Men of Mercy: The Complete Story
Page 123
Jack Mankel.
Merc rolled the name around in his mind. For years he’d only known the man as Mr. J – former CIA liaison to Task Force Scorpion, and Merc's former mentor.
His teammates had asked Merc where he came from, who he was, what his last name was – only to be left empty handed as Merc stared them down without a word. He hadn't gone into the SF for the same reasons his teammates had, that altruistic need of honor and glory. No, he’d gone into the SF because he’d had nowhere else to go.
His first memory was of waking up in that cold sterile room laid out on a gurney with blood leaking from his body and Mr. J's face floating above him, peering down at him like he was a damn lab rat instead of a human being. Merc couldn't have been much more than a teenager at the time – although he didn't remember his actual birth date.
Just like Merc didn't remember his last name.
The only thing he remembered was his training. He was an assassin. A blacked out operative without a past, unable to exist in the civilian world.
“Any sighting of the little bird?” The voice of Hunter James, his team leader, crackled through the hidden communication device in his ear. TF-S waited two klicks out in a hide they’d set up over two days ago.
Merc activated his comm device by pressing a nearly invisible button near his throat. “Negative on little bird, but the vulture is present.”
There was a pause while Hunter processed the news that Merc spotted Mr. J. Years of tracking a man they’d all once looked up to, a man who had betrayed his team and his country, and they’d finally found him because Mr. J had made a mistake. Instead of only kidnapping Caroline Cotter from her arranged wedding at the plantation nearly a month ago, his goons had taken another hostage as well, Celine Latimer. In a bid Merc guessed was to keep Celine quiet, Mr. J had sold her to a Russian sex slave trafficker. TF-S barely rescued her in time.
It had been Celine who’d unwittingly provided the clues to Mr. J’s location.
“Hold for eyes on little bird,” Hunter finally said.
“Roger.” Merc kept his binocs trained on J.
J strolled to the large open archway as if he hadn’t a care in the world. If only Merc could train his sniper rifle on him and end his miserable life right now. But if he did that, if he gave in to that temptation, he might never find out about his past. Mr. J was the only man Merc knew who might have some insight into where he came from. Who he was. If he had a family....
Merc clenched his hands into tight fists around the binoculars. He’d wait. He’d been patient so far, tracking and hunting J down, and he wouldn’t blow these past few years on a whim of rage.
He did another sweep of the courtyard, timing the movements of the guards. It had taken him a full hour to figure out their schedule, realizing the seemingly random changing of guards actually had a pattern.
It was a trick he’d learned from none other than Mr. J himself when he’d first started his training: Never let the enemy know your next move, never work on a timer – that way no one can ever predict your movements.
Every nine and a half minutes, the guard from the left corner crossed the courtyard like he was going to the west wall, only to veer off north, leaving the corner he’d vacated unguarded for no more than thirty seconds as the guard from the furthest corner of the courtyard shifted to take up residence in the abandoned spot. During this time, other guards, seeming to shift in and out of the palace at random intervals, filled in the empty spots so they formed a constantly moving maze and impenetrable wall. Except every thirteen minutes there was a one-minute window on the east wall where he could slip through completely unnoticed.
In Mr. J's attempt to be unpredictable, he’d left himself vulnerable. And just like Merc had been trained, he would exploit that vulnerability to capture his former mentor and leader.
Merc caught a movement deep within the room and zoomed his lens. His chest went cold like someone had poured a bucket of ice water through his veins.
Caroline Cotter. ..
Want to find out what happens next? Read Revenge River by clicking this link.
Revenge River: Men of Mercy
Merc:
His name is Merc.
He has no past.
No future.
Only a thirst for revenge against the traitor who betrayed his team and his country – Agent Jack Mankel.
When he’s handed a mission to rescue a sitting US senator’s daughter from the traitor’s clutches, Merc jumps at his chance for vengeance, never dreaming the girl he rescued could be his downfall…
Nightshade:
She walks in the night.
She is a shadow.
An operative so elite even the president doesn’t know of her existence.
Her whole life, she’s lived to serve, raised in the black-ops team her father, Jack Mankel, created. Then her whole world is turned upside down when she learns the sister she once thought dead is really alive; and to save her, Nightshade will have to take on the hardest mission of her life…
Merc knows he doesn’t deserve her. Nightshade knows she can’t have him. But a connection so powerful neither of them can resist draws them closer, even as a betrayal so deep threatens to destroy their very existence.
DOSSIER
TASK FORCE SCORPION (TF-S)
A branch of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)
Ft. Grenada, MS
MACK GREY: Detachment Commander, Captain
♣Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, interrogations specialist, psychological warfare
♣First in Command. Responsible for ensuring and maintaining operational readiness.
♣Height: 6’
♣Weight: 195lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Gothic Serpent, Somalia. Operation Desert Storm, OIF, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Rhino, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Mountain Viper, Operation Eagle Fury, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles
HUNTER JAMES: Warrant Officer, Detachment Commander
♣Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, psychological warfare
♣Responsible for overseeing all Team ops. Commands in absence of detachment commander.
♣Height: 6’3”
♣Weight: 230lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Mountain Viper
RANGER JAMES: Team Daddy/Team Sergeant, Master Sgt.
♣Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon
♣Plans, coordinates & directs Team intelligence, analysis and dissemination.
♣Height: 6’4”
♣Weight: 225lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Mountain Viper, Operation Eagle Fury
JARED CROWE: Weapons Sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class
♣Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, Sniper
♣Weapons expert. Capable of firing and employing all small arm and crew served weapons
♣Height: 6’0”
♣Weight: 220lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles
HOYT CROWE: Asst. Weapons Sergeant, Staff Sgt.
♣Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, Sniper
♣Weapons expert. Capable of firing a
nd employing all small arm and crew served weapons
♣Height: 6’0”
♣Weight: 210lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles
AARON SPEIRS: Medical Sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class
♣Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, medic
♣The life-saver. Employs the latest field medical technology and limited surgical procedures
♣Height: 6’1”
♣Weight: 195lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles
RISER MALLON: Asst. Medical Sergeant, Staff Sgt.
♣Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, medic
♣The life-saver. Employs the latest field medical technology and limited surgical procedures
♣Height: 6’2”
♣Weight: 215lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles,Operation Mountain Viper, Operation Eagle Fury
MERC: Engineer Sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class
♣Recruited from Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, Demolitions, psychological operations
♣Demolition expert. Trained in psychological warfare, conducts field interrogations.
♣Height: 6’5”
♣Weight: 250lbs
♣Combat Experience: Classified
ETHAN SLADE: Communications
Sergeant/Commo Guy, Sgt. 1st Class
♣Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, communications
♣Communications expert. Employ latest FM, multi-channel, and satellite communication devices.
♣Height: 6’0”
♣Weight: 200lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles
CORD CARTER: Weapons Sergeant, Staff Sgt.
♣Recruited from the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), Camp Lejeune, NC
♣Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnoissance, weapons expert/sniper
♣Weapons expert. Capable of firing and employing all small arm and crew served weapons
♣Height: 6’1”
♣Weight: 210lbs
♣Combat Experience: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles
Chapter 1
Incense. God how she hated the smell of incense. Nightshade had gotten used to a lot of things since she’d moved to this sumptuous Middle Eastern palace, but she couldn't train her nostrils to ignore the cloying smell of smoke.
What purpose did it serve anyway? Absolutely nothing. And she hated things that didn't serve a purpose. Take the perfectly balanced forged-steel-throwing knife strapped to her thigh - that served a purpose. A quick flick of her wrist and she could take down an enemy from fifty yards away. Or the small 9 mm sidearm tucked nice and snug against her hip; that served a purpose. A yank and bam - target neutralized.
Even the burka she wore served a purpose. It covered her from head to toe, completely masking her identity from roving satellites and from local criminals tempted by her light hair to swap her out on the human trafficking market like a used car salesman swapped out cars. Not that she’d let them get that far, but it was easier to avoid the temptation than going around killing people and having to provide an explanation.
Nightshade took a deep breath and wrapped her fingers over the back of the black swivel chair in the large security room. From here she could monitor the entire palace and its grounds, but right now, she focused only on one monitor. Her identical twin sister’s bedroom.
She wanted to go to her sister, to touch and talk to the twin that had been missing since birth.
But that wasn’t part of the plan. No matter how much Nightshade longed to talk to her twin, she wanted to save her team, Mayhem, more.
“I figured you’d be in here.” Jack Mankel, Nightshade’s father, walked silently into the room, stopping a foot away.
“Caroline should be better by now. She’s crying. Please call Dr. Hassan back to do another checkup.” Nightshade cast another longing glance at her sister, struck once more at their uncanny resemblance.
“You were there when Hassan checked her three hours ago. He said the infection will take time to clear from her system. That bastard Abdul had a rusted shackle on her the whole time he’d held her. The infection got in her blood.” Her father crossed his suit-covered arms and leaned against the wall.
“But she’s shaking all over. She wasn’t doing that when Hassan was here. It could mean something else. What if she has a heart condition we don’t know about?” Just the thought of losing her sister again, after twenty-seven years of not having her by her side, made her whole body hurt.
But watching her cry and knowing she wasn’t allowed to comfort her ripped Nightshade’s heart into pieces.
“You think I haven’t learned every detail of my other daughter’s life? I know her blood type, her last dental exam...I know everything. She isn’t suffering from a heart condition. Her body is fighting the infection. Your sister will live – I promise that. Have I ever lied to you?”
“I don’t want to lose her when we’ve just gotten her back.”
“We won’t. I’ll keep her protected. You’ll keep her protected. Unless you’re trying to find a way out of your mission just to stay with your sister.” Mankel kept his voice low, almost whispering.
“You know that’s not true.”
“If you don’t complete this mission, we’ll never locate your team. My sources inside the CIA confirmed that Senator Cotter is responsible for your team’s capture. We have to break into his computer to find Mayhem and rescue them.”
Nightshade’s stomach knotted. Some of her first memories were of her teammates. They’d lived together since they were children, having been selected and trained for highly covert operations and assassinations based on their inherent skills. Skills her father, Jack Mankel, honed to a precision unmatched by any other team. Until three months ago, when Team Mayhem was ambushed and taken captive. She’d searched and hunted tirelessly, the only hint of their whereabouts was a grainy image pulled off a secret Russian satellite of a small US military force in the area at the time. Task Force Scorpion.
Senator Tom Cotter’s unit.
While he didn’t have direct control, his handprints were all over Team Scorpion.
The burning need for revenge revved through her veins. Cotter had taken her sister at birth and now he had the only family Nightshade had ever known besides her father in his clutches. “I will complete my mission. I always do.”
“Nightshade, our lives are in your hands. If you don’t think you can go through with it...”
She sliced her hand between them. “I will find them and make sure Cotter will never have the chance to hurt our family again.” She not only intended to hack into Cotter’s private server to locate where Mayhem was being held captive, she intended to see to it that Cotter paid for his offenses against her family with his life.
Nightshade turned back to the screen, yearning for one more glance at her sister. She’d dreamed of their reunion, how they’d run to each other and embrace. They’d spend all of their free time together, catching up and talking. Now she might never get the chance to know Caroline. Nightshade was headed into the heart of the enemy, completely alone
and cut off from support. As soon as she hacked into Cotter’s private server, she was as good as dead. “I want to say goodbye.”
“It’s too risky.”
“We both know this may be the only chance I ever have to talk to her.”
Her father flinched and his fingers loosened on her arm. “Nightshade, you’re my best warrior. I know you’ll make it back to me. To your sister.”
Mankel’s phone chirped and he answered it immediately. “Yes?” A few seconds later and her father disconnected the call. “They’ve spotted one of Scorpion’s men moving in.” He clicked some keys on the nearest keyboard, the monitors casting a pale green glow over his hard visage. “See there?”
He pointed to a screen and Nightshade had to stare a few seconds before she spotted the irregularity in the sand. A man covered in tan camo inched forward on his stomach, moving so slow that he almost completely blended in with the dips and hollows of the sand dune beneath him. Her stomach tensed. She’d never seen anyone move with such lethal skill.
Not even her own teammates.
“Merc,” her father breathed out. “I should have known they’d send him in first.”
“Why? His military profile doesn’t look much different than the rest of his team.” Other than the fact he was at least two inches taller and fifty pounds heavier in solid muscle than their team leader, which put him at a solid six-feet-five inches tall. She’d memorized every detail about each of TF-S operators.
“I trained him myself when I still worked for the CIA. He’s deadly and dangerous. He will lie, steal and kill to win. I’ve never seen a man more ruthless. You can’t trust him for one second, do you understand?”
“Yes, of course, father.” She’d never heard him so worried. Even when they discovered Mayhem’s ambush, he’d been calm and collected. He was always thinking ahead to the next step, ever the strategic mastermind.