Love Divided (Fortis Security Series Book 3)

by Maddie Wade

  The first few days she hadn’t eaten, but she knew that not eating would make her weak and she would need her strength if she was going to get herself out of there. She had thought in the first week that Dane and Lucy would find her, but that hope was sliding away.

  She tried not to let it upset her but it was hard, and she wondered if Matty was okay. The thought of her baby boy spurred her on to stay strong and not let her situation get her down. She was a Bennett, and Bennetts kicked ass.

  She picked up the Divine Watchers Bible that was beside her. It was full of quotes about the end of the world and how the new world would be led to fruition by the Divine One. What really scared her though was the passages about the Divine sisters who would birth the next messiah with the aid of the Prime Fecund. She had a horrible suspicion that she and her two sisters were the Divine sisters and Jace was the Prime Fecund.

  She prayed to God that Megan hadn’t been inseminated. She wasn’t sure how Jace and Lucy or Megan for that matter, would get past that. That was of course assuming they all made it out alive.

  She spun as the lock turned and the door swung open. A large burly man dressed like Smithy had been pushed a woman through the door. The woman fell to the floor, her hair falling over her face. The man backed out closed and locked the door.

  Lizzie rushed to the younger woman, who was now on her knees, her head buried in her hands as she wept. Crouching by her side Lizzie reached out and touched her shoulder.

  “Hey,” she said softly, and the woman flinched and scampered back towards the corner. Lizzie lost all the air in her lungs. Her eyes burned with hot tears as she stared at a woman who was the image of Lucy. Oh my god. It was, It was Megan. Her baby sister was here in front of her. Liz fell to her knees as her legs gave way.

  “Megan?” she said in a voice broken by emotion.

  The woman looked at her with tears tracking down her own face. “How do you know my name?” the woman asked. She brushed the tears away with her shirt just like Lucy did.

  Lizzie moved towards her slowly, her hands and knees cold on the tiled floor. She stopped a few feet away from her baby sister. Her hand reached out to touch her, but the woman shrank back.

  “You look just like Lucy” she said.

  Megan tipped her head and asked, “Lucy?”

  Lizzie laughed nervously. How did she do this, what did Megan know? She rung her hands and then smiled, slowly that’s how she would play this.

  “Come sit on the chair. My name is Lizzie,” Liz said and stuck out her hand.

  “I’m Meg, but you obviously know that,” Meg said and slowly stood. She walked to the bed and sat down.

  Liz tentatively sat next to her. “How long have you been here?” Liz asked.

  “About a month. You seem familiar, have we met?” Meg asked, and Liz wanted to cry. She bit her lip and tried to smother the sob that broke through.

  “Oh I’m so sorry,” Meg said putting a slender arm around Liz’s shoulder and making her cry harder. “I didn’t mean to upset you,”

  Liz brushed away the tears and pulled her shit together. She took Megan’s hand and looked into her eyes. “My name is Liz; I have a brother Dane and a younger sister Lucy, when we were young our mother was having another baby, a beautiful little girl. They called her Megan,” Liz watched as Megan’s skin went chalk white. “She was taken when she was a few days old, stolen from the hospital,” Megan pulled her hand away from Liz and started backing away.

  “No,” Meg said.

  Liz walked towards her as Meg backed herself into the corner of the room. “That baby was you.”

  “No, no it can’t be,” Megan said and ran her fingers through her hair. She walked around the room.

  “It’s true. You are the spitting image of Lucy, our sister.”

  “I am?” Megan said, and Lizzie could see she wasn’t in denial because she didn’t want it. She was in denial because she wanted it too much.

  Lizzie grabbed Megan’s hands tight and forced her to stop walking.

  “It’s true you’re my baby sister,” Liz said tearing up again. She pulled Liz back over to the bed, and the two women spent the next five hours talking and catching up on some of what they missed.

  Neither of them noticed the blinking light in the corner of the room.

  ~~~

  Smithy sat up suddenly; he kept having strange dreams in the dreams he saw the woman from the shop. The woman had said she knew him. He also saw himself kicking a football with a small boy and chatting with some other men. He felt a real sense of kinship with these men. He shook his head and drank a glass of cold water.

  The doctor had said this might happen and if it did, it was imperative that he talk to them so they could help him. They had saved him from the men who had tried to kill him. He dressed and went to the cupboard to get his special vitamins. He then left the room and sought out Dr Margo.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Fortis was a hive of activity when Lucy, Zin and Zack walked back in. Will and Drew were at the computers in the tech room with satellite images pulled up. Daniel was in the conference room rolling out blueprints while Jace and Dane were leaning over the table.

  It was like the little scrap they’d had hadn’t happened. Men were weird. Jace turned as she came in and instantly turned to Dane. He said something to Dane who slapped him on the back. Dane winked at her, and she glared back not ready to forgive him just yet.

  Jace approached his hands in his pockets, looking sheepish with a small grin on his face. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to smack him round the head for being a dickhead or if she wanted to kiss the cute look off his face.

  Maybe she would hit him then kiss him.

  “Is it safe?” he asked as he reached her.

  Zack walked past her and got down to business with Dane and Daniel. Zack winked at her and said, “Give him hell Raven,” She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. He’d been calling her that since they left the Abbey. She didn’t mind the name, but somehow that was Roz’s name for her, not anyone else’s.

  “Raven?” Jace asked.

  Lucy waved her hand, “Forget it,” she tilted her head. “Have you two pulled your shit together and stopped acting like a pair of bell-ends?” Jace stepped closer and putting his arms out grabbed her jacket and pulled her towards him. She fell into him, her hands coming up to rest on his chest.

  She cocked an eyebrow and squinted at him. “I haven’t decided if I’ve forgiven you, so I suggest you tread very carefully,” she said coldly.

  “I’m sorry babe. I have no excuses I was a complete pillock. You have every right to be angry at me,” he looked at her with his puppy dog eyes, and she knew she was done. God, he was lucky she loved him.

  “Yes you were and so was he,” she motioned to Dane with her chin.

  “He just loves you, babe, we both do, Dane is struggling with guilt over not protecting Lizzie. The man thinks he needs to protect everyone and this on top of what happened with Lauren this past summer has hit him hard,” he finished.

  Lucy felt her heart melt, even now he was sticking up for the man that not two hours ago, he had been rolling around on the floor with. That was why she loved him. He was loyal.

  “I take it you two have kissed and made up?” she smiled, and she saw relief cross his face.

  “Yeah, within ten minutes of you leaving.”

  “Fine I’ll forgive you this time, but if it happens again, I’m going to kick your ass.” Lucy went willingly into the kiss that landed on her upturned mouth. She let him coax and apologise in the best way possible. She could let this get carried away, but she knew where Lizzie and Megan were now and she needed to help them plan the mission.

  Regretfully she pulled away, “We found Lizzie and Megan,” she whispered., Saying it out loud made it real.

  Jace’s face changed, and he grinned. “So Roz came through for you?”

  Lucy nodded “She totally did.” She took Jace's hand and pulled him towards the table.


  The team planned long into the night. Plans were talked about and dismissed. New plans were made. Surveillance was to be carried out on the building, and finally, a real plan was made.

  Nate and Liam called in with bad news around 9pm. Michaels, or whoever was posing as Michaels was gone. The prison apparently had no idea what had happened and had been told by the governor and the home secretary that it was to be kept quiet. Zack had gone nuts and gotten straight on the phone to someone who promised some answers by morning.

  So now, here they were at 2am packing up all their equipment and weapons. Nothing was being spared. The surveillance had shown how heavily fortified the building was and the location meant it would be a bitch to infiltrate.

  Zack had arranged for her dad, Matty, Marco, and Lauren to go and stay at his place while they were away. Drew would stay behind to protect them, along with three members from Eidolon who hadn’t gone with Jack.

  Will would coordinate from Fortis, and Skye and Noah were going to stay with Nate’s parents. A couple of his buddies who were also ex-paratroopers would be going to stay with Mimi and Dave as well Apparently, the men both loved Mimi and her cooking.

  Reg and his MC had offered to watch out for Celeste and off, course she had Samson. Lucy had also noticed Zack making a call, which she suspected, was to Kanan. That just left Ava.

  Lucy had pulled Zack aside and mentioned it, and he had told her that it would be fine. Ava’s father was flying in as a surprise and would be there by morning. Zack felt General Drake was more than capable of protecting his daughter and Lucy agreed the man had a fierce reputation and she could now see where Ava got her from gumption from.

  Lucy re-checked her bag and made sure her favourite long-range rifle was safe. The Barret .50cal bolt action rifle had a range of 2600 metres and could shoot through a wall. This weapon was her favourite for long range. When it got up close and personal, she preferred hand to hand combat.

  She looked at her brother as she finished packing and he looked good. This was when he came into his own. Waiting around for something to happen just filled him with doubt. Jace was quiet, and she wondered if he was worried about going into this with her.

  He was across from her on the other side of the room talking to Nate and Liam. Liam was keen to come with them, but she worried if he was too overwrought about Ambrose. Her belly flip-flopped at the thought of the lovely man that had died as a result of this.

  She prayed that they didn’t come up against Smithy. Could Dane, Dan, or even Jace take him down? She wasn’t sure they could, but she would absolutely take him out to save her sister.

  They all piled into three vehicles and moved out. Most slept while they could. She cuddled into Jace and let her mind go blank. If she allowed herself to treat this any different than any other mission, someone would die.

  She woke an hour later and realised they were just outside Surrey on the M4. A feeling of dread started building in her chest, and she purposefully shoved it away.

  Zack had arranged for them to stay at a little holiday cottage outside Chertsey. It was close enough to the target to be in easy reach, but far enough away not to raise any flags.

  When they arrived, they lugged their gear in and grabbed the first bedroom they came to. The plan was for four of them, herself, Zack, Jace and Dane to scope the area until daylight and then everyone would get their heads down for a few hours. They would then take it in shifts over the next two days to reconnoitre the building and get as much information as they could.

  Zack hadn’t wanted Dane and Lucy on the mission at first, but both had refused to back down, and Zack had realised that he needed them.

  Lucy tossed her bag on the bed and turned to go back to the kitchen area. Jace caught her arm as she went to walk by him.

  “Luce babe, come here,” he pulled her into his arms and buried his head in her hair. She instantly put her arms around his waist. “You doing okay?” he asked, and she nodded.

  “Yeah, I just really want to get started. I need my sister home. Well both of my sisters,” she amended.

  Jace pulled his head from her neck and kissed both her eyelids. “You know I support you and am one hundred percent behind you on this right,”

  Lucy pulled back, “But,” she prompted when he didn’t go on.

  “No but. I just need you to know I’m here for you primarily.”

  “Jace,” she said in a soft whisper.

  “I just don’t want there to be any doubt as to why I’m here. Yes, I want to make sure Megan is safe but only because of what she is to you and Dane. I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind the last few weeks about the possibly of there being a baby but you are my focus, not anyone else.”

  “Oh Jace, you have been under so much pressure, and I haven’t been there for you as I should,”

  “No, you have,”

  “No Jace I haven’t because I know you have my back and every day you make me feel loved and cherished. Yet you feel like you have to tell me that you’re here for me. I haven’t made you feel like I trust you and I do.” She put her hands on either side of his face and stroked his stubbly cheeks.

  She took a breath and then showed him how much she trusted him by opening herself up and telling him her dirtiest secret. “When my mum was expecting Megan, I used to pray that God would find her another family,” her voice came out in a whisper. She felt Jace's arms tighten around her and she knew it must be with shock and disgust.

  “I didn’t want a baby to steal my mum and dad; I liked being the baby. God Jace, I prayed so hard and then it happened, and the grief of it killed my mum,” she choked out.

  Jace pulled her towards the bed and sat her down on the edge. He got to his knees, took her hands in his, and forced her to look up. She was so scared of what she would see in his face that she resisted.

  “Lucy look at me,” he said in a strong, deep voice. She raised her head and looked into the handsome face of the man she had loved her whole adult life and what she saw was not disgust or scorn, but love and devotion.

  “Luce you were a child and your whole world was going to change; it was only natural for you to feel pushed out. Christ Jack put Will in the bin when he was born because he didn’t like him,” he said with a smile, and she felt her own mouth twitch.

  “The point is, most kids have doubts about a new sibling, and I would bet hundreds had the same thoughts as you did, but your family was incredibly unlucky, and your sister was stolen from you. You didn’t make it happen and you sure as hell didn’t kill your mum. Your mum’s death was a tragic accident. You did not do that.”

  A sob slipped past her pursed lips on his words, and she felt a huge relief fill her. She looked up when she heard a noise at the door, and Dane was standing in the doorway his face ashen and tortured. Jace followed her gaze and then stood.

  “You two need to talk,” Jace stepped away and was immediately replaced by Dane who took his sister in his arms.

  “Oh Luce, I had no clue you thought that,” he said as he stroked her hair. Lucy cried softly, and it all came out; the guilt, the pain. Dane held her until she had nothing left. Jace had tried to leave, but she grabbed his hand to stop him. He’d sat next to her then and rubbed her back.

  “You know I talked this over with dad in the summer and do you know what stopped mum drinking and made her decide to get dry?” he looked at her, and she shook her head. “It was you. You told her you didn’t want her to die and apparently it was a wake-up call. She emptied every drink down the drain that day.”

  “She did?” she asked.

  Dane nodded, “She did.”

  “So you don’t blame me?” She asked her brother, her first real hero.

  “Oh, Luce of course not. I love you, I always have. You're my baby sister and always will be. I think we all have scars from what happened to us, but we all need to start realising this is not on us. We didn’t do this it was done to us. I know I’m as guilty as you at blaming myself, but I promise to try to focus the blame wher
e it’s deserved if you will.”

  “Deal,” Lucy answered and knew that these two men right here were the best men that ever walked the earth.

  Dane rose and ruffled her hair. “Okay Bratfink,” he looked out the window, “it’s too late to scope out the facility now so try and get your head down for a few hours.”

  Luce nodded and lay down, too emotionally exhausted to argue. Jace walked Dane to the door and slipped out behind him.

  Lucy felt free, free and clean. Talking to Dane and Jace made her realise that it wasn’t her fault. She felt Jace come back in, gently undress her and tuck her in. He slipped into bed behind her, and she went willingly as he pulled her to him and spooned her.

  Her eyes grew heavy, and she drifted into sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Jace opened his eyes and lay with the love of his life in his arms. When she had opened up last night and told him how she felt it had broken his heart. He’d wanted to kill the person responsible for hurting her all these years. Seeing Dane so broken up had been hard too. The man was one of his best friends, and by the look on his face he had been destroyed. Luce had slept in his arms all night, and if he was honest, he was loathe to let her go.

  He hoped what he had said to her had gotten through. If it hadn’t then he was going to make sure she got some counselling. She needed to let this go.

  He felt her stir in his arms and looked down as her eyes flickered and opened.

  “Hey,” he said and saw her tentative smile.

  “Hey, what time is it?”

  “A little after 4pm” He watched as she stretched and felt his dick stir. God, she was beautiful.

  “I need to get up and get showered,” she said and smiled as he grinned at her.

  “Good idea,” he said and nuzzled her neck as his hands cupped her ass cheeks.

  “Jace,”