Pitbull_Special Forces_Operation Alpha

by Kendra Mei Chailyn

  “Anke,” Beast replied. “He has a thing for Anke.”

  “Ooooh!” The rest of the team teased.

  Pitbull facepalmed.

  Luckily, Anke returned and Tex warned them by welcoming her back to the room. Pitbull didn’t know if he could go another round of teasing. The truth was, being with Anke wasn’t a secret. But he wasn’t sure if she wanted everyone to know. Hell, he wasn’t even certain what they were to each other.

  He kept his eyes on the time, watching the time tick away as if there wasn’t a care in the world.

  “Mouth,” Barbie said. “Come take over.”

  Pitbull glanced up to see Mouth scrambling through the center of the vehicle as Barbie eased to a stop along a dark street. Soon, Barbie had taken Mouth’s spot and was drawing her rifle bag out from under her seat.

  The first stop was to drop Pitbull and Crash off. He didn’t wait for the truck to begin its travel before he and Crash took off through an alley leading behind the houses. Neighbourhoods like this always gave Pitbull a strange feeling. They seemed too perfect with their manicured lawns and white picket fences.

  It took less then three minutes for Beast to ask for a roll call. One by one, the team sounded off and Pitbull knew it was time for Tex to work his magic.

  “Aw’right, brothers.” Tex drawled. “There are no cameras in or around the premises except one in the panic room. Other than that, the place is clean. I’ve deactivated the security system on the doors. Do your thing.”

  Crash picked the lock while Pitbull backed him up and soon, they were entering the home of their suspect. All the lights in the place were on and for a moment, Pitbull feared someone would be home. After quickly checking each room, they realized no one was home. For the first time, he took a good look around. Penrod seemed to be doing quite well for himself. It seemed strange he would still be holding a grudge over being let go from CIRO.

  “What exactly are we looking for?” Crash asked, sliding his fingers into a pair of latex gloves.

  “This is one of those we’ll-know-it-when-we-see-it deals,” Pitbull replied.

  “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  Together, they divided up the house and began going through each room. Pitbull was careful not to leave a trace they were even there. It was about four minutes and Pitbull was beginning to think they would come up empty when Crash called him. He hurried up the stairs and skidded to a stop beside Crash who was staring into a closet.

  “Tex, are you seeing this?” Crash asked.

  “Yup—taking pictures now.”

  “Okay, this is beginning to get really irritating,” Pitbull growled. “Another closet full of my pictures.”

  “You mean this sort of thing happens a lot?” Crash asked.

  “Too much of late.” He stepped by Crash to peer at what was glued to the wall. After a while he frowned. “Beast.”

  “Here.”

  “You remember Joshua Malos?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Turns out he’s related to Penrod,” Pitbull said. “I think all of this is revenge for his death.”

  “Who’s Joshua Malos?” Mozart asked.

  “We’ll explain later.” Pitbull said. “Let’s see what else we can find and get out of here.”

  The finished up at the scene—they found a couple laptops which Tex cloned from the safety of Mouth’s place and after turning them off again, Crash and Pitbull headed for the exit. At the foot of the stairs, his ear piece crackled.

  “Code red,” Zero announced. “They’re on their way back.”

  “Evac!” Beast ordered. “And I mean now.”

  Pitbull checked to ensure Crash was on his heels before they darted out the back door. Crash quickly locked it and the two men blended into the darkness of the houses beside Penrod’s. Pitbull stopped, and waited, watching the car turn into the driveway and the headlights went out.

  “Pit…” Crash whispered.

  “I know,” Pitbull replied.

  With his head back in the game, Pitbull jogged with Crash by a few houses before dipping along an alley and right in time for their ride to come around the corner. He gripped Crash by the shoulder and as someone pulled him into the truck, he kind of dragged Crash in with him.

  Quickly, the tuck was moving again and before he knew it, the door was locked.

  “So, who is Joshua?” Crash asked.

  “Long story short,” Barbie said. “Pitbull had to shoot him.”

  “Mission go bad?” Mozart asked.

  “Yeah.” Beast added.

  “It was me or Joshua,” Mouth said. “I spent two hours talking him down. And I thought he was giving up. I mean, he seemed as if he was giving up. Then he lifted his gun at me and Pit shot him.”

  “So, what’s the issue?” Crash asked. “You don’t ever lift a weapon at someone—ever.”

  “Well, apparently, now I’m the asshole.” Pitbull grumbled. “He went after Claudia because he knew no matter what happened, I’d show up. Tex was right. Penrod knew, no matter how angry I was at Claudia, it would rip my soul apart if anything happened to her.”

  “So, this wasn’t about sexual slavery or anything like that,” Mouth mused.

  “Nope.” Pitbull peeled off his gloves and shoved them into his pocket. “Just good, old fashioned revenge.”

  “What’s the plan now?” Crash asked.

  “We find out what’s on those computers,” Pitbull said. “Then, we demolish his world. Beast?”

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” CIRO’s leader said.

  As the darkness prolonged, Anke paced the room behind Tex. The wait for Pitbull to come back tore at her. She wondered how Miracle did this—how could she watch Beast leave each time, not knowing if he’d be back or what state he would be in when he did?

  “Anke, you’re drivin’ be crazy,” Tex said. “Sit down for a second, would you?”

  “What does your wife think about all of this?” Anke asked instead.

  “Mel understands,” Tex said, still typing. “She perhaps doesn’t like it but she knows it’s in my bones. She knows this team and my guys mean the world to me and as long as I have breath I wouldn’t leave their sides.”

  “But isn’t she afraid?”

  “Of course. Every time I tell her I have work. But, she loves me and she trust the guys and gals around me.”

  Anke sighed. “She must be really something.”

  Tex turned to glance at her quickly then back at his screen. His motion wasn’t fast enough for her to miss the smile on his face.

  “She’s my everything.” Tex’s voice cracked. “Don’t worry—they’ll be back in—three minutes.”

  “I would ask how you know but so far your skills scare me.”

  Tex laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, Doll. I’m sure you wouldn’t do anything to have me search for you.”

  Though still nervous, it seemed Tex had a way of soothing those around him. She felt a little lighter and even fell into the chair beside him. She stared into his face to confirm what she’d thought the first time she met him. John “Tex” Keegan was a good-looking man.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You aren’t bad on the eyes, John Keegan,” Anke told him.

  Tex smirked at her. “Aren’t I somethin’?”

  She grinned. “Wow—and the ego.”

  When Tex winked at her, Anke chuckled. Before she could speak again, the door opened, and the team barreled through the door. She rose, watching each to enter—Crash with his arm around Barbie’s hips, Mozart, Mouth, Beast, Zero and then finally, Pitbull. Not really thinking, she breezed by them all and threw herself into Pitbull’s arms. He hugged her tightly, kissed her head then eased her backward, by the others and into Mouth’s office. After he closed the door behind him, he focused on her. She sighed as he kissed her, feeling his mouth familiar and commanding against hers. When he lifted his head, she kept her eyes closed.

  “Sorry—I didn’t know if you wanted the others to kn
ow about us.” Anke shifted. “And I know you said you’d come home to me but...”

  “Nothing to apologize for.” His large palms travelled up her back then down to her ass. He cupped the cheeks and squeezed. “Do you seriously think I would want to miss all of this?”

  Her cheeks heated. “I’m being serious.”

  “So was I.” Pitbull released her. “But I’m okay. No shots fired, no one was hurt.”

  “Good.”

  “Come on, I have to debrief.”

  She accepted one more kiss before they reentered the room. Beast had gotten into the food she’d made earlier. Thankfully, there was enough for everyone with leftovers so if they wanted seconds. While they ate, the group tossed ideas around.

  “We have all the proof we need,” Tex said. “The thing is we can’t just show up and arrest this man. He’s highly trained—people can get hurt.”

  “We have to take him down in a place where there is little to no possibility of collateral damage,” Babie said around a mouthful of spaghetti. “That won’t be easy.”

  “His street is too tightly packed,” Crash said. “I mean, I could move easily through it with free running. The issue comes where back-up is concerned. From what I noticed, white picket fence generally means children…”

  The group descended into silence.

  “What we need is something to draw him out,” Pitbull said. “So far, he’s managed to stay in the shadows—shell companies, offshore accounts, thugs doing his dirty work—it seems he’s gone out of his way to basically vanish.”

  “You mean something like a decoy?” Anke asked.

  “Precisely,” Beast said.

  “I’ll do it.” Anke shrugged.

  “No.” Pitbull growled. “That isn’t even up for debate.”

  “That’s sweet, Daniel, but I don’t need your permission.” Anke put her plate down and leaned in to focus on Beast.

  “You don’t understand what you’re suggesting.” Pitbull pushed. “It can’t happen.”

  “Look.” Anke snapped. “I know you’re trying to protect me, but this will never end if we don’t do something drastic. I’m tired of running from someone I don’t even know. I’m sick of all the hell this man his dumping on our heads all because someone he knew couldn’t follow the damn law. I want to sleep in my own bed!”

  “Mine isn’t good enough for you then?” Pitbull asked.

  The room descended into silence then. Anke’s face caught fire but she didn’t look away from him. The softness with which he asked the question ruined her and there was nothing she could do about it. It didn’t matter that the entire team was sitting there, awestruck. It didn’t matter this conversation was one they should have in private. All that mattered was Pitbull felt helpless and she never wanted him to ever go through those pains.

  Anke cradled his face and slipped to her knees before him. When she met his eyes, Anke sighed. “That should never be a question you ask me,” Anke replied. “Your bed will always be one of the best places for me to be. This is about me sleeping at Zero’s or Mouth’s or on a sofa at the headquarters. This must end, Pit. You know that. I’m not scared.”

  “But I am.” His Adam’s apple danced.

  “There’s no reason for me to be afraid.” Anke smiled up at him.

  “How come?” His voice cracked.

  “Look at the army I have around me, huh?” She asked. “I have a Tex, a Beast, a Mouth, a Mozart, my very own Spiderman, a Zero, a killer Barbie—most importantly, and my favorite part of all, I have a Pitbull. What do I have to be afraid of?”

  He stared into her eyes then for an eternity then smiled before kissing her forehead. “But if anything goes wrong…”

  “It won’t.”

  “Okay, but you wear a tracking device Tex will have access to,” Pitbull said. “And you follow instructions.”

  “As you wish, mein könig.”

  Pitbull’s massive shoulders rose and fell heavily, and she knew she’d scored a rather tentative victory with him.

  Within minutes, a plan was hatch.

  She would be the bait.

  16

  Two nights later, the plan was put into motion. It hadn’t been hard for Tex to find out where Penrod would be. The man seemed to live on his phone. It seemed strange he would be so careful with everything but not use a burner phone. Most of his calls were to sex lines which confused Pitbull. Penrod was married, yet still he found it prudent to talk dirty to some faceless woman.

  No matter how many times Pitbull had seen men like him, he was still amazed—in a horrible way—by it.

  He’d insisted on being the one to drop Anke off. He needed the last few minutes with her, to feel her hand warm under his—to hear her breath soft and rapid around him. All the way there, all Pitbull wanted to do was slam on the brakes, hit a U turn and speed back the way they’d come.

  Pitbull still hated the plan. Miracle wanted to be there with her, but she was taking care of Eden and Anya. Barbie was set up in a place where she had a limited view of the inside of the place but it was better than nothing. And the others were all strategically placed around in case of an emergency. But even long after he’d kissed Anke and she exited the rental car, the feeling of doom still hovered over Pitbul like a dark cloud.

  He kept his eyes on her for as long as he could and the moment she was out of his sight, his heart slammed into his chest.

  “Mouth?” Pitbull called.

  “I got her,” Mouth said from where he was seated in the restaurant.

  That calmed Pitbull—only somewhat.

  He waited at the designated area, watching the building while tapping his fingers against the steering. A searing pain vibrated outward inside his chest. It meant something. Just the thought of Anke being hurt angered him so desperately, he clenched the steering until it was as if his knuckles would break.

  It dawned on him then—he needed Anke to come back to him. He needed her to be all right. He needed to lecture her about taking such a stupid task and risk having his heart ripped from his chest.

  No other woman had been willing to take a chance on him. They would wither in his shadow. That was never the plan—he never wanted a woman who wouldn’t walk by his side. But Anke was on shrinking violet. She hadn’t backed off when he growled at her and had climaxed when he growled for her. She’d taken the control he’d given her and twisted his body into the most wonderful carnal knot. Afterward, she’d given herself to him, freely and without reservations.

  He yearned for a woman like her. And he’d found it all in Anke.

  “Come back to me.”

  “What?” Beast asked.

  “Nothing.” Pitbull cleared his throat.

  “She’ll be all right, Pit,” Barbie’s voice was soft and measured. “Any sightings yet?”

  One by one everyone reported in.

  “Wait,” Mozart said. “I think this is him but he’s not driving his own car.”

  “What’s he in?” Barbie asked.

  “Look at the entrance now,” Mozart said.

  Pitbull looked but he was a little far away to make out who the figure was. Barbie had her scope and Mouth was undercover as a valet. They had a better view than he did.

  He didn’t like this plan.

  The radios took on a silence that was only interrupted by the periodic crackle of the frequency. Pitbull tapped his fingers harder agains the wheel.

  “Tex?” Pitbull called.

  “I’m here, brother.” Tex responded. “Try and breath, Pit. You know better than I do these things take time.”

  “That’s my heart in there—you can’t begin to…”

  “Understand?” Tex asked. “You remember what I went through with Mel, right?”

  “Sorry.” Pitbull rubbed his nose. “I don’t feel right about this. I’m scared.”

  “I know. But we got this.”

  More time passed. The timepiece on the dashboard felt like the doomsday clock counting in the wrong direction. So many
times Pitbull was tempted to clamor from the car and rush inside. But he couldn’t. Anke’s life may depend on him behaving.

  “Target approaching Anke,” Mouth’s voice trembled through the earpiece.

  “Tex, is Anke wired for sound?” Beast asked.

  “You know it,” Tex replied.

  “Turn it up.” Beast ordered.

  There was a split second of nothing until the sound of Anke’s breathing leaving her body quickly filled the car.

  “Anke Fischer,” Penrod said. “You’re a hard woman to get a hold of. Mind if I joined you?”

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” Anke asked.

  Pitbull was proud of her. Her voice was strong, defiant.

  “Not yet. But you’re about to.”

  “Look, if you must know, I have a boyfriend and I’m not interested.”

  “I know. Daniel Hunt,” Penrod said. “I believe they call him Pitbull.”

  “So, you know Pit? Did you work with him or something?”

  “Or something…”

  Well, I’ll tell him you asked about him. Who are you?”

  “Penrod—Tavart Penrod.”

  “I don’t think he’s ever mentioned you,” Anke replied. “I’m sorry.”

  “Surprising, considering he killed my best friend.”

  The change in Penrod’s voice had Pitbull reaching for the door handle.

  “Easy, big fella.” Tex warned.

  Strange—Tex could read him like a book.

  “Whatever is going on is between the two of you,” Anke explained. “Pit doesn’t bring his work home. I have no idea what you want me to say.”

  “Well, you see.” Penrod’s voice dipped. “I believe in an eye for an eye. I wanted his sister, but you’ll do just fine. I’m going to make him feel the crushing pain of losing someone he loves more than anything else. I want him to suffer as much as I’ve been suffering.”

  There was a bang before the unmistakable sound of glass hitting the floor filled the earpiece.

  “Get your hands off me!” Anke screamed.

  The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the car and Pitbull did open the door then.

  “Guys!” Mouth shouted. “Now!”

  Pitbull didn’t wait for Beast. He yanked open the bag beside him, grabbed a couple of things then shoved from the car. Ignoring traffic, he tore across the parking lot. Beast and Mozart beat him to the entrance but they barreled into the restaurant together. Penrod quickly jerked forward, catching Anke around the neck from behind and pulling her into him. A gun materialized in his hand and he lifted it to Anke’s temple.