FIRE (Elite Forces Series Book 2) (3 page)

I hear another crack in the air behind me and feel the bottoms of my feet burn from the contact.  Again.  And again.  And again.

They continue until I finally straighten my legs below me.

I’m burning. My skin wants to crawl away from the abuse, but I’m stuck here.  Hold your shit together, Fire.

“Are we going to do this all fucking day?  Because I have to tell you…. I'm enjoying this shit.”  Bile rises to my throat when I speak, and I crave the kill of him like I've never craved anything before.  I want him dead.  He's not worth the air he breathes, yet my life is in his hands right now.

“You know, it's been ten years.  Ten fucking years since you turned your back on me.  I should thank you.”  His obscene laughter fills my ears as I wait for him to continue.

“It was because of you that I found my home here.  Who knew Mexico would welcome a piece of trash like me?  Who knew I'd get to work with the world's finest?  And who fucking knew…  I’d have the opportunity to revisit my old demons here today?”

I can feel blood seeping from my feet as I slowly adjust my legs until I feel the dirt below me.  He says all I have to do is give up Al-Quaren’s location, but I know that's signing my death papers.  I can't do that.  For one thing, the team won't take him to the same location.  It's something I'd do too if I were in their situation, change the plan.  Ty needs this man for something.  I'm just not sure what.

“Why do you fucking care where he is?”  I speak through the dryness in my mouth and watch the anger rise in him even more.

“Because there's a fucking price tag on my goddamn head for letting him get captured under my watch.”  Ah, I get it now.  He fucked up and now he's scrambling.  In some fucked-up way, this brings joy to me even in my current state.

“Do you remember burning me?”  Ty steps right up to my face.  Damn.  He’s quick to change the subject.

“Nope,” I say.

“Of course, you don't.  I'm going to have fun reminding you of all the bullshit you did to me growing up.”  I watch a man come from the house with a large pot of something steaming.  I know shit is about to get really bad, and all I can think about is him getting just a little fucking closer.

He nods as the man gets near me, and in the next second, my skin erupts as hot water burns nearly every inch of the front half of my body.  Oh my god.  The fucking pain.

Ty steps right up to my face, clicking his tongue as he takes a stroll down memory lane.  I remember burning him, alright.  The two of us tried to make mom some coffee.  I accidently spilled the entire pot down his front.  He squealed in pain and I cried.  God, we were so young, and I felt terrible for it.  But this, the pain he is inflicting on me now, makes that small pot of coffee nonexistent.  Our mother took care of him.  He was rushed to the hospital, and his burns were cared for immediately.  He came out unscathed.

His laughter erupts, and I listen to gunfire going off before the sounds of them walking away calm my mind in the slightest way.  I’m left hanging from this half dead tree with my scorched body becoming hotter by the second.  I work hard to keep my mind focused on my blond-haired woman. 
Jade.

My skin is fucking raw.  One minute, my chest feels like a burning fire that simply won’t calm down, and the next, I can't feel a thing.  My internal emergency system is shutting down and the pain-killing chemicals are steaming through my veins, causing my blood to boil from anger.  My own brother is behind the torture, and his hysterical laughter after each session tells me he's enjoying it immensely.   It's a different feeling when the enemy is my own flesh and blood.

I’ve been beaten with a whip among many other things.  The first striking sensation brings fire to my skin, then every strike, slash, and gouge after pulls a numbness to the surface that nearly matches my internal feelings about everything in the world, except my hatred for my brother and my love for Jade.  A slow burn continues down my back as my skin continues to be ripped apart, and the feeling of blood dripping after a few strikes reminds me I still actually have feeling in some places. 

And my dick.  That motherfucker will pay for that one.  I’ve never felt pain like a straight-up strike from a leather whip can cause to my dick before in my life.  You could shoot me.  Stab me.  Burn me. But this…I have no fucking words.  Not a damn thing to explain the pain that continues to shoot through my balls, up my spine, and through every other muscle in my body.  It’s a constant suffering that’s indescribable.

The minute my body tries to relax is the minute the excruciating shit zig-zags throughout my entire nervous system.  I physically want to shut down and drop my dead weight right here, but I won’t.  Revenge is a beautiful thing, they say.  I’ll get mine.  On every last one of these drug-smuggling heathen motherfuckers.

Now, my skin itches, my muscles cramp, and my arms shake from the uncontrollable urge to writhe their way out of these restraints.

He will not break me.  The drug king piece of shit.

“Motherfucker,” I whisper into the night.

Jade.
  My mind needs her.  My body is beaten down, and I’m so damn weak and tired.  My will to live for us will endure the physical pain they inflict on me.  It’s my damn heart that’s breaking and splitting in two.  For her.  All for her.

I throw my head back, wincing as my skin pulls tight on my chest.  This is all kinds of fucked up.  I desperately try to vision Jade standing in front of me, but somehow I can’t.  All I can see is the loathing on my little brother’s face.  All I can hear is his laugh when the whip cracks against my skin and his hateful words of how I ruined his life as they echo through the night air.

I’d be a liar if I said I’m not hurt.  My heart is bleeding out as bad as the cuts on my skin.  Worse even.  This is my kid brother.

The memories flood my mind about the trouble we used to get into.  Boys being boys.  Teasing our sister.  Threatening her boyfriends.  All of it.  That is, until he fucked up his own life, by his choice.  Sticking a damn needle in his arm and coming home like he thought I was going to pat him on the back for flying so high he couldn’t see straight.

“You ruined your own life. Not me.”

“Is that so?” His deep, slurry voice calls out from in front of me.  I snap.  My vocal chords strain and fight against me to speak to a man I don’t even know anymore.

“Damn right, it is.  You decided to fuck up your life, not me.  And now, look at you.  You’re worn.  Your skin looks like shit.  You disgust me, little brother.”  Hissing through the agony of my battered body and my broken heart, I fight to leave him with words that will haunt him during his deepest, darkest nights.  He'll remember this until he dies, we both will.  Now is my chance to give him this little going-away talk.  Because I'm afraid that one way or another, I'll be going away from this soon.

“I’m not the one hanging by a tree with my bare ass and my worthless dick dangling in the breeze.  It isn't my raw flesh waiting for one of these vultures to swarm around here and pick at my fucking bleeding skin.  So, you tell me who looks like shit, smells like shit, and is about to eat fucking shit if he doesn't shut his fucking mouth.”  He grinds his cigarette into the ground before he takes a swig of whatever he has in his bottle then stumbles his way to an inch within my face.  His breath is disgusting, and his eyes flare with a loathing desire to just end me.  His nostrils move in and out like the madman he is while he shows an ounce of restraint in his actions.

“You high, drunk, or both?”  I question.  Not that I give a rat’s ass, but my intelligence needs to know what I’m up against here.  If he’s drunk, like I suspect he is, a nice head butt to the face should knock his stupid ass out and break his nose.  Fuck.  I wish my legs were free.  I’d bash his skull into the ground once he drops, then I’d make damn sure they wouldn’t be able to identify him.  No one would miss him anyway.  He’s been dead to us since the day he disappeared.  Well, dead to everyone except our mother.  Yet, he has no remorse for what he has done to her.  I'll let the runaway continue to think she hates him, because there's no way in hell I want him to think he has an in with her again.

Part of my brain tells me I no longer have a brother and that I hate this individual in front of me for the pain he has caused not only today, but to my family for years.  I'm preparing myself for another physical attack, while he staggers toward me.   Another part of my brain continues to analyze and count down to the second until I'll move to strike against the man I despise.

“I’m not on drugs anymore.  Haven’t touched them in years.  Not since I learned you can make a hell of a lot more money selling than shooting up.  I’m a rich bastard, Kaleb.  This piece of shit place you see here is a front to the mansion, the pussy, the money, any damn thing I want.  It’s all behind you. Tucked nice and safe in the middle of this jungle.”  His hands go out wide, like he’s the king.  Maybe he is down here, but he’s a motherfucking peasant to me.  An absolute nobody.

He lifts the bottle to his lips and tips it back before he wipes them with the back of his hand.

“Let me check out my work.”  Stepping around me, he kicks at my legs.  I fight like crazy to keep them from buckling.  I’m afraid if they do, my arms will break and my shoulders will dislodge from their tight joints.  His slimy fingers run across my sore skin like he’s admiring a canvas he’s painted.

I close my eyes, fading away inside, when he pours the alcohol over my ripe skin. 
Goddamn shit, fucking hell, that hurts
.  My eyes are closed tight as I dig deep, holding my breath, waiting for the pain to subside.  It may sting like holy hell right now, but fuck me, he did me one hell of a favor by killing the infection and the bacteria I know damn well was building on my back.  I need him in front of me.  Face to face.  There isn’t a damn thing I can do when he’s behind me.  The only weapon I have is my head and the first chance I get, I’m using it.

“If you expect me to bow, then you may as well kill me now.  I couldn’t care less how much money you have, or anything else for that matter.  You can kiss my bare ass while you’re back there.  However, you pansy ass, what I do care about is how in the hell you and I have the same mom.  A woman who would have laid her life down to protect you.  A woman who worked her fingers to the bone and did everything right by you, and yet you still broke her heart.  That’s all I want to know.  Everything else you can shove up your selfish little ass.  No, wait, before you shove anything up your ass, I understand why you took off. You're just like our father.  A piss-poor excuse of a man.  A deadbeat.  A goddamn loser.”  I become furious at the same time I'm relieved he's finally right where I want him.  I spit in his face just to get him even closer.  I'm baiting him, and he's taking it just like I want him to.  Before he gets a chance to answer me, in fact the very second he steps in front of me, I smash my forehead into his face.

The bottle clanks to the ground. His arms and shoulders automatically lurch forward.  His body moves backwards, while his head snaps back in a whiplash motion.

He’s knocked out in one fucking blow.

And I’m still standing.  With my fucking arms tied to the damn tree. 

“What's taking them so long?”

“Jade, it's only been ten hours.  They'll be here as soon as they can.” Harris’ tone is calm, while I’m anything but.  My arms are craving the man I desperately miss.  I just feel the need to hold him.  I ache to soothe him from the torture I know he's endured.  He needs to know how much he means to me.

“We should be doing something.  How can I just sit here, knowing they have him?  I have to do something, Harris.”  My pacing is out of control, and my mind will not stop with the nightmares that could very well be Kaleb’s reality.  I'm scared to death I'll never see him again.

“Okay, fine.  You need a distraction.  Tell me how the two of you got to where you are now.  How did a man get so deep into your heart so damn fast?”  I stop walking, not sure how to take his question.  Is he being accusatory?  Or just genuinely curious?  Looking at his face, I quickly see he's being sincere and worried about me.  I let the past few weeks rush over me and play through my mind, trying to determine the exact moment Kaleb Maverick made it through my wall.

“I don't know what it is about him, Harris.  He just hit me hard from the first fucking moment I saw him.”

“You do realize where you were when you first saw him?”  Of course, I do.  How can anyone forget?

“Yes.”  I continue looking at him, not sure where he is going with this either.  He stands and moves closer to me, his arms going around me when he gets close enough.  I embrace him, because right now, I need to pull from his strength.  I'm holding back the tears that are beginning to fall.  I need to remain strong in all of this, but I'm on the verge of falling apart.  One slip of my mind, and I won’t be able to function.  I won’t be any good to anyone, and right now, Kaleb needs me.  I need to stay focused.

“As good as we would've been, I'm glad he stopped us.”  His deep voice continues just over my shoulder as he pulls me into a tight embrace.

“You and me both.  I mean, can you even imagine?”  He takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“No.”  He holds me a few seconds longer and then steps away.  “So this man hooked your ass, then you left him in Mexico?”

“Okay, jackass. You made me leave him in Mexico.  I wanted to go after him.”  My voice gets louder than I plan, and I'm sure the others can hear me getting riled up again.

“Jade.  Please tell me you can see how terrible of an idea that was?  Tell me you know we had to fucking move and we nearly waited too long as it was.”

“I know.”  I don't want to admit that I fucking get it, but I do.

“Would you really have shot me in the damn temple?”

“Do you really want me to answer?”  Honestly, I don't know myself, but in that moment, I had it in me.  All I remember is the anger flowing through my veins the further away I got from Kaleb.

“I know the answer.”  He sits on the tiny bed covered with a ragged quilt.  I'm trying like hell to calm my insides so I can think straight, but I can't seem to feel any relief.

“Please, don't take it personally.  I hated leaving him with everything inside me.  I wouldn't have wanted to leave you either.  At the time, I wasn’t thinking clearly.  You have to know I wouldn’t have been able to pull that trigger.  However, I have a loyalty to all of my brothers, and I don't falter, it's just hard to differentiate that when there's a higher mission involved."

“I know you do.  I get it.  I would've been insane if it had been you on the ground.”  I watch for his meaning behind it, wondering where all of this is coming from.  I have to ask.

“You do realize there will never be anything between us?”  His shocked look tells me more than the words he follows with.

“Shit, I know.  Jade.  You'll always be a sister to me, and I’d do anything for you, but you'd drive me fucking crazy.  But that doesn't mean I'll let anything happen to you or let you get into a situation like going up against a Mexican army to save the fucking day.”  He stands again, crossing his arms to lean against the door while he continues.  “I'm not asking all of this with any personal intentions.  I just want to hear how the big, bad Jade was conquered.” Under any other circumstances, I might find this conversation funny. 

“I don't know.  He just got to me,” I leave him with the simplest answer, knowing I have no idea myself.  “He consumed me, and now I feel fucking lost.”  No one knows when the right person is going to walk into their life. When they’re going to consume their every thought.  One day, I was walking around alone, then the next, he was all I could think about.

The room is quiet for a few minutes, and we both remain completely frozen in our positions.

“I promise you, I'll be with you until we find him.”  This is why I love Harris.  He's loyal.  We’ve been through shit, and he's still ready to lay it all down for me.  He’s my ride-or-die guy, and I'm happy as hell to have him here with me.  Even though I threatened to kill him.

“I appreciate that.  You know if we don't find him… Or if…” I can't finish that sentence.  Harris is at my side when he realizes I'm struggling.

“That's not an option.  We will find him.  We will bring his giant, stubborn ass back to the States, and we can go back to my ranch.  I will personally pay for a room in town, so you don't scare my horses next time.”  His laughter makes me feel slightly better, not that I can really feel great in this predicament, but I'll take an ounce of relief from the stress.  Crap, I’ll take anything right now.

I hear an engine getting close to the house, and we both throw our guards up quickly.  Kase opens the door without warning and barrels into the room with Jackson on his heels.  “Get in the hole now.”  My heart slams into my chest as we begin to rush into the perfect standing concrete casket big enough for about five people.  They've all pinned me to the back wall like they have to protect me.  Idiots.  If they only knew I could shoot a bullet through all of their heads and still hit my target.  It doesn’t matter; every one of us has our pistols drawn while we wait for any sign of life outside this hole.

The engine dulls out just before a few car doors slam shut.  I draw in a breath, preparing to shoot anything that opens that door.  How I wish it were the men who have Kaleb, so they would beg me for mercy before I cut their balls off and shove them up their asses for taking him.

“It’s me.” We hear Ricardo from the other side of the door. “And us.” My eyes grow wide.  The rest of the team came back.

“Took you fuckers long enough,” Jackson bellows out the door first, his big-ass frame hardly squeezing through the door.

“Fuck off, Jackson, who will get no action.” Steele laughs at his own joke.  While I just want to jump in everyone's arms and thank them for coming back, but I won't. 

“You still pissed off at us?”  Ace—or is it Vice? —slings his arm around me, tugging me close to his side.  My mind is such a cluster I don’t remember who is who anymore.

“No.  You did what you had to do.  I’m glad you're all here now.  I’m assuming the mission is accomplished,” I say bitterly.  Not at them, but if it weren’t for the man we had to go in and get, the man I care about would not be wherever he is, more than likely accepting the idea of death over his suffering right now.

“Yes. He’s been handed over to the higher ups and… before you ask.  They’ve been interrogating him, but he won’t give up a damn thing.  We’re on our own from here, unless we get word from the President or his cabinet.” He grins down at me as if I don’t understand how this all works.  I do.  I know more than he thinks I know.  What I want to know now, though, is what I’m about to ask our friend here.  He sure has his way of getting around without telling us a thing.  I’m just about ready to go off on the old man when Harris cuts me off.  The look in his eyes tells me to let it go.

“Did you find out anything?” Harris directs his attention from me to Ricardo, even though he never takes his eyes off of mine.  I blow out a heavy breath in frustration and work to focus on Ricardo’s response.

“I haven’t.  They’ve vanished.  However,” he holds his hand up and signals for us all to follow. Harris and I drop our gazes from one another.  I’ll keep my mouth shut for now and let his logic lead this conversation over my emotions.

“There are a lot of wooded areas around these parts.  Lots of vacant, run-down homes.  Now, look.”  Pulling a map out of his back pocket, he folds it open on the table we all gather around.

“Harris,” I say nervously.  It’s all in Spanish.  I can’t make out a thing.

“I got it, Jade.” Harris nods then follows the old man’s pointed finger as he places it on a spot on the map.

“Right here. This… this is where they have to have him.”  My anger propels.  I’m speaking my mind this time.

“You can’t just guess.  You have to be sure.  This isn’t hide and seek.  That’s my man out there.” Motioning to the door, I stop as I realize my voice is much louder than it should be.  My emotions have me spun so tight I can hardly think straight.

“What she's trying to say is… We need some sort of verification before we go in and raid these places.  Can we trust someone to go in and check some of them out?  Maybe a local who won't look as obvious as this team,” Harris explains.

“I’m not guessing.  My sons have been out there.  I’m telling you, this is where he is.”  He jabs his finger into the exact same spot on the map.  I should feel like a bitch for doubting his word after everything he's done for us, but I don't.  Our safety is vital during this.  If I succeed at rescuing Kaleb only to lose some of his men, I'd never be able to live with myself. 

“How can you be sure?”  Kase stands tall beside this little old man who has gone out of his way to help us. 

“Because there is a man hanging from a tree.”  I may still be standing, but my mind is now perfectly clear.  I need to kill someone right the fuck now.  Blood rages through my body, and I can't stand still another second.  It's time to go in.