Forsaken Duty, The Red Team Series, Book 9

by Elaine Levine

  “Remi might have some ideas,” Max said.

  “I’ll talk to her,” Owen said, though he knew he probably wouldn’t. Just thinking about his lost Addy years felt like chewing razor blades. Discussing it with anyone would be even worse.

  The guys went their separate ways when the elevator reached the main floor. Owen took his boxes into his room, but just stood there, still debating what to do with them. After a long while, he knocked on Addy’s door. Maybe he’d be spared further shame tonight if she just ignored him. But she didn’t.

  Her door opened. He stared down at her. Her features looked pale, backed by the shadows in her room. “What is it?”

  “May I come in? Just for a moment?”

  She stepped back, opening the door wider for him. She turned on a lamp. He walked to the small table in her room and set the boxes down, along with their keys. “These are for you.”

  “What’s in them?” she whispered.

  He unlocked one and showed her. “The letters I promised to write you.”

  Her eyes filled with tears that sparkled in the dim light.

  “Make of them what you will. Burn them, if you want.”

  She picked up a bundle and held it close to her. “Owen—”

  “Night, Addy.” He was just out of arm’s reach—and glad for the distance, because once she came to him, he’d not be able to step away again.

  Addy sat at the table and stared at the boxes, shocked that Owen had actually written to her. Inside each were several bundles of envelopes, grouped by year. There were more letters in the earlier years of their separation than the later ones. Some of the envelopes were sealed, some opened. She could see how aged some of them were.

  She took out the earliest bundle. It was dated to the year she was taken. He’d started writing to her six months after her faked death. She opened the first envelope, then set it and the letter down, too overwhelmed with emotion to read it. She ran her hand over the neat, small script Owen used. His words were in all caps. So precise. So like him.

  He hadn’t lied about writing to her. She’d wondered again what his life had been like without her. She’d know as soon as she could gather the courage to read them.

  My Laidy,

  I went out to get you flowers, but when I came back, you were gone. I never expected that. I’m not quite sure how to live without you. I don’t want to, but I just keep breathing, like even my own body won’t release me to come be with you.

  A shrink I talked to said if I wrote you, then it would be a way for my soul to talk to yours, wherever yours is now. Heaven, I hope. In fields of flowers. There were lilies and daisies in the bouquet I brought you. I know how you loved them. Maybe they have those in heaven?

  Ever your knight,

  Owen

  18

  “Hey, Rocco,” Max said as he came into the bunker room the morning after. “Before you call Yusef, there’s something you should know. A request for bids for a lab being developed in Denver went out over the dark web. I think it might be the one Jafaar is working on. Kelan knows the address.” He called it out.

  “That’s the warehouse where I first saw them holding Fiona, before we were transported to the fight club,” Kelan said.

  “Who’s funding the lab?” Kit asked.

  “A new company, one that isn’t as expertly stacked inside dummy corporations as the Omnis’ stuff,” Greer said. “It sifts out to one of al Jahni’s fake businesses here in the U.S.”

  “Kelan, Angel, get down there and stake it out. Get some eyes up so we can see what’s happening,” Kit ordered. “We want Wynn’s parents alive, whether or not they’re actually her parents, feel me?”

  “That’s nonnegotiable,” Owen said. “They may have information about what’s happening to Addy. No telling how many are left who could help her. They’re golden fucking unicorns and we need to get them before the Omnis track Jafaar down.”

  Angel stood up. “I don’t have a beef with the researchers. I do have an issue with Jafaar. Do we have permission to use lethal force?” he asked Kit.

  Kit said to Owen, “Thing is, boss, we don’t know how dirty the whole system is. I’m pretty sure Lobo’s solid, but how clean the levels above him are…who the fuck knows anymore. Letting him live may be as good as setting him free.”

  Owen looked at Angel, Kelan, then Kit. “I want him alive. He’s our connection to al Jahni. We need to know what he knows, like what he intended to do with the human modifications he’s setting up a lab to produce. And where Grams’ body is.”

  Angel didn’t look happy. “Roger that.” He and Kelan left to gear up.

  Rocco called Yusef, but his call wasn’t picked up. “If I don’t hear back from him, I’ll head out there. Right now, I’m going to have breakfast with my family.” The room emptied out.

  “I’m going with Angel and Kelan,” Owen said.

  “You don’t trust them?” Kit asked.

  “I do…I just need something to do.”

  “Did you give Addy the letters?” Kit asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Kit grinned. “So what you’re really doing is running away?”

  Owen gave him a cool glare. “Maybe.”

  Kit laughed as Owen went into the weapons room to gear up.

  “Keep digging into the real estate angle,” Owen told Max and Greer. “King’s hanging out somewhere, probably with Edwards. If there’s any word of Augie, I want to know right away.”

  “Roger that, boss,” Max said. “We’re on it.”

  Addy took a quick shower. Troy wasn’t back from his sleepover yet. She’d read Owen’s letters during the night, getting through about a third of them. They were filled with his loneliness, all of them, but his sorrow had slowly given way to quiet rage. He’d known no peace in their years apart. He’d confessed to her the times he’d been with other women. There hadn’t been many, and none that he’d truly enjoyed.

  She was nervous about seeing him this morning. Nervous and excited. She dried her hair and put her makeup on, a ritual she wanted to do for him, so different from how she’d hated doing it for Cecil. She was tired, but she hoped Owen would look beyond that and see her…see that she knew how wrong she’d been about him.

  There was a knock on her door. She opened it, thinking it was Mandy bringing Troy back before breakfast. It was Owen. He was dressed in beige cargo pants, beige everything, even Kevlar vest. She stepped back into her room. He followed her. The door shut behind him.

  He looked over her head to what he could see of the bedroom. She’d put all of his letters away—she hadn’t wanted Troy getting into them. When Owen’s gaze returned to hers, he seemed uncertain.

  “I read them. Some of them. The bouquet you got me after our night, when…when—”

  He kissed her before she could finish, a hard, possessive kiss. He pulled her up against his body, crushing her against his vest. It hurt. And it felt wonderful. She tightened her arms around his neck and bent her head, giving him more of what he wanted. His hand forked her hair, holding her head so he could devour her mouth. Heat shot through her body, making her want more, making her whimper.

  He eased up, hearing the sound she made. He still held her off the ground. They were face to face. He was breathing hard. “I have to go.”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t leave the house without Selena or one of the guys. Promise?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ll be here when I get back?”

  She huffed a little breath with her smile. “Try to get rid of me.”

  “Never.”

  He set her back on her feet, then turned at her door for a last look. She tried to smile, she really did—she just hated the thought of him going away.

  “Be safe, Owen.”

  “I will.”

  She stared at the door for a long minute, fighting the urge to chase him down the hall and give him another kiss goodbye. Her whole body was tingling. She kept still, savoring that feeling, one she’d only ha
d from him.

  After a few minutes, she made her way to the dining room. Troy was already there, sitting next to Rocco, Mandy, and Zavi. Wynn was there too. Kit and Ivy and their daughter came in from the kitchen. The big table was filling up again.

  “Mom! Zavi was right. Look at all the food. I ate pancakes and sausages and some fruit. I want one of the pastries, too. Can I?”

  Addy smiled. “No. If you’ve eaten all of that, you don’t need any more. Let’s save some for everyone else. There are a lot of people to feed here.” She made herself a plate, though she had little appetite. “Thank you, Mandy, for letting him sleep over last night.”

  “He was good as gold,” Mandy said. “The boys really get along.”

  “They do.”

  “Did you get some rest last night? I know it has to be a shock coming here. It was for all of us,” Mandy said.

  “I didn’t get much sleep, but it’s my own fault, I was up reading.” Addy sipped her coffee. Troy and Zavi did a lot of talking and laughing. Those two had become friends instantly.

  “Why don’t you come to class with me tomorrow, Troy?” Zavi asked.

  Classes…school…she’d forgotten about all of that in their evacuation. He could miss a few days, but keeping him out of school for too long would not be good.

  “That’s a great idea,” Wynn said. “Would you mind if he joined us?”

  “I-I haven’t given it any thought,” Addy said. “He had a tutor at our house. I don’t know where he’s at with his studies in relation to where Zavi might be.”

  “No worries there. I can do an assessment over the next few days.”

  “I’d like that, Wynn. Um, I just don’t know how I’ll pay. I don’t have any money.”

  Mandy reached over and touched her hand. “Don’t worry about it. We can figure that out later. Let’s just get him started with his studies so he doesn’t lose ground.”

  “Then yes, if you’re certain it won’t be too much of an imposition.”

  “None at all. We’ve been studying with the watchers in the gym, but they’ve”—Wynn paused—“ah, gone on a field trip for a bit, so let’s use the classroom in Mandy’s wing, okay?”

  “They’re gone?” Casey said, interrupting the conversation. She looked crushed. “When are they coming back? They are coming back, right?”

  “Case, don’t worry about them. They’re doing one of their exercises,” Kit said.

  Casey looked from her dad to her mom. “They’ll be back before you know it,” Ivy said.

  Addy wondered at Casey’s concern for the boys. “Sure,” she said, answering Wynn’s question. “What about supplies for Troy? I don’t have anything. I should have packed that, but didn’t even think about it.”

  “We’ve got that covered,” Mandy said. “We brought in a ton of stuff for Lion’s pride. I’m sure we have what we need.”

  “Then that’s settled.” Addy looked at her son. “I want you to be respectful of Miss Wynn, Troy.”

  “Yes, Mom. She’s not going to make me read, is she?”

  “Reading’s very important,” Wynn said.

  “It’s hard. And it doesn’t make sense.”

  Addy smiled. “Maybe Miss Wynn can help you with that.”

  “I bet we can figure out a way for you to read that’s not so hard,” Wynn said.

  “Miss Wynn’s nice. I never get in trouble. You won’t either,” Zavi said. “Want to go up there now?”

  “Sure,” Troy said.

  “Is that all right?” Addy asked Mandy and Wynn.

  Mandy smiled. “Absolutely, as long as they don’t make a mess. Wynn is also our nanny, but she has weekends off, so the boys are welcome to tag along with me today. Zavi usually helps me clean out stalls on the weekends. I could use another pair of hands if you can spare Troy.”

  Addy looked at Troy, who was thrilled to have an excuse to be with his new friend. He nodded vigorously. “That sounds great,” Addy said. “If you need me, I’ll be in my room.” With the promise of a couple of hours to herself, she couldn’t wait to get back to Owen’s letters.

  “Rocco, I got Yusef on the line,” Max said over comms. “He’s not calling from his usual number.”

  “Copy,” Rocco said. “Put him through.”

  His phone rang. Rocco took the call. “Khalid,” Yusef said.

  “Good morning, Yusef.”

  “I missed your call. I’m calling from a friend’s phone. I think I’m being followed. I don’t know if Jafaar can listen to my calls. It is getting very bad.”

  “What’s happening?”

  “After your meeting with Jafaar, he got nervous. He went to some store in Denver and bought counter-spyware tools. He found the bugs in his room and in my living room. He also checked his car and found one. He thinks I planted them. He is threatening my sons and my wife. He’s desperate.”

  “Desperate for what?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yusef, is he still staying there?”

  “Yes, but he comes and goes.”

  “Does he ever have another couple with him? Dark hair, mid-thirties to mid-fifties?”

  “I saw them one time. They aren’t here now.”

  “If you ever see them again, I need you to call me immediately.”

  “I will. What am I going to do about Jafaar? My family’s in grave danger.”

  “He won’t be a problem much longer,” Rocco said. “Just keep working with me. We’re closing in on him.”

  When night fell, Max went to Hope’s old digs on the WKB compound, where Feral had been crashing. He punched the kid’s shoulder. “Wake up.”

  The kid came up off the mat he’d been sleeping on, ready to fight. Max caught his fist midair. “Chill. It’s just me.”

  “Mads.” Feral relaxed slightly. “What are you doing here?”

  “Some shit’s gonna break loose soon, probably here. When it does, I don’t want you in the middle of it.”

  “Sure. Sure. When’s it gonna happen?”

  “I don’t know. But you won’t miss it when it does. You catch anything odd happening lately?”

  “I was watching the workers going into the silo. There’s twice the staff coming and going now.”

  “You guys moving more dope than usual?”

  “No,” Feral said. “They’re going into that section no one goes into.”

  “Huh. Okay. Look, when this is over, you’re coming with me.”

  “Where?”

  “I want you to join the group of watchers who used to live here,” Max said.

  “Those freaks? No, thank you.”

  “It’s three squares, a roof, clothes, and a purpose. You got a better option?”

  Feral licked his lips. “No.”

  Max got up. “You got my number. Call me when things shake loose. In the meantime, I need you to watch my back. I have to refresh some eyes I put out.”

  Feral got out of bed. He was fully dressed, still wearing his coat. “You been watching us?”

  Max grinned. “You have so much shit to learn.”

  He went around and swapped out old cameras for new. Greer was monitoring their field of view. In less than an hour, it was done. He and Feral bumped fists. “Thanks. Now get outta here. Keep your head down and your eyes open.”

  Max went across the compound to Pete’s digs above the clubhouse. The place was trashed, as usual. A sweet cinnamon scent came from a bunch of candles that were lit on the table with their drug paraphernalia. Three women were in bed with the club president, naked and riding a heroin high, like Pete.

  Max took a Narcan syringe out of his pocket. He bit off the cap, then punched that sucker into Pete’s thigh. He pocketed the capped syringe, then hoisted Pete’s naked ass over his shoulder and carried him into the bathroom. No telling what his reaction to the anti-opioid was going to be. If he barfed on his bed, it would likely still be there the next time Max was over.

  If there was a next time.

  Max propped him by the
tub, then sat on the toilet and waited. He could see Pete’s body beginning to react, twitching, then he jerked awake. He looked around the room, panting hard, his eyes frantic and dilated. Max grinned at him.

  “What the fuck, Mad Dog?” Pete leaned his head against the broken tile behind him. “You ruined a perfectly good high.”

  “Yeah? Well, you better park that horse. I gotta talk to you.”

  “No, fuck you.” Pete tried to rise, but his legs weren’t cooperating.

  Max kicked him back against the wall. “Hey, I was being nice, putting you in here. I coulda strung you up over a cliff.”

  “What do you want?”

  “I’m hearing rumors a war’s coming here. It ain’t your war; it ain’t your fight. Tell your boys to clear out. King’s going down. Nothing they can do about it.”

  Pete sighed. “It ain’t my men you gotta worry about. King’s bringing his own fighters in. Some of them were our guys; most I don’t know. It’s like they don’t know us anymore. They’re different.”

  “And you didn’t see fit to tell me about this?” Max snarled.

  “I’m telling you now.”

  “So get your guys out. Quietly. A couple at a time. Don’t tell the newcomers what’s happening. Tell your crew to stay far, far away for like a month. After we take King down, Feds are going to be all over this place for a long while. Leave King’s dope. The Feds are going to find it—let that fall on King’s head, not yours.”

  “Doesn’t sound good.”

  “It ain’t…for King. Won’t be here or there for you and your boys if you do what I say.”

  “It’s cool,” Pete said. “You did us good with the smallpox. Heard how it went through the Friends. That coulda been us. So we’ll do it.” Pete narrowed his eyes. “We do still have a deal, right?”

  “Yeah, we do.” Their deal was for Max to take Pete out fast, or at least give him enough heads-up that he could OD before the Feds—or King—took him. The WKB club prez was deathly afraid of dying in an acid bath. Max grinned. Maybe that would be a fitting end for King. He hoped Owen gave him the chance to make it happen.