Submission is Not Enough Kobo

by Lexi Blake

  The sound she’d been waiting for reached her ears. The outer door slid open with a quiet hiss.

  So the guard was back. She looked up and there he was, all tall and broad. He was a good half a foot taller than she was and likely outweighed her by seventy pounds of muscle.

  She was going to take him if she got the chance.

  “You have a visitor,” he said in a thick accent. It sounded Eastern European.

  Was McDonald back? Because she hadn’t said everything she wanted to say to that bitch.

  The door slid open again and her heart nearly stopped.

  Theo was here.

  She pressed her hands against the glass barrier between them. “Baby, I don’t care what she’s done to you. We can bring you back.”

  He stared at her, nothing at all in his eyes.

  “Mother, do you have a good view or should I reposition the camera?” Hutch strode in behind Theo. He touched his left ear, obviously hearing something there. “Excellent.” He turned to Erin. “Hello, Argent. Did I ever thank you for all the jokes about how soft I was? How useless I was?”

  What the hell was he talking about? Had he made up some weird world in his head? “Hutch, I’ve never been anything but your friend. Please, don’t do whatever you’re about to do.”

  He pointed to a place behind him. Hutch was dressed exactly like his soldier “brothers” and had the same gun at his side. He looked far more dangerous than she could ever remember him looking. “Smile for the camera. Mother is watching. She abhors violence, of course, but she does feel like she needs to watch her experiment in action. Brother, do you remember what your orders are?”

  “Why do I have to kill the girl?” Theo asked, his brow furrowing as if he was fighting some voice in his head.

  “You don’t, baby,” she replied. How was she going to fight Theo? She couldn’t hurt him. She needed him ready to run. “You don’t have to hurt me. You don’t have to do anything she tells you.”

  Hutch leaned in, practically whispering in Theo’s ear. “You do, brother. We can’t let Mother down. You don’t want to fail your family, do you? We’re all you have in this world.”

  Theo frowned. “I don’t understand why the girl has to die.”

  He was still in there, still fighting it. They had a chance. She simply had to get through to him. “Theo, please listen to me. I’m your wife. I love you. We have a child together.”

  “Remember what Mother told you. She’ll lie because that’s what she does,” Hutch said. “She has to die because of what she did to Owen. Owen, our brother. Did you see the sores he had? The way he bled? That was all because of this woman here. She’s a doctor who preys on people. She’s killed many children.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” The nerve was too much. “I’m a doctor who kills kids?”

  Theo stared at her for a long moment before making his decision. “She told me you would try to trick me. Open the door. I’m ready.”

  Hutch nodded to the soldier. “I’m going to open the door. You keep your gun trained on her. Don’t let her out of your sights.”

  He stepped forward and placed his thumb over the reader and the cell door slid open. Hutch pulled his gun out and looked perfectly competent as he aimed it at her head.

  She held her hands up, waiting for the moment when he would be vulnerable. Erin looked between Hutch and the other gun trained on her. Hutch moved in, flanking her.

  Theo wasn’t going to use a gun, it appeared. A nasty knife was suddenly in his hand. It was big and wicked sharp. That knife had never been meant to cook with or to help a man survive in the woods. It had one purpose. To kill.

  And the love of her life was going to use it on her.

  Erin winced as she felt Hutch’s gun on the back of her neck. While she’d been watching Theo, he’d eased behind her. He’d made it impossible for her to move.

  There was only one shot she had and that was to convince Theo.

  He stalked in the room, his eyes on her. He was focused now.

  “Baby, I’m not what she says I am. She’s lying to you,” Erin pleaded. She couldn’t die this way. This couldn’t be the end of them. If he ever got his memory back, he would hate himself for what he’d done. “You love me. This is not what you want to do.”

  “Shut up,” he snarled back. “I know what you are. I know exactly what you are.”

  Hutch grabbed her hands, pulling them behind her back in his free one. “Do it, Theo. Tell her who she is. Let Mother see it. It’s time.”

  Her body was pressed out and completely vulnerable. She would kick back, but that would likely cause him to pull the trigger. And then there was the fact that he wasn’t the only man holding a gun on her. Theo was so close. He could get hit and then she would have to watch him die all over again.

  God, she was going to miss her baby. She was going to miss Theo and the life they could have had. They’d come so close.

  “I love you.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. She wasn’t going down without a fight, even if it meant fighting him.

  He moved in closer and she got ready. She would lean back, using Hutch’s body to help her kick up and get that knife out of Theo’s hand. It played out in her head. Kick up, catch the knife while twisting her hands out of Hutch’s hold and ducking her head. With any luck Hutch and the other soldier would catch each other in the cross fire and then all she would have to worry about was Theo. Well, and every other crazed memory-erased soldier they would encounter.

  It didn’t matter. She had to take the shot.

  “I love you, Theo.” She was ready.

  He moved in and the sweetest smile came over his face. “I know who you are. You’re the love of my life. You’re my wife and my sweet sub and the mother of my son. I’ll never forget you, Erin Argent-Taggart.”

  She felt Hutch let go of her hands and then a roar damn near made her deaf as he shot out.

  She watched as the soldier who’d been training the gun on her fell to the floor.

  “What?” She was so confused, but Hutch was moving.

  He stepped up to the camera and flipped it off. “Yeah, this is my letter of resignation, you crazy fucking bitch.”

  He pointed his gun at the camera and popped a round in, killing it.

  Theo got into her space, his arms going around her. “Hi, baby. You have no idea how good it is to see you.”

  She stood there in shock as he kissed her. “I don’t understand.”

  Hutch took the gun off his fallen comrade. “He’ll live, but I don’t know how we’re going to keep the rest of them alive. I know you’re all about saving the innocent, but the innocent are going to be trying to murder us.”

  Theo stood there, grinning at her like a loon. “If Ian said he’s going to be here, he’ll be here and he’ll have a plan. Don’t worry about it. It’s going to be fine. You look gorgeous, by the way. Damn, baby, are you cold or happy to see me?”

  She glanced down and sure enough her nipples were hard as rocks. “How can you be thinking about that? You walked in here with a knife ready to kill me.”

  He put his hands on her hips, having sheathed the knife at his side. “Never, baby. I might have violated you, but only in a good way.”

  Hutch frowned, glancing down at his watch. “He’s not here. I thought for sure he would be here. We’re so fucked.”

  Theo didn’t take his eyes off her. “Chill, buddy. Big brother always comes through.”

  Erin held out a hand because if she didn’t, Theo was going to shove his tongue down her throat, and while she was thrilled to not be gutted, she had some questions. “Hutch isn’t bad?”

  Hutch turned, his jaw dropping. “Seriously? You bought that? I must be a way better actor than I thought I was.”

  Theo was still smiling at her. “Apparently this was Ian’s plan all along. He sent Hutch in. Hutch is totally the reason I’m not a drooling idiot right now. He switched the syringes. Instead of the drug, I got a mild sedative and a nice dose of B1
2. I’m feeling very energetic.”

  The lights blinked off and Hutch breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Thank god. That’s Ian. Give it a minute because he’s taking over the system. I built in a back door that will allow him to lock down the cells and open the doors to let us get out.”

  They weren’t going to die? She threw her arms around Theo, the darkness enclosing them. They weren’t going to die. “I was so scared.”

  His arms encircled her. “I know, baby. It’s going to be okay. We’re getting out of here.”

  The lights came back on and the intercom system flared to life.

  “Hello, shoppers, this store is undergoing a change in management,” a thoroughly sarcastic voice said. “All crazy-as-fuck doctors are currently on sale because their lives have recently lost all value. Please shoot on sight. And Theo, get your girl and ass out of here. Now.”

  Ian Taggart. Son of a bitch. The cavalry was here.

  The lights blinked back on and Theo leaned over to kiss her. “Told you, baby. It’s time to get out of here and get home. Our boy needs us.”

  Hutch walked toward her, holding out the downed soldier’s gun. “Try not to kill them. They’re not responsible for what they’re doing. You have no idea what these men have gone through.”

  She turned to Hutch, whose whole body was tense. She reached out her free hand and touched his cheek. “I never should have doubted you.”

  “It was my job to make you.” He smiled faintly. “Please tell Big Tag I did my job. We agreed to this that first night we got home. I left that night to put this plan into place. I’ve been maneuvering her so we can take down the entire Collective. What I didn’t count on was her bringing you in tonight. I tried to stop it but I couldn’t.”

  She hugged him. “I’m so proud of you. Please come home with us. I’m going to make you the biggest batch of cookies you’ve ever seen.”

  Hutch froze and then his eyes went watery, face going red. “I want to go home, Erin. I want it so fucking bad. Please take me home. How big is TJ now? I missed all the kids, but especially him.”

  How much had it cost Hutch to do this job? He’d been loyal to his family and his family was going to welcome him home with open arms. And a regular therapy appointment with Kai. She looked up at him, willing him to feel her love. How far had she come that once she’d been so alone and now she opened her heart to all her family? Family wasn’t blood. It was made up of the people who loved her, who she loved. The family she chose was better than anything she’d ever found. The family she’d chosen was her true home and she got to bring all her boys back.

  “He misses his Uncle Hutch.” She went on her toes and kissed his cheek. “He loves you, Hutch. Like Theo and I love you. Let’s go home.”

  Theo reached for her hand. “You stay close to me and we’ll follow Hutch. He knows the place.”

  Hutch nodded, starting for the door. “We’ve only been here for a couple of weeks, but I know how to get out. Ian should have shut down cell access so we won’t have to worry about anyone stuck in the soldier wing, but McDonald always has a guard with her. She also recently hired a bunch of security. They’re being paid by The Collective to keep this place safe so they’re totally evil and fair game. We have to be careful of them.”

  “And Case and Ian are somewhere out there,” Theo said.

  So she would be super careful. She checked the clip and made sure the safety was off. If she had a shot, she would take out McDonald.

  The door opened and Hutch took the lead, storming out into the hallway.

  Theo took her hand, leaving his firing hand free for the gun he’d produced after he’d tossed away the knife. Erin followed him, letting him take the lead because he needed it. He always would with her and she got that now. They would never be able to work together. Not ever, but then it might be time for one of them to retire from the field since they had a baby to take care of.

  They could flip for it.

  “What’s Ian’s plan?” She kept her voice low as they moved through what looked like an industrial compound.

  “He put me in so I could infiltrate The Collective,” Hutch explained. “We decided to keep it quiet in case they had anyone on the inside. I’ve been manipulating McDonald toward making a deal with the company I thought had the worst security. When I finally broke into their private network, Ian and Case came over. They got into the building of one of the main companies here in France, and that’s where they found the mother lode.”

  The significance of what Ian had been doing hit her. “He’s not after McDonald. He’s after the whole Collective.”

  “Oh, he wants McDonald, too,” Theo assured her. “But he knows after everything we’ve been through the only way to ensure our safety and to keep that drug out of the hands of people who would misuse it is to take the whole damn group down.”

  “Is that why Ten and Ezra had no idea what he was doing?” Erin asked.

  “Plausible deniability.” Hutch moved down the hallway cautiously, his voice low. “Ten might not be working full time anymore, but his ties to the Agency are deep. If they suspected either Ten or Ezra had something to do with destroying the drug and all the research around it, there could be consequences. Ezra’s already put his neck on the line for this group more than once. Big Tag didn’t want to put him in that position again.”

  “So it’s the three of us, and Case is somewhere in the building?” Erin needed to get their resources in order. “Do we know how many men she kept here?”

  They were coming up on a set of double doors.

  “Well, Erin, she kept five men here,” a new voice said. It seemed to come from all around her. “Yes, in addition to my other amazing skills, I can also read lips. Hello, Hutch, it’s good to see your new evil persona was nothing but an act. You’re looking good there, buddy. Your enforced no-sugar diet helped you to drop that baby fat.”

  Adam Miles was in the house.

  Hutch flipped off the nearest security camera. “Yeah, Ian brought Adam in at the last minute. And he can’t read lips. The whole place is wired for sound. She loves watching everything we do. And fuck the no-carb diet. Big Tag promised me he would install a cotton candy machine if I took this assignment. Why the hell else would I be here? Where’s Ian?”

  “He’s coming up on your six and he’s not alone, kiddos,” Adam explained.

  The sound of gunfire rolled in, the narrow halls making it sound like thunder.

  Shit. She’d known it wouldn’t be this easy.

  Hutch was moving toward the double doors.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Adam said. “She’s got a security team coming from that direction. You’re about to get caught.”

  Erin looked around the hall. There were two doors, but one looked far sturdier than the other. It was labeled as staff only, but hey, she was a girl who believed in breaking a few rules. And she totally was counting on Big Tag being the well-prepared soldier he was. “Adam, can you get me in this door?”

  Theo had already opened the door on the other side of the hall.

  There was a hard bang against the glass double doors. The security team was here. Luckily they had a gatekeeper. The doors remained closed, though she could see the guard attempting to access it with a card.

  “Give me a second, Erin,” Adam was saying. “I’m going to keep the double doors on lockdown, but that door’s tricky. Ian’s about thirty seconds out and then you’re going to be trapped. I don’t know what his plan is.”

  “Come on, baby.” Theo stood by the open door. It looked like it led into a supply closet. The door was flimsy as hell and wouldn’t do for what she needed.

  “They’ll come through that thing in about two seconds,” she insisted. “Adam, get this fucking door open and tell Ian I’m holding it for him. Tell him it should provide enough cover for him to pull the pin on his favorite toy.”

  Theo’s eyes went wide.

  Hutch looked back as the soldiers trying to get to them began firing
at the glass, attempting to break through. “Whatever we’re doing, make it fast.”

  “Bingo.” Adam’s voice could barely be heard over the intercom.

  The door lit green and opened. Theo rushed across the hall as Ian came into sight. His massive body turned as he fired behind him, but Erin could already see that he had his free hand reaching for the grenade he kept in his utility belt.

  “Fuck,” Theo cursed. “This door better hold. Get in.”

  “I don’t have cameras in that room,” Adam was saying as chaos was unleashed in the hall.

  The glass finally cracked. They were almost through. The men following Ian were firing, the sound blasting her ears.

  She felt a bullet whiz by and then Theo was forcing her into the room. Hutch held the door open as Theo covered her body with his. She could barely see what happened. Ian’s body twisted as he pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it out. He leapt into the room and Hutch slammed the door, putting his back to it.

  There was a terrible blast, the room around them shaking, and for a moment she worried she’d chosen poorly. Hutch cursed but held his ground.

  They were all silent for a moment and then Ian sat up, smiling. “Fuck, yeah, it’s a good day to be alive. Hutch, I not only ordered that cotton candy machine, but we’re going to bring in a stripper to serve it to you. Fun Fridays is what I’m going to call it.”

  “I think I need some damn aloe vera.” Hutch stood up. “That door got hot. I don’t think I blistered, but I felt that blast. What the hell is this place?”

  Theo sat up. “It’s where she does the therapy.”

  Erin got up, reaching for his hand. What Theo called therapy was actually torture. This room—one like it—had been where McDonald had fed him drugs and utilized techniques that had made it difficult for him to even think about his past. The room went dark suddenly.

  “Damn it. Well, that was probably the result of tossing a grenade into the hall,” Ian said, only a little guilt in his voice. “And the comms seem to be out, too. Is that door open?”

  A lone light blinked into stark existence. Ian moved the flashlight to the handle of the door. Hutch tried to turn it but it held fast.