Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Mason (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The 13)

by Anne L. Parks

  His heavy open hand hit her face and knocked her to the ground. Pain ripped through her cheek and stabbed straight through her eyes to the back of her head.

  “You murdered him.”

  “He attacked me because I turned down his advances.” The pounding in her head, the fact that this man was responsible for the deaths of so many people she loved, spurred some kind of courage in her.

  She knew she was going to die soon. And there was no longer any reason to hold back in the hopes Stepanov would change his mind. If she had something to say—and boy did she ever—the time to speak her mind was now.

  Her time was short. And this was her last chance.

  “Your son was an arrogant prick with obvious low self-esteem. His narcissism is the reason for his death. God forbid a woman not be interested in him. If a woman said no, he just took what he wanted. How many other women did he attack? Force to have sex with him?”

  “Shut up, bitch! You will not talk of my son that way.” The backside of his hand hit her left cheek.

  She spit blood, and glared at him under her eyelashes. “What’s the matter, Mr. Stepanov? Does the truth hit a little too close to home? Does the apple not fall far from the tree? It doesn’t take much to figure out that Daniel learned how to treat women from his stellar example of a father.”

  Stepanov fisted the front of Jess’s shirt and lifted her off the ground. His face was a couple inches from hers. She could smell his putrid breath. His nostrils flared. Eyes were dark and wild with rage. “You are correct, Ms. Baylor—I taught my son that women are whores and are only good for fucking and producing offspring. Most aren’t even good at those things. I see what my son saw in you…you’re very beautiful. And that mouth…”

  Yurik licked his lips. A jolt of revulsion ripped through Jess’s stomach. “Those lips should be around a cock. But my son did have one failing…he didn’t realize that no woman was worth chasing.”

  The two other men returned to the barn. Yurik glanced over his shoulder at them, his firm grip still suspending Jess. “Is it done?”

  The men gave each other side-eyes. “Yes,” Alexei said while the other man dropped his gaze to the ground.

  Jess’s heart ripped to shreds. Her mother was dead. They had not been close, but she was her mother. And the ability to make up for all the time they had lost was gone.

  Another regret Jess could add to her growing list. She was almost welcoming death to rid herself of the immense guilt that swamped her.

  Yurik dropped Jess, and she sprawled across the hard ground.

  “Get her up,” he directed to the two men. They each took a hold of her arms, and forced her to kneel in front of the camera.

  Peripherally, Jess watched Yurik unsheathe a knife. He pointed the tip towards the camera. Alexei stepped closer to the tri-pod, hit a button, and stepped away. A small red light flashed, indicating the camera was recording.

  “Now, Ms. Baylor, you will atone for your sins. You will admit to killing my son, and you will accept your punishment of death.”

  Jess clamped her mouth shut. Fuck you! No way was she saying anything. This asshole was going to kill her no matter what. She would not give him the satisfaction of making her say anything.

  Fingers slid through her head. The vision of Laura rolled through her memory. She knew what was coming next.

  She had one chance to leave Mason a message. Looking straight into the camera, she mouthed, “I love you, Mason.”

  She prayed he saw it.

  Her head snapped back.

  Chapter 22

  Mason stood outside the entrance to the barn. His heart pounded in his ears. His breathing was steady. He was in position, and knew what to do. There was no room for error. He had a job to do. Jess’s life depended on him being a SEAL—not her lover.

  Three men had their backs to him. Jess was silhouetted in the bright lights on either side of her. She was kneeling in front of a video camera. Yurik unsheathed a twelve-inch knife and swiped the blade against his thigh.

  The air was still. Fear and anger nearly brought Mason to his knees. He closed his eyes, forcing Jess—the woman he loved—out of his head. She was a friendly. Like many other friendlies he had rescued over his SEAL career. Emotions would not rule him. That would get Jess killed.

  And then the reason he had for getting up every morning and living each day would be gone.

  Behind him, Ben, Lance, and Gabe prepared to storm the barn. Sean and Apollo would remain outside the door in case any unknown tangos showed. Jake and Lucas were still in position behind the tree line, Lucas’s long gun trained on the barn. They had one shot to get in, rescue Jess, and capture the Russians.

  And that’s all they needed.

  “Now, Ms. Baylor, you will atone for your sins.” The voice of a large man with a Russian accent drifted from the barn. “You will admit to killing my son, and you will accept your punishment of death.”

  Jess’s head was yanked back, her neck exposed.

  That was the signal.

  Mason charged into the barn and cleared the area to the right behind the door. Ben and Gabe mirrored him to the left. Lance came straight in.

  Mason heard the soft pop, pop, pop of the M-4. Yurik slumped to the ground.

  Blood colored the dirt under his body. The man remained motionless. Lance moved past Mason and secured the area in front of him. Mason darted toward Jess, grasped her around the collar, and pulled her back against his body.

  “No, no, no,” she screamed and fought to get out of his grasp.

  “Jess, sweetheart, it’s me,” he whispered in her ear.

  She stilled. Her head whipped around, and her eyes filled with tears. He placed her on the ground, and she faced him. Blood dripped from several cuts on her face, and large welts marred each cheek.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck. “How did you find me?”

  Gabe came up behind Mason and squeezed his shoulder.

  “I’ll explain later,” Mason told Jess, freeing his neck from her grasp. “I need you to go with Gabe—”

  “No, I’m staying with you—” she cried, and attempted to cling to him.

  “Jess, I have to work. I can’t finish my job until I know you are safe. Please, sweetheart, go with Gabe. I promise to be right behind you after I clean up a few loose ends.”

  She stared at him, fat tears sat on her lower eyelids. She nodded, and let Gabe lead her away.

  Once Jess was clear of the barn, Mason approached Lance, his gun trained on one of the men. Mason recognized him as one of the men from the bar the night Jess killed Forrester.

  “Is he talking?” Mason asked Lance.

  “Nope,” Lance said with a wag of his head. “Suddenly mute.”

  “That’s odd, he seemed to have a lot to say in the woods,” Mason replied. Alexei’s eyes grew wide. “You remember what you told Mrs. Baylor when you shot her and left her for dead, don’t you, big man? Just so you know—you failed at that mission, as well. Jess’s mom is alive and well.”

  “That makes two massive errors for you today, Alexei. I can’t imagine your bosses in the RRA will be very forgiving of your fuck-ups today.”

  “Well, his new boss, anyway,” Mason chided. “We just blew his old bosses head off.”

  Alexei sneered, opened his hand, and revealed a detonator. A sick, evil grin slid across his face.

  “Bomb! Get out!” Lance and Mason turned and ran for the door.

  Mason cleared the entrance to the structure. The winter cold enveloped him. Bright orange light filled the sky. A loud blast erupted in the silent night. He was lifted off the ground. he air. His body flew through the air. He tried to relax his muscles in anticipation of the hard once he hit the ground. Pain sliced through his extremities. The air rushed from his lungs. His head bounced off the hard surface. Stingers raced down his spine.

  He glanced up at the brightly lit sky and thought of Jess. She was safe. And that was all that mattered.

  Darkness closed in around
him.

  * * *

  Jess barely registered walking through the front door of a house and sliding onto a large dining table. Dex was in front of her, his hands on either side of her face and neck. He stared into her eyes.

  He was talking. His voice was a million miles away. The words didn’t register.

  She couldn’t concentrate on what was going on around her. All she was able to think about was Mason.

  Where is he? Why did he make her leave? Why hadn’t he come with her?

  She needed him. She had convinced herself that she was going to die and never see him again. But she had survived—he had saved her—and the only thing she wanted was to be with him.

  Never let him go.

  “Jess,” a different male voice said next to her. She knew the voice, but couldn’t place it. She turned her head.

  Mick stood next to her and smiled, but wariness flooded his gaze.

  “Hey,” he said. “You’re safe. Can you tell us if you hurt anywhere?”

  Jess turned away, her gaze drifted around the interior of the house. Where the hell were they? This wasn’t the house she had been in with the terrorists.

  “You’re at the safe house,” Mick said.

  “Jess,” Dex said, and gently turned her head so she was staring at him. “Can you tell me your full name?”

  She looked away, uninterested in talking to him. Staring at the front door, she willed it to open, and for Mason to come inside.

  Dex held up three fingers in front of her eyes. “Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”

  She tilted her head to the side, irritated with the incessant questions. She didn’t want to talk to Dex or Mick. They shouldn’t be there with her. They needed to get Mason out of that hellhole before he was injured. Or worse.

  Cold prickled over her skin. No, no, no…that would be too cruel. She couldn’t live if Mason’s life was taken instead of hers. She had been ready and willing to die. If he was gone saving her—

  She slammed her eyes shut and forced back the vision of Mason lying dead in the middle of the barn. He was smart. He was trained. And there was no way he would let the bad guys win when he and Jess had so much to live for. A new life to explore. A love that could only strengthen and become all-consuming. She knew that was how it would be with them.

  They were headed n that direction before she’d been kidnapped from the bar in Boston, and her life had taken a decidedly dark and deadly turn.

  “She has some significant injuries on her face. Possible a concussion, but I’m unable to tell the grade because I can’t get her to answer. If I had to categorize it, I would say grade two, only because she’s conscious.”

  “Could she be in shock?” Gabe asked, standing to the right of Mick.

  “I don’t think that’s it,” Dex said. “While she’s most likely dehydrated, and has some blood loss, but I’m not sure either is significant enough to cause shock.”

  “So, what do we do?” Mick asked.

  “Clean up the cuts on her face, and see about getting the swelling down. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t start exhibiting any other symptoms. Not much I can do—”

  An explosion rocked the house. The chandelier over their heads swayed, the crystals clanging together in a terrifying chorus. Jess’s heart stopped. A chill ran down her spine, and stiffened every muscle in her body.

  Oh, God…

  “Three, this is Lilypad. What is your position?” Riley said. It was the first time Jess had realized Riley was there.

  Jess stared at the screens, but they were all black.

  “Three, this is Lilypad. Come in.”

  Static filled the room.

  Jess wanted to get up, run from the house, and find Mason. She wanted to scream, cry, kick, hit, but she was paralyzed with fear. Her heart pounded in her ears.

  Please come back, Mason…come back to me.

  Minutes felt like hours. Jess wanted to strip out of her skin and run far away from the safe house, screaming as loud as should could.

  The front door opened. Lance walked in, followed by other men, but no Mason. A cold, thin layer of perspiration sat on top of Jess’s skin. She stared at the door.

  A huge figure walked through, placed his rifle on another table and turned toward her.

  Mason.

  Jess jumped off the table, bolted across the room, and launched herself into Mason. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she squeezed. “I thought—”

  “I know,” he whispered. “I’m okay, sweetheart. We both are.” He pulled his head back and pressed his lips to hers.

  The warmth of his presence, his life, flowed through her, Her lips tingled and her body came back to life. Slowly, he lowered her to her feet and looked into her eyes. His fingers lightly touched the welt on her cheek. “What did he do to you?”

  “It’s just a bump. Nothing serious.”

  “How’s your mom?” he asked.

  Guilt doused her like a bucket of ice being tossed on her. “They killed her. Two of them took her to the woods and shot her. They told that Yurik guy when they got back that she was dead.”

  “No, Jess, we found her.” He glanced over her shoulder at where Riley stood. Grazing her ear with his lips, he said. “She’s okay. She’s in the hospital and will make a full recovery.”

  Tears trailed down Jess’s face. This man…he saved her. Saved her mom. And nearly got blown up in the process.

  How could she not love him?

  He drew her tightly against his body again and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Don’t let go.”

  “No way,” he whispered.

  Epilogue

  Mason opened the door to the apartment, and stepped back to let Riley in. It had been three days since Jess had nearly been beheaded by Yurik, and she’d had the first solid night’s sleep the previous night.

  Mason hadn’t slept more than a couple of hours since they had returned home. He couldn’t. His nightmares were too vivid. Too real. Too much blood and death.

  So instead, he kept vigil over Jess, comforted her as soon as he could see she was being drawn into a nightmare. Provided her a safety net so she could recuperate and rest.

  He also wanted to look at her for as long as he could. The end was near. She was going to be gone from his life soon. And he would never be able to see her, touch her, talk to her ever again.

  “You look like hell. Have you gotten any sleep?” Riley asked.

  Mason rubbed the back of his neck. “Not much.”

  “How’s Jess?”

  “Sleeping, so let’s keep it down. She had a good night, and I want her to sleep for as long as she can.”

  Riley nodded, pulled her laptop out of her bag, and set it on the bar in the kitchen. Sliding onto a stool, she opened it. “I wanted you to see something.” She eyed him tentatively. “It’s the video taken before we got to Jess.”

  Mason drew in a sharp breath. Before she nearly had her head whacked off by that madman, Yurik. He pulled his hand down his face and scrubbed the growth along his jaw.

  Do I want to see this?

  As if reading something in his body language, Riley said, “You need to see this, Mason. I wouldn’t show it to you otherwise.”

  Mason stared at her for a moment and nodded his assent.

  The video played. Jess was on her knees, hair in a tangled mess, her face stained with dried tears. But she had no tears then. Pride swelled in Mason’s chest at her strength and onryness. No way was she going to let that asshole see her cry.

  Yurik was off to the side, blade in hand, gleaming in the light. A fireball of rage swirled in Mason’s gut. The sight of Yurik, and the knowledge of what he had planned for Jess, still angered Mason as much as it had when he first encountered the scene. Even knowing Jess was safe in his bed in the next room wasn’t enough to quell the rage.

  Yurik was talking to the camera. Demanding Jess confess to being a murderer and acknowledge that her death was the only fit punishment.
She refused.

  There was something in her eyes. Resignation. She knew she was going to die. Regret flashed through them. Her mouth moved, but there was no sound.

  “What did she say?” Mason asked.

  Riley backed the video up. Mason stepped closer and leaned into the screen to get a better look.

  I love you, Mason.

  A hand reached inside Mason’s chest, clutched his heart, and squeezed so hard he nearly dropped to his knees.

  “Her last thoughts before dying were about you, Tink.” Riley’s voice was low and soft. She placed her hand on his shoulder. “She needed you to know that before it was too late.”

  Emotion choked Mason. He nodded, unable to speak. He knew if he opened his mouth, the sob that had built in his chest would escape.

  The bedroom door opened behind them. Riley closed the laptop. Mason took a deep breath and reined in his emotions.

  Jess walked into the kitchen.

  “Hey, how you feeling?” Riley asked, and got off her seat and gave Jess a hug. It was odd to see any sort of PDA from Riley. But Mason knew Jess had impressed Riley, and the two had become friends over the past few weeks.

  “The best I’ve felt in a while, actually,” Jess said with a small smile. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just stopped by to see how you are.” Riley flashed a look at Mason. “And to go over what happens next.”

  Here it was…the bad news. The beginning of the end.

  And Mason wasn’t ready for it.

  “Let me get some coffee,” Jess said. She filled a mug, and walked into the family room. Mason followed and sat next to her on the couch. She grabbed his hand and held tight. Riley sat in the adjacent chair.

  “Okay, so your mom’s recovery has gone really well and the doctor’s expect to release her in the next two-to-three days.”

  “Will she be able to go home?” Jess asked.

  “Riley shook her head. “No. The RRA think both of you are dead, her from the gunshot. You in the explosion. It’s best for everyone that they continue to believe that.”

  “How have you been able to keep the truth about us from getting out?” Jess said.

  “I’m CIA,” Riley gave as her only explanation.