Running Scared (Mercenaries) Page 3

  “Oh shit!” The face that stared at him from the screen was a slightly younger version of Saralyn. From the slight inconsistencies, he guessed it was a computer enhancement of an older picture, probably one from when she first escaped from the lab. There was no longer any doubt that she was indeed one of the lost children. A chain with a number hung around her neck. Seventy-two. That was her number, and most likely the only name the lab had gifted her with. The caption sent a chill right down to his toes.

  Missing lab experiment. Reward for return, any condition. Dangerous. Do not attempt to apprehend. If seen call the nearest barracks and keep the subject in sight until help arrives.

  He glanced at the date on the article. Just last month. Someone must have seen Saralyn and resurrected the search. Her picture would have been on the gallery of females at the arena where they’d rescued her. Maybe one of the enforcers had seen it and made the connection. He noted that they avoided referring to her as human, a tactic meant to dehumanize a target. It was easier to do bad things to people if you didn’t consider them people. Not good. Not good at all.

  “Can I see that, or are you trying to stare a hole through it?” The dry humor in Saralyn’s voice brought a flicker of a smile to his face.

  “I don’t think you’re going to like it. Never met a female yet that liked her own picture.” He handed her the tablet.

  Saralyn studied the picture in silence, hugging the blankets up around her shoulders. Trace shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not saying a word. He was a whole lot better with computers than people, especially people he barely knew like Saralyn.

  “That doesn’t leave a lot to discuss, does it?” She sighed, a heartbreaking sound. “If I’m one of those kids, I was an orphan that someone sold to them. I can’t have a brother. I probably dreamed the whole thing up to make myself feel better.”

  “Maybe not. There’s something else I found as well.” Trace plucked the tablet out of her hands and tapped it a few times, pulling up a different picture. “This guy is about your age, and according to his file he was severely disciplined for leaving one of the lab doors unlocked. One of the lost children escaped, and while he managed to track her for a time across the lower parts of the town the subject eventually gave him the slip. That girl was never recovered and I’m betting that girl is you. The boy you remember may not be a blood relative, but he let you escape despite knowing he would be harshly reprimanded. Only his brilliance in the Provincial skirmishes a few years back managed to get his career back on track.” He handed Saralyn the tablet. “This is the boy. Do you recognize him?”

  Jackson watched the expressions chase each other across her expressive face as she stared at the tablet. Apprehension. Recognition. Jubilation. Uncertainty.

  “Yes. That’s him.” She looked up. “He’s not my brother, he was one of my keepers. I wonder if he ever wonders what happened to me. He never came back, but at least now I understand. If he did, he would have led the searchers right to me. It would have been like signing my death warrant. What’s his name? I never even knew his name.”

  “Brice.” Trace’s face relaxed. “The enforcers don’t use last names -- just their legion number. His is the forty-third division so he goes by Brice forty-three. He was promoted to head of the second squad just last month. That’s about as high as you can get in the military without political connections.”

  “Do you think he’d want to see me again? Or does he regret having let me go.” She chewed on her bottom lip, looking frail and uncertain.

  Jackson slipped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “Who knows what an enforcer feels. How about we get some clothes back on?” He gave Trace a pointed look. “Maybe Trace can see what he can find out about this Brice and then we can discuss options. You don’t want to go running right back into the hands of the guys who want you back in any condition. That’s a fancy way of saying ‘dead or alive’.”

  Saralyn nodded, pulling the sheet up to her chin.

  “I’ll get a full report on the guy and meet you in the strategy room, okay?” Trace took the tablet from her.

  “Sounds good. How much time do you need?”

  Trace shrugged, a confident grin on his face. “An hour, tops. Now that I have a name and a face it’s like taking ammo from a squad of newbie guards.”

  “Well, make sure the guards don’t know who’s interested in them.” The last thing Jackson wanted was to have a division of enforcers descend on their little hideaway. As it stood, the government troops had bigger fish to fry, so they conveniently ignored the ragtag groups of mercenaries plying their trade in the inner provinces.

  Trace gave him a mock salute before ducking out the doorway, tablet in hand. “See you in the strategy room in one.”

  Jackson turned to Saralyn. “I suppose that means we’d better get up and get some clothes on. You want a shower before you get dressed?”

  A slow, sensuous smile lit up her delicate features, and sent a blaze of heat curling through his groin. Her eyes danced with mischief as she put the tip of one finger in her mouth. “Sounds heavenly. Care to join me? We could save water and be good environmental citizens at the same time.” She sucked on the finger suggestively.

  “Hell yeah!” He threw the bedcover aside and scooped her up in his arms. “A good environmental citizen, that’s me!” They were both deliciously naked, and he admired the soft caramel color of her skin against his own. Her soft skin glowed with a healthy sheen, contrasting sharply with the battle scars that crisscrossed his own tough hide. He had no idea why she hadn’t slapped him silly the first time he’d dared to touch her, but since she appeared to find him desirable he didn’t intend to give her enough time to rethink her decision.

  Saralyn squealed, a happy sound that warmed Jackson’s heart. “You are crazy! You know that, don’t you?”

  He managed to sear a passionate kiss across her lips, without shortening his stride. “Yes, ma’am. I do believe I am.”

  Reaching the bathing room, he used his elbow to slide the shower door open. He set her down on the floor and reached behind her to turn on the tap.

  A cascade of warm water flowed from the large faucet built into the ceiling, and Saralyn tilted her head back to let the drops run down her face and shoulders, enclosing her body in a shimmery blanket of water.

  Despite their recent lovemaking, Jackson’s cock stirred at the sight of her glistening flesh, coming back to full attention as he stepped into the flow and pulled the little Asian beauty into his arms. Lowering his head, he licked the water from the tip of one pert breast.

  “Mmmmm.” Saralyn arched into his tongue, her breast pressing against his lips, and he obligingly opened his mouth to suck the succulent tip into his mouth.

  She had perfect breasts, small but firm, with the tips tilting upward. He cupped them in his hands and divided his attention equally between the two. He licked and sucked in turn while Saralyn leaned into him, squirming and moaning beneath his hands. She tasted clean, with just a hint of some exotic herb that she must have rubbed on her skin. He couldn’t quite place it, but it brought to mind visions of warm sensual places where men and women went to explore their passions.

  Dropping to his knees, he worked his way down her delectable body. His tongue explored the dips and hollows of her hips, her belly, and came to rest on her mound. She quivered beneath his hands, responsive to his every touch. Parting the soft folds of skin guarding her sex, he inserted one finger into the warm depths of her sex.

  Saralyn whimpered, pressing forward to force the finger deeper inside her. Jackson scored his thumb across her clit and she let out a low moan, her hips moving convulsively.

  “That’s it, baby. Give me all you got.” Jackson crooned softly, holding her to him with an arm around her hips. Removing his finger, he fastened his mouth over her sweet mound. Sucking. Stabbing his tongue in and out. Grazing his teeth gently over her clit.

  She exploded in his arms, letting out a high-pitched squeal of release as her
climax ripped through her. The sound amplified, reverberating in the small enclosure.

  Jackson surged to his feet, thrusting his stiff cock deep inside her pulsating sex. The muscles of her inner channel gripped him hard, and he shafted her with long deep strokes just as her climax began to subside. “Oh yeah. That feels so good.” He wrapped his arms around her, holding her delectable body tight against him while the water cascaded over the both of them.

  It didn’t take long before his climax began to build, starting at the tips of his toes and washing up over him until his seed exploded from his cock to bathe the inside of her damp pussy.

  Saralyn let out a strangled yelp as her second climax began, triggered by Jackson’s own. She collapsed against him, and they both sunk slowly to the floor with the water pulsing all around them.

  * * *

  “So here’s the thing.” Trace looked uncomfortable.

  Saralyn felt an anxious knot forming in her gut. Something wasn’t right. Trace had been so excited and confident earlier, and now he seemed reluctant to give them any details. “Yes?”

  “I found out some more about your Brice. I’m not so sure this is a guy you want to claim as a brother. The thing is, I was so stoked to find him, it didn’t occur to me to wonder just how he managed to excel as an enforcer. Stands to reason it wasn’t something good. The reason he got that promotion was because he managed to hunt down and execute a couple of people that were high on the government’s wanted list.” His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “They pissed off the local governor by painting anti-government slogans on his garden wall, and he sent out a search and destroy order. Your… this guy… he found them, dragged them out into the middle of the street, and executed them. A shot through the back of the head for each. Brutal. The governor liked that part and promoted him on the spot.”

  Saralyn shook her head, the knot in her stomach solidifying into a cold hard lump. “No. It can’t be.” She looked at Jackson as if he could somehow make this nightmare stop. “It can’t be true.” She’d spent years trying to track this man down, and he was a cold-blooded murderer? He’d saved her. This didn’t make sense.

  Jackson draped a comforting arm around her shoulder. “Maybe we got the wrong guy. Or maybe he’s changed since he saved you. It happens. Life can be harsh and some people just cave.”

  She bit her lip to prevent the tears she could feel forming behind her eyes. “I need to know. I have to find out what happened that day, and if he’s my hero or my persecutor.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “You all think I’m one of those kids? Well then, help me to find the truth. Help me to find out if I’m really that high on the government kill list. Please.” Her voice cracked on that last word, sounding soft even to her own ears, and for some reason that pissed her off. She was tough. A survivor. She didn’t cry over stupid things like lost dreams.

  “So how do we do that?” Trace looked at Jackson. “I don’t think walking up to the barracks and knocking on the door is a good idea.”

  “Probably not.” Jackson’s eyes narrowed in thought. “I think Saralyn needs to lay low until we figure this out. She could be in a whole lot of danger this close in to the enforcers’ stronghold.”

  “I need to see this guy. If that puts me in a risky situation, so be it.” Saralyn shrugged. “I have to do it.”

  “There is another way.” Kaeden spoke up, and they all turned to look at him.

  “What did you have in mind?” Jackson sounded hesitant.

  Kaeden shrugged. “We go get this guy and bring him here.”

  Trace snorted. “That’s our sarge. Always got a Plan B. Not always a good one, but a plan.”

  Kaeden put a hand up. “Not as crazy as it sounds. We hack the guy’s schedule, find a point in the day where he’s not surrounded by his enforcer pals, and pick him up. We can make sure he’s under control, take him somewhere neutral and Saralyn can get some face time with him, see if he’s the one she remembers. And, we can decide whether or not he ever gets to see her again.”

  “We’re going to abduct an enforcer?” Jackson raised a sceptical eyebrow. “Do you think that’s smart?”

  “Smarter than waltzing into their stronghold and saying, ‘Hi.’ What do you think Saralyn’s going to do if we don’t? Just let the subject drop because it sounds a bit dangerous?”

  “Good point.” Jackson turned to Saralyn. “What do you think? You want to meet this guy?”

  Well of course she did. Maybe. Somehow, she’d never pictured her brother as one of the bad guys. “I need to. The image of him leading those goons away from me is so clear, I need to know what happened that night. Maybe I have it all wrong and I should be running hard in the opposite direction, but I need to know. Am I one of the lost children, and if I am, then what?” She shook her head. “I have so many questions and I need the answers.” She looked up at Jackson, hoping he’d understand. This wasn’t something she could walk away from.

  Jackson put his hand over hers, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “Then we’ll get you some answers. Trace, can you get us this guy’s schedule for the next few days?”

  “Right here.” Trace fiddled with the tablet, and then held it up so the group could see it. “His division is assigned to night patrol in the Northwest sector of the city for the next week.”

  “That’s a rough section of town.” Kaeden narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “How do they work the patrols? Any chance of catching him on his own? We don’t want to start a fight with the whole damn division or we’ll be looking for a new home in one of the outlying provinces.”

  Trace shrugged. “We’re going to have to get that info the old-fashioned way. Follow them and hope they split up at some point.”

  “We can go scout the area and find somewhere to take him once we pick him up. That end of the city is full of abandoned houses and shops.” Snake spoke up for the first time. “I’ll do that as soon as night falls, and let you guys know where to bring the target.”

  “We’re all set then.” Kaeden nodded at Saralyn. “We’ll do our part, and when we find the guy, Jackson can bring you to the rendezvous point.” He looked around the room. “We all good?” An assortment of grunts and yeahs sounded and he nodded. “Okay then. Meeting over.”

  Saralyn watched the mercenaries file out of the room. If she hadn’t seen them working together to get Dee’s little sister out of that compound, she wouldn’t feel nearly as confident in their abilities to pull this off. They were a ragtag-looking bunch at best, but beneath those unassuming exteriors, she knew they had wills of iron and a multitude of useful skills.

  Chapter Four

  “You guys have no idea the trouble you are in.”

  Kaeden had to give the big guy credit for confidence. They’d used tranq guns to bring him down and the effects must still be in his system, but to listen to him you’d think he was on the verge of breaking his restraints and tearing all four of them to bits with his bare hands. As a precaution, they’d blindfolded him before stuffing him into the jeep and transporting him to the warehouse Snake had chosen. He looked over his shoulder. “You call Jackson?”

  “Yup. Should be here any moment with the girl.” Snake sauntered across the floor toward the captive. “Think we should pull the blindfold? Be interesting to see the look on his face when he sees her.”

  “Girl? This is about a girl?” Disbelief dripped from every word. “I have never done anything to a girl that she didn’t ask for, and enjoy for that matter. You’ve got the wrong guy. If you let me go now, I’ll let it drop. I understand wanting to protect a female.”

  “You don’t understand jack, asshole.” Pete let out a snort of laughter. “If we even thought you laid a hand on the girl, you wouldn’t be sitting there in one piece.”

  “Then what the hell is the problem? This sure don’t feel like any snatch and grab I’ve ever heard of.”

  “So how’d you manage to get a promotion? Rumor has it you offed a couple of kids who pissed off the governor. Not ver
y nice.” Barely restrained rage sounded in Pete’s voice.

  “They weren’t kids, and they deserved what they got. Did the rumor happen to mention that the graffiti they drew was drawn in blood? Blood of a homeless guy who happened to be sleeping on a park bench in front of the wall? I didn’t think so. It kind of takes away from the story, and the rags like a good story.”

  “Got any siblings?” Kaeden threw the question out, and they all watched the big guy for any kind of response.

  “Siblings? Not that I know of. What kind of question is that?”

  * * *

  The sound of a door being opened echoed loud in the empty house, and the men all backed up a step. Saralyn appeared in the doorway with Jackson close behind her. She hesitated, her eyes fixed on the man in the chair, and she drew in a sharp breath. “That’s him.” She whispered the phrase in a hushed voice. “He’s the one who saved me.”

  “Me? Saved you from what?” Exasperation sounded in Brice’s voice. “Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?”

  “Why do you have him blindfolded?” Saralyn walked toward the chair, staring intently at Brice.

  “Just a precaution.” Jackson was right behind her, ready to move if anything or anyone threatened her. “If it turned out we had the wrong guy it would have been easiest to dump him if he didn’t know who we were. No harm, no foul. Now though, I guess you two need to see each other.” Reaching down, he undid the blindfold and pulled it off.

  Brice blinked for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the light.

  Saralyn stood quietly in front of him. Would he recognize her? How much had she changed from that little waif with the big brown eyes that he’d hidden in the dumpster? Had he even thought of her during all these long years?

  “You!” The look of shock on his face was telling. He did remember her. “They told me you were captured and executed. All of you were. How on earth have you managed to avoid them all these years?”