Level Up

by Hadley Quinn

  Gabe took that news silently. One more innocent little child affected by the evil and self-serving souls of the world. He hoped that this would be the end of it, for Kael’s sake, and he could live a normal life. Bobby would certainly be affected for good, result of the job, but Gabe couldn’t foresee his friend’s future. Some guys could give it up in a heartbeat for the right reasons. Bobby had never been one of those guys, but he might be now.

  Gabe could relate.

  “I’ve got it,” Gabe told him, squeezing the clamp around the bullet.

  “Don’t fucking tell me about it; just do it.”

  Gabe smiled at Bobby’s way of fighting through the pain. He’d be ready for a nice long vacation after this.

  “What’ve you been doing lately?” Bobby asked him through clenched teeth.

  “Found myself a lady to settle down with,” Gabe answered automatically. It wasn’t a subject he would normally share, but it was a simple fact that passed the time.

  Bobby was surprised by it too. “Oh yeah? Where’d you meet her? What’s her name?”

  “Ava,” Gabe said, slowly pulling upward with the forceps. “Met her an hour from here, actually—where I’ve been staying.”

  “You mean Carmichael’s place? Who is she?”

  Gabe smiled as he removed the forceps entirely and pressed a fresh wad of gauze against the wound. “Chad’s half-sister.”

  Bobby chuckled quietly. “What? You’re shitting me. I didn’t know he had a sister. God, not to sound homo, but that fucker is one good-looking fella. I bet she’s hotter than hell.”

  “She is,” Gabe smiled. He was thankful their mikes were turned off for the time being. There was no way he wanted Ava to hear this news just yet. The fact that he knew who her brother was hadn’t been shared yet, nor did Ava know that Chad was also an undercover operative that he’d worked with several times in the past.

  “He seriously has a sister?” Bobby questioned. “I know he’s got a brother, but I didn’t know about any sister. They share the mom or dad?” he wanted to know.

  “Dad.”

  “Oh God,” he groaned. “She’s not a douchebag too, is she?”

  Gabe and Bobby both laughed softly. They’d heard stories through Chad about his father. “No, not at all. She doesn’t carry the douchebag gene.”

  “Thank God. So did Chad set you up with the house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He know you’re banging his sister?”

  “I don’t know,” Gabe replied. “But it’s not about banging her; I’m gonna marry her.”

  Bobby let out an obvious snort. “Jesus, Gabe. What the hell happened to you? Hell, probably the same thing that’s happened to me,” he added. “Personal level-up, man. Personal level-up.”

  There were unspoken words between them. Maybe Bobby could recognize a changed man now that he himself was one. The wars would keep on blazing, but for now, these two men needed to live their lives for a while.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Ava was wearing a path in the floor where she paced. She was in the kitchen for now, trying to decide if there was any food that could comfort her. She’d set the guys up with the coffee maker downstairs, but Ava was debating something stronger to drink.

  It’d been three hours since she last heard Gabe’s voice. She knew he was camped in the woods with Bobby—he’d assured her he was safe—but Jessop had been keeping an eye on a handful of men that had been sniffing around the woods where they’d been earlier in the night. So far none of them had ventured far enough into the forest to be close to Gabe, but Ava was still trying not to freak out.

  It was the worst feeling ever.

  She heard footsteps come up the stairs and Ronan appeared in the kitchen. He looked tired just like Jessop; hopefully they would all take another vacation after this was all over.

  “Kit, Chuck, and Titus are almost here,” he informed her.

  She felt a wave of relief knowing that they were almost safe. And that meant there was going to be a little boy in the house as well.

  “Would you like me to take care of Kael?” she offered.

  Ronan smiled sincerely. “I was gonna ask so…yeah, that’d be great. Uh, I have no idea if he communicates as much as a two-year-old should because Bobby once mentioned he’s really shy. But he doesn’t speak English, either. So that might be a challenge.”

  “It’ll be fine,” she assured him. “I’ll bathe him and feed him…I’m sure that will be a good start.”

  Ronan nodded. “Thanks, Ava. I’m glad you’re here.”

  She returned his smile. “Well, I’m not so sure I’m glad to be here under these conditions, but I’m glad I can be useful.”

  He chuckled with agreement and they both heard the sound of the Hummer pull in. After that it was an array of activity, from Chuck carrying the little boy into the house to Kato and Titus discussing some loose ends with Ronan.

  “Here, I’ll take him,” Ava said, holding her hands out for the dark haired, chocolate-eyed little boy. He looked scared and unsure, but he let Ava take him.

  “He had some crackers and water, an energy bar, but that’s about it,” Chuck said. “I’m sure he’s starving like the rest of us.”

  “Is that a hint?” she teased.

  He looked embarrassed for a second. “Uh, no, I just—”

  “Well I pulled out two breakfast casseroles from the oven,” she told him. “There’s also a bunch of fruit, bagels, and muffins. Juice galore, coffee or—”

  “God, I would kiss you right now if Gabe wouldn’t have my hide,” he exhaled as he made his way to the kitchen. She motioned to the other men to follow and they did.

  Ava looked at Kael. “Are you hungry?” she asked him. The little boy only stared at her. She rubbed her tummy and motioned her hand to her mouth. “Hungry?” she asked again.

  He almost nodded. Did he understand her?

  She walked him to the kitchen and pointed to the food that the guys were inhaling. “Hungry?” she asked. She picked up a piece of fruit and offered it to him.

  Ronan roused Kael’s hair and spoke a language he could understand, asking if he wanted to eat. He pointed to the food Ava had, encouraging him to take it.

  Kael reached for the strawberry and put it to his mouth. He nibbled on it, so Ava set him down on a chair and placed more food in front of him. The kid was filthy, as were the others in the room. But Ava decided it was more important to feed him before she bathed him. He also smelled of excrement, which she knew he couldn’t help. An entire night in the woods with these grown soldiers could do that to anyone.

  When she was sure he’d had enough to eat, she carried him upstairs to the bathroom. The poor kid was completely silent as she gently stripped his soiled clothes off and unhooked the shower hose to wash him off. She smiled as much as possible, and when she wasn’t sure if he could understand anything she was saying to him, she just started to sing. He seemed to like her, or at the very least, realized she was there to help him not hurt him.

  She wrapped him in a big thick towel and sat him on the lid of the toilet seat. She washed off his clothes in the tub and then left them for the time being. She sang a silly little song about getting dressed when she found her tiniest t-shirt for him to wear. There was nothing she could do about underwear until she threw his clothes in the wash, so she just wrapped him in a blanket and held him until he fell asleep.

  She laid him on the bed for a few minutes so she could put his clothes in the wash. She hadn’t forgotten about Gabe, but she was doing her best to push aside her worry. The last she heard, Bobby was sleeping for a bit until Ronan gave the okay for them to make an exit.

  ***

  Gabe and Bobby had been on foot again—it was four in the morning and they needed to use the dark to their advantage. They’d been hiking for twenty minutes when Jessop said, “Oh shit, Gabe. They’ve got dogs out. A truck arrived from the north end of the compound that unloaded three dogs at the west barracks—where Bobby ran past
for the woods.”

  “How much time do we have?” Gabe asked.

  “Hard to say. They’re bringing ‘em to Bobby’s downtime.”

  Gabe knew that meant the dogs were sniffing the ground where Bobby had been shot.

  “Is it safe to cruise?” Gabe asked.

  “You still got four guys within a half-klick of the road to the southwest,” Ronan said. “You either need to cut east for six miles, or just take care of it.”

  “Well I could waste time cutting east only for them to show up down the road in a few minutes,” Gabe replied.

  “Exactly.”

  “Then we’ll just take care of it. Uh, is Ava still there with you guys?”

  “She’s upstairs with Kael,” Chuck told him. “Tell Bobby his kid has a huge crush on her.”

  Gabe chuckled. That felt good to hear. But just picturing her with a little boy made his chest hurt. The idea of a family with Ava had been on his mind for the past twelve hours. He’d been content just spending his days with her—fixing himself and getting to know her better. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew he didn’t want to live without her. Maybe being thrown into this situation had been necessary so he’d realize how much he wanted her in his life.

  He needed to get the hell out of here so he could keep his promise to her.

  “Kato, what do you see where you’re at?” Gabe asked him. He and Bobby continued to trek quickly until they were presented with some reason not to.

  Kato had hidden Gabe’s truck off the opposite side of the road. If Gabe kept trekking straight out, he’d be in Kato’s sights.

  “They haven’t come through this section yet. I think they might be a little afraid of a GL?”

  Gabe chuckled. “Yeah, possibly. Which means they’re gonna stay off the roads until they’re sure.”

  “Watch your west,” Kato reminded him.

  “Ten-four. I’m watching my west, east, north and south.”

  “I can’t spot them through the trees too good,” Jessop told him. “The last one I saw was to your southeast three klicks over. He was heading north through the woods, though. Not west. But they’re gonna release them dogs any second, Gabe.”

  “They’re still discussing it, huh?” Gabe asked. He looked up toward the sky to see that it was getting a bit lighter out. He glanced at his watch and kept pushing on.

  “And they’re off,” Jessop announced. “The dogs are hauling ass, Gabe. Jesus, that’s an all out hate run right there.”

  “There’s no way those idiots are going to keep up with ‘em,” Ronan said. “Just watch your backs.”

  “Roger that. We got dogs coming our way,” Gabe told Bobby.

  Bobby pulled out his rifle and cocked it.

  “As soon as they start causing a ruckus, you guys are made,” Ronan said. “There’s no telling how many are in your area, Gabe. Hey Kato, Bobby and Gabe are less than a klick out.”

  “Got it.”

  A shot was fired from the west, splintering a tree next to Bobby.

  “Fuck!” he yelled. They both stepped behind trees and scoped the area west.

  “I only see one,” Gabe said. He eyed the guy slipping behind a tree. “Okay, you’ve already been hit,” he told Bobby. “Make a run for it.”

  “Fuck that!” Bobby laughed. “You get tagged this time!”

  “You saying you’re gonna miss if you cover me?”

  Bobby growled and shook his head, but without another word, he made a ten-meter beeline for another tree.

  Gabe saw the guy the second he poked his head out to shoot at Bobby. Gabe shot a single bullet into his forehead before the foe even had a chance to duck back.

  “Dogs,” Gabe said as he ran to catch up with Bobby. They ran until they could hear one of the four-legged predators running behind them, sounding off their location. Bobby turned around and popped a shot into the mutt’s chest to silence him.

  “Kato, what’s the scene?” Gabe asked as he ran.

  “All clear for now. I’m at the road waiting for you.”

  “Roger that. We’re coming in hard and fast, fellas. Time to get home.”

  “Looks like they’re gonna risk it with trucks,” Ronan said. “Get your ass out of there now.”

  “I’m pulling out the Milkor again,” Kato informed them.

  “We’ve got two or three over here!” Gabe yelled.

  He could see the damn road, too. Shit, they were within a hundred meters of their exit. It was even lighter out now. He stripped off the night vision and clipped it to his vest. Bobby did the same.

  “Kato will keep the road clear, but you guys are on your own inside the trees,” Ronan said.

  Gabe watched the trees to his west. They’d popped off two of them, but there was one more slick enough to evade their shots. Whoever the hell was out there was good. He was moving fluidly, always with a tree between him and Gabe’s weapon. Bobby was thirty meters ahead of Gabe, and a shot hit the tree by his shoulder.

  Gabe gave him a silent signal to get to the road. Bobby questioned him on it. Gabe gave him the signal again. Without a second to lose, Bobby continued his trek toward the road, slipping behind trees and popping off shots at his pursuer. Gabe remained where he was, listening, waiting. A shot went off not too far from him and splintered the ground near Bobby’s feet. Gabe took a chance to peek around the tree. He saw a boot behind another tree, only twenty meters from him.

  He waited. He saw Bobby make it to a tree next to the road, crouching behind it. The figure to Gabe’s right made a step forward and slipped behind another tree before Gabe could even take a shot.

  Gabe’s weapon was level and waiting until he heard a sound directly behind him. He dove forward and hit the ground as a bullet shot over his head and hit the tree ahead of him. He rolled to his back and fired, just as a figure had come out of nowhere with a gun pointed at his face. A bullet hit the ground next to Gabe as his opponent flew backward with a slug to his chest.

  Gabe had no idea where the other guy was now, the one he’d originally been tracking. He scurried to the trunk of a tree with his back to it, hoping that Bobby could see something that he couldn’t. He looked Bobby’s way but didn’t see him. There was no communication chatter for him to hear, either. He tapped his comm several times, but there was nothing.

  He looked for Bobby to check on him and that’s when he noticed he’d been hit again. He was down, trying to assess the damage to his calf.

  Gabe focused on his breathing and the sounds around him. As far as he knew, there was still one foe nearby. He could also hear voices to the north and he was guessing they were still a half-klick toward the compound. That meant there were reinforcements coming, and at least one other dog on the prowl. They were keeping it close, waiting for the right moment.

  Gabe couldn’t keep sitting there. He had to make it to the road before the woods were too overrun with the adversary. And there was the matter of dealing with the enemy gun that was somewhere near him.

  He slowly stood, his eyes scanning the trees. He was going to move east, across the woods, not south to the road. He remained facing the west as he carefully trekked backwards to the next tree. No movement caught his eye so he slipped behind it and looked south.

  He couldn’t see Bobby now. And Gabe was facing a slight incline so he couldn’t see across the road, either.

  He made another movement west, walking backward to the next tree. Still nothing. He didn’t like it. There was no telling how many bodies were in the woods now. They could be behind him, beside him, in front of him… There was no telling.

  The dog started barking. It was way closer than Gabe had first thought. Maybe they’d released him because there were a dozen other men now scattered through the trees.

  Sure enough he heard running come from the northeast. Gabe moved slightly along the tree, but he didn’t want to expose himself to the unknown on the other side. Bottom line, he had to get the hell out of here. They had to make it across the road and get o
ut of these fucking woods.

  “Aw hell,” he groaned. He pulled himself fully upright, took a deep breath, and booked it south to the road. “Bobby!” he yelled, hauling ass as fast as he could. Thank God Bobby heard him and appeared in half a second, popping off shots toward the shots that were coming at Gabe. Bark and dirt were flying in all directions, and Gabe slid to the ground to pull behind a tree. Bobby was two trees behind him.

  “I lost my comm!” Gabe yelled to him.

  “We gotta thin this out before we go lollygagging across that road!” Bobby answered back. “Kato’s there!”

  Gabe saw a figure move between trees and he took him down. He saw the dog running their way, a huge Rottweiler mix with slobber and froth slinging from its mouth. Gabe went to take a shot at him but the handler called the dog off. At least Gabe now knew what tree the guy was behind.

  Bobby was managing the scene to the west of them—there was still that one sniper slipping through the trees undetected. He was a patient motherfucker, probably waiting to take ‘em out from behind a tree near the road.

  It’s time to jet, Gabe told Bobby silently. He signaled that he was going to open fire to the north/northeast while Bobby did the same to the west. He made sure Kato got the signal too, just as their foes decided to make their own aggressive movement. Shots fired from the northeast and the damn dog was released again.

  Gabe couldn’t risk taking a shot at the dog while bullets were flying at him, so he removed his double edge from his belt. The dog was to him in three seconds flat, his mouth over Gabe’s forearm as he swung the knife into him. Son of a bitch slowed down the motion, so it was only enough to wound it. Gabe grabbed the dog by the back of the neck and pulled him behind the tree to keep his own ass protected from gunfire. He elbowed the dog in the side of the face as it gnashed and snarled at him, and when it stunned the canine, Gabe quickly thrust his knife into its chest.