NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team

by Chelsea Handcock

  “Damn, we would need to test how long it takes Davis to switch from local power to generator, but it could work. Even with the generators only taking seconds to switch on, the computer systems will take longer. If we do several tests and find a weakness, we might be able to buy a little more time.”

  “Okay, here’s the tricky part. I have several untraceable satellite feeds we can use for Wi-Fi. But in order for us to be as hidden as possible, we need to be mobile targets, harder for Davis to track. I also want everyone as far away from their current locations as possible. We don’t want a back-hack to provide these people with our locations.”

  “Bastian,” Wyatt took over the planning, “you need to get away from the Alpha base. Is there any way you can get Cash to fly you out to Alaska? I’m going to set you up to ping through Russia. I want everyone mobile that means vans with complete computer set-ups. Tory, I would like you close to Washington, DC. I think we’re going to hide our data within the CIA’s database.”

  “What? Wait, if we get it in there, we might not get it back out. What good would that do us?” Ryleigh questioned.

  “Well,” it was Peyton's turn to show her stuff, “I’ve been playing with the CIA’s databases for years, and I know just where to store it for retrieval later. They’ll never know it was there and then gone. They have several outdated queues which only run reports annually. If we’re lucky, the data can be deleted without any trace of our information before those reports are due to run.

  “I think our best bet is for me to go to Detroit and Wyatt to go Alaska. If we time this perfectly, pinging off of multiple locations, and get in and get out quickly, tracking any of us will be next to impossible.”

  “Oh, hell no, baby. You’re not going to Detroit alone. If the weather doesn’t cause you problems, then the possibility of capture at so close a range will. You and I need to stick together,” Wyatt said, causing everyone in the room to raise their eyebrows.

  “Wyatt, that can’t happen. We need to be in different locations because pinging other sites only goes so far. That’s the reason everyone, including me, needs to be mobile. We need eight people for this operation to work. I won’t be alone. We all need drivers.”

  “Fuck, I agree, but how about you going to Monroe, Michigan? It’s close enough for our purpose, yet far enough away it will take some time for Davis to catch up with you. Also, who do you propose will be the drivers? If Cash is taking me to Alaska, we’re still down by three drivers.”

  “I can get Caty to drive me,” Tory butted in. “She’s due in from a mission within the day. If that doesn’t work, how about a member from one of the other NAC teams? I’m sure Declan would agree to a loan.”

  “Yeah, I think Senior would get behind this operation. The East Coast is Carter's region. I’m sure he has someone he can send to help. He has a heavy caseload, but this is short-term, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Tory, haven’t you already been working with them on a few of their cases?”

  “Yes, in a managerial capacity. I’ve been working with Delta Team’s Beta, Ryder. I would trust him to be my driver and muscle, but it would take him some time to get to me and mobilize. I’ll need to make some calls,” replied Tory.

  “Cool, since I’m going south, I’ll get with Dane and see if Brody is available for a day or two,” Bas said. “Baby, Wyatt stated, Michigan is Alpha Team’s territory. We’ll need to talk with Jacks to see who he can send. With me, Bas, and Cash being in the field, that leaves Alpha base pretty vulnerable. Maybe Carter or Liam will have someone they can loan out.”

  “I don’t think we need to worry about that,” Ryleigh spoke up. “Dad’s due here pretty soon, and we can ask him if he’ll help out. I already texted him, so he should be here any minute.”

  “Shit, that’s perfect, baby. If I’m going to trust anyone with your care, it might as well be the dragon himself,” Wyatt said relieved.

  Peyton, on the other hand, looked shell shocked. She placed the call on mute, not wanting the rest of the group to hear what she was saying to Wyatt.

  “You mean Declan Quinn, the head of NAC and the only Dragon Shifter you know?”

  “The one and only, honey.”

  Shit, she was intimidated. The man was infamous in both the private and military sectors. Just then, a very attractive, but older man came into view. The only indication of the older part of her assessment was the slight salt and pepper which graced his temples. He was as built if not more so than the rest of the Alpha team. Even the webcam showed his strength and power. If she thought Jacks was scary, this man was downright lethal.

  Peyton had to blink. She had never seen a human being with that color of green eyes. They sparkled, almost like emeralds, when he looked at Ryleigh. Peyton also liked that she could see there was an underlying kindness in the man she couldn’t dismiss, taking the edge off her initial impression. She would feel safe with this man. Peyton unmuted the call and listened as Declan addressed Ryleigh.

  “Hey, honey, what’s going on? Jacks gave me a sit-rep, but I want to hear what you five have planned.”

  For the next few minutes, the four of them filled in Declan, or Senior as his teams called him, on the plan.

  “I’m in,” Senior stated. “I’ll make my way to Michigan and secure the vehicle. Peyton, is there anything else you need me to pick up? Sorry, honey, please forgive me for being so rude. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Bas is really proud of you, Peyton. He talks about you all the time. It’s good to finally put a face to the name.”

  “Ah, thanks. Sorry, Sir, but what do I call you? Declan or Senior?”

  “Well, honey, since you aren’t officially part of the team, and I’m not your superior, but you are a part of the family, how about we keep it informal? Please call me Declan.”

  “Okay, Declan,” Peyton was flummoxed, and she blushed, “it would be an honor to consider you part of my family. I’ll forward you a list of equipment I’ll need. I’ll bring as much as I can, but there are still some things all of us will need to pick up on location.”

  “Well,” Declan said, taking control of the meeting, “it looks like everyone has their immediate duties assigned and phone calls to make. If we’re going to be ready by the end of the week, we’d better get cracking. Once the drivers are in place, have them give me a call. We need to discuss routes, vehicles, and the equipment needed. I think it’s best that the drivers are on site as soon as possible. We’ll need to recon the area. How long do you expect the hack to last? I want to make sure there are no obstacles in our way.”

  “Shoot, I didn’t even think about that, Sir,” Peyton replied. “We need to run several tests, but it should take at least fifteen minutes, and that’s only a guess for now. If the tests prove we need more time, I’ll let everyone know. I need at least a day to set up a test environment. Once I have that up and in place, I’m going to have Wyatt, Tory, and Bas hack me since I’ve already tried and failed to get in Davis. I know some of their tricks, and as they say, practice makes perfect.”

  “I don’t want to hack you,” Bastian groaned. “It’s never any fun, you always win.”

  It was the first time since the meeting started he actually acknowledged Peyton without a scowl on his face or scorn in his voice. Maybe they had a chance to get over all of this after all.

  “Well, big brother, if you can’t play with the big dogs…” Peyton left her statement open ended to taunt him; Bastian could never resist a dare.

  “Oh, no you don’t. I might even surprise you. I’ve been learning some new tricks,” he said, winking at her.

  God, she missed this side of her brother. For so long now, it had been all business. They rarely took any time to play or just be.

  “Game on, Bastian.”

  “My money is on Peyton. That boy doesn’t stand a chance. But even I have to admit, it will be interesting to watch. All these big bad men need to be taken down a few notches, girl power and all that,” Tory said. Peyton smiled, leave it to Tory.

 
; “Oh, I don’t know,” Wyatt said, “us poor little men might surprise you both. I think I can pull some tricks out of my bag, too. How about we make this slightly more interesting?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  Peyton knew where Wyatt was going with this, he wanted to bet. She knew she and Tory would and could wipe the floor with them in this arena. What really got her interest was what Wyatt would be willing to put on the line.

  “Okay, I propose a little bet. If Bas and I can hack Peyton’s system with both of you defending, then you two ladies have to be our slaves for one whole day.”

  “What do you mean slaves?” Tory asked, not looking one bit happy, finding absolutely no humor with the proposal.

  “I mean exactly what I said,” Wyatt continued. “For one whole day, you have to do everything we say. For instance, Tory, I know you’re working on a new project that will incapacitate a man within a second. I want access.”

  “Why you, sneaky little devil,” Tory responded. “If I didn’t have so much confidence in my girl, I might balk at your request, but I think that might be doable. My tech will stay out of those greedy little hands of yours. What I really want to know is, when we win, what do we get in return? Same reward or do we get to decide on our own spoils?”

  “Nope, I think we should keep it simple,” Wyatt teased, “slave for a day.”

  “Hmm, interesting, what do you say, Peyton? Do you believe we should show these boys who the real masters are?” Tory taunted.

  Peyton knew she could beat these two. It was going to be her system after all. Having worked with them in the past, she was familiar with their style and could anticipate their moves. Shoot, even if she and Tory lost, it would be a win-win situation. She wouldn’t mind being Wyatt’s slave for a day, but she wouldn’t be offering up her tech to entice him. A certain dream she never got to finish came to mind.

  Squirming in her seat, she answered the only way she could, “Ah, yeah, sounds good to me.” When Wyatt turned, his sparkling eyes her way and she took a deep breath. Peyton was pretty sure he knew exactly where her mind had gone. Damn.

  “Me too, honey,” he whispered.

  After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, Peyton scrambled to continue the meeting. No way was she going to let her brother in on the underlying tension and connection going on between her and Wyatt.

  “Okay, based on previous attempts, we’ll only have five or six minutes we’re actively in their system, so it’s imperative we get out of tracking range quickly. When I give the word, we need to power everything down. Ryleigh, I know you have some skills. Are you okay with watching our backs? You won’t be actively engaging Davis, but using a program I designed to determine if they’re onto any of us.”

  “Damn, you guys get to have all the fun. But, yeah, I’m on it. Jacks promised me a trip out to the island this weekend, so if you give me one of the satellite passwords, I’ll be able to help, but also be away from base,” Ryleigh stated.

  Chapter 13

  They closed the meeting, leaving Peyton and Wyatt alone once again. You could cut the tension with a knife, but Peyton wasn’t really sure why. Well, she knew there had been this underlying sexual tension between them since he found her. The bet only intensified it for her. But even though those feelings were still there, this felt different. If Peyton didn’t know any better, she would think Wyatt was pissed. She wasn't sure if she should address it, let it go, or let him tell her what was bothering him when he was ready. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to hold his tongue.

  When he got up to leave the computer room, without so much as saying a word, Peyton knew she needed to do or say something. She hated this type of tension, it was draining. Before he made it to the door, she asked without really saying much, “Wyatt?”

  He didn’t even turn around. He just stood there, answering her without looking, “Yes, Peyton?”

  Dang it, maybe she should let him go, but she really wanted to know what he was so upset about. She thought the meeting went surprising well. He hadn’t liked her plan of splitting up, but seemed to get behind it when he realized who would be with her. He even played with her and the group when he proposed the bet. He seemed fine then, so what had happened between then and now?

  “What’s wrong, don’t you like the plan?” Peyton questioned. “We can modify it, but I really think it is our best way of approaching this. You have to see that, right?”

  “Oh, baby, this has nothing to do with the plan.”

  “Then what is it? I don’t understand what’s happening here. You won’t even look at me. What did I do wrong?”

  Peyton wanted to cringe at the desperation she heard coming out of her own mouth, but she hated feeling this way. She didn’t like that Wyatt was mad at her, and she had no idea how to fix it because she had absolutely no idea what she had done wrong. When he turned around, the fury blazing in his eyes astounded her, but it was the rest of him which took her breath away. He seemed bigger, more pumped up, like he had seconds before he shifted. What the hell was going on?

  “I don’t know, Peyton. Was there anything you said in that meeting you would think might have the possibility of pissing me off? No? Well, how about the fact you’ve been going lone wolf for so long you didn’t even think to mention you went by yourself to meet a bear Shifter? A man who you know is no good and by yourself, no less.

  “Or that you came up with some harebrained idea that if you tried to seduce the old fucker,” Wyatt continued on his rant, “you would get the information you wanted. Do you ever stop and think about your own safety? Does it even register in your mind? I know for a fact the fucker beat his own kids for sport, and you just walked right in there thinking he would just roll over and give you whatever you wanted?

  “While we’re at it, why don’t you explain your in-depth knowledge of the CIA’s system? Do you have a death wish or maybe you’re into capture fantasies? Because all these risks you’ve been taking are not acceptable. You need a keeper, little girl, or maybe a good spanking.”

  Peyton hadn’t expected this. She knew Bastian would be mad at her for the stunt she pulled, but Wyatt, she hadn't anticipated. Two words kept on churning in her brain, and they were really starting to piss her off. She’d admit to herself, and maybe even to him, that she couldn’t remember that she’d been acting rashly. But damn it, at the time, she felt it was her only course of action, not to mention the fact she’d succeeded.

  “Quit treating me like a child, Wyatt. I’m no one’s little girl. For all intents and purposes, we’ve just met, and this reaction is way overboard for what I did. I know the man or more specifically, men like him. I was in a public place, not standing in an alley or confronting him in his home where there wouldn’t have been a witness if he decided to strike out at me. I admit the seduction thing wasn’t one of my brightest ideas, but I got what I went there for, without any problems. Didn’t I?”

  “Damn it, Peyton, if you want me to stop treating you like a child then fucking act like an adult with the brain God gave you. You had options, you chose not to use them. One phone call, Peyton, and you wouldn’t have been in danger. Do you even realize that’s all it would’ve taken? Shit, you could have called Bas or Tory and either of them would have backed you up or found a way to get the information without putting yourself out there. Shit, you could have contacted me,” Wyatt said, hitting his chest to accentuate his stance. “I would have come in a fucking heartbeat.”

  Peyton was stunned by Wyatt’s reaction. She really didn’t know what to say or do next. She’d been alone for so long, she never really weighed her options in that way. She hadn’t wanted to get Bastian involved because she didn’t want to worry him or have him questioning her about Judy. But Tory, damn, Peyton knew she would’ve helped, and not once had she even considered bringing her in on what she’d planned.

  He was right, she always relied on one person and one person only, herself. It was easier that way because no one could let her down, and Judy couldn’t
get her claws into the people she cared about. That, right there, was the real problem. Peyton knew it was time to deal with her mother and start forming real relationships. She couldn’t let the woman drag her down anymore.

  Peyton wasn’t ready to let her new resolve show, just yet. She needed to think and figure out a way to let people in. It had been so ingrained in her to push people away, she never realized the damage she caused by doing it. Shit, even Bastian, the one person she considered herself to be closer to than anyone else, didn’t have a clue about who she really was. She let him make his own assumptions, and she never once tried to alter them. She never once pushed for them to get closer. She craved it, but never encouraged a closer relationship. What did that say about her?

  Deciding she was going to act like the child he accused her of being, Peyton started to answer his questions, at least the easy ones. The others would have to wait for another time.

  “Wyatt, I’ve been hacking the CIA for years. I know what I’m doing, and I’m not in any danger of detection, and you know that. As for Bastian’s dad, well, I might not have thought that out, but I needed to know what Judy was up to, and I knew Frank would tell me. I’ve watched Judy play him and many other men multiple times. I might not be the femme fatale she is, but with the right costume, I didn’t do too bad. I got the information I needed.”

  “Shit,” Wyatt turned back around and went through the door, “you still don’t fucking get it. You have people who care about you, Peyton. I fucking care about you. When are you going to acknowledge that and let us fucking help you? You’re not alone.”