Griff: Hell Squad #17

by Hackett, Anna

  With a sob, she pressed her lips to his. She tasted the coppery tang of blood. “I love you, too, Griffin Callan. I’m crazy about you and have been since I put itching powder in your shirt. We have more living to do, Griff. More fucking to do. More drinking and laughing. And one day, I want a belly full of your baby.”

  His eyes flared. “Wanted more time.”

  “Then you live, dammit.”

  “Indy—”

  His face was so serious her belly jumped.

  More of Griff’s blood pumped through her fingers and she fought back her tears.

  Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. A low growl raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She grabbed Griff’s carbine and spun around. At the other end of the carbine, she watched a canid jump onto a table. It eyed them hungrily, drool dripping from its sharp jaws.

  Anger exploded in Indy. She pressed the trigger and fired on the alien hunting dog. She gripped the carbine, ignoring its kick, and kept firing.

  The canid yelped, lost its balance, and fell to the floor.

  When she turned back, she saw Griff had collapsed to the side. “No. No.”

  She tried to heave him up. They were both covered in blood now. So much blood.

  Another noise behind her, and with a cry, she swung the carbine around again.

  “It’s okay, Indy.” Tane appeared, carbine in hand. “It’s just us.”

  She saw the remaining berserkers over Tane’s shoulder. The squad leader’s gaze fell on Griff and his dark eyes flashed.

  “Hell,” Hemi said.

  “Help him,” Indy begged.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Indy watched Ash drop down beside Griff. The berserker muttered a curse and tore open a small pack on his belt.

  “Sprung a leak, buddy.” Ash carefully pulled off a piece of Griff’s chest armor. Next, he examined the wounds, his jaw tightening.

  Indy bit her lip. She hated seeing that harsh look on Ash’s handsome face. She already knew Griff’s wounds were bad.

  Ash slapped some adhesive bandages over the wounds. They glued on tight to help stop the bleeding.

  Griff grunted, but she could see that his eyelids were drooping. She gripped his hand.

  Ash looked at Indy, then Tane. “He needs nanomeds, but he’s already had two doses recently. It’s super risky to give him another one out here in the field.”

  No. Indy gripped Griff’s hand.

  “Options?” Tane asked.

  “We try and get him out of here. If he worsens, then I’ll inject him.”

  “Hemi, lay the charges on that octagon,” Tane ordered. “Then let’s get Griff out of here.”

  “Wait.” Indy held up her hand. “I looked inside the octagon. It’s filled with some sort of organic fluid. If we blow it, there’s no telling what it might do.”

  Tane bit out a curse, watching as Ash continued to try to staunch Griff’s bleeding.

  “I took pictures of it,” she said. “We need to analyze them, work out what it does, and find a safe way to neutralize it.”

  “They’ll fucking move it again,” Tane said.

  Indy fished around on her belt. She held up a small device. “Tracker. It isn’t small or particularly stealthy, but we might get lucky and they won’t spot it.”

  Tane took it and gave her a faint smile. “Good work. I’ll plant it, you organize our evac.” He looked at Griff, and all hint of a smile dissolved. “We can’t get back across the Skyway, the Gizzida will try and stop us. And Griff won’t make the journey back down the Railway.”

  She nodded. “I’ll see if Finn will risk a hot evac.”

  “Do it. We need to get Griff to the doc.”

  Indy reluctantly let go of Griff’s hand and raised her tablet. She tapped in a message to Finn. As soon as she could, she grabbed Griff’s hand again. His breathing was labored.

  “Ash?”

  The medic met her gaze. “He’s bad, but he’s tough.”

  “Squad Three, you there?”

  Finn’s voice through the earpiece almost made Indy cry. “We’re here! Griff’s hurt, we need a pick up now, Finn.”

  “Shit, okay,” the pilot said. “I’ll be coming in hot. Squad Nine took out most of the turrets, but its not going to be easy.”

  “Finn.” Tane strode back into view, finger pressed to his ear. “We’ll take down any turrets we can, but there are still a fuckload of raptors around.”

  “Shit,” Finn muttered.

  “We could jump into the valley with wingsuits,” Levi suggested.

  Ash gave one shake of his head. “Griff isn’t up for that.”

  Indy’s heart knocked hard against her ribs. What he meant was that Griff wouldn’t survive the jump.

  “Don’t worry,” Finn said. “I have some support with me and we have a plan. Head to the clearing west of the resort.”

  Tane scowled. “Support?” He shook his head. “Okay, Ash and Levi, you carry Griff. Indy, stay close. Let’s move.”

  Indy rose and swung Griff’s carbine over her shoulder. With Ash and Levi carrying Griff between them, they all burst out of the building. Tane and Hemi went first, firing on the raptors. All around, weapons fired and explosions boomed. Indy kept her head down and tried to keep her cool.

  Behind her, Dom was facing backward, firing his carbine with deadly precision.

  Indy glanced at Griff and felt like wire wrapped around her throat. He sagged between the men, barely conscious, his face contorted in pain.

  She was damn well getting him out of here and he was going to be okay. She lifted Griff’s carbine and fired on the raptors rushing across the grass.

  “Nice work, bella,” Dom said.

  Together, the two of them kept the raptors off them. Then she saw Dom jerk.

  “Dom?”

  “Keep moving.”

  She saw the ugly bone projectile lodged in his shoulder. It had penetrated his armor. “You’re hit!”

  “I’m fine. Let’s get out of here first. My friend needs help.”

  She heard the worry in the other man’s voice and nodded.

  They reached the clearing. Indy searched the night sky. Nothing. Where was the Hawk? She yanked out her comp. Her belly clenched. “Oh, no.”

  Tane spun around. “I don’t like the sound of that, Indy.”

  “We have another shrieker incoming. It’s being flanked by multiple spike raptors.”

  “Shrieker? Spike raptor?” Hemi grinned. “Love the names, babe.”

  “Fuck.” Face like stone, Tane scanned their surroundings. “Hawk can’t land with that many bogeys incoming.”

  She sucked in a breath. They weren’t going to make it. She could see it in Tane’s eyes.

  “Tane,” Ash called out. “Griff’s not doing so great.”

  Indy squeezed her eyes closed and touched her ear. “Finn, we’re at the clearing, but it isn’t safe for you to land. We have incoming Gizzida.”

  “Too late, Indy.” Finn’s voice. “We’re going to do a hot evac. Not leaving you guys.”

  Suddenly, the Hawk appeared right above them, dropping its illusion. The downdraft washed over them and Indy gasped.

  “You’re a crazy motherfucker, Erickson,” Hemi yelled.

  Tane waved his arm. “Go, go.”

  The raptors were closing in. The shrieker sprinted ahead and let out a piercing screech.

  Oh, God. Her stomach pitched. It would reach the Hawk before they could get aboard and take off. Tane, Dom, and Hemi started firing.

  Tane started walking toward the shrieker. “You guys go, now.”

  “Fuck that,” Hemi roared.

  “That’s an order, Rahia.”

  The side of the Hawk slid open. A slender woman stood in the doorway, wearing dark armor. Her silver-white hair was loose, waving in the wind.

  Selena.

  Tane spotted her. “What the fuck?” As the shrieker neared, he wrenched his gaze away from Selena and fired his carbine.

  Selena jumped down, walki
ng across the grass serenely. “Get Griff aboard.”

  “Indy,” Dom said. “Go with Griff.”

  Indy nodded, stepping toward the quadcopter. She saw Ash and Levi heave Griff inside, and a shudder passed through her. Thank God.

  She passed Selena, and the woman nodded, before focusing on the approaching Gizzida. Indy felt something brush her legs and looked down. Her heart thumped. The grass beneath their feet sprouted upward, growing wildly behind the alien woman.

  Holy. Cow.

  Selena lifted her head, her face hardening. Then she raised her hands.

  What the hell was she doing? Indy kept moving toward the Hawk, but kept one eye on Selena.

  Another shriek cut through the night. Indy frowned. This one wasn’t from the shrieker. She looked up and heard the beat of thousands of wings in the night sky.

  A huge flock of birds swooped down. They arrowed straight into the Gizzida, nipping, pecking, and squawking. Indy saw they were regular Earth birds in a bunch of different species—magpies, cockatoos, crows, colorful parrots, large hawks. They moved like one mass, shifting and attacking.

  “Fuck me,” Hemi breathed.

  The raptors were dropping back under the onslaught of the birds. Selena kept her hands in the air, her face set with concentration.

  Suddenly, the shrieker broke loose of the flock. It started careening toward them, lowering its head to charge.

  Selena stepped forward to meet it.

  “Get in the Hawk,” Tane bit out. “Fuck.” He moved in behind Selena, firing over her at the shrieker.

  Then Selena went down on one knee, pressing her palms to the ground. Indy watched, amazed, as a ripple went through the earth.

  Her mouth dropped open.

  The ground heaved right in front of the shrieker, dirt flying into the air. The force of it knocked the giant alien over.

  “Let’s move it.” Finn’s voice in their earpieces.

  The shrieker sat up, looking sightlessly in their direction. Selena pressed another wave of power into the ground. There was a massive tremble, and Indy threw her hands out to stay on her feet.

  Then Tane scooped Selena up in his arms and sprinted for the Hawk. Indy started to climb aboard and Dom grabbed her hand, pulling her in. She saw him grimace and her gaze dropped to the ugly bone projectile still lodged in his arm.

  “You’re hurt—”

  He shook his head. “Griff needs help first. This can wait.”

  Tane leaped in, releasing Selena, and slamming the door closed. “Finn, get us out of here!”

  The Hawk lifted off.

  Ash had Griff laid out on the floor, and was injecting a syringe of silver nanos into him.

  With tears in her eyes, Indy dropped down beside her man. She gripped his hand. “You’re going to be okay, baby. Ash is fixing you up.”

  “What the fuck was that?” Tane barked.

  Indy looked up and saw him squaring off with Selena. Just a few months ago, the alien woman would have cowered. Now, she just ignored him and turned to watch Griff.

  “This isn’t over,” Tane warned. “We’ll talk about this back at the Enclave.”

  Selena sent him a glare. “I don’t believe you have any say in what I do, Tane Rahia.”

  Despite the serious situation, the urge to laugh welled in Indy’s throat.

  Finished injecting the nanos, Ash sat back and picked up a comp screen. “No response yet.”

  “Come on, Griff,” Indy urged.

  Ash stared at the tablet. “Come on, man. Fight.”

  The seconds ticked by as the Hawk swept away from the mountains, heading back toward the Enclave.

  A muscle jumped in Ash’s jaw. “He’s not responding.”

  “Griff,” Indy said brokenly.

  “Give him time,” Tane said. “He’s a tough bastard, and he’s survived worse.”

  Selena dropped down beside Indy and slid her arm around Indy’s shoulders.

  “Indy, you got pictures of the octagon?” Tane asked.

  She blinked. He wanted to talk about the octagon now? Then she realized what he was trying to do. Distract her. She didn’t look away from Griff’s pale face. “Yes.”

  “We didn’t fucking destroy it, though,” Hemi grumbled. He sat close to Griff, watching.

  “No.” Tane scowled, his dark eyes on Selena. “But we have intel that we didn’t have before. And while we didn’t win this battle, we’re still in with a chance to win the war.”

  Suddenly, Ash cursed. “The nanos aren’t working! They’re going into a cascade. He’s crashing.”

  Indy’s chest filled with concrete. “Griff.” Pain tore through her. She’d lost everything, everyone she’d ever loved. She couldn’t lose Griff.

  She leaned down, pressing her face to his. “Griff, don’t leave me.” Her voice broke. “Please, baby.”

  A bright light flared inside the Hawk.

  “Selena—” Tane ground out.

  The alien woman leaned past Indy and pressed her glowing palms to Griff’s chest. Her skin was luminous, her face locked in concentration.

  Indy stared at Selena, then her gaze went back to Griff. She watched the bandages that Ash had put on him peel off. His wounds started to heal right before her eyes. Oh, god.

  Griff opened his eyes. “What the hell?” His voice was raw and raspy.

  “Griff.” Indy leaned over him, squeezing his hand.

  Selena lifted her hands and sat back. The light of her skin started to dim. She made a soft, whimpering sound, and started to crumple.

  Tane grabbed her, lifting her off the floor and dragging her into his arms.

  “Not too bad this time.” Then her eyes rolled back, and her head fell back over Tane’s arm.

  “Stubborn little…” Tane dropped into a seat, cradling Selena in his lap.

  Indy leaned into Griff and burst into tears.

  She felt strong arms wrap around her, and warm lips pressed to her ear.

  “Don’t cry, wild girl.”

  “You were dying, asshole. I’m allowed to cry.”

  “I’m not dying now.”

  “I still get to be pissed at you for a while.”

  As he chuckled, Indy pressed her face to his chest and listened to the beat of his heart.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Griff snuck out of the infirmary bunk.

  He didn’t need the doc whining at him anymore. He was fine. His wounds had been gone before the Hawk had even set down after the mission.

  Selena had healed him and left him buzzing with energy.

  He’d almost made it to the door when Emerson stepped into view, her arms crossed over her chest. She shook her head.

  “I’m fine,” he said defensively.

  “I’m not going to say anything. We both know that Indy will ride your ass enough for all of us.”

  Griff grinned at her. “I’m more than happy for her to ride me. Just preferably with a different body part involved.”

  Emerson rolled her eyes and waved him off. “Go. Damn berserkers.”

  “Thanks, Doc.”

  “Everyone’s in the Command Center for the debrief.”

  Griff strode down the corridor. He had one important job to see to before he went to find his woman. It was still early, so the corridors were mostly empty, most Enclave residents still tucked up in bed.

  He made short work of his task, taking great pleasure in it, and finally made his way to the Command Center.

  As he snuck through the doors, he spotted Indy’s pictures of the octagon on the screen.

  “More than ever, we need to know what it does, so we can determine how to destroy it,” Holmes said.

  “What’s the second one?” Marcus asked. He stood with his wife, Elle, tucked under his arm. Hell Squad’s pretty comms officer was listening intently.

  “We aren’t sure yet.” Niko answered. “A prototype? Maybe it boosts or amplifies the larger one?”

  “And the tracker?” Tane asked.

  “Functi
onal,” Holmes answered. “The octagon is on the move and we’ll continue to track it. We will find a way to destroy the damn device one way or another.”

  Griff moved closer to his squad. As he neared, Dom turned his head. “Griff.”

  Indy’s head shot up, her brows drawing together. “Why are you out of the infirmary?”

  Griff ignored her attitude and strode up to her. “Indy.”

  “You should—”

  He gripped her slim waist and tossed her over his shoulder. He turned, seeing everyone in the room looking at them. The ladies of Squad Nine were standing in front of him, each wearing an expression of amusement on their faces.

  “We’ll be busy for the next eight hours,” he said.

  “Eight hours?” Sienna shivered.

  He headed for the door, laughter filling the room behind them. Indy wriggled, and he slapped her on her ass. “Hold still.”

  “You’re lucky I’m glad you’re alive, Griffin Callan. Otherwise, I’d be giving you a piece of my mind.”

  He headed down to the lower level where her quarters were. “I’m going to have a piece of you in a moment.” He ran his hand over her ass. He couldn’t wait to get these jeans off.

  She made a sound caught between a huff and laugh. At her door, he pressed his palm to the lock and walked inside. He set her down.

  She spun, about to let fly, when she noticed her room had changed. Her eyes widened. He’d moved in his giant TV screen, and his duffel bag was sitting on the floor by the closet. His weapons were scattered on the table.

  Her blue gaze shot to his. “What’s going on?”

  “I moved in. These are our quarters now.”

  She cocked a hip. “Oh?”

  “And you’re going to marry me.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Not with that half-assed, alpha-male proposal. Or rather, order.” She sniffed. “Do it right, and I might think about it.”

  “Later.” He picked her up, took two steps, and threw her onto the bed. “I’m hungry. And there’s nothing sweeter than my wild girl.”

  Her hands slid into his hair, and their kiss was wild and hungry. They tore at each other’s clothes. He yanked her jeans down her long legs.

  “Hard, Griff. I need it hard.”

  He pushed her knees up to her chest, moving down to press a kiss to her belly. “I’ll give you whatever you need, babe.” He needed hard as well. He needed Indy.