David's Debt (First Wave Book 11)

by Mikayla Lane

  Grai looked at David like he’d lost his mind.

  “Are you serious? They’re eating children for fuck’s sake! They’re drinking the blood of our kids to extend their pathetic fucking lives, and there isn’t a person investigating the information you provided that doesn’t want to go hunting the bastards! Our entire operations are in jeopardy of a revolt,” Grai snarled in fury.

  David was a little taken aback by Grai’s vehemence and couldn’t understand what exactly was upsetting him so much.

  “Grai, I’ll be meeting with my guys in two days. I’ve gotten more than two dozen responses back already, and we’ll start hunting soon. It won’t interfere with what we’ve already got going on,” David argued, trying to alleviate whatever may be bothering Grai.

  Grai ran a frustrated hand through his hair and shook his head.

  “You’re kidding, right? You honestly think I don’t want to be a part of ripping the bastards apart or exposing them to the world? Even my father wasn’t sick and twisted enough to cannibalize children or drink their blood! This is . . . fuck!” Grai growled in rage.

  David grinned as he finally understood Grai’s problem and he slapped a hand on his shoulder.

  “I think we’re going to discover that even my guys won’t be able to do it all and we’ll need our people to help. Particularly with some of the more prominent people we’ve already discovered,” David assured him.

  “Prominent? These bastards are royal family members, politicians, entertainers, police, military personnel and even owners and CEOs of news organizations! They’re covering for each other!” Grai growled as he began pacing the gazebo.

  “I figured as much. There’s no other way they could have kept it hidden from the population for so long without some big people helping to keep it out of the news,” David readily agreed.

  Grai growled again and stormed around the gazebo for a few more minutes before he leaned against the stone railing and looked out at the two boys playing at the edge of the water.

  “Children. The future of any civilization. And they’re doing things to these kids that I can’t even think about without wanting to throw up,” Grai ground out through gritted teeth.

  David could well understand Grai’s rage, he felt it himself, but there was something more here. Something deeper that he could feel in Grai’s energy that the leader was struggling to keep hidden. He had no idea what it was, but he hoped Grai would talk to him about it.

  “We’ll get them. One way or another. Bullets still work on them, and we’ve got some seriously skilled hybrids that could do the job too,” David offered with a grin, thinking someone like True could use her fire skills to blow up a few cars or homes with the evil bastards inside.

  “We don’t have the fucking resources for this shit! We have enough problems going on! Damn it!” Grai snapped until he looked up and saw Tiernan and Tristan staring at him. He turned back to David. “I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind.”

  David just nodded his head, his energy vibrating with the fear and rage he had felt pouring through Grai’s defenses while he’d ranted.

  “No problem. I can understand where you’re coming from. How about you let me talk to my guys in a few days and see what kind of resources we can gather with just us? We’re a pretty talented group, we may not need any help,” David offered, keeping his tone even as he watched the boys come up behind Grai.

  He didn’t need to see Tiernan’s swirling dark eyes and Tristan’s angry expression to know that the kids knew something was wrong. Tristan’s fingers jerked wildly in the air and Tiernan was raising his hands when Tristan slapped them down.

  Seconds later the Light Warrior was standing where Tristan had been and Tiernan disappeared, the Dark Warrior replacing the child. The two men had glared at one another a moment before Tristan gave a quick shake of his head. Tiernan quirked a brow at him but nodded once as if acquiescing to something.

  As if sensing something was going on, Grai began to turn around and when he did the two boys were staring up at him both with disappointment clearly on their faces. Grai looked at them for a moment before turning back to David unaware the children had even shifted forms.

  “That sounds good. I’m not saying we have no one that can help, it’s just our resources are spread pretty thin, and I’m scrambling to keep all the various missions staffed. The evil on this world outnumbers us,” Grai said, his voice strained as if forcing a calm he didn’t feel. “Keep me informed.”

  Grai nodded at Jodi, stepped out of the gazebo and reached for Tristan’s hand. David was shocked when Tristan jerked his arm out of Grai’s grasp and stomped up the hill ahead of his father. Grai stopped, shook his head and quickly caught up to his son and walked beside him until they disappeared from view.

  “Wow. That was unpleasant. If Grai can’t help, Dizarion already said the Night Walkers will.” Jodi’s eyes swirled with her own anger as she watched Grai and Tristan disappear.

  “Grai is a great guy. He’s just under a lot of stress right now and really does bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. The alliance he leads has saved more humans and hybrids than you can imagine.” David couldn’t help but defend his friend even if he couldn’t understand what was going on with him.

  “He’s a fool whose machinations spiraled out of his control long ago. There is much he must answer for and if Tristan does not rein him in, then for the sake of humanity and my friend, I will,” Tiernan growled as his eyes glowed ominously.

  David was struck speechless, and he didn’t get his wits back until Tiernan was already halfway up the hill.

  “You better damn well explain that!” David said as he reached his son.

  Tiernan turned to David and Jodi and shook his head.

  “It will explain itself soon enough. Nothing can remain in the shadows except those of us who command them,” Tiernan replied before he turned and walked away again.

  “Tiernan!” David shouted, not liking that the boy kept walking away from him without actually answering the question.

  Tiernan suddenly stopped and turned around with a broad smile on his face.

  “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll find a way to help Tristan the same way he helped me. I won’t destroy your friend. Unless I have to,” Tiernan said with a grin before he walked away again.

  This time David was so stunned, he let him.

  Chapter Twenty

  The place was exactly how David remembered it, and he’d memorized every picture, flag, patch and insignia on the walls. Even the musty, stale tobacco smell made him feel at home. It had always been a haven for him and his teammates when they came back from a mission and even while training for the next.

  The owner of the Raven’s Roost, “Dirty” Dale Evans was a retired Seal himself and made sure that no one knew who they were. It had always been a peaceful place for other Seal’s to go without dealing with the curious or those looking for a fight.

  David could feel that same peace settle over him as he led Jodi into the back room where he and his old teammates were meeting. He could feel her nervousness about seeing them again and squeezed her hand in support.

  He pushed open the door and was surprised that it would barely open. Suddenly a familiar face peeked around the door frame, and David couldn’t stop the grin from breaking out on his face.

  “You old Dirty Bastard! How you been?” David asked Dale Evans as he scooted his way out of the door.

  “Come here, boy!” Dale grabbed hold of David and pulled him in for a hug.

  Dale saw Jodi standing nervously behind them, and he used his other hand to pull her into the hug as well.

  “Does a soul good to see you two together again. Don’t care what happened, just care that you’re here,” Dale choked out, fighting his tears of happiness for one of his favorite Seals.

  “I’ve missed you too, man. Email just doesn’t cut it,” David replied blinking back his own tears.

  Dale grinned as he pulled away from the couple and shook his
head.

  “What the hell you starting now, boy? I keep hearing crazy shit talk behind that door while they been waiting for you and I’m telling you if half that shit is true you better include me,” Dale warned, trying to look stern as he crossed his arms over his beefy chest.

  David chuckled and slapped Dale on the shoulder.

  “I wouldn’t dream of leaving you out. Especially not when those computer skills of yours will come in handy. How many we got in there?” David asked the last a little nervously.

  He hadn’t heard anything but whispers from behind the closed door, and that was only when he tried to open it. David was beginning to worry that he wasn’t going to have much of a team after all.

  “Shit boy, there are so many I had to open up the back patio area and put ‘em out there too. I was just heading out here to chase out the normies when you came in. I got another twenty or more coming, and we need the room. Head on in while I close the place,” Dale replied as he left them at the closed door and headed to the main bar.

  David knew he must have looked surprised when Jodi pushed his chin up and grinned at him.

  “You had to know the little information you put in your email would attract these guys. It would grab the attention of any decent soul. Now get in there and let’s get this mission going,” Jodi whispered as she pretended to straighten the collar of his black T-shirt.

  David was just leaning down to kiss her when the door flew open, and he was pulled into another hug.

  “Man! So good to see you! And Jodi! Beautiful as ever! Woo!”

  David grinned up at his old friend and teammate John Durning as they slapped one another on the back.

  “I’m glad to see you. Last I heard you weren’t sure you could make it because of a wedding or family thing.” David couldn’t help but wonder how John had gotten there.

  “Aw hell, that girl took one look at what you sent me, and she postponed the wedding herself so I could make it here. You better not be shitting us about the info you attached or my woman is going to kill you, and I’ll help her,” John warned with a grin on his face.

  “Your woman? Did you postpone your own wedding?” Jodi asked incredulous anyone would do such a thing.

  John just laughed and slapped David on the shoulder again.

  “Hell yeah, I did. Fourth time now too. This time it was her idea, so I’m in the clear!” John replied with a hearty laugh. “Let’s get in there and get started. We got everyone you can think of in there. Word of mouth went pretty fast through the forces.”

  David wasn’t quite sure what John meant by the last, but he led Jodi through the door and tried to stop his mouth from dropping open in surprise when he saw the crowd in the room.

  “Long time no see, man!”

  David turned to the familiar voice, unable to hide his shock at seeing a Force Recon Marine he’d been on the same ship with on the way to separate missions in the Middle East.

  “Josh! How you been? What are you doing here?” David asked as he stopped to shake the man’s hand.

  “You kidding? That email you sent was shared among all of us. We all got friends all over, and it went from the Seals to us Force Recon guys, to the Army Rangers, Green Berets, and even Delta Force. You wanted a team, we’re gonna give you a team those bastards won’t escape,” Josh replied as he grinned. “Hurry up and get started with the debriefing, we’re all anxious to get this show on the road.”

  David watched Josh walk outside and looked around the room again at all the different military special forces that had answered the email. He was making their way through the room when shouts went up from the door behind them, and David turned to see who had come in.

  His eyes grew wide as he took in the clearly non-American group of men who were boisterously making their way through the crowd.

  “Who’s in charge of this new international secret mission?” The tallest of the men asked in a clearly Polish accent.

  Dale immediately made his way to the front of the group of men and pointed at David.

  “There’s our guy. Everyone, let me introduce a few friends I’ve made through the years that can help. These guys are all the best of our international counterparts. Poland, Israel, Russia, Australia, Belgium, and Germany are all here with information they’ve gathered through the years and to help you,” Dale explained with a huge grin.

  “What kind of information?” One of the Army Rangers asked, looking suspiciously at the twenty or so foreigners.

  “I am Stefan Willems, Belgium Special Forces Group. We discovered a hidden group of high ranking officials in our own country who were doing exactly what he said in his email,” Stefan said as he pointed at David. “When we tried to investigate it, we were thrown out of the military and blackballed.”

  “Josef Katz, Israeli Mossad. The same thing happened to us,” another man spoke up.

  Moments later, the rest of the men gave their names, countries, military unit and agreed with what the others had said. David was shocked at how many had lost their careers because they tried to bring to light the shocking epidemic of child abuse being perpetrated at the highest levels of the world governments and corporations.

  “We can help you navigate our home countries and bring them all to justice. There is no country where these animals should be safe, and this mission should be one thing we can all come together on,” Stefan Willems suggested as the American military elite nodded their heads in agreement.

  “No countries, no flags, only the children no matter the language they speak or their economic situation. For the future of our world,” a Russian man yelled out, holding his beer in the air.

  Everyone raised their glasses and shouted out their agreement. David couldn’t stop the grin from spreading on his face as he looked around at the men willing to put themselves at risk.

  “All right, let’s get things started,” David suggested as he pulled out his laptop and sat down at the nearest table.

  Moments later, Dale pulled down a white screen, and David used his comm to project the information on the screen for everyone in the room. The first image was of the chained child they’d found in Germany, and the room erupted in anger.

  “Settle down!” Dale shouted. “This is why we’re here, and we have to see it to know what we’re facing.”

  The grumbles of anger died down, and David began to explain what they’d found in the basement of the mansion and what was being done to the boy. From there he moved on to Phillip and what condition they’d found him in.

  It was hours later, and David was exhausted from the questions and the rage simmering beneath the surface of each of the men present. He had no doubt that all of them were going to help and couldn’t wait to get started. David stood and pulled a sleepy Jodi to her feet beside him.

  “We look forward to working with you. All of you,” Stefan said reaching out a hand to David.

  “I’m glad you guys are here. It’s going to take all of us to get these kids and bring the bastards to justice,” David agreed.

  “Bullets are cheaper and in our countries there would be no justice only a cover up,” Josef added while many others agreed.

  David nodded his head in understanding. He felt the same way but knew that some of the people they would be going after couldn’t just be killed. Others needed to be made an example of, but those were issues they could handle as they came up.

  “We’ll have to take things on a case by case basis, but I’ve got no problem killing any of these people,” David agreed.

  It took another hour to get out of the bar and away from all of the men eager to get started. David left them with all the information he’d gotten while in Germany and France and what Grai had given him as well. He had no doubt that by morning, the new team would have their first targets.

  “Port,” Jodi whispered into her new comm.

  David grinned as they were swept into the waiting transport craft above them. The moment their feet hit the deck, David leaned down, picked Jodi up and
began carrying her into her room.

  “What are you doing?” Jodi asked, her dark eyes smoldering with heat.

  “You’re exhausted, and I’m putting you to bed,” David whispered as he looked down at her.

  “I’m not that tired,” Jodi argued when he set her down on the bed and turned towards the door. “Stay and talk with me. Like we used to.”

  David stopped in his tracks and turned as Jodi scooted to the other side of the bed to give him room. He didn’t even realize he was moving until he was sitting down on the bed beside her.

  He scooted to the headboard and moved his arm so Jodi could cuddle against his side the way they used to. When they were both settled, David gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

  “I think it went really well with the guys. Don’t you?” Jodi asked as she put her arm around his stomach.

  “Yeah, I think we’re going to have a ton more information and leads to follow by morning.” David knew some of the guys were going to work through the night.

  “So does this mean you aren’t working for the alliance anymore? Will you still live in Dillon?” Jodi’s voice held an edge of nervousness and David wasn’t sure why.

  “I’m still working for the alliance. I’m just running this mission with mostly non-alliance members because we’re short staffed. I still have to answer to Grai because he wants to know what’s going on and will get us help with anything we need. So we’ll still be living in Dillon. I think it’s the best place for Tiernan since he’ll be close to Tristan. It’s a beautiful house, I think you’ll like it,” David said, feeling the thrill that ran through Jodi’s energy at his words.

  “Is that where we’re going now?” Jodi asked, peeking up at him.

  David smiled and nodded his head as he squeezed her to him.

  “Yeah, Grai told me that he took Tiernan to his house in Dillon to be with Tristan while we were gone. We figured it was better than leaving him at Base Beta with no other kids around. Is that OK?” David asked wondering if she’d be mad that he didn’t ask her about it earlier.