Bound By Blood: (The Betrayed Series Book 2) (16 page)

His voice breaks when he speaks again. “Em, I’m scarred. You’d tear your heart open. It’d be a bloody mess. I can’t. Not again.”

Pivoting, he turns, his gaze landing on mine. Shutting down, his eyes grow cold as he says, “This conversation is over. I’m sorry. I have to go. Goodbye.”

Nudging the door open with my shoulder, I saunter into the room. Guilt sits heavily in my gut as I assess my brother’s appearance. Heavy bags sit under his gray eyes, telling a daunting tale of sleep deprivation. Shaggy, blond locks have replaced the clean cut he generally sports. His hair is disheveled like he’s been constantly running his fingers through it. Mentally, I sigh and open my mouth to speak, but he raises his hand, cutting me off.

Shaking his head, he states, “I’m fine. Really, there’s no need to worry.”

Placing my arms across my chest, I reply, “Are you sure about that?”

He releases a sigh. “Yes, AJ. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine from where I’m standing.”

“Well, maybe you should move a little closer,” he smugly replies.

“Don’t be a smart ass,” I snap.

“I said I’m good and I meant it. If I wasn’t, I would have said something.” His voice hardens.

Narrowing my eyes, I take a step forward. “Don’t pull that shit with me, Brit. I care about you, man. Don’t do that. Don’t you push me away. You, the guys, and me, we’re family. You don’t get to push us away. We haven’t forgotten what happened the last time you tried.” My voice is low and undeviating.

Scrubbing a hand down the front of his face, he exhales. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, man.”

“What was that about?” I ask, nodding toward the phone.

Frowning, he replies, “Nothing, at least nothing that I’m getting into.”

Clapping a hand on his shoulder, I say, “Well, just remember I’m here if you need me.”

He nods his acknowledgment.

“All right, man,” I say, squeezing his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go. I came to find you so we can get this party started. We’ve got a leak to flush out and a Goddess to find.”

Smirking, he follows me back to the conference room. A small weight is lifted off my shoulders knowing that he’s okay for the moment, although a niggling feeling worms its way into the back of my mind, persistently nagging, reminding me that something isn’t right. All eyes land on us the moment we walk through the entrance. Sometimes I feel like the entire unit is a living breathing entity. We’re so in-tune to each other’s emotions.

Three pairs of eyes drift to Brighton, surveying his appearance. Giving my head a little shake, I meet their eyes, letting them know we’ll table the conversation for a later time. Grim looks meet mine, but they nod their acceptance. My heart lurches, pounding in my chest. The deep affection and devotion I have for these men knows no bounds. The fact that they’d sacrifice anything to ensure the safety of one of their own speaks volumes.

Colonel Parker stands, bringing the meeting into session. Meeting eyes with everyone on my team, he clears his throat as he begins.

“So, it appears we have a leak.” His lips flatten into a thin line.

Revulsion circulates, coursing through me one layer at a time until it’s churning violently in my gut. Fighting the compulsion to storm out of the room and tear something to shreds, I sit up straighter, paying attention to the briefing.

“This is your rodeo, and I’m going to turn it over to Alex in a moment. But before I do, I wanted to give you some information that I think will be helpful.” Pausing, he surveys the room before he continues.

“I’m sure you know by now how important it is that we catch whoever this leak is. Not just for national security, but for violating what we stand for.” His nostrils flare as anger flashes in his eyes.

“When we find him or her . . . we bring them in and show them what happens when they betray our country,” he growls. Giving me a stiff nod, he sits, fixing his gaze on the wall.

Shit, I really need to talk to him. Something is off. Clearing my throat, I address the room. “All right. Four days from now, Sang-Hyun will be at the Tenpro House that Madame Lin runs. We need to determine how we will gain access to the house. We also need to work out how we’re going to fish out our leak. I’m open to ideas.”

Sam chews his lip for a second. Releasing it, he says, “What if we just show up and have someone incapacitate the guard?”

“So you want to walk in the front door and take out the guard?” Cooper asks.

“That does seem a little risky,” I say.

Sam quirks his lips to the side. “Why do you always doubt me, huh?”

“Good point. They are a doubtful bunch,” Noah quips.

Rolling his eyes, Brighton asks, “Okay, so you’re not suggesting we waltz in the front door. What exactly are you suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting we lure the guard outside with some sort of distraction.” Shooting a pointed look at Noah, he continues. “Then when he’s outside, we can swipe his keycard. One of us can already be dressed as a guard. That person gets to man the station and control the cameras. Or lack of cameras . . . if you know what I mean,” he says with a smile in his voice.

“The rest of the team can use the card to head up to the penthouse to do what needs to be done and then head back down.” Finishing his rant, he sits back with a smug smile, clearly happy with his plan.

Sipping my coffee, I ask, “And just what would this distraction be?”

Not missing a beat, he replies, “We could always dress Noah up as a prostitute and have him create a ruckus.”

I’d just taken another sip of coffee when Sam spoke. Coffee takes a detour down my windpipe, effectively cutting off my air. Sputtering, I lean forward, hacking desperately, trying to clear the coffee from my lungs. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I sit back.

Sam’s deep laughter echoes around the room. “It’s either that or he solicits the man.”

“Dammit, Sam. Be serious,” I growl.

“I was serious,” he snickers.

Laughter erupts around the room. The Colonel’s rich laughter reaches me, and my eyes immediately snap to his. Giving me a wink, he says, “You know I think that could work. Some men look good in drag. Casa-Noah over there looks like he might be able to pull it off.”

Groaning, I give my head a shake. “Not you too, sir.”

Chuckling, he responds, “Seriously, though, you’ve met the man before and been invited without the theatrics. See if you can secure an invite. If not, then keep this as your backup plan. Use your informants first. That’s always the best plan of attack.”

Peeking at my team, I ask, “Has anyone had contact with their informant recently?”

Cooper nods. “Yeah, mine showed activity a few days ago. I can reach out and see if I can secure an invite.”

“Do you think you can establish contact now?” the Colonel asks.

“I can give it a try, sir,” Cooper responds.

“There’s an empty conference room down the hall,” I say, nodding toward the door. Cooper stands then exits the room.

“If he isn’t able to secure contact, we’re going to need to take the guard out,” Brighton states.

“Yes, it’s better we plan for it now and cover all of our bases,” I muse.

“So, I guess that means I’m the lucky bastard who gets to play security guard?” Brighton declares with amusement in his tone.

“Considering your specialty is cyber security . . . I’d say yes,” Sam replies dryly.

“Security . . .” Noah lets his barb trail off unfinished.

Brighton jabs him in the ribs. Noah’s breath spills from his lungs, gushing out all at once.

“Not so funny now, is it?” Brighton asks in his thick English accent.

Glaring in Brighton’s direction, Noah sticks his tongue out.

Rolling my eyes, I say, “All right, enough, you two. Yes, Brighton, you’re the expert in the cyber technology field. That makes you our resident go-to man. Therefore, you’ll play security guard since you are the man that can circumvent the high-end security system. Even if we do get an invite, I expect you’ll be able to hack into the system and exploit its weaknesses.”

Brighton nods.

“Good. Sam, I want you and Noah on recon tonight at the Tenpro House. I want to see who’s coming and going at all times.”

Creaking behind my shoulder alerts us to Cooper’s arrival. The line between Cooper’s brows creases into an angry line. With jerky movements, he tosses himself back into the chair, plopping down furiously. Unclenching his jaw minutely, he speaks through gritted teeth. “I have three contacts. The first two shut me down pretty quick. Apparently, this is a pretty exclusive party. My third contact wasn’t available, so I’m waiting to hear back.”

My heart plunges into the depths of my stomach. Fuck, why couldn’t this be easy? Nothing ever is. This entire situation is a shit storm waiting to blow into port. Reaching up, I rub the stubble growing on my chin and I ask the question on my mind. “What exactly are we planning on doing when we storm the castle?” Five sets of eyes zoom in on me with laser focus.

“What do you mean?” The Colonel questions.

“We need a plan. We can’t go into a place like that and expect to beat answers out of him. It’s locked down tighter than Fort Knox. We’ve all been there so we know the layout. He’ll be surrounded at all times. He won’t be involved with the girls. He likes to watch from the corner,” I say.

“Taking them by surprise is starting to sound like the better option,” Sam contemplates.

“Act like you were invited,” the Colonel states. Every eye in the room turns in his direction.

“What do you mean, sir?” Brighton queries.

“Exactly what I said, son. Act like you were invited. Sang-Hyun is already suspicious. He will already suspect you. So, when he asks who invited you, throw our informant Chee under the bus. Pretend you’re there to party. Alex can corner Sang-Hyun and subtly question him. Get as much information as possible out of him. When he goes to leave, follow him. Slip him something in his drink and we can bring him back to the warehouse and find out where Kylee is.”

“Sir, with all due respect, we can’t slip him something in his drink. He’s going to be in a public place. We aren’t trying to date rape the guy. And we’re professionals. Besides, I’d rather just kick his ass, or knock him the fuck out and drag him back here,” Sam replies.

“I don’t care how the hell you do it. Just get him back here!” the Colonel growls.

“Yes, sir,” Sam answers.

Tension is thick, cascading through the air in waves. Blowing out a breath, I say, “Maybe we can lure him with some kind of information?”

“It’s a possibility. Let me look into it. I might have something you can use.” The Colonel’s eyes become unfocused as he ponders my suggestion.

My stomach tenses, little knots forming as I prepare myself to broach the next subject. Squaring my shoulders, I inhale once, glancing around the room before saying, “Now about the leak . . .” The Colonel’s gaze snaps in my direction with breakneck speed.

Deep cerulean blue eyes darken with some unfathomable emotion. In a gruff voice, the Colonel states, “I believe I know how we can flush out the leak. Or at least dangle some bait in front of him.”

“How do you propose we do that, sir?” Cooper asks the question that was riding the tip of my tongue.

A predatory gleam lights the Colonel’s eyes as the corner of his mouth quirks in a semblance of a smile. “Do you boys have access to a tux?”

Confusion is evident on each of our faces as we turn to look at each other.

“A-A tux, sir?” I inquire.

“You heard me. A tux. We’re going to a party.” The Colonel’s fiercely savage smile stretches across his face. Holding my breath for a moment, I pause, taking in the brutal gleam in the Colonel’s eyes. He’s out for blood, and he’ll stop at nothing until he finds what he’s looking for. Well, that makes two of us, and thank God he’s on my side. This is one man’s shit list I do not want to be on.

“Where is this party exactly, sir?” Noah asks.

The Colonel’s feral smile grows wider. Tingling begins in my scalp as I drink in the Colonel’s appearance, the hair on the nape of my neck standing on end.

“Dust off those tuxes boys ’cause you’re going to accompany me to Monte Carlo Night. We’re gonna pay a visit to my old friend, the General.” Colonel Parker’s satisfied gleam reaches each one of us as we sit in stunned silence.

Finally finding my voice, I stammer, “T-The General, sir?”

“The one and only, General Elliot Nolan.”

“And what do we expect to find at Monte Carlo Night, sir?” Brighton asks.

“A rat,” the Colonel snarls.

Cooper hesitates, his brow creasing before he asks, “And if we don’t find a rat, sir?”

“That’s the thing about rodents, son. They always leave a trail.”

Swallowing back the nausea fighting its way up my esophagus, I try to gain control of my turbulent emotions. Conversation carries on around me, but it all sounds so distant, I’m unable to focus, and my mind is a tumultuous mess. Shit has clearly hit the fan. Fuck, we’re invading the General’s private party on base to try and flush out a mole. The galloping of my heart hammers painfully in my chest. The overwhelming urge to rub the phantom ache strikes me with the strength of a wrecking ball, nearly destroying my will. Clenching my hands into fists, I place them in my lap. As I drift in and out of my thoughts, one stands out above the others. A sensation advising me of what the future may hold. Something tells me it’s more of a premonition than anything. One that’s meant to keep me on my toes.

Yet, somehow I have a feeling I’m going to find out sooner rather than later what it all means . . . and I’m not so sure I’m going to like it. Shit has already hit the fan and now it seems as if it’s turned into FUCKED UP BEYOND ALL RECOGNITION. Absolutely, FUBAR. And there is nothing I can do to stop it.