The Tower (The Tarot Series Book 1)

by Rhylee Davidson

  As they make their silent approach over the compound, the first chopper, Helo-one, is caught in its own rotor wash as it descends. Too close to the ground for the pilot to recover, the pilot scraps the plan for his passengers to fast-rope down and heads toward an area to the back of the compound where animal pens are located. Scraping the security wall with its rear rotor, the SEALs brace themselves for impact as the pilot jams the nose of Helo-one into the dirt to keep the Black Hawk from rolling onto its side.

  Watching from above in Helo-two, and unsure of the conditions creating the problem with Helo-one, the pilots in Helo-two decide to put their Black Hawk down in a grassy field across the street from the compound.

  Radio silence is broken as the team from Helo-one calmly announces they are proceeding with the mission. The team files out of the side of the helicopter. The three lead SEALs in the group break off to clear the guesthouse. They are greeted by gunfire from one of their known targets. They take him out with a bullet to the chest; meanwhile, the remaining nine from Helo-one split off into groups of three to clear the courtyard.

  At the same time, Gage and the remainder of the SEAL team disembark from Helo-two. Leaving a four man SEAL team and the Pakistani-American translator, who is dressed like a Pakistani police officer, to close off the perimeter of the house, Gage and the remaining six SEALs make their way to the compound across the street, blast through a metal gate with C4, and move in unison inside.

  Gage breaks off from the team from Helo-two, who is left to patrol the inside perimeter of the compound, and joins up with the team from Helo-one, just as they are entering the ground floor of the house. Clearing the room, they blast another locked gate at the foot of the stairs leading to the second floor of the residence. Gage and three of the SEALs head into the stairwell, where they take gunfire. Firing back, at least two of the rounds hit the man that is later identified as one of the adult sons of their main target.

  Ascending the stairs to the second floor alone, Gage steps over the body and rounds the corner with his weapon drawn, entering the room. Motioning for the SEALs in the stairwell to follow, Gage swings back around, senses movement across the room, and fires. The bullet finds its mark above the left eye of a man with a gun who was using a woman as a shield. The man flies backward and is dead before ever hitting the ground. The SEAL team enters the room just as the woman picks herself up off the ground and rushes them. Gage lowers his weapon and with lightning fast reflexes, grabs her, lifts her off her feet, swings her around so her back is to him, while using his hands to wrap her arms into a strait jacket hold. Handing her off to one of the members of the SEAL team, Gage leaves them to clear the room. While they follow orders and stay behind, he enters the stairwell and heads to the third floor. This is where his main target is supposed to be.

  As Gage takes the turn in the stairwell between the second and third floor, he stops at the landing, making sure no one is peering out at him from above or below and quickly lays his gun down, strips off his clothes, and changes into panther form. Normally, he works alone and would not take such a huge risk in the middle of a job, but this mission is different. His target has to be taken out. There’s no room for mistakes. No “accident” or “unexplained disappearance” will do. This time, it will be known not only to the nation, but across the world, that this person is dead and that the United States is responsible.

  Not wanting to leave himself defenseless for too long, he rushes through the change, making it excruciatingly more painful. He feels as though he is being torn apart as the bone, muscle and sinew melt and reform at rapid speed. His facial features are changed, teeth become sharp and elongated for tearing at their prey, his eyes now bright green and catlike, a tail forms while black fur spreads all over his body. Hands and feet reform into paws with long sharp claws protruding from them. Becoming one with the darkness, the panther stealthily makes his way through the stairwell to the third floor, where he will stalk and kill his prey.

  Gage enters the room inhaling a deep breath, sniffing at the air, and immediately can smell the fear wafting through the room at the sight of him. Confusion and disbelief are etched on their faces — he is obviously not what the inhabitants of the room are expecting. They expect a unit of military men with automatic weapons to come through the door, not one hundred and seventy five pounds of pure muscle and fury.

  The three men begin to slowly back up as a low growl escapes from the advancing panther. As the man on the right turns to head into an adjoining room, Gage runs and jumps at another man standing directly in front of him. The man raises the Glock in his right hand to take aim at the beast before him, but the panther pounces on his chest, sending the weapon sliding across the bare wooden floor. The man reaches into his boot, pulling out a sharp hunting knife. Swinging at Gage, he catches him in the rib cage on his right side with a slicing motion. It stings like hell, but Gage can tell it’s only a flesh wound. Rage and anger surge inside him as he extends his claws, raking them deeply across the arm that holds the knife. The man shrieks in pain, dropping the knife to the ground while the panther finishes him off with a quick swipe of his paw across his neck, tearing through his carotid artery, leaving him to bleed out as he goes after the second man still in the room. The man turns to run, never a good idea with a panther on your heels, and trips, falling onto his stomach an arm’s length from the Glock lying on the floor. Struggling to get to the gun, the Middle Eastern man stretches out his arm as far as he possibly can, but he’s a fingertip short from reaching it. Gage runs at the man, jumping on his back with such force that his spine snaps with a sickly sound. Paralyzed, he lays face down on his stomach. Not wanting to leave the murdering bastard out of his sight while still alive, Gage sinks his teeth into the tender flesh of his shoulder, dragging him like a piece of meat into the room where his real target lies in wait.

  At the movement in the room, the target takes aim at the darkness, missing the panther and hitting a piece of metal pipe, causing the bullet to ricochet and hit the paralyzed man on the floor, killing him with a head shot.

  As the man is pulling the trigger, Gage circles back around behind him. The target turns and the panther pounces onto his chest with claws extended, inserting them into his flesh as he falls to the ground with the panther on top of him. Gage’s orders are simply this, “Take him out quickly and painfully.”

  This is no problem for the soldier who can change from man to beast. In beast form he enjoys his job a little too much, clawing and mauling, tearing and shredding the flesh from his prey’s bones. The man’s blood-curdling screams fill his ears, which only feeds the uncontrollable rage inside him. When the man’s body is mostly stripped of its flesh, the panther goes in for the kill, sinking its sharp teeth into his victim’s neck, allowing the warmth of the metallic-smelling red liquid to flow over his teeth and tongue. With a powerful clamping motion of his jaws and turn of his head, the panther rips out his victim’s throat. Just like that, the most evil of men lay before him, life extinguished, and the cold, dark unseeing eyes of a corpse stuck open in terror for eternity as his last breath is ripped from him.

  Gage has no remorse for what he’s done. If he believes in heaven and hell or some higher power, he could swear that he sees a dark smoky cloud escape from the corpse and slither like a snake down through the floor boards. The blackest of souls, heading to the depths of hell, to spend an eternity being tortured and filled with misery. One can only hope, the same kind of torture and misery he caused so many others during his time here on earth. IF he believed in such things, he would call it justice…IF he believed…but he doesn’t.

  Chapter Nineteen

  May 1st 11:00 P.M. EDT

  “Your tattoo is badass, Kat.”

  “Thanks Tony! Not as badass as yours is gonna be when it’s finished, but I do love it.”

  “Alex, you and your work are awesome. Thanks for taking me so late in the day. I really appreciate it.”

  “Anything for a friend of Bre’s. I’m just gla
d you’re happy with it.”

  “I’m beyond happy with it. You’re really talented, Alex. I haven’t ever seen tattoos quite like the ones you do. They have a very unique lifelike quality. They’re almost…three dimensional, and so beautiful. I keep expecting Tony’s dragon to start moving on its own. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.”

  “Thanks for the compliment, Kat. It means a lot coming from another artist.”

  “Another artist? Bre drew it, not me.”

  “You’re right, Bre is really talented, but I was speaking of you. Just because I’m a tattoo artist doesn’t mean I’m totally uncultured,” he says grinning slyly. “I’ve actually been to the ballet before, although I admit, I was dragged there by a now ex-girlfriend. I’ve seen you dance. I know who you are, Katrina Jameson.”

  Choking on the sip of bottled water she is in the middle of drinking, Katrina looks up at Alex in disbelief. And I thought I did such a great job of disappearing.

  “The only thing I’m wondering is why a famous ballerina would mark her body with a tattoo. Isn’t there some kind of rule against that or something?”

  “Maybe…but it doesn’t really matter, because I don’t dance anymore. I’ve decided to stop living my life for other people and instead I’m doing what I want to for the first time in my life.”

  “Good for you, Kat. My motto’s live for today, because you may not be here tomorrow.”

  “So Tony, since when do you rip off your shirt to show someone half-done ink? That’s not like you. You usually won’t let anyone see your tats until they’re complete.”

  Tony just shrugs and grins while Kat clears her throat, turning an embarrassing shade of red.

  A few hours after returning to base and having his wounds treated, Gage boards the Boeing C135-C transport for the long return trip home to the states. Before the plane takes off, he grabs his laptop from his gear, boots it up, logs in, and checks his overseas bank account for the second wire transfer. The balance due, now that the job is complete. The money is there, just as he expected it to be. This particular target came with an eight-figure payday, and obviously someone is happy because there’s an unexpected six-figure bonus sitting in the account as well.

  Smiling, he shuts off the computer, stows it away, buckles himself in, closes his eyes and dozes off as the plane becomes airborne.

  11:30 P.M. EDT

  Kat unlocks the front door and flips on the flat screen while walking to the kitchen. “Thanks for bringing me by the house so I can get Max out and fed, Tony.”

  “No problem. We can pick up your car later, if you want.”

  “Sounds good. It’s too bad Bre had to cut out early to go to class. She didn’t even get to see the finished product.”

  “You can show her later.”

  “Thanks for staying with me while I was having it done. I really appreciate you hanging out. It actually took longer than I expected, but it was well worth it. Alex does really great work and it came out better than I could have imagined. I feel like I’m wearing an expensive piece of art.”

  “You’re right. Alex is the best in the biz. People wait for months to get in to see him. He’s always booked really far in advance.”

  “Wow, then how was I able to get in tonight?”

  “He took you after hours. I think he has a thing for Bre. He doesn’t do that for just anyone.”

  “Does Bre know? I mean, Alex is gorgeous. What is she waiting for?”

  “You know Bre, she’s so into school and art right now I don’t think she’s picking up on the signals. Enough about Bre. It’s too weird talking about my sister’s love life or lack thereof.”

  Standing in front of the full length mirror, Kat pulls up the front of her shirt, unbuttons the top of her low rise jeans and slides the zipper part way down, exposing her entire lower abdominal area where the new tattoo is located just left of her hip bone. “So what do you think? Do you really like it? I can’t stop looking at it,” she asks while turning to face Tony,

  “Yeah I really like it, but it’s not the tattoo I can’t stop looking at, it’s you! It was torture being in that room with you at Savage Ink, watching Alex with his hands all over you. I wanted it to be my hands on you, sliding down the front of your jeans, caressing you all over.”

  “Really, I had no idea it was so difficult for you to watch me having my tattoo done.”

  “Yes you did. I could tell each time I caught you looking over at me that you knew exactly what it was doing to me and you seemed to be enjoying it a little too much.”

  Grinning Kat confesses, “Alright, I knew. And after last night, I was a little bit glad it seemed to be driving you crazy. Look Tony, I get it. I don’t want you to get hurt and I can’t promise you anything more than casual, and that’s because I don’t know what I want out of life, yet. I don’t want anything to ever ruin our friendship either, so if having a casual relationship with me is too much for you to handle, tell me now and I won’t go there again. But, I’m just so sick of being the good girl; the responsible one who always weighs her options and looks for the consequences around every corner. I know I’m being reckless right now, but I want to be. I’m tired of thinking all the time. All I know is that right here, right now, no matter what that tarot reading says, in this moment, I want you, and if you’re feeling the same way, please let me know.” Fidgeting, she looks down at the floor.

  Moving swiftly, Tony closes the distance between them, places her face in his hands and greedily takes her mouth and tongue with his. Releasing a moan from her lips, she instantly becomes wet, feeling his erection straining against her. Not allowing time for either of them to change their mind, he lifts her into his arms, climbing the steps to her bedroom two by two, all while whispering in her ear, “Yes, I want you too, and I can handle whatever happens next.”

  11:34 P.M. EDT

  Breaking News…The President is to address the Nation from the East Room of the White House in just a few minutes on what we are told is an urgent matter of national security.

  11:35 P.M. EDT

  THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children…

  Chapter Twenty

  Four Days Later

  Climbing out of bed, his body still stiff and sore from the now mostly healed knife wound he acquired a few nights earlier, Gage heads to the freezer, pulls out a large steak, throws it in a pan and under the broiler for a few minutes on each side. To help expedite the healing process, he quickly consumes the mostly raw meat for dinner while foregoing any vegetables or other side items. Dropping his empty dish into the sink, he heads to the bathroom for a hot shower, putting on a green t-shirt with the outline of a candy skull on it and dressing in all black from the waist down. Gage jumps on his Ducati and heads to The Pit early to get caught up on orders and paperwork.

  When Gage finally emerges from his office shortly after ten o’clock, the club is mostly full, the band is on stage, and there are lines of people at the front door waiting to get in. Looks like it’s going to be a good night, he thinks to himself. He isn’t out of his office for more than five minutes before a blonde and a redhead from the track both appear at his side.

  “Hi Gage,” they chime in unison.

  “Chris, Lindsey, what are you ladies up to tonight? Trouble, I’ll bet.”

  Both grinning, Lindsey, the redhead speaks up first, “You know us, trouble is our middle name. Actually we were looking for you. Haven’t seen you around here in almost a week, or out at the track either. What have you been up to?”

  “Aw, you ladies didn’t miss me now, did ya? I’m sure you found something to do to occupy your time. Now follow me over to the bar and I’ll buy you a drink. What would you like?” he drawls.

  “I did miss you Gage, and what I’d like tonight�
��is you,” Chris purrs while combing her long fingers through his hair. Closing the distance between them, she presses her body against his while planting a long, hot, wet kiss on him, which he gladly returns. While Chris has her tongue in Gage’s mouth, Lindsey comes up beside them. Placing her hand on his ass, she whispers in his ear, “We both missed you and tonight, we’d both like to show you how much. We don’t mind sharing, actually we like it.” Turning to Lindsey, Chris teases her right nipple, exchanging a long kiss with her before they separate. Gage grins, watching the scene unfolding in front of him before Lindsey turns to him to take a turn tasting his tongue and lips.

  When they finally separate, Gage ushers them towards the bar. “Come on, let’s get those drinks.” He orders a couple of shots of tequila with beer chasers. Grinning, he thinks, why not? It’s not like I haven’t slept with both of them before, just not at the same time. A night of nasty, mind-blowing sex with both of them in my bed is just what the doctor ordered. “I don’t get off work for a few more hours, so if you don’t mind waiting, I think I’d really enjoy you both showing me how much I was missed.”

  “We’ll wait.”

  From across the room Katrina watches the entire scene with Gage and the bimbettes. Even though she is at the club with a group of people, including Tony and Bre, she is taken by surprise at her violent reaction to what she’s witnessing. She’s pissed, hurt, furious — well hell, she can’t classify how strongly she feels. I’m about to drag those bitches off of Gage and out the front door by their poorly colored roots; then beat the shit out of both of them!