13. Chapter 13

Gaelynn wanted to think it was all for show. They weren’t actually about to pop this guy’s eye like a water balloon, were they?

Behemoth grunted as he made his way to the chair where they tied the man up.

It was a strange sight. A very large, muscle-bound man in combat gear tied to a plush, wing-back chair. Where was a sturdy ladderback when you needed it? If the man hadn’t struggled enough that the thin ropes dug into his skin, he would actually have been comfortable.

River spun the knife in her hand, flipping and balancing it in ways that made you think she was milliseconds from slicing her own skin. Ghost, Zeus, and Behemoth might not be uncomfortable, but she and the hired gun clearly were.

The mean look stayed on his face, but Gaelynn watched his Adam’s apple bob and jerk as River got closer.

Behemoth grabbed his skull in his large hands and held him still. River leaned right down in his face and asked, “Which eye do you want to keep, right or left?”

The muscles in his neck stood in stark relief as he tried to escape Behemoth’s hold, but his head didn’t move so much as a centimeter.

River bobbed the tip of the knife back and forth. “You don’t want to choose?” She sighed. “Fine. Eeny, meeny, miney, moe, catch a bear by his toe…”

The man remained tight-lipped right up until she struck like a cobra. Her hand was a blur and the only way Gaelynn knew she’d actually stuck the knife into the guy’s eye were the screams and curses that followed.

“You fucking bitch!” He writhed in the restraints, only making them tighter.

River gave her knife a disgusted look and wiped the blade on the merc’s shirt. “We really need to think of a no mess way to kick things off.”

Ghost cackled.

Gaelynn felt sick.

Behemoth released the man’s head. He no longer looked fierce or defiant. He looked equal parts shocked and afraid. She thought he must not have believed they’d actually do it. Gaelynn sure hadn’t.

Who did things like that? Just casually popped a dude’s eyeball? Her face must have reflected how horrified she looked because River, the woman she’d casually eaten popcorn with the other night, looked affronted.

“It’s not like he doesn’t have another one.”

“You…” Gaelynn looked between River and Ghost, “you’re both medics! How can you be so casual about this?”

Ghost’s face went from an almost unhinged glee to dead serious. “These men wanted to kill us. They would have killed you, and Bee, given half the chance. We offered him a way to leave with all his body parts intact, and he refused.”

The man in the chair fake laughed. “Like you would let me just walk out of here. I was dead the minute we failed the mission and we all know it.”

Zeus pushed forward and crouched in front of the chair, looking the man in his one remaining eye. “We don’t lie. Not even to scum like you. As soon as you answer our questions, this…” He waved at River and her knife, “stops. You will be triaged by Ghost and taken to whatever hospital or other location you choose.”

He pushed his hand through his hair and sighed. “We’ve all been where you are, an underling cog in a machine that doesn’t care if you live or die. I’d advise you to vet your clients better in the future, but we won’t kill you unless you give us no choice.”

She watched emotions cycle over the man’s face. His entire body sagged as he decided.

“Fine. Ask your questions. Not like I’m loyal to this fucker.”

“Who hired you? What was your objective?” As Zeus asked, Ghost circled the chair. The merc visibly relaxed as the ropes loosened their hold on him.

“I can’t help with the first part. My contact is lying dead outside. He dealt with the client. Our objective was simple—take out everyone we found in or around this house.”

“No specifics?”

“We weren’t given dossiers or anything. Just a location and time. We were told to expect anywhere from one to ten highly skilled ex-operatives.”

Ghost’s mouth dropped open. “And you came in with just rifles and body armor?”

The man sighed. “We’ve taken out similar teams using the same methods. Cut the camera feeds, cut the power, blow the structure and clean up anyone who escapes the blast.”

“You weren’t told anything else about your target?” Zeus straightened out of his crouch and put his hands on his hips.

Gaelynn knew what he was digging for. Did whoever hired them tell them they were going up against Society and what that meant?

The man shook his head. “Nothing.”

“The point of contact. What was his name?”

“He went by Frogger. His crew never used real names and he always paid in cash.”

Zeus looked at Ghost and tilted his head toward the man. Ghost sprung into action, cutting the ropes away and opening a med kit. He shoved a wad of gauze against the man’s eye and Gaelynn heard him hiss.

She winced in solidarity.

She was very glad he started talking before River got a chance to do anything else.

Moments later, Bull strolled through the door, a laptop under one arm. “Which one am I running?”

Zeus addressed their not-prisoner. “Before we drop you off, please point out Frogger for my colleague.”

He snorted. “Sure. And then you’ll ‘drop me off.’ In the woods somewhere, right?”

Ghost’s hand flew to his chest. “How dare you. I would never waste good first aid supplies on a dead body.”

The man remained skeptical. Gaelynn couldn’t blame him.

Bull ran facial recognition on Frogger while Ghost and Behemoth drove the merc to the hospital. He calmed his nerves over leaving Gaelynn with the fact that Zeus and River were with her.

When they entered the half circle drive in front of the emergency room, the merc shook his head. “Y’all really gonna just let me go?”

Ghost nodded. “Finally believe us?”

He nodded and hesitated with the door open. “If you’re ever hiring,” he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ghost, “this is how you can reach me.”

“Right. I’ll give it to Zeus. You impressed me with your critical thinking skills.”

Behemoth grunted.

“Thanks. My depth perception is going to be shit, but I should still be useful.” One foot on the ground and his hand on the door, he paused again. “Whoever hired us said that if we could grab any women in the house alive, it would net us a huge bonus.”

He stepped out and disappeared into the hospital without looking back.

Ghost whistled. “You think they were after River or Gaelynn?”

Behemoth felt his nails dig into his palms. “Gaelynn. Matthew probably saw an easy way to use someone else’s team.”

“How the hell would that slime know someone was going to send a team after us?”

A growl was the only answer he could manage. How was definitely the question. Was Matthew involved with The Level? Was Garrick behind the entire thing?

They needed to get back. First, because his bear was agitated without Gaelynn close. Instinct told him the mating bond was too new and fragile to be tested by a lengthy separation.

And second, he needed to hear what River and the rest of the team uncovered.

The kitchen held a pile of pizza boxes when they walked in. Gaelynn came right up to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and gave him a peck on the lips.

“Not sure what army he expects to feed, but Bull ordered pizza.”

He smiled. Bull always ordered twice as much when it came to pizza. He could put a whole pie away by himself, and he loved leftovers. Behemoth had no idea where all the calories went—the man was all lean, whip-like muscle and brains.

He grabbed a plate before asking Gaelynn, “Have you eaten?”

She nodded so he dug through the boxes until he found the one he wanted. Extra cheese, black olives, onions, and pineapple. Not only was the combination delicious, the pineapple ensured no one else wanted any.

He sat on the couch and watched the others as he ate, his mate tucked into his side. Bull sat cross-legged on the floor, a box open next to him with half of a pepperoni pizza already gone. His fingers flew over the keys of the laptop balanced in his lap.

Zeus and River shared a loveseat while they ate. Ghost balanced on the kitchen counter.

Zeus finished eating first. “We were able to trace The Level’s management almost to the top, thanks to River’s efforts to be kidnapped.”

River sketched a bow from her seat.

“But not the new man in charge?” Behemoth took a deep breath. If their plan didn’t work, then problem one wasn’t going to be solved anytime soon, which made problem two and three more of a concern.

River’s smile was positively feral. “Wasp has our latest acquisition in the brig at headquarters. As soon as I’m done here, I’ll head back. Between the two of us, we should have a name before morning.”

He nodded. He didn’t doubt they would. With River’s affinity for knives and Wasp’s love of explosives, big and small, he was sure whoever they had would sing like a bird.

Ghost’s boots hit the floor as he jumped off the counter. “Our recently one-eyed friend said they were told they’d get a windfall if they could bring the woman in alive.”

Gaelynn stiffened and slowly turned her head to look up at him. He nodded even as River said, “Me?”

Every head swung toward Gaelynn. She was shaking her head. “No, they meant me. But what would the drug gang want with me? I’d never even heard of The Level before y’all.”

“That’s not the million-dollar question. The question is, how did Matthew know The Level was going to send a professional team after us? And how did they know about this house in the first place?” Zeus got to his feet and paced. “No one associated even remotely with Supe Sec was attached to this property. I designed it to be completely off the radar. So how did they know about it?”

Gaelynn leaned into Behemoth and whispered, “Is there a mole in Supe Sec?”

He shook his head. “No. All of us are vetted for months, and Zeus monitors us constantly. No way it’s one of us.”

“What about the Damruck PD task force you’ve been working with on this?”

The gears in Behemoth’s mind ground to a halt. It had to be them. There was no other explanation. “Damruck PD task force.” He announced to the room at large, like they’d all been privy to their conversation.

Bull’s fingers hovered over the laptop keys. “Holy shit. That’s got to be it.”

Behemoth patted Gaelynn’s leg. “She thought of it.”

“Thank you, Gaelynn.” Zeus’s thanks were repeated around the room.

Bull’s fist shot into the air. “Got him! Frogger is actually Michael Roberts, former Army. Looks like he started pulling freelance jobs as soon as he left the service. He has a pool of operators he uses, but the dead guys were favorites. Looks like our pirate friend was a last-minute addition. Not a lot of specific information on the employer in his phone records, but the money pickup is tonight at a conveniently nondescript warehouse downtown.”

“Start working on the leak. Only a few of the task force members knew about this location. Ghost, Behemoth, you’ll be picking up the cash in Michael’s place. Go in like he and the client never met face to face, but be prepared in case they have.”

“Got it.” Ghost was grinning like he’d won a lifetime supply of Sugar Bombs cereal.

Behemoth didn’t want to leave Gaelynn again so soon, but finishing this got them one step closer to solving problem one and moving on to problem two. Knocking down dominoes until nothing was left but their happily ever after.

It was happening again. He was gearing up to leave her and run headlong into a dangerous situation.

Okay, that wasn’t fair. She knew The Level had become a bigger problem for her in particular with the revelation that somehow Matthew was caught up in that whole thing. It didn’t ease her worry.

Behemoth leaned over her and brushed his lips against hers. “Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

She sighed into his mouth. “I know. Logically, my brain knows you’re a freaking grizzly bear, but my heart won’t stop worrying.” She ran her hand up his chest and around the back of his neck, yanking a bit to ram her words home. “Come back to me.”

“Always.”

He turned to leave but she stopped him. “How durable are you, by the way? Do you have super healing? Do I need to worry about you getting shot or can you survive pretty much anything?”

He chuckled. “Getting shot hurts like a bitch, but unless they hit me in the head, I’ll survive. Shifters heal fast. You don’t have to worry about me getting shot.”

“Oh my God,” she gasped, “you’ve been shot before!”

She knew the kiss was designed to distract and maybe even quiet her and damn him. It totally worked. His tongue moved against hers and she couldn’t help but think about how talented that mouth of his was when working her pussy.

She moaned and shoved him away. “If it’s late when you get back, I expect you to wake me up with your face in my crotch.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ghost yelled from where he stood next to the open door of an SUV. “Bus is leaving, dude!”

Gaelynn felt Behemoth’s rumble in her clit. “I’m driving.”

“You always drive. It’s my turn.”

“No.”

He winked back at her as he slid behind the wheel.

“They’ll be fine. I’ve seen Behemoth ride herd on that crazy more times than you can count. They always come back in one piece.” River bumped shoulders with her. “Let’s watch a movie.”

Gaelynn’s mouth dropped open. “When were you going to tell me you like carving people up?”

“It’s not something I usually mention on a first date.” She smirked.

“We aren’t dating, and even if we were, we’d be on, like, the fifth date or something. But we’re friends! I should know this about you.”

“Precisely when would be a good time to tell you I’m one of three people in Supe Sec whose primary skill is advanced interrogation tactics?”

“Who are the other two?”

“Ghost and Wasp.”

“Is Wasp a medic too? Y’all know that’s twisted, right?” Gaelynn threw her hands up and swiped another piece of pizza.

“No, it’s practical. Who better to know how to dismantle a person than someone who knows how to put them back together?”

Gaelynn shook her head. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

“Can’t pretend I’m not awesome!”

She laughed at her friend and snuggled into the couch. “Do you think the leader or whatever will show up at the money drop?”

“Yeah. Real life isn’t like movies. The bad guys are usually really stupid. They always do something that gets them caught.” She paused her perusal of the streaming service. “Do you know how Matthew might be connected to The Level?”

Gaelynn shook her head. “No. Outsiders were rarely allowed on the compound grounds, and there was a strict no drugs policy. If there was ever a need for enforcement, he used Elliot. The whole thing was pretty insular.”

“Makes sense for a cult.”

“I wasn’t really in the know, however. Matthew kept me apart. He controlled everything. Who I saw, where I went, what I ate and how I dressed. I wasn’t even allowed to attend the women’s group meetings, so they thought I was stuck up, which isolated me further.” She sighed. “If there were weird things going on, I wouldn’t have known.”

River shot forward on the couch. “Holy shit! Zeus has Seductflix!”

“What?”

The gleeful giggle was very odd coming from the woman who’d poked a guy’s eye out not an hour before. “It’s a women oriented streaming channel. They adapt romance novels. Some of them are meh, but some of them…” She fanned herself with her hand.

“Do we know when the guys are coming back?” Gaelynn gave River a sideways smirk.

“Why?”

“Just considering timing. I don’t want to get all horny with no dick around.”

River threw her head back and laughed.

Gaelynn’s entire body blushed when Bull called from where he sat in the kitchen, “I am right here, ladies.”

“Yeah, but it’s so much easier for a guy to get a piece of tail.” Gaelynn turned backward on the couch and draped her arms over the back cushion. “Women need an emotional connection to really have a good time.”

“Speak for yourself.” River said. “All I need is a person who knows how to suck a clit.”

“River,” Bull said, “you are such a slut, and I mean that in the best possible way.”

“Is that an offer?” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

“Hell no. You’re like my little sister. Besides, I think Zeus would kill any of us that even glanced at you looking like we wanted a kiss.”

She harrumphed. “He’s such a cock block. I don’t need an older brother intimidating my boyfriends.”

Bull snorted. “Maybe not, but you’ve currently got eight. Pretty sure whoever Zeus hires to round out team two will join that number.”

“I’d rather have a wingman to hit the bar with after we watch this movie.”

“If I find the leak and Zeus doesn’t want to go after them right away, I’ll watch your back. Not sure how good I’ll be at facilitating a random hookup, but I won’t let you go trolling alone.”

River made an obnoxious kissing face complete with sound effects. “You’re the best, Bull.”

They weren’t ten minutes into the movie before Bull found the leak and joined them on the couch. Gaelynn had more fun watching him. After the third time the hero almost kissed the heroine, he got up in a grump.

“I think movie heroes are more stupid than criminals. She obviously wants him and he’s completely oblivious. Who wouldn’t pick up what she’s throwing down?”

River snorted. “You have no idea how obvious a girl has to be sometimes.”

“She’s right,” Gaelynn agreed.

On screen, the heroine was getting an eyeful of the hero’s butt as he walked into the bathroom. Both River and Gaelynn made noises of appreciation.

Bull rolled his eyes.

When the credits rolled, River yanked Bull out the door on their way to the nearest bar. Gaelynn turned to go to her room and ran smack into Zeus’s chest. She squeaked and jumped back. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine.”

He never looked at her, just stared as the SUV disappeared down the drive, looking like he wanted to put his fist through a wall.