Elite Metal-ARE-epub (26 page)

As the phone rang Chrome knew, without a doubt, that he loved her.

Loved.

And he’d do anything to keep her safe and save her kids. Loving her meant loving them. No question. No pause to think about it.

Resolve filled him as the line connected as the double agent Korovin’s voice filled the room. “Took you long enough. I was beginning to think these two brats aren’t worth keeping in one piece.” His voice. He sounded so…calm. Uninterested. He could have been discussing lettuce instead of threatening the lives of two helpless children.

“Please don’t hurt them.”

“That’s completely up to you now isn’t it?”

“Please come get us, Mama! Please!”

Chrome was a hardened Marine. Had seen and heard things his brain would cough up every so often under the category heading of awful.

But the sound of that little voice on the other end of the phone? The sobs with it from two very scared kids…

Nothing would ever claw at his insides more.

“Mama loves you. So much.” Cammie choked on the words but kept going. “You’ll be home soon. Stay brave for me just a little while longer. Just a little bit long—“

“Tomorrow. You can have them back tomorrow. Get me the database and all of this will just disappear.”

“How do I know you’re not lying?”

“What choice do you have?” Korovin’s smug self-righteousness made him want to punch something.

Cammie remained silent as tears slid down her face.

Chrome closed his eyes, tuning everything out so he could memorize every detail of the rest of the call. The address they were supposed to meet at. Time. Her directive to come alone.

Fat chance, asshole.

Warmth seeped into him as Cammie laced her fingers with his and held on tight.

God protect anyone that got between him and his woman.

To the ends of the Earth he would protect her. And love her.

He would start with forever…and go from there.

Chapter Eight

“Tell me again what you’re going to do.”

Cammie walked around to the driver’s side door of her SUV where Chrome stood, holding it open for her.

They’d driven to the rendezvous point.

Well.

Close.

Half a mile down the road they parked so Cammie could drive the rest of the way alone, and Chrome could vanish into the woods surrounding the buildings Korovin and his band of assholes were hunkered down in.

“I’m going to drive up slowly and then wait in the car for them to approach, just like Korovin told me on the phone.”

“Good. And you have the stick with you? The one with the fake database Piper provided to you?”

She pulled a red USB stick from her pocket and held it up for him to see. Her hands shook and she barely got it back in.

“Put it in your purse. Make it take as long as possible to get him what he needs.”

“Kay.”

Chrome pulled her forward into his arms.

Her arms were tight around his waist and he loved that she just sank into him.

Being with her was so…natural. As if they’d always been together.

Made no damn sense but he was fighting enough emotions allowing her to drive into Korovin’s property alone without adding some philosophical discussion onto his plate.

“I’m scared.”

He hugged her tight then tipped her chin up.

Fear shown from her eyes and he’d do anything to erase it.

“You’re going to do the hard part. Be brave and distract him. I came earlier today and scouted the property. There are only two buildings. Heavily wooded area. No extensive camera systems or guard patrol. Should be easy.”

“And you still think it best it’s just the two of us? Wouldn’t it be smarter to have back up of some kind if they try to get away?”

“I spoke with Steele earlier.”
Not a lie.
“I told him what was happening.”
Not completely the truth.
The time and date may have been left out of the conversation. “There is only one way in and out of the property. The one you are taking. So just make sure and park behind their vehicles if you can. No helipad or room for a plane. They have underestimated your good sense in the company you keep.” He bent down, kissing her lips as he rubbed the skin on her jaw with the tips of his fingers.

“Will he just let us go? Should you just stay hidden and wait for me? Maybe he’ll keep his word?”

The hope in her eyes was hard to dash, but he needed her on her game. “No, baby girl, that’s not how they operate. They take. They take what they need for leverage until they get what they want, and then they dispose of all collateral that could get in their way now or in the future.”

“And I’m collateral. And so are the kids. And I’m being naïve, thinking they have a conscience right?”

“Naiveté is not a bad thing in most cases.”

She looked up at him and tried to smile. “I still believe in Santa Claus too if that does anything for you.”

His heart swelled again. “More than you know.” He kissed her again. “Ready to get this show on the road so we can get the kids outta there and all three of you safe?”

“More than you know,” she gave him his words back and nibbled her bottom lip.

He held the door open for her and she slipped into the driver’s seat, snapping her seat belt into place. Chrome closed the door and she rolled down the window. He opened his mouth to speak but she beat him to it. “I need you to promise me something.”

“Possibly. That depends on what it is.”

“No matter what happens to me. You save my kids. If there is a choice to be made, something goes wrong and you have to choose. Me for them. I need you to promise me that you’ll pick them.”

“I can’t do that, Cammie. I can’t make that promise.”

“Promise me, Chrome. The only way I can go through with this is knowing they’re your number one priority.”

“Cammie, I—“

“Your promise. Swear to it on the names of the men tattooed into your back. I don’t know who they are but I have a feeling they are very important.”

He nodded. “Remind me to tell you about them one of these days.”

“It’s a deal. You can take me out to dinner. Now quit stalling.” She glanced at her watch. “I only have five minutes and I can’t be late. Your word.”

“I promise to take care of them as my own and protect them with my very life if it comes down to it. And I promise to do the same for you.” Leaning in the window he trapped her mouth beneath his and kissed her. Hard. “I protect what’s mine, Cammie. Remember that.”

“Ditto.” She touched his cheek and kissed him one more time before he backed out of the window. “Now let’s get this over with. I need my kids back.”

“Let’s do it. I’ll be seeing you very soon.”

She nodded, wiped a tear from her cheek and drove away.

He entered the woods and a hundred yards in when he was completely out of sight he checked his gun in his thigh holster, then the extra ammo and the knife in his boot. Flashlight. Detonation supplies. All good. He grabbed his biceps as it lit up as if someone put a cigarette out on him. A second later it was gone. “What the—“

The skin crawled on his back and he looked around again for someone or something watching him.

What he wouldn’t have given to have Copper on his six.

He shook off the need for his team, for Steele to have his back. Knowing he could handle Korovin on his own was all well and good. But to have additional eyes and ears… To have someone else to help him get the kids out of harm’s way so he could take care of the bat shit crazies would have been hot.

Poor choice
knocked on his frontal lobe and he ground his teeth.

Woulda shoulda coulda wasn’t getting him anywhere so he shoved it in a file labeled “do over” and crammed it in a filing cabinet marked “come to Jesus”.

Moving through the woods there was just enough light to see by and he could avoid the thorny vines climbing up the trees.

Metal on metal like some kind of door closing zapped adrenaline into his veins. Movement from the corner of his eye had him down on one knee, gun in hand aiming it at—

Sssip
… A knife whizzed by him, catching him in the arm before it careened off in some random direction.

He hit his back to swing around and fire when a boot impacted his wrist knocking his gun out of his hand.

A bright stream of light shriveled his pupils.

“Chrome I believe?”

He covered his eyes to shield his face for a second and glanced to the side for his gun. It was out of reach.
Fuck
.

“One of two leaders of Elite Recon. Supposedly dead. Dead my ass.” His fist connected with Chrome’s jaw and he tasted blood.

He spit on the ground and laughed. “Steele punches harder than that. Who the hell are you anyways? Kidnapper extraordinaire?”

“Maxwell. Korovin’s first in command. Stand up.”

“You know second best is the first douche bag right?”

“Stand the fuck up.” Korovin’s right hand asshole raised his Glock with a smirk. “We’re going to gut every last one of you, fucktards.”

“That’ll never happen.” Chrome wiped the blood from his mouth and stood.

“Says who? You?” He tipped his head back and laughed as if he were a villain on
Scooby Doo
. “The dickwad stupid enough to come here alone to save that chick and her little brats? Forgive me if I don’t shake in my boots.”

“Because we’re Marines—“

“Ex-Marines—“

A single shot rang out.

For Chrome, time stopped as he watched asshole number one’s arm recoil.

He waited for the pain. For the bullet to pierce his heart and end everything he wasn’t ready to lose.

Hundreds of people have said life passes in front of your eyes when you’re about to die.

It’s like that.

But better. And worse.

Life on fast-forward through decades but certain things stood out as if they’re paused in his mind’s eye.

The day his mother died.

The moment he enlisted, his palm raised, giving an oath to God and country.

His brothers and sister on a mission, waiting, laughing, giving each other shit about something inconsequential.

The last mission.

Cammie.

Her smile.

Her laugh.

Her gasp as she came for him.

Her face, scared and in the dark.

He wasn’t ready to give up.

He wasn’t fucking ready.

Amazing how poignant some moments are when you’re faced with the inevitability of them.

The pain.

It never came.

Bright red spray exited asshole number one’s head. He crumpled to the ground.

“What?” Chrome turned to see whom his savior was just as a fist connected with his jaw.

Hard.

He would have gone down but the person who belonged to that right hook hauled him up by the lapels of his jacket, slamming him into a tree behind him.

His marbles settled as a very pissed off Steele got up in his face. “What part of brothers do you not understand? What part of “call for back-up” does not compute in that hard fucking head of yours?”

“I’m sorry—”

“Why the hell you have a death wish when you have something so precious to live for is beyond me.”

Steele was right. And Chrome knew it. “I fucked up.”

“No shit, Sherlock.” He shoved him into the tree again and then paced away. Scanning the area, or just getting his temper under control Chrome wasn’t sure.

Adrenaline raced in his veins as he looked at the red pool of blood growing beneath the dead asshole’s head and seeping into the forest floor.

“I can’t…lose you, too.” Steele’s, for once, quiet voice brought Chrome’s attention back to him. “Zinc. When I lost Zinc it fucking wrecked me. Losing you? It’s not an option.”

Chrome clenched his fists and stared at the back of Steele’s head. “Ditto, brother.” And he meant it.

“We have to be in this together. No “I” in team and all the mumbo bullshit. I know you’re pissed off. I know you want Korovin’s ass just as bad as I do. But you going off half-cocked, especially with Cammie and her kids in the mix isn’t going to work.”

“Agreed.”

Steele finally turned around and shrugged with a toss of his hands. “Agreed? Just that easy?”

Chrome closed his eyes, picturing Cammie scared and alone, and he knew he needed Steele’s help. He focused on Steele for a second and then stepped toward where his gun lay on the ground. “She’s something so special and rare I don’t even know what to call her yet.”

“Yes you do,” Steele taunted with a raised eyebrow.

Chrome holstered his weapon and faced Steele. “Family.”

“Family,” they answered together. Steele nodded. “Then let’s go get ‘em back, and see if we can’t lower the asshat population by a few while we’re at it.”

“Oorah.” Chrome raised his fist.

Steele bumped it. “So what’s your plan ye island of one?”

Chrome pulled a detonator out of his cargo pocket.

“Now that’s the kind of welcome wagon I’m talking about.”

“Elite Metal. We only care to send the very best.”

Steele chuckled and slapped him on the back. “You finally get your sense of humor back and that’s what you lead off with?”

“Hey, I’m working on it. Damn. Everybody’s a critic.”

“Cammie give you shit about it too?”

Chrome remained silent.

“Ha! She did. I knew I liked that girl.”

“Fuck off.”

“Sharing is caring, brother. Now let’s go share a can of whoop ass on Korovin and do the world a favor.”

“You’re on, and uhh…thanks. For saving my ass back there.”

“You’d do the same for me.”

He was right. He would. Without hesitation.

And knowing that, truly knowing that, made everything else possible.

They moved toward the buildings Chrome had scouted earlier and that’s when they heard it.

Kids yelling, but they sounded far away.

Steele had stopped too. “You hear them?”

Chrome nodded and they pulled out flashlights.

It didn’t take them long to find it. A pipe in the ground. Like a ventilation pipe. At least he knew why asshole number one was out there all alone.

Chrome got close to the pipe and spoke as loud as he dared. “Thomas. Teresa. Is that you?”