Roth(Hell Squad 5)

by Anna Hackett

  Roth’s face went hard. His gaze roamed her face. “Sweetheart.”

  “I never really wanted anyone enough…until I saw you.”

  Something flared in Roth’s eyes. “Doc?”

  “I’m adjusting the levels, looks like the drugs have hit her system a bit hard.”

  “That big hard body of yours, all those muscles.” Avery grinned. “Hard for a woman to ignore. But I also like your drive, your determination. It makes me want to climb all over you.”

  Beside her, Avery heard Emerson stifle a laugh.

  “Avery,” Roth’s voice was a ragged growl. “Stop talking. Doc, fix the levels. She’s going to kill me after this.”

  “Don’t be mean to the doc.” Avery slapped a hand at his chest, missed, and clipped his chin, instead. As he scowled at her and grabbed her hand in his, she smiled. “At least I know now what that tongue of yours can do.”

  “Really?” Emerson said. “Want to share that?”

  “No.” Roth leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Avery’s.

  Mmm. Avery moved into him, opening her mouth to drink him in. Oh, the man could kiss.

  “Enough.” Emerson slapped Roth’s shoulder, and he drew back. “I need her calm, and you’re making her heart rate spike.” She nodded at the screen where a line was moving like crazy.

  Avery settled back in her chair.

  “All right,” Roth said. “Let’s go back to before the alien invasion.”

  “Do we have to?” Avery complained. She felt so good, she didn’t want to think about the aliens.

  “You were meeting with the Gizzida,” Roth said.

  Now a chill swept through Avery, wiping away the humming desire. “Yes.”

  ***

  Roth stayed close to Avery, watching her face. Emerson had warned him before that if the memory stim went wrong, she could have a seizure or fall into a coma. The slightest sign of discomfort and he was pulling the plug.

  He’d been battling to find out what Avery knew, and now…now he was torn. He didn’t want this woman hurt, and he hated that she had to go through this.

  “The negotiations had stalled. The Gizzida were getting impatient.” Avery’s voice had become a flat monotone. A crease appeared in the middle of her forehead and she rubbed at her temple.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Something…I discovered something?”

  “About the aliens?”

  She shook her head. “No…it was about…the Coalition President.”

  Roth pulled back, surprised. “President Howell?”

  Her eyes widened. “Yes. He had a backup plan. He hadn’t shared it, was keeping it very top secret. I discovered documents on it.”

  “What?”

  “The Coalition were building…they were building…” Her brow scrunched more. “Dammit, I can’t remember.”

  “Don’t push it too hard.” He rubbed her arm. “It’ll come.”

  She looked at him. “I find you insanely attractive.”

  God, she was going to kill him. “Right back at you.”

  “I don’t do relationships. They are hazardous to people’s health.”

  “Only if you do them with the wrong people.”

  “You think we’re right for each other?” She made a noise in her throat. “You’re all alpha and bossy. We’d kill each other in about ten minutes.”

  “But we’d have awesome sex before we did.” But he knew she was right. He knew others in the squads had relationships, but Roth couldn’t risk it. He couldn’t drop the ball or his focus.

  “Hello, don’t forget I’m right here listening to all this,” Emerson muttered.

  Avery laughed, then her eyes went wide. “I remember. They were building an underground bunker.”

  Roth struggled to pull his focus off imagining sex with Avery and back to the questioning. “A bunker. To shelter in?”

  She nodded.

  “Not in a military base?” It seemed crazy the Coalition would ignore Blue Mountain Base, when it was right on their doorstep.

  “No, somewhere else. Somewhere underground.” She grimaced. “South of Sydney. They planned to take a select group there to ensure the survival of the human race. Top scientists, artists, government officials.”

  Roth fought back a curse. Select an important, privileged few to survive, and screw the rest of the world.

  Avery’s mouth tightened. “I didn’t like it. I felt they weren’t giving everything to negotiations that could save the entire world.” She rubbed her temple again, vigorously. “There was something else, something important. What was it?” She pressed both hands to the side of her head. “I don’t remember. I have to remember.”

  “Easy. Stay calm.”

  “No. I have to remember.” The last word was shouted.

  He got in her face. “No, you have to stay calm, Avery.”

  Then she gasped, like she couldn’t breathe. “President Howell. I was in his office. I saw documents…”

  “What were they?”

  “He was having private meetings with the Gizzida.”

  “What?” Roth breathed. He sensed Emerson stiffen.

  “He was meeting with them…to bargain for his own safety and a small group of his selection.”

  “To live in this bunker?”

  She nodded. “I confronted him. I was so damned angry. And…”

  “And…”

  She pulled her hands from Roth and curled them against her chest. “He sold me out. To the Gizzida.”

  “Jesus.” Roth wanted to slam his knuckles into something, anything, and rage at the sky. His hands curled into fists. “What happened?”

  “At our next meeting, he organized for me to be alone with them. They took me.”

  Roth heard a tremor in her voice.

  “Her vitals are getting a little elevated, Roth,” Emerson said quietly.

  He gripped her ankles, rubbing the soft skin there. “It’s okay, Avery. You’re free now.”

  “And billions are dead. Because I didn’t see through Howell’s rotten exterior. I could have kept negotiating, working with the Gizzida.”

  “They’re here for humans, Avery. They were never going to leave without a significant number of bodies for their tanks.”

  Her bottom lip trembled before she firmed it. “They put me in a cage.” Her voice was flat again. “I was hungry. Thirsty.” She shivered. “There were other humans in cages, too.”

  “Where?” Roth asked, resisting the urge to pound his fists into the floor.

  “The dome. I remember the orange light. That damned orange light that made it all seem like a bad dream. Or a fucking nightmare.” She made a choking sound. “We were all in cages, and I could see the tanks. They were growing them…to put us in them.”

  “Enough.” Roth got to his feet. “That’s enough.”

  She moved, quick as lightning, tugging the electrode cables behind her before her hands gripped his wrists. “No. There’s something else.”

  “I said, enough.”

  “I have to remember,” she said, frantically. Her nails bit into his skin. “Howell, he gave the Gizzida something else. Information in return for his safety.”

  Shit. “What?”

  “He gave them military information. Our weapons, our vehicles, our troop training. There were a series of CCIA hard drives he handed over.”

  Every muscle in Roth’s body froze. “No.”

  Her face was etched with despair. “Roth, it included information on the bases. And…Blue Mountain Base was in there. It was why he had to build his bunker somewhere else. He gave them the base schematics, the power systems, the weapons…everything.”

  “Oh, God,” Emerson said, gripping the scanner.

  Avery’s wild hazel eyes met Roth’s. “They know where we are.”

  Suddenly her back arched and a short scream escaped her mouth.

  “Emerson!” Roth reared up, pulling Avery into his arms. She was shaking spasmodically, her eyes rolling bac
k in her head.

  “A seizure.” The doctor ran her handheld scanner over Avery. “Get her on the table.”

  He lifted Avery up, heedless of the electrodes being yanked off. She was jerking so hard in his arms, he had to exert a lot of strength to hold on to her.

  He got her on the exam table. “Come on, Avery.”

  With a grim face, Emerson set to work. She pressed an injector to Avery’s neck. “Hold her, so she doesn’t fall off.”

  Roth already was. “Will the injection stop this?”

  “It should.” Emerson’s gaze met Roth’s.

  “What aren’t you saying?” he bit out.

  “If this goes on too long, it could do irreversible damage to her brain.”

  No. Roth stared down at the woman beneath his hands. She’d called to him from the moment she squared off with him, dripping wet, in an alien lab. He hadn’t let himself give in to the attraction, not completely, but now knowing he might never get the chance…his lungs constricted. “Help her.”

  Emerson ran her portable scanner over Avery. “She has to help herself.”

  She was a fighter. As her body jerked against his hands, he gritted his teeth. He should never have let her do this procedure.

  Suddenly, she went still, her body dropping limply down against the table.

  Emerson let out a breath. “She’s stable.”

  Roth brushed at Avery’s dark hair, hoping Emerson didn’t notice that his hands were unsteady. Avery’s face was pale, her lashes dark against her cheeks. So still, all the fierceness gone. “How come she’s not waking up?”

  “Coma was always a risk.”

  His hands tightened on Avery’s silky hair. “You’re saying she might never wake up?”

  “I can’t give you absolutes, Roth. But I can tell you her vitals are stable, she’s young, fit, and strong. She’ll likely wake up within the hour.”

  He brushed a thumb over her temple. “I have to meet with the general. Pass on the information.” He couldn’t delay that.

  Emerson nodded. “Go.”

  He hated having to leave Avery. “You’ll take care of her?”

  The doctor’s face softened. “Of course.”

  He brushed his lips over Avery’s. “I’ll be back,” he whispered. He forced himself to head for the door. “Call me when she’s awake.”

  Chapter Eight

  “No.” General Holmes dropped heavily into a chair at the conference table in the base’s Operations Area.

  Roth nodded. “They have information on Blue Mountain Base. Our military capabilities. Our systems. Our location. Everything.”

  “Fuck me.” Marcus Steele raked a hand over his head.

  Tane Rahia, leader of Squad Three, stood silent, his face looking as though it were carved from stone.

  “The Coalition would never go for something like this,” Holmes said.

  “It sounds like Howell acted on his own. There’s no way to know how many others he sold out, like Avery, who discovered and opposed his little escape plan.” If Howell had been there, Roth would have taken great pleasure in slamming a fist into the politician’s square jaw.

  “We aren’t safe here,” Marcus said.

  Holmes planted his hands on the table’s glossy surface. “The raptors haven’t attacked the base. Not once in eighteen months. Maybe they never got the information? Roth, maybe that hard drive you found was data the aliens lost.”

  Roth didn’t respond. They all knew it was wishful thinking. They couldn’t risk lives on wishes and dreams.

  “The aliens have been hanging around the mountains, but never coming close enough to spook us off.” Tane’s voice was smooth and deep, with the hint of a New Zealand accent in it. The man’s Maori heritage was obvious in his strong face and darker skin. His black hair was pulled back in dreadlocks that would have never been code in the military. Tane, and all his squad—known as the Berserkers—hadn’t been military. Mercenaries, bounty hunters, bikers—they were all rough, badass, and damn good fighters, if a little crazy and prone to never following orders.

  “They know we’re here,” Marcus agreed.

  Holmes dragged in a breath and nodded. The man looked beyond tired. “Okay, they haven’t attacked yet…so we aren’t going to go off half-cocked and rush out of here. We need to step up the evacuation drills, make sure all the residents have it down pat. And I want all squads pulling extra shifts for recon for escape routes and alternative shelter locations.”

  “And more base patrols,” Roth suggested.

  The general nodded again. “Yeah. We have to know the second a raptor steps foot within an inch of the base perimeter.” He tapped his fingers on the table. “I’ll step up the prep work on Operation Swift Wind.”

  Swift Wind was the top secret evac and escape plan the general was working on. Roth had only heard parts of it, but his respect for the general had risen another notch. The guy was smart, and he wanted everyone in the base to make it if they had to leave.

  “Nowhere is as safe or as well set up as Blue Mountain Base,” Tane said. “It’ll be hard to find a good alternative.”

  “That’s just it, Tane,” the general replied. “The base isn’t safe anymore, but if we rush out before we’re ready, not everyone will make it.”

  “Stay here and everyone might die.” Roth knew it was what they were all thinking.

  “Then let’s hope whatever it is that’s holding the raptors from attacking keeps them at bay a little longer.” Holmes rubbed the back of his neck, then straightened. “But like I said, more base patrols, more recon, and I’ll talk to Noah. We need more drones in the air, as well. We won’t let these bastards sneak up on us. And the priority needs to be a safe alternative.”

  Roth stared hard at the other men before his gaze settled on the general. “There is one possible safe place we could go.”

  The general frowned. “Where?”

  “Avery said Howell outfitted an underground bunker. No idea how big it is, or how many it’s already holding…but it would be better than caves or burned-out buildings with no power or water.”

  The general nodded, his gaze distant. “It’s a possibility. But we don’t know where it is.”

  “South of the city, somewhere.”

  Elle, who’d been sitting quietly by a comp, swiveled in her chair and started tapping at her comp screen. “Let me pull up a map of the area and isolate any underground installations that could be prime candidates for conversion to a bunker.”

  The large screen on the wall filled with an aerial map.

  “Nothing military,” Roth said. “He sold all military info to the raptors.”

  “Bastard.” Tane’s voice held no inflection…which made it sound even scarier.

  A handful of dots appeared on the screen. Elle was frowning. “Old railway tunnels.”

  Holmes frowned. “When were they built?”

  “The late 1800s,” Elle answered. “They were all closed after about thirty years. They were very steep and narrow.”

  The general shook his head. “Don’t sound like promising prospects.”

  “The rest of the options are all underground coal mines.”

  Roth frowned, too. “A mine wouldn’t be very comfortable.”

  “And most of these mines were longwall coal mines. They used high-tech equipment to support the roof above, and used large shearing machines to mine the coal in long slices. They would have chewed through large panels of coal, leaving empty space behind it.”

  The general frowned, tapping his fingers again. “But it would have been unstable afterward, right?”

  “Sure,” Elle said. “But Howell would have had some time, and of course the resources and money, to turn that mined-out space into something safe and useable.”

  Holmes nodded. “He would have thrown a lot of money and resources at it. Decking out a mine may not have been that hard. There would have been some utilities already in place.”

  “I need to go in and get a closer look. See if
anything stands out,” Roth said.

  Holmes nodded. “It’s too late to go today. First thing tomorrow morning, take the Darkswifts.”

  In his head, Roth already started planning the mission.

  “I’m coming.”

  The familiar voice had him spinning. Avery stood in the doorway. She looked okay. A little pale and shaky, but that fierce, fighting look was back in her eyes.

  “Ms. Stillman, how are you feeling?” Holmes said, standing.

  “Like I just got dropped from a quadcopter, but I’ll be fine soon enough.” She took a step forward and when she wobbled, Roth closed the distance in two large strides.

  “You pick me up and I’ll punch you,” she hissed under her breath.

  “Cool it.” He gripped her arm and helped her to a chair.

  She faced the general. “I’m trained. I might have more information about Howell’s bunker that I could remember if I see the area. I can help.”

  “The medical team haven’t cleared you—”

  “Because of my patchy memories. I have most of those back now.” Her chin lifted a notch. “I need to help.”

  Roth heard frank honesty in her voice. Avery Stillman was a straight shooter all the way.

  The general considered her, then his tapping fingers stopped. “Roth’s in charge of the mission. It’s his call.”

  Her head turned, her gaze hitting him.

  He sucked in a deep breath. The caveman part of his brain was shouting at him to keep her safe. That part of his brain remembered what it felt like to lose his family in one violent act of terror.

  The rest of him knew Avery could be a vital part of this mission. He had to use her.

  He’d be with her. By her side the entire time. He’d keep her safe, no matter what.

  “You’re in.”

  ***

  Avery stood in the doorway to the small office and watched Roth work. He was completely absorbed in planning his mission.

  He pushed some maps on the desk aside and scribbled some notes on a tablet. He leaned forward, his desk chair squeaking a little, circled a location on the map, and then sank back. He looked up and finally noticed her.