by Raven Gale
Sinner Hunted
Sinner Security Series
Raven Gale
Copyright © 2020 by S. Lawrence.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Cover design by Dissident Designs
ISBN:978-1-950851-04-1
First Edition: 2020
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Coming Soon
Afterword
Also by Raven Gale
I dedicate this series to my fellow veterans. To those that face their demons daily, who see faces of the dead when they close their eyes, and hear the screams of the dying in the quiet moments.
You are not alone.
Chapter One
I’ve done truly terrible things, Bot thinks. He has had the thought hundreds, no, thousands of times since the war.
People had died, either because of him or by his hand. The others have tried their hardest to protect him from it, the killing, but he’d signed up for it. Hadn’t he?
He doesn’t sleep. Not much anyway. Even now, he should be sleeping. Glancing at the clock, he sees it’s later than he thought, or earlier, depending on how you look at it.
Three a.m. He rubs his eyes, his vision blurry from staring at his computer screen for hours on end, writing code and hiding their tracks as they try to locate the head of the human trafficking ring. Some days, he wishes he’d never agreed to help Ember but the way Carter is now, well, he’d do anything to help her if it keeps Carter happy and level.
Keep his demons at bay, the shadows from his eyes. Shadows that they all have. Bot thinks he’s lucky. He has less than the others, but they are there lurking, waiting to break him, just like they haunt his friends.
Some days are worse than others, and today is one of those days. He glances at the chat room he has open on half his screen before typing furiously, entering the code for the other program that is displayed on the other half. He almost has him. He doesn’t focus on the video that is playing, forcing himself to ignore the woman. No, not woman, girl.
He knows he’s going to have more shadows from this shit. Ember now carries a few but she hides them well. Erik, their European contact, maybe Interpol, maybe MI-6, who knows, has them as well.
Erik’s are harder to hide since it’s him that usually goes in after Bot finds the locations. They work hard to keep the worst of it from Ember.
Joe has helped with that. He was against it until he saw one of the videos of a maybe twenty-year-old girl being sold. Live.
They didn’t save her. Bot is still looking.
Refocusing on the job at hand, he keeps typing, tracking the motherfucker that is live streaming the current video.
“Gotcha, fucker.”
Finally, the IP address pops up. He sends it to Erik and his team. They have been waiting for the message. Bot had narrowed it down yesterday, and they moved into the city to wait.
Placing the earbud in, he turns on the comms, running it through his computers and listening to them as they move into position.
It’s what he does...listen. Carter thinks he needs to protect him. Bot shakes his head at the thought. I’m not a fucking kid; haven’t been since Afghanistan.
The saying is war is hell, but the real hell comes after, when you have to learn to live with what you had to do. He pushes away the memories that are threatening to break loose from the box he keeps them locked in. Instead, he focuses on the girl in the video.
She might be mid-twenties. They have her made up in thick make-up and trashy lingerie. Why, he doesn’t know. The really sick perverts like them more virginal. Maybe this is a special auction.
She is trying to do what they want, but her eyes are filled with terror. It’s killing him. His fist hits the table. Suddenly, the feed goes black. Comms are silent. Then all hell breaks loose. Bot holds his breath.
“Clear,” Erik murmurs. “We got her, Bot.” He lets the breath out in a puff.
One more saved. Hundreds, thousands, hell, maybe a million more to go.
He sends a message to Ember even as he listens to the sounds of the girl crying through Erik’s link. She keeps saying ‘thank you’ over and over.
“We’ll get her to a safe place, Bot. Let Ember and the others know, please.”
“Will do, Erik,” he responds, his voice flat, his emotions locked down tight.
“And Bot, good job. You know we couldn’t do any of this without your skills.”
Had Erik heard the self-loathing in his voice?
“Thanks.” Bot turns off the comms, not wanting to hear anymore.
He should sleep. Pushing away from his screens, he stands and stretches. His spine cracks and pops from too many hours in the chair. Sweeping all the empty cans and wrappers into the trash can, he climbs the stairs and punches the keypad at the top, waiting as the steel door slides open.
The sun blinds him as it comes in the windows over the kitchen sink, forcing him to stand there to let his eyes adjust before moving around the island to the refrigerator. Opening it, he sees pretty much nothing, having forgotten to shop again. He turns to the pantry and opens that door. Protein shake it is, then. Mixing it as he stands at the sink, he stares out at the mountains.
The whole team lives in Colorado, at least part-time. Joe still has his house out in the swamp somewhere. Bot bought this place in Breckenridge to stay close to the office. They travel a lot, and while he can work from anywhere, he likes to run operations either from where they are taking place, if they will let him, or from the office.
He runs Ember’s project from the locked basement here. He keeps it out of sight.
Hidden.
Lots of things are hidden in that room.
Chapter Two
He’s getting careless, Joe thinks in both sadness and anger. Joe watches Bot through the scope, shaking his head as Bot stands there lost in thought in front of a huge fucking window.
Joe pulls out his phone, keeping an eye to the scope even while pressing Carter’s number.
“Hey. We need to talk about the kid.” He doesn’t wait for Carter to even say hello.
“Good morning, Joe.”
“Yeah, yeah, good morning. He’s getting worse, Carter.”
Joe’s best friend sighs, and he can picture him rubbing his hand over his face.
“I’ve watched for the last twenty-four hours, and he’s not slept or eaten. Right at this very moment, he is staring into space in front of his big window, not paying one bit attention. He can’t feel my eyes on him, Carter.”
“He’s getting worse.”
Umm, that’s what Joe’s been fucking saying for months, so he doesn’t bother doing it again.
“He’s lost weight and looks like shit.” He squints down the scope one last time before pushing up.
Holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, he packs the scope and his pad away into the bag. He listens to Carter as he talks over options of what they can do.
“It’s time, Carter,” Joe says, though they’ve both been avoiding it for three years.
“Are you sure?” Joe can hear the worry that the entire team feels about their youngest member.
“I think so.” He rubs a hand over his head.
“I’ll be there in forty. Wait for me, Joe.”
Joe rolls his eyes. “Yes, Dad.” He smiles as Carter grumbles. “Bring Ember. He won’t argue with her.”
“Like I had a choice.” Joe can hear her yelling about being ready in five minutes and how he better not leave her behind.
“See ya in a few.” Joe hangs up and sits back, leaning against the tree to wait.
It only takes him moments to fall asleep. Years of grabbing naps every time the bullets or bombs stopped trained his brain to quiet quickly.
He hears the rumble of Carter’s SUV long before it comes into sight and straightens, bowing backwards to stretch his back. He’s on his feet and loping across the uneven ground in seconds. He makes it to the side of Carter’s vehicle just as he shuts off the engine.
The door doesn’t open immediately, and Joe can hear him talking quietly to Ember. No warning is going to prepare her for this fight. Not many people know or have seen the side of Bot that they are about to encounter. Not only is it the mean side, but underneath that vicious anger will be the hurt. That’s what no one ever sees.
He’s going to be fucking pissed they brought her into this, but she is Joe’s secret weapon, her and the tears he knows will start falling when she gets sight of Bot. Joe walks around to her side and earns a grin when he pulls open her door and holds out his hand.
“Joe.” It sounds sweet as honey on her tongue.
“Cher.” He leans in and kisses her cheek. “In another life, I’d take you away from all this.”
“Really?” Her eyebrow raises slightly and she glances back at the love of her life and his best friend, who is giving them both a fake frown. “Well, if he keeps up his craziness, it won’t take another life.”
Joe grins as he helps her down. This girl loves to poke the bear. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she is stomping away and right up the front steps. Her fist comes up, and she pounds on the heavy steel door that looks like wood. It sounds like S.W.A.T. is about to break through. Damn, she really is worried.
“You open this door, Colin Matthew Martin, open it right this minute.”
Shit, she’s making Joe’s Grand-mere proud, using the middle name and all.
“Jesus fucking Christ, woman, I’m coming.” Bot’s voice is filled with irritation and exhaustion when it booms through the security speaker by the door. “What the fuck are you all doing here?”
“Quit cussing at her.” Carter’s tone is low and deadly and it draws a glare from the ‘her’ in question.
“Just open the door.” Joe is tired of his shit. Hell, he’s just tired. Time to get this over with.
The sound of locks, both electric and simple deadbolts, echo through the trees surrounding them. Finally, Bot throws the door open, and icy blue eyes, the whites mostly red, stare at the three of them. Ember makes a noise, and Joe knows he was right in calling them in because Bot instantly softens.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” She is practically in tears already.
“I’m fine, just tired.”
“Bullshit.” Joe glares at him as he pushes past, strolling into Bot’s house.
The other two follow as Bot stands holding the door with a pained look on his face. The place is a fucking disaster, and Ember wrinkles her nose at the smell.
“Jesus, Colin, it smells like shit in here.” She ain’t sugar-coating nothing for him today. “I just don’t understand.”
She looks at Carter and then at Joe, waiting for them to explain everything. How can they, though? How do you explain that the darkness is taking over, that he’s losing his battle with everything that haunts him, that haunts them?
“Colin, please talk to me.” She walks over and takes one of his hands in hers. “Please help me.”
Joe watches him close, and so does Carter. They can both see him tensing, see the anger building. Uncontrollable rage. He jerks his hand free.
“Get out!” He screams right in her face.
“No.” She says it quietly but refuses to back down. “I did this. Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve found another way. Erik would have helped me or suggested someone to help.”
Now the tears are flowing. His face fills with guilt and pain, but he refuses to let go of the anger.
“I said leave, Ember.” He looks over her at the others. “Take her and go.”
“You know better than that, Bot. We ain’t leaving.” Joe shrugs. “It’s been too long. You’ve fallen too far down the hole. I’ve been watching you for a few days. You don’t eat or sleep. Hell, this place looks like a shit, and so do you.”
Carter steps forward, drawing Bot’s gaze. “We’ve decided it’s time for you to take some time off and go home. Your mom is expecting you.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? You called my mom?” He paces away then turns back. “I’m not going.”
He walks away down the hall. They look at each other, and Ember stands and starts toward the kitchen. Joe follows her while Carter gets on the phone, making plans for an unwilling passenger. No commercial flight will do. This is going to be A-team style all the way.
Ember opens the pantry and pulls out trash bags and other cleaning supplies. She doesn’t speak as she gets started.
She won’t be leaving until he gives in.
Joe is willing to knock his ass out, if it means saving him from himself.
Chapter Three
They have invaded my home.
Bot’s thought is not entirely incorrect but it is the anger talking. The rage won’t go away, and neither will they. He punches the wall, adding another hole.
He doesn’t want to take it out on them but he knows they won’t hate him forever. He lets his eyes close but jerks them open within seconds. He can’t stand the faces that are burned on the inside of the lids.
It’s why he doesn’t sleep. He sees them all but mostly he sees James. His best friend, the one he followed into the Army. He sees him die every time his eyes close. So he doesn’t sleep. Now many others join James...soldiers, women, and children. He imagines every woman and child they don’t save, but James is with each of them.
His phone vibrates, and he looks down at it on his dresser, his mom’s face appearing. He ignores it, like he has for the last six months. She will leave a message, like she does every day. Every day for the last year. Since she visited and realized he wasn’t ever coming back home.
Ever.
He can’t face them. None of them.
They can’t and don’t understand.
Bottles clank together from the other room, and his molars grind together. Fuck. Opening the door, he looks down the hall and sees Ember raking things off the coffee table into a trash bag. She still has tears running down her face.
“Please. Just go.” He doesn’t say it loudly, but Carter steps out into the hall, his eyes locked on Bot. Joe is right behind him.
Ember doesn’t even look up. She knows they are about to start the argument again. No point in her getting yelled at by Bot again, even if it sounds great in his British accent. Asshole. Joe drops the bag of trash that he is holding onto the floor by more trash. Carter is striding right for Bot, but he starts to close the door. Carter’s eyes narrow and behind him, Joe shakes his head.
“You’re pushing our limits, Bot.” Joe’s Cajun accent is thick with anger. “We’re trying to help you, son.”
“I’m not your son. I don’t need your help.” Bot pauses, giving them a hard look.
They return it with a couple that might be harder.
“You close that door, and I’m going to rip it off the hinges.” Carter’s voice is quiet and deadly. Bot recognizes it from the war. Carter is serious. If he can’t do it with his body, he will blow it off.
“I’m not going home.”
Both Carter and Joe see the instant Bot quits fighting. Bot knows that they aren’t going to give up and he doesn’t want his house destroyed by the battle that would come if he kept fighting them.
“Why don’t we take a walk?” Carter leaves no room for argument, and they start to follow him out.
Bot stops when he gets near Ember. “Don’t clean. You don’t need to.” His hand touches her forearm, trying to stop it as she scrubs at the table.
“Someone does.” She looks up and lets him see her face streaked with tears. “Someone needs to clean up all of this.”
She doesn't just mean the trash and moldy dishes, and he knows it. He doesn’t say anything else. How can he argue with her assessment of him and his home? He follows the others out, face lowered slightly, feeling like shit for upsetting them all.
They don’t speak to him until they are out of Ember’s earshot, not wanting to upset her even more. Bot waits, fighting the urge to run, disappear into the trees. His eyes dart around the area, checking the trees and any shadows. Joe might think he hasn’t been looking, paying attention, but he has cameras hidden everywhere and screens filled with images. He watches. He sees too much maybe. It’s true he didn’t see Joe, but he knew someone was out there, watching him. He just didn’t care, resigning himself to the bullet that will eventually come.