begonia9508: Thanks! Alex has played a very big part in their ability to access and collect information on The Circle.
Roswelllostcause: Lol, that’s a trend that may continue for a while.
L-J-L 76: As soon as they check in with us we’ll let you know.
Last we heard they were following Val’s orders and going somewhere that hopefully they won’t be found.
keepsmiling7: He sure does, lol.
Eva: Yeah, that’s one word for Val, lol. She might be able to handle anything that comes at her in the form of other assassins or dangers, but she’s not really armed to take on the softer emotions that Alex is awakening in her. She wants more than what she has in this life, but she really has no clue how to reach out for it. Good thing Alex doesn’t know how to give up easily.
sarammlover: Alex is just the man for the job, too! He and Val balance each other out but she’s not capable of seeing that right now.
Kyle and Tess... what can we say? We love them too! They’re a riot and they’re a force to be reckoned with for sure. Yeah, there’s no denying that Michael’s stubborn to the power of infinity. Thanks!
Part 38
Michael could feel his strength coming back gradually and with it the growing agitation at having his space invaded for too long. He was used to being on his own, used to dealing with whatever situation he found himself in without the aid of anyone else, and he was beginning to feel penned in. It wasn’t a good feeling. While he appreciated Kyle and Tess coming out, putting themselves in harm’s way to help, he needed his space.
Tess could be overbearing but over the years he’d learned to just ignore that part of her personality. She was bossy as her husband reminded her whenever it suited him, but since it seemed to be some form of foreplay for them, it really didn’t matter. He brushed her off when her examination of his back took longer than he wanted and he pulled his shirt on, forcing his face to remain still when the material caught on the stitches and dragged over them. The incision was healing but it was still tender and it would be for a while.
“Well, in spite of your surly mood, I’d have to say you’re healing fairly quickly,” she said when he escaped her clutches once again.
“I’ve always healed quickly,” he snapped.
She sighed and tossed the gloves in the trash before going to wash her hands. It had been more than a full day since she and Kyle had arrived and she could see the signs of restlessness in the man standing at the window. His dark eyes were hooded as he stared out into the darkness. He was cagey, feeling closed in, and she knew how much he hated inactivity. She didn’t take it personally; she was familiar with that feeling. It was part of the reason she and Kyle lived out in the middle of nowhere.
“I know you hate extended visits, but let’s give it one more day. I want to make sure there’s no sign of infection before we haul ass outta here.”
He nodded reluctantly and looked at her over his shoulder. “Make sure Maria’s okay too.”
“She’s well on her way to recovering. I’ll do another ultrasound before we leave. The last thing you want is for her to end up with compartment syndrome out here in the middle of nowhere.”
“She has to survive,” he muttered in agreement, more to himself than to her. His whole life he’d spent killing people, for once he wanted to protect an innocent even if it meant paying with his life.
“Have you given any thought to what happens to her when this’s all over? Or what happens to you?”
“No, it’s too early for that.”
She nodded, accepting his answer for what it was. She had survived two tours overseas and she’d quickly learned that making long-term plans was for fools. Getting through the day was all that mattered when you were in the zone. She and Kyle had gotten out of the zone, but it had taken a long time before they’d been able to see beyond the day to day survival they had grown accustomed to. “Is there anything else we can do to help? Maybe we could get our hands on that will if Alex can find the key.”
“You should head back home.” he said seriously. “I mean it, Tess. You guys get outta this an’ hopefully no one will suspect you of helping us.”
“You think we care about that? You know better than to think we’d just leave you in the crosshairs if there’s anything we can do to help.” She rolled her shoulders and refused to back down when he turned and glared at her. “The odds aren’t stacked in your favor.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
“But you still won’t let us help.”
“I don’t wanna fuck the two of you up, Tess. That’s all.”
She sighed and shook her head. “Y’know, when Kyle was shot down over that jungle and he was held in that shithole camp and left to die,” she swallowed with difficulty. “Our own government denied knowledge of any mission involving American military and they scrubbed the rescue mission because of fucking political relations. You went in after him against orders and on your own. You leveled that hellhole and you carried him outta there, broken and bleeding so badly it’s a miracle he survived.” She shook her head. “We have an interest in seein’ you come outta this alive, that’s all I’m sayin’.”
“I was alone, Tess. I had nothing to lose. You guys have something that I’m not willing to take away from you.”
“We’ll respect your wishes.” She nodded and pushed away from the counter, heading for the doorway to leave the room. “But I think you’re wrong.”
He chuckled. “That’s new.”
Kyle waited until his wife had left and a few moments later he heard her talking to Maria in the living room. He stepped out of the shadows of the hallway, crossing the kitchen to pull a couple of beers out of the refrigerator. He slid one across the counter towards Michael, smirking when he caught it without even looking. “It pisses her off caring about you sometimes,” he said with a quiet laugh.
“I appreciate your help, I really do, but I don’t wanna drag you any further into this, Kyle.”
He nodded and took a long drink of his beer. “Thing is, I understand that. Deep down, she does too, but bein’ a woman it gets tangled up with emotion.”
“Women.”
“Yeah, go figure. I wouldn’t change ‘er though.”
“You two have a good life,” Michael nodded with approval. “Make sure you make the most of it.”
“We do,” he said seriously. “Every damn day.”
“Good. That’s good.”
He set his beer down and crossed his arms over his chest. “I know you’ve never been the kinda guy that wanted to settle down with just one woman, but when it’s the right one it tends to change the way you look at things.”
“An’ you’re tellin’ me this why?”
He shrugged. “Just thought maybe it might be pertinent.”
Michael eyed him. “I’ll protect her but when the times come, I’ll let her go.”
Kyle nodded. His friend believed what he was saying but somehow he had his doubts it would be that easy. “Okay.” He checked his watch. “If you’re up for keepin’ an eye on things I think I’ll see if I can talk my woman into slippin’ into somethin’ more comfortable and pretending we’re alone for a while.” She’d need that connection after letting the memories of his captivity surface. And to be perfectly honest, he needed it too. Those were dark days and no matter how far in the back of his mind they were, they still haunted him.
“Go for it, but do it quietly.”
“Buddy, need I remind you that I walked in on you an’ Val in a very compromising position? At least we have the decency to keep it behind closed doors when we have company.”
“No I did not need that reminder.”
Kyle nodded and grinned as he waved over his shoulder. “Night watch is on you.” He walked into the living room and rested his hands on his wife’s shoulders as he leaned over the couch to whisper, “It’s time for us to get naked and hit the sheets, woman.” He nipped her earlobe and squeezed her shoulders, grinning when she turned her head to look at him.
“I heard there’s a hot tub.”
“Y’know, I heard that same rumor.” His right hand trailed down, grazing the side of her breast.
“Let’s go then.”
He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, not releasing her as she skirted around the end of the couch. “Maria,” he acknowledged the other woman with a smile, “have a good night.”
“You too,” she nodded.
“No other kind.” He was a happily married man and he wasn’t ashamed to let people know it.
Maria’s eyes followed the couple when they left the room. It was weird, they were both brave bad ass people, but you could almost see the love they felt for each other.
Michael’s gaze strayed to her, watching her until she sighed and looked away from the doorway. “Don’t start getting ideas,” he warned.
She frowned and turned her head to look at him over the back of the couch. “What do you mean?”
“If we make it outta this alive I’ll disappear again.” He shrugged unapologetically and nodded at the door his friends had disappeared through. “I don’t do that.”
She tried to look as if she didn’t care but the truth was it stung. IF they survived, she wouldn’t have anyone left to lean on. “I know that.”
He wasn’t buying it. “Do you?” She’d spent most of her life being denied what she craved most and when this thing was over – IF they made it out alive – she’d be left alone.
“If we survive, you’re gonna leave. I got the message.” Stubbornly, she turned and stared at the TV, having no clue what she was even watching.
He smirked at her rigid posture, somewhere between defiant and defeated, and he leaned over the couch, snatching up the remote and switching over to one of the channels that showed nothing but skin flicks.
“Seriously?” she asked, annoyed.
“Why not?” he asked conversationally. He tipped his head to one side, trying to get a better view of the chick.
If he had to ask then he didn’t even deserve a reply. “I’m gonna lie down again.”
His eyebrows lifted. “What, no argument tonight?” Usually she gave him an earful about the crap he watched.
“Watch your stupid porn if that’s what ya need. I won’t prevent you from doing it.” She waved him off while she got up carefully with the icepack pressed to her thigh.
Well, that just took all the fun out of it. He turned the TV off and wandered into the kitchen, grabbing a beer and then shadowing her as she moved around. “Goin’ back to bed?”
“Yeah, so?”
He shrugged. “Just askin’.”
“Already had enough?”
“Seen it before.” For some inexplicable reason he got more out of his banter with her than he got out of watching the movies. He didn’t get it, but why question it.
“So what’re you gonna do now?” She leaned her back against the counter while taking a drink to wash down some of the pills Tess had given her for… whatever.
“I dunno.” His eyes wandered over her. She was limping around when she was mobile, bruised like she’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight champ, rumpled from being in bed and feeling like shit, and he still found her attractive. It defied logic.
She felt his eyes and shifted slightly, feeling a combination of heat and embarrassment at his obvious stare.
“You should get back to bed.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. If he didn’t get her back into bed soon he was gonna make a move she wasn’t ready for. The last thing he needed in this situation was for Tess to have to do emergency surgery on her leg. “Harding said you needed to keep it iced and elevated for a while.”
“Yeah, I’m just taking my pills, brushing my teeth and then heading back.”
He nodded. “I’ll be up once they’ve got it outta their system.”
“Okay.” She didn’t know what to say.
He didn’t wait for her to find her tongue. He groaned at that thought and pushed away from the counter, heading out to make his rounds. If he stood there much longer he wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands to himself. He rolled his shoulders and winced at the painful pull that reminded him he’d had surgery less than twenty-four hours ago.
*****
Valkyrie took point as they infiltrated the compound. It was eerily silent as they crossed the grounds. She refused to allow her gaze to shift to the two-acre section housed on the grounds; a cemetery that was listed as a historical landmark in order to preserve it and explain why it was barricaded by an eight-foot electric fence that was strung with razor wire to prevent anyone from climbing over it. It hadn’t taken much work to discover that there was no historical significance to the old cemetery. She supposed it was appropriate that The Circle’s research facility would have found a way to bury their dead without question.
Between her skills and Alex’ they had managed to get past the fence with minimal damage and taking out the cameras had been easy thanks to the storm that had moved in. They had waited for the storm, determining it would make it infinitely easier to disrupt the security system without raising too many red flags. They reached the panel Alex needed to access and she watched as he made the necessary connections, tapping into the system and hacking his way into the monstrous generator that provided power in the event of a power outage.
“We’re in,” he said after what felt like forever. “The generator will go offline in three minutes.” He quickly disengaged from the panel and put the tablet and connectors in his backpack.
When he’d uncovered the location of The Circle’s research facility Valkyrie had insisted they had to get inside the compound. It had taken time for him to access the security protocols and figure out how to bypass them. If they got caught inside the compound it was all over. It would be hard enough breaking in, but breaking back out after getting caught? He didn’t even want to contemplate what an impossible feat that would be.
Alex pulled out the keycard he’d just finished programming and handed it to her. “If it worked we should be able to access everything we need.”
Valkyrie nodded. “You’re sure about the shifts?”
The guards would be changing shifts just as the generator shut down, giving them enough time to get inside and access the records vault. “Yeah. It should take them less than three minutes to get the generator back online and then we have exactly twenty minutes to get what we need before it goes offline again. When that happens – “
“I know, four minutes to get back out. Got it.” She checked her watch and when the 00:00 flashed she swiped her card over the reader. For a moment the light remained red and then it blinked twice and turned green. “We’re in.”
“Hallway to the right, all the way down. Take the stairs down the basement level. The guard on that hallway should be out of the way for the shift change. The generator will shut down and then we go down that hall to the left and the vault’s in the next to last room on the right.”
“Let’s go.” Just as they reached the basement level there was a loud popping sound followed by a loud hum and then they were suddenly surrounded by pitch black silence. They could hear the rushed footsteps as the guards left their posts and they quickly faded away.
The tension was palpable as they waited for the generator to kick in again and as the lights came back on, leaving them completely visible, she swiped the card again and they entered the room. She glanced around and her eyes locked on the vault. Another swipe of the card and they were inside. She nodded at Alex and he pulled the heavy door closed behind them, locking them inside.
“There’s nowhere to hide in here if someone comes in,” he muttered as he looked around.
“Whoever comes in won’t have a chance to take a breath,” she told him.
He nodded and looked around at the file cabinets before focusing on the computer set up on one wall. “I’ll see if I can get in and copy the files over. You wanna check the cabinets, see if maybe there’re hard copies for you and Michael?”
For a moment she glared at him, ready to tell that she was the one giving the orders, but she bit her inner cheek and nodded sharply.
He sat down and cracked his knuckles before going to work. He forced his concentration to stay focused on the screen and cracking the password to access the system. They seemed to favor Latin and that narrowed the options down, but it also cut into their window of opportunity because his grasp of the language was limited and he had to keep checking his translator. He punched in yet another one and he punched the air when it was accepted. “I’m in.”
“Good,” she muttered going from one cabinet to the other, “because they’re all empty.”
“Weird,” he mumbled as he navigated from one screen to the next, taking the time to cover his tracks.
“What’s weird?”
He glanced at her and shrugged. “Oh, that the cabinets are empty. Why bother having them in here taking up space if they’re not bein’ used?” He clicked on a folder and shook his head when a box flashed on the screen. ACCESS DENIED. “Okay, fine, you go on the external just as you are.” He copied the folder over and moved on to the next one. It opened with no problem and he scanned the contents before closing it and moving it to the external too.
“Find anything interesting yet?” She went to him when her search turned out to be useless. Checking her watch, she gave him a nudge. “Hurry up.”
“There are two files left to copy.” The first one copied in seconds but the last one was large. “How long do we have?”
“Ten.”
“It’s gonna be close but we can’t leave this one.”
She sighed while she stared at the door. “We don’t take the risk, if it’s not done, we go.”
“Val, look at the folder’s name,” he insisted. “Sicariorum? According to the translator that’s Latin for assassins. This folder probably has...” he trailed off. She’d made no bones about the fact that she didn’t care what her past was. She’d make him leave it if it came down to it. “It could contain everything they did to you.”
“And who’s it gonna help if we’re dead and the information doesn’t leave this building?”
He winced at her sharp question and nodded. “Understood.”
Her nails tapped impatiently on the metal of his chair while they waited. This waiting sucked.
“That doesn’t make it go any faster.”
“So?”
He shook his head and tapped into the security system while he was waiting for the file to transfer. If the generator went offline again before the file was finished they’d lose their opportunity. His gaze jumped from one screen to the next, keeping an eye on where all of the security guards were between them and their exit.
“Three minutes,” she told him.
He just nodded and began backing out of the system. He checked the progress meter. If everything went right it should be done in just under two minutes.
“If we get outta here we need to find something to eat.” She made a face when her stomach rumbled through the silence.
“Yeah, food’s good.” They’d driven most of the day to get to the compound’s location. “Tamping down the adrenaline levels sounds good too.” He shot a grin at her over his shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’re referring to.”
His gaze moved over her and he shook his head. “That’s a damn shame,” he said before turning back to the screen. “Thirty seconds and we’re outta here.”
“45 and we have to be.”
He nodded and watched the progress meter as it moved closer to the completion mark. When it finally flashed a 100% Complete on the screen he quickly shut the external down and removed it. He closed everything out and returned to the home screen just as the lights flickered and went out. “The guard should be on his way to check out the power outage.”
“Come on then,” she dragged him from his chair.
“You’re always draggin’ me around,” he muttered as she pulled him to the door. “Maybe you could try draggin’ me into a bed.”
“Shhhh,” she silenced him and opened the door, walking along the hallway quickly although it was pitch dark.
They stuck close to the wall as they moved to the steps and then quietly and quickly made their way up to the ground level. His hand tightened around the grip of the gun that had become an extension of his body since being drafted into this situation. Well, honestly, he’d volunteered, hadn’t he? He followed her lead as they slipped out of the building, sticking to the shadows as they moved back towards the fence.
“Be careful,” she hissed when he stumbled lightly.
“Y’know, I’m doin’ pretty good for a guy with no formal spy training,” he bit out.
“You are,” she didn’t deny it.
He nodded, accepting her agreement without question.
They made it past the fence without any problems, but Val suddenly froze when she heard a sound. Her arm came behind her to push Alex right behind her while her eyes scanned the area.
Alex followed her gaze, trying to see what she sensed was out there. “What is it?”
“Down,” she hissed and pressed him to the ground just as a bullet whistled through the cold air. The grass was high and provided some cover, but their enemy had an idea of their location and it wouldn’t take long for him or her to take a better shot. “You crawl left,” she instructed. “And keep your head down.”
“Crawl left,” he muttered to himself as he belly crawled through the soaking wet grass. The storm was great cover for sneaking in and out, but damn, it was cold and wet and now he was sliding through the mud. This was not as interesting as it looked on TV.
She rolled her eyes and went the other way, hoping that Alex wasn’t giving away his position.
Reaper took his time scoping out his target, following the movement of the tall grass as it took on a pattern. “Um-hmm, there you are, you little bastard.” He chuckled to himself and lined the target up in the crosshairs. Maybe he’d just play with him for a while, just wing him and then go after Valkyrie. He inhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger, nodding when the bullet hit the target with unerring accuracy. “That should keep you busy for a few minutes.” He shifted and turned to find the rogue assassin.
Alex bit his lip hard to not cry out in pain when something hit his thigh and a stinging pain shot through his whole body. FUCK! He had been hit! FUCK!
