Rule Breaker (Project ROOT Book 1)

by Michele, Ryan

  “Don’t move.”

  Like, where else was she going to go? She couldn’t walk and she didn’t have any clothes on. Lincoln, in all his arrogance, had left them, believing they’d die. The possibilities were still high they would. But, at least, they’d have a fighting chance now. How they’d get out, she didn’t know.

  Asher crossed to the side table and grabbed his comm. He placed it in his ear and hit the button. “We’ve got a problem.”

  She stared at him the whole time, afraid if she looked away for an instant she’d miss some detail she never saw or forget completely what he looked like. Irrational fear did strange things to people. She realized now, this whole time, she’d been irrational. She never dealt with the trauma of watching those villagers she’d grown to know and become friends with die. Or being rescued, or living another day. She’d just existed. She didn’t live.

  Rae yearned to live.

  “Thermobaric bomb. In the kitchen. Fuck!” He rubbed his jaw and grimaced. More than a few bruises and cuts marred his face. “I’m running out of time here, man…Who? What? Yeah, tell him if he can save our asses, I’ll make sure he has constant work from now on. I needed you here fifteen minutes ago.”

  He pulled the comm from his ear and groaned. His whole posture changed. His lips thinned as pain racked his body. She tried to go to him, but almost fell over. His curse caught her attention as he crossed to her and picked her up. She continued to stare at him without saying a word. Words couldn’t adequately cover what filled her.

  “I love you, too.” The words tumbled out of her. “I’ve loved you for a long time, and I’m a fool for not saying it. For waiting till we die.”

  He kissed her temple. “We’re not going to die. We’re going to survive, and then we’re taking down Lincoln.”

  She wanted to believe they would. But the landing strip wasn’t far from them, and technically Lincoln could blow the house now and no one would be the wiser. She clung to Asher as he walked to the couch and sat with her on his lap. The minutes slowly ticked by as they waited for someone, anyone, to show up and let them out.

  “You’ll make a kick ass mom. Teaching our son or daughter how to stitch someone up. Remove their appendix. Crazy shit like that.”

  “You’ll teach them how to fire a gun,” she added. “Take ten years off my life each time you go to the range.”

  He chuckled then groaned. “I love you, Rae. Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you, and I swear to God if we get out of here—when we get out of here I’m going to prove it to you every fucking day.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that deal.” She cupped his cheek and pressed her lips to his. “Aren’t we a fucked-up pair?”

  He snorted. “We’re perfect for each other.”

  Chapter Twenty

  It took fucking forever before he heard the screech of tires, followed by doors being opened then slammed shut. Finally, the cavalry was there. Or well, their version, anyway.

  “Boss,” O’Malley yelled when he stepped onto the porch.

  “Don’t come in,” Asher yelled, not willing to move from the position on the couch. Rae was in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. “Lincoln placed sensors on all the exit points.”

  “Got it,” O’Malley acknowledged. “Calvin’s going into the crawl space now. Give us a minute.”

  He snorted. “Take all the time you need. We’re not going anywhere.”

  His hand cupped Rae’s lower belly, knowing their child could be forming at this very moment. He prayed silently, hoping his seed either took the first time or at some point last night. He was aware he broke his promise to take care of her going forward. They had sex several times since they returned to the house, and not once did he wrap his dick in latex. Feeling Rae’s wet, tight pussy bare was something he would never get enough of.

  “Commander,” a voice called from the door. “It’s Calvin,” his voice was grim.

  “How bad?” he asked.

  “Fucking bad,” Calvin hesitated.

  “Shit, Asher,” O’Malley muttered.

  “Fuck,” he cursed.

  Thermobaric bombs were some scary shit. When denoted, it was the pressure wave and then the subsequent rarefaction, which literally ruptured your lungs, causing death on impact. Sometimes, you could get lucky and the bomb’s fuel could deflagrate and not detonate. When that happened, victims would be severely burned and inhale the caustic fuel. Either way, it was a horrible fucking way to die.

  “It’s connected to hydrogen gas. It’ll enhance the bomb,” Calvin stated.

  Jesus.

  Lincoln really wanted them dead. Not just him, but his whole team. His Tac-Com had been sitting on the table. The SOB had to have seen it; instead, he left it knowing he’d call his team, opening them all to the destruction of the device.

  “I got one question, Calvin. Can you disarm it?”

  “Sure can,” Calvin replied. “It’ll take fifteen to twenty minutes.”

  Asher smiled. He could hear the pride in the fucker’s voice.

  “Get to it then. I have a senator to locate and kill,” Asher yelled.

  Rae, who had been silent during the entire conversation, shifted, lifting her head off his shoulder. “O’Malley?”

  “Yeah, Rae,” his second-in-command answered.

  “Asher’s hurt.” She winced and he was worried she did some serious damage to her foot.

  “How bad?” O’Malley inquired.

  “I think I’ve got a cracked rib or two and maybe a slight concussion,” Asher said.

  Rae’s eyes narrowed at him before she slid off his lap and buckled as she put pressure on her foot. Asher stood, reaching for her to steady her.

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” she snapped.

  “Been hurt before, sweetheart. This is mild.”

  “Jackass,” she muttered under her breath as he eased her to the couch.

  “O’Malley, give Calvin a Tac-Com so I can follow along with what he is doing,” Asher ordered.

  “Schoell is with him. He’s got his on. That sick bastard is almost giddy. Said he’s never seen a thermobaric bomb before.”

  “I’m so glad we can help amuse his ass.” His tone more than a little sarcastic.

  “There is something seriously wrong with your team,” Rae interjected.

  “You think?” he said as he picked up his comm device and slipped it into his ear.

  Walking to the kitchen, ignoring the pain he felt with every movement, he pulled open the freezer and removed one of the ice packs his uncle kept. Wrapping it in a towel, he walked back to Rae, stepping over the dead bodies on the floor.

  “Use it,” he ordered.

  She hesitated for a second before she took it and placed it on her ankle. The look of pain eased.

  “What’s Calvin doing, Schoell?” he asked as he started pacing to release the nervous energy he felt building.

  “Checking the bomb to make sure there are no surprises. He’s got an impressive set of tools.” He swore he could hear Schoell panting over whatever Calvin had.

  “Schoell, do me a favor, give the Tac-Com to Calvin. I don’t need to hear about you getting a hard on for the guy’s tool, for fuck’s sake,” he snapped.

  “Yeah, okay, boss,” Schoell said, his tone remorseful.

  “Commander,” Calvin’s voice filled his earpiece. “There are no traps. It’ll take me ten minutes.”

  “You that good?” he wondered out loud.

  “Yes, sir, I am,” the younger man replied, his tone full of confidence.

  Confidence was a good thing to have, though, especially when you were disarming a bomb that’d kill you.

  “Dumb ass motherfuckers to spend all this time and effort building this damn bomb, only to use a cheap ass remote,” Calvin muttered. “Okay. I’m going to cut the wires which will basically make remote denotation impossible, and you should be able to open the door to get out.”

  “Should be,” Asher asked, amazed at th
e sureness he heard in the kid’s voice.

  “Yeah. To be on the safe side, though, I’d suggest sitting tight till I’m done.”

  “Good fucking idea,” Asher snapped.

  “Boss, this kid is fucking nuts,” Schoell called out. “We need to find space for him on our team.” Coming from their weapons expert, he knew it was a huge compliment.

  “I’m going to need a containment unit,” Calvin said.

  “O’Malley!”

  “Getting a unit here without causing a huge uproar isn’t exactly the easiest damn task, boss,” his second snarled.

  “Asher,” Rae’s voice had him stopping his pacing. “Relax. You can’t control everything, no matter how hard you try. Let Jake handle it,” she gently reminded him.

  “We’re clear,” Calvin announced. “But something about the wiring is familiar.”

  “Thank fuck,” Asher groused, relief flowing through his body. “Does it pertain to this mission, Calvin?”

  “No, Commander,” Calvin replied.

  Moving to the couch, he leaned over Rae, wincing in pain as his ribs protested as he brought his face to hers and kissed her. It was a hard kiss, demanding. If he had time, he’d lay her out and feast on her sweet pussy before sinking inside her and fucking her senseless. He conveyed all his wants and needs into the kiss.

  He ignored the courtesy knock on the front door before it opened.

  “Boss,” O’Malley called from the front door.

  He broke the kiss and looked up at his friend.

  “Give me a second, O’Malley,” he barked.

  O’Malley nodded and stepped out, leaving the door open.

  “I want you to know something.” His gaze locked on her and the love he saw reflected in her hazel eyes had his breath catching in his throat. “I won’t ever stop you from following your dreams. I’ll support you, hell, I’ll even accept you running off to dangerous war-torn countries to do your job. I can do all this, Rae, if you promise to love me until the day you take your last breath. Promise me that, baby, and I can deal with everything else. I can deal with the long absences, knowing when we come back together, I have your love.”

  She blinked up at him and a look of confusion passed over her face. “Are you asking me to marry you, Asher?”

  “Yeah, I am.” He went to his knees. Not really the easiest thing to do with his busted ribs. Getting up would be a bitch. “Promise me, though, baby, you’ll slow down when children come along.”

  “I’ll marry you, Asher,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him.

  He winced in pain.

  “Thank fuck.” He buried his face in her neck, placing soft kisses on the delicate skin at the bend.

  “Time is of the essence, Asher,” O’Malley reminded him.

  Asher could sense him outside the door, impatiently waiting for him to get his ass in gear. “One of these days, I swear, I’m going to fucking kill him,” he snarled.

  Rae chuckled. “Go to work, honey. Go do what you do best, get the bad guys. Just don’t get any more injuries than you already have,” she ordered.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he consented, his mind focusing on the task at hand.

  Find Lincoln.

  Standing, his ribs objecting, he looked at the door. His early assumptions were correct. O’Malley had been right there.

  “I want Rae checked out. Her ankle is fucked up and then I want her back to base,” he ordered.

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll wrap my ribs on the way and I’ll be fine.” He glanced around the room. “We need to take care of the bodies.”

  “And the bomb,” Jake added. “I’m not really comfortable leaving it here, in the middle of fucking nowhere.”

  “Activate another team. They can be here in forty minutes.”

  “Yeah. Good thing I activated them when you called me. They’re about five minutes out,” he said with a smirk. “I also put a tail on Lincoln.”

  “Have I told you how much I love you today?”

  “Funny,” Rae interjected, “that wasn’t what you were saying a couple of minutes ago. I think you said you were going to kill him.”

  O’Malley laughed.

  He stared at his friend, knowing his face showed his surprise at his friend’s reaction. Jake hadn’t laughed in a long fucking time. If he had to guess, it was before Ginger left.

  Following Jake out the door, he surveyed the front yard. His uncle was going to shit himself. Three massive trucks sat on what was once his well-manicured lawn. Now the grass had been all torn up because they parked directly on the vegetation. He’d never hear the fucking end of this.

  “Perhaps it’s time to have a conversation about you leading your own team, Jake,” he declared.

  “Trying to get rid of me, boss?”

  “Absolutely not. You’re ready and it’s time,” he conceded as they walked down the steps.

  “Don’t want it. Never did. Ask any of the guys, they don’t want it either. We follow you, Asher. It’s been that way since day one,” he declared.

  He nodded.

  Losing Jake would be hard, they worked as a cohesive team, each always anticipating the other’s moves. It’s what made them so effective. On the flip side, he never wanted to hold a member of his team back, so he had to at least make the offer.

  “Arm Calvin and his brothers. They can cover the bomb and Rae until the second team arrives and cleans up. Make sure they’re aware the brothers are friendlies.”

  “Got it,” Jake said as he hurried to speak with the three brothers who stood off to the side.

  He bobbed his head at Calvin, who returned the gesture. Now was not the time to have a long conversation or give thanks for saving his ass.

  He had a dirty penny to find and capture.

  “Boss!” Callahan called out as he scurried from behind one of the vehicles. “Just got word, Lincoln arrived at Reagan.”

  “Looks like we’re heading to the airport, guys.” Asher scooted into the passenger side of the truck. O’Malley would have to drive.

  “Murray is looking for his flight information.” Callahan jumped in the back seat, his fingers flying over the laptop keyboard resting on his knees.

  “The GW Parkway and 395 South are clear. They’re our best shot right now,” Callahan piped up as O’Malley put the truck in gear and hauled ass. He caught a glimpse of Rae in the doorway as Wayne helped her out of the cabin and down the stairs.

  “Need your phone,” he demanded.

  “Shit, Asher. Couldn’t you have asked before I got in the truck?” Jake kept his gaze on the road while he shifted in his seat, pulling his phone out of one of his many pockets on his army-green cargo pants. He slapped the phone in Asher’s hand.

  Swiping his finger across the screen, the phone went live. “You don’t passcode protect your phone?” he remarked. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you aware of who you work with or not?”

  “Fuck you. If you’re going to bitch about it, give it back,” Jake spat out.

  “No. I need it,” he said as he started entering numbers.

  “Where the fuck is your phone?” O’Malley asked.

  “Destroyed. I had it in my pocket when I went downstairs. During the scuffle, it fell out and one of those fuck heads stepped on it.”

  “Don’t call any sex lines.” He glanced over the seat to Callahan as snorted.

  “That’s your gig, asshole. Now, if you don’t mind, I have an important call I’m about to make,” he informed his friend before he pressed the call button.

  “General Blackwell’s office. How may I help you?” a female’s voice crackled through the truck speakers courtesy of the Bluetooth connection. He didn’t want to call his uncle in case Lincoln had him as well. No need in ruining the surprise when they arrived at the airport.

  “Morning, Holly. It’s Asher Rainer. Is the general around?” The general should have already been there for a few hours, if he stuck to protocol.

  “Good morni
ng, Asher. He is; let me transfer you,” Holly said, her tone warm but firm.

  After a series of clicks, the general’s voice boomed through the speaker.

  “What the fuck is going on, Asher?”

  “Right here,” O’Malley stated, apparently not giving a fuck the general could hear him, “this is another reason I don’t want my own fucking team. I don’t want to deal with this.”

  Ignoring him, Asher told the general everything. From Lincoln having weaponized uranium to him trying to kill Asher, to having him watched at the airport.

  “We’re currently in route to Reagan. ETA…” He paused, looking again at Callahan.

  “Ten minutes. Murray’s showing his plane isn’t taking off for another forty-five minutes,” Callahan announced.

  “Perfect. I’d be grateful if you’d locate my uncle and make sure Lincoln didn’t murder his ass. I know he can be a pain, but he is family.”

  Jake turned to him. Asher could see the wheels spinning in his head.

  “I got off the phone with McNamara ten minutes ago. The old, codgy bastard is still kicking.”

  “Holy fuck balls,” Callahan blurted.

  He chuckled, ignoring Drew’s comment and the stunned look O’Malley gave him.

  “What else do you need?”

  He had the feeling the general’s question interrupted Jake’s.

  “The press. At Reagan airport.”

  The general chuckled. “You’re a devious bastard, Asher.” He paused. “I’ll arrange it. Do you want me to clear your arrival at Reagan?”

  “Nope. You know it’ll get leaked and the prick will disappear. Makes for better TV to have our bad asses arriving unannounced.” The general chuckled again. “FYI, another team is bringing in the thermobaric bomb. The kid who disarmed it stated it looked familiar. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t blow it until he’s had a chance to review it further,” Asher said.

  “I’ll make the arrangements and update McNamara,” the general replied, and the line went dead.

  “Senator McNamara…the Chairman of the Council…is your uncle?” O’Malley quirked a brow. His tone was oddly deceptive and calm.

  Asher could plainly see how hard the big man gripped the steering wheel. His knuckles were white. His shoulders were stiff and it looked like he was clenching his jaw. He needed to either get back with Ginger or find a woman to fuck to help eliminate the tension Asher constantly felt coming from his second-in-command.