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Chapter 73: Coming down.
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Aegis Group Chapter 74: It's all shadows and blurs.
Mason's stomach rolled. The boat pitched, jostling him in his bunk.He was going to be sick."Mason? Mason, wake up."He pried one eye open, but it wouldn't focus. Yellow light created a halo around the most beautiful face he'd ever seen.Hannah?But what was she doing...?Where was he?"What?" He rolled to his back and squinted, taking in what he could see of his surroundings.A couple of F-22s had to be dive bombing his skull with the way it was pounding."You're awake. Finally." Hannah threw up her hands and paced away from him.His gaze snapped to the hemline of her...nightgown wasn't a good word. It looked soft, comfortable, sexy and hinted at what was underneath. It barely covered her. A wrong move, a fast turn and he'd get a peep show.A show he couldn't afford.Because he was not supposed to touch Hannah."What's going on?" And where the hell was he? Mexico? Already?"My room-someone has been in my room." She whirled to face him and gestured at the a
Aegis Group Chapter 75: Things are worse than they appear.
Mason's thoughts plagued him as they searched."It should be down this hall," Hannah muttered.They turned left, down a short expanse of corridor that ended in another right turn. A cleaning cart sat up next to the wall, one door propped open.Hannah's step slowed as they neared the room, her eyes growing larger.He grabbed her hand and pulled her past the room, casually glancing in. Two housekeepers had several big, black trash bags sitting near the doors.If one resort employee was in on it, more could be, too."Mason." Hannah squeezed his hand."I know."Housekeeping was clearing out the other two girl's belongings.He'd bet money that Natalie and Christine were gone. And not headed home.Mason couldn't protect Hannah and find two missing girls. He had to take care of Hannah first, then he could figure out his options for a search and rescue."What are we going to do?" Hannah's voice broke and she squeezed his hand."We're getting out of here."They circled
Aegis Group Chapter 76: A vacation gone horribly wrong.
Hannah clutched her luggage handle with one hand and the edge of the phone booth with the other. Mason chattered away in a language she couldn't even identify. In theory Zain was on the other end of the line. Hopefully it wasn't her father.How had this happened? Why her? Could she have dreamed it all last night? Did he really not remember?There were so many things to be shocked about, she didn't know what was worse.The drugging. The missing girls. Someone breaking into her room. The cooperation of the resort staff. Sex with Mason.He doesn't remember.She gulped and leaned against the phone booth. Okay, somehow that one really got her.He really didn't remember.And she could recall every moment in vivid detail.When he'd woken up, she'd thought maybe he was just hung over. She'd thought he seemed way more relaxed than normal last night. Alcohol was easily a factor. But then the rest? He really had no memory whatsoever about last night. He'd been modest and...normal.
Aegis Group Chapter 77: Codes of honor.
Hannah stared Mason down until she saw him give.Mason sighed, clearly exasperated with her questions. Well, fuck him if he didn't want to answer. She wasn't going into a situation without some idea of what to expect."Zain said Abraham has a code. It makes him hard to work with.""What code? Who is he?" This would go so much faster if Mason would just give her the information up front."Abraham deals mostly in guns. I don't know all the details of his code, but he's Jewish. I'm guessing no deliveries on the Sabbath, he doesn't work with some nationalities, and he keeps kosher, but it's just a guess. Satisfied?""Why did he and Zain fall out?""Zain violated one of his nationality rules. It was a mistake, not a conscious one, but Abraham never forgave him for it. Satisfied?""Yes. Let's go." She didn't want to ask the next question-why Aegis would need to work with an arms dealer. Some questions didn't need answers.Hannah straightened her spine, pushed her shoulders ba
Aegis Group Chapter 78: A revelation.
Mason tapped on the door, doing his best not to break it down. For nearly forty-five minutes he'd had to sit around, shoot the bull with Abraham and talk guns when all he wanted to do was have Hannah in his line of sight. He'd recognized the panic in her eye, the fear, but there wasn't time to coddle her, to ease her into it all or explain anything."Hannah, open the door." He knocked again.If she didn't answer, he was going to kick it in.First one lock, then another scraped and the door cracked open, a sliver of Hannah's face visible.He blew out a breath and splayed his hand against the wood."Open the door," he said.She stepped back and he slipped in, locking the door behind him. Mason drew his first easy breath since the moment Abraham lowered his gun. Mason's hands shook and he wanted to hold her, but he couldn't. Not until he was certain the tremors had stopped. For some reason he couldn't shake the urge to hold her tight. As if he'd held her like a lover once befo
Aegis Group Chapter 79: Broken.
"No-I just mean-""I get that you have some twisted idea that we're better off not speaking or touching or being around each other, but I don't share that idea. We feel something for each other and you'd rather stick your head in the sand than take this one opportunity to figure out why we might have something." She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. "I fully understand why a relationship is out, what I don't accept is your lame attempt to cheapen what could have been a great one-time thing between us. So really-shut the fuck up, Mason, because I don't want to hear it. We went to a party. We drank. Someone somewhere is an asshole and tried to drug me. They got you instead, and then we had sex. My bad for assuming you were on the same page as me, but I will not let you piss on the only good thing that happened in this nightmare."She turned and stalked into the postage stamp-sized bathroom and slammed the door shut.He stared at the wooden rectangle for several long moments.
Aegis Group Chapter 80: Enemy of my enemy.
Knock. Knock. Knock.Mason stood from his seat in front of the door, gun pointed at the ground. Hannah leapt to her feet, the mattress squeaking under her, retreating to the semi-shielded corner on the far left side of the room between the bed and bathroom."Quién es?" he called out.He crept toward the door, gun pointed at the ground."Your friendly neighbor." Abraham's voice was easy to identify.He peered through the dirty peep hole, but it was too grimy to see the hallway. On purpose? Or a result of circumstance?Mason unlocked the door, save for the chain, and peered out, his gun trained at about chest level.Abraham stood on the other side, a nondescript duffle bag in hand. The man was either unflappable, or had the best poker face Mason had ever seen."I trust the accommodations have been up to standard?" The man smiled, ever the charming salesperson."Fantastic. Thanks." Mason shut the door and slid the chain out of place before letting Abraham in."I have e
Aegis Group Chapter 81: Always her hero.
Hannah paced the room.The digital clock ticked away the minutes.Mason had been gone for nearly an hour. How far could he have gone? Could he steal a car in that time? How long did something like that take? Or had he gotten caught? He could be in police custody right now for carjacking and she wouldn't know it.She scrubbed a hand across her mouth, her stomach in knots.He would be okay. He had to be. Saving people was what Mason did. He was a hero. Even if he didn't see himself that way.Mason had secrets. Nearly all the guys who worked for Aegis had something in their past they weren't proud of. She'd heard the stories. She could handle the darkness. What she couldn't bear was the idea of Mason not coming back.But he was coming back.For her.Because that was the kind of guy he was.Whatever he'd done, whatever he wasn't proud of, he was still a hero. Her hero. They'd get the girls back. They had to. She needed to believe that.A door banged against a wall. Was
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Aegis Group Chapter 490: Epilogue.
Two months later. Ekko's Apartment, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.EKKO STARED AT THE table with the spread of food laid out.Was there enough? Did she need more? Would Coco and Paxton like it?She reached out and adjusted the tray of cheese so it was at more of an angle instead of perfectly aligned to everything else.It looked too neat."Stop." Silas took her hand and spun her toward him, capturing her against his chest with strong arms around her waist."It looks like I'm trying too hard." She smoothed her hands up and over his shoulders."Stop. It's just Paxton and Coco.""Your best friend and his fiancé, who I haven't met yet.""What?" Silas' face scrunched up. "You've talked to her dozens of times.""In the background of you and Paxton talking. That doesn't count." She pulled away from him and proceeded to turn dishes a little this way and that."You do realize Coco spends most days digging in elephant shit and stuff, right?""Silas." She scowled at him."What?" He gr
Aegis Group Chapter 489: Thursday. New York Hospital, New York.
IT FELT LIKE THE weight Silas had been carrying around in his gut had now attached itself to his eyelids. He floated in darkness, no longer asleep but not yet awake. Someone had called this twilight once, though he couldn't recall who. Something wouldn't let him go back to sleep. There was something he needed to do. It was urgent.What the hell was it?That nagging question hounded him as he ever so slowly gathered his strength.He wasn't aware of time or how long it took to wrestle one eyelid open, but at long last he peered out of his darkness into...more darkness.Well that was just dandy. What the fuck?He blinked that one eye again, letting his vision adjust. He was in a room and there was a light on, it just didn't do much.Machines beeped and whirled around him.That was a sound he could never mistake and it told him the first piece of his puzzle. From there the others fell into place, one after another.He was still in the hospital.He'd been hurt.There was a fight.
Aegis Group Chapter 488: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
EKKO CLUNG TO THE stretcher bearing Silas out to the parking lot.She hadn't realized how bad his injuries were. He was barely keeping his eyes open. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she kept pace with the two paramedics. Silas covered her hand with his as they came to a stop at the bumper of an ambulance.Paxton, Brett and Vito were sitting inside. They were worse for wear and grim, but seemed okay.All around them police were marching uninjured people they'd arrested to sit in a line next to a chain-link fence blocking the sidewalk. The night was lit up with swirling lights that made her head spin."Where's Chayan?" she asked. Her heart was tearing in two, aching for both men.A little distance away an ambulance took off, sirens blaring. She hoped it was the one with Pasley in it."Ma'am, I need to look at that wound," a paramedic said to her.She held tight to Silas' hand. "What about Chayan? Older man, little taller than me? Salt and pepper hair?"Silas had said he was fine.
Aegis Group Chapter 487: Wednesday. New York City, New York.
IGNEY PACED IN A circle, looking down each hall in turn.Where were they? Had he miscalculated? Were they willing to lose the woman so long as they got the man?His orders were clear. Get both the man and the woman.The woman was a symbol. Too many young people had taken to the streets because they listened to others like her.The man though, he knew things.Killing the woman was personal. Chasing her had cast him in a bad light. But the man was more important in the grand scheme of things."Fuck," Igney muttered. He glanced at a pair of men striding for the doors. "You. Come here."The men never glanced at him. Because they didn't understand him?He whirled to face Alban. "Where are the others?""I don't know where Delem and Michil are." He grimaced. "I haven't heard from them since we split up to search the building."That wasn't good.Igney had heard a lot of gunfire. Was it possible the other men he'd brought with him were dead?If both Chayan and Pasley escaped, leavin
Aegis Group Chapter 486: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
EKKO'S ONE OFFENSIVE ATTEMPT was an utter failure. Her head spun and she was going to be sick.This wasn't good.She felt like a ragdoll being drug around, first by Igney then another man she didn't recognize. He spoke Daurian though which could only mean one thing.He was London DSS.Her body chilled. Was that from fear or the blows to the head? She didn't know anymore."Come find me, Pasley, or your little bird dies," Igney cackled into the radio.She tasted bile.Pasley had called her little bird back in the park.Igney cackled like a bad movie villain. The man was enjoying this. He was getting off on torturing them all.What about Silas?Pasley was with him.If Pasley told Silas, if he knew, they would come for her. Silas was determined to bring them all home and to keep her safe. But if he did, if he came to her rescue, Igney would kill them. Igney needed her and Chayan. Which meant he couldn't kill her here and now. It was an empty threat. Wasn't it? Did she dare belie
Aegis Group Chapter 485: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
SILAS PUSHED HIS GROUP hard as they traversed the second floor. The sun had fully set, plunging them into complete darkness where there weren't windows or other lights.This building was a damn maze, and every turn they needed was blocked by too many people to fight their way through.There had to be more than the fifteen or so they'd estimated. More like thirty.This wasn't good.What about Ekko? Where had the others gone to?He'd hoped getting down here meant they would find her and Paxton, but so far all they'd found were a few bodies. At least they knew Paxton and Brett were eliminating the other side. But no one had taken the ammo or guns. Why? When resources were this precious, why not take them?Could they have gotten free? Did he dare hope?Something thumped in the darkness. Like a heavy footfall.Silas cursed himself as he skidded to a stop. He didn't see anything, but his gut screamed at him. He pivoted and threw himself at Chayan, shoving the other man aside. Silas w
Aegis Group Chapter 484: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
THE DARKNESS FELT AS if it were swallowing her.Ekko clung to the back of Paxton's shirt like he'd directed. She couldn't shake the sensation that there were hands out there reaching for her. That Igney or one of the others were biding their time and waiting for the chance to kill her.Where was Silas? What about Chayan and the others?They'd been separated before she realized what was going on.Behind them a burst of gunfire spurred her on, shattering the silence.She knew it was Brett. Was he trading gunfire with someone? Those shots all sounded the same to her. She hoped he was safe. He was only one man and they had no idea how many were behind them."Stay close." Paxton reached back and pressed her hand to his back.Her head pounded with each and every step. It hurt so bad, but she didn't want to say anything. Her pain was minimal compared to what could happen."Will you cut that out?" Paxton yelled behind them.He side stepped and sort of skipped through a narrow gap betw
Aegis Group Chapter 483: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
SILAS GRIT HIS TEETH to keep from telling Paxton to hurry the fuck up. It wasn't like Paxton was slow. The knife on his belt tool was small and no doubt dulled after cutting through several sets of thick, plastic restraints.Sitting like this it felt as though there was a ten pound weight sitting on his guts. He didn't know what the knife had cut, but Silas knew from the woozy feeling and blood making his jeans sticky it wasn't good. He had to get the others out of here before his clock ran out."Which way did they bring you up?" Silas asked Brett instead of chafing at how long getting free was taking.Brett stood by the door, a discarded piece of wood held as a weapon. "We came in some doors, up a stair to our right then a long walk down here. You?""Different way." Silas grimaced. "Do we retrace our path, or avoid it? How many people were with you?"Brett grimaced. They'd been hooded when they arrived. "Hard to say.""Let's assume at least the three that came in here plus one o
Aegis Group Chapter 482: Wednesday. Unknown, New York City, New York.
EKKO STARED IN SHOCK, her head spinning as the men left the room again."S-Silas?" she whispered so softly she barely heard herself.He slumped sideways groaning.Had that man-that monster-just stabbed Silas?"Man, Silas, dude, talk to us." Paxton had scooted forward, his arms extended behind him, attention on Silas."I'm fine." Silas' voice was strained. "Brett, Vito, how are you two?""Alive," Brett groaned."Vito? Man?" Silas shook his head and sat up straighter."Fine."This was it.Ekko swallowed.They'd done everything and in the end, they were outplayed.The DSS would kill them. She wasn't sure why they hadn't already, but she didn't doubt that death was the final move. All of these people, they were going to die because she'd been arrogant. She'd thought she knew what she was doing, when in fact she hadn't a clue.A sob tore out of Ekko making her already aching head pound harder."Ekko?" Silas called out. "Ekko, listen to me, this is going to be okay. Pax?"A ch
