by J. C. Diem
Nervous at the idea of meeting a mysterious squad that I’d never even heard of, I’d chosen what I hoped would be appropriate clothing. I was dressed in head to toe black with calf high boots, cargo pants and a t-shirt. I’d forgo a jacket until it was time for action.
Kala was dressed nearly the same as me, but we didn’t look at all alike. She was two inches shorter than me and much more muscular. Her hair was short, spiky and a golden blond. I was almost too slender for my height of five foot seven and had long, dark hair that needed a trim. Putting it up into a ponytail made me look about fifteen, but it would become a hindrance if I left it down.
As always, Mark wore a dark suit. This one was navy with a faint pinstripe. His shirt was a crisp white and his tie was royal blue. He kept his thinning brown hair cut short in the typical federal agent style. New lines of worry had been etched around his eyes since Reece had decided to leave us. Flynn’s disappearance had heightened his concern. His squad had already been reduced and we couldn’t afford to lose anyone else.
When midday drew near, we waited in the coms room in tense silence. At last, a large black armored truck pulled up at the front gate. There was no form of identification on the vehicle. The window lowered and a man in his mid-thirties peered up at the camera that was mounted on the gate. He held up his ID and Mark zoomed the camera in to read it. The top half of his ID had PIA in yellow letters. The bottom half had his photo. His name was Wesley Kendricks.
Recognizing the agent, Mark pressed a key on the computer to open the gate. “It’s imperative that you don’t let them know who and what you really are,” he advised us as we headed for the stairs. Very few people outside of our squad knew that we were shifters. Mark’s superiors were aware and they trusted him enough to keep us in check. I didn’t know how he’d explained Reece’s defection to them. It still hurt too much to ask.
“We’ll be careful,” Kala promised and I nodded in agreement. She was more subdued than normal and was showing no signs of her usual playfulness. She was just as concerned as Mark at Flynn’s disappearance. I’d only known him for a few months, but I loved him like a brother already. I would do everything in my power to get him back.
It occurred to me that they might not know that he was okay. “I should have told you this sooner, but Flynn is alive,” I said when we reached the lower floor.
Mark turned to me with desperate hope written all over his face. “How can you be sure?”
“I can feel him faintly through the bond, but I can’t tell much more than that.” I’d only managed to pick him up on my mental radar after I’d calmed down. Heightened emotions interfered with the link, it seemed.
I felt Kala’s relief and she blinked away tears before they could form. She was determined to hold herself together until after we’d rescued Flynn from the EERI compound. God help them if he’d been harmed. We’d raze the building to the ground if they’d hurt him in any way.
₪₪₪
Chapter Seventeen
We opted to meet the O Squad out front of the building rather than in the garage. From what we’d seen on the monitor, their truck wouldn’t fit inside anyway.
Zeus pushed his way through to stand in front of us when Mark opened the kitchen door. He regarded the approaching vehicle with suspicion. His nose told him that twenty men were inside. All of the occupants were human, but he wasn’t going to trust any of them. He’d been a trained guard dog before he’d joined our team and he was even more vigilant now. He’d encountered too many dangerous people and creatures to become complacent.
The truck pulled up and the driver climbed out. Tall, blond and blue-eyed, he was a shorter version of my father right down to his rigid stance and short haircut. Mark sent a warning glance at Kala when her lips curved upwards in automatic appreciation.
“Agent Steel, it’s good to see you again,” Kendricks said and offered his hand.
“Agent Kendricks, I’m glad you and your team could arrive so quickly.” The pair shook hands as the rest of the team disembarked from the decidedly intimidating armored truck.
Nineteen men lined up in a neat row behind their boss. All were fit, well-armed and no doubt deadly. Their hard eyes told me that they were killers. Kala and I shared a quick glance. We were the most dangerous team in the Paranormal Investigation Agency, but these guys gave us pause. It made me wonder what their true purpose was.
Mark pointed to Kala. “This is Agent Kala Walker.” Kendricks’ eyes lingered on her a trifle longer than was necessary before moving to me. “And this is Agent Alexis Levine.”
His brows rose at hearing my surname. “I heard Major Levine’s daughter was working for the PIA. I take it you’re her?”
I heaved an internal sigh at the question. My father’s fame was well-known. “I am.”
“Are you anywhere near as good with a gun as he is?”
Mark answered for me. “Lexi isn’t as good as Philip. She’s better.” Incredulous looks swept through the all-male squad and I turned to him in shock. No one had ever made that claim before.
“Good or not, she’s young and untrained,” Kendricks said. “I’ll want proof of her skills before I’ll allow her to come along.” I was still new to the team and I didn’t have the same level of training as Mark and Kala. It was only natural that he’d be skeptical of my talents and ability to handle myself during a mission.
“Grab your rifle,” Mark told me.
“She can use mine,” one of Kendricks’ men offered. His boss gestured for the man to step forward and took his sniper rifle from him. He handed it to me, clearly expecting it to be too heavy for me. Hefting it, I held it up to my shoulder and looked down the scope. It was different from my custom made rifle, but I’d used something similar before and I wouldn’t have any trouble operating it.
“We have a range at the back of the compound,” Mark said.
Kendricks waved the offer away. He didn’t have the patience to bother with a proper range. “I need a volunteer,” he said. The sniper stepped forward immediately. “Take this,” the team leader said and handed him an object. “Go and stand near the gate.”
The sniper saluted him then took off at a run before I could get a look at the object in his hand. It was nearly a mile to the fence, but I had a clear line of sight with nothing to obstruct me. The distance itself wouldn’t be a challenge, but I still didn’t know what the target was.
I could easily have held the rifle to my shoulder and fired from a shooting stance now that I had inhuman strength. Keeping Mark’s warning to pretend to be normal in mind, I waited for the sniper to position himself before lying down on my stomach. The ground was almost too warm, but I ignored the discomfort. I knew full well how hot the ground could get during summer. Since it was still winter, it wasn’t that bad.
One of Kendricks’ men handed me his backpack to rest the rifle on. I took it with a nod of thanks. Peering through the scope, I saw the sniper hold out the target. I was amused to see that it was a matchbook. It was possible that I might have been able to hit it even before I’d acquired enhanced sight and skill. I’d never tried to hit anything that small before, so I’d never know for sure.
The sniper held the matchbook by the top and bottom, being careful to keep his fingers clear. His face was expressionless, but a bead of sweat dripped from his forehead to his chin. If my shot was off by even a fraction, there was a good chance that I’d put a hole in him.
The day was still and devoid of wind. I took a breath, held it then pulled the trigger. Surprised amazement appeared on the sniper’s face when the matchbook went spinning out of his hand. He bent to pick it up then held it up for his boss to look at.
Kendricks took a long look at the neat hole in the middle of the matchbook then lowered his binoculars. He turned to me with a stony face as I climbed to my feet and brushed myself off. “You can come with us,” he said grudgingly, “but you’ll be following my orders.” He swept his gaze across Mark and Kala and they both nodded their agreement. We’d
be willing to follow any orders if it meant we’d get Flynn back alive and hopefully unharmed.
The sniper sprinted back to us and I handed him the rifle then gave the backpack to his colleague. The sniper tossed the matchbook to one of his squad mates to examine and gave me a quick grin. “That was impressive shooting,” he said as we headed inside. Short, lean and Hispanic, he was only a few years older than me. I was a full inch taller than him in my thick soled boots. “I take it your father trained you personally?”
“Yes. He took me shooting nearly every day, when he wasn’t on a mission.”
He shook his head in envy as he stepped through the door. “I’d give my left arm to have a one-on-one training session with Major Levine. I’m Cortez, by the way. Maybe you could give me some pointers?”
“Sure, if we have the time.” I sincerely doubted we would. Kendricks didn’t seem like the type of guy to give his men time to loaf around.
Mark and Kendricks were already halfway up the stairs to the coms room. Kala drew me aside as the men spread out and made themselves comfortable at the dining table or on the couches. “You do realize that guy was flirting with you, right?”
“Yes,” I sighed. It wasn’t the first time a guy had been interested in me and it probably wouldn’t be the last. I didn’t consider myself to be a great beauty, but I knew I wasn’t exactly an eyesore.
“You’ll be free from your bond soon,” she said. “Would it hurt you to bat your eyelashes at a good looking guy?”
“Like you did with Kendricks?” I said slyly, trying to ignore just how much it hurt to be reminded of Reece’s desertion.
She sniggered and glanced upwards to make sure Mark wasn’t paying any attention to us. “He’s just the kind of guy I need to sleep with to make me forget about Cole.”
I was shocked by that admission. “Are you telling me you haven’t had sex since our last mission?”
She was insulted by my surprise. “I don’t sleep around that often.”
I looked up at the agent then back at her. “Kendricks kind of looks like Cole, now that you mention it.” The werelion had longer hair, but they were similar in appearance.
“That’s part of the reason why I want to jump him. Plus, I bet he knows what to do in bed.” Her smile was wide and knowing. Kendricks glanced down and did a double take when she winked at him. Mark saw the exchange, sighed and motioned for us to join them.
“Now you’ve done it,” I murmured then started climbing. Stay down here and watch the men, I said to Zeus before he could follow us. Sitting at the base of the steps, he alternated his stare between each of the strangers. I had to admire Mark’s choice of collars. Zeus looked even more frightening with it on.
Kendricks moved to stand in front of me when I reached the second level. He was tall enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that fraternizing with my men would be a bad idea while we’re on a mission.”
“No, you really don’t,” I said icily. “I have no interest in any of your men.” Cortez had flirted with me, not the other way around. I wasn’t sure why he thought I needed to be reprimanded. Maybe he was a chauvinistic pig who thought all women were a distraction. Time would probably tell.
“Good.” He nodded then looked at Kala. She raised a tawny eyebrow, daring him to lecture her about her wink. Realizing she couldn’t be intimidated either, he frowned and turned back to the monitors.
“Behave yourself, Agent Walker,” Mark said just loudly enough for us to hear him. Kala was instantly ashamed by the reprimand and hung her head a little. I put my arm around her waist in support. It was never fun to have our boss upset with us.
Part of being a werecat meant she could be easily distracted. She hadn’t forgotten about Flynn, but her sexual needs were also a large part of her life. She hadn’t asked to be experimented on and to be turned into a monster. She was a victim of circumstance and now she had to live with this for the rest of her life.
“That’s a sight that’s going to keep me awake tonight,” one of the men downstairs whispered. We looked down through the glass wall to see two of the squad members staring up at us. They looked away hastily and Kala snorted out a laugh. I stepped away, blushing at their knowing smirks.
“They think we’re into each other,” Kala whispered, as if I’d somehow missed that fact. I was young, but I wasn’t so naive that I didn’t know what they’d been thinking about.
Mark and Kendricks gave us identical frowns then began discussing our options. Their tactical discussion instantly bored Kala. She headed to her room where she couldn’t get into any trouble. Forgotten by both men, I stayed to listen to their plan.
“We’ll enter the grounds here,” Kendricks said and pointed to a spot towards the back of the EERI compound. “The guards are thinnest there and we’ll have the best chance of getting in without suffering any casualties.”
“I wish we knew how many guards they have inside,” Mark said. “We could be heavily outnumbered.”
“We could use a distraction to draw them out,” I suggested.
Kendricks turned to me and his lips twitched in condescending amusement. “What kind of distraction do you think would assist us to infiltrate the base, Agent Levine?” His tone wasn’t quite as patronizing as his smile, but it came close.
“I was thinking a dozen drunk bikers shooting up the place might do the trick,” I replied coolly.
Mark smiled when he grasped my plan. “Good thinking, Lexi. We can use Aiden and his gang to lead some of the guards away. They know the area well enough to be able to escape without being caught.” If they were caught, they’d no doubt kill their pursuers anyway. If our targets had been anyone but EERI employees, I wouldn’t have made the suggestion. As far as I was concerned, anyone who worked for the rival organization had to be evil.
“Who is Aiden?” Kendricks asked.
“He’s one of my contacts in the area,” Mark lied. He couldn’t exactly tell the squad leader the truth.
“I’ll need to meet him and his people before I’ll agree to their assistance,” Kendricks said. I received a tiny nod of acknowledgement for my input.
“I’ll call him and arrange a meeting,” Mark replied.
Kendricks headed for the stairs. “I’ll brief my team.”
Mark took his cell phone out as the agent clattered down the stairs and gathered his men into the living room.
Aiden answered on the third ring. “I wasn’t sure whether I’d hear from you again,” the alpha drawled.
“A specialist team has arrived to assist us,” Mark explained. “We’ll be extricating my agent tonight. We could use your help, but the squad leader wants to meet with you and your people first.”
“Why do I get the feeling he isn’t going to be friendly towards our kind?” Aiden’s tone was sardonic.
“If they learn what you are, they’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”
“And you still expect us to help you?”
“Do you want this threat to be gone or not?” Mark asked bluntly.
“The things we get mixed up in,” Aiden muttered. “When and where?”
“Your campsite in two hours. As far as the squad knows, you’re one of my contacts and we’ve worked together before.”
“Understood. We’ll be waiting for you.”
They hung up and Mark put his phone away. I put my finger to my lips to warn him to be quiet then listened in as Kendricks continued to address his men.
“We’ve been ordered to cooperate with Agent Steel and his team during this mission,” he was saying. “We’ll be sticking to the standard protocol, with one deviation. This is also going to be a rescue mission. Agent Flynn Bailey was taken for reasons I’m not yet privy to. He’s not to be harmed unless it looks like he’s been compromised by EERI. If he has, you know what to do.” My blood ran cold at the implication that he hadn’t voiced out loud.
“What are we going to do about these bikers that Agent Steel
is bringing in?” Cortez asked.
“You know our rule; leave no witnesses behind.” Kendricks’ tone was implacable. “We’re supposed to be the most clandestine squad in the PIA. We can’t allow anyone from outside the agency to learn of our existence.”
“What is he saying?” Mark whispered. I relayed what I’d just heard as Kala ambled out of her room and joined us. I was confused since I thought the whole mission was to rescue Flynn. If that wasn’t the main objective then what was?
“Did I just hear what I think I just heard?” she demanded in a quiet voice.
Mark nodded unhappily. “We need to be very careful tonight. We also need to warn Aiden and his pack to expect treachery from the O Squad.”
“Do you still want to have sex with Kendricks?” I asked her too quietly for Mark to overhear when he turned back to the computer table.
She debated about her answer. “Yep, but I’d probably have to tie him up first so he can’t plant a knife in my back when we’re done.”
Mark glanced at me when I stifled a shocked laugh. Trust Kala’s sex drive to almost outweigh her sense of self-preservation.
₪₪₪
Chapter Eighteen
With his team fully briefed, Kendricks herded them all towards the exit. Mark, Kala and I descended the stairs and hurried to the garage. The truck was loaded up with agents and Kendricks was waiting to follow us by the time the garage door opened.
The squad leader remained close on our tail as we left the compound and headed towards the campsite. The black truck was a menacing sight. I saw a kid gaping in wonder as it roared past Northam. He probably thought it was full of cops who were on their way to save some innocent people. It was fairly obvious to me that the O Squad weren’t exactly the good guys. I wasn’t sure what they were yet, but I knew they were dangerous.
