Promises (Blood Brothers #1) (23 page)

“You do realize they had the cabin rigged to blow with both of you in it, don’t you?” Rafe asked, finally managing to say it out loud. He was still furious and he wanted to kill something or someone, but the spitfire in his arms was actually kind of hot in all of her prissiness.

“Well duh, moron. Are you just figuring that out?” Rafe pushed back on his forearms so he could look down at his woman, and it dawned on him just how strong and resilient she really was. “What, are you telling me that you and Kayne are just now realizing this shit? Chayle and I have been talking about it since I arrived.”

“Why haven’t you told me? Why hasn’t Chayle said anything to Kayne?” Rafe moved suggestively against her, effectively holding her in place so he could keep her still as Jollie continued to push against him.

“What did you just do?” Jollie finally stilled, lying beneath him waiting, her fingers silently drumming on his chest.

Rafe knew this relationship business wasn’t his strong suit but damn it, this was his mate. She was supposed to tell him everything. Wasn’t she?

“So both of you already figured this out?”

“Rafe, shut up and make love to me,” Jollie whispered, pulling his head down to meet her full lips.

“Ah, Kayne… “

“Yes, I know. We’re so screwed.”
Kayne’s quick reply was all Rafe had time for as Jollie took his mind away from his previous worries and blew it into the next universe.

Chapter 31

The following week found the team anxiously watching two darkly tinted GMC SUVs pull to a stop in front of the Command Center of the Compound with Rafe and Kayne standing on the front steps. It had taken time to arrange for the convoy to get from the security gates up to the main complex, which allowed everyone to get into place. Rafe had convinced Jollie and Chayle it was best if the two of them stayed up at the house and out of sight, and their guards knew if anything happened to the women, their lives were not worth their next breath. He knew Jollie could fight, but he wasn’t taking a chance with either of their safety, not with strangers inside the safety net of the Compound.

Several of the closest of the select team were strategically positioned around the compound for added surveillance along with the regular men because everyone was feeling a sense of foreboding with the arrival of Commander Samuel Derek and his small group. As Rafe watched the four door SUVs come to a stop, he stood with hands fisted on his lean hips and watched as the only man he had ever trusted since leaving the active military emerged from the vehicle. He could feel his twin’s stance next to him. Kayne’s massive arms were crossed over his chest in an imposing image that would terrify most men since he really wasn’t happy about having outsiders at the Compound until Chayle gave birth. He had argued long and hard about why this had to happen now and here.

Gabriel was in the corner of the large porch area, effectively out of sight but close enough to act if necessary and Rafe could feel Gabe’s spidey-sense reaching out to the newcomers on the waves of silence, evaluating the threat of each person and relaying it back to Rafe, Kayne and Merc. He could concentrate on what was going on now and allow his team to do what they did best, protect and serve.

“Commander, good to see you.” Rafe extended his large hand to take the one Commander Derek offered, instantly sensing the friendly comradery and trust that had developed between them while in the Corps. “You’re looking good, sir.”

“I can say the same for you, Rafe.” Sam Derek shook Rafe’s hand before turning to Kayne. “How are you, Kayne?”

“Good, sir.” Kayne shook the hand extended but kept his conversations short.

“Still the same Kayne, I see.” Derek smiled, shaking his head. “I can understand why, if what I’ve heard is true.” Both men were instantly alert, circling the Commander and cutting him off from the other four men who stood close by.

“Inside, now!” Rafe ordered, low and mean. When the Commander started to object, Rafe shook his head no. “Now!”

Everyone was inside and the doors secured in record time. Commander Derek’s men were taken to a different conference room, offered water or coffee and left with escorts while Rafe pulled the Commander into the secured conference room that could be locked down. Once the protocols were locked into place, Kayne was yelling he was so angry.

“What the fuck do you mean, what have you heard?” Kayne was in the Commander’s face with little room for the man to retreat. Both were about the same height and build but Kayne was much stronger and worked out harder than the man who had been sitting behind a desk for the last three years. A gym couldn’t keep the kind of muscle on a body that came with what Rafe and Kayne used to stay in shape and the Commander knew it.

“That’s why I came personally, Kayne. I couldn’t trust communications, even encrypted ones to ensure your women were safe.” Derek didn’t blink an eye when Rafe growled from across the room.

“How did you find out? We’ve told no one, there is no way the authorities could have found out about them, much less Chayle’s condition.” Rafe stalked back and forth, his hands rubbing the back of his neck as he ran any possibilities through his mind.

“I don’t think your team or facility has broken protocol, boys. I think the fuckers we are tracking have figured out how to monitor things without us being able to block them.” The Commander had intimate knowledge of each of the team’s unique gifts and how those enhanced the ability for them to work together, so what he was basically saying was they had a security leak among their own ranks.

“Not possible,” Kayne shouted “No one would sell out the team.”

“I’m not saying they would. What I am saying is that our adversaries may have some unique abilities of their own and are using them against us.” The Commander moved over to a large chair and lowered his large frame into it with a huff. The look of disgust and rage wasn’t masked on his face now, but his eyes were what reminded Rafe why he trusted this man. They were haunted. “We have to stop this lunatic, gentlemen, because the alternative just is not acceptable.”

“If we have a breach, then how do we know who to trust?” Rafe was running scenarios through his mind so fast it was making his stomach churn. How could they use to their advantage and still keep Chayle safe until the baby delivered, much less keep his own mate safe?

“You’re going to have to use your own unique skills to decide who among your team is the leak and hopefully use it to your advantage. Several of you have extrasensory abilities that can allow you to quietly set a trap for both the one we are hunting and the one here who is now helping them.” The Commander looked at both men and drew a deep breath before saying, “You will have to use all of the weapons at your disposal to defeat this nutcase.” The brothers stood looking at each other, not liking what they heard and hating the implications.

“We go on lockdown until Chayle delivers.” Kayne’s pronouncement wasn’t unrealistic and Rafe agreed completely.

“Agreed,” Rafe voiced it as he headed for the door, deactivating the room protocols and opening the door. Mercury and Gabriel stood just outside. “Get in here!”

Once the two men were inside, Rafe locked the door once more, then turned to the room. It didn’t take long for the group to decided how to secure the compound and who they could trust the most. Rafe would lay his life down for his brother and Chayle, his own mate, and the two men now in the room with them. Commander Derek was another who had earned that trust, and it was the only reason he was still sitting in the room as the group finalized the plans to ensure the women were safe.

“You realize Jollie will balk at this plan.” The statement hung in the air and Rafe turned to look at Gabe, knowing exactly what he was getting at.

“Let me handle that wildcat. You make sure the other communication protocols and security measures we’ve discussed are put into place within the next 24 hours. I want this place locked down tighter than Area 51 or the Pentagon and I want to make sure no one can get in, or out, unless the four of us approve it.” He looked at the other men, each of them nodding in agreement. “Good, now let’s go get some coffee. I can sense Jollie getting antsy and I need to go calm her down before she does something stupid.”

The men vacated the building, Commander Derek collecting his wayward staff and escorted off the compound and back to where they came from. The brothers went hunting their mates, certain that Chayle and Jollie were either looking for trouble or had already found it. And Gabe went to his own private sanctuary and praying they would be able to protect those they were tasked to protect because he had a really bad feeling about all of this in his gut.

Chapter 32

Everything remained unusually quiet for the next month and the brothers were beginning to think Sam Derek was wrong. They continued to be vigilant, Jollie and Chayle never going anywhere without bodyguards or their mates, which had Jollie in a tiff most of the time. However, once Rafe explained what it would do to him if he lost her, Jollie conceded. The look in his eyes gutted her every time she remembered.

“Rafe, I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long time!” Jollie argued after being informed she would have at least one bodyguard with her at all times if Rafe wasn’t with her, the same as Chayle.

“I know, babe. But I need you to stay safe while I concentrate on how to find this fucker and I can’t do that if I’m worried about you all the time.” They were lying in bed, Jollie draped over Rafe’s massive chest like a contented cat with one leg curled up over his hip. She could feel his shaft beginning to harden once more and held back a chuckle, knowing her man wasn’t going to be contented with just one round of play tonight.

“Chayle said Kayne is almost crazy right now, and I can understand all of this coming from him, what with her so close to delivery.” Jollie knew that Chayle hadn’t told Kayne what she suspected yet. The next ultrasound would hopefully confirm it but Chayle was almost certain she carried twins and the knowledge would put Kayne into over protection mode for sure. “I’ve told both of you that I’ll protect her with my life,” she whispered, circling a dark male nipple with her fingertip and watched it harden. It always amazed Jollie just how much she could distract him with just a touch, but that wasn’t happening tonight. She couldn’t afford him to suspect the knowledge she hid from him and Kayne. Chayle trusted her, and Jollie would never betray that trust unless it were the only way to protect the other woman.

“No, never sacrifice yourself! Do you hear me?” Rafe had Jollie turned and pinned down on her back faster than she could take the next breath. “Baby, you are my soul, my light! You have to stay safe. Promise me!”

Holding her face between his large hands, Rafe’s panicked eyes refused to allow her to look away until she agreed with him. Deep within, Jollie sought the connection they shared and sent the soothing touch of love and support that only she seem to be able to give Rafe at times like this. Not even Kayne had been able to reach him once Rafe reached this level of agitation, and Jollie had heard it usually took long hours in one of the work out rooms or training bays before he could work the agitation out. Now, Jollie reached for her mate, letting him know she didn’t plan on going anywhere.

He had taken to working out with Merc or Kayne until he dropped with exhaustion, or running through one of the more advance holo-training programs alone at least once a week. Neither of the brothers had left the compound in over two months. The teams were hand selected and sent on only very select missions in-country right now, staying close to the compound and easy recall in case they were needed for whatever reason. The tension running through the place was like static electricity zapping anyone who touched a live outlet, instant and immediate. Tempers flared, friends were even touchy and Jollie was getting tired of it all, real fast!

“Rafe, you need to know that I will never leave you if I can help it. So, yes, I’ll take the guards. But if push comes to shove, I’ll also protect myself.” She reached up and touch the face who now meant more to her than life itself.

Jollie felt his hands roam her body, touching and teasing her into a frenzy as she begged her mate to take her in the most primal way that always left her breathless and aching once they finished. And once again Jollie realized, her mate had distracted her from the original argument. Looking back on the conversation, Jollie realized that her heart and soul belonged to the big lug and where he was would be her place in life. No one would be able to replace Rafe and she could only try to be the best she could for him, even with her own shortcomings. Jollie wasn’t stupid. She knew where those shortcomings lay and what would happen if push came to shove. However, it was up to her to make sure she always had an equalizer close at hand if her opponent was larger and stronger if she needed to take them down. That had been the problem the last time.

Several days later Jollie was working out in the simulation’s room, her bodyguard leaning against the door panel when she felt the first nudge of a discomforting headache push into her forehead and temple. It was unusual for her to get them since coming to the compound with Rafe; it was rare that they hit during the day. She ignored it and continued to work through the kicks and punches, blocking and whirling through the steps of the hologram workout that was similar to the one Rafe and Kayne used, but a much lower version. She had watched Kayne and Rafe with their unique fighting skills. Beauty and poetry in motion were the fluid strokes of the moves when one mastered the unique Middle Eastern techniques long ago used by old Masters to defeat enemies without ever using a weapon of any kind. Their hands and feet were as lethal as any blade, their minds as focused as any laser could be to take out their opponents. The many occasions she had watched the men practice she had envied them, studied, and then used those memories to mimic the fighting skills that made her the weapon she was known for while in the military. Her photographic memory allowed her to copy each move, place each step in almost the same precise method to only be outdone by the other males’ size. Jollie was determined to be able to defend herself, and if necessary Chayle, and this was just another form of defense if she had no other weapons.