Atonement: The Hunter Mercenary Series (Book One)

by Morgan Kelley

  Sarah moved over and made room for him on the couch beside her.

  She showed him what she was doing.

  He whistled.

  “That’s a shitload of details,” Rogue stated.

  “The devil is in the details, Mr. Ravenscroft.”

  “Rogue,” he said, smiling at her.

  Dakota cleared his throat. “Really? Flirting? I’m sitting right here.”

  Rogue laughed. “Touchy today?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  He snorted. “I can see that.”

  They watched her nimble fingers move over the tablet. Then she sent it all to the big screen on the wall.

  “Do you have to do that?” Zayn asked. “I feel like you’re going to toss it at me.”

  She laughed. “Well, you can do it like this too,” she said, swiping her hand across the tablet. It flicked the details to the screen.

  “Better?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, so, I’ll walk you through it.”

  She got up, gave Dakota a kiss, and then headed over—tablet in hand.

  “By running the names that you found, the US Marshal software can pinpoint anything that uses any combination of their names in locating the potential property.”

  “Can it really?” Rogue asked.

  “Yes,” she said, entering his name as an example. She hit enter, and a shitload of things popped up.

  “You own all of that?” Zayn asked.

  “Yes, I invest my paychecks in property. Most are rented, and that rent brings in double if not triple the capital I put out. That’s my retirement plan.” Then he was curious. “What do you do with your money?” he asked.

  “I buy guns.”

  “Oh, a collector?”

  He grinned. “No, I sell them to Russian dictators and military groups. Then I put that money in a bank account for a rainy day.”

  Stella laughed. “So I guess that’s lucrative.”

  “Very. We’ll have a nice rainy day.”

  It was funny.

  Before, he didn’t give a shit about anything. Now he wanted to work harder to be able to supply a nice life for his girl.

  “What about you, Dakota?” he asked.

  “Uh, I was a civil servant. I’m living on my retirement plan as I try to find Bonnie. Ever hear of a four-oh-one-K? That’s my income. Once I burn through that, then I have to go back to work. I don’t have the luxury of picking clients. I work for the taxpayers.”

  “You don’t get paid for your services?” Stella asked.

  “No, because that’s illegal.”

  “You’re not a cop anymore.”

  Yeah, he was well aware. Only, old habits die hard and he wasn’t sure what life would be like post-Bonnie.

  Would he go back?

  Would he settle down?

  Would he go private sector like Rogue and Zayn?

  “What if it takes ten years to find this ‘Bonnie’?” Rogue asked.

  “Then I have to go back to work like a real person. Why is this such a big deal?”

  “Well, you’re now implicated in the murder of…”

  He stopped them.

  “I am well aware of what you, chuckleheads, implicated me in.”

  Rogue pointed at Zayn. “One of us hasn’t done anything illegal. Yet. That would NOT be him.”

  Good to know what was coming.

  He’d watch out for the blowback.

  “We have my savings too,” Sarah stated. “We’ll survive. Now back to the work?” she asked.

  “Okay, baby, give it to us.”

  “I ran the program and I came up with a primary location where the GPS signals tied to these men all turned up. There’s only one place where they all were, and by postulation, I can assume that you’ll find them there, or at least the next part of the puzzle.”

  Dakota kissed her. “You always were too smart for me. I’m a lucky man.”

  She winked at him. “It’s just good to be back to doing what we used to do. I missed the hunt.”

  Yeah, and he missed it with her.

  “We have an address,” Stella stated. “When are we going?” she asked.

  Zayn began laughing. “You are NOT going there. Ever.”

  “Why not? It sounds like fun. She made it sound like an adventure.”

  “Yeah, well, except that bringing you there is EXACTLY what they’d want. You and I are staying here,” Zayn offered. “We get to watch the dog. He’s shifty. I don’t trust him with that Christmas tree.”

  Then he glanced over.

  “Is your babe staying?”

  Sarah crossed her arms, waiting for an answer.

  “Um, I’m not brave enough to tell her she can’t go with me. Your girl doesn’t carry a gun. Sarah has two on her right now.”

  “Three. This is New Orleans. This town is full of miscreants, crazies, and gun-toting lunatics.”

  She pointed at them.

  “My kind of girl,” Rogue teased.

  “I’ll kill you and put the body in the river myself if you think anything other than ‘that’s a pretty sweater’.”

  He laughed.

  “Well, then I guess we have our answer. We should go get ready,” Sarah stated.

  “We have an asshole to catch,” Dakota added.

  “Which one was tagged?” Rogue asked out of curiosity. He was loving all the technology.

  Sarah pushed a key. “We found a house owned by a man named S.H. Austin—clearly a lame attempt at switching the names around to hide his identity.”

  “And we know that’s him, how?” Zayn asked. “You know before you bust in on some guy having wine with his yuppie girl.”

  She pushed a key.

  His face appeared on the screen.

  “He used the same ID pictures as he did with the driver’s license. He’s a match. I’m good at this kind of thing.” She pulled up the picture that was on Dakota’s phone.

  It did indeed match.

  It looked like they were back on duty and working on the next part of the case.

  “Well, you heard her. Let’s suit up. Zayn, you have the castle while we’re out and about.”

  “On it,” he said, wincing.

  “I’ll kiss your boo-boos,” Stella offered. “I’ll make you feel all better.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  “Really. What can I do for you?” she whispered in his ear as she teased the lobe.

  Already, his body was feeling better, but to make sure that she stayed in the same mindset, he went for it.

  “My dick hurts.”

  They all laughed walking out.

  Zayn may be sweet and gentle with her, but he was a man—and a horny man at that.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sunday Night

  S uiting up took the longest time. They couldn’t let Sarah go in without gear, and she hadn’t brought any of her Kevlar. So, they had to find something in the gun room that would fit her. Fortunately, there was one vest that fit.

  Then they were busy picking out different night gear. They weren’t sure what kind of situation they were walking into, so they needed to be sure that they were ready for anything.

  If the man was asleep, and all the lights were out, they were going to be going in blind.

  Night vision.

  Since everyone there had been a soldier, with the exception of Sarah, Rogue and Dakota tried to warn her as to what was coming.

  She let them play momma duck just so they’d chill out. She was ready, and she knew she wasn’t the weakest link.

  They were in for a surprise.

  At the man’s address, they split up and entered the house. He owned a cottage away from all the other homes nearby.

  That worked out perfectly.

  Now he could be ‘captured’ easier.

  “Ready?” he asked, pulling down his night vision.

  Sarah left hers up.

  “Yeah, good to go,” Rogue said, running around the side of the building. When he was in
place, he gave them the go ahead.

  Dakota picked the lock.

  He glanced over at Sarah, and they began the clearing of the foyer. He pointed up, telling Rogue to take the main floor.

  Together, side by side, her watching his flank, they headed up the stairs.

  When they entered the hallway, he pointed down, indicating she could take that room. He didn’t ask her to put on her night vision, and she didn’t bother.

  She hated the shit.

  As Rogue cleared, he called them on his mic.

  “Clear. I’ll maintain the bottom floor,” he offered, putting himself in a corner to be unnoticed.

  He blended in.

  Dakota cleared his room, checking the closet, under the bed, and then the attached bathroom.

  “Bedroom one is clear,” he whispered.

  He was nervous.

  Yes, they always did this kind of thing as marshals, but Sarah was new to the job. She wasn’t sent into a building to have at it…ever.

  “Sarah, copy.”

  He didn’t hear anything.

  Then there was a light flicked on and a scuffle.

  “SARAH!”

  She was doing her job. There was no one in the closet. There was no one under the bed. She was about to clear the bathroom when suddenly, out of the blue, the light went on above her.

  Had she been wearing her night vision, she would have been blinded. That’s why she liked the moonlight best.

  When it went on, some man with a blade rushed her, and she didn’t have time to lift her gun. Instead, she kicked out with her boot, getting him in the gut.

  When he crouched over, she heard Dakota shout her name but she had to focus.

  She grabbed his wrist, slammed it against the wall, and then kneed him in the groin.

  He kept fighting until she flipped him and put her foot on his throat. Her gun was pointed at his face.

  “Sarah!”

  Dakota had watched her flip him.

  It was…so not like her.

  “I’m good,” she said when Rogue appeared in the doorway too. “His knife is under the bed.”

  Rogue went to retrieve it.

  “Uh, that’s not a knife, Sarah. That’s a machete.”

  “Knife, machete, whatever. All that matters is that he’s down.”

  When he moved, she pressed down on his throat and lowered her gun to his groin. The little red scope light was right on his junk.

  “I will shoot you in the man bits. Then when your ass gets to prison, you will be a bitch. Is that what you really want to happen, Bertha?”

  Dakota rolled him and zip tied him. The whole time he was staring at her like she was a totally different person.

  Rogue walked past her and gave her a fist bump. “Nice one.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Where did you learn that move and to talk like that?” he asked, when Austin Sharp, AKA S.H. Austin, was contained.

  “Well, remember when Elizabeth kicked my ass at the one crime scene?”

  “Yes.”

  “After you left, she came to my place.”

  He stared at her. “And?”

  “We had a standing Thursday night date at the gym. She taught me how to fight dirty, and we talked about you in bed.”

  He went red.

  “I so want in on that,” Rogue stated. “Anything uncomfortable amuses me on some sick level. You two chatting about his dick. I’m in.”

  Dakota flipped him off.

  “What are you doing in my house? I’m calling the cops! You’ve broken the law.”

  Dakota pulled him to his feet.

  “Oh, is that so, Austin Sharp? Let’s see what you’ve done,” Dakota stated. “You’ve sold a man an alarm system that you knew you could bypass, and then you broke in and kidnapped his wife and two daughters.”

  His eyes went big.

  “Then you gave the okay to kill Stella Harrington.”

  “NO! I didn’t do that.”

  He slammed him off the wall. “Damn! That felt good. When you carry a badge, they frown on that shit. They shouldn’t. It’s a whole lot of fun.”

  “Elizabeth said it’s bad only if they catch you or are recording it.”

  Yeah, that sounded like her.

  He laughed. “She’s got a point.”

  He pulled the man down the stairs. “You’re going to tell us all about who you’re working with, and then we’re going to decide what to do with you.”

  “If I talk, will you let me go?”

  Rogue smiled. “Sure.”

  He zip-tied him to the chair.

  “I didn’t make the decision to take those girls.”

  “Women,” Sarah stated. “Girls are children. Women are grown up, have their own life, and dislike this bullshit.”

  He spit on her boot.

  She took her gun and pistol-whipped him before Dakota could even open his mouth. Then she pushed him with her boot until he was leaning back against the wall.

  “I’m done fucking around.”

  Dakota stared at her.

  This had to be the hottest thing he’d ever seen. Sarah was…badass. She looked all angelic with the blue eyes, freckles, and blonde hair, but…

  Wait.

  “When did you get freckles?” Dakota asked.

  “They’re tattooed on.”

  “What?”

  “I wanted a tattoo, and Elizabeth said to get something that’s meaningful to me. So, you once said you liked freckles. I got them for you.”

  “That’s really sweet.”

  Rogue cleared his voice.

  Dakota was going to thank Elizabeth when he saw her. She’d made her tougher, street ready, and gave Sarah a way to protect herself.

  Plus, it was so damn sexy.

  Sarah put her boot on his junk.

  “I suggest you spill it, or I’m going to really hurt you. You’ll never touch a woman again.”

  He looked scared.

  “I didn’t call out the dogs. I sold him the security—like I do with lots of people.”

  She moved pushed down and his voice went up an entire octave.

  “Yeah, like you do with all the rich people around this area, and then you have your thugs bypass security, break in, and rob their homes.”

  He didn’t disagree.

  “I don’t kidnap.”

  “Well, then you have an issue. There are two women missing and your hired help, Logan Best, spilled his guts,” Dakota offered.

  Okay, he didn’t really, and he was likely in the river by now, but why tell him that.

  “He’s a liar.”

  “Yeah, prove it.”

  “I was contacted by a man. That’s all you’ll get out of me.”

  Sarah sighed.

  “Rogue, do you have a lighter?” she asked.

  “Yep.”

  He tossed it to her.

  She pulled open Austin’s shirt. “Where were you supposed to meet tonight?”

  He stared at her. “I’m not afraid of you, princess. You don’t have the balls to do it. This is to scare me.”

  She flicked the lighter on, and while he was leaning back, teetering on two legs, she held the lit flame to his one nipple.

  He screamed as she didn’t move her hand away.

  Rogue was grinning. He moved closer to Dakota. “If you break up…”

  “Shut up. I will kill you myself.”

  She pulled the lighter away. “Awww, you have a blister. I bet you don’t want that on the other nipple.”

  She flicked the silver lighter again.

  “Some dude by the name of Chesky Jensen. He contacted me, and he wanted to get in. He paid me some money.”

  She moved closer.

  “He paid me a shitload of money to have his goons go in, take the three broads, and leave.”

  She moved to his nipple and held the lighter there.

  He screamed again.

  “I told you what I knew!”

  “Yeah, but I don’t like the word
broad,” she admitted, finally pulling the lighter away.

  The man was now crying as he couldn’t get his feet to the floor. He was helpless.

  “Now, where do we find this guy Chesky?” she asked, untying his pajama bottoms.

  “NO! Not my dick!”

  “Well, that’s up to you. I can burn it off or cut it off…or if you tell me, you keep your dick.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I swear.”

  She yanked his pants down.

  “Jesus! That’s some tiny dick. How do you even use that stubby little thing?”

  Both Rogue and Dakota had to look.

  He was the normal size. She was messing with him.

  Honestly, Dakota wasn’t sure he liked her staring at another man’s junk, but then again, she was interrogating a scumbag, and he wasn’t the law.

  She flicked the lighter on and moved it closer to his man goods. From the position he was in, he couldn’t squirm away or protect them.

  There was the smell of burning hair.

  Then he began screaming.

  “The floating bar! The one that goes around the river! They have cards during the week!”

  She pulled the lighter away.

  He was weeping.

  “Well, that ball will never be the same again. Good thing you have two, right?”

  He stared up at her. “You’re evil! God! You’re horrible.”

  She laughed.

  “I think you got what you deserved.”

  Dakota couldn’t believe this was his Sarah.

  “Yeah, um…can I speak to you outside?” he asked.

  She tossed the lighter to Rogue, who then high-fived her on her way past.

  Once outside, Dakota stared at her.

  “Before you tell me I crossed a line, he’s played a part in kidnapping three women, and I wanted to make sure he realized that we’re not things you sell, barter, or steal.”

  Dakota let her finish.

  “That’s all kinds of wrong,” Sarah stated. “Okay, now you can lecture me.”

  When she was done, he grabbed her and kissed her. He devoured, stole, and took all she had to offer. When they needed to breathe, he set her free.

  “I don’t care that you and Elizabeth talked about the sex you both had with me. That was sexy and badass. I think I need to have sex again.”

  She laughed.

  “Did I make it convincing?”

  “Yes! Where did you learn that?”