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Chapter 93: Nolan
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Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 94: Lee
Friday. Landover, MD.LEE STOOD IN THE kitchen of the modest, two-bedroom house considering his options.In the garage, he had the law clerk. That man had already wet himself.In the spare bedroom, he had the hit man. That was going to be a tougher nut to crack, even with the man loaded full of bullets and slowly dying.He wasn't going to get anything useful out of the hit man, but he was still a tool. Something Lee could use to make his canary sing."Bring the Asian guy in the garage." Lee needed to make this happen today. With someone reporting back on him, it was only a matter of time until his clients once more came calling.There had to be progress soon.He pushed open the door to the garage.The man handcuffed and hooded on the chair in the middle of the room whimpered.So far the guy had volunteered the location of his cash, his social security number, available credit card balances and that his mother was on vacation.Two of Lee's other men dragged the As
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 95: Samuel, Nolan
Saturday. Safe House, Washington, DC.SAMUEL STARED OUT THE window toward the airport. Dawn was just coloring the horizon a dismal gray.It was almost twenty-four hours since they'd failed to capture the Krieger family. Samuel's contacts had run into a wall. No one knew where they were. It was as if the family had vanished.Karuki's face reflected back in the glass."What?" Samuel snapped. "Do you want me to say you were right? That we should go home and hope this dies?""That's not an option," Karuki said.Samuel turned to face the man. "Why?""Police showed up at the office today. They wanted to ask you questions about your brother's death. It would appear it's not wrapped up.""Fucking hell." Samuel dragged his hand over his face.If he could go back and tell his old self to wait sixty seconds to pull that gun, Ito might be dead anyway and none of this would be Samuel's problem. Instead, here he was chasing his tail.Now he had no choice but to tie up the loos
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 96: Nolan
"Mel? Melody?" Nolan took a step back, then another, dragging Yvonne with him.Melody rounded the breakfast bar. "What?"A dark SUV slammed to a stop out front of the house. Another one screeched to a stop behind it.Men poured out, armed and masked.They were outnumbered.Everything slowed to a crawl while Nola's mind raced.There was only so far Nolan would get Yvonne on foot followed by that many people. The fences on either side were too exposed. The house backed up to a drainage ditch with a thirty-foot drop, which had been appealing at the time of selecting this safe house because it ensured one side of the property was protected. Now, that fact put them in a no-win situation.These men were going to take Yvonne. Alone, he couldn't stop them. The best thing he could do for her was to ensure she could be tracked and followed as soon as possible.Yvonne clutched him. "What-""Vee?" Nolan shoved her away from the door. He ripped his Lepta Team bracelet off his wris
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 97: Yvonne
Saturday. Unknown Location.YVONNE COULDN'T STOP SHAKING. She wasn't cold, but that didn't matter.What had Melody said that first day about what to do if kidnapped?The words slipped away from Yvonne. At the time she'd been annoyed. She hadn't properly listened. Now she couldn't recall the first thing Melody had said.Nolan had promised her he'd find her. Yvonne wanted to blindly trust those words, but she didn't know if he was still alive or dead.Were these people connected to the Yakuza who'd attacked the house? The same ones who'd kidnapped Douglas?She wasn't going to do herself any good if she kept panicking. She had to calm down. Maybe if she did, she'd be able to remember the presentation Melody had given them.Deep breath.Her shakes subsided a bit.Yvonne drew air in through her nose.Her head stopped buzzing and her field of vision began to grow from the narrow tunnel. Then again, being aware of everything else wasn't necessarily a comforting thing.
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 98: Nolan
Saturday. Arlington, VA.NOLAN KNEW WHATEVER WAITED for him at the little, red blip wasn't something he was going to like. Since he'd stonewalled the FBI, they'd been running balls to the wall trying to catch up with Yvonne's tail.Three tracking devices and this was the last one.No one had said anything, but it was obvious that her kidnappers had stripped her of each device. Nolan had found the bracelet tracker on a sidewalk. The tracker he'd shoved inside her vest was in some bushes. Their last hope was the tracker Yvonne had kept clipped to her bra strap.Melody kept pace with him, her phone pressed to her ear and Grant no doubt tearing her a new asshole.This was on him. He'd been the operative in charge of Yvonne's safety for that half-hour window, and he'd failed her.There was no question in his mind he'd find Yvonne, but would he be in time?The masked man had given Nolan a list of rules. That told Nolan that the guy wanted something. There would be an exchang
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 99: Lee, Samuel, Yvonne
Saturday. Safe House.LEE WATCHED THE MAP. The circle denoting the burner phone's location shifted a block, then disappeared.It hadn't taken long for the tracking devices to be found. This team was good. Lee knew they were lucky to have had a big enough head start on them. With any luck, Yvonne was correct and her family and the security team would spend considerable time chasing their tails.If only every mark was as cooperative as Ms. Krieger."It is done," he announced and powered off his phone screen."You think they bought it?" Yvonne turned her head and looked at him. She'd cleaned the blood off her forehead, but the bruising had already begun to darken her delicate skin."You'd better hope so.""I could have pretended, you know?""But then, how would you know I was serious with my threats?" Lee grinned at her even though she couldn't see his face for the mask.She stared at him, her unspoken emotions written on her face. He could hear her spat the words mon
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 100: Nolan
Saturday. The Madison, Washington, DC.NOLAN PACED THE SWANKY DC hotel while the Kriegers bickered. Against Nolan's judgment Grant had showed the family the video. Their responses were varied.Mrs. Krieger wanted to wait for orders.Mr. Krieger and Douglas advocated for telling the FBI, getting more help.Theodore thought they should send Nolan and the others after these guys.Nolan was beginning to like Theodore.Sadly there wasn't much to do. Zain had pulled in their other IT guy, Gavin, to comb through surveillance videos surrounding the parking lot. Whoever had dropped the phone off had picked an excellent spot. It was only partially visible, but even that glimpse of a figure in dark clothes hadn't helped them identify the target.They were in a holding pattern until something happened, either they got lucky or the kidnappers reached out with more demands.Would electrical shock harm the baby?His mind shied away from the question as soon as it materialized.
Aegis Group Lepta Team Chapter 101: Yvonne
YVONNE WASN'T FAMILIAR WITH the structure of the secure server. It was slow going, but so far she'd known all of her brother's security questions at every checkpoint. It was nice to know that he didn't have blind access to everything after a single log-in. She was disappointed that there was a way around the two-step authentication process. Then again, being able to get through that with an answer about ice cream was potentially saving their lives.Their.Plural.Her and the baby.It was crazy how fast her thinking was changing. Like she'd been absorbed into a team or something."How much longer?" the group's leader demanded. His patience was beginning to wear thin."I'm getting closer. Want to watch?" She glanced up at him standing in the doorway."No." He turned and stalked out of sight.She kept at it.The codes would be stored deep in their system under layers of security. She knew they changed, but not how often. With any luck, the security system had alerted The
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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.
