “She won’t need to be to go in as a decoy, but you know we need you coming in to handle shit like you do so well.” He moves in closer and continues to talk as I walk over to Emmy to see where her head is.

  “You in for this?” Before I can finish everything I want to say, she interrupts me.

  “Yes. I can do this. I have to, because we need to know what happened, and if there’s a chance I can save Gabriel, I have to try.” She’s terrified, and honestly, I don’t blame her. We’re literally going in blind and won’t have any weapons on us. The first thing he’ll do is check us. We need to try and buy as much time as we can to distract them.

  “Samantha. What does he know about us?” I try to come up with the best story for all of us. We have to get our shit together on this and make sure we don’t fuck anything up. I can’t have anything going wrong in this.

  “He knows you’re here to see me and that you’ve asked about Ty. He plans to make you talk about Al-Quaren’s location, because he’s apparently the source of all the money in their business.” So he needs information. I can use this to our advantage, but that means he only needs one of us, so taking Emmy is a danger.

  “I’m going solo. You will tell him the others left. I don’t fucking care, but I’m going in solo.” I push Samantha back against the wall. Her eyes meet mine as she nods her head up and down at me without saying a word.

  “I’ll be right on your ass, so just go in and get me the Intel I need to do this shit.” Maverick hands me a tiny device that attaches to my hair and then starts to put his own earpiece in. Jade does the same as Emmy stares at the one he just handed her.

  “If anything starts to go down, you get your asses in there and save the kid.” I glare at Maverick to make sure he knows I mean business. He gestures with a quick tilt to the head that he understands me. I can’t help but wonder if this is where it all ends. I’ve never been more unprepared for a mission in my life. I’ve also never been this personally tied to it.

  They say it’s never good to mix personal issues in this field of work, but how can I not when I have revenge to seek? This is what I was born to do, and this may as well be what I die doing. Whatever the outcome of this is, I just hope we can save the kid.

  I gather Maverick and Jade in the corner, and Emmy follows. I decide to tell them a few things before we go in. “Alright, new mission. This is now a rescue mission to save the kid. We do what it takes to get him and his mother to safety. If it means you leave me behind, then you fucking do it.” Jade instantly starts to disagree, but I hold my finger to her mouth. “Shhhh. I’m not arguing on this. I’m going in. You follow my ass in there, and I expect to hear one hell of an entrance from all of you within a few minutes of me arriving.”

  This may be the most dangerous thing I’ve done. I’m not covered in a way I was on our missions in the Army. This time, it’s a one-man team going in with a small crew following closely. I have to say the odds aren’t in my favor, but nonetheless, I have to do this.

  I take one last look at Emmy and the sadness in her eyes. She knows how dangerous all of this is. She’s not an idiot. I can tell by the way she’s looking at me that she’s worried out of her mind about how this is going to turn out. Fuck. If I could turn back time, I never would’ve suggested she come here. Hell, I would’ve come by myself and kept the entire team safe from the shit that’s about to go down here.

  “I have ears on you, Stone. Pierce, show me what you know about this guy. Tell me what we’re going in on.” Stone. There it is. My call name on missions. Maverick has switched to mission talk, and I’m so fucking thankful it’s time. It’s tim
e to see that Fire and Ice in action again. “Emmy will be called Midnight. If there’s any correspondence on air, make sure you use call names.”

  I watch as very little information comes through on Maverick’s phone about this guy. He’s fucking good. Of course, he is. One of Mexico’s best drug lords isn’t going to be a sloppy one. I know with more time we would’ve been able to find something out, but I already know what I need to.

  He’s a piece of shit who deserves to die. Even if he isn’t the one who killed Mallory and my child, he’s holding a little boy as bribery right now, and that shit just doesn’t sit well with me.

  I can’t look at Emmy anymore. She’s not where my head needs to be. Her fear and confusion will only stir up chaos as I go into this. “Let’s fucking go. Samantha, take me to this motherfucker.”

  I feel Emmy’s hand slide under my arm just as I order the girl to take me. Her hands wrap around my waist from behind, and I stop breathing as she squeezes me tight. I don’t return the affection; I just look forward. This is something I can’t give her when I’m not even sure if I’ll come out of this alive.

  “Beau, please be safe.” Her soft whisper against my back sends a chill over my body as she slowly pulls away. She’s lifted her body from mine before I move, so it’s only her hand I can reach when I finally pull out of my trance.

  “Emmy. I hate that I brought you here. I wish like hell I could go back and just slip away from the compound and not be in this predicament today. You don’t deserve this.” Even though tears are filling her eyes, I turn and walk away. Samantha leads me from the suite, and I let Fire handle what I’m walking away from.

  I have to stay focused. This is the moment I’ve been dreaming of for months. I just need one second with this fucker, and all of the things I’ve imagined will finally be at my fingertips.

  I’m about to kill a motherfucker.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  EMMY

  I’m scared out of my mind. Beau is walking away from us, and I can’t shake this feeling that things will never be the same after this.

  We start to move with fast feet until we get to an old van just outside of the resort.

  “It’s about fucking time. I was wondering if you were on a permanent vacation out here.” Kaleb and Jade slide in, and I follow. Kaleb says a few things to the man driving that I don’t hear because I can’t seem to slow down the screaming in my mind about what’s about to happen. There are two guys. One is driving, and the other is in the front passenger seat. I can tell Kaleb knows them, and that makes me feel better. We have a few more going in with us, which can only help our odds.

  “Emmy, take this and stay on our ass. We’ll be moving fast. Remember everything I taught you.” My brother is different. He’s hard and cold as he hands me two pistols and talks to me in a rush. Jade looks so serious, and honestly, the feeling in the air is icy. There’s no room for mistakes or any nonsense.

  This is what I imagined it would be like on one of their missions. Everyone is focused and ready to kill. The van is moving at an insane rate of speed down the road as I work to shift my heart from racing rapidly to zoning in on the anger that this Mexican guy has caused my family. If he was whom Ty worked for, then I have so much more to hate this man for than what we’re here to deal with today.

  I let my mind fall to some of the memories of how it felt every time we heard from Ty and the fucked-up mess he was in. I still can’t believe that even in death he’s tearing this family apart. His efforts to be a terrible man never did stop shocking me.

  Swallowing hard, I decide to make it my personal mission to let this all end here. Ty won’t be able to do this to us anymore. We will get through this, and we’ll get to know his son even though he decided to toss him away. In all actuality, he did the little guy a favor. He needs to be far away from this lifestyle, and that’s why I’m going in.

  I take the guns Kaleb gave me and flip the clip to see a full load on both. This is a gun I’m very used to using, and it does make me feel better knowing I could load this in my sleep. Jade hands me two extra clips, which I tuck into my bra. I don’t have anything else on me, so I guess this will have to do.

  I’m trying to compose myself and at the same time hanging on as this guy’s driving speeds us through the streets. He seems to know where he’s going, and I do my best to take in every turn he takes as well as our surroundings as we go. I think I’ve got this and this is all something I can handle until the reception in my ear comes on.

  “He’s almost there. All ears on until this is over.” Maverick’s voice catches as he hears Beau start talking.

  “Why are you still in Mexico when you knew your son was still in danger?” Beau is obviously still talking to Samantha, and I love that he’s worried about Gabriel even with all the heartache he’s trying to avenge in this.

  “Because they’d just find me. If I don’t run, maybe they won’t notice me.” She sounds defeated even though she’s going in with a few of the most elite members in the United States, but how is she to know how qualified these three are? I may not be as experienced as they are, but I have the heart to get through this and do anything it takes to save that little guy. He looks so much like my brother was when he was younger, and if I’m being honest, I would like another chance at being there for him. This time, I’ll make sure he’s never put in the path to become a monster like his father was.

  “This is where we’ll park. We’ll go in all doors as soon as you give the go, Fire.” I look around and continue to listen to Beau talk. He seems calm, and that does so much to calm the insanity in my head.

  “I’m going to get your son from this asshole and then I’m going to help you get away from here. Can you promise me that you’ll come to The States with us so we can help you?” I listen to my earpiece closely, trying to hear what she says, but I never hear her say anything. The sound of car doors opening and closing is what comes through before the wind begins to whistle through the speaker.

  “Fuck. He better not be messing with that fucking piece. I’ll kick his ass.” Jade, well I guess it’s Ice out here, yells out as she holds her hand over her ear trying to hear just like I am. It takes a few seconds before we hear him again.

  The angry sound of foreign men pours into my ear, and I quickly go from calm to terrified. I have no idea what they’re saying, but I can hear at least three different, distinct voices.

  A grumble from Beau comes through, and Kaleb quickly speaks up. “We have three that he can see.” They must have a secret code of grunts and grumbles that gives information without giving anything away.

  It’s only a few seconds before I hear the horrible sound of Beau groan after a series of punches. The disgusting sound of filth fills my ears as I hear him being yelled at, while all along all we do is sit here and wait.

  “Why aren’t we moving?” Kaleb holds his hand up for me to stop talking, so I do. It takes everything inside me to be patient and not open this door and run to him. My only problem is, I have no idea where I’m going, and we all know I have no idea what to do once I get there.

  “They’re questioning him about the last mission we were on. We have to give him a chance to get some information from them before we blow those fuckers up.” Jade leans in to explain the situation a little better to me. I’m glad someone can understand the language being spewed at him.

  The next thing I hear is Beau talking to them in their native tongue. I can’t fucking understand a word he’s saying, and if I thought I was lost and scared before, this moment right here brings a whole new meaning to that. I look to Jade for answers, and she leans back again to tell me more.

  “He’s fishing to see if they knew Ty, which we already knew they did. Don’t worry, we’re experienced in this shit. He knows what he’s doing.” Even though she’s trying to calm me, she doesn’t. The sound of their voices tells me they are angry at him, and I know when someone has a disgust for a person like I can hear, then they are past the point of being rational, no
t that these men can be sane doing what they do.

  I hate that I never learned this language. Not that I ever want to be in this situation again, but I think that’s going to be on my list of things to do in the very near future…if I survive this day.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  HARRIS

  I have to get more information from these guys before Fire and Ice come in and fuck everything up. I work hard to stay in the mindset to play these games with this rotten-toothed motherfucker.

  After taking about ten kicks to the stomach and a few elbows to the face, I can barely see and my breathing is a struggle to say the least. They have me tied to a chair, but I’m working on the knot every chance I get. I’ve counted three visible enemies, and I haven’t seen Gabriel yet. Samantha finally asks for him. They smack her to the ground before she can get the entire sentence out.

  I focus on her crying to dig deeper so I can power through whatever they throw at me.

  The back door opens, and in walk two more men, one of them in a white suit strutting like he owns the place. I’m going to guess that is my guy. If he’s not, he one of the guys I plan to end here today.

  “Mr. Beau Harris. How are you, my little friend?” His English is shitty and hard to make out, but I can and do.

  “I’m not your fucking friend.” I spit at his feet to match his squared-up lips of disgust as he looks at me.

  “You come here and spit at my feet. You make it much easier to take care of business. Maybe I fuck your black-haired angel before I kill her.” My stomach churns with his words, and the anger I felt before only flows hotter now. I’m going to kill this motherfucker, and if he’s lucky, I won’t skin him alive first.

  “I don’t have a black-haired angel.”

  “Don’t play games with me. I’ve been watching you, just like I watched you with your last piece of ass.” He moves in closer, allowing his skank-ass breath to brush over my nose as he continues to talk. The only reason I’m not slamming my head into his face is because I want to hear him say it. I want to hear him say he killed her, so I can fucking mutilate his ass.