Delta Salvation (Phantom Force, Book 1) (24 page)

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K
ai realized two things real quick. The fight was being brought to them was the first. The second was he wasn’t sure if they would all come out alive.

“Rowan, you need to leave before the shit goes down. You’ve got a mate to think about.” Kai stared him in the eyes.

Nodding Rowan stood. “I’ll be of much more help outside. Here, if you need me talk. I’ll do the same. Just press it once and it’s on.” He handed Kai a tiny ear device, inserting one in his own and began loading up with weapons. Grabbing his snipers rifle out of the case with reverence.

“Are you listening to me? We don’t know what they are bringing to your front door. I don’t want to be responsible for your death.”

Electric blue eyes glared down at him. “You’re not my captain, Kai. This is my land they are coming on. My pack is out there watching your back. I won’t run with my tail between my legs, and I sure as shit don’t plan to die today. Lyric made me promise to come home safe. Plus, she promised to kiss all my boo-boos. That woman is damn good at taking care of me. I might even let myself get a cut or two just so she can fuss. Now, get the hell out of my way before I give you a bruise you’ll need to take care of.”

Exasperation warred with relief. “Fine, but don’t get killed. I’d hate to face her.” He shuddered for effect.

“Yeah, me too. She’d skin both of us alive.” Rowan slipped past them and up the stairs toward the balcony off the room he and Lyric slept in.

“Maybe you should go in with your woman,” Coyle stood with an automatic in his hands, ready for battle.

“I want each of us to take a door. Where is Jaqui?” He looked toward the great room. The damn huge windows were covered, and bullet proof, but he still hated the memory of his team members’ bloody bodies being pressed against them.

“She’s in the kitchen taking point by the garage. The only other two doors are the front and the one off the master suite upstairs.” Kai headed for the steps. Sully was taking over in the security room.

The alarm glowed red and no sign of Rowan could be seen. Kai missed the man on his team, but knew he was happy where he was. He spun as he heard a whisper of sound, seeing Sully standing with his hands up in the doorway. “You forgot your phone. A text came in from the man who has Tyler.”

Looking at the message his body vibrated with rage. A smiling Tyler sat in the front of a vehicle in what appeared to be the surrounding woods. Was he the other man’s captive, or part of his team? “Damn, is he working with them, or are they using him for leverage?”

“From the looks of it, he’s their comrade. But, if we are to believe the text, he’s willing to give him up if we give them Alexa.” Sully shook his head. “Stupid bastards. Tyler will slit their throats if he has an inkling they’re planning to double cross him. Or, it’s all part of their devious plan. God, I can see them twisting their little mustache and rubbing their hands together. So cliché.”

“It matters naught, since they ain’t getting her,” Kai growled.

Sully took a step back. “No shit, Sherlock. I’m thinking they don’t realize her parents are here. Which could work in our favor. I say we get to them before they run into the asshats who took Alexa.”

Kai was in total agreement. He tapped his ear and relayed the info to Rowan, hoping one of his guys were close to the Smirnov’s and could intercept them. The minutes it took to get a response felt like hours.

“It’s a go. Now, get your ass back down there and let me know when they have them.”

Sully saluted smartly, turning on his boots and leaving as silently as he came. Kai shook his head and went back to watching his post. The need to see Alexa burned in his gut. After reassuring himself nobody could get in without their detection, he bounded down the stairs. Coyle raised his brows, a question in the dark stare.

“Need to fill Alexa in on what’s happening. Keep an ear out for upstairs.”

Coyle nodded, but he could see a bit of censure in his stance.

Before he made it down the hall, an explosion echoed outside. Kai pulled up short, he looked back to where he’d left Alexa and toward the front of the house. “Don’t go outside, Coyle. This place is like a fortress Rowan said.”

“I know how to do my job, Cap.”

“Damn it I know you do.” Frustrated with himself, and the fact the woman in the middle of the house was making him question everything he was trained.

“Go, check your woman, then get your head in the game. The explosion was a good mile out. I’m thinking it was a diversion.”

He quickened his steps, entering the room to find Alexa in the corner like he’d found her a few days ago, only now she wasn’t covered in blood.

The moment she realized it was him, she lowered the gun, then stood. “Is it over?”

“No. I just wanted to check on you.”

Her lips trembled. Kai hated to see fear on her face. “I need to go back out there and be there for my team.”

Alexa sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. “I understand. I’ll be fine.”

She was lying to him. But, he let her get away with it because he needed to stay focused. “I’ll be back when it’s over. Not too much longer now. Stay safe.”

A hollow laugh escaped her throat. “You’re the one out there loaded for bear, and you tell me to stay safe. I’m tucked inside like some princess. I think I’ll be fine.”

He pulled her to him and covered her lips with his, the guns in their hands forgotten. After a moment, he let them both up for air. “You better be fine.” He wished he had another ear device for Alexa, one like he had so they could communicate if she needed him. “I’ll be right outside. You know the rules.” He tapped her on the ass, loving the mock growl she gave.

The slight buzz in his ear had him pausing on his way up the landing. “We got the parents. Two of my guys are bringing them in the back. Do you want to allow them to meet your woman?”

Kai thought of the heartache she’d suffered, and decided he didn’t want them to do more damage to her until he’d had time to “talk” with them. “No. Where can we stash them until the others are neutralized?”

“Shit! Incoming. Get the parents to the room off the garage. It looks like a normal pantry, but it’s a second safe room.”

“What’s going on?”

Kai headed toward the kitchen where Jaqui was keeping guard. “Head up to the second level and watch the balcony doors. We have company coming in this way.”

She raised one brow. “You need backup?”

He shook his head. “Got it. Go,” he ordered.

The silence thru the device was not comforting. Going out through the garage he watched through the monitors, thinking Rowan was a paranoid bastard.

The large SUV roaring up didn’t give him the warm and fuzzies. All four doors opened at once. Had he not already met Kellen and some of Rowan’s new friends, he may have shot first and asked questions last. As it were, he wasn’t sure if he should open the doors to the five extremely large men sporting more tattoos than a tattoo shop.

“Open the fucking door, dickweed. Rowan said to tell you giddy up. Whatever the hell that means.” A huge man with a mohawk said.

“I’m thinking that’s a Brokeback Mountain reference, and we should totally tell Lyric about that freaky shit.” Kai glared at the man with more muscles than brains who spoke last.

Jerking the door open, he glared up at the men. “Shut the fuck up, assholes. There ain’t no Brokeback shit, except maybe your face if you fuck with me. Where is the package?”

Mohawk dude looked around. “Does he think we’re drug dealers?”

“Oh, for fucksake, bring the parents inside before I shoot your asses,” Rowan growled.

Kai stared at the men who he swore were escapees from a mental institute as they parted while the last three surrounded a well-dressed couple. He recognized them from their profiles Jaqui had gathered on them, and hated them on sight.

“I thought you weren’t coming in, Ro.”

“Changed my mind,” Rowan grunted. Inside the pantry, he flipped a panel, and then they were inside a small interrogation type room.

The fact the room was equipped with comfy looking lounge chairs along with a fridge and microwave station, didn’t mitigate the fact there was a table set up with chairs and a light above it. Okay, so Kai might be the only one who was thinking of it as an interrogation room. He planned to use it as such.

Rowan spun and held his palms up. “Give me your hands,” he ordered the Smirnov’s.

The woman paled at the deep tenor Rowan’s voice went to, but the man stood taller. Each held their arms up and allowed him to apply the zip ties to each one. The nylon covering would keep the flesh from getting torn, but they were effective in keeping their prisoners from doing much, unless they were trained. Rowan didn’t stop there. He grabbed hold and led them to the table, where he then fastened rope through each of the middle of their ties, and stretched it across and hooked it to the wall. “Have a seat. I’ve given you enough room to do that. Now, tell my friend here what he wants to know.”

The guy with the mohawk pushed chairs behind them, and then proceeded to zip tie their legs to the chairs.

“You said we would not be harmed,” Mr. Smirnov said, anger tinging his words.

“I keep my word. I said you will not be harmed if you are truthful, and help us get the ones who tried to get Alexa. I assumed you were on board with that.” Rowan sat across from them, his hands folded.

Kai sat next to Rowan. “Who are they and what do they want with Alexa?”

Tears formed in Alexa’s mothers eyes. “They want us. We thought we could keep her safe and ourselves safe by disappearing and separating. Now, they know and we had to come.” Her accent was almost impossible to place.

Being a good judge of character, Kai knew there was more to it than that. These people didn’t come out of some undying love for their daughter he didn’t think, or at least that wasn’t the only reason.

“Okay, that may be part of the reason. What else. They’ll be here in about ten minutes with a man I’m willing to trade you both for. He’s a traitor to the United States. Trust me, I’ll hand you both over without blinking unless you tell me the entire truth in exchange for him.”

The woman blinked back her tears, and the man sat up straighter. Anger tightening both their features.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Alexa’s father spat.

Not agreeing or disagreeing they sat in stony silence. The only sound the breathing of the six of them in the room. With the two tattooed men standing guard at the door, Kai wanted them to answer so he could be done with them and hunt down the others.

“Fine. You want the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

Kai nodded.

“I was supposed to give Alexia to Pascal when she was a child. He wanted her in exchange for keeping our secrets. I couldn’t let that monster have my baby. She was too precious. We came to America and were able to hide for a couple months, but he always found us. We had to separate. If you left a child at the hospital, they will take them with no questions asked. Alexia was very smart for a child of four. We told her not to talk to anyone, and that we would be back for her. Only, we had to separate as well. I just found Alexander two years ago.” Katalinia wiped tears from her eyes.

“Why would he want a child? Could he not have one of his own?”

Alexander barked out a laugh. “Are you that naïve? He is a sick twisted bastard that is why. He saw her and wanted her as his.” He pounded his hand on his chest. “We owed lots of money to some of his contacts, and he paid them for us. We did odd jobs for him, and thought we were in good standing. I had no clue his price was much higher. Our own flesh and blood for his pleasure,” he spat the last out.

A gasp near the door had them all turning. “That’s why he didn’t want me in the cabin. He prefers children.”

“Alexia?” Katalinia murmured.

Kai stood so fast his chair flew out from behind him. “Where the fuck is Coyle and Sully? How did you get past them?”

Her eyes flew behind her. “Coyle is by the front door and I assume Sully is in the security room. I looked in the camera and didn’t see anyone or hear anything until I got close to the kitchen. Then I heard those three men arguing about who was riding shotgun.”

“I hope you plan to make them both do some major retraining, Cap.”

Oh, there was going to be hell to pay when this was over.

“You are so beautiful,” Alexander said, trying to stand.

“Is that necessary?” She asked.

Kai crossed the room. “Sweetheart, I need you to go back to the other room until we can neutralize the situation. We don’t have all the facts and yes, that is necessary,” he growled as she tried to go past him.

“Those are my parents, Kai. I want to meet them.”

Damn it all to hell. “You stay by my side, and don’t touch them.”

She gave him a look he was coming to call her eat shit and die one, but he wouldn’t allow her to disobey him.

Seating her between him and Rowan, the rope stretched between them, she glared at it then him and Rowan.

“Don’t even think it.”

“It’s fine, mon petite.” Her father’s fingers reached out.

Instinctively Alexa’s own did the same, but she put her fists on her lap.

“I hate to break up the family reunion, but we got company coming in,” Rowan pointed at his ear.

Kai looked at his friend, wondering why he hadn’t heard anything, and then noticed the two men at the door standing straighter. The laughing men gone. They even seemed larger.

“Shit! Go, I’ll stay in here with the Smirnov’s and Alexa,” Kai glared at the couple.

“This man you mentioned trading us for. If he is with Pascal, he is either a very dangerous man, or he’s a dead man walking.”

Alexa’s audible intake of breath at her father’s words made Kai clench his back teeth.

“Nobody is trading anybody to Pascal.” Alexa didn’t look at him, her hands reached across the table and gripped both her parents.

“Of course not, luv,” he reassured her.

“Inside here you will not be able to hear anything going on outside, and once I close the door, the only one who can open it is me.” Rowan went to Kai, gripping his hand. He tapped a sequence of numbers, giving Kai the code to get out.