Deep Bounty

by KD Jones

  “You had a chance to get out of here.” One of the men moved forward.

  Felix took a step back but Isaac stood his ground. He didn’t even get into a fighting stance or anything.

  “Isaac?” he asked. Then he heard a buzzing sound. What was that?

  Isaac lifted his hands and instead of weapons, he had controllers. The buzzing grew louder and when Felix looked over at the two mercs, he caught a glimpse of something hovering behind them. Just as the two men turned to look behind them, the two drones shot out shocker probes. They made direct contact. Then Isaac pressed a button and the two men began to convulse as they experienced shock wave after shock wave. Isaac increased the strength of the shocks until both men were on their knees.

  “Lights out, fellas,” Isaac upped the power on the shockers until both men fell forward, unconscious.

  Felix rushed over and checked their pulses. Thank God they were still alive.

  “Here, put cuffs on those two while I go cuff the one you took down. Great job, by the way. What did you use?”

  “A drawer.”

  “Really?”

  “It was all I could find.” Felix cuffed both of the mercs with the electronic cuffs Isaac had tossed him. As soon as the cuffs were in placed, they lit up, so he assumed that meant they were working. They should be enough to keep them immobile until whoever had the key came back for them.

  “Why did you give me the stun gun if you were planning to use the drones?” Felix asked, curious.

  “It’s a fake.”

  Felix glared at him. “You gave me a fake shocking device.”

  “Yeah, of course. I didn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

  He wanted to argue, but watched in disbelief as Isaac opened the nearby window. “What are you doing?”

  “Lock the door and come over here.”

  Felix rushed to close the bedroom door, but the lock had been ripped off when the mercs busted in. “It’s broken.”

  “That’s fine. I doubt we’ll be in here for much longer. Help me move the dresser in front of it.”

  “Now what?”

  “How good are you at playing games?”

  Felix frowned. “What?”

  Isaac shoved one of the controllers into his hands. “You take this one, it controls the green drone. The controller has a video screen so that you can see what the drone sees. The yellow button shoots out the shockers, and the dial lowers or increases the shocks received. Help me take as many of these mercs down as possible.”

  Felix stood there for a moment with the controller in hand, not at all sure he could do this. He played games at home, but he had never flown a drone before. Well, no time like the present. He squeezed the right trigger and the green drone lifted up into the air. He moved the lever with his thumb to direct the drone out of the window. It was a lot easier than he thought it would be. The drones were top of the line and had smart sensors that kept them from hitting into trees and stuff.

  Felix watched Isaac as he flew the blue drone around two men engaged in gunfire. He moved the drone in a swaying motion to keep it safely out of the line of fire. Then he pressed the yellow button and the shockers made contact. The merc went down pretty good.

  Okay, Felix felt like he could handle that. He directed the green drone down to the farthest area near the woods. He did the swaying motion. Just as he pressed the yellow button, another man jumped on top of the person he was trying to shock. The shockers connected with the second body instead. Frantically, he tried to release the shockers or call them back in some way, but Isaac hadn’t shown him how to do that yet. He accidently hit the dial up and the man went down.

  “Um...I think I got the wrong guy.”

  “What?” Isaac asked then cringed when his communications earpiece went off. “Well, your guys are wearing masks like the mercs! Have them take them off so we’ll know which ones are the bad guys!” Isaac yelled back into the earpiece. He looked at Felix and shrugged.

  “Make sure the next one isn’t wearing a mask.”

  “Sorry.”

  “It happens.”

  “How do I retract the shockers?”

  “Red button.”

  “Got it.”

  For the next twenty minutes, he helped Isaac take down as many mercs as they could find. It was a good distraction. He didn’t think about Elsa but two or three times. He realized his hands were starting to cramp from holding the controller so tight, though.

  “Hit the A button. It will bring the drones back up here,” Isaac told him.

  He hit the button and watched in amazement as the drones flew back through the window on their own without any problems and landed on the floor in front of them. He handed Isaac the controller.

  “What do we do now? Is it over?”

  Isaac nodded. “Kalen just sent out the message that the rest of the mercs ran off.”

  A pounding on the door made them both jump a little.

  “Open the damn door!” Elsa yelled from the other side.

  He and Isaac quickly moved the dresser. Isaac opened the door and was shoved out of the way as Elsa came rushing inside and began to aggressively pat Felix down, looking for injuries. He almost lost his balance. He tried to look her over for any injuries that she might have taken as well.

  “Are you hurt?” she asked, not letting him go.

  “No, are you?”

  “I’m fine, just pissed off. How the hell did the mercs find you?”

  “Officer Johnson is an informant.”

  “What? Where is that asshole?” She was about to stomp towards the door but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet.

  He grabbed her waist and pulled her back, burying his face in her hair. She smelled of dirt, gunfire, sweat, and that warm scent that was specially hers—all woman. The thought that she could have been hurt because of him was unacceptable.

  “Uh...guys, you need to get a room,” Isaac grouched, picking up his drones and inspecting them.

  Kalen shoved the door so hard that it came off his hinges. “We’re leaving right now, while we still have the cover of darkness.”

  Felix pulled away, but Elsa reached for his hand and held on to him. Elsa frowned. “Where are we going? To the authority?”

  “No, there are spies within the authority. It’s not safe for Felix or for us. Elsa’s boyfriend and his team are taking us to the one place no one will expect Felix to go.”

  Elsa asked, “Where’s that?”

  He slapped Felix on the back hard enough to make him stumble forward a few inches. “You’re going home, my friend.”

  Felix shook his head. “Not yet. Is anyone injured? I won’t leave until I check their wounds.”

  Kalen glared at him. “We don’t have time for this.”

  Felix stood, pulling his shoulders back, “Look, you did your job, now let me do mine.”

  Sighing, Kalen nodded. “The injured ones are already being taken to the helicopters. Detective Ryan suffered the most.”

  “I need that medical bag in the corner,” he ordered Isaac before giving Elsa a lingering look and then heading out the door. He could hear Isaac’s comment behind him.

  “Right, I’ll just get that for you.”

  Chapter 16

  Elsa looked over at Felix with concern. He had been quiet the whole helicopter ride to the military shuttle station. Ben had made arrangements for them to leave on a military shuttle to return to Felix’s estate. Ben approached and Felix stiffened.

  “Elsa, we’re ready to load you guys on the shuttle. I brought a hoodie to keep any prying eyes from seeing what your friend looks like. My team won’t be able to escort you because we’re being called away for a military op.”

  “Thanks, Ben. I think we’ll be fine now. You and your team saved our asses.”

  “You know I would do anything...for you.” The way he said it and looked right at her had her feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

  “I know. Same here. If you ever need my help…”

  He mov
ed closer but didn’t touch her. Ben glanced behind her, then studied her closely. “Are you sure he’s worth all the trouble?”

  She nodded but didn’t say anything. It was awkward talking to her ex about the new guy she was interested in while the new guy was only a few short feet away from her.

  “This shuttle is only traceable via military links. There will be another helicopter and team waiting to take you to your destination. It will be dark, so that should help keep you safe.”

  “Is your op dangerous?”

  “You know I can’t talk to you about that.”

  “Just...be careful.”

  “I will.” Ben glanced over at Felix. “This woman may appear hard and cold, but she has the biggest heart. Don’t break it.”

  “I have no intention of hurting Elsa,” Felix said stiffly.

  Ben turned and walked away, leaving her alone with Felix in the hanger. “Ready?”

  “How close are you with that man?” Felix asked.

  She frowned. “We used to date, but ended things as friends.”

  He grunted but didn’t say anything else. He turned his back to her.

  Why was he acting like this? Was he jealous? She narrowed her eyes. “Look, we don’t have time to deal with...whatever this is. We need to get going.”

  “Fine,” he grunted.

  “Fine.”

  She tossed the hoodie at him and turned to walk out of the hangar. Kalen and the others were waiting for her. Jade raised an eyebrow at her; damn her for being so perceptive. Elsa ignored all their looks.

  “Are we ready to go?” she asked Kalen.

  “Yes, let’s get off this station.”

  *****

  Felix was jealous and he didn’t know what to do about it. He didn’t have any right to be, given that he was currently a suspect in his wife’s murder and there was nothing official between him and Elsa. Yet, when he saw the connection between Elsa and her military ex-boyfriend, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit possessive of her. There was definitely respect and intimate knowledge. The way the man looked at Elsa, he could see the chemistry between them and it pissed him off.

  To make matters worse, they hadn’t had any time alone so that he could ask her about the guy, and he could feel the pointless thoughts and suspicions building up inside him. Everything was moving so fast, but at the same time, it felt like the situation between him and Elsa was balancing at the edge of a cliff. They could stop where they were, simply part ways after his name was cleared. Or...they could leap off the cliff into a relationship.

  He glanced behind him, to where Elsa was sitting next to Jade, her eyes closed. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful. Even when she had been injured, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He definitely preferred her awake, though. He liked the look of intelligence in her eyes and watching the expressions play across her guarded face. To someone who hadn’t spent any time with Elsa, they would think she was just as cold and calculating as Kalen. But Felix had noticed the tilt of her lips when she was smirking, the twinkle in her eyes when she was joking with Isaac, and seen the fear she had felt for him when the cabin was attacked. Elsa was anything but cold on the inside.

  “Dude, stop staring at her, you’re bordering on obsession,” Isaac told him as he took the seat next to him.

  Felix turned back around. “What’s the deal between her and the military guy?”

  “They’re not together, if that’s what you want to know.”

  “Why not? He seems like an okay guy.”

  “Oh, Ben’s a great guy. We would go out after cases with his buddies and he always paid for our drinks.”

  “Did he get pushy with Elsa?”

  “Not from what I could tell. He always treated her like a princess.”

  This was not helping with his jealousy at all. “Why did they break up?”

  Isaac shrugged. “That’s something you’d have to ask her about.”

  He sighed. That was the problem. When were they ever going to have time to talk about this thing between them, much less their past relationships? He knew he was being ridiculous; his own life was a complete mess. What did he have to offer her?

  “You’re thinking too much. Get some sleep. It will be a few hours before we arrive and you’ll basically have to be holed up in your house until it’s safe.”

  “So protective custody again, huh?”

  “Yep, but at least it will be in the comfort of your own home. How many rooms you got? Four or five bedrooms?”

  “Twenty-four.”

  “What the fuck!”

  Felix leaned back in his seat. “There’s a ballroom, a formal dining room that seats about hundred people, an indoor and outdoor pool, and two tennis courts.”

  “You make me sick, man.”

  “By the way, why the hair cut and shave?”

  “I was supposed to play your double to draw out the mercs.”

  He looked over at Isaac in confusion. “We don’t look anything alike.”

  “I agree, but I was outvoted. It’ll grow back.”

  “You are certainly dedicated to your work.”

  “We all have to do things we don’t exactly like for our jobs.”

  “Guess that’s true enough.”

  “Stop talking, Doc. I need to get some sleep. I feel like I’ve been up for forty-eight hours.” Isaac shifted to turn away from Felix, leaving him alone with his thoughts once again. He didn’t know what was going to happen with Elsa, but he was willing to take the chance, take the leap to find out if there were more. He wanted more. Did she?

  *****

  “He’s asleep now, you can stop pretending,” Jade whispered next to her ear.

  Elsa opened her eyes and glared at the other woman. “I’m not pretending.”

  “No?”

  “I was resting.”

  “Right. You can pretend that you weren’t listening to him and Isaac, but I listened to your breathing and it sure did change dramatically.”

  “You need to get a life if you’re spending your time listening to other people breathe.”

  Jade turned to look at her. “I don’t get it. One minute you’re all over the guy, and then next, you turn cold towards him. I know we joke around and say you have ice in your veins, but…”

  “Do you guys really say that about me?”

  “It’s just teasing fun, no one means any harm.”

  “Do you think it’s true? Is that how people feel about me, that I’m cold and heartless?”

  “No one said heartless. You are kind and generous, but very reserved. That gives you the appearance of being cold. And you’re ignoring my question. What happened that changed your hot for doctor attitude into giving him the cold shoulder?”

  “Nothing.”

  Jade lifted an eyebrow and waited. She was annoyingly persistent.

  “Fine, he acted pissed off over Ben for no reason.”

  “Ben is still in love with you. Felix is probably just feeling a little insecure.”

  “What? Ben and I have been over for a long time. We’re just really good friends.”

  “Honey, that man would give his right arm for another chance with you. Why do you think he pulled his team to help you?”

  “He helped because he’s an amazing and helpful person.”

  “I agree he’s amazing, but he could have come to help just by himself. He brought his whole team in on this. He was trying to impress you.”

  Elsa glanced away. “Well, it’s not going to happen. I don’t love him anymore.” Saying that was easier than she would have thought. She really was over Ben. When she thought about her future now, she could actually picture someone else being there, sharing her day-to-day life...and it was a certain sexy but irritating doctor.

  “Get some sleep, Elsa, we’ll be on babysitting duty until we can find the person trying to kill your new boyfriend.”

  Elsa wanted to argue about calling Felix her boyfriend, but sighed and let it go. They needed to have a seri
ous talk to make sure they were both on the same page. She knew what she wanted: a chance to see if they could have a real relationship. Did Felix want the same thing?

  Chapter 17

  “This place is crazy! His closet is bigger than my entire bedroom,” Isaac said as he walked through the hallway upstairs, placing cameras and alarm systems in strategic places. Elsa followed behind him, trying not to ogle the place herself. Good God, this place was a palace. It was so not what she was used to and way out of her league.

  What had she been thinking? She didn’t fit in with this rich and posh lifestyle. She wasn’t exactly from a poor family, but she was happy living a modest life in a two-bedroom apartment at the nice end of town. She wore moderately designer clothes and had a membership at the local gym. That was all she needed.

  Here in Felix’s house, there were expensive sculptures and paintings that probably cost more than she would make in her whole lifetime. One picture sitting on a hallway table caught her attention, though, because it was so out of place amongst the rest. It was a drawing, clearly done by a child, of a mother, father, and a little boy. There were two dogs or maybe large cats playing by the boy’s feet. In the background wasn’t the house they were in now, but an ocean. She could see the tiny shaky signature at the bottom…Felix. The fact that this little drawing made by a child had been so carefully placed in frame decorated with seashells and displayed with all the other expensive art in the main area of the house told her more about Felix and his family than all the riches she had seen so far. They had been a close family and Felix had been a happy child.

  “Elsa, did you hear me?” Isaac asked.

  She hadn’t been paying attention. “What?”

  “I said that everything is in place. The only rooms without cameras are the six bedrooms we’ll be using and the bathrooms for each. There are cameras outside of each bedroom. I’ll set up my monitors in my room, the big bedroom at the end, and my drones will be circling outside the perimeter.”

  Kalen approached them carrying his duffle bag. “The sun will be rising soon and we’ve all had very little sleep. Jade and I are going to watch first shift. You guys go ahead and get some sleep. We’ll wake you in six hours to take the next watch.”