Brooks (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Gold Team Book 1)

by Riley Edwards

  “But—”

  “No buts, Doll. Understood?”

  The boat was drawing near, she’d seen it, too. I had no time to explain why I needed her away from me and on her way to safety.

  “Understood,” she clipped, obviously not happy with my demand.

  Tough shit. I couldn’t do much to protect her while we were in the water. I was impressed with Tatiana. When she’d finally caught her breath, she hadn’t freaked out about the boat exploding. Hadn’t said a word about me tossing her overboard. It made me wonder how many times she’d been in a similar situation. She didn’t even appear to be scared. Most people would be freaking out, but not Tatiana, she was a cool customer. I was going to tell her to start swimming when I finally heard the three sharp whistles I’d been waiting for.

  “We’re good. It’s the guys.”

  “Don’t you have to do something? Should we wave or something?”

  “Nope. Just float. They’ll find us.”

  “So. Um. Thanks for…saving me.”

  “That sounded painful to say. But there’s no need to thank me.”

  “Not painful. I’m just not used to being helpless.”

  “There’s nothing helpless about you. And you’ve done great.”

  “Sure I have. All I’ve done is float and you’ve distracted me from the fact we almost died a fiery death, then I almost drowned.”

  “You saved us to begin with. You’re the one that saw the RPG.”

  Thank God, Tatiana had been looking back at the dock, or we’d have been fish food.

  The boat was close enough I could make out my team on board, and weirdly I was bummed our time alone in the water had come to an end. There was something about the woman that made me want to get to know her better. Which was an impossibility since we were leaving in a few days. Shit timing.

  Chapter 4

  Once we were in the boat, the inquisition started. Declan was peppering me with questions I couldn’t answer. Not because I didn’t know, but I was bound by operational security. The more I tried to deflect the more frustrated he became.

  “What can you tell us, Tatiana?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “Fucking hell,” he grumbled. Thankfully, Kyle was piloting the boat closer to shore. The faster I got back to the annex the better. “You almost get my man killed today and you’ve got nothing.”

  “Just to point out, if he hadn’t pulled his bullshit, he would’ve been safe and sound in his bed on base. So don’t pile your shit on me. I asked all of you nicely to inspect what you need, gather your intel, and get out of Bahrain. Now I’m telling you, stay the hell away from me. I don’t need to be seen with any of you, and that includes you coming into the annex.”

  “We came to you, at your request,” Declan reminded me.

  He was correct, they had. Once I’d gotten word Zane Lewis had sent a team of commandos into Bahrain, I felt it necessary to find out why they were there. When I called Tex and asked him for the meeting, I hadn’t known Declan Crenshaw was the team leader. I was familiar with Declan’s work while he was with the CIA. Last I’d heard, he was going deep cover, then I quit the CIA. I had no idea he’d gone to work for Zane’s company, Z Corps. Maybe if I had, I wouldn’t have requested a sit down. He was known around the agency as a rabid dog when he wanted intel.

  “And now I’m requesting you to leave,” I told Declan. “You know there is no transoceanic cabling being laid. I’m sure you’re all smart enough to know the Militrix government contract is nothing more than a way to funnel money.”

  “What do you know about Militrix funneling money?” Brooks asked.

  “Nothing.”

  It wasn’t a bold-face lie, it was more of a small, white lie. I didn’t know a lot about Militrix, however the name had come up enough in my investigation and I was now actively looking into them.

  Kyle pulled into the marina and slowed. Max and Thad were both preparing to tie us off. I stood, grateful the warm sun had quickly started to dry me off.

  “Whose boat is this?”

  “No clue,” Thad responded.

  I wasn’t shocked they borrowed the vessel without permission, but I was impressed they were gently putting it back, presumably where they’d taken it from. The men went to great efforts not to allow the fiberglass boat to slam against the wooden dock.

  “Well. Thanks for the pickup.”

  “Whoa there, Doll. You’re not going anywhere until we figure out who took a shot at us.”

  “Were you not listening? I have work to do and being seen in public with the five of you will make that impossible.”

  “How do you figure that?” Brooks stood in front of me on the rocking boat with his feet planted shoulder’s width, muscular arms crossed over his impressive chest, and made no move to allow me to pass.

  “Seriously? It’s not like the five of you don’t stand out like a sore thumb around here or anything, you scream American Soldier.”

  “And that would be a problem for you, why?” he continued.

  Now he was pissing me off. He wasn’t stupid, none of them were.

  “Brooks…”

  “Tatiana…”

  He was infuriating.

  I crossed my arms. “We’re not doing this out here in the open.”

  “Glad you see it our way. We’ll discuss this when we get back to the compound.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with any of you. You’re going to fuck everything up.” I tried to keep the snarl out of my tone, but it was difficult.

  I’d worked my ass off over the last few months getting everything into place. I was so close to wrapping up this op and now I had to deal with G.I. Joe and the Real American Action Hero bunch.

  Brooks brushed my hair away from my face, leaned in close, and whispered, “Your options are to walk with us to the car and come quietly or I toss your little ass over my shoulder and take you there myself. I don’t care how much you kick and scream.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “Trust me, I would. I’ve had a shit morning, I want some dry clothes and a cup of coffee.”

  “That’s it? Dry clothes and coffee?”

  “Coffee then business. So what will it be, Doll? Option one or two?”

  “I will kick you in the balls if you try to put me over your shoulder.”

  “Then I hope for the sake of my future children you choose the first option.”

  He was serious. And he knew that it wouldn’t matter how loudly I screamed and fought. No one would come to my aid. He also knew I’d never draw attention to myself, or them, by kicking and yelling.

  Bastard.

  “You have one hour, then I have work I need to do.”

  Kyle, Thad, and Max were already waiting on the dock. Brooks moved to the side and offered his hand to help me climb off the boat. I declined. We’d done enough touching for one day. The rumble of his laugh made my female parts wake up and take notice, only proving I’d done the right thing by not placing my hand in his. He was an unwelcome distraction. I had to stay focused, not only did I have others depending on me, but I wanted out of Bahrain alive. I didn’t have time to play games with the good-looking mercenary. Even if he was sexy as sin and it had been a long time since I’d had the pleasure of a man’s company.

  “I’d love to know where you go when you drift off.” Brooks’ hot breath fanned over my neck. I pulled back and my gaze snapped to his. Mirth danced across his face.

  With his hair tousled and that smile, he looked a step down from deadly. But when my eyes looked at his wet t-shirt clinging to his well-defined chest, I remembered. He was no different than who he was, a lethal mercenary with the ego to go with the job title.

  “My head is a boring place.”

  “There’s not a boring thing about you.”

  Off limits, I reminded myself as we walked to the car. His smooth talk, hard body, and suggestive smile were one hundred percent off limits.

  I’d stupidly been lost in though
t while Declan drove. It took me a moment to take in my surroundings and figure out we were still about thirty minutes away from the base.

  Declan pulled in front of an unfamiliar gated compound. “Where are we?”

  Max exited the car and Brooks answered, “A safe house.”

  “I thought you were staying at the naval base.”

  “We have a room there,” he answered, but didn’t elaborate further.

  Max had the gate opened, bringing into view a simple two-story U-shaped structure. Declan pulled into the courtyard and Max shut the gate, closing us off from the street. The walls around the compound were much taller than the normal eight-to-ten-foot barricades around the homes in the area. The outside of the house was well-kept, there was nothing exceptional or noteworthy other than the added perimeter security.

  The six of us walked through an unlocked door and the interior was practically empty. There were two couches in what would be considered the main living area but no other furniture or decoration. When I followed Declan into the dining room, I was surprised to find a large table and modern kitchen off to the side.

  Kyle, Max, and Thad had disappeared leaving me alone with Brooks and Declan.

  “Where’d everyone go?”

  “Kyle and Max will take post on the second floor and Thad’s going to the safe,” Declan answered.

  “Are you expecting an invasion?”

  “No. But we weren’t expecting an assassination attempt this morning, either.”

  “Touché.”

  “Do you have any idea who would want to kill you?” Declan started.

  “Boy, you don’t waste time, do you? Brooks and I are still wet from our little swim and you’re just diving right in.”

  Okay, I was stalling. It was nearing a hundred degrees and my shorts and t-shirt were mostly dry already. Brooks had to be uncomfortable in his damp cargo pants and… when had he taken off his boots? And why was I staring at the man’s bare feet?

  Thad came back in the room and set a Sig P226 on the table in front of Brooks. He simply nodded his thanks, dropped the magazine, checked it was loaded, slammed the mag back into place, and tucked it into the back of his cargo pants.

  “Tatiana,” Declan snapped.

  Shit. So much for trying to delay. I had to give them something. “Not everyone in the region is happy I’m here. My last report outlined the instability in the area.”

  The last part of my statement was a complete fabrication. I hadn’t turned in any reports.

  “Bullshit,” Thad spoke. “A report about Bahrain’s volatility isn’t something new. You said you had something going down in a week. What do you have planned?”

  “Need to know,” I answered.

  “We’re in the need,” Declan said.

  “You’re not even in the ballpark, Declan. I understand why your team is here. You have an objective. I have no doubt you can complete your mission and head out.”

  “Doll, someone tried to kill me today—”

  “No. They tried to kill me. You had the unfortunate luck of being with me. And I will point out again if you hadn’t pulled that stupid stunt this morning, you wouldn’t have been.”

  “Are we seriously going to stand around and split hairs about who was the target?”

  “There’s no splitting anything. You’ve already pointed out anyone making an attempt on your life wouldn’t have been so careless. We all know I was the intended target. End of story. I’m not at liberty to tell you why I’m here. I’d appreciate the respect of you not asking again. Now since we’re at an impasse, if someone will take me back to the dock, I’d like to go home. I have work to do.”

  “And how do you plan on getting home from the dock? I’m sure your keys are on the bottom of the Gulf.” Brooks smirked.

  Ass.

  I shoved my hand in my pocket, unclipped my car key from the safety pin, and held it out for him to see.

  Before I could wipe his nose in the fact I wasn’t a rookie, Thad cut in. “We have company.”

  “Feel like talking yet?” Declan asked again.

  “Nope. But the sooner I’m away from you five the faster you’ll be able to complete your recon without people shooting at you.”

  “This happen to you often?” he continued.

  “Typically not twice in one day.”

  That was the sad reality of my life. I spent the majority of it dodging bullets. Scumbags didn’t like it when I shut their rackets down and stopped the flow of money. It was simple economics.

  “Five armed males. There are two in the cab of the truck, three in the bed,” Thad reported.

  Declan pulled his phone out of his pocket, swiped the screen, and walked out of the room.

  “Not twice a day, huh? Is it safe to say you’re taking fire once a day, then?” Brooks asked.

  “No. Not every day. I really need to get back to work.”

  I couldn’t decipher the strange look on his face. His jaw ticked and his eyes narrowed. I was happy Declan had returned, until he spoke.

  “No reason for you to rush off now,” Declan said. “The annex is on fire.”

  “What the fuck? I have to go.”

  “You have orders to stay put.”

  I took a moment to stare at the ceiling and blow out a calming breath. Declan was full of shit. I didn’t have orders to do anything.

  “We’re done playing games, Declan. I’ve shown you and your team nothing but respect and now you’re lying to me. I’m leaving.”

  Brooks stepped in front of me halting my exit. “I’m not fucking around, Brooks.”

  Thad broke into our standoff. “Three hostiles are out of the bed of the pickup, patrolling the front gate.”

  I was screwed. Five men were going to break through the gate any second and when they did, I needed to be armed.

  Chapter 5

  Tatiana’s eyes held mine before they shifted to Declan.

  “The men outside work for a man named, Matek Nazari. They’ve been hired to kill me—”

  “Who is he?” Declan cut her off.

  “A trafficker—”

  “Human?” he asked.

  “Any minute they’re going to breach the gate,” Tatiana snarled. “This would go a lot faster if you’d let me finish without interruptions. He traffics ancient artifacts. I was posing as a competing buyer. I put in a bid Nazari wasn’t happy with. He’s been sending his men after me to try and take out the competition. Things were going as planned until you guys showed up. I was letting them play their games. Unfortunately for them, now I have to take them out. I can’t risk them going back to Nazari and reporting I’ve been seen with American soldiers.”

  “You’re agency?” I couldn’t hide my distaste. “Not that any of us were buying the UNPOA cover.”

  “I’m…something. Which is not up for discussion. What else do you have in the weapons cache?” She directed her question to Declan.

  My team leader eyed her before he turned to Thad, and with a lift of his chin Thad jogged out of the room.

  “What do you know about the guys out front?”

  “Nothing. The only thing I know is they miss. Before today, they’ve made three attempts, all as sloppy as the current situation. Nazari is a heavy hitter but apparently hires his hits out on the cheap.”

  Thad came back in the room with two HK416 rifles. He handed one to Tatiana before passing one to me. Next he pulled fully loaded magazines from the pockets of his cargo pants. Finally, he passed her a Sig P226, identical to the 9mm pistol he’d handed me earlier.

  I don’t know what kind of man it made me, but watching her inspect the rifle she’d been given was turning me on. She fingered the mag release button, ejected it, confirming it was loaded, jammed it back into place, and pulled back on the charging handle. The sound of the metal slamming, pushing a bullet into the chamber, was some sort of tactical foreplay I’d never experienced.

  “Two tangos broke south,” Thad informed us. “They’re moving around back.”
<
br />   “You two, take the back. Thad, you’re with me out front,” Declan told us, then repeated his instructions into a two-way radio adding, “Max, Kyle, you stay on the second floor.”

  Tatiana picked up two of the extra .223 magazines and shoved them in the back pocket of her shorts like some sexy Guns & Ammo calendar girl, further making my lust grow. What the fuck was wrong with me? This was a first, never had I had a hard-on going into a gun fight.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  With a nod, she followed me down a hallway and out the back door. The waist-high wall surrounding the cement patio was the perfect place to take cover while we waited to see if these assholes could breach the outer perimeter.

  “What’s your guess? Do you think they’ll try and come over or blow their way through?” I asked.

  Not that it mattered which way they tried to break in, they’d be dead before they were two feet onto the property. The only difference it would make was, where the mess would be left to clean up.

  Tatiana looked around the back courtyard before she answered. “They won’t try and breach back here. The second their heads poke over the wall they’ll be popped. No one’s that stupid. And I don’t think they have the explosive charges to blast in.”

  Just as she finished her statement, a head came up over the wall. Without giving away our hiding spot, I raised my rifle and pulled the trigger. The man disappeared from sight.

  “You were saying?”

  “I’m beginning to feel a little cheated. Nazari sent the B-Squad of hitmen to kill me. He didn’t think I was worthy of an experienced team.”

  Two quick gunshots came from out front, followed by a rapid fire. Not moving was one of the hardest instincts I had to break the first time I was deployed. The natural need to rush to your team’s back when they were taking fire instead of holding the position you were ordered.

  “Desperation to finish a job makes people sloppy,” I told her, still scanning the area for the other man.