Sweet Affliction [Sweet Awakenings 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (28 page)

Another sound came from the bathroom. This time it was distinguishable. Someone must have been trying to climb through the window without alerting them of their presence. He had to shake his head. It was disappointing that these guys underestimated them. Even though three of them were out, they were after all Navy SEALs, not exactly morons when it came to infiltration.

The door handle turned. He was only a couple feet from the bathroom. He motioned to Adam to take cover. This was going to have to be his shot. He was in the best position, and if he waited for Adam to take it, it may be too late.

The door opened an inch, but he saw no one. Then slowly it opened more. Finally he caught sight of the man’s leg. He must have been peeking from a different vantage point to the kitchen, but if there was one thing Nick knew about guns and bullets, they were no friends to the knee cap. He took his Steyr 9mm out of his vest and took aim. His hands were shaky. He bit back against the pain and fever and squeezed the trigger.

Thank God, he thought to himself. His training won the battle with his physical state. A scream sounded from the man. He dropped his gun and went down on the floor as the door swung open.

Adam gave him a look of concern. He obviously didn’t miss Nick’s relief that he actually made the shot. He motioned for him to get down, and he fired at the man.

POP. POP. POP. POP
. Adam fired four rounds and placed his gun back at the ready toward the front door but not before giving Nick the affirmative head nod that the guy was no longer a threat. Two were down, and two remained. Again they sat in silence.

Several minutes passed with no sounds. Nick’s head was starting to pound. His fever was worse, his hands were more unsteady than steady, and he felt like his body was having an internal debate between whether or not to puke or pass out. He shook his head and blinked his eyes several times, willing the pain away so he could go on.

They all held their positions. First minutes passed, but that quickly turned into an hour. None of them moved as they kept vigil. They knew the other one was still out there and no way in hell were they buying that the guy who lay lifeless on the front porch was not a threat. Every moment he laid there still brought them one minute closer to him jumping to attention and firing.

He jerked his head toward Adam in surprise when he heard the familiar sound of gravel being spit up by tires. They both waited to see if it would pass. Instead, as they expected, it slowed to a stop. The one guy who remained had obviously called for reinforcements. Now they had a problem. They had no idea how many of them were out there. The odds were in their favor before, knowing who and what they were dealing with. Now this ambush that was set up for the enemy could very well turn against them. And fast.

Another sharp pain shot in his side so fierce that he curled over in pain. He kept silent but wasn’t able to hide it from Adam this time. His brother gave him a look of more than worry.

His whole body was starting to shake, not just his hands. Whatever his temperature was, his fever was raging now. His stomach roiled, and dry heaves hit him with full force.
Damn it!
This isn’t the time for this pussy shit!
He chided himself silently. He was a goddamn Navy SEAL. What he needed to do was man the fuck up and complete his mission. His life, the lives of his brothers, depended on it.

Suddenly shots rang out. He looked up to see Adam peering out from the wall he used as cover. Plaster was creating dust clouds around Adam’s head as he continued to return fire.

Weak and shaking so bad his teeth were shattering, Nick pulled himself up and peeked up above the countertop. The one on the porch was now up and firing at Adam from the outside, taking cover around the long wall that flanked the living-room window.

Jack saw the same opportunity he did. He shot up from his afghan camouflage and moved to the window. With the muzzle of his AK he pulled the curtains back.

POP. POP. POP
. The firing from the mercenary ceased. Jacked looked back toward Nick and gave him the affirmative nod, indicating that tango was down and not coming back. Nick’s condition must have been obvious to the naked eye, because even Jack gave him a look of worry. He jerked his head, telling him to get back in position. He didn’t want them worrying about him. They had more important things to worry about.

POP
. Nick watched as Jack went down. He’d barely moved from the window where he took down the one on the porch. His stillness was an obvious mistake. He was not only down. He was not moving. A trickle of blood came from his right side. Adam was about to go in the front room to get him when shots rang out. Plaster was flying all around the front living room. The entire room was filled with a white cloud. This time whoever was out there brought out the heavy artillery. They were spraying the house with bullets. He prayed that the room downstairs was truly sound and bulletproof. The image of AJ flashed before his mind until he heard Adam shout his name, shaking him from his thoughts.

Adam was motioning for him to give him cover. He was going in to get Jack. Pushing up with all his strength, he placed the muzzle of his AK on the countertop. He sprayed bullets high. Adam stayed low to the ground as he went in to get Jack. He was checking his vitals when he got hit. He watched in horror as Adam’s body flew back and lay there lifeless.

Nauseated and shaking so his vision was actually blurring from it, he knew he had to rein in every amount of willpower he had. Whatever strength remained, he had to press on. He could not die now.

A loud crash sounded from the front room. He peered above his Formica shield and saw Rex. The closet door he was hidden behind was off its hinges, and he made way for the front porch. He watched in a somewhat dazed dream state as Rex began firing at will upon whoever was outside. He took cover behind the front-room wall once or twice, but the more he fired the less was coming back at him.

Nick steeled himself against the nausea, pain, and fever. He braced himself to stand up. What the hell good was he if he couldn’t even stand long enough to fire his damn gun? Pushing up with everything that he had he brought himself to a standing position. The room spun, and the pounding in his head finally caught up and matched the pain in his side. His stomach churned, and he reached for the countertop, but it was too late.

* * * *

“You always were a pain in the ass, Metcalf. What the fuck was it with you two anyway? Whatever Peyton wanted you did. Were you two
special friends
or what?”

Nick blinked his eyes several times, trying to right his vision. The voice that was shouting was one he didn’t recognize. The sound of gun shots no longer filled the air like they did before he’d passed out.

“Fuck you!”

That voice he recognized. It was Rex. Suddenly he remembered that Adam and Jack had been hit. He turned to get see if he could get up, and a stench filled his nostrils. Taking a better look in the dark room, he saw a puddle of vomit. His he presumed.

WHAP
. “You forget who’s in charge here, boy!”

He winced at the sound of Rex being struck with what sounded like the barrel of a gun. Pushing against the floor, he tried to force himself into a sitting position. Never could he remember being this weak before. Actually his memory failed him. This was how he felt when he suffered from infection back at the beach bungalow. It was no use denying it. He was in bad shape, and his body was probably suffering from sepsis.

“In charge? Shit, you haven’t been in charge since they 86ed your ass out of the navy. You’re a worthless piece of shit who has no idea what honor on and off the battlefield even means.”

Commander Broderick. That’s who that other voice belonged to. He couldn’t believe the asshole actually came to do his dirty work. Nick listened to Rex antagonize him even though it sounded like Broderick was getting the better of him.

“Should I be a weak and sorry piece of shit like you? You left the SEALs to look after your buddy after he couldn’t deal with the guilt of losing those two Nightstalkers on that mission.”

“You mean the mission that never should have happened? You mean the fucking mission you sent us on and set us up?” Rex was shouting now.

“Oh please, spare me your dramatics. You win some missions, you lose some. What’s the first thing they tell you when you make it through BUD/S? That many of you won’t make it to see your thirtieth birthday.”

Broderick’s arrogance and flippant attitude over his teammates’ lives pissed Nick off.

“Yeah when they’re killed in action. Not when they’re killed on a mission which takes place on ground we were never supposed to set foot on in the first place. Not on a mission that our commanding officer told us was an approved necessary action when in fact it was just a bullshit move made by someone trying to get promoted to rear admiral at the cost of people’s lives!”

WHAP. WHAP
.

Nick gritted his teeth against the pain and pushed himself to a standing position when he heard the hard blow of metal hitting against bone and Rex spitting what he presumed was blood onto the floor.

He held his jaw tightly closed for fear his teeth chattering would give him away. His movements were sluggish, and he felt as though the room was literally spinning. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he tried to control his vision. If he could just place himself a few feet away from Broderick and brace his weight against the wall, he could get a clean shot off.

Rex caught sight of him and kept talking. He presumed so Broderick didn’t catch on to the fact that he was in the backdrop.

Nick took aim with his Steyr. His hand was shaking violently. There was no way he could take the shot like this. One of three things would happen. He’d either hit Broderick, miss, or hit Rex. The last two were not an option.

“You know what, Metcalf, I’m done with you. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on. You and your buddies ruined my career, and I had to do time because of your asses. So fuck you!”

Nick watched as he leveled his gun at Rex, whose hands were tied to the back of the chair he was in. He was helpless, and this was his only chance to get him and all of them out of this.

Steadying his arm with a firm grip by his other hand, holding it from underneath, he took aim.
Please, God, don’t fail me now
. He prayed to himself and the man upstairs as he focused his sights only on Broderick zeroing in. Then he squeezed the trigger.

Time stood still. He waited for the asshole to turn and return fire, but everything started to happen, or rather not happen, in ultra slow motion. He looked at Rex, squinting his eyes trying to see if he’d hit him. Finally Broderick fell to the ground. His eyes were frozen, and a hole in his cheek told Nick he’d killed him instantly with a through and through.

“Shit, man, where the fuck have you been? I thought he got you before I came out of the closet.”

Nick ignored his question and stumbled to the front room.

“Jesus, are you all right? You are hit, aren’t you? Untie me so I can get the medics.”

He wanted to answer him, but he was using all the strength he had just to cut through the ropes.

“Careful. That’s my arm, not the tape.”

Nick’s head was pounding like the clash of the titans was actually taking place inside his brain. Nausea was filling his entire being, and he tried to contain it when he felt a slicing pain rocket through his side again. He wasn’t going to make it. The sepsis had taken over his body. After everything he’d survived in his life, in the past week, he was going fast. He fell to the floor, keeling over in pain. All he could think of was AJ.

His vision was cloudy, and everything seemed to be happening around him like it was a dream. He heard a loud echo. It was Rex. He had the phone to his ear and was calling for help as he hovered over Jack and Adam, as he told the person on the other end that he had three critically wounded.

Thank God. They were both alive. They had so much to live for.

AJ. His sweet, beautiful, angelic Alyssa Jo. A week ago she’d come into his life. A week ago her father had saved him. Days ago he died. Days ago he fell in love with her. So much had happened in such a short time. God, he’d wanted a life with her.

He felt his body giving into the infection as he started to drift off. Grabbing onto Rex’s pants leg, he struggled to get out the words through the pain. “Tell AJ…I…lo…”

AJ fidgeted in the chair she’d been sitting in the last several hours. Tamara and Shelby had tried to keep the conversation going, but she and Chelsea were not very interested in idle chat. It was obvious they meant well, but the waiting was driving her insane with worry. Despite the soundproof of the basement, they were able to make out faint sounds that they knew were gunfire.

A loud clanking sound echoed in their small underground apartment, and all three women stood up and stared at the door across the room. AJ was filled with anxiety over what would happen once that door opened. Was Nick all right? Were they all all right? Was the nightmare finally over? So many questions raced through her head.

The door opened, and Rex appeared. “It’s over. No time to explain, get upstairs, paramedics are on their way.” He disappeared as quickly as he’d blurted out the words.