by Addison Jane
“Well, I for one am glad they all know you’re mine.”
I lean up chastely kissing him again. “Good, now go. I have work to do.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He salutes me as he and Kace walk off to their desks, and I head to the meeting room where I know Reid and the SO9 are currently located. I head through the vestibule, sliding my ID card through the reader and scanning my iris. I step into the room where the meeting is in full swing.
Reid’s at the head of the table and I round the corner to see Zeb and the rest of the team. Then, at the end of the table, is Brandon. I stop on the spot, my mouth open wide as Reid stops his briefing and looks to me.
I shake my head glaring at Reid. “What the hell is he…” I point to Brandon with a sneer, “… doing in here?”
Reid places the folder he’s holding to the desk as he looks at me sympathetically. “The Board looked over the footage from the gym, and they said it appeared not to be purposeful or go against our Code of Conduct—” I open my mouth to speak, but he cuts me off. “But he has been given a strict warning, and is on a working probation, Everly.”
Taking a deep lungful of air to try and calm my nerves, I don’t dare look down at Brandon to give him the satisfaction of letting him know how utterly pissed off I am about this. I also make a mental note not to tell Luca about this until our mission is over. He will go ballistic.
Reid picks the file back up, gesturing for me to take a seat next to where he’s standing. So, I slide into it which also happens to be next to Zeb, thankfully, and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.
Brandon may have tried to hurt me purposefully, but I won’t let him get in the way of my work. No way.
“As I was saying… we’ve had intel come through that informs us Kenzi, Hendrix, Gibbs, and other major players will be at this location within the half hour.” He looks to Zeb who clicks on something on a tablet he’s using, and a map comes up on the screen behind Reid, with the location mapped out as Rockafella Mansion in Rock Creek.
Furrowing my brows I immediately think, Something doesn’t add up.
Why would all the major players from this faction of the Sinclair Syndicate, all be in the same place at the same time?
And how were we able to get this information?
Shaking my head I raise my hand. “Wait! This doesn’t feel right. I think we need to call Jack in to discuss this,” I advise.
“Jack is tending to Camilla, little lady. She lost her shit and killed a guard.” The way he talks in a strangely calm and almost amused way is alarming to me. I don’t know whether it’s because he’s still pissed at me about what happened because Luca handed his ass to him on a platter, or whether he’s playing mind games with me right now, but he’s definitely getting under my skin. And not in a good way.
“I hate to disagree with you, Everly, but we have to take this opportunity, and it is time sensitive. If we want to act, we have to act now, and we can’t wait for authority from Jack. We have no idea how long he’s going to be dealing with Camilla, and we have no idea how long all the heads of the Syndicate will be at the mansion.”
I shake my head. “Reid, listen… for all of those big players to be in the same place at one time, and for us to find out about it, means only one of two things. The intel is wrong. Or… it’s a trap.”
Zeb stiffens beside me, and I can tell he’s listening, but Reid shakes his head and slams his fist onto the table, a resounding bang echoing through the room making me jump. “Damn it, Everly, we have the chance to get Kenzi right now. She’s right here, in our grasp. We have to take it. If you’re not in, then we will have to find someone who is.”
My chest tightens, and my stomach sinks. I need to be here, to see what happens. I can’t let this mission go ahead without me. I need to know Kenzi is recovered without her being harmed.
Fuck!
“I’m in, Reid.”
He nods looking relieved. “Good, let’s suit up. We move out in five.”
“I’ll get my equipment,” I say and turn heading for the door. I race through it, and without hesitation, I head for the one person I know will help me right now. I just hope like hell Luca isn’t with him. As I approach the desk, I’m relieved Luca’s not around as Kace glances up to see me rushing toward him. He furrows his brows as I push forward to his desk. He stands up and reaches out grabbing my arms as I approach him. He pulls me to the side away from everyone, and I shake my head.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” he asks knowing something’s up before I’ve even had a chance to say anything.
“I was just in a briefing with the SO9. First of all, Brandon is still here. He hasn’t been put on leave—”
“What? Are you kidding—”
“That’s not all, Kace,” I interrupt. “The team have a location. Apparently, all the heads of the Sinclair Syndicate are going to be there, and the SO9 are heading in to take them down. But it doesn’t feel right, Kace. I know in my gut this is a setup.”
He nods. “What do you want me to do?”
“Grab the Seven and be close by. Just in case something happens.”
He lets go of my arms and runs his hand through his hair. “You could lose your job for this, Everly.”
Shaking my head, I look into his eyes pleading with mine. “I don’t care, Kace. People’s lives are at stake here. Reid and Zeb have been good to me.”
Kace looks around the room and then back to me with a nod. “Send whatever info you have to Noah. We’ll find somewhere close by to wait. If the mission is a success, then this never happened. If shit hits the fan, we’ll try and stop the spray.”
My chest fills with relief. I reach forward and take Kace into my arms embracing him tightly. His arms wrap around me, and he hugs me back before I quickly break away from him and take a deep breath. “Thank you.” I turn and race to my desk to grab my equipment, and then head back to the mission room, to set up the earpieces, body cameras, and other technical gear that will be important for this mission.
Zeb steps up to me as I set up his body camera and I smile at him. “You look after yourself out there, you hear me?” I tell him, and he chuckles.
“Me? I’m the master of this shit. I might be the smallest of the SO9, but that just makes me faster. Not to mention better looking,” he quips, and I chuckle.
“Well, you’re the closest thing I have to a friend on this team. So, you make sure you come back in one piece—”
“I take offense to that,” Reid interrupts stepping up behind his brother, and I weakly smile at him.
Zeb chuckles as I finish putting on his body camera, and he winks at me and turns walking over to the other side of the room leaving me with Reid.
I sigh and pick up another camera and start to strap it to Reid’s chest as he looks down at me. “I’m sorry, Everly. I shouldn’t have lost it at you before. I’m just… angry. Not at you, at this whole situation.”
I raise my brow in confusion, and he continues, “Brandon shouldn’t be here after what he did. I don’t want him on my team. But somehow, someway, he’s pulling strings up high, and even Jack can’t get him dismissed. It’s fucking bullshit. But that’s not an excuse for me to go bashing on tables in front of you. You deserve better than that.”
I smile and attach the camera then move my hand to grab his arm and give it a tender squeeze. “Just so you know… you’re my friend, too. So you come back in one piece as well. Okay?”
He nods and taps his camera. “I’ll have a guardian angel watching my every move.” He winks at me and then turns to face the room. “Right team, let’s head out.”
Everyone grabs their gear, and I take a deep breath hating that I’m going to be sitting this one out alone in here. Normally, I’d have Jack by my side, but this time I’m running it solo, and it scares the hell out of me. I don’t even have Noah to turn to because he’s going to be out there hiding in wait.
But I can do this. And I have a team on standby to help with the communications
, tracking, and surveillance which needs to be done while I’m watching my team. Problem is, I will have no idea what the hell is happening with the SO7 if things do indeed go south.
Sitting back in the darkroom, I watch the body cams while listening to the audio over the speakers. It’s dark, but their night vision is on, and I can see everything clearly as I watch on the many screens in front of me. They’re stealthily making their way through the forestry surrounding the mansion. My adrenaline is spiking as they approach, weapons at the ready.
But it’s all too calm, too quiet. If this mansion is supposedly housing hostiles and top-level authorities, then why the hell isn’t there protection outside the mansion?
Surely, there would be guards protecting the perimeter.
This feels off.
Just like I thought.
Reid gestures for them to approach, and I want to scream at them to retreat, but I can’t, it’s too late as the front door bursts wide open and the lower level windows shatter. Men in dark clothing cascade out of the mansion flooding the area, hurtling toward the SO9, guns drawn.
Reid’s camera turns upward. I see a glimpse of what he does. “Kenzi’s upstairs,” Reid calls out as I see her signaling to the men below to rush forward.
Suddenly, the gunfire starts and I jump in my seat. The night vision begins glaring and flashing in green strobes as I watch frantically trying to make out what’s happening to my team. Round after round of gunfire echoes through the sound system, as I try to gain a clearer picture, but all I see is camera glare as they all run as fast as they can. Their panting breaths echoing through the line as I stand up and pace the room trying to figure out what the hell to do.
But there’s nothing I can do.
“Spread out, get to the forest. There’s a mill through the clearing. Get there, and we can regroup,” Reid calls out through the flurry of fire, and I turn to see all their cameras running through what looks like dense bushland. The unmistakable sound of bullets whistling past them makes me feel sick as the pounding of heavy feet and crunching branches beneath them is clear and present. I chew on my bottom lip as I hear a shot followed by a loud grunting moan, and I tense up as I look to all the monitors seeing one of them slow down.
“I’m hit! But I’m okay. Keep going. I’ll meet you on the other side of the forest,” Mike calls out, and I screw up my face in annoyance. I haven’t gotten to know Mike a hell of a lot. But he’s part of this team, and a part of this team just got fucking shot.
I realize they’re heading right to where Kace and the Seven are meant to be waiting for them if things turned to shit. I wonder briefly if Kace will make his presence known, or if he’ll hold out to see if the shitstorm will blow out on a bigger scale.
Reid and the team finally make it to the mill. It looks tall and has a small inlet with a water break and a wheel that rotates, from the muddled pictures I’m viewing. Reid and the team slowly walk up to it, seeing as the gunfire from the mansion seems to have ebbed, and Rix’s men have retreated.
Which in itself is concerning.
Why the hell aren’t they following them?
What the hell is going on?
This is all too fucking weird!
“Mike, you okay?” Reid asks walking up to him and looks down at his arm. The camera shows me blood running down his sleeve.
“Just nicked my arm. I’ll be fine,” Mike relays back to Reid making me relax, but only marginally.
“Why have they fallen back?” Zeb asks the very question I’m wondering myself.
“I have no idea. Maybe their aim is to only defend Kenzi, not go on the attack. But I have no idea why,” Reid says as they all approach the mill. “But for now, we should bunker down in the mill while we come up with a plan B. Hopefully, they’re not all filing out of that fucking mansion, while we’re here chasing our fucking tails,” Reid calls out as they step up to the mill.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up.
It doesn’t feel right.
It’s all too easy.
I pick up the microphone to talk into Reid’s earpiece. It’s against protocol, but right now, I don’t give a shit.
“Reid, don’t go in the mill,” I yell down the line as he opens the door to the mill.
A whooshing sound rings through the air, and I look back to the screen to watch as Reid steps through the door, and a canister drops to the floor in front of him with a fog hazing up all around him. There’s a handful of darker green lights aimed right at his chest. But to him, they would be red. They’re laser targets.
My chest squeezes tight as every muscle in me clenches. I’m helpless to do anything, as I stand and wait for the moment of impact.
Reid turns faster than I’ve ever seen. “Go, go, go,” he yells, bolting away from the door as gunshots rain hellfire out of the mill.
I glance at the screen, gnawing on my bottom lip, watching all the cameras running out into the forest, but as he looks up more of Rix’s men are coming from every angle. It’s like they’re coming in from every side. Reid and the guys return fire, taking some of Rix’s men out, but they’re deeply outnumbered, and I have no idea how the hell they’re going to get out of this if Kace and the Seven don’t show up soon.
“Where the hell is Brandon?” I can vaguely make Reid yelling out through the gunfire.
“Maybe he’s down?” Mike yells back, as they both continue shooting at Rix’s men.
I know if Brandon was shot, he would have called out. He would have signaled for help. Something’s not right. Something’s going horribly wrong.
“Man down! Man down!” Reid calls out, and my body tenses tightly wondering which member of his team Reid has just watched fall.
It’s been two days since I beat up Brandon and told Everly that I love her. In those two days, I’ve made a concerted effort to get myself off my fucking pussy ass and back to walking without the aid of my crutch. I’ve done well. So well in fact, that Kace has let me come on this little mission with the Seven today. We’re here to be backup for the Nine if shit goes south. Kace isn’t expecting it to, but he’s said that if the intel is correct, then Kenzi, Rix, and Gibbs will all be here, and we might have a chance at getting Kenzi back.
I’m glad he’s including me in this. I’m probably not fit enough to come back yet, but the fact he’s willing to have me here, makes me feel like he trusts me enough to know my own body. But right now, we’re tucked away in the forest, watching and waiting, for anything that might resemble us being required.
“How will we know if we’re needed?” I whisper.
Kace shrugs. “I guess if we hear gunshots… we’re needed,” he quips.
Suddenly, blasting begins to echo in the distance. We all turn and look to the right aiming our guns in case of intruders. My body tense as I look through my scope trying to figure out where the obvious gunfire is coming from.
“Should we move forward, Kace?” Axel asks.
Kace clenches his jaw and shakes his head. “We wait and see. I don’t think we should head in if it’s a bloodbath. I’ll wait to hear any communication from Everly, particularly if she thinks we’re needed or if she alerts me, then we’ll move in. But for now. We wait.”
“Kace, what if Kenzi is there. She could be just past this forest, and we’re sitting here like fucking idiots letting the Nine go in and get shot at,” Axel grunts through gritted teeth.
“Calm down, can’t you hear the gunfire heading this way. If we don’t stop fucking around and get on our guard, then we’ll be the ones being shot at,” Kace tells him, pulling his gun back up aiming it through the trees as the gunfire continues. We all turn watching and waiting.
The tension is rising as the gunfire seems to be slowly ebbing, but the rustling movement through the forest doesn’t go unnoticed. We crouch down and hide ourselves completely as Reid and the rest of the Nine rush through the brush and head toward the mill to our left. We thought about taking position in the mill but dismissed it thinking we’d have bett
er cover in the forest.
“Keep our positions hidden. Remember we’re not supposed to be here,” Kace instructs quietly and we all nod watching the Nine as they pant while trying to recover from running away from Rix’s men.
Reid walks up to the mill door, doing exactly what we probably would have done—seek cover to regroup. And when he opens the door, he pauses, and the unmistakable sound of a grenade being thrown shakes me to my very core. I drop to my knees along with Kace and the others, when a vale of smoke starts rising up from the doorway of the mill. I relax slightly knowing it’s only a smoke grenade and not an actual grenade, but still, this is bad.
Reid just opened the door, and obviously, Rix’s men are inside. We all raise our weapons again as Kace signals for us to fan out. Shit’s about to get real, and now we’re going to have to go in and help, whether we want to or not. I stand up and start moving through the forest watching Reid to see him turn.
“Go. Go. Go,” he yells as he and the rest of the Nine bolt away from the mill at the same time the gunfire starts.
Reid and the others run toward us while Kace signals for us to head out and I don’t hesitate. My hip is still sore as fuck, and I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but I have to help protect not only my team but the SO9 as well. Because we’re about to get balls deep in shit, and I’ll be fucked if I’m going to be buried in it.
I race out of the clearing to see at least a dozen men, all dressed in black gear with rifles rushing toward us. My heart is pumping, my breaths coming sharp and fast as I run quickly, bringing up my weapon, aiming it at the closest guy and pulling the trigger once. The bullet flies straight between his eyes. Blood spurts out the back of his skull as he skids to a halt, dropping to his knees and falling face first into a pool of mud. I continue running as the blasting of gunfire echoes around me.
There’s a battle going on around me. Agency Operatives against Syndicate minions, all trying to win this war that’s based around one person—Kenzi.
I continue running. I have a feeling something they’re protecting is in that mill. I need to get in there. So I rush forward, bullets flying past me, whizzing and buzzing. The noise one I’m used to in this line of work.