Declan (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)
Gold Team Book 5
Riley Edwards
Contents
Foreword
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Epilogue
Other Books by Riley Edwards
About the Author
More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books
Books by Susan Stoker
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
© 2020 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the Special Forces: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!
If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.
I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!
READ ON!
Xoxo
Susan Stoker
About the book
Declan Crenshaw went from orphan, to Special Forces soldier, to the CIA’s golden child. Life was perfect—almost. He shouldn’t have pushed his luck and simply enjoyed the bounty fate had given him—a beautiful wife, sweet baby girl, and more love than he ever dreamed he’d know. Until a threat he never saw coming obliterated his world. His wife and child murdered. His soul shattered, he was left hollow. With his morality stripped away, he became the perfect black ops mercenary—soulless.
Autumn Pierce had been normal, happy, average. Until she was kidnapped and sold into the world of sex trafficking. Even rescued, she was forever changed. Gone was the smiling teenager and in her place emerged a woman hellbent on revenge. Years later, Autumn remains a deadly mercenary in a never-ending game of chess. It’s kill or be killed—which isn’t an issue for a woman who’s already dead inside.
With pasts that mirror each other’s, Declan and Autumn have more than defeating a common enemy on the line. Two broken souls with one last chance to be whole.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Thank you for purchasing Declan. I’m beyond thrilled to once again write in Susan Stoker’s Special Forces: Operation Alpha universe. I’ve been a fan of Susan’s for many years and have read every book she’s published (multiple times.) While I’ve tried my hardest to stay true to her original characters (because, hello, they are already awesome) I am not Susan, I wrote them as I, the reader, experienced them.
I want fans of Susan to feel like they’re visiting old friends when they see her beloved characters. I hope I’ve done them justice. But please remember, I’ve taken some liberties.
I hope you enjoy the world I’ve created for you as much as I loved writing it.
For Susan.
Thank you for giving us, your adoring readers, such wonderful characters.
Prologue
Declan Crenshaw unlocked the front door and stepped into Autumn’s tiny, two-bedroom cottage, and knew.
He didn’t need to search her house to know she was gone. The air was different, it lacked the electricity he felt when she was near.
The hell of it was, he’d expected this even though she’d promised she wouldn’t leave.
Autumn Pierce had a mission and no one, not even him, could stop her from obliterating her prey.
But just because he knew didn’t mean it wasn’t a kick to the gut. A sharp and acute pain that caused the left side of his chest to ache.
Declan was well-aware he never should’ve touched her, never should’ve gotten as close as he had. Thad would go ballistic, Emmy would be hurt her sister had been so close for months and she’d been kept in the dark. He’d disagreed, but Autumn had insisted her presence be kept a secret.
Declan took his cell out of his pocket and started to dial Tex as he made his way into the kitchen.
Empty.
Just like everything else in his life—a vast canyon of nothingness. A deep gorge that would never be filled. Not that he deserved to be replete. Hell, the reprieve he’d found in her bed hadn’t been warranted either. His only justification for the hours of bliss Autumn’s warm, soft body had provided was she’d taken what she needed from him.
Declan had never met anyone—woman or man—whose suffering had mirrored his own. Two broken souls who had no desire to be fixed. Autumn used her pain much like he used his—as a crutch to survive in a world where everyone else strived for love and happiness.
Fuck that. Once upon a time, Dec had it all. A beautiful wife who’d given him an equally beautiful daughter. But all of that was gone—torn from him in the worst way. And not a day went by, he didn’t remember it was his fault.
Dec stabbed his phone’s screen, irritation infiltrating his normal calm and calculating demeanor.
“Hey, Dec,” Tex answered. “I just sent the intel to Garrett.”
His eyes hit on a note left on the counter and his annoyance grew.
They were too late.
“We got a problem,” Declan informed Tex.
“We always have a problem. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“Autumn’s gone. She knew Madeleine Strotherby was going to Afghanistan for a photo op for that new girls’ school. She swore she wouldn’t go off halfcocked and by herself.”
“You think she went to Afghanistan?”
“Consideri
ng I’m staring at a goddamn note that reads: ‘Got a new source, headed over now. See ya’ in the sandbox. P.S. Don’t forget your sunscreen.’ I say yes, she’s left for Afghanistan.”
“What do you need from me?” Tex asked.
“Find her new source.”
“And you want me to do this how? Pull a name out of my ass? I need a little more than ‘source’.”
“I don’t know how you do what you do, I don’t pretend to know, I don’t pretend to understand the voodoo you work. All I know is you’ve never let us down and I need to know who got to my woman and why she took off. We had a plan and she bolted anyway.”
Tex’s heavy sigh wasn’t the reassurance Declan had been hoping for. Garrett could work on finding the source—he was good at gathering intel—but Tex was the best and if he was moaning his complaint, Declan was in deep shit.
“I’ll get you a name.”
Thank fuck.
“Appreciate it.”
“You know you’re gonna have to come clean.”
Christ, he’d known his days were limited but he thought he’d have more time.
“Yep. Zane’s my next call.”
“Good luck. And don’t worry about Autumn—she knows what she’s doing.”
That was what worried Declan. An off-the-chain Autumn could mean any number of things. Worst case, she was on a suicide mission. Best case, she’d kill Madeleine and skip home happily.
“Thanks, Tex.”
Declan disconnected the call and stared at his phone.
It was time—his day of reckoning had come.
Chapter 1
“Hi, are you Avery Nelson?” I asked a tall, red-haired woman.
“I am, and you are?”
“Autumn Brown.” The lie rolled off my tongue as I extended my hand. “I work for The Coalition of Women. We’re one of the largest grassroots women’s organizations in the U.S.”
Avery continued to stare at me expectantly. Intelligent eyes took me in and I started to wonder if Ashaki Maloof had been wrong picking a Navy lieutenant as my contact. I preferred men, they were much easier to fool—a little cleavage and a smile.
Men were simple.
Avery Nelson was going to take some coaxing.
“Recently, we’ve expanded our network and started working with international organizations. That’s why I’m here. I was hoping to catch Madeleine Strotherby, has she already been by?”
Catch. That was one way to put it.
“Ms. Brown—”
“Call me Autumn.”
Avery nodded and continued. “I hope you can understand I’m not at liberty to discuss what goes on at the clinic.”
It was too late, the Navy lieutenant had given me exactly what I’d needed. Madeleine had been by. Avery recognized the name.
“I totally understand.” I pulled my backpack off my shoulder and pulled out a check with a lot of zeroes and handed it to Avery. “This is for the clinic. As I said, The Coalition of Women is expanding, we’d like to make a donation to all the great work being done here. Education is vital.”
Avery’s gaze dropped to the check then came back to mine. “Perhaps you’d like to speak to the clinic director—”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have time. If you’d please pass that along, I’d appreciate it. And if Ms. Strotherby comes by again, if you could give her my contact information, I’d be grateful.”
“This is a lot of money,” Avery noted.
It was a lot of money, but then I had a lot to spare.
I hadn’t spent the last nine years of my life crawling in the filth of human trafficking for nothing. Every man I’d targeted had paid, both with his life and his bank account.
“We hope it will help continue all the good work you’re doing here.”
A group of Afghani women started to file into the small meeting room. Avery’s break was over—perfect timing.
“Childbirth.” I jerked my head in the direction of the pregnant women. “You’re doing wonderful work here, Avery.”
“Thanks.” The lieutenant blushed, making the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and forehead stand out.
She believed in her work, just like I did.
Only, the woman before me saved lives, while I took them. Ying and yang. And wasn’t that the way the world worked?
Good and evil.
“Thank you for your time. Have a good day.”
I made my way out of the small clinic, dodging pregnant women and volunteers. The moment I hit the street—I felt him. I didn’t need to scan the area to know he was there and he was watching.
Declan Crenshaw.
The most dangerous man I’d ever met.
Merciless, deadly, efficient.
Declan was a Marine-trained special forces operator, former CIA, turned mercenary. In other words, he was a well-trained killing machine. But that wasn’t what made him dangerous. It was his jagged heart, the brokenness, the pain so deep in his soul you felt it just by looking at him. He was me in male form. Sexy, lethal, badass male form.
He was also bad for me. Very bad. Yet, for months I’d allowed him to infiltrate my life. Stolen hours. The only time when my memories faded and I lived in a world where nothing else existed. Not my past, not human traffickers, not women in cages, not loss and pain. Just Dec and I—two lost, broken souls—emotionally bankrupt with no chance of reconciliation.
We were who we were.
But even knowing I’d never be fixed and my mission would never be complete, those hours screwed with my head. His hands worked magic. They didn’t heal but they were a balm to my soul, a salve I couldn’t afford.
“You’ve got two seconds to convince me not to drag your ass to your hotel room and paddle your ass after this shit you pulled,” Declan snarled. His mouth close to my ear, his warm breath fanned over my neck. The deep timbre sent chills down my spine.
“You’ve got two seconds to step the fuck back before you find yourself dickless.”
That would be seriously tragic. If Declan was magic with his hands, he was a wizard with his dick. The man wrought miracles with it.
Yes, that was Declan, an almighty wizard—like Merlin, only Dec cast bawdy spells that you couldn’t fight. Lustful and indecent hexes you never wanted to break free from.
“I’m serious, Autumn.”
“As am I, Declan.”
“We had a deal,” he growled, but kept my pace as I crossed the street to duck into an alleyway.
“Deals change.”
“Autumn,” he snapped and yanked me to a halt. “We had a deal. You were supposed to wait for me.”
He was correct. We did have a deal, one I’d agreed to after three mind-numbing orgasms. I shouldn’t be held accountable for agreeing to something I really didn’t want to do while I was still in a Declan-induced sex fog.
“Declan—”
“You fucked up.”
My back snapped straight at his tone.
“Just because I didn’t follow your directives doesn’t mean I fucked anything up. You forget I don’t need you. I don’t need your team. I don’t need your intel. I have my own sources and network. I’ve been at this just as long as you.”
That wasn’t entirely true, he had a few years on me and a shit-ton of training. But what I lacked in formal instruction I learned out of necessity. I had the personal experience he’d never have. I knew what it was like to be locked in a cage, to be sold, to be used.
I’d had my simple, naïve life stripped from me. One day I was an average college student completely oblivious to how ugly the world really was, and the next day I was blindfolded and chained in a cage waiting for my new owner to complete the purchase of his new toy.
“Christ, you’re—”
“I’m what, oh mighty Declan? Smart, self-reliant, I don’t take orders and follow you like your men do? Guess what? I never will. You wanted to take this to your team. You wanted to be straight with them. You wanted me to talk to Emerson and Thad. I didn’t
want to do any of those things.”
“Tone down the attitude.” Declan’s reddish-brown eyes narrowed on me and I fought not to shrink back. He was scary as hell when he was pissed. “And while you’re at it, remember who the fuck you’re talking to. I know you can handle yourself. I have a file three inches thick that proves you’re resourceful. But what you aren’t is smart. You’re stubborn as fuck.”
“Screw off.”
Before I could step away, Declan had me pinned to the wall, his big, bulky frame a wall of muscle that I had no chance of getting around.
“Stubborn and stupid. You know better. If you wanna take down the rest of Omni, you better start playing it smart. This isn’t a one-woman show anymore. You have firepower at your back, use it. Madeleine Strotherby’s not stupid, Autumn, she’s built an army. She will not blink to protect her empire.”
“You don’t think I know that. She’s here, in the area.”
“And she’ll have protection. What’d you think, you were gonna walk right up to her and—” Declan abruptly stopped and touched his wrist. “Copy that. We’re on the move.” Then back to me. “We have company.”
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