FIRE (Elite Forces Series Book 2) (14 page)

“Give me a second.”  I listen to Pierce tap on the keyboard and freeze when the image comes back up.  I hear my team moan, and I want to kill that motherfucker. 

“Scan the whole area.”  I need to see everything.  He moves across the metal building, and I can see a few trucks in the back, probably loading something up.  “What’s the time stamp on this satellite image, Pierce?” 

“Three days ago.”  Fuck.  He continues to scan the area, only to show us the tops of the buildings and the surrounding fields. 

“That has to be his hiding place for god knows what, and it’s surrounded by a motherfucking poppy plantation. The flowers are everywhere.”  I can’t stand how close I was to this shit.  Who knows who he has caged up, but I’ll be damned if I’ll let them be there much longer.  “Get this information to the Mexican police contact we have.  Fuck.  I can’t believe he’s involved in all of this.”

“We walked right past that shit,” Jackson speaks up.

“Yeah, well, at the time, this wasn’t our priority,” Kase says, pointing at the screen.

“No.  It wasn’t.  I can say this though.  If I had known that shit was there, I would’ve taken care of those cages before I torched that motherfucking structure to the ground.  Jesus Christ, man, you good with this, brother?  You sure you can handle this?” Kase tilts his head down and looks me directly in the eyes.

I don’t need to sit here and contemplate my answer.  I’ve had weeks to think about when and how I would destroy Ty.  Years, really, when it comes down to it.  He just topped off my feelings for him when he chose to brutalize me, leaving parts of my body scarred for life.  He’s hurt our mom in a way she’ll never recover from, then calling her like he’s coming for a fucking visit when he’s a damn monster now.  Goddamn right, I’m ready.

“I’m good.  Let's figure this shit out.  I told Jade I’d take her away on a vacation one day, and that’s a promise I intend to keep.”  I don’t lead them to believe anything other than that Jade and I are perfect right now.  They don’t need to know the deepest parts of my gut worry about her once I get back to her.

I stand up along with my brothers, while Kase pulls up all the information he was given on Fernando.  I just hope to god I can come face-to-face with Ty and watch his expression as we crumble his fucking world.

I can hardly stay focused.  All I see is drugs, guns, illegal immigrants, sex slavery.  Every damn thing our country fights to stay free of.  Newspaper clippings, possible sightings of this notorious man who seems to be moving from one location to another.

They’ve been after my brother for several years.  And it’s no wonder I had no clue or never once saw his face in any news article or television report.  In every photo, his head is down or turned away.  But it’s him.  I’d know his voice and his posture anywhere.  He’s been hiding his identity when he has to step out.

How in the hell could he go from a drug user to one of the biggest smugglers of everything illegal like this?  I’m floored.  This cuts deep.  So fucking deep I can hardly breathe, knowing I share the same blood as this man.

I place my head in my hands.  Ever since I found out it was him, I’ve been trying to convince myself I wanted to destroy him, hurt him in the same way he’s hurt us.  I need to wipe his body from the earth and pretend like he never existed.

I’m a hardass and a man of my word, but somehow, I’m a brother to a man who has committed horrendous crimes I can’t even fathom.  He’s my goddamn brother, and no matter how hard I try to convince myself the torture he’s put me through and the half-empty life he’s left my mother to lead gives him reason to die, it still doesn’t settle well with me.  The rage I’ve felt for him for everything he’s done still boils in me, but the fact remains… he’s my mother’s son.  He’s my brother.  I need a damn moment to grieve the fact the boy I knew is already truly dead.  This man walking around in his body isn’t the kid I grew up with.

I’ve tried to tell myself he was already dead to us, but seeing his face on this monitor, hearing his voice call out commands, and watch his men deliver his demands creates a whole new array of feelings.   I wish I could break through the lies that have become his fucked-up life, to make him see, just one damn time, that I tried, god only knows I tried.  And I failed him.

“Kaleb.”  I snap my head up, my eyes blazing at Pierce.

“This shit isn’t on you, brother.  It’s on him.  Don’t rile yourself up.  You tried to help him.  He chose this, not you.”  I know he’s trying to help me see things for what they really are.  I figured that out years ago.  It’s seeing all this new information that has me wishing he would’ve listened to me.  I could’ve saved him, and now I have to kill him.

“I’m good.  Let’s finish this up.  Figure out where they could be hiding and find out if he’s here in the States or not.  This needs to be put to rest.”

“The last known place this Fernando was spotted was in Columbia.  That was two weeks ago.  It’s like he’s fallen off the radar after that until last night,” Kase points out.

“Of course, he did.  This is a domino effect, man.  He’ll hide out again for a while.  He may even disappear and let Fernando take the fall.  You know damn well he knows he’s been narked on.  Shit, this is the closest he’s come to being caught.” Steele, always the smart one, tells us like it is.

“Yeah, well.  That shit is on the government, man.  My concern is finding Ty.  None of that shit gives you a clue at all?  I mean, hell, they have to know something,” I stand again and point directly to the same monitor, the same sheets of paper, maps, and endless notes we’ve all been looking at for hours.

“Our hands are tied until Mexico gets back with our authorities.  We can’t do shit about Fernando, but we have a phone number for your fucking brother.  I say call his ass.”  Jackson leans back in his chair, grinning like he’s looking forward to the call. 

I’ve already thought about calling him if we were somehow able to track down a number for him.  I just wanted to make sure I had everyone safe before I got him on the phone.  I know it’s not going to end on a good note, so I’m playing it safe.

“I will the second my mom and sister land.  Until then, I don’t want him to know I’m onto his ass.   

The road is never ending, and even though I’ve done nothing but sleep, the time doesn’t seem to be passing fast enough.  I feel confined, and my mind won't stop thinking about Kaleb.  He’s the most stubborn man, and I wish like hell I hadn’t fallen so hard for him.  I really thought I had gained his respect and wouldn’t ever have to face him treating me any different because we grew closer.  It’s like just because of our connection, he’s shutting me out on this mission.  I’m sure it’s hit him that it all changes when someone you love is in danger. 

It’s just different.  I learned that very quickly in Mexico.  I mean, I’ve always loved my brothers, both in and out of the Army, but what I have with Kaleb goes much deeper.  Where I’d be devastated if I lost a brother in action, I’d be completely ruined if anything happened to Kaleb.  He’s my weakness.  I wanted him to remain my strength because when we first got together, he was.  He built me up, only to throw me down when he felt I didn’t need to be involved anymore. 

I wipe a tear from my cheek when Harris’ phone rings.  I listen to him vague talk his way through a conversation I’m sure Kaleb is on the other end of.  Tucking my hoodie back into the corner of the window, I close my eyes and try to ignore everything.

“That was Kaleb.  He asked about you.”  Harris’ voice forces my eyes open.

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him you’ve been better.”  He looks over at Mallory in the front seat, then back at me.

“I’ll be fine.  Don’t tell him shit about me, Harris.  If he wants to know how I am, he can call me.”  I lay my head back into the sweatshirt before he responds.

“Would you fucking answer his call, Jade?”

“Yes.”  I would answer his call, but I won’t see him.  I don’t add that part because I know Harris is all team Kaleb now. 

“You know you’re being stubborn, and if he doesn’t kick your ass, I will.  He’s doing what he has to do.”

“Harris.  Since when did you know me as the stay-at-home type?  Would you really push me to stay with someone who isn't going to treat me with the respect I deserve?”

“Elliott.  You have no idea how much that man respects you.  Just don’t count him out till this mission is over.  He’ll be back and you two can talk about your issues.  You had to know it would be a difficult relationship when you got together.”

“Seriously, Jade.  Don’t let a man treat you any other way than you deserve.”  Mallory sits up and turns to look at me. 

“Mal.  He’s protecting her.  I promise you would approve.”

“What exactly are you being protected from, Jade?  Should I be worried about you?  All of these trips to the middle of nowhere… I’m just concerned.”  And I know just how she feels now.  Being on the outside of the information sucks, and just like I know I can’t tell her, she knows that too. 

“This sucks.”  She flops back in her seat and rolls down her window, letting the cool air hit us both.

“I know it does, but it’s just the way it is.”  Harris adds his insight that neither of us wants to hear for our own reasons.  We all remain quiet for the remainder of the drive, only making one more stop along the way.

He pulls up to the ranch, and we all quietly make our way through the front door.

“I'm going to bed.  I'll see you both in the morning.”  Even though I've been sleeping most of the day, I'm just not in the mood for small talk or pretending to be anything I don't want to be. 

With my clothes still on, I slide into the same bed Kaleb and I shared the last time we were here.  His pillow smells only faintly like his cologne, and I consider how twisted I am that I'm pulling it close to me to cuddle.  I'm literally torturing myself here, but this doesn't even come close to cuddling with him. To feel his warm body holding me, knowing he’s safe, would be the perfect scenario.  I felt safe and comforted with him, and now all I feel is worry.  This is something I’ll have to get used to.

I hear my phone vibrate on the bedside table, where seconds ago I placed it, and reach for it quickly.  It's a text from him.

Kaleb:  I love you, Jade. 

I contemplate my response while my tears swell in my eyes.  Damn it.  I've cried more in the past few weeks than I have in my life.  My mind starts flashing through the first time I met Kaleb Maverick all the way to today.  His powerful being consumed me from his first touch and never released me.  I'm just so confused about all of this, and I'm not sure what I want to do with the rest of my life when it comes to him.  One minute, I want to give him up; the next, I want to track his ass down.  I hate feeling like I’m tangled up in a hundred different ropes, trying to loop one over the other to try to get free.

Hell, I have no idea if he's even in Mexico, Missouri, Florida, or deep in a desert in Afghanistan.

I want to reply, because I do love him.  I want to be the woman he needs me to be, but I can't.  Leaving me out of major plans is not an option.  I'd rather be single than fear every moment of the unknown that would come with being with Kaleb.  I type the four words, then erase them three times before I set my phone back on the table.  He's safe.  Or he wouldn't be texting.  That's all I need to know. 

I hug his pillow tighter and let the tears fall freely as I try to make sense of what I'm going to do tomorrow.  “I love you too, Kaleb.”

I cry myself to sleep and say a silent prayer that all of the guys are safe tonight. 

I wake to a hand covering my face and try to scream past the rag.  A hand is firmly pressed against my mouth, and another one grips my throat.  I panic because I’m struggling to breathe.  My quick response only makes it worse, because now, this fucker is in bed with me.  I feel a hard erection press into my back and fight to free myself from his hold, but my body won't move fast enough.

Shit, my eyes go wide.  I’m gliding, falling. 
I've been drugged.

I had to text her.  I know she was still up because Harris had just sent the text saying they had arrived at the ranch.  His reply that she's already in bed only tells me she's depressed as fuck, and that frustrates me.  I'm not pissed at her, I'm mad at this whole situation.  Jade and I have never had an easy day in our relationship.  We’ve had a lot to deal with, but I know it'll all work out.  It has to.  She's the perfect person for me.

I watch my phone for ten minutes, hoping she’ll reply, but she doesn't.  She saw it.  I know she did.  I know I pissed her off with this mission, but I originally thought we were going to Mexico.  Now, we’re stuck at the compound, playing a waiting game, and I could've had her in my arms tonight, but instead she's alone. 
Fuck, Jade.  Reply to me.

My mom and sister took the guest bedrooms in the house.  It tore out that last bit of my guts to see them step off of the plane, both of them with red, puffy eyes, hurt and confusion coating their entire demeanor.  My mom lost it again and began pounding me with questions I had no clue how to answer.  Her two sons are fighting against each other, and both have the desire to kill the other.  How the hell do you look at the woman who brought you into this world and tell her what one of her children’s lives has become?  I told her the minimal. Of course, she blew up, demanding me to tell her more.  I couldn’t.  I may never be able to.  If it wasn’t for my sister stepping in to help me calm her down, I would still be up, trying to figure out what to say to her, while listening to her heart being ripped out of her chest all over again.

Even though they're all safe tonight, I can't sleep, so I'm out on the porch, drowning in the sound of the night.  My phone is in my lap, and I'm trying like hell to not fucking wake Steele up and make him fly my ass to Alabama to see her. 
Goddammit, Jade.
 

I stretch my arms behind me and watch the sunrise from the middle of the porch.  The sky is beautiful even though half the sky is being shadowed with a large storm cloud.  The other side is sunlit and causing a contrasting flare to the darkness. 

“You up already?”  Jackson stops running as he approaches. 

“No.  Haven't slept yet.”

“Fuck, man.  You know that's not good. You need to rest, Kaleb.”

“I know.  Too much on my mind.”

“Jade or your brother?”

“Both.  Hell, you take a pick.”

“Have you heard from her?”

“Yeah, Harris said they made it.  She went straight to bed.”

“Damn, man.  You know why she's pissed, right?  You have to know her well enough to know how to fix this.”

“I will.  Just need to handle some family business before I bring her into it.”

“You guys need that vacation when this is all over.”

“I agree.  I'm taking her away for a few weeks when I get the chance.”

“My man.  You're gonna just have to create the chance.  I've known you for years, and you're always working.”  I exhale.  I know he's right.  I'd love more than anything to slow down some and make a life with Jade. I just don't know if I have it in me to slow down. 

He sits next to me and leans the chair back on two legs.  “Your ass will come back with triplets if you take her away for a week.”  I smile at the thought of Jade pregnant with my baby, knowing our lives would forever be changed with news like that.  There’s no way in hell we’re anywhere ready for that to happen.

“Ah.  We won’t be having any little Fires for a long while.”

“Thank god, man.  The big Fire is enough.”  His laughter comforts me.  Jackson is always a happy guy.  He’s learning timing is crucial for me.  “You ready to call that asshole brother of yours, now that your mom is safe?”  I catch some anxiousness as well as the seriousness this man rarely shows.

“Yes, I am.  Not that he’ll tell me where he is.”  He’s a chicken shit.  I don’t have to express that for Jackson to know this.  It’s obvious.

“You'd be surprised.  He may give us a clue.  We can always try to track him, but I'm sure he's smarter than that shit.”

“He is.”  How the hell he became smart when his entire life he’s been nothing but a dumb fuck is a riddle to me.

“Let's get the guys around the table and call his ass now.”

“Alright, gather them up.  I'll be right there.”  He stands quickly and starts jogging toward the main office, where we keep all the computer equipment.  We’ll record this call and analyze the fuck out of it.  I wouldn't be surprised if Pierce finds him based on this call.  He's a sharp motherfucker and someone I wouldn't want to hide from.  He's an expert at that shit.

“Dial that fucker.  Everyone stay completely quiet until the call is ended.”  Pierce sets all the equipment to record, and I dial my sick fucking brother.  The phone rings four times, and I start to worry he won’t answer.  Then he picks up the call.

“I knew you'd call.  Surprised it took you this long.”  His voice disgusts me, and I battle the urge to scream at him for the shit he's in on. 

“What do you want?  You know I'll kill you before you get a chance to go near mom or Amelie.”  His laughter is evil.  Like the protégé of the devil himself.  I send looks around the room as we try to analyze his reactions to me.  He thinks he scares me.  He’s far from it.

“Believe me.  I won't be needing mom or Amelie.  That phone call was a distraction.”  I can hear a grin on his face as he speaks even louder into the phone.  What the hell does he mean by that?  I go to speak, but he quickly cuts me off.  His next words leave me with a gaping hole in my chest.

“You see, brother.  You made one mistake.  You fell in love.”  I stand instantly, wondering what the fuck he's talking about, refusing to believe his distraction has anything to do with Jade.  Pierce moves quietly through the screens to pull up the trackers, and my fucking heart stops beating.  She's not at the ranch. 
Fuck.
 

I try to compose my anger and work this call like a professional as I watch the reactions of every single one of the guys.  They all know what this means.
He has her.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” I’m shaking.  My muscles are contracting.  I close my eyes and play dumb every time I open my mouth even though my mind has already put together the situation.

“Play games with someone else, Kaleb.  Bring me Al-Quaren or say goodbye to your precious blonde here with the nice tits.”  Jesus.  What has he done? 

“You fucking dick.  I'll cut your goddamn head off and piss down your throat If you so much as touch her.”  I’m losing my shit here.  He has my weakness.  The fucker is spearing me in the heart, and he knows it.

“Oh, big brother.  I'm not interested in your threats.  Bring me Al-Quaren, or the next time you hear me talk…. It'll be while I'm fucking her with my dick buried deep inside this sweet pussy of yours.  In fact, I’m staring at her long legs and these toned arms… Ohhhh, fuck, and this beautiful face I can just imagine what it’ll look like when I’m deep inside her.  I must say I’m impressed.  I bet she tastes as sweet as she looks.  I can almost see it now.  Me on top of her, while she fights to get away from me.  Then I can fuck and choke the life out of her.”  My skin erupts.  My heart explodes, and my head bursts with the thought of Ty having Jade. 
What the fuck have I done?
  I can’t think straight.

“I’m warning you, Ty.  Stay the hell away from her. And you know I can't bring you a terrorist that's in US custody.”

“You'd better figure something out.  I’ll give you six hours to send me a video that proves you have him before I kill her.  Until then… I believe I’ll play with this ball of fire.  Tell me, Kaleb…. Does she enjoy it in the ass?”  My insides twist, and I swear to god my heart is no longer beating as I think of him touching her anywhere.

“Ty, I swear on my life, if you so much as breathe on her, I'll torture you in ways you've never imagined.”  He ends the call like the coward he is, and I grip the edge of the table and roar the loudest, animalistic sound I've ever heard.  All of the guys are moving around, either hitting keyboards or packing bags.  I'm fucking furious.  I've never felt disgust and repulsion like I feel right now.  This filth is related to me.  And to think, when I found out earlier about all the shit he’s involved in, it actually tore me to shreds to think I failed him.  He brought this war on himself.  He destroyed his family and his own life, not me.  I fucking hate him.

“He fucking has Jade.  What in the goddamn fuck?  Tell me how to fucking breathe.” 

Peirce's logical voice is louder than mine.  “Move your ass, Kaleb.  We have Steele already fired up, and I've got Vice and Ace already positioned with your mom and sister.  He doesn't know we have the tracker in Jade’s leg.  We go to him.  He doesn't have a chance in hell.  Get your fucking shit together or I'm pulling you from this.”  I challenge him with my glare.  He knows better than to try to keep me from going.

“Don’t look at me like you're the one in charge here.  He may have the woman you love, but man, if you don’t put that aside and treat this like any other mission, I will leave you here.  Now, pull your damn shit together.  We find where he has her. We kill him and we move the fuck on.”  I let his words sink in, knowing he’s right.  The only thing he’s forgetting is once I know we have Jade; I’m going to kill him slowly.  I’m going to bring pleasure to myself by torturing the hell out of him and make him wish he were never fucking born.