“Who are you?” I whispered back.
He didn’t answer; instead, he pulled me out into the hot humid jungle air and my breath caught in my throat.
I was going to die.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jaxon
“Extraction One, you copy?” Panther’s voice crackled in my ear.
“Loud and clear, Extraction Two,” I answered.
I adjusted my plate carrier, knocking my knuckles against the three mag pouches attached to the molly straps that lined the front of my vest, double checking each pouch had the extra ammo I needed. Eric and Declan were two steps behind me; they too were scanning the area as we made our way through the jungle. Linc, Zane, and Leo flew down to Rio once Tex had confirmed Ortega had been seen in the area. The man he was sending in to pose as the buyer had not checked in. I didn’t like the lack of communication. Any number of things could’ve gone sideways, and without his confirmation he’d made contact, we were still blind.
“We’re coming up on your two,” Panther said. “We have a clear shot to the target, I’d say we’re one klick ahead.”
“Copy.”
“They’re making better time. Fucking jungle snake slowed us down,” Eric complained.
He wasn’t wrong. A nasty bitch of a snake had coiled around his leg; it had taken us a few extra minutes to cut Eric free. Leo, Zane, and Linc were a little more than a half a mile ahead of us to our right. They would take the east side of the building while Eric, Declan, and I would take the west. The best intel we had was from a territory leader Declan knew. He’d confirmed an American woman was inbound and Ortega himself had put word out that there were to be no one in the area of his warehouse for the next two days.
Zane had promised Tex was working his magic, but since we’d entered this God-forsaken jungle we haven’t heard from him either. Violet had been gone nearly twenty hours, the window of finding her was closing in. This was our only hope. If she wasn’t here, we were fucked. There’d be no time to regroup before the sweet spot ran out. That was assuming Ortega needed the time to get his affairs in order and meet with the buyer. He could’ve already had everything in place to make the exchange; Violet could be long gone by now. Even the mere thought of that made me grind my teeth and my gut to clench. I’d been doing a good job keeping myself under control, but the longer this went on the harder it got. I needed to keep my emotions in check; however, thoughts of some asshole putting his hands on my woman was enough to make me see red.
All we had to go off of was assumptions and the unfortunate wisdom one gains dealing with fuckwits that indicated Ortega still had her. We continued to trudge along the mucky jungle trail, staying clear of any marked roads. The air was thick, and the bugs were out in full force. Sweat dripped down my neck and my long-sleeve camouflaged shirt was drenched. We were almost at the rally point when Zane’s voice came through the comms. “Eyes on target, no movement, no prize. We’ve set up shop.”
They’d located the building but either didn’t see Violet or couldn’t see into the building.
“Copy that. Sights in?” I asked, needing clarification.
“Negative, Blue. No sights in,” he returned.
His answer gave me hope she could be in the building. My step quickened, and my heart rate jumped.
“Slow is fast, fast is slow,” Eric said. “Slow your roll, brother. Be smart.”
His reminder had me slowing my pace a fraction. He was right. I needed to be smart. My emotions were a tangled mess. I had to find a way to harness my emotions, separate myself from the man who cared deeply for Violet, and be the operator I was trained to be.
I nodded my acknowledgement and we continued the last hundred yards as the building came into view. I checked my two o’clock, there was no sign of Zane or the others.
“Extraction Two, I have eyes on the target.”
“Copy. You’re in my sights. Proceed.”
After Zane had recognized our location, the three of us moved into position on the west side of the building, confirming there were no windows on this side of the building but there was a door.
“Extraction Two, we have a door on west side,” I called over the radio.
“Copy. Other three sides are tight, no exit,” Leo answered. This was the only way in or out of the building. “Viper and Ghost are making their way to you.”
I caught sight of Zane and Linc to the left but was more concerned with the number of vehicles around the building. There were at least two that were in good working order; the other three junkers may or may not be mobile.
“Possible eight tangos,” Declan called before I had a chance to.
“I can feel it, brother,” Eric said to me when he came to my side.
“What’s that Wolf?” I asked. Eric always had some great saying before we went into battle.
“Redemption. It’s upon us.”
“Movement,” Ghost called through the comms.
I took a breath and let the world fall away. The door started to open as the muggy tropical air filled my lungs. On an exhale I raised my M4A1, my cheek rested on the stock of my rifle and my eye found the red-dot of my EOTech hologram sight, and muscle memory took over. There was no thinking, no feeling, only instinct and efficiency. With my rifle ready I waited for Zane to make the call I needed to proceed.
As previously discussed I was front man in our stack. Eric would take my six as number two. All I needed was Zane to tell me I was cleared to go; I was ready.
“Standby,” I heard Zane in my ear. The door creaked slowly open. “In three…two…one.” The door was fully open - a tall man stepped out with a much smaller woman tucked under his arm holding her close. She was crying and fighting against his hold.
I struggled to keep my body in check and my hands from shaking.
“Go, go, go.”
Eric and I advanced at a fast clip, giving up the safety of the jungle. Ghost and Viper pulled up right with Declan keeping our six. Leo would take the east as overwatch in case someone tried to break away.
“Hands up.”
“Let her go.”
The man turned, his eyes widening as he saw us. Instead of pulling Violet in front of him as I was sure he would, all these cowardice dickwads did, he pushed her behind him in a protective gesture, one that made my blood boil. Protecting his investment?
“Get on your knees motherfucker,” I yelled.
“Flower!” the man shouted.
“Do not fire. I repeat do not fire,” Zane called out and my finger itched to pop this bastard, but I held fast and waited.
I could no longer see Violet. She was behind the man’s large frame. He was a fucking brick house, much taller than me.
“Color?” Zane called.
“Red.”
“Code word?”
“Tex,” he answered.
“Friendly. Do not fire.”
Friendly? What the fuck was going on? Was this the man Tex had sent? The man drug Violet by the arm, trying to get to the nearest car. She was still struggling to get free. The man yanked her hard and brought her face to his. He said something to her that made her stop moving. He gestured with his head in our direction. She nodded, and her body relaxed.
“Grenade!” Eric yelled. “Down, down, down.”
The world around me slowed and my vision tunneled to the immediate. My eyes left Violet as the man threw his body over hers and then swung to Eric. I watched in horror as he ran toward the grenade. It bounced in the dirt, once, twice, then rolled to a stop. I blinked and when my eyes reopened Eric was on the ground. Everything else ceased to exist as the grenade detonated, Eric’s body absorbing the concussion of the bomb. He was lifted feet off the ground, blood, flesh, and bone fragments exploding through the air before his body hit the dirt with an audible thud.
“Twelve o’clock,” Declan called and took a shot, the sound of his bullet ripping me from my shock.
Zane was halfway to Violet and the man, Declan was engaging the men coming thro
ugh the door, Linc taking his back. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. The men only had one way to exit. I was too shocked to move. What the fuck had just happened? I glanced at Eric’s lifeless body and forced myself into action. There was no time to mourn the loss of my friend. No time to process Eric had died to save us all.
“Cutter.” I heard the man say to Zane. I assumed he was introducing himself.
“Fuckin’ Tex,” Zane said.
“Blue,” the man greeted.
I didn’t bother saying anything. I couldn’t. I was on the verge of losing it. I needed to see Violet was safe with my own eyes, then I had some retribution to dole out.
“Status?” I asked, nodding toward Violet.
“Healthy,” Cutter answered.
Violet finally came into view, stepping around Cutter’s side. Two black eyes, one almost swollen shut, a cut lip, and a bruised cheek.
“Healthy?” I barked. “That is motherfucking far from goddamned healthy.”
“Jaxon?” she whispered. Her tear-stained cheeks were breaking my heart. I couldn’t do this. Not now. I didn’t want her to witness what was about to happen. She didn’t need to see what kind of monster I truly was.
I stepped in front of her and kissed her forehead. “Vi, you’re safe with Cutter. Go with him and we’ll be right behind you.”
“Please don’t leave me,” she cried.
“It’s okay. Go with him.” I pushed her away and looked at Cutter. “Take her.”
“Please Jaxon. Please come with me.”
I could not listen to her beg.
“Fucking take her,” I shouted.
I turned my back, even though she was begging me not to. With a sharp whistle I got Linc and Declan’s attention. They both made their way to my location. Our backs against the cinderblock exterior wall of the building wasn’t necessarily the safest place to be. Not knowing who was inside or what type of artillery they had, it was paramount we move. Entering an uncleared sector is always one of the most dangerous parts of an op. We didn’t know what waited for us just inside the room.
Seeing Violet had broken the last sliver of humanity I had left. Hearing her beg me not to leave her was like a thousand shards of glass piercing my heart. She couldn’t be here. I couldn’t bear to look at her. There was no way I could hide the revenge I planned to deliver from her. I needed her safely away from me.
Linc patted my shoulder, telling me he was ready. I stepped into the door, clearing right. Linc went left, and Declan cleared center. Ortega popped out from behind an overturned desk and both of us pulled our triggers at the same time. Only one of us hit our target. His bullet pulled high right, and mine didn’t. I hit exactly what I was aiming at, his hand. Now missing most of the appendage, Ortega was screaming like a bitch. I fired another round, hitting his thigh, and he jerked with the force of the bullet tearing through his leg. With Linc and Declan clearing the rest of the open area, I threw my M4 over my shoulder, my sling catching it and pulling it tight against my back. I reached for my CQC-7 knife clipped to the front of my vest, and with a flick of my wrist the razor-sharp steel blade locked into place with a snap.
Ortega didn’t have time to react before my blade was in his gut and the thumb of my left hand went to the bullet wound on his thigh.
I pushed my thumb farther into the bloody flesh of his leg and asked, “You like hitting women you motherfucker?”
He didn’t answer.
I dug my thumb in deeper and pulled my knife free before plunging it back in.
“Do you? Did you enjoy putting your hands on my woman?” I was well aware his blood was spilling, the sticky thick liquid coating my pants and shoes. I’d proudly wear this animals blood as I left this shithole. Later I’d look at the stains on my fatigues and remember it was me that had exacted retribution. He hurt Violet. He killed Eric. He would pay for both with his life.
He made a satisfying gargling sound and once again I pulled my knife free. Using my thumb, I released the locking mechanism that kept the blade open and closed the knife, clipping it back on my vest. Keeping my left hand on his thigh, making sure my thumb remained deep in his mutilated flesh, I punched him in the face with my right.
“It isn’t fun when you’re the one helpless, is it?”
He didn’t answer.
I punched him again.
All the fear, hurt, and helplessness I’d felt after he took Violet, combined with the loss of my teammate and friend, bubbled to the surface and boiled over. A rage I’d never felt took over my body and I didn’t try and squelch it. I allowed it to take over. Hit after hit, the indignation consumed me. I no longer felt the bones in his face crushing. All that was left was a bloody mess of mangled tissue.
“That’s enough.” I heard.
I punched him again. He took Violet. Sold her.
Punch.
“He’s gone. It’s over.” My arm was jerked back, and I tried to pull away. “Fucking hell, Blue! Enough. He’s fucking dead.” Zane yanked me away and the blood-thirsty haze started to fade, and my lungs burned with exertion.
“Let’s go,” Leo called from the door. I looked around and saw Declan, Linc, and Leo all carefully watching me. I broke their stares and looked back at Ortega’s body; he was unrecognizable.
“Rot in hell, motherfucker.”
I made my way to Leo and he stepped away from me.
“I think you may’ve broken your hand,” he said. “And clean that shit off of you before you see Violet again.”
I looked down at my jungle camos now covered in Ortega’s blood, and inwardly grinned. One less dirty douchebag walking the earth.
“Whiplash, this is Extraction Two, we need exfil and rendezvous one,” Zane called in our ride home. “Let’s get you the fuck home.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Violet
I think there comes a point in every person’s life where their brain says enough, too much, no more, and simply shuts down. I understood Tex, who was a friend of – well everyone – had maneuvered his man, Slade Cutsinger, a former Navy SEAL, to stand in as the man who had bought me. Tex was covering all bases, making sure that if Jaxon and his team didn’t get to me, Cutter would. One way or another, someone would be there to get me. Jasmin had confirmed his story when Cutter called her. I also understood I was safe and on my way to San Diego. Jasmin had assured me Jaxon wasn’t far behind and would be in California to get me.
My brain wouldn’t let me process the events of the day. The grenade. Eric dying. Jaxon pushing me away, not wanting to look at me. It was my fault Eric was dead. None of them would ever forgive me; I would never forgive myself.
“Violet?” Cutter called my name. “You need to drink some more water.”
He pushed another bottle my way.
I looked at the man I once thought was a filthy scumbag and cringed. Since we’d gotten on the plane to fly back to the states, he’d shed the suit in favor of casual clothes and his whole demeanor had changed. His features softened, his eyes were kind, and he’d been exceedingly gentle with me. He, however, couldn’t make himself shrink and even sitting next to him I felt tiny, and his size alone made me nervous.
“Thank…” I cleared my throat and tried again. “Thank you.”
“No need.”
His answer made me think of Jaxon, the anger in his eyes when he looked at me, the disgust. My head pounded either from the stress of the day or from the pain of my heart breaking. There was no use denying it anymore. Sometime between walking into Zane’s penthouse and pushing Jasmin in the closet, I’d fallen in love with Jaxon. Or maybe it was as Manuel hit me and all I needed to do was allow my mind to wander to him and the pain would dull. Only now there was no lessening the ache.
I’d had enough.
“I know you’re not going to believe this now, but you’re going to make it through this,” he said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I learned a few things being in the teams,” he started. “A lot actually
. The first thing you learn in BUDs is to be mentally tough. Don’t look at the big picture. Take one minute at a time. One singular task. Then another. Micro-events. But the most important thing I learned was nothing lasts forever. Pain is temporary.”
“What if I can’t make it one minute to the next?” I feared he was giving me more credit than I was due. I wasn’t strong enough to get through this.
“Then work on one second at a time. When you realize failure and giving up aren’t options, you’ll find standing up and fighting for what you want is all you have.”
He was giving sound advice for someone that had something to fight for, but I had nothing. Everything I’d been building with Jaxon had been ripped away. The tentative friendship I was forming with Jasmin was now gone as well. I heard the loathing in her voice when I spoke to her.
“There’s nothing left to fight for,” I admitted.
“If you think that, you didn’t see what I saw.”
“Hate? Anger? Despair?” I asked.
Oh yeah, I saw alright. I saw Jaxon look at me with such deep dark revulsion the memory of it will haunt me for the rest of my life.
“Yes, to all of those. However, none were directed toward you.”
I nodded in agreement even though I didn’t agree, I just didn’t want to talk about Jaxon anymore. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I prayed for sleep to come. I desperately needed my mind to turn off.
***
I awoke with a start as the plane touched down with a jolt.
“You’re fine,” Cutter said.
“We’re here?” I asked unnecessarily. “What now? How do I get back to Virginia? I don’t have my ID.”
“Tex already sent your new identification to Wolf. You’ll fly back with Viper and the team.”
My stomach whooshed, and it had nothing to do with the plane coming to a stop at the gate. I wasn’t ready to see Jaxon, or the guys. I needed more time, lots of time, like forever.
“Is there any way you could help me get my ID and I’ll be on my way? I really want to get home to my own place and my own things. No need to wait for them.”
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Redeeming Violet (Kindle Worlds) Page 16