21. ~Caspian~

"What do you have?" I called over to Asher as I rushed into the sub-level after receiving a text from him claiming he'd found another lead.

Frank was right at my back with Riley helping him along.

I looked over my shoulder as I heard more footsteps and there Skylar was with Dante following behind.

Urgency was infecting the space by the time they made it down the stairs to join me and Asher.

As I reached him where he was typing away rapidly, all monitors fired up, he told me without looking up from what he was doing, "You and Frank identified two new safehouse locations Wheeler has access to. My program was able to discern a pattern when combined with all the other various pieces of intel input to determine another three."

"I've got something else," Bastian's voice sounded from the top of the stairs.

We all turned to see him barreling down the stairs with his laptop in hand.

As he rushed over, he reported, "I was able to find a money trail based on where Asher's program determined those girls were picked up from and from us speaking with Sven and getting his take." He reached us and pushed his laptop onto the desk, showing us his research and walking us through what he'd found so we could verify its legitimacy immediately. "That group of girls were being held at a brothel that Caleb had identified and was in the process of researching to determine if they were being held there against their will. While he's been gone, Sven confirmed as much. If Caleb had still been here, it would've been his next target to liberate the girls and bring them to one of his facilities."

"They were specifically taken and killed to hurt Caleb," I realized aloud.

"A method of psychological reconditioning," Asher posed.

Bastian took a breath, then went on, "I was able to ID who took them to Elijah. Not Elijah's men, technically. These aren't Bane Industries employees. They're a mercenary group. I managed to trace the funds to Wheeler. He must've been in a rush when he paid them because he didn't cover his tracks properly. It enabled me to track a weapons supplier that's fueling Elijah to Wheeler as well."

I looked out at Frank. "Work with Luke and get me the IDs of this group using your ex-military connections."

"Mancini Syndicate connections can help with that," Dante spoke.

"No. I need you with me."

He looked more than a little surprised. "In the field," I clarified, before he got any ideas and took it the personal route. Something I really couldn't afford to entertain with him right now. I needed my head clear, not awash in all that drama and fucked-up revelations.

"We enter the field now with five locations in play and it will tax your home territory resources like before," Dante warned me. "It will leave you open to attack, Caspian."

As if I wasn't already well fucking aware of that fact.

I looked at Asher and Bastian. "Twenty-four hours to narrow it down, or we hit all five regardless. Caleb can't wait any longer."

"He won't have to," Asher spoke.

A split-second later, an alert began flashing on one of the screens warning of a breach.

A file was forcibly opened by the attacker and then binary code was appearing on the screen.

"Hold on," Asher said, a few moments before he deciphered it to reveal a cartoon worm.

"Caleb," I breathed. "A gummy worm."

Asher frowned.

"It's his safe word," I explained.

"Fuck," Bastian breathed in wonder.

"There's something else," Asher said. "He's planted something else on the system. Source code."

I studied what he was seeing. "Longitude and latitude."

"Oh my God, he's sent us his coordinates," Skylar cried, coming to us.

Before I could respond, Luke burst into the sub-level, eyes on me instantly as he reported, "We've had a total system breach. Financial networks are being attacked, King. Money is being siphoned."

Asher and I exchanged a look as I determined, "Caleb trying to maintain his cover."

"Agreed. He's obviously convinced Elijah that he's helping him to come at King."

"How?" Bastian asked.

"That's what fucking worries me. The lengths he had to go to in order to convince someone like Elijah." What he'd had to do, what he'd had to sacrifice. "Tell King-Tech to stand down," I told Luke.

"What? We're bleeding money."

"For now."

Luke looked around at us all. "What is—"

"It's Caleb," Dante told him.

"He'll ensure it's traceable and recoverable," Asher added.

"Mobilize a team," I ordered Luke. "Maintain security here while I'm gone." I looked out at the others. "Bastian, Skylar, Dante, and Asher, suit up. Get Damien too. He'll deploy with us."

"I'll join you too," Riley offered.

I shook my head. "I need you here." She had a certain power over Frank. She'd be able to keep him here and healing up. The last thing I needed was him coming with us and going off half-cocked in his non-field-ready state.

There couldn't be any mistakes.

This was it now.

We were bringing Caleb home.

An abandoned farmhouse.

That was the location Caleb had pointed us to.

We stood hidden in the trees just a few feet from the building.

Ten of my men were flanking me.

I had Asher and Damien on my left.

On my right was Bastian and Skylar, along with Dante.

Turning to my left, I ordered, "Rules of engagement for us and the team are shoot to kill." I looked at Bastian and Skylar. "For you, shoot to wound and incapacitate. Flesh wounds only. I want prisoners. Follow Dante's lead."

A chorus of confirmations rang out. I could see Dante's disappointment that he wouldn't be with me, or shooting to kill which was his preference, but it wasn't about our personal issues. I needed somebody as experienced as him watching over Skylar and Bastian. It would have been cruel to bench them from this—well, they wouldn't have stood for it, especially when we were supposed to be doing things together now—but allowing it had me beyond worried that they could be hurt or even suffer the same fate as Caleb. The thought of that… I couldn't stand it.

As for Asher and Damien, they were both capable of bringing down hell upon our enemies and pulling absolutely no punches, which was what I needed for when we breached the house.

I turned to my team. "You've got your instructions. Clear the way for us and plant the explosives, then get out, reconvene here."

In the next moment, the ten of them broke from our cover and moved in.

Readying my Glock, I watched as they barreled toward the farmhouse, splitting up to take different sections, a sea of tactical gear blending well with the darkness.

It was the dead of night, all lights inside turned off as those inside slept none the wiser.

That didn't last long when two hostiles dressed in sweats rushed out from the main house and met my team's onslaught. At the same time, two more emerged from the barn, another from around the grain silo.

In moments, they were cut down by my team.

"That's it, move in," I ordered.

The six of us split up with Dante, Bastian and Skylar headed for the west side, while Asher, Damien and I headed for the east, which included the main house.

While my team was posing a distraction at the front, the three of us breached the rear door.

We entered right into a kitchen where two of Elijah's muscle were sitting down eating a midnight snack and drinking.

Before they could even utter a word, Damien launched himself at them, ripping both of them off their stools and driving them down brutally hard onto the tiled floor.

"I've got this!" he whisper-yelled over his shoulder as he smashed his fist into one hostile's face, then dug his fingers into the jaw of another.

"Fine by me," Asher said, pushing further into the house with me right by his side.

To our left was a living room. As he darted over there, I watched him draw a knife just a second before a hostile rounded the corner. He tossed it and it embedded deep in the guy's throat before he could even utter a word let alone react to defend himself. As he went down, Asher proceeded, and I kicked open a door down the corridor.

I cleared the room, my gun at the ready, finding no hostiles inside.

And then I took it in.

A great deal of tech filled the meagre space. Just the kind of tech that Caleb would have been able to use to transmit that message to us through breaching King's network.

He was here!

He was fucking here!

I spun around, urgency taking me over. So much so that I smashed right into Asher as I blew back out into the corridor.

"Shit," I grunted.

He righted me, then focused up right away, telling me, "Cigarettes. Caleb's brand. Living room. Kitchen."

"He's really here," I breathed.

"I just cleared the next room along, a bathroom. No sign of him. We've got two more to go."

I nodded as he rushed off to the other rooms, while I tapped my earpiece and communicated with Dante, "Any sign of Caleb?"

"Nothing yet. Barn cleared. Two hostiles down. Approaching the storm cellar now."

"Copy that."

I kept the line open, then went to check in on Damien to ensure he hadn't gone full savage where he couldn't pull himself back without help.

But then a roar caught my attention.

"Cas!"

Caleb!

I followed the sound, bolting down the corridor and smashing my way through the exit at the far end.

It took me out to a side parking lot that was flanked by another section of forest.

My breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of Caleb shirtless and in cuffs being dragged along by a choke chain wrapped around his neck that was being held by none other than Elijah Bane.

"You're being a bad little pet. Don't worry, the confusion of King's presence will pass once we're away from them again. Just stay with me, my special boy."

My gut twisted at what that sadistic bastard was saying to him.

As if him being dragged along half naked with that metal biting into his neck and making him bleed all down his chest and back wasn't enough.

My hand was shaking from the sight of it all and as I fired off a shot at Elijah, I missed his fucking skull. He cried out as the bullet embedded in his upper left arm instead. Fortunately, it at least had him releasing Caleb from the shock and pain of it. The fucker smacked against the side of a town car, then twisted to face me.

"King," he seethed.

I sneered, then went to bolt toward Caleb.

I'd only made it two steps in when a white-hot pain tore through my gun-wielding hand.

It had me dropping my gun into the dirt and I looked down to see a knife buried in the back of my hand.

I spun to see Jeremy Wheeler now behind me, a gun cocked and trained on my skull.

"Walk away while you still can. Your boy belongs to Elijah now anyway."

I scoffed. "You have no idea what you're dealing with." I ripped the knife out of my hand and his eyes shot wide at my lack of a reaction. "And stop posturing. We both know you can't kill me. To take King all the way, you need me alive."

"We can take it without you."

Lies. But that brief break in his concentration was all I needed to toss his blade back the way it had come. I watched it cut through the distance between us in a blink, then embed into his chest. He choked and staggered back. Despite the tactical gear he had on, I could tell by his reaction that it had still penetrated. Just not enough.

"You, on the other hand, are highly expendable."

I dove for my gun in the next second, snatched it up, then slammed back against the side of the farmhouse just as a bullet bit into the wood.

"You're right! You saw through my bluff!" he yelled over. "Can't kill you, but I can sure as fuck keep you at bay and make you watch as you lose your boy again!"

Fuck.

I looked out to see Elijah hauling open the car door and struggling to drag a clearly weakened Caleb inside. He could barely resist Elijah's pull, and his whimpers as the bastard yanked on the choke chain had me sick to my stomach.

"Caleb!" I bellowed. "Caleb!"

"Cas!" he cried weakly.

I gritted my teeth, then burst from my cover, fucking gunfire be damned.

I didn't care.

I couldn't lose Caleb again. I just fucking couldn't.

No matter what the price.

A bullet plunged into the back of my tactical vest as I bolted forward, sending me reeling forward. I was wheezing when I forced myself to turn around and fire off a shot that had Wheeler ducking behind a tree.

It bought me some time, just enough where I was able to reach Caleb as a wounded Elijah was trying to drag him inside the car with him.

Just as I got a grip on him, I was roaring as fingers dug into my wounded hand, and I looked to see Elijah had lunged across the seats and was driving his nails in deep.

I went to fire my gun in my non-dominant hand, but it required letting go of Caleb, something I wasn't willing to do.

But then Caleb suddenly smashed his cuffed fists into Elijah's throat.

It had him choking, his grip relinquishing.

I hurriedly untied the choke-chain, then hauled Caleb out with me.

I ignored Elijah's screams for Caleb to come back as I covered him with my body while another bullet from Wheeler bit into my back.

I returned fire, pushing him back into the forest.

But he kept coming, firing more.

Suddenly, something sailed through the air.

I caught sight of it just as it landed in front of Jeremy.

A grenade.

"Burn, motherfucker!" Damien's voice rang out.

Wheeler dove for the trees just moments before the grenade exploded, tearing through the immediate area and rocking the ground beneath our feet, the reverberation even blowing out the windows of Elijah's vehicle.

In the next moment, Damien was there along with Asher, helping me and Caleb behind some cover around the rear of the house.

We'd only just made it when a sharp whistle rang out.

I peered around to see Jeremy pushing to his feet, then gesturing through the trees.

And then two dozen soldiers came into view, pushing out of the forest.

"Fuck," Damien grunted.

Automatic fire rang out and we slammed back against the wall.

I was only just able to peer around to see several of them breaking from the trees and going to Elijah's aid to extract him.

He was bloodied and choking as they pulled him out of the car.

Fuck, I couldn't. I couldn't allow this.

I fired off a shot.

It plunged into the skull of one of the soldiers right beside Elijah, killing him instead.

Son of a bitch.

I went to fire again, only to take a bullet myself, this one tearing through my right arm and right through my tactical gear.

I grunted and fell back.

"Armor-piercing bullets!" Wheeler's self-satisfied voice rang out. "That's gotta hurt, King!"

"We can take them," I told Asher as he rushed to me and compressed my wound.

"Possibly, but not without sustaining casualties," he warned.

"I can't let them go free," I hissed as he exerted more pressure.

"Cal needs you," Damien called to me, and I looked to see him holding Caleb against him.

Shit. He was barely conscious.

And with him now this close and a second to take him in properly, I saw why. They'd drugged him with something. His eyes were so glazed, unfocused. He was barely even here.

"We're leaving! Now!" Dante called, just as he, Bastian and Skylar rounded the corner. "Break from here and we'll use the explosives to blow this place and provide a distraction to give us cover to retreat."

As Bastian and Skylar ran to Caleb, fawning over him, cutting at my heart, they all looked to me, waiting on my decision.

I gritted my teeth. "Retreat."

We had Caleb.

That was what mattered.

The rest… the rest would come later.

Our enemies would fall.

I wouldn't stop until they were utterly decimated.