Level Up

by Hadley Quinn

  Gabe inhaled some food just as the rest came up to do the same. Ava chose to stay out of any conversations because she wasn’t sure of her emotions and she didn’t want to say anything she would regret.

  She slipped away to head up to her room anyway. She took a shower, wishing she knew how to feel. When she first met Gabe, his struggles had been real. She wanted for him to get back to a place where he felt comfortable with himself; a place where he would allow her to be right there with him any time she could.

  She didn’t understand why he was doing this to himself again.

  When Ava came out, Gabe was sitting on her bed. His elbows were resting on his knees and he looked up. He didn’t seem sure of himself for some reason, but then his attention was drawn to her attire.

  “You wear a towel when you’re alone in your bedroom?” he teased.

  She smiled. “Apparently I’m not alone.”

  “Did you sense my presence?” he asked, lifting a brow with inquiry.

  “Hm. I wish I had more of your gifts. Maybe then I’d be able to figure out if you’re bullshitting me about this little assignment you’re going on.”

  He motioned for her to sit on his lap but his face didn’t reveal any emotion. She sat and he slid an arm around her. He softly touched her leg with his other hand, careful to avoid the damp scabs that remained on her knees.

  “I’m not going,” he finally said.

  She didn’t think she heard him right. They were talking about going to the compound, right? “What? You’re not doing the little, you know, surveillance thingy?”

  “No. Chuck’s going instead.”

  Relief washed through her. She slid her arms around his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Are you sure?”

  He laughed. “You get your way and you’re gonna question it?”

  She smiled guiltily. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I meant what I said before, Ava. I’m done. It’s not a difficult task, which is why I was going to do it. But if it worries you so much, it’s an easy choice to pass on it. Besides, Chuck was getting restless here. He needs stuff like that.”

  “And he’s going to be okay doing it?”

  “He’ll be just fine. He’ll do a good job. I’m sorry I worried you. I had other things on my mind and soldier mode got the better of me.”

  “What things were on your mind?”

  He took his time answering. “Bobby’s little boy. The kids that are stuck in the middle of all this shit. I don’t want to talk about it, though. I just saw too much, Ava. But I’m moving on, and my future is with you. When this is over… Well, I’d like to know what you want, babe.”

  She studied him curiously. “What do you mean?”

  He slowly shrugged. “Just…in general. Finish fixing up your house? Sell it? Buy something else? Where you want to live, if you want to go back to school… That kind of stuff.”

  “Well that’s easy,” she smiled. “I just want you. Nothing else matters. If you want me to take you home with me and turn you into my man slave, I won’t object to that.”

  He laughed with a nod. “Damn, that sounds all kinds of awesome.”

  She ran a thumb along his lower lip and then kissed it. His fingers were caressing her shoulder and along her collarbone, and the other hand was all the way up her towel. Who knows how far they would have gone if someone hadn’t called Gabe’s name from downstairs.

  “I’ll be in the basement if you need me,” he sighed. “Otherwise, I’ll be kind of busy for the next few hours.”

  “I’ll bring some sandwiches down later on.”

  “Sounds good.”

  He kissed her, stood them both up, and kissed her again.

  “I love you, Gabe. You are the man of my dreams.”

  He grinned and shook his head. “Damn, I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

  She reluctantly watched him leave, but she was so relieved that he was staying in the house she couldn’t complain about a single thing.

  ***

  “Everything good?” Ronan asked when Gabe came downstairs.

  “Just fine,” he nodded. Chuck was about to say something so he added, “And I don’t wanna hear anything about how pussy whipped I am, motherfucker.”

  He held his hands up and laughed. “Wasn’t gonna. Just thankful to get some action handed over to me.”

  Gabe accepted that as truth and nodded. “Okay, so where’re we at right now?”

  He stood behind Jessop as he briefed him on the logistics. Kato and Chuck were geared up and ready to go. The closest corner of the compound was an hour from their location and Kit would be dropping them off eleven kilometers outside of the south edge.

  “This is the only spot that seems safe enough to park,” Kit pointed to the satellite screen.

  “It’s six klicks off the perimeter,” Ronan stated.

  “It’s the only option, far as I see,” Kit shrugged. “If they enter here,” he pointed, “and I’m over here,” he slid his finger to the east side of the compound, “it’s only an extra klick-and-a-half added to their exit.”

  “That’ll do,” Chuck replied, punching the coordinates into his compass.

  Kato did the same, and then he pointed to a piece of land across the extraction point. “What’s that? A trailer home?”

  “Looks like it,” Kit nodded. “And a barn.”

  “Roger that. See you at the barn if all else fails.”

  Last minute preparations were made and then Kit, Kato, and Chuck hauled their gear out to Gabe’s truck. After one last check on communications, they headed out.

  Gabe felt a little lost at that point. It should have been him going out there for reconnaissance.

  “Save your skills, Gabe,” Ronan said, noticing how out of place he felt. “This’ll be good for those three. We’ll use your mind downstairs.”

  Gabe still felt useless. When would he have ever given up any assignment, big or small? “This might’ve been just the thing I needed though,” he replied uneasily. Did he really feel that way or was that the soldier in him?

  Ronan looked him over. “What do you mean? Something simple to get you back in the saddle?” He shrugged. “Probably. But from what I’m understanding, you wanted a way out.”

  He immediately became defensive. “That’s not it at all.”

  “Oh?”

  Gabe sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know what I want. After Serbia…”

  “It takes a toll, I know. But you’re a soldier, Gabe. A damn good one. And you’ve always come back, stronger than ever. I don’t doubt that about you for one second.”

  Gabe didn’t respond. If he did, it wouldn’t be what Ronan would want to hear. Ronan had always been good to him; treated him like an equal at times, even though he was six years his senior. He’d never left doubt about his leadership position—he’d certainly put the guys in their place when they needed it—but Ronan gave them the trust and respect that allowed them to reach their potential. They were a powerful team—efficient, tenacious, and without a doubt, very successful in their missions. It was the only thing Gabe had known for the past few years.

  Until he met Ava.

  He didn’t know what to think of that. He was really fucked up when he came to the lake house. He was already dealing with nightmares, paranoia, and blackouts. It was one thing being on his own, but when Ava and her friends arrived… It seemed to change the game. He didn’t want her around at all, but it became a lost cause. She already had him with her shy smile and being a dick to her made him feel like shit. She really did give him something he didn’t know he needed, and without her, he probably would have ended up in the crazy ward by now. She seemed to balance him somehow, and like she promised, brought more happiness into his soul to battle the horrific demons that had taken over. Gabe was content with that now, someone good to save him.

  Until his past returned and reminded him who he really was.

  “I see maybe I’ve misjudged your comeback this time,” Ronan said qu
ietly as they entered the house. He didn’t miss much.

  “The Middle East changed me, Ro. I don’t know what’s in store for me anymore. Don’t get your hopes up.”

  Ronan only nodded as they headed downstairs to the basement.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Ava was part of this special mission whether she liked it or not. No, she wasn’t a team member. Thank God. But it was taking place from her basement, and the guys didn’t seem to keep anything a secret anymore when she’d go downstairs to take them food or check on Gabe. It wasn’t like she understood half of it anyway with all the code names and acronyms they used. But she could hear the voices over the radio—Kato and Chuck—and she was able to watch the others do their work behind the scenes.

  It was interesting to her, but she was thankful that Gabe was safe in her home and out of any possible danger. She was sure the guys thought it silly of her to worry about something so “small,” but they also had that “she doesn’t even know the half of it” mentality. Gabe included. And because she’d seen the anguish in his eyes when being hit with memories from his past, she wished he could start forgetting “the half of it” that haunted him.

  It was dark out, after ten o’clock. Ava had taken dinner down to the guys hours ago but decided to kiss Gabe goodnight and take the dishes upstairs. She heard Chuck on the radio, stating that “the feathered helo” had been released. This made her curious. She knew “helo” was short for helicopter, but a feathered helo? Was he talking about a bird?

  The guys were gathered around a new image on a different computer. Ava assumed it was a live feed.

  “Take Hollyhawk to the south,” Ronan instructed.

  The image shifted after a minute, the green lines of the compound being lit with night vision.

  “I’m nesting,” she heard Kato say quietly through the radio.

  “Nest it high,” Chuck said just as softly.

  Ava listened for another minute, totally intrigued with what she was hearing. Were they using what looked like a bird to circle the camp for video surveillance?

  “Uh, the eagle has landed?” she heard Kato.

  “You dumbass,” Chuck lightly guffawed. They both had a tiny chuckle about it as the sounds of Kato climbing down the tree were evident. Everything was so quiet elsewhere, but because of their voices, Ava could barely assume what was going on.

  “Camera One could use a four degree east,” Gabe said, looking over a monitor.

  “Jesus, why didn’t you say that before?” Chuck asked.

  “Because you bumped it when you left, asshole. Now you get to fix it.”

  Chuck swore, but he was on his way to fix it.

  “I’d also rather it take in the building all the way to the corner, hitting just half the door,” Gabe clarified. “I want the corner too.”

  “Roger that,” Chuck replied.

  There was more silence until the guys in the basement all nodded their heads at a separate monitor. “Perfect,” Jessop nodded.

  “Good,” Chuck said. “’Cause if McIntyre wants to be a pussy, he can come do it himself.”

  Gabe only smiled.

  The light humor didn’t last long. All it took was a swear word and Kato saying, “Bobby” for all the guys to stand up from their chairs.

  “You see him?” Ronan rushed.

  “Yeah, I see him,” Kato said. “What the fuck? Can you guys see him?”

  He rattled off some coordinates and Jessop entered them into a computer. “With those two guards? What are they doing?”

  “I don’t know, but one of ‘em just gave Bobby some money.”

  “They gave him money?” Ronan scoffed.

  “Yep. Hang on…. They’re motioning him to follow.”

  “Yeah, we see,” Titus said.

  “I’m gettin’ Holly back up there,” Jessop said. “I’ll follow ‘em around the west of the building.”

  There was silence again as Jessop seemed to use his own controls on the surveillance bird now. Ava was watching from the basement stairs. She didn’t even think the guys knew she was there. Gabe was stationed in front of the live feed while Jessop adjusted some audio. She only heard foreign language, but it was faint.

  “I heard ‘exchange’,” Gabe said with his ear to the speaker. “Shit, did he say ‘the kid’ or was he talking about a fucking dog?”

  “I heard kid,” Ronan said. “Chuck, they’re coming your direction. Can you mike ‘em from where you’re at?”

  “Not unless I can sneak around to the other side of that perimeter guard.”

  “You guys are way too close as it is,” Gabe said.

  “Let me handle it so Chuck can move,” Kato whispered. There was silence again and then the guard suddenly responded to a sound with his weapon raised away from Chuck.

  “Everyone hold,” Ronan said.

  The room was deathly still as everyone watched the guard on the monitor. He cautiously walked Kato’s direction until he passed where he was in the woods, and then turned around to listen.

  “Again,” Ronan said. “Further.”

  Silence. The guard jerked to his left and walked a little more, weapon raised, eyeing the woods carefully.

  “He’s got a night scope,” Ronan said. “Nobody move.”

  “I’ve got to,” said Chuck. “I gotta get closer to Bobby.”

  Gabe ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t like this. What the hell is Bobby up to?”

  “Should I take out the guard?” Kato barely whispered.

  “Only if he hears Chuck,” Ronan sighed. “But that compromises and you gotta bail.”

  They watched again, the trackers on the screen evident of Kato and Chuck’s locations. Chuck was moving very slowly while Kato was still positioned in the tree.

  “Jesus, he’s walking toward him,” Jessop said. “Kato, whatever you do, don’t move.”

  Chuck kept creeping along until he said, “Okay, I think I’m good. Have a listen, boys.”

  A few seconds later there were foreign voices again. Ava silently remained in her position on the stairs to listen, even though she had no idea what she was hearing. The men in the room were silent, listening to the conversation between Bobby and two guards. Thankfully the guard that had his ears on Kato’s distraction seemed to fall back a little, even leaning himself up against a wooden post that held a small water cooler.

  “Please tell me you guys just heard what I did,” Gabe exhaled.

  “Bobby’s being paid to smuggle a kid out of the compound,” Ronan chuckled with disbelief. “That fucker somehow used himself as a hired hand.”

  “Smart as hell,” Jessop said. “Glad to know he’s of sound mind.”

  “You guys catch that?” Ronan asked.

  “Ten-four,” Chuck whispered.

  “Got it, Boss,” Kato barely answered.

  “How the hell did he pose as both a contact and a for-hire?” Gabe smiled, looking at Ronan.

  “I have no idea what his cover even is. Looks like he’s wearing normal clothes. Guess he took a page out of your book,” Ronan said to Gabe.

  “I’m betting he’s their weapons contact. Those guards aren’t just guards. My money is that they’re inside.”

  “I think you’re right, Gabe,” Chuck’s voice whispered. “They don’t wear the standard garb for a security guard. See those patches?” There was a pause and then all the guys leaned in to look closely at the screen.

  “No fucking way,” Ronan exhaled. “What the hell is a UN officer doing there?”

  “Jesus Christ,” Jessop whispered.

  There was silence again except for the foreign voices. Ava wasn’t sure if the guys were listening to that, or thinking things through. Both, she believed.

  The two officers parted from Bobby, who now stood alone.

  “Signal him,” Ronan instructed.

  Ava wasn’t sure how he was being signaled, but he clearly caught something in the woods. He casually pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

  “You gu
ys hearing me?” she barely heard a new voice say. It must have been Bobby.

  He took a drag on the tobacco as he looked ahead to the woods again. “Well you caught me,” he hardly murmured. “I’m not leaving here without my kid, you understand me? He’s here, I know he is.” He took another drag and blew it out. “How many of you out there?” he asked. He was waiting for an answer as he took another drag. Whatever was signaled must have answered him. “Ya’ll need to get the hell out of here, okay? I got this covered. Tomorrow night I get Kael in an exchange, and I’m getting the fuck out of here.” He took another drag on the cigarette. “But I’ll be hittin’ the road fifteen miles southeast of here if anyone wants to give me a damn ride.”

  He turned his back to the woods and that was that.

  “Crazy fucker,” Ronan said. “Who does he think he is? We’re here to goddamn help him.”

  Gabe shook his head. “He doesn’t want our help.”

  “He demanded a damn ride, didn’t he?” Jessop said.

  “Chuck, Kato, pull out, okay?” Ronan said. “We got our audio/visual in place. Mission complete.”

  “Ten-four,” they both replied.

  “Jeeeez,” Gabe exhaled, leaning back in his seat. “So what do you think?” he asked Ronan. “We should be there tomorrow night, huh?”

  “Yeah, looks like it.”

  “Oh shit,” they heard over the audio.

  All eyes returned to communications.

  “What’s going on?” Ronan questioned.

  It looked like the guard moved from his post again, weapon drawn.

  “I don’t know,” Chuck whispered. “He’s headed my way. You guys see anything?”

  “Negative,” Ronan answered. “There’s no one out there except the guards on the other posts.”

  “Did you put your mirror away?” Gabe asked, almost like he knew the answer.

  Silence for a moment. “Fuuuuck,” Chuck exhaled. “I stuck it in my vest but it’s—”