by Maddie Wade
Reid
An Eidolon Black Ops Novel: Book 3
Maddie Wade
Reid
An Eidolon Ghost Ops Novel: Book 3
By Maddie Wade
Published by Maddie Wade
Copyright © April 2020 Maddie Wade
Cover: Envy Creative Designs
Editing: Black Opal Editing
Formatting: Black Opal Editing
This is a work of fiction. Names characters places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as fact. Any resemblance to actual events organizations or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook onscreen. Except for use in reviews promotional posts or similar uses no part of this text may be reproduced transmitted downloaded decompiled reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical now known or hereafter invented without the express written permission of the author.
First edition April 2020 ©Maddie Wade
Acknowledgments
I am so lucky to have such an amazing team around me without which I could never bring these books to life. I am so grateful to have you in my life; you are more than friends you are so essential to my life.
My wonderful beta team, Greta, and Deanna who are brutally honest and beautifully kind. If it is rubbish you tell me, it is and if you love it you are effusive. Your support means so much to me.
My editor—Linda at Black Opal Editing. I learn so much from Linda, she is so much more than an editor she is a teacher and I love you.
Thank you to my group Maddie’s Minxes, your support and love for Fortis, Eidolon and all the books I write is so important to me. Special thanks to Rowena, Tracey, Faith, Rachel, Carolyn, Kellie, Maria, Greta, Deanna, Rihaneh and Linda L for making the group such a friendly place to be.
My ARC Team for not keeping me on edge to long while I wait for feedback.
Lastly and most importantly thank you to my readers who have embraced my books so wholeheartedly and shown a love for the stories in my head. To hear you say that you see my characters as family makes me so humble and proud. I hope you love Reid and Callie as much as I do.
I am dedicating Reid to all the woman and men out there who work in emergency services putting their lives on the line so that we can be sleep safe. You are the silent heroes that keep this world turning.
Contents
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
Epilogue
Sneak Peek: Liam
Books by Maddie Wade
Contact Me
Prologue
“Move to secure the hostages, I’m going back for the girl.”
“That’s a negative, Captain K. Secure the HVT and move to exfil now.”
Reid could hear his commander loud and clear but as he looked at the burning building he couldn’t just walk away and let a young girl with her entire life ahead of her die of smoke asphyxiation. He turned to his teammate Holler, who was looking at him and waiting for the order.
As team leader it was his job to secure his men’s safety and the safest option was to secure the HVT and get out of there. But with his sisters Nessa and Tori in his mind, he couldn’t walk away as a child died.
“Secure the HVT and head for the exfil.” He turned to Skinner. “You’re with me. I’m not leaving that girl to die.”
His teammate nodded and they took off towards the burning building, their bodies low as the sounds of gunfire from down the street hit their ears.
It should have been an easy mission, but the intelligence they had was off. The terrorists had hit the building before they could get Senator Reece and his family out. The objective had been to secure the Senator first. His bill for new legislation regarding the unification of gun control throughout the States was high profile and was receiving a mixed response.
He personally didn’t give a fuck. He just wanted to do his job and although technically the first objective was to secure him and his family, when the building had blown his orders were changed to secure Reece and exfil.
He’d thought the girl had been off site, had been assured she was off site, but the Senator had been screaming for his daughter as they dragged him out the building. The soul deep desperation as he begged them to save her had been something Reid couldn’t and wouldn’t walk away from.
Now, as they entered and made their way over the burning beam that hung down from the floor above, he knew it was likely not all of them would be walking out of this building alive.
He turned to Skinner who was wearing the same expression. “You can…”
“Shut your Southern trap. I ain’t going nowhere.”
Skinner was a damn good agent. Loyal and a brilliant tactician. Reid nodded and moved forward, ascending the stairs. He rounded the first set of stairs in the grand old building, his visibility decreased as the smoke thickened.
With eight bedrooms, the place was like a maze in the daylight, but at night with smoke and fire, not to mention the added threat of two armed terrorists still at large, it was a fucking quagmire of shit.
With his Heckler and Koch HK416 at his shoulder, Reid advanced down the second-floor landing to where the bedrooms were located. A wall of fire blocked his path as smoke burned his throat. “We need to find another way.”
Skinner nodded and they back tracked into one of the first rooms at the top of the stairs to see if they could move through the rooms. He knew from the plans that the office to their left had a balcony. If they could get past that he had a chance of getting in through the window.
“Captain K, this is Tack. Please be advised that the HVT is secure. We have more heat headed our way and our window for exfil is closing.”
“Good copy. We’re closing in on the target now.”
“Good copy. Tack out.”
Reid knew his boss was pissed but he also knew he was a good man. The balcony, as he expected, gave them access to the daughter’s bedroom window. He and Skinner made their way over the ledge as another explosion inside rocked the building causing him to lose his footing on the ledge and have to grab for the windowsill. Using all his strength, he hauled himself up and used the butt of his gun to smash through the glass.
Pulling himself up and through, he hit the ground and rose to see one of the men they’d been searching for standing over the form of the half-naked teen, his pants around his knees as he attempted to rape her.
Time stood still as he took in the scene, and watched the man grab for his gun. Reid reacted and fired, unflinching as the man fell dead on top of the girl he’d been about to rape. Over his feed he heard Skinner curse as he came through the window.
He ignored his teammate as he approached the girl and dragged the dead man off her prone body. Relief hit him as he saw the man hadn�
�t accomplished his heinous and depraved mission. He caught the terrified look in her eyes and held his hand up, as if calming a skittish animal.
Her wild eyes went between him and Skinner.
“Rachel, my name is Special Agent Reid. We’re with the FBI. I need to know if you can walk?” He watched as she nodded. “Good, we’re going to have to go out the window and descend using ropes. I’m going to need to secure you to a harness. Okay?”
Again, she nodded, but this time moved to stand. He saw the blood and bruises on her face and felt his blood boil. Pushing back the anger, he moved to her and quickly secured her to a harness attached to Skinner.
“Captain K, this is Tack. Sitrep.”
“Tack, this is Captain K. We’ve secured the target and taken out one of the tangos.”
“Good copy. Please move to exfil. Helo is five mikes out.”
“Good copy, Tack. Captain K out.”
The room was filling with smoke now, the roar of fire beneath them loud in his ears. Sweat poured from his body as the heat increased around them.
Skinner moved out first and Reid instructed Rachel to swing her leg over the edge. The girl followed his lead as Reid began to cough on the smoke.
“Go, I’m right behind you.”
Skinner nodded and began the climb down with the girl. Reid was about to swing his leg over when the floor beneath him gave way and he found himself falling through the ceiling of the large dining room.
The oak dining table broke his fall. The landing stole the breath from him. He felt a rib crack, sharp pain lanced through him as ash and fiery debris rained down. Rolling off the table he fell to the floor as the fire around him burned everything in sight. Glass smashing from the heat gave him a vague idea where the window might be.
Limping, he moved in that direction and he felt someone plough into his body, knocking him to the floor. Twisting, he fought with the man on top of him. His attacker tightened his forearm around his throat in choke hold. Spots danced in front of his eyes, a combination of lack of air in the room and the tight hold around his throat. He knew he needed to get free and fast.
Sliding his left arm up inside the choke hold, he pushed his attacker’s face to the side and with his right arm locked his hands and applied quick pressure, making the tango release his hold. Rolling, Reid hit the man with a one-two punch, but the smoke was getting to him now and his strength dissipated.
He needed to end this fight quickly but couldn’t get to his gun. Applying the same choke hold the attacker had used on him, he used the last of his strength to choke the man out. He fell back on the ground as he heard voices from the window. As his vision began to blur, he saw Clayton East’s face, his oldest friend and FBI Medic.
“Always getting yourself into shit and needing me to come save your, ass,” he said with a grin as he lifted Reid and half dragged, half carried him to the window before pushing him into Holler’s waiting arms.
As soon as the cold air, fresh air hit his lungs he began to cough, hacking up the smoke from his lungs. “The girl?” he asked in between bouts of coughing.
“The girl is secure and on her way to Memorial Hospital. We need to exfil and get you to the same place.”
The three of them jogged to the second exfil sight on the outer ridge of the property, close to a ravine. He ignored the pain in his ribs and throat and ran beside Clay and Holler. The helo was hovering above them as they moved to crouch behind the rocks. A sudden burst of machine gunfire made them duck and Reid watched in horror as Holler fell, his body riddled with bullets.
Noise and pain fell away as Reid collapsed to his knees beside his friend trying to save him even as he knew it was too late. The responding fire from the helo made the night fall silent again.
“Reid, come on, we need to go,” Clay called.
Reid nodded, his emotions in a fog as he acted on instinct. He pushed his arms under the knees of his friend and lifted him. Clay moved around and together they carried their friend’s body to the helo that would take them to safety.
His eyes never left Holler as Clay shoved an oxygen mask over his face and Reid let him. This mission was a fuck up from beginning to end. Lack of reliable intelligence had put them all at risk. He went over and over in his mind what he could have done differently. Trying to see if he could have saved Holler.
The three of them—him, Holler, and Clay—had gone through HRT training together, were thick as thieves and now he was gone. They all knew the risks but like so many, they thought they were invincible. Reid knew there would be an investigation into why he’d disobeyed a direct order.
He’d do it again though, because that girl hadn’t deserved to die for her father’s mistakes. It was a feeling he knew all too well.
Six Months Later
Reid walked out of the Director of the FBI’s office at Quantico and felt the sun on his face. He was now officially a civilian. His superiors, although understanding of his decision to go back, couldn’t ignore the fact he’d disobeyed a command.
The HRT only worked because the men were able to carry out their missions without questioning what they’d been told. Offered a desk job or the opportunity to resign, he’d signed his resignation letter there and then.
His best friend was leaning against the black pickup, his arms crossed over his chest when he left the building. “You quit?” he asked although it came out more as a statement than question. Clay knew him better than anyone, except perhaps his mom.
“No other choice, I can’t sit at a desk.”
“What you gonna do now?”
Reid slid into the passenger seat beside his friend. “Not sure, but a buddy of mine from Delta said there’s an opportunity he’s been offered in the private sector.”
Clay angled his body in the seat to look at him, raising his brow. “And?” He knew a but was coming.
“But it’s in the UK.”
Clay’s eyebrows shot up and he drew in a breath. “Wow. You considering it?”
That was the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. Was he considering it? All his life he’d stayed close to his mom, helping with the girls since his dad had left when he was ten. She didn’t need him as much now. Nessa and Tori were older and finding their own lives.
“Yeah, I think so. The guy heading this new team has a stellar reputation and the team he’s putting together is in a class of its own.”
“What do they want with you then,” Clay joked as he started the car.
Reid laughed. “Yeah, good point.”
They drove in silence for a bit towards the local bar they had been frequenting since they were old enough to drink.
“Seriously, Reid. You should take the job. It sounds like an amazing opportunity.”
“Yeah, but mom….”
“Stop. You can’t hold your life back because your dad was a deadbeat asshole who left your mom high and dry. She and the girls will be fine, and I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“You could come with me,” Reid suggested.
“Nah, not me. I need to be stateside.”
Reid understood, Clay was close to his family too and travelled upstate to see his younger sister every weekend. “I guess I’m moving to the UK then.”
“Guess so, but before you do, you’re buying.”
“Will you keep an eye on Mom and the girls for me?”
“Sure, but you owe me.”
Reid laughed knowing that watching over two teenage girls wasn’t his friend’s idea of fun anymore than it was his. “I’ll owe you.”
“Yes, you will.”
Chapter One
The water was cool on his skin as he dove into the training pool at Eidolon’s headquarters to swim laps. Reid’s years on the HRT had honed him into peak physical condition but training with Jack and the men of Eidolon had kicked that up a notch. He was in the best shape of his life. The ache in his shoulders as he swam lap after lap tore his brain away from the rage that bubbled up inside him every time he thought of Gunner.
> His friend, his partner on so many missions, and he’d betrayed them all. The worst of it was nobody knew why, or where he was. Maybe he’d feel better if he could just take the anger out on his traitorous fucking face. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. The man was a ghost now, and because of the skills he had, could probably remain that way for a good long while.
His recent stint in the US had been a welcome opportunity to visit with his mom and sisters, and he’d relished the time with them. Nessa had shown improvement he thought. Cancer—Large B-Cell Lymphoma—had struck not long after he made it to the UK, just under four years ago now.
His initial instinct had been to quit and head home, his family meant everything to him. His sister had other ideas though, convincing him that she couldn’t live with him giving up a job he loved for her. Jack had been understanding and put him on as many jobs as he could in the US, giving him plenty of chances to go home for some R and R.
Being part of a company like Eidolon was more than just a job. He’d found himself here, in this country where everything was green and any sign of sun was, even in the dead of winter, a chance to get shorts on. He missed his family, well his mom and his sisters.
His deadbeat father probably had no clue he’d even left. He only paid them a visit when he needed cash or a place to stay. The man was a loser, and Reid only tolerated him because, for some reason, his mother wouldn’t hear him bad mouthing the sperm donor. Reid was a momma’s boy, always had been, and he didn’t give a shit who knew it.