by S. M. Dapelo
“I was hoping someone would think of that,” sighed Berto. “And the answer’s yes. By the time I’m done, there’ll no record of Project Chimera anywhere.”
“Good. Is Rich there with you?” I asked.
“I’m here,” I heard Ethan’s uncle.
“Be ready,” I said quietly. “If we’re still not hearing from either Ethan or Tanner, one or both might be hurt.”
“I’d rather be in the thick of things, but I understand why you’re keeping me here. Just be careful,” he said.
“I know I don’t have a memory, but that doesn’t sound like me,” I mussed.
Jeff laughed, “Not even close. We’re going to find your guys, probably in a loud and violent way.”
He pulled up outside a group of warehouses. We both got out of the car and walked over to the trunk. Jeff started pulling guns and ammunition as I pulled knives, sheaths, and a jacket to conceal it. “If I was a power drunk sociopath who’s stealing kids and making them weapons, where would I hide?” I pulled a Glock and looked at it, “I hate these,” I said.
“Yes, you do,” Jeff muttered. “I see you remember that.”
“Very little. I had a memory come back, but when it did, I had a seizure that caused me to stop breathing.”
Jeff slowly took the gun away from me, “So let’s not do that now.” He handed me a much larger gun, “This is what you always liked.”
“Explain how to use it and all the safety features,” I said. Jeff quickly went over everything, including warning me about any kickback. I nodded in understanding and grabbed it from him. “Let’s find that address.”
We walked through the area and in a brief period were in front of where Dicky directed us to. Four of Ethan’s men, including Thom, met us. “Are they in there?” Thom asked.
“We don’t have confirmation,” I started.
“Oh yes you do.” Lyssa walked up, “There’s ten guys, all armed, plus Peterson. Ethan, Tanner, and Xavier are in there as well. Xavier’s in a cell, Ethan and Tanner are chained to chairs.” She glanced at me, “Ethan doesn’t look good.”
I took a breath, “Can you get to Xavier and get him out?” She nodded. “Good, that gives us eight.” I looked at Lyssa again, “Have you contacted Berto?”
She nodded again, “The others should be here any minute.”
“We’re not waiting.” I bit my lip, accessing the strategy books I’d been reading, then shrugged. “Show me the layout.” She quickly drew up the blueprint. I thought for a second, “Lyssa, I need you to shut off all the cameras then sneak in and release Xavier. Head toward where Tanner and Ethan are. Go now, we’ll give you five minutes.” She ran back the way she came.
“You two,” I pointed to Thom and another, “go through the back. You take the left, you the right.” I pointed at the remaining two. “Jeff and I are going through the front. Brock won’t be thrown by me, but I’m betting he will be by Jeffrey.”
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Berto, then looked at everyone. “We’re not taking prisoners,” I growled.
“Never thought we were,” Jeff said. We waited the allotted time, then as we marched toward the front. “How do you want to announce ourselves?” he asked.
“I was thinking C-4 to blow the doors. You know, put the attention on us as the others get in,” I shrugged.
“Or we could beat the snot out of the two that just walked out and go in quietly. You know, all of us could have the element of surprise,” he said. “Plus, no explosions equal no cops.”
“Okay I see your point. Let’s get them.” We stepped out from behind the wall, Jeff taking a swing at one guy as I went low and kicked out hitting the other’s knee, hearing the crack as it split apart. Before he could scream, I punched into his voice box, crushing it so he couldn’t make a sound. Then when he hit the ground, I kicked out again into his head, knocking him unconscious.
“You damaged his voice box?” Jeff had his guy in a sleeper, cutting off the flow from his carotid artery until he went unconscious.
“Yep. I have problems with that hold. I’m not big enough,” I shrugged. “You said quietly.”
He sighed, and we walked in, guns drawn. It was a vast warehouse with rows of palettes almost to the ceiling. “Does this look OSHA safe to you?” I asked.
“You always were a talker,” Jeff sighed.
“Good to know I haven’t changed,” I smiled. “FYI, if you turn on me, I’ll be crushing something, but it won’t be your voice box.”
“If someone turns, it won’t be me,” he said quietly.
“Do you suspect someone?” I asked just a low.
“I always suspect someone. There was a time I suspected Thom’s loyalties until he got together with Xavier. Then I realized it was just nerves,” he answered.
“What about my sister?” I asked.
He turned to me, “You saw that?”
“That it took her way to long to scout this place and that she never called Berto? Yeah,” I sighed. “I just can’t see her doing that to Tanner, though.”
“She’s avoiding Berto, not setting us up,” Jeff said as I put the gun up and took out a knife. “She thought her hook-up was going to take less time.”
“What hook-up?” I glanced at him, then threw the knife hitting a guy who was coming up behind him in the shoulder. Jeff spun and knocked the guy out with one hit.
“The Chris’s.” He sighed. “Tanner needs to fire them. They’re more interested in sex then being part of this team.”
“When this is over with, they’re gone. I guess that’s it for Lyssa and Berto,” I sighed. This was going to mess up our dynamic.
“Not necessarily,” Jeff threw a punch over my shoulder and I donkey-kicked, encountering something. Jeff reached over my head and threw someone across the aisle into a bunch of palettes, knocking them out. “Maybe she and Berto have some kind of agreement.”
“They better, or Tanner’s yelling is going to be nothing compared to mine.” We came to the end of the aisle. In front of us were our two missing men chained to chairs, both slumped forward. I set my jaw and started walking toward Ethan.
“Well hello darling, how are you?” came the smarmy voice of the man I was planning on killing.
Ethan looked up, his eyes blazing, “What the hell, Sam?” He had a black eye and several cuts on his face.
“I’m great, Brock you giant douche. So, did you kill the general or did Jeff?” I asked still heading toward my husband.
I saw an arm reach out in my peripheral vision and did the same thing I did to Tanner weeks ago. I grabbed it, twisting the arm, flipping myself in the air the lock my legs around his neck and let gravity and momentum do the rest. He flipped onto his back hard with me landing on my side. I flipped up to my feet and kicked, hitting the man in the face, knocking him out. “Looks like you hire people exactly like you; useless,” I shrugged.
“Oh, they're not all useless, are they sweetheart?” I glanced as I saw Lyssa walking out of the back.
“Are you kidding me,” I growled. “Berto was a pain, but this is bullshit.”
“You are so grounded,” Tanner hissed at her.
“Like I’m worried,” Lyssa shrugged. “You always looked down on me because I didn’t have your gift. Well, mine is better.”
“I raised you, got you out of foster care and into a boarding school, and you completely betray us,” yelled Tanner. The vein in his neck was throbbing.
“You let her,” she sneered at me, “marry Ethan and not me. I should be the one running that estate. His parents took care of me, not her.”
I glanced back; Jeff was missing. “You decided to betray everyone because your jealous and Brock showed interest? That’s not computing.” I watched her face and saw the flinch, “Or is it because you had a guy who was totally into you and it scares you. It scares you so much you ran to a guy who's exactly like our father.”
“Doesn’t every girl want Daddy?” Brock preened.
“Not when they
killed Mommy,” spit out Tanner. Ethan was still staring at me.
“Doesn’t matter. You had six, we have twelve.” Lyssa was biting the inside of her lip and looking to the side. She was lying. I glanced at Tanner; his wrists were hidden behind his back. Ethan was still looking at me intently.
“I thought she only brought four men?” Brock glanced at Lyssa.
“Oh, you messed up,” I said calmly. “You thought you killed nine in Project Chimera. You only killed eight. Unfortunately for you, the one you missed is pissed off. I’m done with this bullshit,” I pulled my gun and pointed it at Brock. “Where are the keys?”
He pulled his gun and pointed it at Tanner, “How do you think this is going to end, Sammie?”
“You don’t want my assessment. Because in every single one of them you die,” I growled.
“Let me tell you how this is going to end,” Brock smiled. I bit my cheek. He did have a gun pointed at Tanner, “You’re going to shoot Ethan, and I’ll let your brother go as a wedding gift to you.”
“Not happening,” I shook my head.
“Wait, what?” Lyssa was looking at the ceiling, “I thought you wanted to be with me?” What the hell was going on? She was as wooden as when I had the seizure.
“Pffttt, your genes won’t make the children I want. You’re fun to play with, but not quite wife material,” he smiled.
“You’re not man material.” I heard feet running in behind me. This was ending one of two ways. “Put the gun down or die.”
“Even if you do happen to shoot me, you obviously don’t recognize this gun. It’s set so that the smallest jerk will cause it to discharge. You might be faster than me, but if I die, Tanner dies.” He gave a cold smile, “Now shoot Ethan so we can leave, please.”
“Not happening,” I growled, sighting the gun.
“Sam, I have him, but he’s right about the gun,” I heard Jeff from behind Brock.
“Samantha, look at me,” commanded Ethan. I gave a quick glance while keeping Brock in my sites. “You can’t let him shoot Tanner. Shoot me.”
“No,” my voice cracked. “I’m not doing that. I can make the shot.”
“You’re a horrible shot,” sighed Ethan. “We don’t have any more time for this. Shoot me. Take the shot and shoot me in the chest!” I glanced again, noticing him glancing downward. Nothing was making sense; Lyssa was professing devotion to an idiot she was refusing to get near to, Ethan was begging me to shoot him, and none of Brock’s men were advancing.
“Sugar, do it,” Ethan said with a calm voice.
“Damn it,” I cried. Not giving myself time to think, I swung the gun toward him and fired one shot directly into his chest, causing him and the chair to fly back. I dropped the gun to my side, gasping as my heart was crushed.
“Good girl, Sammie.” Brock moved away from Tanner, the gun swinging to the side. With no hesitation I pulled the gun up and fired, the top part of his head disappearing. Oops, I was aiming for his chest. His weapon discharged but went wide of Tanner. I ran toward Ethan, noticing that Tanner was rolling out of his chair and cuffs.
“Ethan,” I was crying, searching for the wound that I made. All I found was a hole in his shirt and under his shirt another one that held the bullet.
“Why are you carrying a Desert Eagle?” Ethan gasped, “I think you broke my ribs.”
I put my hand over my mouth as he reached around and brought me down to his chest, avoiding the area in which he was shot. “I’m fine Sugar. You shot good, you got me in the Kevlar.”
“You’re lucky. I was aiming for the damn wall. And where are your cuffs?” I said in a sobbing voice.
“Got rid of them twenty minutes ago. Just needed to make sure that Lyssa had the time to get all the paper files out of here,” he said.
“It was all a con?”
I glanced at my sister, and she rolled her eyes, “As if I’d ever want Ethan. Jeeze, he’s ancient. He’s older than Tanner.”
Ethan started to sit up slowly. “Sugar, the gun he had on Tanner would have discharged. We needed to get his attention off him and on something else. I’m sorry, I tried to let you know, but I couldn’t say anything.” I glanced behind us.
“He was so stupid, he didn’t realize it was our guys and not his,” I said.
“Yeah, Xavier was able to get out and let them know.” Tanner walked over and helped Ethan up, “Your man Jeff took out another three before setting his sights on Brock. I was a bit worried he’d go after Lyssa.”
“I let him know what was up before I walked out,” Lyssa said. “I wasn’t taking any chances with another Sam.”
Tanner and Ethan stopped and frowned at each other. “What do you mean another Sam?” asked Ethan.
“Jeff was in Chimera,” she shrugged.
“I had my chip removed years ago.” Jeff crossed his arms, “I was sent to Interpol, while Sam went to the Agency. I’ve been hunting this sick bastard down since he tried to kill me.”
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, “Is that how you always win at pool?”
“It’s a gift,” Jeff smiled.
“Where did you get all this firepower?” Tanner stared at me.
“Desdemona says hi.” I smiled at him, “And Dicky’s giving us a discount next time we need him.”
“He hangs at the Bellagio pool, doesn’t he?” asked Ethan as he wrapped an arm around me to help with his balance. “What exactly did you wear to talk to him?”
“Don’t worry,” I smiled as I helped him out of the warehouse. “No one will remember my face.”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Ethan griped.
Chapter 46
We walked into the Villa and Rich rushed forward to get Ethan onto a sofa and demanded Tanner and Xavier do the same. “I’ll make some calls and cancel the plans for tonight,” I said reaching for the phone.
“What are you talking about?” Ethan grabbed my hand. “Are you talking about the wedding? There’s no reason to cancel.”
“You’re hurt. You need to rest,” I said.
“No, I need us to have this wedding,” he frowned. “My ribs just need to be wrapped and I need a couple of bandages. Same for Tanner and Xavier.” Both men nodded in agreement.
Berto walked into the living room with a huge smile, “It appears that Peterson stole several million dollars from several agencies and people, including his uncle. All those records were sent to the Director.”
“And when they ask about the money?” Tanner raised a brow.
“It was written into the contract that all funds found on the offending party goes to us as payment,” shrugged Berto.
“Sounds awesome,” I smiled at him, then turned to Tanner. “Are the Chris’s here?” I asked. He shook his head, “They’re fired first thing in the morning. You two,” I pointed between Berto and Lyssa, “work you shit out before the wedding. This family is not being broken up because you’re acting like children. Books are fiction.”
“Um, Sam. Not all books are fiction,” Tanner whispered to me.
“Shut up,” I hissed at him, then turned back to my sister, “Alpha males are not rapey guys who share their women. They’re these three,” I pointed to the men sitting in the chairs. “They fight for family and those they care about. They make tough decisions and sacrifice themselves when need be.”
Ethan tugged at my hand until I was in his lap. “Aren’t we in a bossy mood,” he smiled.
“You’re on medical leave,” I smiled at him. “I’m in charge until Rich clears you, and he can’t do that until he x-rays everyone.”
“That’s not necessarily …” Rich started as I held up a hand and glared. “Right, I need to x-ray you to see how bad any of the breaks are.”
“Why are you in charge?” Tanner glared, “I’m second in command.”
“No, I am,” I smiled.
“Are not.”
“Are too.”
“I vote for Sam,” came Lyssa’s voice.
“I second,” smil
ed Berto.
“I’m too scared of her not to vote for her.” Rich was trying not to laugh.
“And of course, I vote for myself.” I smiled sweetly, “Four against three. I win.”
“Five against two,” Xavier smiled. “She has my vote. Jeff can watch her while I’m recovering. Thom will take care of me.”
“You weren't event hit,” Tanner stared at him.
“I was drugged. It could have been poison,” Xavier said forcing himself to keep a straight face.
Tanner rolled his eyes and growled, while Ethan was laughing and groaning behind me. “I need my ribs wrapped, then Sam and I are going to dinner. I expect this place completely decorated for the wedding when we get back.” I helped him up.
“Shouldn’t I be saying that?” I asked.
“Let’s just pretend that you delegated that to me. So I don’t feel useless,” Ethan smiled.
“I can accept that,” I sniffed.
Dinner was at a fantastic Italian Steakhouse, and while Ethan moved slow, he did appear to be enjoying himself. Even though he was on the “no booze” diet as well, thanks to the pain meds. I was playing with my salad when he glanced at me, “What’s on your mind, Sugar?”
“My shot wears off in a couple of weeks,” I bit my lip. “We haven’t discussed changing birth control.”
His brows shot up, “You want to discuss birth control now?”
“I want to discuss kids now,” I glanced at him.
“Okay,” he sat back and stared. “What are you thinking?”
“How soon do you want them?”
He took a bite of his steak and chewed, then said, “Are you saying you’re considering them sometime in the future?”
“When you were missing, I panicked. I needed you to be safe,” I started.
“I know the feeling,” he nodded.
“Yeah, the irony is not lost on me,” I muttered. “Then when you had me shoot you, I just wanted to die right there. I knew you were trying to tell me something, but I wasn’t certain what.” I took a breath and looked at him, “If something happened to you, I don’t think I could carry on. To be honest, there’d be no reason to.”
