by Emily Snow
“Fine, Snitch. I was the one that initiated it, but the team agreed.”
“Why does everyone have to go down with this sinking ship?”
B.B. was standing in the doorway along with the rest of the group.
“That’s the way things work. If I’m going down, we’re all going down because I’m taking each of you with me.”
“I think we might need to vote her off the island. She missed the ‘code of silence’ honor code that happened when we entered this building.”
Wellsie leaned against the back wall, but her voice was clearly heard above the others.
“I believe the key to that statement was ‘with.’ The rest of the phrasing was off. This is our team and our mission. There’s enough of us to do the heavy lifting without sacrificing every member. Ghost, Lucky, and Proph remain at the fort while the rest of us head out for the mission.”
The team snickered at Charlie Boy’s attempt to include himself.
“Nice try, Charlie Boy, but you’re remaining here with ma and paw until we see fit for you to go out and get your feet wet.”
“Damn. I think that statement just made the situation worse.”
“All right, crew. I’m in house and so is Isa. You’re down two. Put your game faces on.” Looking to Sam, he added, “Bring Ming Ni home.”
The Sneak Attack – Chapter 9
The crackle of the line between the communication devices was starting to grate on Brian’s nerves as he listened in on the team’s progress. Sam, Trig, B.B., Wellsie, and Hounder were all in the field. They’d learned that Ming Ni was being held in a warehouse behind the children’s museum. Proph had eyes on her. She was clearly visible in the video feed and was bearing no marks. Brian would have lost his shit if she had one scratch and it wasn’t even his baby girl. He paced the floor as the team moved to surround the building.
Trig had just announced he had eyes on Lang and Jeremy. He knew when the time was right, the necessary shots would be fired. He trusted Trig with his life and his family’s safety. He knew he had the best man leading the team on this op.
“Where’s Sharp?” Brian asked.
“She’s moving in as is the rest of the crew,” Proph responded.
Isa came and placed her face against his back and he instantly stopped moving.
“Breathe, Big Dog. Breathe.”
He saw Charlie Boy and Proph smile before going back to monitoring their screens.
“Waiting for the go sign,” Wellsie called out.
“Ready.” The rest of the team called out in hushed tones.
Three chimes were sent to their comms and they were in motion. The entire building went dark. Brian itched to move, but Isa held tight to him, preventing him from going anywhere.
“In,” she took a deep breath then let it out. “Out.”
Brian did as she requested. It wasn’t settling him at first. A loud bang caused them both to jump and turn toward the monitors.
“I’m in the room we believed they were holding Ming. Nothing yet.”
B.B.’s voice was clear and echoed somewhat as Sam’s voice was heard.
“Ming. Beautiful girl, are you alright?”
They could hear the pain and relief in Sam’s voice. Each of them knew what it meant for her to be there when her child was found. Brian took a deep breath.
“Now, they just have to get out of there. Unharmed would be …”
Brian couldn’t finish his statement as shots were fired and grunts of hand-to-hand combat began to filter through the speakers. Isa’s hold on him tightened. He figured that was more so for her than for his benefit. In the mist of the commotion, he heard Trig’s voice.
“Lang’s down and so is Jeremy. Lang shot him before I could tranq him.”
He sounded like he was in motion.
“I’m fine, Mommy. Daddy said you wouldn’t be the one to come and get me. We’ve had fun. Daddy and me, we went to the museum yesterday.”
“What, honey? What do you mean Daddy went to the museum?”
“Fuck. Paul Wilder is in the building, Lead Dog. He’s got friends with him. Including Collin Mercer.”
More grunting, shots fired, and a feminine groan were heard before all sound ceased.
“What the … Proph, why am I not hearing anything from the team?”
“Give me a moment. I don’t know what happened.”
“Taps, shoot this bastard. I know. It’s him or me, Babe. Him or me.”
Shots were fired again and Brian wanted to put his fist through a wall. He was practically vibrating, he was so anxious.
“Fuck you, bitch. Your father pulled my rank because some slut said ‘bad form or some shit like that.”
“Daddy cursed.”
Grunting, shots, and the sound of a knife whipping through the air could be heard through the speakers. Trig, Wellsie, and Hounder were fighting their way to the room. Sam had been making her way back out of the room when Paul, the other heat signature in the room, appeared.
“He never wanted us … Aah!” Paul’s screams could be heard before he spoke again. “I did this for us. I’ll see us all dead before I’m without what’s mine again.”
“Bomb!” Sam and B.B.’s voice rang out at the same time.
A loud blast could be heard a few moments later before the signal was completely lost.
“Holy fuck! Where are they? Where’s the team?” Brian asked and watched as Proph frantically punched keys while tapping screens. Charlie Boy was doing the same thing. Isa was sitting down, fighting to stave off the tears.
Twenty-eight and a half minutes was how long they had to wait before word came in the form of six coughing adult humans coming through the front door and a small child resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. Brian sagged against the wall, relief pouring out of him in waves. Isa ran to each of them and gave them hugs while Trig dragged Paul Wilder into the office.
“How did you guys get out of there in time and away from the bomb?” Brian asked.
“Charlie Boy. I remembered what he’d told us about the passages. There was one under the closet where they were holding Ming Ni.”
Charlie’s chest puffed up in pride. The team gave Brian a quick verbal play-by-play before heading off to handle their reports then left to get clean and get some much needed rest. Brian felt the ability to really breathe as he watched Sam drive off with her baby. They both had finally stopped crying. Sam was crying because she had her baby and Ming because she didn’t understand the fact that her father had done something bad. Brian knew Sam would handle it. That was the good thing about the situation. Sam was given the opportunity to handle things.
* * *
“You have got to be kidding me! Are you serious with this shit right now? I am so cuntingly pissed that I can’t even function!”
The surprise of her appearance in the office doorway was one thing, but it was Isa’s words that had every head in the room turned in her direction. Brian stood and was about to make his way to her when he paused. He realized that he couldn’t go to her because the team didn’t know about the connection between the two of them just yet. Usually, relationships between team members caused major issues in the dynamic. Instead, he remained rooted to the spot where he was.
B.B. and Wellsie shared a look that said one or both of them was getting ready to lose their battle with keeping silent when Isabel was so obviously upset. Just as he expected, B.B. was the one to break down first.
“I’m sorry. I know that you’re all pissed and ready to take a life, princess, but your use of the ‘word’ cuntingly isn’t something that we can let slide.”
A couple of the guys tried to hide their smiles and laughs behind hands or by turning away from Isa’s reddening face. Isa’s response was immediate. Her gun was slammed down on the table under her right hand and her knife under her left.
“There’s nothing more that I would love to do than take the life of the bastard that thought snatching a child was a good idea or the selfish asshole
that tried to cover up his son’s involvement. If you’re ready to leap, then I am more than ready to take some of that anger and frustration out on you.”
Brian was in motion as soon as she began the last statement. Trig and Sam were closer and moved to get some distance between the two women. When Brian looked back at B.B., she only held a smirk. She didn’t look the least bit affected. She simply shrugged her shoulders.
“Who? Tell me that my father isn’t covering up Jeremy’s involvement to save face.”
Sam walked into the room with Ming Ni in tow. Ming Ni waved, but ran to Trig’s awaiting arms.
“We can deal with that if you want.”
Brian had been speaking to Sam, but looking at Isa. He wanted to know that she was okay. She nodded her head and he focused on Sam.
“No, I’ll handle this part. You did the most important part of this. I will go see the general. I’ll be back in a few days, ready to work, Sir.”
She saluted Brian. As he was about to do the same, the rest of the team mimicked her motion. It had shocked him to have these individuals from all different branches of military pay respect to him in such a manner. He was speechless.
Trig’s voice called out, “Jarhead Hunting Crew dismissed!”
Brian saluted them and they made ready to disperse.
The Surprise – Chapter 10
Sharp walked into the room and slapped a piece of paper down along with a gift box in the middle of the table. Every eye in the room focused on the box then all heads swiveled in Sharp’s direction. She quirked an eyebrow before pulling her long, dark hair up and turning for all to see. At the nape of her neck was a new tattoo. It was indistinguishable at first.
“Is that a baby’s rattle?” Sam called out as she moved to get a closer look.
“Yes, Sam. Yes, it is. The person responsible for this knows what they need to do.”
B.B. began to bust a gut laughing before speaking. “Well, my ass is out of the running on this one. I take dick. I definitely don’t give it. Don’t even have the equipment to plant a seed. That leaves you four eggheads. Hmm, our four contestants are Ghost, Charlie Boy, Trig, and Hounder.”
“Actually, Ghost is out of the running because his hand is down Isa’s shirt or up her skirt more often than not. How far along are you? If you’re within the three-month mark, then we know she has nothing to worry about. He’s been gaga for her since the day she fired a shot at him to save his life,” Trig chimed in.
“She’d shoot off a ball if she even thought I’d been laying it down anywhere else.”
“You’re damn right, my chocolate ghost. Those balls and that seed are mine. We’ve got babies to make. I expect to be a pregnant bride or damn well on my way there.”
Isabelle’s dark brown hair had grown out some from the shorter crop she’d been wearing when they’d first met her.
“That’s two down because Trig is not the type to even float in those waters. The strong, silent one would be unusually vocal if he had a bun in anyone’s oven.” Sam took in B.B.’s and Isa’s expressions before quickly adding, “What? Does he not look like the type that would willingly welcome a child into this world? Did you see how he was and is with my baby girl?”
They looked at one another before nodding in agreement. Ming Ni was in the computer room with Proph. When Wellsie walked in looking like she could spit bullets, Proph excused himself and took the little one with him. Wellsie stood leaning against the wall as everyone looked between Charlie Boy and Hounder. There was a standoff for a few moments before a hand snatched the box off the table. Dropping to his knees before her, Hounder placed kisses to her belly. The room erupted in cheers and loud raucous behavior. The other member of the team walked in and Brian noticed Trig hand off a hundred dollar bill to Proph. Brian gave Proph a questioning look. His response was to shrug his shoulders.
“What can I say? I knew,” he whispered in Brian’s direction.
Brian just chuckled as everyone that didn’t know spoke at once, trying to figure out how they hadn’t seen it before. It took everyone in the room a moment to realize that Hounder was still silent and his shoulders were shaking. Wellsie was running her hands through his hair and quietly humming. The crew looked at one another and silently agreed to give them the room.
Brian and Isa were the last to exit. As he shut the two into the conference area, Isa stroked his arm.
“Did you ever think that bringing this group together would match up so many couples?”
Brian looked at his fiancée and tilted his head in confusion. He was trying to figure out what she was talking about.
“Lucky, what are you talking about, woman?”
Her beautiful blue eyes scrutinized his face before she gave him a wicked smile.
“You really don’t know, do you? The most observant man on the planet, the one that can be completely invisible to the world doesn’t notice that six of his team members are hooking up and madly in love with one another. That. Is. Rich.”
As he tried to figure out who she could be talking about, she linked her arm through his while leaning her head on his muscled bicep. He allowed her to lead him away as he tried to figure out what the beautiful woman on his arm already knew. After strolling a few steps forward, he stopped and faced the love of his life.
“Spill woman. I think it’s my right to know what’s going on with my team.”
Snuggling up against him, she placed her hands in his back pocket. She stood on her tiptoes for a moment before he leaned down and met her lips.
“I’ll tell you, but not for the reason that you gave. I’m going to tell you because I know it’s going to shock the shit out of you.”
“That sounds like some seriously shocking news if it has the ability to clean my colon.”
Her head fell back as she laughed out loud. Planting another kiss on his lips, she then planted her feet back down on her heels.
“It is. It truly is. You’ve just learned about Hounder and Wellsie. Did you know they were together before they arrived here? Daddy issues, and not the traditional kind. B.B. and Proph are recently back together. I’ll be glad when he’s ready to trust her again.”
She paused and it took everything in him to not shake his woman. He knew she was going for the dramatic ending, but he didn’t have the patience for it.
“The last couple, Lucky, who are they?”
“Oh, that would be Trig and Sam over there. They took so long coming back because they had to stop off in her home state of Nebraska for him to meet her mother.”
Brian looked around the room and finally noticed the way those pairings gravitated toward one another. He felt bad for Charlie Boy in that moment. Isa noticed where his line of sight fell and squeezed his hand.
“Don’t even worry about it, Ghost. He’s not ready for that right now. Plus, he’s happy to celebrate his friends coming together.”
“Speaking of, are you ready to finish the plans on our coming together?”
“I am, but there’s that task that I charged you with. You ready for that?”
Stepping back, he smiled down at his soon-to-be wife.
“I’m ready for whatever you want, anytime you want it.”
Giggling, Isa took his hand and they began to move toward the door together. They called goodbyes over their shoulders, but were stopped in their tracks by a woman and man walking in the front door.
“I’m sorry. Is this J.H.C.? If so, we need to speak to a …” the male held tight to the woman who was barely standing next to him and tried to look at the piece of paper in his hand. “Sergeant Major Wallace.”
“I’m him. Who are you and how’d you get that name?”
Every person in the room was on high alert at the tone of Brian’s voice. Brian hadn’t given his name out or let anyone know what business he was in. The team had just agreed upon the J.H.C. name a few weeks back. How would anyone know to come to him for help?
“I am … we are sorry to intrude, but my sister was attacked and …�
�
The woman with an average-sized figure and dirty blonde, muddy looking hair began to openly weep as she lifted her shirt. She’d been branded. The brand read:
Sergeant Major Wallace, I’m not finished - Lang
“That bastard survived?” B.B. called out.
Before anyone could respond, the woman before them collapsed in her brother’s arms.
“Alright team. We’ve got work to do and a fucker to find, like, yesterday.”
J.H.C. was officially open for business and they would do everything in their power to get the bastard who gives sweet little Ming nightmares. As long as there was breath in his body, he would hunt that man. He knew every member of his team agreed with that plan.
“Sorry Lucky, time to go to work.”
“Give ‘em hell, Ghost. Give. Him. Hell!”
That’s exactly what he had in mind.
About the Author
Ellie Keys is an author of contemporary romance, paranormal romance and mystery. She spends a great deal of her time lending her unrelenting pen to the voices that have taken over her mind. The characters that readers will find in her works have a demanding nature. Ellie is thrilled to be able to share the stories from the wealth of works that she has created.
She lives in Georgia with her son. Her loves outside of writing are reading a good book and losing herself in a great movie. Inspiration comes from everything around her. There is a great deal in store for lovers of romance lovers and suspense seekers. She invites you to follow her.
The links:
Website: http://authorelliekeys.wix.com/novelist
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorelliekeys/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorelliekeys
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/elliekeysauthor
The Stories:
The Norton Sisters
Rayna, Zoie, Nyema, A Secret for Christmas, Chyra, Lynnia, Wynter, Happy Holidays or Not – Published