He was okay. Thank God.
Cait allowed herself the luxury of chilling momentarily, breathing a sigh of relief.
Bad move.
The two thugs that she had dismissed in the main room jumped her together, one grabbing her tightly around the neck, the other grabbing her torso, wrapping her arms up in a bear hug that was so tight she could hardly breathe.
Cait reacted instinctively. She made her whole body rigid, as tight as a drum, but at the same time went with the grabbing instead of resisting, feigning capitulation. Her assailants both knew that she was done for. Easy prey. After all, she was just a girl who barely weighed one hundred and fifteen pounds, and they were both approaching over two hundred pounds each. And they regularly pumped iron, so they had some bulk about them.
Basically, Cait was done for. And they had won.
Not.
Cait took in a large mouthful of air, relaxing for a split second to center herself. Then with a primordial grunt that came from deep within, she twisted like a corkscrew, her arms exploding outward with such force that both attackers were violently thrown backward through the air.
Jumping up as if propelled by a tightly coiled spring, Cait—the shield-maiden of old—dove on attacker number one, her knee landing in the middle of his exposed solar plexus, winding him and breaking two ribs, one piercing his lungs.
Pneumothorax. He was gone.
In a continuous movement, Cait rolled and slammed the side of her forearm into the face of attacker number two, flattening his nose against his chubby face, then slammed a clenched fist once, twice, three times in lightning-fast procession into his left eye, right eye and throat.
He was totally disabled and gasping for breath.
Cait stood up and arched backward, hands on hips, stretching, twisting, and surveyed the carnage: four heavyset thugs, three disabled and unconscious and one dead, lying scattered on the floor; O’Donnell drugged and passed out next to them; Marcus in the corner; and from what she could figure, about twelve guys in weird KKK-like robes next door, quivering in their boots . . . and the SWAT team burst in.
Five to the left, five to the right. Full body armor, all in black, helmets with clear face masks drawn closed, miked up, assault rifles pointing forward, scanning the room, ready for action.
“Down, down, down,” yelled the SOGs loudly, the elite of the elite—Special Operations Group, or “Sons of God” for those in the force who were brave enough to utter their nickname.
A man-mountain over six and a half feet tall rushed over to Cait, placing a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to the ground.
“Ah . . . shit,” he yelled in a surprised voice, immediately withdrawing his hand, a distinct crackle-pop like a static electricity spark jumping from his grip. Cait was wired, still pumped, white energy pouring out of her like a flood tide as she wound down.
“Get down, lady,” man-mountain hissed, signaling his command with an urgent movement of his gloved hand.
Cait held her ground.
“It’s all clear,” she said with a commanding inflection. “Call an ambulance now. They’ve been drugged.” Cait pointed at the prostrate bodies of Marcus and O’Donnell, seemingly sleeping peacefully on the floor.
“Fentanyl. There’re another twelve or so people in the next room. They’re okay, uninjured.”
Man-mountain couldn’t believe what he was hearing, let alone the carnage in front of him.
“What the hell happened here?” he said, looking at the blood-splattered woman staring down on him.
“Holy shit, what the fuck happened?” said O’Donnell groggily to the SOG operative kneeling next to him, scanning the room as he spoke.
Ice had been injected intravenously with two 1.5 milligram doses of naloxone by the paramedics to counteract the effects of the fentanyl that had knocked him out, and he had just finally regained his cognitive functions.
“We were hoping you could answer that one.”
One of the SOGs had located the keys to O’Donnell’s handcuffs and was unlocking them as he spoke.
“What? You didn’t do this? Six people down, four are about to be carted away in the ambulance to hospital, one’s off to the morgue. There’s only one who can walk out of here. Who took them out then?”
O’Donnell glanced over at Cait, who at this stage was by his side, holding his hand protectively, transferring her healing energy into his body. Their eyes locked in a knowing glance. For a split second they were the only two people in the room. O’Donnell took in the line of scarlet blood splatter down her face and across her chest.
And there was that same steely gaze that she’d worn just after she had taken out the thug in Catania.
You did this, didn’t you, Cait? But how? The thought running through his head confused him, but made sense at the same time.
Yes, Tony, Cait replied telepathically. And Marcus is safe. We saved him. Thank you for believing in me.
O’Donnell smiled, a huge cheeky grin taking over his face.
“You got my back, partner.”
“Sure did,” replied Cait with a sassy inflection to her voice.
O’Donnell had just found a new buddy to replace Bravo Three.
“Tony, where’d you get that tattoo?” asked Cait, running her finger tenderly over the outline of the words “Who Dares, Wins” that were inside a banner with a pair of wings attached and a large knife cutting through the middle that Ice had inked across his bare left shoulder.
They were lying in bed together in O’Donnell’s Southbank apartment, exploring each other, chilling, going over the whirlwind of events over the last few months, comparing stories, injuries, scars, tattoos.
Whatever came to mind.
“After my first gig in Afghanistan,” said O’Donnell, memories of life in a war zone flooding back to him, bruising his mind with their vivid reality.
“It’s the SAS motto and insignia. Sort of a rite of passage for those who manage to survive the training and initiation.”
Like a chameleon, behind the macho façade the hidden O’Donnell was slowly emerging: a kind and caring person who liked the quiet life. Like the skin of an onion, his role as a sniper and gun for hire was slowly peeling away, layer by layer.
Cait sensed that O’Donnell needed time to unwind. He had years of suppression to work his way through and overcome. He had been trained to show no emotion, only to react. To kill on demand.
And now here he was, gradually opening up to Cait, telling her about parts of his life that he had hidden away in a deep vault in his brain. Words that he had never uttered to anyone else. Even during the debrief with his shrink before he was discharged from the army.
“Cait, I’ve spoken to the spooks at ASIO about you. I realise it’s highly unusual, but I’d like you to consider working with me on a case they have on their books which is basically going backward.”
“And?” Cait replied. “Tell me more.”
“Sorry, but I can’t. Not yet in any case. It requires Top Secret security clearance first . . . otherwise I’d have to kill you if I told you,” O’Donnell joked.
Sergeant Tony “Ice” O’Donnell, fractured ex-SAS trooper, was turning the corner in his rehab. Just maybe. And he wanted his new partner, Cait, to cover his back on his next mission. The brass at the AFP had serious doubts about bringing in an outsider, and it took him much persuasion to have them even consider allowing Cait into the inner sanctum.
In the end, O’Donnell played his final card: “No Cait, no me,” he had told them. But they desperately wanted O’Donnell. He was considered their go-to man when all else had failed and they had reached a dead end.
So they had to capitulate.
“Okay, no promises,” said the brass. “But this Cait girl will have to be fully vetted first by security. Then if she passes that, she’ll need full psychological profiling . . .”
“To be expected,” replied O’Donnell, actually surprised that he had got this far with his request. He expected to be stonewalled.
Ice could sense that the brass were totally out of their comfort zone. His suggestion could go pear-shaped in the blink of an eye if Cait even remotely failed to impress.
“And then she’ll have to undertake intensive field and weapons training.”
“Gentlemen, I’ve fought terrorists as an SAS operative in three continents and seven countries, and I can assure you that Cait is unique. I’ve seen her fight, I’ve seen her confronted with danger, I’ve seen her make difficult decisions under pressure. Quite frankly, she’s a total enigma.
“I want her as my partner, or you can find someone else for this mission.”
Ice had his superiors backed into a corner. After quietly talking among themselves for a few, almost heated minutes, they came to a conclusion.
“All right. She’s got one chance, and one chance only to prove herself,” replied the brass. “If she fucks up on anything, she’s out.”
“And if she passes to your satisfaction?”
“We’ll make her a specialist field operative.”
Cait was in. Ice knew she would amaze them.
He had a new partner. And he was about to embark on another mission.
Now all Ice had to do was convince Cait.
Click here for a look inside Book #4 today! This book is currently still being written as you read this, but if you would like an early teaser and some exclusive insider information about Cait’s latest adventures, then follow the link.
ENJOY the Cait Lennox femme fatale series?
Your input can make a huge difference
Reviews are the most powerful tools in my arsenal as an author when it comes to attracting attention to my books. Much as I’d like to, unfortunately I don’t have the financial muscle of a large, multinational publishing house, so I can’t take out full-page advertisements in the newspapers or put up billboards around town.
Well, not yet anyway!
But with you on board, I do have something much more powerful and effective than that, and it’s something that those publishers would kill to get their hands on.
And what is it? A committed and loyal bunch of readers.
Honest reviews of my books help bring them to the attention of other readers, and the more readers I have, the easier it is for me to keep writing about Cait’s adventures.
So if you’ve enjoyed this book I would be very grateful if you could spend just five minutes or so of your time and leave a review on Amazon. Your review can be as short or long as you like. Even just a few words would be great.
Thanks heaps. Your review will be much appreciated and will keep me writing.
Rick :)
Roderick Donald’s Books
Have you read them all yet?
In the Urban Fiction Series featuring the dangerous femme fatale, Cait Lennox:
The Awakening
When twenty-three-year-old Cait’s lover is brutally murdered, this violent assault has far-reaching effects for Cait, her baby boomer parents, their close friends and business acquaintances, plus their millennial children. In her darkest moments Cait’s shamanic mother introduces her daughter to the Otherworld, and her ancient Druidic bloodline starts whispering to her, bestowing amazing paranormal powers of insight and perception—the power of The Gift. But will Cait believe them?
Click here now and start reading The Awakening today!
The Mind Controller
When twenty-four-year-old Cait is violently kidnapped by her lover’s murderers, her once-pleasant life is shattered. And she demands payback. But Cait is haunted by terrifying, evil nightmares—apparitions that are really a calling card from the Otherworld. Will Cait overcome her scepticism and succumb to these paranormal forces? In the face of overwhelming odds, Cait transforms into a ruthless femme fatale. Will this be enough to conquer the vile beast in her prophetic visions?
Click here now and start reading The Mind Controller today!
The Assassin’s Apprentice
When a fanatical cult starts sacrificing young children their wandering souls haunt Cait as they aimlessly drift in no-man’s land, searching for release. Unlock the mystery of Cait’s journey as she wanders between this and the Otherworld, travelling the globe in pursuit of the murderous and illusive sect, Brethren of the True Believers. Cait’s paranormal powers are pushed to the max. when she battles the Gatekeeper of Lost Souls, an evil underworld beast that has links in the corporeal world to terrorism and the Mafia. Will she survive the onslaught?
Click here now and start reading The Assassin’s Apprentice today!
The Ambassador’s Daughter
When the Australian ambassador’s daughter is violently kidnapped in Dublin by the IRA and a radical Islamic terrorist cell, Cait and ex-SAS operative “Ice” embark on a whirlwind chase around Ireland and Morocco to rescue the girl from certain death. The dynamic duo embark on a breakneck ride as they continually find themselves one step behind the kidnappers. Will Cait’s growing paranormal powers and Ice’s sheer brute force be enough to overcome the odds stacked against them and rescue the girl before she is executed?
Click here now and start reading The Ambassador’s Daughter today!
The Sniper (working title)
When one of Ice’s trusted soldiers from his SAS days goes rogue and takes a classroom of refugee children hostage, he insists that Ice be his negotiator when a siege situation develops. But Ice is told to take him out. Will he obey orders and shoot his friend to save the children? Worldwide press coverage of the event brings Ice and Cait to the attention of Mustafa, an international terrorist with a chip on his shoulder who demands retribution for the duo destroying his previously comfortable life. Mustafa wants them dead, and the hunters now become the hunted. Will Ice and Cait survive?
Click here now for a sneak peak inside The Sniper today!
About Roderick Donald,
The Author
But first, call me Rick – all my friends do!
Rick lives in Melbourne, Australia, with Sandi, his wife of many years, and is the proud father of two thirty-something millennial children. There are also three beautiful young grandchildren in the mix who Sandi and Rick spoil to excess!
He is the creator of the breakout contemporary urban fiction series detailing Cait Lennox’s dramatic journey from a happy-go-lucky millennial to a powerful and ruthless femme fatale with amazing paranormal abilities.
A lifelong world traveller since his early twenties, Rick’s relentless curiosity has seen him visit and live in over 67 countries . . . and he’s still exploring. This is a bucket list year and will see him tour South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Rick’s extensive travels enable him to bring a dynamic realism to his stories that can only be achieved by actually being in the moment. Whether it’s shopping at the night markets in Vietnam, haggling with vendors in an Arab souk, sailing straight through the eye of a raging typhoon off the Philippines, or hot air ballooning over the unique “fairy chimneys” of Cappadocia, Rick has done it!
Rick’s online home is at www.roderickdonald.com, and you can contact him on Twitter at @rickdonald and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rickdonaldauthor. You can send him an email at [email protected] if the mood strikes you. He’d love to hear from you.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A huge thanks to the following people:
Where do I start?
There are so many people in my life who have given me such fantastic inspiration to work with, and I thank you all. I’ve stolen snippets of some of your traits and characteristics and blended them into my fictional actors in my books. You may just recognise an attribute or a peculiarity here or there and think, “Is that me?” Well, it’s probably best not to look too hard, because it just may be a part of you staring back!!!
When I’m talking of people who have helped me along the way, I would be totally remiss if I didn’t give a huge word of thanks to my partner of many years, Sandi. Thanks for putting up with my absences and vacant times wh
en I became so engrossed in putting words down on paper that I became lost in my own world. To my beautiful two kids: Breigh, my gorgeous daughter, and Callum, my caring and thoughtful son, thanks for always being there.
And to my readers. Really, when I first started writing my first “real” novel it was a somewhat selfish endeavour and I never expected the book to amount to anything, let alone a series. The hope was always there in the back of my mind, but the expectation of achieving any literary success was initially a pipe dream. Now I have you, my followers and fans, who give me so much inspiration to write the next story . . . and then the next after that. Thank you to everyone who has downloaded and read my books and given me those fantastic reviews. I’m truly humbled.
Guys, your support keeps me writing!
COPYRIGHT
And all that legal stuff
The moral right of Roderick Donald to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (as amended) and the international copyright standards found in the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and all other relevant international copyright agreements and multilateral treaties, including the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
The Cait Lennox Box Set Page 77
