Level Up

by Hadley Quinn

  “Sorry, pal,” he told him respectfully as he twisted it for good measure. “I hope you have better owners in your next life.” He laid the dog down gently and softly pet his head. He wiped the knife on his pants and sheathed it, looking to Bobby for an update. He signaled to the road so Gabe jumped to his feet and followed suit. Kato was at the edge peppering the woods with cover, so the two soldiers booked it over the guardrail and across the empty road.

  Gabe felt something knick his arm but he kept running. He knew he’d been shot, but finding cover was priority number one.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Ava heard that Bobby had been hit again but that he was okay. But when Kato mentioned Gabe getting “tagged,” she wanted to throw up.

  “We got three fuckers trying to tail us,” Kato said. Ava had heard him say that Gabe was fine, but that was it? No other details?

  Chuck noticed the look on her face, and since he currently didn’t seem to be doing anything, he made his way over to her. “It’s superficial,” he informed her. “Kato said it was a zit popper. Something not serious,” he smiled.

  “A zit popper?” she asked incredulously.

  He chuckled with a shrug. “Superficial gunshot wound. And it was in his arm; nothing vital.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because Kato said ‘In the Boomer.’ He was referring to left-handed quarterback, Boomer Esiason. Gabe’s a lefty too so—”

  “I get it,” she nodded. “Jeez, you guys and your code words.”

  Chuck grinned. “Makes it fun for us.”

  “Fun? Oh my God, if you count having a heart attack as fun…”

  He chuckled. “You do what you gotta do.”

  Ava nodded her understanding and Chuck returned to the computer screens.

  She needed to go check on Kael again, who’d been sleeping in her room for a couple of hours. She’d been checking on him every fifteen minutes, but there was no way she could do that now. She had to make sure Gabe was okay.

  “I have no fucking idea,” she heard Ronan sigh. They were poring over maps again, trying to find a route for the guys to leave through.

  ***

  Gabe, Bobby, and Kato had jumped in the truck but needed an exit route now. Gabe was in the bed of the truck with Bobby, loading a grenade launcher if it was necessary. Bobby was popping off shots as several men somewhat immersed from the trees, waving for a vehicle down the street.

  “They kinda mad,” Bobby observed.

  Gabe slightly nodded. “Yeah, kinda.”

  “I don’t know where the hell to go!” Kato growled from the driver’s seat.

  Gabe popped his head through the back window. “There’re no through roads?”

  “Fuck no! These are all dead ends that probably lead to redneck trailers two miles at the end. You wannna get shot up by rebels or rednecks?”

  Gabe smiled and pretended to consider it. “Hmm. I’ll take my chances with the rednecks. Maybe we can just wait it out on a back road somewhere.”

  Kato held his hand to his earpiece and listened. “Oh yeah?” he asked. He chuckled but hung a sharp left at the next side road. “Okay, I’ll let him know. Hey Gabe, Ava says there’s a turnout up here with a one-way bridge over the creek. She says she used to make out with her boyfriend under the waterfall.”

  Gabe paused for a second as the words caught up to him and he cocked an eyebrow. “Oh? Does she want to give me his name so we can bring him up here for interrogation?”

  Kato repeated the question into his mouthpiece, waited for a moment, and then laughed. “She said you’re a jealous idiot, and that you’d better thank him for taking her top off out here because now it’s going to save your ass.”

  “Wait, what? He took her damn top off? Gimme that thing.” He reached out for Kato’s comm as he passed it back to him. Sure enough they came to an old wooden bridge.

  “Do I dare?” Kato chuckled to himself. He shrugged as he scouted the bridge and the sign that said it was one-way only. There were no warnings otherwise, so he proceeded to cross it.

  “Ava, did I hear that right?” Gabe said into the headset. “He took your damn top off?”

  “Oh Gabe,” she tsked playfully. “Rein in your testosterone.”

  “It is very much reined in, baby.”

  They’d made it to the other side of the bridge when Bobby said, “And we have company, folks.”

  Kato looked into the rearview mirror. He revved the engine to hide behind a section of trees and then Bobby jumped out of the truck. He was already drilling the enemy vehicle with his M16, and the rebels were returning fire. However, they’d stopped their truck at the foot of the bridge, refusing to be sitting ducks on it.

  That was fine with Gabe.

  He hopped out of his truck and hauled the launcher to his shoulder, watching the men scramble back into their vehicle. But Gabe hit the edge of the bridge just right, taking it out and causing a blow that rocked their truck backward. The front windshield blew out and a plume of dust puffed up to accentuate the scene. Gabe had two choices: leave the truck in the state that it was in and risk being sought after again, or eliminate the possibility altogether.

  It wasn’t actually a choice, and he aimed another grenade at the center of the truck that blew it into the air.

  “Gabe, take the next left,” Ava told him. Her sweet voice just sounded so odd in the middle of a battle zone.

  He was hopping back into the truck with Bobby. “Left? You mean right? Left would just take us back toward the compound, wouldn’t it?”

  “Left, Gabe,” Ronan insisted.

  “Okay. Take a left,” he called to Kato in the cab. “And don’t ask,” he added when he could see his questioning eyebrows in the mirror.

  Kato shrugged and took the next left.

  “Another fucking truck,” Bobby announced while he trained his binoculars across the creek. “They’re watching our route. I guarantee they know a way around. They’re already on the move.”

  “There’s Ava’s waterfall,” Gabe heard Kato chuckle. Gabe followed his nod to the right and saw a small water feature that trickled off a twelve-foot rock.

  “Nice,” Gabe nodded. “Ava, if that’s what you call a waterfall, I need to show you a real one. And what a real man does under one.”

  Ava laughed. “Okay, Gabe. I look forward to it.”

  “Yeah, you better,” he smiled.

  “You’ll take a right pretty soon,” she said. “When you see a green gate that’s probably locked, go past it a ways and you’ll see a space you can fit your truck through between the trees. One of the trees might still be marked with a pink heart if you need an idea of where to go.”

  Gabe repeated the instructions to Kato as they passed the green gate—it was locked. He and Bobby were on the lookout for an opening through the trees. “I don’t see any pink hearts, but how ‘bout there,” Gabe pointed.

  Kato nodded and pulled the truck off the road. He crept along in the bumpy terrain until they got right up between the two trees that were spaced the widest apart.

  “Uh, this is gonna be a tight squeeze,” Kato said. “Do we have time to remove your mirrors?” he chuckled.

  Gabe assumed the trees had grown a few inches, and perhaps whatever vehicle Ava had taken through here was a tad bit slimmer than his rig. The bark scraped against the front wheel wells and he cringed. Oh well, it was just a truck, right? The mirrors didn’t stand a chance, but as Gabe looked up at the tree to the left, he saw a very faded pink heart spray painted on it.

  He smiled and pointed for Bobby to see it too, and Bobby gave him a thumb’s up.

  “You guys make it through?” Ronan asked.

  “Yeah, we’re getting through.”

  “Get on that road that the gate blocks and book it to high hell before those fools track you down. They’re about a klick from you guys, heading your way. Hopefully they’ll keep going straight and loop back onto the highway.”

  “Got it, Boss.” He repeated it
for Kato and then hopped off the truck to pick up one of his side mirrors. The other one was just barely hanging on, so he yanked it off all the way, and then jumped into the back again.

  Bobby was cleaning up Gabe’s bullet grazing and dog wounds when they’d been on the road for a couple of minutes. Ava’s voice came back on the line and said, “There’s a dirt road coming up on your left. Take that for about a mile, and at the fork, hang a right.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gabe answered. “Dirt road to your left, klick-point-six, hang a right at the fork,” he told Kato. “Hey, Ava? We’re gonna have to come up with a name for you, ya know.”

  She chuckled. “No thank you. I’ve heard enough code names and acronyms in the past twenty-four hours to last a lifetime.”

  “Which means you’re now qualified to have one yourself.”

  “I’ll pass,” she smiled. “Hey, can I talk to Bobby for a minute? He’s got a little boy here that would like to talk to him.”

  “Of course.” Gabe took off the headset and handed it to his buddy. “Ava’s got your little man on the line.”

  Bobby snatched the equipment from him eagerly and put it to his ear and mouth. “Kael?”

  Gabe sat back as the truck hung a right at the fork in the road. He laid his head back and listened to the one-sided Serbian conversation next to him. Ronan had to interrupt a minute later to give them the next directive, and ten minutes later they were off the dirt roads and back on a paved highway.

  ETA? Forty minutes…

  ***

  Ava paced nervously in the kitchen. She could barely wait another second for Gabe to return home to her. Jessop and Ronan sat at the table with her and Kael. It was seven in the morning and she hadn’t slept all night, but she was wide-awake.

  Kael was painting on some construction paper she found in a closet. She laid out some watercolors for him and demonstrated how to do it, and he timidly began to follow her lead. He did nothing but dabble and smear colors, but he loved it.

  The guys were eating. Poor Jessop hadn’t taken a break from the computer for almost ten hours. He’d been catered food and drink twice, and took a measly few minutes to take a piss and dump, but she was happy for him to finally have a longer break. Gabe, Kato, and Bobby were due any minute now.

  When the sound of an engine rolled into the driveway, Ava flew out of her seat. She left the front door wide open and jumped off the porch, but skidded to a stop, suddenly deciding to observe for a moment.

  Kato slid out of the driver’s seat and smiled at her. He was keeping his left foot off of the ground as he hopped aside to shut the door. Ronan appeared next to Ava with Kael as Bobby jumped out of the bed of the truck. A huge smile lit his face as he did his best to jog to his son with two injured legs. It brought tears to Ava’s eyes when Bobby scooped his little boy from Ronan’s arms and held him tight. He cried against his head, and Ava bit her lip to hold her own tears again.

  But a thump at the truck caught her attention when Gabe jumped out, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer. He looked like hell, just like Kato and Bobby did, but she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.

  She cried, letting it all come out and not caring who witnessed it as he pressed her against him.

  “Mmm, you smell like the same sweet Ava,” he said softly as he breathed her in.

  “I love you so much,” she told him. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” she murmured into his neck.

  “I love you too,” he told her, kissing the side of her face. “And I figured out what your code name is.”

  She laughed and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand. “Oh? Is it appropriate to say over a comm line?”

  He smiled and raised an eyebrow to consider it. “Hmm.”

  “Gabe!” she chuckled, lightly swatting his chest.

  “It’s totally appropriate. And suiting,” he added, holding her chin in his hand. “I couldn’t help but think about my angel the entire time, and I pictured your beautiful face any chance I could. So it’s only fitting for you to be Angel Face.”

  She smiled, pleased that it wasn’t anything close to what the guys in the basement were joking about. She’d had a pretty good laugh about it, but Gabe would’ve throttled them.

  “You wanna know what my code name was for you between me and Chelsea?”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Of course I do. Unless it was Big Douchebag.”

  With a smile she teased, “Pretty close…”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I deserve that.”

  “No you don’t,” she snickered. “You were half right, though. ‘Big Sexy.’ ”

  He raised both eyebrows. “Big Sexy? Hmm, you dirty girl. And you didn’t even know how big it really was.”

  She laughed and shoved him away. “Oh you would think along those lines!”

  He grinned, but it seemed as if he was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion when he exhaled a deep breath. “Honey, I need to get out of these clothes, take a shower, and lay down with you. Can you meet me at the cabin in a bit?”

  “Of course,” she nodded. “I’ll bring you food.”

  “Ahh, that would be awesome. Hurry, please. I need your body in that water with me in five minutes.”

  He swatted her butt and sent her away, and she quickly followed orders.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

  The ordeal with Bobby had been a priority to Gabe, and Ava understood that. The entire situation had scared her, but she knew why he needed to do it. She was glad that it was all over with, but it still left her with questions about her future. Gabe told her he wanted to be wherever she wanted to be, and she was going to keep him to it no matter what it took to mesh their lives together.

  Titus and Kit took Kato to a hospital later that morning. The poor guy had a fractured ankle and finally got it taken care of. Chuck and Jessop packed up all the computer equipment, and Ronan took care of the artillery. Bobby refused to be seen by a doctor, so he let the guys check on his wounds. Gabe had stitched up his calf, and Bobby was content with that. He spent much needed time with his son while the team tied up loose ends.

  Ava was in the cabin with Gabe when Ronan stopped by before he left. They’d been cozied up on the couch when he informed them he was heading out.

  “I’ll take your truck and swap it out,” he told Gabe. “You gonna be here for much longer?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be here for another few weeks.”

  “Okay,” Ronan nodded. “I’ll drop a new rig off in the next couple days.” He glanced around the small cabin, bemused. “So you guys prefer to hang out here instead of the big house, huh?”

  Gabe shrugged. “Doesn’t matter where we’re at.” He had his arm around Ava as they sat on the couch and he gave her a smile.

  Ronan offered an accepting nod. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “When was the last time you talked to Molly?” Gabe asked.

  Ronan seemed caught off guard by the question. “Uhhh, not for a few months. She’s seeing someone.”

  “Really? I’m kind of surprised. You sure about that?”

  With a sigh, Ronan helped himself to a seat across from them. “It’s what she told me. She also said not to talk to her or call her… She didn’t want to see me. Wants nothing to do with me.” He shrugged, like he had no choice.

  “Last I could tell she still loves you, Ro,” Gabe said. “I think going through what she did, not knowing you were alive all those months, really did a number on her. If I were you, I’d go talk to her. Tell her how much you still love her, and see how she honestly feels about you. You’ll know just by talking to her.”

  “Listen to you, all love doctor and shit. What’s happened to you? Two months ago your advice would have been, ‘Go blow some shit up and move on.’ ”

  Gabe laughed but Ava gave him a disapproving smack to the chest. “Blow some shit up and move on? That’s terrible, Gabe!”

  “What can I say, I was a heartless bastard,” he shrugged.

  Ronan scoffed. “G
uess hell really can freeze over.”

  “Hey,” Gabe warned with feigned seriousness. “I may have let this perfect woman seduce me, but I’m still a bastard.”

  Ava snorted. “Seduce you? Ha! You didn’t stand a chance. Don’t hold it against him, Ronan. I dug my claws into him deep when he was lonely and fragile. I took advantage of him.”

  “Fragile?” Gabe practically spat with a sarcastic chuckle. “Damn, woman. You use that word to describe me again and we’re gonna have some problems.”

  She playfully rolled her eyes. “Oh, Gabe. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with us.”

  Ronan laughed but slapped his thighs before he stood. “Well, I’ll leave you to settle this debate however necessary and be on my way. Is there anything else you two need?”

  “I think hearing about the raid was as good as I’ll hear,” Gabe nodded.

  Ava’s interest was piqued. “Raid?”

  He glanced at Ronan who only nodded his permission, so Gabe said, “I’ll just say the U.S. government was a little interested in that compound and already had players inside.”

  Ava slightly nodded. It didn’t answer all of her questions, but it was a start.

  “Well,” said Ronan. “I’ll let you two get back to, uh, whatever you were doing. It was great to meet you, Ava. Thanks for your help. And Gabe, I’ll keep in touch,” he added. He headed for the door and stopped. Turning around he added, “And thanks.” he shrugged. “For getting Bobby here and…your advice. I think I’ll take it.”

  Gabe acknowledged him with a single nod, and Ronan shut the door behind him.

  With a sigh, Gabe stretched back on the couch and patted his chest for Ava to join him. She slid next to him—half of her on the couch, half of her on Gabe—and laid her head between his chest and shoulder. He’d already taken a ninety-minute nap on the bed after making love to her, the agreement being that she couldn’t lie there and sleep with him. She’d argued at first, but knowing Gabe needed sleep was enough to let him have his way. She spent the time making some soup in the slow cooker, and even though the guys could take care of themselves next door, she checked on everyone in the house—especially Bobby and Kael.