Circle of Deception (2 page)

For five years he’d believed she was dead. Then she’d helped a friend escape The Circle last year and returned safely to the OS. She was different. Colder, more dangerous than that gun she carried with her at all times. He’d heard she’d called herself A. J. during the time she worked for the evil son of a bitch Palmer. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around the thought of her accepting that way of life. The Circle under Palmer invoked nightmares many would never overcome. The ex-commander had claimed others had attacked Abby, but evidence uncovered so far pointed to Palmer being the one who had ordered her beaten before she was brought into their fold. Who knew his reasoning? But the man rarely did anything without an ulterior motive.

Over and over again, he’d tried to get her to talk to him about her time there, to explain to him how she’d been alive and working for the organization they’d considered the enemy, and why she hadn’t returned to the OS years earlier. He was so freaking tired of trying to piece everything together.

Instead, she treated him like a mongrel in the midst of a purebred kennel. She danced away from him every time he came near, snapping and taking nips from his hide with her smart-ass comments. Yet he still had more pain to endure.

The whispers began. He wished he could close his eyes and tell them they lied, but too many facts pointed to one person. His bastard of a brother loved taking other men’s women to bed and Abby’s name topped the list.

His brother had left the OS years before to work for The Circle. At that time, the rumors spread between the organizations that Jack had been in love with Theo’s mistress and later had a fling with another operative’s wife. No woman in a relationship appeared to be safe from his brother’s attention.

Though it had been years since they were lovers, Jack and Abby were still chummy. So Rex watched his ex-fiancée and his brother tease each other and pretend to be comrades in arms and nothing else. But he knew. The
hell
he knew. They still shared a connection, probably friends with benefits, and he had no idea how to change it.

“Rex?”

How many times had Nic called his name? He pulled his gaze from the direction his traitorous brother and Abby had gone.

“What?” He bent down to slip on his socks and tie his boots. When he straightened, he squeezed his eyes shut for a couple seconds as the room shifted and spun.

“Are you coming?” Nic tilted her head toward the exit. “I’ve got the van running outside the door.”

He blinked and rubbed his eyes again to clear the fuzz outlining her silhouette in the dim warehouse. Hanging upside down for a few hours would affect anyone’s equilibrium. After a deep breath, he shifted his chin, hoping to make his ears pop and clear his head.

One lesson he learned that day was to never turn his back on the likes of Mikolas Savalas.

All he’d had to do was pick up a sample of the new ammo hitting the black market, ammo that several local terrorist groups were dying to get their hands on. The briefcase filled with money was a simple thank-you to Savalas.

When Rex walked into the warehouse near Atlanta, he’d been greeted by some of Savalas’s men and several others he hadn’t recognized. In seconds, and with no ammo in sight, guns were pointed at his head and the money was gone. Why had Savalas double-crossed him? What happened to honor among thieves? One thing was for sure—he couldn’t wait to get his hands around that fat bastard’s neck. Maybe he’d string him up naked and see how he liked it. Until then, he needed to get back to the OS Sector and track down the shipment.

From what Rex had heard about the ammo, it had to be a bunch of bullshit. It wouldn’t be the first rumor about a high-tech bullet. No way could it be as dangerous as what they said, but he wanted that shipment, regardless of what was inside.

Feeling sure of his balance now, he nodded at Nic and started toward the door. After no more than ten steps, he became light-headed and stumbled. Hell, being dropped on his hard skull hadn’t helped. He reached out to a nearby stack of crates and misjudged the distance, causing them to wobble. The top one crashed to the floor, barely missing his feet, and spilled its contents.

The first thing he noticed was the shoebox-sized plastic green boxes. They appeared to be the normal dry storage types for stowing several rounds of ammo. He slowed to a stop. One of the boxes had popped open. Something looked strange inside. Instead of the usual fifty-round cardboard cases, individual cartridges sat in their own small bubble-wrapped pockets. A long silver cartridge, jarred out of its slot, rested on top of the others. Grooves ran from the tip to the base of the silver cartridges. Rex had seen photos of them; yet seeing the real deal sent a chill sliding down his spine and filled his gut with apprehension.

When he’d arranged to meet with Savalas, he’d been working a lead on a large ammo shipment for the Inferno, an organization that believed the only way to bring in a new world order was to see the old one burn. The Savalas family was known to dabble in anything illegal but normally stayed away from the more exotic, hazardous merchandise.

He picked up the cartridge on top. Its design wasn’t the only thing different. The Circle had heard the ammo was more dangerous than an armor-piercing type. A microchip the size of a period in a sentence placed at the tip of the bullet turned it into a miniature guidance missile. The design helped it to go through buildings and find the warm bodies inside. The little piece of metal could even seek out people within several yards of its maximum trajectory. That meant it could change course on its own. The sniper didn’t have to be an excellent shot.

And that wasn’t all it could do. A special chemical coated the bullet, so whoever it hit would explode into flames on contact. That was why the Inferno wanted it and started calling it Hell’s Purifier. The space-age deadliness of the ammo scared the bejesus out of him. He only hoped the rumors were full of shit.

“Nic.” Without looking, he knew she was nearby. When was she not? “Go get Jack. And fast,” he said in a low, even tone. No need to frighten her.

“What’s that?”

“Remember me telling you about the ammo the Inferno claimed they would use to take over the world?”

“Yes.”

“This is Hell’s Purifier.”

“Holy moly!”

Normally he would laugh at her old-fashioned expletive, but he couldn’t find it in him as he stared at the shiny cartridge.

Her hasty footsteps diminished as she raced toward the van and Jack. In no time, Jack stood next to him, and Rex wasn’t surprised when Abby showed up a second later. Wherever one went, the other followed.

And he didn’t like it one damn bit.

Chapter Two

A
BBY’S HEARTBEAT SPED
up when she spotted the cartridge between Rex’s forefinger and thumb. Instead of holding the full length, casing to tip, he held only the casing end. They’d seen drawings and pictures but never thought they would actually find the shipment so quickly. Or maybe she’d hoped they’d discover it to be a big joke. The ammunition was the equivalent of napalm in a bullet.

“Fuck!” Jack reached down and picked up another green box. When he lifted the lid, silver glinted beneath the warehouse lighting.

“Yep, we will be if we don’t get them loaded into the van, quick.” Rex slipped the cartridge back into its pocket and eased the box into the crate.

“True that.” Jack nodded. “Let’s get to work and get out of here. Savalas won’t be happy when he finds out his people let us walk out with them. A mil and a half for”—he counted—“three crates. Bloody hell, he’s going to be pissed.”

“His
dead
people aren’t quite letting us do anything, but I know what you mean. What did he say when he strung you up?” Abby nodded toward Rex.

“He wasn’t here. I recognized a few of his men, but the bastard wasn’t with them, at least not where I could see him.” He stood and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think we need to worry about Savalas. He knew when he screwed me over that he forfeited anything I found. He’ll blame his own people and hope I don’t sic The Circle on him later.”

Abby pulled out her satellite phone and called the backup that waited down the street. Ten minutes later, with the crates loaded in the van, they were traveling up Fulton Industrial Boulevard toward the OS Sector.

Nic sat in the front passenger seat, one leg bent to the side so she could watch Rex drive the van. The woman acted like a teenager with a big crush. Some people never grew up.

Abby shook her head and then leaned across the cargo bay, elbows on knees, and softly said to Jack, “You know that with us stealing the crates, it won’t slow Savalas or the Inferno for long. They’re getting them from somewhere and someone, and all they have to do is produce more. We need to find the source.”

Hairs standing straight up on the back of her neck brought her head around, and her gaze met light gray eyes in the rearview mirror. She imagined that with her and Jack leaning toward each other and whispering, it looked as if they were planning a rendezvous later.

Nic poked Rex’s shoulder with a finger. “Watch the road.” She glared at Abby as if it was her fault.

What was the woman’s deal? Unable to resist taunting her, Abby lifted her eyebrows and pursed her lips as if in a kiss. The look she received warned her she better not ask Nic for a new weapon anytime soon, as firearm acquisitions fell under her jurisdiction. The small woman could easily turn the gun on her.

“Quit irritating Nic.” Jack shook his head.

Abby chuckled. “Okay, bossman.” She probably should be more respectful, but Jack never relied on a strict code of conduct. Even after Ryker appointed him as the OS Sector commander, Jack treated his operatives almost like partners. But everyone knew if they failed at their assignments, he wouldn’t have a problem kicking their asses. In the back of everyone’s mind was the memory that, only a year ago, to disobey orders within The Circle would’ve meant death. How the new and improved Circle would react was still up for debate, and no one wanted to be first to find out.

“Are you having a problem separating your feelings for Rex from your job?” Jack’s steady gaze said more. That he wouldn’t put up with her bullshit. “I can find someone else to take your place.”

Abby’s throat closed up for a split second. Why was she getting all choked up? He probably knew her better than anyone, including Rex. They’d gone through a lot, and although he had a right to be concerned, she didn’t really like his question or her reaction. What was in the past was past.

Who was she fooling? Every time Nic whispered to, touched, or looked at Rex, Abby wanted to point her Sig at the woman and pull the trigger. Abby cringed. Jack had a point. Time to let it go.

She looked him in the eye and said, “I’ll do whatever we need to do to stop these guys.”

He nodded. That was one of the many things she liked about him. He never treated her like she needed a caretaker, and when she said she’d do something, in no way did he doubt it.

She couldn’t resist another glance at Rex. The big guy stared straight ahead, but his rigid shoulders alerted her to the fact that he listened to every word.

Jack leaned toward her, placing his hands on her knees. “When we return to the OS Sector, I’ll have the tech guys look over the crates. Chances are good they’ll find some clue as to where they came from and who sold them. If we do that, then finding out the inventor and stopping him should be a piece of cake.”

She scooted back a little, breaking contact. Crazy as it seemed, Jack acted as if he was coming on to her again. Why, after so much time had passed? Or was he only trying to push his brother? Those two had issues, and she wanted to be nowhere around when it heated up.

“Are there really that many arms dealers who would handle such a volatile weapon?”

“They don’t care. They want the money. What’s it to them if innocent people get hurt in the end?” Jack slid back, resting his shoulders against the van’s wall.

“When are you going to let us lower beings know what you have planned?”

He chuckled. “One step at a time. We’ll examine the crates, try to find who invented it, and then we’ll see if we can stop the manufacturer and distributor.”

The van turned into an alleyway that appeared to be a dead end. Before they could go any farther, the wall slid into itself and the road shifted down as they drove into an underground garage. One of the OS’s sentries had spotted the van through the camera and pressed a switch to open the secret door. Abby loved that about the new OS Sector. She always looked around for James Bond or guys in tights and capes.

The other OS Sector vehicle pulled in behind them. Then with metal doors slamming and everyone talking at once, they headed into the lower levels of the building while personnel unloaded the ammo with extreme caution to take to the labs.

If not for being stopped in the hallway by Charlie, the new mechanic for the OS—she could fix anything with just a hairpin and duct tape—Abby could’ve avoided being alone with Nic. The small woman had the female version of the Napoleon complex.

“I’m glad we have a few minutes to ourselves. A little girl-to-girl conversation, A. J.” Nic gave her a tiny grin.

Sure the woman was petite, possibly five-two, and Abby felt like a giant next to her—being five-six wasn’t really that tall, just barely above average height for a woman in the United States—but Nic gave her the creeps.

“Call me Abby. What can I do for you?” She handed over her backpack filled with extra ammo, the OS-owned satellite phone, and laptop. Her time as A. J. had been spent as another person in another life best forgotten.

“We’re grown women, Abby.”

“Some more than others,” she muttered.

“What?” Nic placed her hands on her hips.

She waved her hand. “Nothing. Just thinking of other grown women.”

Eyeing her with suspicion, the smaller woman said, “I know you and Rex have a past, but you really need to let it go. He’s with me now. You’re Jack’s little friend—”

“Little friend?” Abby shook her head to check for anything loose that could have caused her to hear it all wrong.