Mercenaries

by Anne Kane

  Kaeden felt the corner of his mouth twitch with the effort not to grin as he admired the way the synthetic material clung to her slender form. She was right. The tight material made her slender figure look even more tempting than if she were totally unclothed. There was something to be said about leaving a little bit to the imagination. Right now he could imagine how the soft mounds of her breasts would feel beneath his hands.

  His cock swelled behind the restricting material of his jeans, and he gave an inward sigh. It felt like he’d been walking about with a massive hard-on ever since he’d seen her picture up on that auction site. It didn’t matter how many times they’d had sex in the past week, he still wanted her with the unbridled enthusiasm of a teenager with his first crush.

  Walking up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled the soft skin of her neck. “You know it is. These guys don’t see women as anything other than entertainment or broodmares. If you want to come with us you have to look like you belong to the team, and I mean that literally. The target will underestimate you if you look like just another slave girl.”

  Dee sighed heavily, leaning back against him and causing his cock to jump eagerly. “I know. I just don’t like it.”

  Kaeden nibbled the skin of her neck, just where it disappeared under the bright blue material. “You keep rubbing against me like that, I’ll take this damn suit off myself.”

  Dee turned in the circle of his arms and ran one hand down his chest to the waistband of his pants. “You know it’s going to take Jackson a bit of time to get the equipment on the Hummer tuned into the all province system. I bet we have enough time for me to take care of this pesky little problem for you.” She fondled the growing lump through the tough material of his pants, and the curve of her lip was sheer seductive magic.

  Kaeden raised his eyebrows. “Little problem? I hardly think that qualifies as little or a problem. I seem to recall you being quite happy with the results last night.”

  Dee grinned. “Perhaps I’ve underestimated the issue. Let’s take a look.” She quickly unzipped his pants, and squatted to skim them and his shorts down over his hips.

  Kaeden groaned as his cock sprang free. The woman had no scruples, but damn that felt good!

  Dee sank back on her knees, tracing a line down his aching shaft from the tip to the tangle of curls at the base. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed this.”

  He begged to differ. He couldn’t begin to count the number of nights he’d tossed and turned, unable to sleep without her warm presence by his side. When he had managed to close his eyes, the nightmares had haunted him. Dreams of her being hurt, hunted, abused by the multitudes of monsters that haunted their post-apocalyptic world. Not knowing where she was had been pure torture. She was his whole world, even though he’d never admitted it to her, and he’d failed to keep her safely at his side.

  He wasn’t about to let that happen again. He would do whatever it took to make sure she stayed with him. If she needed to go rescue her sister, the team would make sure that happened. “You might have to take that suit off after all.” He tugged the material down over her shoulders.

  Without a word, Dee stood and shrugged out of the outfit with a sensual grace that sent his lust spiralling even higher. The soft smile that curved her lips let him know that she knew the effect the sight of her naked body had on him.

  Dropping back to her knees, she gently cupped his balls, squeezing the sensitive sac gently. Tongues of liquid heat roared through him. He closed his eyes, winding his fingers in her long hair as waves of lust swept him up. Peeking up at him from under her lashes, Dee wrapped her lips around the head of his cock, her tongue tracing the slit in the center.

  Passion flared between them, raw and hot. It had always been this way. Out of control. Flaring instantly at a glance, a touch. She slid her tongue along the bulging vein that ran the length of his cock, and then slid the head into her mouth and began to suck.

  Kaeden growled low in his throat, not even trying to control his reactions as he rocked his hips, fucking her face while she worked her way up and down his stiff shaft. This is what mattered. Him. Her. Them.

  “Stop. I want to feel your tight pussy wrapped around my cock when I come.” He gently pulled her to her feet and grasped her hips, lifting her up high before lowering her slowly onto his cock.

  Dee locked her heels behind him, her arms wrapped around his neck. Kaeden used his amazing strength to slide her up and down on his shaft. Desire ricocheted back and forth between them. All the trappings of civilization dropped away as they lost themselves in the primal urge to join together, to become one.

  He felt his balls draw up tight, his seed gathering before it exploded out of his cock in hot jets. He let out a roar of triumph as the walls of her pussy clamped down hard, milking every last drop of cum from his throbbing cock as her orgasm took her. Kaeden sank to his knees, still holding her tight against him. He was never going to let her go again.

  “So.” Dee’s eyes shone softly in the artificial light, reflecting her satisfaction. “Do you think Jackson has that Hummer ready to go yet?”

  Chapter Three

  “Papers, please.”

  The border guard looked much too alert for Kaeden’s comfort. Usually they barely looked at the paperwork before waving the team through.

  Jackson reached into the glovebox and grabbed the forged documents they’d picked up on their way to the border, handing them over. The guard took it wordlessly, peered into the vehicle to compare each travel pass with the person pictured on it.

  His gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary on Dee, and Kaeden had to make a conscious effort to relax. It didn’t mean anything. With the skin-tight suit and a training harness on, she was breathtaking. Of course any male who could still breathe would take a second look.

  “Are you going to put her in the arena? Be a shame to mess up that pretty face. Where’s her documents?”

  “Right here.” Kaeden handed over the bill of sale he’d received from the auction house. No need for a forgery on that one. “She’s not ready to fight yet, but I figured it would do her some good to see a few rounds. Kind of get her psyched up for it.”

  The guard looked doubtful. “You ever been to a live bout before? It’s more likely to scare her to death.”

  The men all shook their heads.

  “You might change your mind when you see one. I can think of a whole lot of more fun things to do with a pretty bitch like yours than have her beaten senseless in the ring.”

  Jackson flicked a look at him, but Kaeden kept quiet. While he utterly agreed, it wouldn’t do their cover any good to let the guard know that.

  “Okay, you can go. Enjoy your stay.” The guard stepped back to let the Hummer proceed. Jackson quickly put the big vehicle in gear and pulled out of the checkpoint.

  “Well, that went well. Now all we need to do is find the compound and look like a bunch of deranged lunatics who want to see a couple of girls try to kill each other.” Snake grinned. “You guys shouldn’t have a problem but I’m going to have to be careful.”

  Trace cuffed him across the back of the head. “You do deranged lunatic better than any of us. Dee, you might want to stay away from him.”

  “Hey!” Snake held up his hands. “I’m innocent! I wouldn’t harm a fly!”

  “Tell that to the guy you iced in Denver.” Trace snorted. “Oh wait, you can’t. He’s dead.”

  Snake shrugged. “I consider that a mercy killing. The man was scum, and the world is a better place without him.”

  “True. But that doesn’t make you innocent.”

  Kaeden interrupted the friendly banter. “Knock it off. We all know Snake’s a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. Everyone clear on the plan?”

  A chorus of yeses ensued.

  “Good. Get your weapons on before we get there. Don’t want anyone to realize we’re armed to the teeth, now do we.”

  Dee turned her head, a frown marring the clean lines of
her brow. “I’m not sure I can hide much in this suit.”

  “There’s a wire down the inside leg.” Kaeden pulled the deadly garrote out to show her. “And there’s a pocket for a small pistol in the back of the neck. Your hair will hide the bulge, even in a braid. Those are for emergencies only. I want you glued to my side the entire time we’re in there. Understand?”

  She gave him a saucy salute that told him she understood more than he wanted her to. “Yes, sir. Anything you say.”

  Shotgun let out a hoot of laughter. “That sounded kind of sarcastic, Sarge. Maybe you should discipline her.”

  Dee smiled sweetly at the hulking sharpshooter and made an anatomically impossible suggestion about what he liked to do in his spare time.

  “I don’t think she likes you, Shotgun.” Jackson swung the Hummer around a rock in the road. “And we all know how nasty Dee can be when she doesn’t like a person. You might want to play nice.”

  “Ahh. She knows I’m only kidding, don’t you, darling?”

  Kaeden listened to the team banter back and forth. For the first time in a long time, it felt good to be heading out on a mission. With Dee at his side, his attention was no longer divided. The team had been together long enough to feel comfortable letting each other guard their backs, and in the world of mercenaries, that was huge. Not many teams managed to stay together this long.

  “Cut the crap.” He pointed to a building in the distance. “That looks like our goal. Remember. We go in, locate Wren and get out. Period. No heroics. No starting riots because you don’t like what you see. Keep in character.” He felt his lips twist in a wry smile. Their cover was simple. A bunch of guys who liked fighting and females. Not much of a stretch.

  The Hummer grew quiet as each of the team members checked their weapons and gear. Dee fingered her bracelet, the only outward sign of her nervousness.

  As they drew closer to their objective, Kaeden could see armed guards patrolling the upper levels of the compound walls, rifles slung over their shoulders. Good thing they hadn’t decided on a military approach.

  Jackson slowed the Hummer to a crawl as they joined a long line of vehicles. Their intelligence had informed them a series of matches were scheduled for later today and higher than usual attendance was expected. So far, so good. They could lose themselves in the crowd.

  A guard stopped each vehicle before allowing it to proceed through the massive wrought iron gates. As the line crept forward the team got louder, speculating on the day’s entertainment. Dee kept quiet -- a slave girl wouldn’t join in the conversation. When they reached the gate, a burly guard with an unkempt beard gave them a cursory look-over before motioning them inside without a question. They were in!

  “Now to find the perfect parking spot.” Jackson manoeuvred the Hummer through the maze of parked cars. “Close enough to the doors to be handy if we leave in a hurry, but with a clear line to the exits.” He gunned the engine and squeezed between two Jeeps to claim a space on the edge of a line of vehicles. He nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect.”

  The team poured out of the vehicle. Kaeden looked around, committing the exits to memory. If things went south they would have seconds to come up with an exit plan. Wrapping the end of Dee’s leash around his hand, he motioned the group forward.

  * * *

  The main arena was built along the lines of an old Roman coliseum, with a large fighting area ringed by rows of tiered seating. A festival air prevailed with loud men everywhere, and booths around the perimeter serving alcohol to their customers. A smattering of females were scattered through the crowd, but the majority present were male. Not surprising.

  Kaeden assessed the situation. “I think we need to stay together for now. Jackson, can you tell where the females are held?”

  “Just accessing the main grid now.” Jackson’s eyes had that unfocused look that let them know he was using his computer implants to access the information. “Okay, follow me. They keep the girls in a housing complex down below. Normally it’s off-limits to guests, but today they’ve decided to let the crowds down to see the girls. That puts a kibosh on sneaking in and spiriting Wren out while everyone is focused on the fights. We’re going to have to play this one by ear.”

  The team melted into the crowd, following the flow of people heading down to see the women. Kaeden could feel the tension emanating from Dee. He wrapped a hand around her wrist, and she looked up, startled. A brief, wistful smile flittered across her face. He wished he could do more to make her feel better, but they had to uphold the illusion of a master-slave relationship.

  * * *

  When they arrived in the housing area, they hit their first snag. The girls slated to fight that day were in a glass-enclosed pen close to the front. A video screen scrolled through their statistics with a constantly changing display of the odds as the betting got underway. It looked like a tall blonde with the build of a Nordic bodybuilder was the favourite.

  Jackson shook his head. “There are four different holding areas for the rest of the girls, and I can’t find anything that tells me where Wren is. We’re going to have to split up to cover them all.”

  Kaeden hadn’t liked the idea, but with this big an area and a limited amount of time there weren’t a lot of alternatives. Three corridors led off to the housing areas. Security would sweep through the holding area just before the first match and clear everyone out. That gave them fifteen minutes to find Wren and get her out of here.

  “Snake and Pete, take the west corridor. Shotgun, you and Trace take the one in the middle, and Dee and I will take the southern area. Jackson, you stay here and keep a lookout for trouble.” Kaeden glanced around. “Any questions?”

  The men shook their heads, drifting quietly away in the directions indicated. Kaeden stepped slightly in front of Dee and headed toward the south housing area.

  Once they slipped into the south hallway, the noise of the boisterous crowd faded behind them. Kaeden ghosted his way down the passage, avoiding the security cameras with the ease of long practice. They came to the first of the cages, and Dee had to bite her lip. The cages reminded her of holding cells in a police precinct, with a toilet in one corner, a single cot for sleeping, and little else. Electronic locks secured the sliding doors at the front. The whole setup was highly illegal, but she’d bet her last dollar that the promoters paid off the government overseers to look the other way. Even after the collapse of civilization, greed still ruled.

  They passed down the rows, searching for Wren without results. Dee glanced down at the timer on her bracelet. They had less than ten minutes left.

  At the far end of the next row, a movement caught her eye. Instead of lying on the thin cot with a helpless expression on her face, a slender Asian girl was busy trying to short circuit the lock on her cage with water from the toilet. Dee caught Kaeden’s arm and pointed.

  He glanced at the girl, shrugging. “Not our problem.”

  Just then, her com link pulsed on her wrist, and a picture swirled into existence on the display gem.

  “Is this your sister?” Trace’s deep voice seemed loud in the stillness.

  Dee stared at the display. Wren. They’d found her! “Yes! Is she okay?”

  “A little thin but fine. Now how do we want to play this?”

  Dee stared thoughtfully down the row at the Asian girl desperately trying to escape. “How about we let as many of the girls as we can loose, and then slip out in the ensuing pandemonium?”

  A slow grin lit up Kaeden’s rugged face. “I like it. Since we can do this quietly, let’s make enough chaos that no one singles us out. Trace, can you two get Wren out of there and keep her safe?”

  “No problem, Sarge. How are we going to get all the girls out of their cages? Jackson have some kind of tech magic up his sleeve?” Dee could hear the amusement in Trace’s voice.

  “Not this time. Use your pistols and blow the locks. Security will be looking for a gun-happy redneck, which pretty much describes the entire crowd here. If
we’re careful, we should be able to slip out without getting caught. Jackson, you got the collar and papers we brought to get Wren out of the province?”

  “Aye, Sarge.”

  “Good. We’ll rendezvous in the main housing area, and you get that collar on Wren. In all the confusion the guards won’t realize you didn’t come in with a female.”

  “Roger that.”

  “Pete? Snake? You copy?”

  “Aye, Sarge.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  Kaeden pulled out his pistol and held it against the nearest lock. A dull popping sound echoed through the corridor as he blew the lock and moved on to the next one.

  “Come on, girls! This is your chance. Make a run for it!” Dee watched as the women surged to their feet, calling to Kaeden to free them next. She pulled the pistol from its holster between her shoulder blades and jogged to the cage holding the Asian girl. “This might be a little faster. Stand back.” She blew the lock and pulled the cage door open.

  “No idea what you’re doing here, but thanks.” The girl gave her a brilliant smile before bolting down the corridor.

  They worked quickly, each taking one side of the corridor and blowing lock after lock. Within minutes, they could hear the chaos starting back in the main area, and Kaeden gestured her to hurry. “We need to get out of here. Give your gun to one of the women and let’s go.”

  Dee nodded, tossing the tiny pistol to a tall redhead. “The more of you that are free, the better your chances of getting out.”

  The girl nodded. “We aren’t leaving any of our sisters behind. These assholes are going down!”

  Kaeden grabbed Dee’s hand and hustled her down the corridor. They emerged into the main holding area and skidded to a halt.

  Chaos would be putting it mildly. The women didn’t just want their freedom, they wanted revenge for all the pain and humiliation they’d suffered in those cells. The men who’d taught them how to fight each other were now on the receiving end of their skills.