The Complete Protected by the Damned Series

by Michael Todd

  But you weren’t, Pandora replied. I know the feeling was there, but you weren’t safe. None of us will be until we can end all this. You loved and lost, and I’m sorry for that.

  Katie stood up from the rock and rolled her shoulders, wrapping her arms around her chest. She could feel the pain thumping in her stomach, and her tears just wouldn’t stop.

  “My love will be hot, and burn with them for a night,” Katie exclaimed. “Perhaps another time in the future we will have the chance to enjoy relationships that last longer. But if not, at least for one night of passion, everything will be right in the world.”

  Amen, Pandora whispered.

  This time the bar wasn’t loud and boisterous.

  It was a little emptier and a lot more solemn, and the pictures of Noah and Derek stared directly into Katie’s soul.

  The three critical-cares from Amy’s team were still in the hospital, and the loss of two veteran hunters had really hit the teams hard. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place by the time Katie took the stage.

  She had done this many times now—paid tribute to the fallen, read the poem, and brought them all back together again—but she felt like the thread that stitched the wound had finally started to unravel. She wasn’t even sure how she was supposed to get out of her seat, but she had to.

  “You ready?” Korbin whispered in her ear. “You think you can do this?”

  Katie looked up at Korbin, then over at the two pictures. She had to do it. Those men deserved the same strong send-off as all the others, and it had become her place to do it.

  She nodded and pushed her chair back, smiling at Korbin as he helped her up. Everyone went silent as she walked toward the stage, alone in the spotlight.

  With each step she thought about the first time she had really talked to Derek, outside that sex shop when she was first Damned. He was so funny; such a loner, but he was a really great guy, and much loved.

  Katie reached the top of the stairs and walked over to the mic, which was now situated at a podium.

  They were moving up in the world.

  She took the old crinkled piece of paper from her pocket and set it on the stand as she cleared her throat. She looked past the crowd as the door opened and General Brushwood and Colonel Jehovivich, dressed in civilian clothes, walked in. They took a seat at the table with Korbin and the others, and the general nodded at Katie.

  She felt that if nothing else, in this war she had helped bring the military together with the mercs, and that was very important.

  “Today we pay tribute to the fallen,” Katie said into the mic. “I had the honor of being with Derek Tosh when he took his last breath. I held him in my arms, wondering how we had gotten that far; how we had come to a moment when the demons were just too much. I don’t have an answer to that yet. Derek was a calm and comforting man, always there for others, always smiling, and always laughing at the silly memes he searched for on his phone. He liked to be alone, but when he was with his family he truly shined. May the angels carry him into the light, and may he ever rest in peace and honor. I only knew Noah Rappley for a few days before he passed away, but I can tell you that he was a force to be reckoned with. His teammates remember him as a dreamer, a man full of hope and love for the future. He was a Viking on the field and a big teddy bear with his friends and family. Noah will be missed in my heart and others.”

  Katie sighed and looked down at the sheet in front of her, knowing it was time to once again read the poem.

  “We are the chosen.

  The infected,

  battling our demons night and day.

  Protecting the uninformed from reality.

  We fight where the stupid meet the clueless to

  perform the asinine for our

  teammates every day.

  We are cops, military, special forces, and SWAT,

  medical techs, priests, and clergy.

  We are the dimensional derelicts,

  the legion, the host, the forgotten.

  The feared.

  The sheep can sleep at night because we don’t.

  We fight for humanity—yours—and for our own.

  We are the Damned, and death is our enemy,

  our escape,

  and our tribute.

  “Thank you.”

  The people in the crowd clapped between their tears, and Katie stepped down and made her way back to the table. As she approached, the general stood up and reached out his hand to shake hers.

  “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you, General.”

  “I am more than appreciative of the rounds—the gifts that you gave us. They have already saved lives,” the general told her.

  Katie sat down next to him and ordered some nachos from the waitress. The general ordered some food as well, and took a big swallow of his beer.

  “I think that I might be able to help you and your team,” the general suggested. “I think we should sit down tomorrow and talk about it.”

  “That would be great.” Katie smiled. “We can definitely do that. We need to move on…that is for sure.”

  The general nodded and they turned to the others, listening to them talk about Derek and all the funny jokes he used to tell.

  Katie smiled and chuckled as she listened to Eric talk about him, especially since Eric had become so close to Derek.

  Her heart went out to him; to him and everyone else on the team. When the food arrived they dug in, their spirits and voices lifted. A fight broke out suddenly to their left, and everyone on the team grabbed their food and beers and held them in the air. The general and the colonel, however, were too busy watching the fight, and sat wide-eyed as the two fighters tussled and slammed into their table.

  Katie tried to hold back her laughter as cheese and French fries flew everywhere. The general and the colonel looked at the others and realized they were holding their food in the air. The two guys slowly picked themselves up off the floor, and the larger one peeled the general’s basket of cheese fries off his thigh.

  “I think this is yours,” he said, handing it to the general.

  “Thanks.” He just shook his head.

  The bartender rushed over and set down another table, and Katie signaled to the waitress to bring more food. Everyone burst into laughter, and even the general and the colonel couldn’t keep straight faces.

  Somehow it always ended with a laugh.

  Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

  Protected by the Damned, Book 7

  Chapter 1

  “Thank you everyone for joining the call.” General Brushwood sat at a large oval table with his men. The mercenary team leads from around the country were on a screen in front of him. “After recent events, we found it important to get everyone together and on the same page. It’s obvious there’s been a change— an escalation of sorts— going on with the demons. We have all lost good men and women in this battle. I would like to start the meeting off by hearing from Amy.”

  From every angle the general considered, the government and the mercenaries were on track to work together a lot more often than either really wanted to.

  Given the events so far, from the large incursions to the attacks on both Korbin’s and Amy’s teams, they had to pull together, because if something didn’t change they were going to be burying a lot more comrades.

  General Brushwood and other heads of state had wanted a face-to-face meeting, but with the mercenary teams not only bogged down by calls but short a lot of men there was no way any of them could get away long enough for a meeting like that.

  Especially one that for some was clear across the country.

  Due to the past relations between the government and the mercenary teams, the mercs pushed to do this thing their way.

  However, setting up a secure conference call for teams across the United States was something even Derek couldn’t have done safely yet. The general’d had his team set it up so they were sure the video feed would be completely secure from prying
eyes.

  No one wanted government representatives talking about demons on the six o’clock news.

  Obviously this wasn’t ideal for the government, but they had to meet the mercs in the middle or nothing would get done.

  General Brushwood and the others knew it was an essential alliance, but they had to prove they were in it one hundred percent or the mercs would continue to work as they had for decades.

  Hurting everyone in the process

  The general continued, “For those from the military, Amy is the leader of Amy’s Assassins. The team was just in an ambush that left one team member dead and several others injured. Amy?”

  “Thank you, General,” she said, shuffling her papers. “So, everyone now knows that we lost one of our best teammates and are tending to those injured. What you don’t know is what happened that night.”

  Her voice changed. It was still strong, but with a hint of the pain the ambush caused. “It began as a normal call, and we headed out thinking it would be the usual human demon situation. However, about two thirds of the way through the fight the warehouse was ambushed by a group of humans with demon advantages. It was no longer just Damned fighting Damned. This was a tactical team, combat-trained and determined to take our team down. They had weapons and what looked to be a command structure.

  “Immediately everything on the comms went to shit. We were shocked and there was a lot of chatter. We had seen fighting demons before—even those still in full human bodies—but never militarized ones. It was both concerning and confusing.”

  “Did they talk to one another?” someone yelled.

  “Did they have uniforms? Were they using any unusual weapons?” another person asked.

  “Who was their leader?”

  This was a new dawn in the age of fighting demons; something that no one had expected. The ones they fought before had been rogues, and if they had banded together it was for their own purposes. They definitely hadn’t been trained like those Amy said had attacked the mercenaries.

  Amy shook her head and tried to answer what questions she could.

  “We couldn’t tell if they were communicating verbally, but they did use tactical hand signals,” Amy told the group. “They were dressed in black and used street weapons, but nothing specialized. As far as the leader, he didn’t seem to be the mastermind. He was more like an officer leading his troops into battle. Look, I know everyone has a million questions—and so do we—but with one dead and three still in the hospital, details are still a little scarce. We can’t talk to the injured right now—not securely—to find out what they saw. We’ve been over the operation with the remaining team members repeatedly, though.”

  “Thank you, Amy,” the general said, raising his voice above the babble of conversation. Everyone quieted almost instantly. “I know you have a lot of questions, and so do we. The government began an investigation into the ambush of Amy’s team immediately after we got word. On surveillance video we traced the attackers from the outskirts of the town to the warehouse and back, but unfortunately their vehicles had been reported as stolen. We attempted to follow, but they disappeared into the brush. As of this moment we have not figured out where exactly they went.”

  “They couldn’t have just disappeared,” someone said.

  “No, they couldn’t,” the general replied, flipping a sheet in his notes. “These are real survivalists; there is no doubt about that. They have probably been off the grid for years somewhere right here in the United States. We neither know where they are currently, nor where they have been for the last decade. This meeting has been called because I need you to understand—and I can’t stress this enough—the importance of cooperation between the military and the mercenaries.”

  There were a couple of grunts and William Hunt out of Texas spoke up. “What about the last century, during which cooperation has been nothing but a joke?”

  “Bill, we are remedying that as well as we can,” General Brushwood stated flatly. “We all need to come together to find these people. They are both the military’s and the mercenaries’ primary target, since they pose a significant risk to the health and safety of us all. If we don’t come together there might not be anyone left to…”

  “…left to rally behind. We are constantly searching for additional intel, and as soon as we know more we will share it with you. We would appreciate it if you did the same. Thank you all for joining us, and everyone has my direct number for contact,” the general finished.

  The video ended, the chatter cutting off. Korbin, Calvin, and Katie looked over their laptops at each other and Calvin’s eyebrow arched. They shut their computers in unison and sat in silence thinking about what had just been said.

  “That is concerning,” Katie said. “But I think this is a good thing—a push toward finding the control center so we can shut it down.”

  “I agree,” Korbin replied. “But it’s also dangerous, which is why I’m glad we moved to this location. I feel more secure here, and we have the technology to do so much more.”

  “ It’s pretty sweet with the tunnel system. Like covert ops.” Calvin chuckled.

  “With Vogue-level décor.” Katie winked.

  “That was all Stephanie.” Korbin shrugged. “Not that I’m complaining! I really like the shower heads.”

  “And the new mattresses,” Katie pointed out.

  “And the new weapons locker,” Calvin added, rubbing his palms together. “It’s a beautiful room of destruction just waiting for the day it will be used.”

  Katie leaned toward Calvin. “You have a war complex,” she teased, standing up. “But we love you anyway.”

  “We all do.” He chuckled again as he stood.

  The phone rang as he and Katie started for the door and they stopped. Korbin groaned and picked up the phone.

  His answer was short. “This is Korbin.”

  “It’s Brushwood,” the voice stated loudly enough for Katie to hear. “I wanted to find out if you and some of your team could meet us at Nellis in three hours?”

  “Of course, General,” Korbin replied, looking at and Katie and Calvin. “Do we need full armor and weapons?”

  “Better bring something just in case, but don’t go overboard. We will see you there.”

  “Right,” Korbin said. “Three hours.”

  Korbin hung up and rubbed his face, then looked at the other two.

  Katie shook her head. “He is determined to work us to death, I think.”

  “He wants me and a small team to meet him at Nellis,” Korbin told them. “So I suppose we suit up and hit the helicopter. It’s not far, so take the time to make sure you have everything you need. I have no idea what we will be walking into.”

  “Just us three?” Calvin asked. “With Derek gone we are shorthanded.”

  For a moment Katie’s chest ached from the loss of her teammate as she thought about him taking his last breath on that battlefield.

  She hated that he had died, and she hated the feeling of grief. It made her want to kick ass even more.

  “I know,” Korbin said. “I’m not really sure what to do about that just yet. All the teams are hurting, that’s for sure. Amy is short four people right now, and has no idea when the three in the hospital will be back. The six of us may have to deal with everything for the time being. I have a feeling anyone brought on will go to Amy’s team until she has the numbers she needs. Needs must when the devil drives.”

  “Right.” Calvin nodded. “Katie and I will get suited up…and we’ll grab some extra gear just in case. Is there anything specific I can bring you from the locker?”

  “No,” Korbin replied. “I have my weapons in the office, but thank you. Hopefully this isn’t about a fight.”

  “All right, boss.” Katie tapped the back of her former chair. “We’ll see you in a few. And don’t let the stress get you. We need clear heads, whether this is a meeting or a fight. These aren’t our people.”

  Korbin nodded, and Calvin and Katie w
alked out of the office to gear up.

  They headed to the training area in silence, and Calvin split off to the armory while Katie put on her normal gear. The meeting concerned her more than she let on. She figured the changes in attacks were T’Chezz’s doing.

  I don’t know, Pandora said doubtfully.

  You don’t know what? That your brother is a psycho? Are you getting soft on me?

  Yeah, right, bitch. Pandora scowled. I just mean this sounds more like Moloch getting his greasy little fingers in the pie, not my brother.

  Who is Moloch? Katie almost didn’t want to ask the question.

  He’s a high-level demon, top eight to be exact, and extremely powerful, Pandora stated. Not only that, but he is smart as hell. He does more thinking before he finishes breakfast in the morning than T’Chezz does all week.

  Great, Katie griped, and shoved her knives into the sheaths of her vest. Just what we need…someone even more powerful than your idiot brother. I’m gonna need to buy a tank to knock him back to hell.

  Maybe, Pandora agreed seriously. But all I know is, if this is true… If it’s Moloch behind this, it’s not good. In fact, I would say the situation went from bad to dire in about three seconds.

  Katie wasn’t too keen on Pandora’s final comment.

  Moloch is no one to fuck with.

  “You think it’s an incursion call?” Stephanie asked Damian. She was watching Calvin walk toward the training center.

  “No,” Damian replied. “I mean, I could be wrong, but it’s probably a follow-up meeting after the conference call they had earlier.”

  “I forgot about that call,” Stephanie muttered. “Whatever is going on, though, it’s obvious that it’s getting crazy out there. Things aren’t like what I thought they would be.”

  “Having second thoughts?” Damian asked, one eyebrow raised.

  “No.” She waved a hand. “Just learning the ropes and reality, that’s all.”