Army Beasts Resurrection (9 page)

“Anya keeps you out of trouble lately
,
so you’re not so bad,
”
Kale teased.

“Bite me, Kale
.
” Zander punched him in the shoulder.

“I refuse
.
Y
ou
don’t
taste good,” Kale replied and wrinkled his
nose
in distaste.

It was lik
e the flood-
gates opened
,
and everyone had to have a turn to hug him or shake his hand or slap him on the back. Malachi and his big bear self lifted him out of the chair and
squeezed him so tight he lost his breath
,
and
the gesture
caused him some pain.

“Ouch
!
P
ut me down you big fucker,” Stavros teased.

“Stop whining and take the hug,” Malachi said. “I can’t wait for my Mae to meet you.”

“I can’t believe the bunch of you are all hitched up
.
” Stavros laughed.
“
A lot has happened in a year.”

Nia l
aughed. “Including babies
.
Promy
se and Zane have Benjamin. Sophie is Casey
’s
baby girl.
Kale’s wife April is pregnant
,
and more than likely more to come.
Anya wants a baby,
but
Zander doesn’t know.”

“Well fuck
,
I do now,” Zander said in astonishment.
“
When did this conversation happen?”

Nia went along like she didn’t hear him.
“
Cam
’s
and Sable
’s
house on the compound is almost done. Mal and Ma
e
have taken over the west wing of the main house. It
’
s all just one big happy family
.
” She gave a watery smile. “And now
that
you’re home and you’re in love, it
’
s officially perfect.”

“Kale
,
you big goofball, you’re going to be a dad?’ Stavros said. He
eyed
the green pallor of his buddy’s face and grinned.

“April made me watch a child birth video,
and
I’m still not over it
.
”

“Well
,
let’s make sure Stavros gets his Amari home so we can have a big celebration
.
” Nia clapped her hands and sat down.
“
Cam and I have some information.”

“So about Anya wanting a kid
…
” Zander sat beside Nia.

She held up her hand. “Not now, Zander.”

“You can
’t
drop a bomb line that and then just move on!”

Nia sighed.
“
We’ll talk later, because you’re a bonehead.”

Stavros couldn’t help but smile broadly. It was the same with
them,
and it felt like coming home. He was thrilled they
’d
all found happiness. Wives and children made them stronger
,
in his opinion. He wondered if he and Amari
would have
a chance to have what
the rest of them
had. He’d find her and apologize
,
and by
God,
if anyone hurt her
,
he would literally rip them apart.

“What did you guys find out?” Stavros asked

“Your girl didn’t tell you everything, in
fact
she downplayed it big time
,
” Cam said and slid a file over to him.
“
A year and a half ago she stumbled on to a ring
,
one the head cardio doctor at the hospital was a part of. Well not so much a part of
as
ran
,
big time. Hundreds of thousands of dollars paid out to him, some nurses and another doctor to buy hearts and
move
their very rich benefactors
to
the top of the
heart transplant waiting
list. They would make their charts look as if they were in dire need
.
A
nd if that didn’t work
,
they killed at least five perfectly healthy people who came in for minor surgery
,
c
onvinced the families that donation was best
,
and
then
harvest
ed
the organs for the highest bidder.”

“That’s some seriously fucked up shit,” Stavros said. “Why is Amari so important that they need to take her?”

“She was the
lynch
pin that brought it all down
,
” Nia answered. “She went to he DA and they in turn to the FBI. They planted her on the inside and she got them some valuable information
.
Enough that they busted the ring and the good Dr. Bascombe. At the first trial the Bascombe family
,
who has so man zeros in their bank account I lost count
,
manage
d
to
corrupt the jury and it went to
mistrial. Something is always putting the second trial off. Prosecutors getting sick, witnesses
go
missing or show up with their stories changed. That family is throwing everything out there to protect their golden son.”

“But why take Amari
?
W
hy not kill her right there in her place?” When Stavros asked the question
he
felt terror grip his chest. Just thinking about her being gone left a desolate place in his heart.

“Because Ms. Amari Montgomery is one smart chick,” Cam grinned. “She gave the prosecutor information but kept some valuable paperwork and video for herself. A protection package
,
so to speak. They need to her to find it
,
and that’s what’s keeping her alive now.”

“They probably plan to torture her into giving up the information and then
dispose
of her body
,
” Stavros said grimly
,
and panic gripped him. “It’s already been hours since they took her
.
W
e need to find her ASAP.”

“We know it
,
and we found the most likely spo
t that they would take her,” Cam
said. “We know they would never use a place with the Bascombe name attached
,
but the matriarch of the family
,
Norma Bascombe
,
has a piece of property with a
boat house in her maiden name
of Colleburn. S
h
e signed
it
over to her first son from a previous marriage
before
s
he died. The land deed was put in the name of
Norman Fraye and never revert
ed
back to her name. It
’
s basically desolate
,
on the opposite side of the a lake in upstate
Massachusetts.
That’s the only place they could take her for privacy if they had to…” Cam sighed. “Sorry man, if the plan to use alternative methods to get her to talk.”

“We’ve got the jet refueled and packed and we can head out immediately for extraction,” Casey said briskly and looked directly at Stavros. “How are you health wise?”

“If you mean am I hanging back
,
there is no way in hell,” Stavros replied. “I’m still healing
,
but Amari took great care of me
.
H
onestly
,
I’m not one hundred percent
,
but if you try and leave me here we’re going to have fight on our hands. I need to be there for her.”

Casey nodded. “We’ll put Mal on your six when we go in.”

“Who
is finding the new compound?” Stavros asked.

“
Only I
know that
,
and he wants to stay anonymous,” Casey replied.
“
I know this person personally
,
and let me tell you he is in high government
,
so his identity has to be kept private at all times.”

“You say he’s on the up and up
,
and that’s all I need to know,” Stavros said. “I need some gear for this.”

“All your gear is in your locker
,
the way it always
was.
” Casey cleared his throat.
“
We never could pack it away.”

“Then let
’
s go get my girl,” Stavros said.
“
God help anyone who gets in my way.”

Kale beat out a little tune on the surface of the table.
“
The Army Beasts ride again.”

“Stavros
,
there was an empty space that you left that could never be filled
,
and now we’re whole again,” Nia said. “You guys be careful
.
I’ll grab the ladies and we’ll man the communications while you guys are gone.
”

Stavros rose with the others and strode out of the room. The familiar sense of going out on a mission with his brothers in arms actually enhanced his energy and he felt the familiar fire in his chest when he went through his gear.
The Army Beasts ride again
.
H
e thought of Kales words. Amari was right all along
. T
his was what he needed
. T
his was home.

Chapter Five

Amari woke up and
groggily
tried
to see
.
T
here was someth
ing over her eyes. The
black
materia
l was so
thick
she could
n’
t even make out light through it. Her
mouth was taped
,
and when she tried to
move her hand
s
the
y were tied over her head. She
took stock of her situation as it all came b
ack to her. She
’d
had an argument with Stavros
,
drove
hom
e, shower
ed
, two men, chloroform
,
and
nothing after that. She wondered how long
she was out and where she was
being held
. It was obvious who took her and the reason why, what she had to figure out now was a way to get free. Did anyone notice she was missing
? Amari
doubted
it
.

Stavros was probably still brooding
at his cabin
,
and none of her co-
workers would expect anything
until Monday if she didn’t show up. Madge would
g
o by and check to see if she was ok
ay
. By then it would be too late
.
I’ll probably be dead
.
T
he thought made panic lance through her.

Amari began to struggle in vain against the rope that bound her arms and legs. She was in a thin mattress on a cot. When she finally stopped moving
,
she could feel cold wood against her back. She took a deep breath and smelled water and the familiar scent of spring in Boston. They had brought her back to the place she was running from.
She heard a noise
,
footsteps coming across the boards and then a door opening. She stayed as still as she could
,
hoping that she could fool whoever it was that she was asleep.

“I know you’re awake
.
,
”
The man
’s voice
sounded
amused. She knew who it was instantly
;
Dr. Bascombe. “I heard the squeaking of those springs.” Amari still said nothing and he made an impatient sigh and ripped the tape from her lips
,
making her cry out. “There you are
.
Hello
,
Nurse Montgomery.”

“You
might
as well take this crap off my eyes
.
I know your voice, Dr. Bascombe,” Amari snapped. “Where the hell am I?”

“Someplace where no one can find you,” Dr. Bascombe took the cover from over her eyes. “
You should have never run away
.
M
y mother would have made you a very lucrative offer to forget what you saw.”

Amari gave an incredulous laugh. “You seriously think you mother’s money means anything to me? Isn’t
it
just like you to have
M
ommy bail you out. I thought you were this amazing heart surgeon
,
and it turns out you
’
r
e
just a pathetic waste of space. Didn’t
M
ommy give you enough allowance
?
I
s that why you need
ed
to make
more money by selling organs?”

He slapped her across the face
,
and her skin stung from the contact. She refused to cry out again and give him the satisfaction of hearing her pain. She knew there was probably going to be more as the time progressed. She made the firm decision to hold out against anything they did to her until she could free
herself
.

Dr. Bascombe thumped his chest. “I’m brilliant and you know it, everyone knows it. I’m saving lives. Why should a donor heart go to some machine worker from Iowa
who will waste his or her life? When there’s people in the world that deserve it, who work hard and invest in the future.”

“You mean rich people who can afford it. What makes their lives worth more than a machine worker who is taking care of his family or a woman who works hard to put food on the table for her kids?” Amari demanded. “They do more in their lives
than
your rich
,
pompous
,
privileged friends ever would.
What
gives you the right to chose who lives or dies?”

He rubbed his thumb and finger together. “Money
,
darling
.
Y
ou can never win against the green. Now
,
are you going to tell me where you put
the evidence that you hid
away?
”