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Chapter 60: Epilogue.
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2022-11-24 14:23:06Related chapters
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 61: Prologue
Volume 2: Forged RiskMonday. Aegis Group Offices, Seattle, Washington.EVAN IVANOV SWIPED HIS finger across the screen of his phone, studying the grinning, laughing faces of his nephews. His sister had posted the images on social media with the caption, Happiness is a family gathering. From the looks of it, she'd invited everyone. Except Evan.How many times had he told his sisters, his brother and parents that if they gave him even twelve hours' notice he could be home? Some days he could make it there in less time. He had his bags permanently packed with his job. He didn't mind. Hell, he'd like the invite.Evan wished he could blame the exclusion on his move to Seattle, but the truth was that he'd always slipped between the cracks where his family was concerned. He just didn't fit. Never really had. His team was more like family than his blood.Harper Wright filled the doorway of the SCIF, or Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, room. The room was a glorifie
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 62: Evan
Nine weeks later. Monday. Task Force Headquarters, Washington, DC.EVAN FASTENED THE TOP button of his suit and clipped the name badge on his lapel. The logo was for a fictional company that existed, but served as the front for the Task Force operations out of a DC office building. The move to DC had been as quick as Zain warned them. Unfortunately, their job was a lot of hurry up and wait broken up with odd jobs that made little to no sense at all. Most days Evan was a glorified chauffer. To date, they'd only done one real operation, and that had been a near disaster.Today's summons to the headquarters for a briefing was likely more nothing, but Evan couldn't shake the hope that they might get to do something.He pocketed his phone, a notepad and pen, his keys then did a last look over the apartment. Each of the guys had been given a place in the complex next door to the office building. Evan agreed with the others, the government probably owned it, not that it mattered. At
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 63: Evan
Evan shoved Harper's arm aside but didn't look away."Why are we going to Kiev?" Logan asked slowly.Zora glanced from man to man. "Diha?""One moment," Diha muttered.A blurry image of an older man popped up. He was stepping up on a curb, his face turned toward the camera. It was clear enough to make out the man's strong nose, intense, dark eyes and thin lips.Zora gestured to the image. "What I can tell you is that we are trying to locate this man. We know him by the name Obran. While we've known about him for decades, it hasn't been until recently that we had that name. The only reason we know that name is because of Gazi Polat, so thank you for capturing him alive."Which meant their last job and this one were connected somehow.Evan and the rest of their team had agreed that the Task Force was building toward something. They were going after someone or something, but no one had shared that with them. But this Obran was part of the picture."Any of you remember abou
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 64: Felecia
Friday. Unknown.FELECIA.That was a good name.She studied the combination of names.Felecia. Helen. Boyko.What would her life be like as Felecia? What life did she want to create for herself?She leaned her head back against the thin pillow. She could count the metal bars of her headboard through the down and fabric.As Felecia she'd have half a dozen pillows and a big, fluffy comforter she changed with the seasons. But she wouldn't spend all her time in bed. No, there was a wide world out there to be seen and one couldn't do that lying around in bed all day.Too bad her bed was the only comfortable surface provided to her during non-working hours.No, Felecia was a name for a woman who did things, saw places, bought her own damn clothes and got to go out to restaurants.Who knew?Maybe she'd even have friends or a boyfriend.She sighed and tucked the passport back under her mattress. Later, when the lights were out she'd hide it behind the loose brick whe
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 65: Evan
Friday. Staging Van. Kiev, Ukraine.EVAN STARED AT THE monitor, hands clenched.They'd been in this van for days watching this door and the corner.Obran had a routine. At roughly nine in the morning he appeared along the street. They'd never been able to determine where he came from, he was just suddenly there. He'd stop in the café on the corner where surveillance had snapped their picture, then he disappeared down an alley and into this door, rarely to be seen again until the following morning.Obran moved around the city like a ghost.This was the first time they'd seen Obran twice in one day.The side door to the van opened. Logan and Harper climbed in."Anything?" Logan asked."Nope," Tucker replied.They'd taken over watching the site in shifts, two-man teams rotating every so often. It was almost claustrophobic with all five of them in the van now."This might be our chance." Tucker turned around and faced them from his vantage point in the front of the v
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 66: Evan
A thin coat of dust covered the ground, disturbed only in one line. The kind of line the passing of feet over many days might make.Evan glued his eyes on the trail and followed it."Single file," he said softly.Their little platform widened. An old metal gate stood open. There was paint on the walls from kids and broken tiles on the floor."An old platform?" Jamie asked."Looks like it," Harper replied.Jamie kept going. "The closest metro stop isn't even a block away. There are probably a dozen entrances to this place."That made sense, not that it helped them find their guy."Which way do we go?" Harper asked."Evan's got the trail," Logan replied.Despite the taggers and other refuse left from squatters, it was all old. There'd only been one path taken through here lately, and it was easy to follow.They left the platform and entered another long hall. Here a few lights lit the way, but it wasn't welcoming. What drew Evan's attention was the open maintenance
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 67: Obran
Friday. Obran's Flat. Kiev, Ukraine.OBRAN FELT HIS PHONE vibrating against his thigh.He wasn't expecting a call. The rest of the evening should be quiet.The vibrating continued.Not a call.The perimeter alarm.Sometimes he was convinced his daughter lived to vex him. Didn't the brat realize he was doing this for her own good?She was his only family left.He had to protect her from people who would use her for their own gain or revenge.By the time he'd realized how deep he was in this world, he couldn't unmake his family. Trying to stay away from them hadn't helped either. The only thing that worked was protecting them. And he'd do that until his dying day. Even if his brat of a daughter was so fucking ungrateful.He glanced up and down the mostly empty subway car before pulling his phone out and tapping the alert.The screen went to the main feed in the workroom. His daughter stood facing a man Obran didn't know. A man who shouldn't be there.The blo
Last Updated : 2022-11-24Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 68: Felecia
Friday. Unknown. Kiev, Ukraine.FELECIA'S HEAD WAS SPINNING despite sitting down.She was free. To an extent. She doubted these men would let her just walk out of here wherever here was. They clearly wanted something from her father. Who didn't?They also didn't know she spoke English.It hadn't been an intentional move on her part, least not in the beginning. She'd been so shocked when the door opened and strange men walked in. Her father rarely brought people to the workshop. It was both to protect the workspace and to keep her a secret. By the time she'd regained her balance, they'd begun talking about her and she'd listened.They were Americans. That much was obvious even if they hadn't admitted it. The accents alone betrayed them.What did they want with her father?A nagging suspicion bit at the back of her mind.She hoped she was wrong.Felecia peered around her at the flat where they'd taken her. It was sparse. The furniture had likely come with the place.
Last Updated : 2022-11-24
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Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 374: Quentin, Epilogue
A week later...QUENTIN WISHED HE COULD savor this moment. He slapped the cuffs on the pint-sized asshole who'd had Candi's life in the palm of his hand that fateful night. Was it just a week ago?This should be more satisfying.It was, in a way.Eleven perfectly timed arrests effectively cut off all the heads of Metis. According to Nadine's notes, there was still one unknown head of the organization out there. But they were not alone. Metis itself wouldn't be ordering the death of anyone else. But it didn't bring Nadine back. It didn't restore the time Quentin had lost with Candi. It did make the world a little better, and in the end that's what mattered. Nadine's final acts were all about sacrifice and justice.Quentin stepped back as the FBI agents continued doing their job.He'd been granted permission to be here. As CIA, he had no jurisdiction nor the ability to make an arrest. Still, putting those cuffs on the little asshole felt good.Nadine would be pleased.
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 373: Candi
Sunday. Clementine Baker's Home, Washington, DC.CANDI CLUTCHED Q'S HAND in both of hers. "Is this it?""Yeah," he whispered.They stared at the moderate sized home in a DC suburb. Now and wind pelted them. Her teeth chattered. And yet, it felt good. The bone chilling cold reminded her that she was alive."Are we going to knock?" she asked."No. Come on. The FBI lookouts know why we're here."Q led her through the yard and a side gate. A uniformed police officer sat at the first-floor window watching them. Q nodded. Candi lifted a hand, but let it drop to her side without actually waving."This way."Solar lights chased away the shadows, making it less ominous. In a few hours, the world would wake up to a blanket of new snow. A clean slate.Candi didn't know how to feel right now.On one hand, they'd found Nadine. They'd done what they'd set out to do.But, Nadine was dead. Her final act had been to save Q and give them the means with which to combat two threat
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 372: Quentin
Small hands shoved Quentin sideways a second before bullets erupted into the night.Quentin yelled. It was mixed rage and fear. He staggered sideways, only for Nadine to shove at him again."Move, damn it," she barked.They dove behind the shelter of a single boulder. This side of the creek the ground was rockier.Quentin yanked his sidearm out of his holster and sucked down air.Unlike the men at their back, Quentin didn't have unlimited ammunition. Not unless he took theirs."Give me a gun," Nadine hissed.He still couldn't trust her. "No.""Damn you," she growled."Come out and it'll be quick," a voice called out.Nadine laid a finger across her lips and stared him down.He opened his mouth, but she spoke first."You can't think I'm that stupid," she said. With her other hand she pointed back down the way they'd come.She wanted him to go to the creek?"I think you know what your options are," the man called out.Quentin's head knew he couldn't trust Na
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 371: Quentin
Saturday. Harper's Ferry, VA.QUENTIN KEPT AN ARM right around Nadine and held to the broken stub of a branch. The ground beneath them had started to crumble. He wasn't convinced that they'd keep their perch if he let go.Damn it.Every time they made a move someone was in their path. And it wasn't always the same pair.Were all six circling him and Nadine? Did that mean they'd captured Candi? Or had she gotten away?He'd heard a couple of shots off in the distance. Could it be...?No.He had to keep his mind here and now.Quentin strained to hear anything. A leaf on the wind. The crunch of a boot. Something.To Nadine's credit, even her breathing was soundless.Could he trust her to not turn on him?He didn't think so.She leaned toward him until she could whisper ever so faintly in his ear. "Now."He understood her meaning. They were both watching and waiting for an opening. Words were unnecessary risks.One thing was certain, he could trust Nadine to h
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 370: Candi
Candi's heart raced as she watched the man kneel by the bag and yank the zipper.She lunged left, behind a tree and drew her weapon.Overhead, there was no mistaking the whining whirl of helicopter blades. It might not be anyone friendly, but DC was about a half hour away by air. They'd called Q's contacts about forty-five minutes ago.Could that be help? More enemies? Something else?She didn't know, but she had to hope. She had to believe this wasn't how it was going to end."Hey!" the man barked. "Get back out here.""Keep the cash and let me go, no one has to know." She clicked the safety off the gun.Candi had mostly blocked out the fact that she'd shot and killed someone after being kidnapped. Now, it was on repeat in her mind.Could she do it again?If she got to tell Q she loved him-again-she'd pull the trigger.Her hands shook.The leaves rustled underfoot, allowing her to track the man's movements. She shifted around the tree, keeping it between them.
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 369: Candi
Saturday. Harper's Ferry, VA.CANDI CROUCHED BETWEEN THE rotted out remnants of a tree and a dense holly bush. This was as close as she could get to the house without being seen.Where had Q and Nadine gotten to?Candi had run out of the house, unable to hear anything beyond the blood pumping in her ears. She'd pushed ahead, convinced those men were right behind her. The only thought in her head was that she couldn't lag behind or else Q would have to leave her.Only, it had happened the other way around.She didn't know when or how Q got separated from her, but when she'd paused to turn around and look, he was gone.Her teeth chattered together. Had something been on the news about a cold front? The winter had been awfully mild so far. It would be their luck for snow to settle in today.Please, no...Where were they?She cautiously peered out through the branches.All but one of the men who'd arrived at the house had gone into the woods.Was this a bad idea?
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 368: Nadine
Friday. Harper's Ferry, VA.THIS WAS A DISASTER of her making.The stitch in Nadine's side felt like a knife was being plunged into her. That, or her scar tissue was warning her about the turning weather. The warm spell was most certainly over."This way," Quentin whispered.Her heart twinged.This was her fault.She was going to get this boy killed. And for what?Over the years, she'd lost her focus. She'd become a leaf, being blown about with no respite. She'd done things to stay afloat, things she regretted.Like involving Quentin.He didn't know it yet, but she wasn't leaving this forest alive."Shit," Quentin muttered."What-?"She never got the question out. Her foot slipped on the underbrush then she tripped on a root. Only, the ground wasn't where she thought it should be. She pitched forward and just kept going. Her shoulder hit the steep incline first, then the rest of her. Limbs tore at her clothing. Rocks scraped her skin. Something rubbery smacke
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 367: Quentin
Friday. Safe House, Unknown, VA.QUENTIN HELD TIGHT TO Candi's hand. He kept glancing at her to make sure she was really there and he hadn't imagined her dramatic return. He had the urge to leave Nadine here and run away with Candi, somewhere it would be just the two of them forever.Instead, he secured the front door then stood in the entry staring at her."And here I thought you'd finally grown a brain," Nadine said dryly.Candi held up her other hand, extending just her middle finger in Nadine's direction.Quentin's phone buzzed. He knew before he pulled it out that it was Wesley. Quentin turned the screen toward Candi. She shrugged and didn't offer any insight into what he should say or do.He clicked the answer button and put it on speaker."Wesley, hey.""Is she there?" Wesley's voice was flat, emotionless.Quentin glanced at Candi. "Yeah."Wesley sighed heavily. "Damn it.""You're on speaker," Candi said."Do you have any idea what I sacrificed to help
Aegis Group Task Force Chapter 366: Candi
Friday.CANDI SLUMPED DOWN A bit more. Wesley gripped the steering wheel like he was on a race course. From where she sat, she could see the speed wavering between five and ten over the speed limit.He couldn't wait to get away from Q.Her heart nearly seized up just thinking that.She wrapped her arms around her more tightly, as if she could hold herself together with strength alone.It felt like history repeating itself.She had to leave because of Nadine for her own good.While Q remained where he was.Candi understood his resolve to carry through with his job. She really did. But her heart couldn't help but feel abandoned. Again.Q had chosen Nadine once over her, and now it was happening again.Yes, Candi knew it was different. This was about doing the right thing and protecting themselves."You're awfully quiet," Wesley finally said."Know your audience," she mumbled.He glanced at her. His sunglasses hid his eyes and made it impossible to guess at wh
