Stryker (Books 1 & 2) (Atrox Security)

by J. C. Cliff

  “Not funny, dude,” he growls.

  Celia, on the other hand, is not done harassing Hunter. I don’t think she can help herself. She holds up a banana, its peel halfway off. “Would you like me to demonstrate how it’s done? You know, proper form and all?” She then lets out a long, low moan as she wraps her lips around the banana in a show of lascivious pleasure to be had by her mouth.

  “Son of a fucking bitch,” he hisses. “Do you have no shame?” he asks Celia.

  She lets out a fake resigned sigh then simply looks him in the eye, telling him, “Nope.”

  I’m laughing my ass off, wiping tears from the corners of my eyes.

  Hunter reaches onto my plate, grabbing a slice of bread, and it’s evident he’s pissed, which makes want to laugh even harder. I know the man was hungry when we sat down to eat, and she just ruined his appetite. “I’m just gonna eat some fuckin’ bread.”

  We both watch with mirth as he squirts ketchup on my bread then wraps it up in a roll. As he takes a bite, Celia’s dirty mouth returns. “Yeah, it’s much better when the wiener’s in the bun.” She gives him a forlorn look, as if she’s truly longing for his dick. “That’s my favorite way to take it.”

  “Fucking hell,” he barks out. He slams his uneaten dinner onto the table then walks away for good this time. I can’t stop laughing, and I imagine the man will never be able to eat another hotdog the same for the rest of his life.

  CHAPTER 33

  ~ Stryker ~

  I knew I was in deep trouble the second Quinn paired me up with Valerie. I was mixing business with pleasure, and I didn’t give a damn. I already know she’s innocent. My gut feeling knew it the first second I found out we had to investigate her. Her heart is pure, through and through. Working so closely with her in the clinic these past few days, and watching her exude such a genuine concern for our patients, tells me she hasn’t changed a bit.

  It doesn’t matter how much money she has in the bank. She’s still going to be the demure, graceful, and kind woman who would give her last dollar to help someone in need. Her true spirit is a noble one; it always has been. Of course, leave it to me to bring out the worst in her, but when she’s not pissed off at me, she’s still the same beautiful woman I once knew.

  On some off-chance she isn’t innocent, I have no heartburn about having to put my comrades first. I have a sworn duty to them first and foremost. As callous as that sounds, it’s the only thing that keeps us alive on these undercover ops.

  Our trip is half over, and the more hours that pass by with nothing happening, the more restless and edgy Hunter and I get. The drones are picking up no abnormal activity, absolutely nothing. Hunter has been trying his damnedest to get Celia to open up about her personal life, but she always finds a way to skirt around the subject. I’ve gotta hand it to him; he’s really trying to get under her skin, and I know he hates every minute of it.

  I wipe the sweat from my brow as I sit down with lunch in hand, taking a much-needed break. Our volunteer groups are spending the day in a small village of sorts to help dig trenches and lay down pipes in order to bring the people water.

  Water is a serious issue here. It’s a commodity that we, who live in America, take for granted. It amazes me how these people can go anywhere from a few days to a few months without having water on hand. They literally have to go in search for their own water in order to survive. It’s a sobering thought.

  Our group alone must’ve laid over one and a half mile of PVC piping to connect to a clean underground source, which had no reported parasites. The next wave of missionaries will do the more delicate work of getting the water to the insides of the houses, or should I say huts. The villagers live in huts that have zero walls. They have no privacy, yet they are happily living with a simple roof over their head.

  I sit back and take a large swig of water, thinking when one goes to another country, they go with the thoughts of making a change in someone’s life. Truth is, those underprivileged people wind up changing your life. I’ve spent some rough times over in Afghanistan, but this is different. The people here are appreciative, grateful for any help.

  I take my time as I scan over the surrounding area, just like I’ve done all day, and every day before this. I keep guard, even though the Darian Police are with us every minute of the day. The area we’re in now is very untouched. Dirt roads full of potholes and pure jungle with banana leaves twelve feet long surround us for miles.

  I smile the second I see Valerie walking my way. Last night, she wore a wraparound bright floral skirt given to her by the village, and she looked hot as sin in it. Today, however, she’s in tight jean shorts and an old Rolling Stones T-shirt that clings to her every curve. It doesn’t matter what she wears; through my eyes, the woman could look good in a ratty, old canvas sack.

  Her hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail, a few stray pieces framing her face. Her ponytail swishes from side to side as she sashays toward me. She’s a beautiful, disheveled mess, and I want my hands all over her.

  Her smile meets mine as she sits down beside me. “Phew,” she sighs heavily. “That was a real workout.” She pauses, locking her sights on something ahead of her, and then shakes her head. I follow her line of sight to see she’s eyeing Celia. “How anybody can wear makeup in this heat is beyond me. That girl will always be high maintenance. You know the kind. They have to bring their hairdryer and curling iron along on a camping trip that houses no electricity.”

  “And fifty pairs of shoes?” I grin at her.

  “Yeah, that too.” She leans over and gives me a kiss on the lips, which doesn’t last as long as I’d like. “Have you heard from your sister today?”

  I frown and shake my head. “I sent her a text, but I’ve heard nothing. She’s bad about responding, always has been, but I thought this time would be different. Especially with me out of the country, I don’t think she realizes how much I need to know she’s okay, or that it does me good just to hear from her on a daily basis.”

  “Maybe you should call the nursing home and just check up on her,” she suggests.

  “Yeah, I might do that.” Valerie looks fidgety all of a sudden, and I wonder what her deal is. “What’s wrong?” She puts down her plate of food and rubs her hands together before she turns to the side to fully face me. I raise my brows at her quirkiness. “Uh-oh, this doesn't give me a good feeling.” I can tell she's nervous and really doesn't want to speak, so I push her. “Valerie, come on, spill it.”

  “I haven’t told you one of the main reasons why I’m here on this trip,” she says quietly, biting her lip. I give her a hand gesture to continue. “Well, in a couple more days, we’re going to have a groundbreaking ceremony for a new clinic. It’s going to be in honor of Graham and me.”

  “I see,” I reply tightly. Even though I knew these details, hearing her say ‘Graham and me’ is like nails on a chalkboard. I can’t believe I’m fucking jealous of a dead man. “That’s not a problem, Val,” I try to assure her, but my voice comes out tense. “You had no idea we were going to happen, and the clinic isn’t about us. It’s about the people getting a building so they can receive healthcare. I think I can survive that.”

  Her shoulders sag in relief, her emerald eyes looking at me with what I hope is true love. She sits on her knees to wrap her arms around my neck, giving me a hug. “Thank you for understanding.”

  I grab her by the waist and pull her into me, but only for a brief moment. It’s too hot out to be combining our body heat. When she sits back on her heels, she gives me the most beautiful smile, and I wonder what the fuck she’s thinking about now.

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you have a fetish for backpacks. I’ve never seen you more than five feet away from it this entire week. Even when we were laying water pipes, you kept it with you. I caught you always glancing at it, making sure no one took it. What do you have in there anyway, gold?”

  “Why are you picking on me?”

  “Because I can,”
she says, sitting up a little straighter. I laugh softly at her false bravado. “Well, if you’re not going to tell me, I suppose I’ll just have to take a look for myself.” She leans over me, reaching out to make a grab for my bag, and I immediately grab her arm, pulling her back into me. She loses her balance, laughing out loud with a squeal as I start to tickle her underneath her ribs. She tries to fight me off, but she’s no match for my strength.

  “It’s off-limits.”

  “Okay, okay,” she laughs hysterically. “I won’t touch it.”

  I stop tickling her and give her a serious glare. “I’m not fucking around with my backpack.”

  “Okay, sheesh. A little touchy, are we?”

  I playfully swat her on the ass when the watch on my left hand begins vibrating. It stuns me stupid for what seems like minutes, but I know it’s only been a second. I instantly react and let go of Valerie. I push a few buttons on the side of my watch and my heart starts beating out of control. It’s Quinn’s alert, warning us there’s approaching danger. This right here is what we’ve been trained for, day in and day out, and I thank fuck for muscle memory. Otherwise, I’d be running in circles.

  I jump up, throw the half opened water bottle into the side of my bag before I lift it over my shoulders, and strap it on. I look down at Valerie, who’s looking at me with great confusion.

  “Give me your hand,” I demand, as I hold out mine for her to take. Military mode must be written all over my face, because she looks fearful, but at least she listens and doesn’t give me any lip. Slipping her hand in mine, she shakily gets to her feet.

  I feel infinitesimally better knowing I’ve got a death grip on her, because I don’t plan on letting her go. I almost frantically begin scanning the area for Hunter, and fuck me, he’s quicker than I gave him credit for. He’s already at our bus, pulling out his backpack from the outside storage compartment. He was true to his word that he’d get his gear within seconds of an alert. It’s an odd feeling to know ahead of time that something’s getting ready to go down, while everyone else around you is clueless and going about their normal activities.

  “Stryker—” Valerie starts off in a wary voice, but I cut her off, ignoring her unspoken question.

  “Not now,” I warn, as I tug at her hand, pulling her along with me at a fast clip, but not too fast. I don’t want to draw attention to us. Hunter meets us halfway to the tree line with Celia on his heels, and she is looking just as confused as Valerie.

  This is it; some serious shit is about to go down. This is what Hunter and I have been trained for. Quinn wouldn’t have sent the alarm signal if he wasn’t a hundred-and-ten percent sure danger is fast approaching. I know it, and Hunter knows it. I don’t know how long we have, but neither of us is going to hang around to find out. All four of us take off in a casual but quick pace, so we can disappear into the thick of the jungle.

  Right now, I am thankful for the due diligence and time Hunter and I had put in. Every night after dinner, we’d review and plan for all the what-ifs. Then, depending on the different locations our volunteer group was going to be at the next day, we’d outline and restructure our strategies by formulating a new plan if anything were to go awry. If we had not have done that, we’d be so screwed right now, because this place is not only in the middle of nowhere, but there’s zero backup close by. We are officially on our own, and knowing that doesn’t settle very well in my gut.

  I turn around and grasp Valerie by her cheeks to shush her little tirade of panic. Her eyes are wide with confusion and a whole lot of apprehension, knowing something isn’t quite right. “It’s going to be okay,” I lie. I don’t know jack-shit. The only thing I know is we have to leave. At least we have the proper footwear, clothing, and bug spray on. God knows it’d suck to have to run out in the middle of the night in our underwear if we were at camp. I’m being facetious, but not by much, because every second counts in this type of situation. “Something bad is about to go down. I have no idea what that is, but you’ve got to trust me. We’ve got to move out.”

  “How… how do you know this?” she asks, trembling from head to toe. I glance over her shoulder to find Hunter looking as if he’s about to come unglued. I bet if he had his way, he’d duct tape Celia’s mouth shut and keep things moving.

  Hunter’s voice breaks in, talking over Celia’s ranting to shut her up. “You women can ask questions later,” he says in a gruff and urgent tone. “I will explain this once, and only once, and then everyone shuts the fuck up and follows orders, understand?” He doesn’t wait for a response from either woman, as he continues, “I’ve been alerted by the Darien Police to incoming danger. The other people will be fine. I’m sure of it. Since the police got to know Stryker and me, and knowing we basically hooked up with the two of you, they told us to get you both out of here and find safety. I think the police are thinking it has to do with Valerie’s net worth, but who the fuck knows? I’m not about to hang around and find out.”

  Valerie gasps and squeezes my hand.

  “Babe, you have to pull your shit together. You know I’ve got military survival skills,” I pause, nodding toward Hunter, “and so does he. Stay calm and listen to our every command, and the both of you will come out of this in one piece. I’m not going to let anything happen to you, got it?” I’m serious when I say I will protect her.

  Valerie’s all shook up and fucking clueless. I glance over at Celia, who looks more put out than she is scared.

  “Let’s roll out,” Hunter growls with a no-bullshit demeanor. Thankfully, both women listen and keep quiet. A few more steps deeper into the thick of the jungle, and I hear what sounds to be an entourage of heavy vehicles entering the village. I think they’re coming in at a fairly high speed, because I can almost hear the thick dust kicking up from underneath the wheels of their tires.

  Hunter and I pause to peer through the brush, and spot five black SUVs as they come to a screeching halt. All the doors on the vehicles seem to open at once then a swarm of men exit with precision and speed. All of them are dressed in black with their weapons drawn, and then chaos erupts.

  Everyone starts shouting in Spanish. The locals and volunteers are either screaming, running to hide, or standing still in shock as they realize the men in black are armed and dangerous.

  “Fuck,” I mumble. We don’t have much time to disappear before they start searching the jungle’s perimeter. “Plan C?” I ask Hunter with a sideways glance.

  “Yep,” he drawls out the word, calm, cool, and collected, but I know he’s anything but.

  CHAPTER 34

  ~Valerie ~

  The hair-raising sound of my name being shouted out by one of the armed men carried itself across the small field and seemed to echo in my head. My heart is pounding so hard I think it’s going to explode through my breastbone. I can’t process what is happening, but Stryker has, because I find myself stumbling on my own two feet as he gives me a hard tug, pulling me away from the tree line.

  I’m too scared to utter a sound, and I’m more intimidated by Hunter’s rough demeanor. His eyes were stormy when he told us to shut up, and I knew he meant business. I wasn’t going to dare open my mouth and push the limits. Apparently, Celia must’ve felt the same way, because she didn’t utter a peep, which is totally unlike her in any given situation. She always has to put in her two cents.

  I was astounded to see both men produce not only a pistol, but a decent-sized machete from their backpacks as well. There was no time to think about that, though, because the loud shouting and screaming from the scene we were leaving behind was more than frightening, especially when I heard my name being called out. Stryker must’ve known how scared I was, because he held my hand in a death grip, not willing to let go of me until he felt I could hold my own.

  Because the jungle is fairly thick, we can’t really run, but we’re not walking either. Both men have been whacking away at foliage left and right to make a small path for us to slip through. The adrenaline is coursing through
my veins so thickly I don’t even feel the scrapes and lacerations against my arms and legs.

  I have no idea where the men are taking us, and I’m not sure they themselves know where we’re headed, but they sure as heck look like they know what they’re doing. Heaven knows, I’m not going to ask where we’re headed. Hunter is in the lead, his strong muscled swing every bit as thunderous and determined as Stryker’s. Celia is almost sandwiched between the two men, while I bring up the rear, gripping the back of Stryker’s backpack with white knuckles as if he might disappear before my eyes.

  It’s hot and humid, and I know if I’m drenched with sweat, so is everyone else, especially the men who are doing all the manual labor to cut through the terrain. Plus, they both have been wearing long camouflage pants all morning in this heat.

  It feels as if we’ve been cutting our way through miles of tangled masses of underbrush forever, and during some of that time, questions have been spinning endlessly around in my head. I have to question whether or not what Hunter said about the Darian Police is true. Had the police really been expecting something like this? If so, why didn’t they make me privy to their concerns and be the ones to protect me? Why pawn me off like that?

  It’s awfully suspicious the way Stryker had gone all tense and commando the second he started messing with his watch. I don’t even know what that was about. Yes, he has a very complex watch, and I have not the first clue what it does.

  I wipe the sweat from my forehead using the lower portion of my shirt as we thankfully come to a small clearing. Hunter and Stryker speak a few mumbled words among each other, and then before I know it, Stryker is pulling me in the opposite direction of Celia.

  “What’s going on? No. Stop!” I hoarsely cry out, as I’m being led away. Despite my muscles being tired and achy, I fight against Stryker’s hold, not willing to separate from Celia. As I watch her being led away by Hunter, I grow more frantic. The back of my head promptly slams into a hard brick wall, which turns out to be Stryker’s chest. I lean my head back, peer up at those bright and intense eyes of his, and go immediately quiet.