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Chapter 139: Hani, Vaughn
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Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 140: Carla
Monday. Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.CARLA COULDN'T KEEP her eyes shut any longer. She'd resisted waking up because she knew she wouldn't like the reality she was living in.She was alone.Time to face the day.She drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes. The room was bathed in a soft light. She'd never shut the blackout curtain.That was Ashton's job.The muscles in her chest constricted, making it hard to breathe. She rolled onto her side and drew her knees up. The two anchors in her life were missing. For the longest time it had been just her and Ashton taking care of each other. Then there was Jared, and it was like he'd always belonged there. They fit.And now they were gone.Selfishly she wished Vaughn were there if for no other reason than to hold her. But she doubted he'd speak to her today. In fact, he'd be leaving very soon and chances were slim she'd ever see him again.Carla turned her face into the pillows and squeezed her eyes shut.Crying wouldn'
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 141: Farez
Monday. Beirut Terrace Garden Condos, Beirut, Lebanon.FAREZ HAD TO make things right. He had to do something.He stood on the sidewalk and stared up at the fancy condo building in the bustling downtown area. He'd seen the black SUVs and followed them this time back here. With any luck, Ashton and Carla were somewhere up there. It was their assistant Farez was worried about.Hani was a thug. A troublemaker. And Farez didn't trust him.What if Hani had them all?It was a situation Farez didn't want to think about too much.Someone bumped into him. Farez stumbled sideways into another large man before a hard object was thrust against his ribs."Don't move. Don't scream. Walk," the man he'd stumbled into said."What?" Farez glanced over his shoulder and met the gaze of a blonde haired green eyed American."Move," the blonde man barked.Farez let the two men guide him across the street toward the condo's entrance. "I need to speak with Ashton. Or Carla.""Like hell
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 142: Vaughn
Monday. Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.VAUGHN REMAINED IN Carla's shadow. He didn't give two fucks what everyone else thought of him. Chances were high he was going to get fired when all this was over. What was the point in playing nice until then? Carla needed support, and damn it, he was going to be her shoulder."Everyone?" Grant turned his attention from their visitor to the team. "Pack your bags, we're moving out. Travel light. If this Hani character knows where we are, we don't want to be here any longer."Vaughn's stuff was ready to go. His shift was over. Someone else could worry about the surveillance setup for once. He was going to help Carla wrangle her belongings and get a vest on her. If they were going to move, he'd breathe easier knowing she had some armor on under the pretty clothes.Riley was the first to spring into action, heading for the bedrooms to no doubt wake up those still sleeping. They were used to quick moves and living on the go. The guys would be
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 143: Vaughn
Vaughn reached out and cupped Carla's face, staring into her eyes. "You're unhappy. You don't like this lifestyle. But you do it because these guys are the only family you have and you've got loyalty to them. But they have each other. What do you have, Carla?"Pain flashed in her eyes. Maybe he was being a dick and pushing the point at the wrong moment, but if not now then when? He might be shipped off to Cairo any moment. If they were going to say anything to each other it had to be now.He swiped his thumbs over her cheeks and wished things could be different. But they were both wired the way they were. If she were less loyal, he wouldn't feel the way he did about her. So he had to let her go.Someone banged on the door, causing both Vaughn and Carla to jump."Let's go," Nolan called out.Vaughn glared at nothing before reaching for Carla's bag. "Got everything."She held up her finger. "Cardigan. Scarf. Chargers."It only took her a moment to slip on a black long sleev
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 144: Carla
Monday. Secondary Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.CARLA LEANED AGAINST the wall and peered out at the parking pad where the men loaded Melody into the back of a sedan. The other two injured team members were at least able to sit up. Vaughn was still her ever-present shadow, but after earlier even he didn't make her feel inherently safe. There was someone very dangerous out there with their eyes on them. Because of Ashton? Who had he upset to gain such an enemy?She didn't know where the car had come from. She was too focused on the blood. So much of it. Everywhere. And no one was commenting about it. They just kept going.The silence was the worst. The men worked together as the well-oiled machine they were, no orders or questions necessary. It was unnerving to watch."What's going to happen?" Carla whispered to Vaughn standing at her shoulder."They're going to a private medical practice. We've still got a few friends here. They'll stabilize Melody and fly out as soon as the
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 145: Vaughn
Monday. Secondary Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.VAUGHN GULPED DOWN more coffee. He'd been up far longer than he should. By all rights he needed be in bed, but there was too much to figure out."Zain just sent over the profile on this Hani guy," Nolan said staring at his tablet."Wanna read it for the rest of us?" Vaughn asked. He only had his phone on him and with how tired he was, reading on it was a pain."Sure. Skimming now." Nolan dragged his finger up and down the screen. "Let's see... Born to a lower-middle-class family. Middle child of four. He's been on his own for a while, struggling to earn money. Based on his arrest record, it's safe to say Hani runs with a tough crowd. Looks like typical gang stuff.""What if that's the angle?" Vaughn leaned against the table. "He's part of this gang. He has to earn his keep. Farez over here roped him into this scheme then Hani sees Ashton. He's low-hanging fruit so Hani goes for it.""Plausible. That doesn't explain our myste
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 146: Carla
Monday. Secondary Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.CARLA SAT BACK on her heels and stared at the bathroom. She could easily imagine this being the height of fashion when it was built with the hand-painted tiles and desert colors. Over the years it hadn't aged well, but with a little scrubbing it at least seemed more inviting.Vaughn's deep voice resonated off the stone and tile. "You going to spend all day in here?"She yelped and twisted around, sitting down hard in a still damp puddle.He stood in the doorway, hands up and a chuckle curving his handsome lips into an inviting smile."It's not cool to sneak up on someone like that." She threw her rag at his boot."Sorry." He offered her a hand. "Any chance you're finished in here?"She took his offered hand and let him pull her to her feet. She turned to once more examine her handiwork."It's good enough, I suppose.""Does it only have those squatty potty things?" He stepped past her and groaned.It was Carla's turn
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 147: Vaughn
Tuesday. Secondary Safe House, Beirut, Lebanon.VAUGHN PEERED OUT the windows at the street, looking into the darkest shadows. The gear waiting for them at this location was bare bones. There weren't enough cameras to cover each street, entrance and blind spot. Which meant they had to rely on people watching things and everyone was running on fumes.The timer on his phone went off again, signaling another fifteen minutes had passed.He reached up and tapped the comm. "Hey, B. How's it looking?""All quiet," Brenden replied."You good? Need coffee or anything?""Nope.""Sorry you got dragged into the overnight shift.""It's all good."Vaughn ground his teeth together.It wasn't good, and they all knew it.They each had their demons. No one did what they did and slept easy at night. Dreams were full of friends they'd lost, decisions they should have made, moments they'd hesitated. But Brenden's demons were worse. Which was why they'd restructured their team so he
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Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 258: Epilogue.
Three Months Later. Aegis Group Offices, Seattle, Washington.MELODY PLACED HER SERVICE weapon in the case and clicked the lid shut. This was the real moment for her when she got to switch off from a job. Used to it was when they turned a newly rescued asset over to whoever had paid to have them rescued, be that family, coworkers or other loved ones. However, after Ibiza everything had changed.She smiled at the newly hired munitions clerk and slid the case over. Unlike the guys she didn't feel the need to keep her weapons at home."I'm done with this. Thanks," she said."There's the sharp shooter," Vaughn said coming into the small room, Nolan and Riley bringing up the rear.Melody flushed and inwardly preened. That had been a rather exceptional shot there at the end."It was just a shot." She rolled her eyes and leaned an elbow on the counter as the guys all requested their own secure cases. "What are you three doing?""Carla's birthday," Vaughn said as if that expla
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 257: Melody, Grant
Tuesday. Forgery Front, Chicago, Illinois.MELODY WANTED NOTHING MORE than to let Grant take over. He was good at that. It was kind of his thing. But she knew he wasn't on Ethan's side. No one was. They didn't understand him. Not that she did either, but after spending a few days around him she had some insight to the man, he'd become.But first...She took Grant's face in her hands and pulled him down for a quick, hard kiss."I missed you," she whispered."You're safe." He squeezed her.She nodded then let go of him and turned her attention on Ethan.The man had taken two central mass bullets. He needed a damn doctor.She grabbed Grant's hand. No matter what came next, she wanted him by her side. She marched across the small space to where Ethan leaned on the only still-standing desk. Nolan had his gun trained on Ethan while a man she didn't recognize spoke to him."Who are you?" She stepped between Ethan and the newcomer. "Why aren't you getting him a doctor?"
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 256: Melody, Grant
Tuesday. Forgery Front, Chicago, Illinois.MELODY STOOD FROZEN TO the spot, the visual of the crackling electricity up lighting the faces of Ethan and Liman burned into her mind. It was like something out of an action movie.Ethan hauled back and rammed the bathroom door with his shoulder. He roared his rage.Liman was trapped. There was no way out of that bathroom. Eventually Ethan would get in or Liman would have to come out. Either way, it was going to be an explosive conflict.This was her chance to get out of here. The back door was unlocked. She could slip out and be gone. Call the cops, Grant, anyone more capable to deal with this. And yet she remained rooted to the spot, unable and maybe a little unwilling to move.They'd already left Ethan once and look where that got him.Ethan planted his back against the wall and kicked. She heard the pop of hinges. Another kick and the door clattered to the floor. Her stomach clenched. Ethan shoved off the wall, only to be h
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 255: Grant, Liman
Tuesday. Aegis Group Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois.GRANT PUSHED UP OFF the cot. Some thoughtful person had brought four of them into the ops room at some point. He'd actually managed half an hour of sleep. It was better than he'd gotten trying to crash back in his room. Something about being near the constant buzz of activity helped ease his mind.He stretched, paying attention to the twinges of muscle protesting. The soreness was worse now post-crash.How was Melody feeling? Did she have any injuries?Watching the video, the ambulance had more or less driven off the road and tipped over. With any luck she wasn't badly injured.Grant gave Marco and Luke a wide berth. Both men had chewed his ass out for potentially risking Hannah and running into a situation by himself. Grant wasn't keen on rehashing that. Instead headed for the computer in the corner where Ghost had set himself up. Most people avoided him, which was fine for Grant. He didn't have to like the guy to use
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 254: Liman, Melody
Tuesday. Hotel, Chicago, Illinois.LIMAN LAID OUT EVERYTHING he'd spent the last thirty-six hours gathering. When he'd left their safe house he'd wanted to take supplies with him, but didn't dare beyond some cash. All he'd had was what he was wearing, some jewelry and a couple things he knew he could hawk at the pawn shop around the corner.It had taken some work hustling the goods he had, turning them into more profitable items, but he had a couple thousand in US dollars, three new to him guns and a small collection of ammunition, and if all went as planned, in another day he'd have a passport that would grant him an escape from this dammed country.He knew he couldn't go home. That bridge was burned. As soon as his government learned about the utter disaster, they'd want to bring him in for questioning. It wouldn't end in a simple debrief. There were no answers he could give his superiors that they'd accept. The only true end would be Liman's death.He had no intention of
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 253: Melody, Grant
Tuesday. Unknown.MELODY'S TOES HURT.That was her first coherent thought as her mind rose from the groggy sleep of the dead. She remained exactly where she was, as if even her subconscious was aware that there was a predator nearby.The handcuff secured to her left wrist bit into her skin and her fingers were numb, no doubt from the way she'd been laying.She strained to listen harder. There was no sound of traffic or horns. She couldn't even hear someone walking around, the whish of fabric or the soft sounds of someone breathing.If she didn't know better, she'd think she was alone.What did she smell?The air was musty and she recalled a vague memory from last night that included a sneezing fit."I know you're awake," a man said slowly.He was so close his voice seemed to rumble across her skin.Melody sucked in a breath and her eyes popped open.Ethan sat next to the bed, his clasped hands resting on the edge of the mattress. He was watching her."Jesus."
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 252: Grant
Monday. Aegis Group Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois.GRANT KEPT STARING AT the map, as if it would suddenly reveal where Melody was. He knew it wouldn't, but as the hours ticked by his hope was beginning to wane. Eventually they'd get a lead. They always did. But would it be too late for Melody?"I know who he is," Gavin announced.Grant straightened and stared at the younger man holding his tablet up like a beacon."And?" Marco prompted.Gavin referenced the tablet screen. "Liman Fahed. Intelligence officer for the General Directorate of General Security.""And that tells us, what?" Grant asked."A name is a start," Ghost said.Grant ground his teeth together and focused on the map.A name was just a name, especially when they didn't know how to find the man.He'd hoped that with Ghost's arrival, they might make some sort of forward movement on locating Melody, but they were still stuck in a holding pattern.They needed a lead."So I guess it's not useful to
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 251: Melody, Liman
Monday. Unknown, Chicago, Illinois.MELODY KNEW SHE WAS dozing. She hadn't actually fallen asleep, even if the odd, twilight state between sleep and wakefulness made her question that knowledge. Exhaustion had won out, more or less. But she couldn't relax enough to become totally unaware.A soft jangle of metal lured her consciousness back into the land of the living. It wasn't a suspicious noise. More like she'd moved and maybe disrupted the coil of chain. Or Ethan had finally decided to stop playing at being a statue.Thinking the man's name caused Melody to shiver. She opened her eyes, blinking into the relative darkness. The light filtering in around the door from the next room over provided enough light for her to make out shapes.Ethan was no longer sitting.He stood. Judging by the way his shoulders hunched, his back was to her, his attention on the handcuff securing him to the wall.The chain jangled again. He grunted.The hair on the back of her neck stood up.
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 250: Grant
Sunday. Aegis Group Headquarters, Chicago, Illinois.GRANT STARED AT HIS new phone. Zain had a bundle of them delivered via a courier about an hour ago. Since Aegis Group hadn't contacted Lepta Team's family beyond a few of the guy's girlfriends, it was imperative they have a means of communicating.The gut-punch had been opening up his photo gallery to see pictures of Melody. They'd gone to a nice dinner last week before leaving on the job. She'd looked beautiful in a goldish-pink dress that had shimmered. She'd rolled her eyes when he took a picture of her with the city lights behind her.Zain was nothing if not thorough. Of course their new phones would be updated with all their information and preferences, right down to the custom sound Grant had picked for Melody's texts.He tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling.Following the outburst earlier Grant had opted to wait in the hall where he wouldn't be tempted to stick his nose in things and slow people down.
