Mercer’s fists clenched into tight balls as rage bit through him. The thought of Ashlen hurt drove him to the edge. He swore he was going to make every single person in Marino’s organization pay for the pain that she was being put through.
Hunter cleared his throat and in a slightly strained voice told Cole, “We need to know the location of the drop off point.”
“Done,” Cole told him. He pulled a folded slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Hunter. “It’s in a warehouse right outside of Gastonia. Interestingly enough, I don’t think Marino owns it.”
“Then you think there’s another player in the mix?” Hunter asked.
“Possible,” Cole replied. “The shipment just doesn’t seem like Marino’s style. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Hunter agreed. “But the sooner we find out, the sooner your niece will be out of harm’s way. Now, let’s get to work on sabotaging this shipment. We don’t want Marino to be able to use these weapons anytime soon—at least not until Gray Tower can clear the warehouse.”
Mercer, Hunter, Hale, Anderson, and Cole made their way to the back of the semi while the rest of the team took up position around the area. Once Cole opened the back, Mercer stared into a darkened trailer full of wooden crates. Hunter strolled up to the nearest one and asked for a pry bar, which Cole had handy.
The first piece of merchandise to come out was what looked to be an M16 rifle. Mercer watched as his friend checked the chamber and then began studying the gun. He set it down and began disassembling it, noting the condition as being worn and in need of a good clean. Then, once the rifle was in pieces, he looked in the chamber again.
“Who did you say you got these weapons from?” He demanded suddenly.
“The Black Mark,” Cole replied. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Who specifically delivered these weapons?” Hunter probed. “Did you have a contact? Were there any names? Give me specifics.
Mercer shifted uneasily. Something was up, and he wished that Hunter would just spit it out.
“Um…Let me see,” Cole said, scratching his chin. “Oh, yeah! I didn’t meet anyone from the supplier side and didn’t have any names, but the delivery guy was strange as hell. Didn’t seem like the person to be running errands for the Black Mark. He called himself ‘Angel.’ Believe it or not!”
Mercer’s jaw dropped as he glanced at Hunter and Hale. They looked to be in a similar state of shock.
It couldn’t be, Mercer thought in disbelief.
Gabriel Marshall was a Gray Tower agent who had gone under deep cover in the Black Mark a few months prior. He had gone by the nickname of ‘Angel’ under them. That was the last thing Gray Tower knew about his progress before he went dark. If Gabe indeed was the same Angel who Cole had met, the implications would be astounding.
Chapter 22
Mercer watched as Jack Hunter shook his head and said to Cole, “I just want to make sure we’re clear. You said his name was Angel?”
“Yes,” Cole confirmed.
There were nervous glances between team members. Meanwhile, Anderson stood there, dumbfounded.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Anderson demanded.
Hunter cleared his throat.
“There’s not much I can tell you except for the fact that this Angel guy is most likely a friendly.”
“How is he a friendly if he’s delivering a damned weapons shipment?” Anderson asked.
The thought had crossed Mercer’s mind—not that he didn’t trust Marshall to make the right decisions. But it was easy to start crossing the line when under deep cover for a long time. Was this one of those poor judgment calls?
“He’s more friendly than you know,” Hunter replied. “Cade, take a look at the barrel of this rifle.”
Hunter handed Mercer the weapon, and Mercer glanced inside of it. He froze when he saw what looked like a quick soldering job—not enough to completely block the barrel but enough to cause the weapon to malfunction. And in this case, it could malfunction fatally. The gun could easily blow up in your face.
Mercer touched his scars instinctively.
“What?” Hale asked, looking irritated.
Ryan Hale had dirty blonde hair and a full beard, plus a bunch of tattoos. He was a total badass. But as the younger member of Gray Tower’s top agents, he was sometimes the last to know on operation details. Mercer knew that it irritated the shit out of him, and Jack thought it was fucking hilarious.
“Looks like Angel’s been busy doing our job for us,” Mercer told Hale and handed the barrel over to him.
After Hale studied it and nodded, Anderson piped in, “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?”
“We’ll have to look through the rest of the shipment, but it looks as if Angel has been busy sabotaging these weapons,” Hunter said.
“You’re shitting me,” Anderson replied in disbelief.
“Dead serious,” Hunter told him.
“I suppose this guy is an angel then,” Anderson said sarcastically.
Mercer wanted to tell the man to watch his mouth, but he didn’t want to give away the fact that he was friends with Gabe. The less Anderson knew, the better. The FBI had already screwed up with Ashlen. They didn’t need to know anything about Gabe’s operation.
“Something like that,” Mercer grumbled.
He was still thoroughly annoyed that Anderson was tagging along, and their conversation earlier was playing out in his head even though he was trying to ignore those thoughts.
Ashlen.
What must she be going through right now? Mercer couldn’t bear the thought of her being hurt. They had to work quickly before it was too late. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her.
“So, what now?” Anderson asked, snapping Mercer back to reality.
“We go through all of these crates and check Angel’s handiwork,” Hunter replied. “Gray Tower is going to raid the warehouse, but I don’t want to chance any of these weapons getting out onto the street without being ruined first.”
“Understood,” Anderson said.
“Well,” Mercer said quietly. “I suppose we should get started.”
✽ ✽ ✽
After working non-stop the whole night and into the quiet hours of the morning, they had finally gone through all the weapons. Every single one of them had been sabotaged in some way: soldering the barrels, missing firing pins, pulled bolts on the ARs and AK-47s, bored chambers on the shotguns. They were all sorts of creative ways to make the weapons look okay at an initial glance but make them useless otherwise. Mercer had to hand it to Gabe that he had done a fantastic job.
“No wonder the shipment was so late,” Cole murmured as they finished the last few guns.
“No kidding,” Hunter said, shaking his head. “Angel just saved us a half a day’s worth of work.”
Good, Mercer thought. We can get to Ashlen that much faster.
Hunter fiddled with his phone for a moment and frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Mercer asked.
“Gray Tower put surveillance on the warehouse. We’ve already worked out where the entrances, exits, guards, power lines, water lines, and sewage lines are—anything and everything that would help. We’ll have eyes in the sky with a few drones as well as ground surveillance.”
“Great,” Mercer said, beginning to feel better about the operation.
Anderson, who had been on his phone as well, looked up at the group and said, “I’m sure none of you care but my partner, Rodriguez, is back from the hospital and is doing much better.”
Hunter snorted and said, “Cade almost got blown to bits, and you don’t see him lounging around a hospital.”
Mercer wanted to scold Hunter a bit for the inconsiderate comment, but he was too busy trying to not smile at his friend. He had nothing but respect for the man.
“As I said, you guys don’t care,” Anderson said and changed the subject. “Unfortunat
ely, the FBI still doesn’t have any information on any possible dirty agent working with Marino.”
“Ah, so you do admit that this whole clusterfuck came from the FBI?” Hunter said with a look of triumph.
“I will have to admit that Ashlen appeared to be a lot safer when only your boys knew where she was at.”
“Yeah, and this is all your fault,” Mercer grumbled. “I swear if one hair is harmed on her, Rodriguez won’t be the only one visiting the hospital.”
Paul tensed and hung his head.
“I know this is my fault,” he finally admitted. “I’m doing everything I can to make this right.”
For whatever reason, it felt good to hear Anderson admit that he had fucked up. That still didn’t mean that Mercer was going to stop him from making his move with Ashlen. As much as he hated to admit it, Anderson’s heart had been in the right place when he had ignored orders and went after her anyhow.
“I’m going to interrupt this guilt trip with a piece of information you all might like to know,” Hunter said, scrolling through his phone. “Gray Tower did some digging on the owners of the warehouse. Looks like the guy who owns the place is Adam Shepherd. He’s not connected in any way that we know to Bruce Marino. However, he is connected to an interesting little local group that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have been eying for a while. Have you ever heard of the Children of the Earth?”
Hale, who had just come back from disabling another rifle, crinkled his nose and noted, “Doesn’t really come to mind. Should I know them?”
Hunter shrugged and told him, “Not really. They are a pretty local, isolated group. However, their ideology is a little disturbing. They’re a bunch of anarchists. Want to take down the government and live in their own little way. Crazies, basically.”
“So why the hell would Marino be involved with them?” Mercer asked.
“Who knows?” Hunter replied. “Marino has his hands in a lot of things, but I have a feeling we’re going to find out before the day is over.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Mercer agreed.
Soon, they were packed up and ready to go, which was a good thing, considering it was almost dawn, and they’d have to worry about heading out before students began coming into school.
The closer it got to being time to move out, the more anxious he got. Everything was coming down to this operation going well, or Ashlen could be harmed or even killed. Mercer pushed down the worry and focused on the task at hand. He’d have to go numb. He was good at that. That’s all he felt, right?
Somehow, he knew that this situation was different.
✽ ✽ ✽
Mercer eyed Anderson as they headed to the warehouse in the back of the windowless van. Cole was by himself in the semi as he was expected to be alone. It was risky since Mercer felt that Ashlen’s uncle was still a bit of an unknown. However, if the guy cared enough about her to put her under bodyguard protection, then he’d most likely go through with the plan.
Anderson had been suspiciously quiet during the ride. Perhaps it was hitting him how much danger he had placed Ashlen in after all?
A thought crossed Mercer’s mind of that douchebag being intimate with Ashlen, and a pang of jealously crossed him, followed by a possessive feeling. Is this what he really wanted? Just give her up to this guy and go their separate ways?
You’re going to have to let her go eventually, he told himself.
The drive went quickly. Too quickly. They were suddenly parked next to a wooded area. The warehouse was on the other side of the trees, and their location was really the only option for getting on the property without being noticed as the other side of the warehouse faced a busy street. Apparently, the security at the place wasn’t that great, which worked out for them. And hopefully, Marino would be too busy worrying about getting the shipment of weapons in than worrying about what was going on with Ashlen. It would be Mercer’s job to find her and get her the hell out of there while Jack and the rest of the group secured the area.
The men filed out of the van—all in tactical gear except for Anderson who was wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and a standard-issue FBI Kevlar vest.
“Sorry we didn’t have gear for you,” Hunter said apologetically. “But this is all we could get in time. Plus, my buddy, Mr. Cade, probably wouldn’t mind if you got your ass shot.”
Mercer smirked but said nothing.
“Just remember,” Hunter continued, “I consider you a liability on this mission. Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Noted,” Anderson said dryly.
Hunter touched his earpiece and then said, “We’re ready. Time to go.”
They began moving through the heavily wooded area until they could see the red-bricked warehouse. There was a short chain-linked fence that surrounded the perimeter. Hunter motioned for them to stop.
He held a finger to his earpiece and then said quietly, “The truck has pulled up to the warehouse. Most of the guards and workers are around at the front, supporting the truck, but surveillance thinks we have at least a couple around the back area. We’ll need to tread cautiously.”
Chapter 23
Ashlen had been drifting in and out of sleep. Every time she woke up, she was paralyzed by the crippling knowledge that she was being held against her will by a bunch of men who had hit her and were threatening to rape her. On top of that, her lungs burned from inhaling all that smoke. Plus, she hadn’t had any food or water since the previous day. She refused to drink from the sink in the room, judging by the fact that the water kept running brown.
The worst part was not her situation, though. After hours of drifting in and out of sleep, her conscious moments were turning to desperation quickly. At first, she had been so sure that Mercer would come for her, but after hours and hours of being stuck in the dirty, disgusting room, she started feeling differently.
It was at that point that she realized that he wasn’t coming. What did he care about her? He was just her bodyguard, not her savior. Coming to rescue her was above and beyond what he had been hired to do.
Yeah, they had had sex, but he had already told her that he didn’t do relationships. He didn’t love her. He probably didn’t even care about her. She was just a girl he had screwed, nothing more.
And now she was dead, she realized. They would kill her when they were done with her. She knew it. Marino would never let her live through this. She’d never go free.
Ashlen began sobbing as the dark thoughts poured through her mind. She had given up all hope.
To make matters worse, she heard the click of the locking mechanism on the other side of the door. She didn’t have to look up to know who it was. It was the bald thug of Marino’s who she feared so much. She crumpled up into a little ball on the dirty mattress and closed her eyes.
“Not much longer now, baby,” he mumbled into her ear. “The shipment’s here, and I’m going to enjoy fucking you so much when they don’t need you anymore…I have my phone right here. Boss wants me to watch you until the shipment is secured. As soon as I get the call…” His voice drifted off for a moment as if he were distracted.
Ashlen squeezed her eyes even tighter. She could feel one of his large hands brushing against her face and hair.
“As soon as I get the call,” he continued, “I am going to bury my dick inside of your sweet little body.”
All Ashlen could do was curl her body up smaller and continue to cry.
✽ ✽ ✽
Peter Cole had arrived at the warehouse. He was greeted by a group of men dressed in workman’s clothes: rough jeans, beat-up jackets, and worn boots. To Cole, they didn’t seem like Marino’s typical group of thugs. Marino had style and class. His men portrayed that as well. These men looked more like locals.
One of the thugs motioned for Cole to pull the semi into an open cargo door in the front of the warehouse. Cole felt at least somewhat comforted with the knowledge that Gray Tower was watching every move that they made and that a team was read
y to barge in the place at a moment’s notice.
Cole slowly backed the semi into the warehouse until the trailer was near the opening. A sudden wave of fear overwhelmed him. In all his dealings, he had never been so scared. It wasn’t fear for himself but fear for Ashlen’s life. He had been stupid to put her in danger for all these years. It was all catching up to him now. If he got out of this alive, he was done playing games…permanently.
Keep it together, Peter, he told himself.
The warehouse was pretty much empty. It looked as if it hadn’t been used in a while. When Gray Tower had been researching the place, apparently it had been an old textile mill that had since shut down many years beforehand. Now the building was being used strictly for storage. Peter wondered briefly if they would run into Adam Shepherd or anyone from the Children of the Earth.
From the semi’s mirrors, Peter could see a man approaching. It was not Marino but a man in a suit with almost white hair. The suit had a southern style with long coattails which made Peter wonder who the man was. It took a moment for it to process, but then he came to the realization. He had just seen this man’s picture on Jack Hunter’s phone.
“Adam Shepherd,” Peter said quietly to the Gray Tower men listening in to his microphone.
“Copy,” a voice said from his hidden earpiece. “Keep an eye out for Marino.”
Peter got out of the semi and waved at Shepherd. The older man strolled up to him.
“Morning,” Shepherd greeted in a heavily accented southern dialect. “Mr. Marino sends his regards.”
“I was told Marino would be here,” Peter said, an edge to his voice.
Shepherd shrugged.
“This is technically my shipment, so we’re not going to worry about him right now.”
“He has my niece,” Peter growled. “Nothing happens until I get her back.”
Perilous Games (Gray Tower Book 3) Page 18