by A. R. Ford
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, transmitted, photocopied, scanned, faxed, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Please contact the author to obtain permission to use parts of the book for other purposes.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2020
www.authorarford.com
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The characters, places, and events in this book are figments of the author’s imagination. Any similarities with persons living or dead is merely a coincidence.
Warning:
This book contains mature themes and potentially triggering material intended for adults 18+. If you are offended or triggered by such material, please do not buy the book.
Chapter 1: Dominic
The taste of sand would never leave my mouth. The desert soil had a way of working its way into crevices regardless of preventive efforts. Even on American soil it reared its annoying head.
A wad of saliva directed at the ground did little to help. At least my time here finally ended. An opportunist, I found myself drawn in by the lure of money. Credits, often difficult to come by in our post-apocalyptic world, forced people into less than desirable activities. I wondered what all those people in Brighton would think of me if they knew who I was and what I did.
A smirk lifted one corner of my mouth. Fuck ‘em.
Instead of heading home to Brighton, northern Virginia called my name. Rather, some suit insisting he be called Tower did the calling. The sweet offer he made was one I wanted to investigate.
Another suit wearing sunglasses held a sign bearing my surname. He led the way to the black SUV with heavily tinted windows. Typical government issue. He did not say much. His focus was taken by the device in his ear. Who called the shots? Only time would tell.
Things were different in our world now. I dwelled on those changes during the drive to Crossfire’s base.
Our world struggled to come back online after nuclear war nearly wiped us from the earth. Northern America and its allies made the transition more quickly than underdeveloped countries like Afghanistan. We had all the luxuries we depended on in the twenty-first century. Electricity. Automobiles. Airplanes. Internet.
A few advances came with our struggles. Old-school computers were replaced by COMM units. Faster. More reliable. Less likely to succumb to a would-be hacker’s exploration or viruses. COMM units combined with cell phones gave us the world at our fingertips.
Other changes became necessary as human fertility rates plummeted. Evolution or adaptation. Call it what you will. Humans adapted to the changing world to ensure we did not become extinct. Three separate types of humans came to be in the hundreds of years that passed since the war. Alphas. Betas. Omegas.
Alphas were massive, physically powerful males. We were the protectors of the realm. Strong. Fast. Brutal. Protective of our mates--if we were fortunate enough to find a rare Omega. Alphas knew the madness of the rut when we found our Omega in estrus. The One. It woke instincts humans ignored for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Perfectly at sync within an Alpha’s brain.
Omegas were small females with powerful instincts to comfort and care for their mates and children. Intelligent. Fast. Savvy. Rarer than precious minerals, Omegas were highly sought after. An Omega only responded to her Alpha’s scent. Fertile only during a heat cycle, an Omega craved what only her Alpha could give her. Her estrus spurred the Alpha’s need to rut, to breed, to claim.
And then there were the Betas of the world. As close to normal human beings as possible. They did not experience rut, estrus, or the urge to claim their mates. I often envied Betas. Their lives were simplistic in many ways. At least they could find a mate more easily than an Alpha like me. There were no complicated claiming rituals. No base instincts to drive them beyond the brink of insanity.
Not that I missed it. Plenty of Beta pussy existed to ease the need when it arose. Professionals who needed credits, not a relationship or ties. But the Betas are not your Omega. My conscience reminded me of the obvious. The Omega I was convinced I would never find.
After a brief drive south to Interstate 66, the SUV moved west. A few turns off the interstate led us toward Culpeper. It came as no surprise when my driver pulled off the road. The break in the drive put an end to my self torment. He handed me a black hood.
“Put that over your head. You know the drill.”
“Lack of trust in one of Tower’s recruits?” Sarcasm tinged my words.
“Look, you know how this goes. Do not give me grief.” Please. His tone suggested he desperately wanted to say the word but could not.
One hand aloft with the palm out should ease his worries. He was new. Probably still in a probationary period. “Yeah. I know how it goes.”
Probie sighed when I pulled the hood over my head. Secrecy was no doubt paramount. It did not keep me from taking mental notes as the SUV continued toward its destination. Being an assassin taught me never to let my guard down. Always think on your feet. Trust no one outside your Alpha brothers.
Probie and Tower weren’t my brothers.
After a drive I estimated took forty-five minutes, the SUV stopped. With the hood off, I surveyed the area. Landmarks noted, I opened the door and got out.
“This way, Mr. Mercer.” Probie led me toward a nondescript two-story house stained a neutral brown. It blended in with the surrounding forest.
Once inside, my tour guide led me through a network of hallways. He knocked once on a closed door. A voice called for us to enter.
“Tower is expecting you. Go on in.”
“You mean you aren’t joining me?” A laugh hid the heavy sarcasm in my words.
“Just you.” Probie followed orders, that much was apparent.
The office wallowed in strategically arranged darkness. A single light directed at the chair I was expected to sit in came as no surprise. My decision to stand did.
The man I only knew as Tower sat cloaked in darkness. A faint glimpse of his hands came when he leaned forward and folded them on the desk. Even his movements held a level of calculation. Smart man. Manicured fingernails and diamond cufflinks gave me a clue as to who this man was. The expensive suit and shirt contributed more.
Tower liked the finer things in life.
“Thank you for coming.” A device altered his voice.
“You wanted to discuss a job with me.” The bones of my neck cracked when I rotated my head to relieve muscle tension.
“I believe you are a good fit for the position. You have skill as a sniper. We need you to put down the rabid dogs of this world.”
“I am not certain that veterinarian medicine is in my skill set.” Keeping my voice even and emotionless would test Tower. Maybe force him to reveal more than he meant to.
“Bipedal dogs. The worst kind. How would it feel to make the world a safer place?”
“Safer for who?” My hands gripped the chair’s back. Playing games bored me. “Get to the point or I walk.”
Tower chuckled. He sat back, the leather-covered chair creaking. “They warned me about your temper.”
“Did they now?” A grin peeled my lips away from my teeth. At least a semblance of one. “I hope they warned you about jerking me around.” A glance at my watch revealed time for my departure at Dulles rapidly approached. “I’ve wasted enough time.”
Tower wanted to play games. I had a plane to catch. A hand on the doorknob got his attention.
“Do not be so hasty, Viper.” Condescension tinged his words. Cocky Beta bastard.
“I do not appreciate having my time wasted. My flight leaves soon. Either say what you have to say or shut up. Doesn’t matter to me which it is.” My turn to laugh came when he swore.
“The details are in the folder along with a burner phone programmed to dial one number. Get back to me when you make a decision.”
&nbs
p; As it turned out, Tower had more patience than I thought he did. I made him wait two weeks for jerking me around.
After learning more about the job, how could I say no to putting down rabid dogs? Especially when I saw the reimbursement rate.
Less than a week later, Crossfire dropped me straight into a shithole in Russia. As it turns out, my target intended on building another nuclear bomb. Without him, and the plutonium, the world could rest easier. The world had no need for another nuclear catastrophe that could easily render humans extinct.
One dog down. Hundreds more to go.
Chapter 2: Skye
“Skye, can you come visit with us this weekend?” Dad’s voice held a strange sadness as it filtered through the cell phone. It reminded me of his voice when he told me my pet goldfish died.
“What’s going on?”
“We need to have a family meeting,” my mother chimed in. “This one is mandatory.”
The automatic eye roll when I heard my mom’s voice was unavoidable. We were never close, not like ‘normal’ mothers and daughters. Regardless of how hard I tried, how good my grades were, something held her back.
“Can’t you at least tell me what’s going on? You guys are scaring me.” My voice wavered, tears filling my eyes.
“We can talk about it then,” my dad emphasized. “Love you.”
One phone call changed everything. It wasn’t just the call. The act of calling a mandatory family meeting rang a definite alarm bell. Something was up. But neither of them would tell me what it was. Just peachy. That meant going home tomorrow to find out. Something I now had no desire to do.
I flopped on the bed after packing an overnight bag. Jade, my roommate, popped in the door without knocking. Typical Jade behavior. And I should know—we became best friends the first day of kindergarten. We did everything together. Learning to drive. Junior and senior prom. College. We shared clothing and makeup. And now we lived together along with another roommate while we worked on our graduate degrees.
“Hey, girl,” Jade greeted me. She flopped onto the bed beside me. “You look worried.”
“Getting a phone call from my parents less than a week after Christmas saying we are having an urgent family meeting has me bummed, Jade. What if one of them has cancer or something? I don’t know what I would do.” My words came out in a whisper. This family meeting bothered me more than I cared to admit.
Jade understood me when others could not. Today was no different. She wrapped both arms around me after I sat up. We clung to each other with our heads leaning together. “Call me if you need to talk. I wish I could go, but I promised to work this weekend.”
“I think I will be okay. Crap, what am I saying? I will not be okay if something bad is going on with one of my parents.” A heavy sigh hissed between clenched teeth. Thinking about it gave me a headache. Pinching the bridge of my nose between a finger and thumb, I did not say anything for a few minutes.
“I am here if you need me. You know that.”
Jade’s reassurance filled me with strength. Only my bestie could manage to do that with a few words. The corners of my mouth quirked. “I know that, and it is one reason I love you more than anything. When is Russ due home?”
Russ became part of our gang freshman year in college. He was a male version of Jade. I couldn’t begin to recount the times he snuck into our dorm room to eat ice cream and gripe about school. We shared our innermost thoughts, aspirations, and fears. Russ was as much a brother as Jade was a sister. He worked part time at a pizza place while working on his degree. Quite often he brought home pizzas for dinner. An event I hoped would occur tonight.
“He said his shift ended at six.”
A glance at the clock revealed it was now six thirty. Just like clockwork, the front door opened, and Russ’s voice rang out. “What’s up, bitches? Guess who brought cheese sticks and pepperoni pan pizza home?”
Jade and I jumped off the bed and ran into the living room. Brad stood artfully balancing two boxes on one hand with a grin brightening his face. He was drop-dead gorgeous with a tan, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He stood nearly six feet tall with muscles for days. I did not see him in that light. To me, he was just like a brother. An effeminate brother. Jade felt the same way.
“Only the best guy in the entire world,” I offered before snatching the boxes from his hand. “Too bad you’re gay or I would snatch you up for myself. Grab a soda and napkins.” Carb therapy was exactly what I needed to ease the worries away.
Jade grabbed a handful of napkins while Russ got sodas from the fridge. Cheese breadsticks were my favorite. I sat munching on a cheese stick while Russ and Jade argued over who got the biggest slice of pizza. Nights like this were common in our apartment. And I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
“Why so quiet, Skye Blue?” Russ asked after polishing off a slice of pizza. “You look sad.”
I grimaced and picked at a hangnail while thinking of something to say. “Mandatory family meeting tomorrow. Mom and dad called earlier today.”
“That is not a good thing,” Russ murmured. “The last time my family had one of those was when my parents split.”
My stomach roiled at the thought of my parents divorcing. Everything seemed okay when I was home during Christmas break. “Do not say that, please.” With a groan, I buried my face in my hands. “I thought some kind of illness like cancer. I never thought about divorce.”
“Dumbass, don’t say stuff like that!” Jade punched Russ on the arm. “She’s already worried sick over it.”
“Sorry! I’m just saying…” Russ’s apology did little to ease my mind.
“I think I am going to head to bed early. Thanks for the pizza, Russ. Night guys.” I left most of the breadsticks on the plate. The soda sat unopened. I wanted to curl up into a ball and forget about the phone call earlier in the day.
The night stretched on forever it seemed. I slept fitfully, waking every few hours to stare at the alarm clock. By five in the morning, I knew sleep was an impossibility. Studying kept my mind occupied when I had a difficult time sleeping. Tonight would be no different. The laptop blinked to life. With a book on my lap, and the laptop displaying the professor’s presentation for the next lecture, I settled in to read and take notes. There was no sense in wasting time worrying over things I had no control over.
At seven in the morning, I shut the laptop down. It took less than ten minutes to get ready for the drive to Kingston. Only a change of clothes and toiletries filled the overnight bag I tossed in the back seat of the car. I wasn’t sure I would be staying after the meeting. The car rolled onto the highway as if it knew the way home. It should--it had certainly made the journey from home to Brighton on enough occasions to have the directions committed to memory. A favorite radio station kept me entertained with modern music favorites. A little pop and rock made the drive home pass by easier.
The first fingers of dread wormed their way into my gut when I turned onto the street leading toward home. My parents lived in a subdivision built when Kingston made its way into the modern age. How many years had passed since the nuclear war that destroyed everything? My parents knew only what they learned from history classes or others. I, for one, was fortunate enough to have been born after the war. I was an unclaimed Omega who lived a boring life.
I parked the car in an empty space in the cul-de-sac. I sat there trying to collect my nerves. “No need in putting this off. I have no control over what is going on.” With those half-hearted words of self reassurance, I got out of the car, locked it, and walked to the front door.
From the outside the house looked like it always had. The brick facade of the Tudor-style house remained unchanged since my birth. Even the landscaping had remained the same. I almost knew by heart the layout of each flower and shrub.
My dad opened the door when I rang the doorbell. He grinned and hugged me. “Skye! I did not expect you so early.” He held me tight without saying another word. Something in the way his arms wrapped tigh
t around me said something was inherently wrong. And why wasn’t mom with him? They usually met me together when I came home for visits.
I pulled away first. “What’s going on, dad?” The atmosphere changed inside the house. I could sense the electrical charge of tension along with a frigid air. It reminded me of the aura in a funeral parlor during a wake.
His grin disappeared in much the same way as a criminal sees a police officer. Instantly, and without a trace. With a wave of one hand, he beckoned to the living room. “Your mother is waiting. We should go on in.”
Mom stood up when we walked into the living room. She gave me a half-hearted hug. I knew instantly that my gut instinct was right. Something was wrong. “Skye, have a seat. Your dad and I wanted to have a talk with you.”
I bit back a groan and sat down on the sofa facing my mother. Dad took a seat on the sofa with mom. I noticed that he sat at one end of the sofa while she sat at the other. Clenching both hands into fists, I waited for one of them to start talking. Dad broke the silence.
“Skye, your mother and I wanted to tell you this in person before anyone could spread rumors. We...um, we have decided to separate and will be getting a divorce.” Dad’s voice trembled as he spoke. I noticed that he looked only at me. Not once did he look in my mother’s direction.
Mom refused to look at me. She examined her nails, teeth worrying her bottom lip. “Mom?” It took my question to force her to look up.
“This has nothing to do with you, Skye. We want you to know that. We love you very much. Some changes have taken place. We wanted to share those with you. Your father has moved into an apartment. He and I agreed I should get the house.” Mom spoke in a flat emotionless voice that gave me the impression she was sharing news about an amazing sale at the local grocery store.
“When did all this happen?” My fingernails bit into the palms of both hands. My gut clenched. Icy perspiration dotted my brow. She sounded so uncaring when talking about the divorce.
Alpha and Omega divorces were almost unheard of. And what about the claiming? Did Omegas just find another Alpha to claim them afterwards? The more confusing details of the divorce swirled in my head in a twisted, muddled mess.