Protecting Tessa (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Brotherhood Alliance #6)

Chapter 10

10

M arty Hayes hung up the phone and hurled it across the car seat. He’d been in bumfuck Florida for the past three days with no sign of Tessa Donnelly.

He was surrounded by lakes, woods and small towns that some people would think charming, but all Marty saw was an endless stretch of swampy nothingness filled with insects, wild beasts, and mold interspersed with decrepit buildings.

He sneezed for the one-hundredth time. His allergies were going to be the death of him.

If he couldn’t find Tessa soon, his life and Damien’s weren’t worth a damn, especially after Malina got through with them.

Malina! Now she was a wild woman. Just thinking about her sent a shiver down his spine.

Appearance-wise, she was intelligent, sophisticated and elegant. Underneath, she was sadistic and more than dangerous. She was tall and slender with hazel eyes, long black hair and a generous mouth that he imagined wrapped around his cock.

That is, before he remembered what happened to the last man who disappointed her in business.

Malina forced him, Damien and another associate to watch as she had the man castrated.

The guy fainted, but when he came to, she had his cock cut off and stuffed into his mouth. His screams were silenced, but the moans—oh God, those moans remained in his nightmares. So, he had to find Tessa. Marty really liked his balls and cock just where they were, thank you very much.

The tracker they had put on Tessa’s car had stopped working in the relentless rain, leaving Marty at a dead end and frustrated.

Finally, just this morning, Damien called with a potential lead. Marty had been off by miles. He’d lost Tessa in the downpour after she turned off her headlights and apparently veered off onto a side road. Unfortunately, he didn’t realize he lost her until he got to a small town and got a motel room.

This morning, when the rain stopped, he followed Damien’s directions and turned his car down a muddy dirt road. Marty’s pulse quickened in anticipation as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Would he find Tessa? His orders were to kill her, but maybe he’d have some fun with her before that happened. She was a fine-looking woman.

The forest parted, revealing a small cabin.

However, he didn’t see Tessa’s car.

Had Damien made a mistake?

It didn’t matter. Marty killed the engine and stepped out of the car, his shoes sinking slightly into the damp earth. He walked up to the porch. He flexed his fingers, thinking he might have to kick the door in. First, he tried opening it and realized the lock was busted. He smirked. Dollars to doughnuts, Tessa had broken in.

The door creaked as Marty cautiously opened it. He stepped inside, first reaching for his gun. Silence.

Inside, it was as rustic as he expected.

Marty checked the bedroom first. His pulse jumped when he saw an open suitcase. Women’s clothes! She had been here, but where was she now?

First, he had to find the recorder. The bitch took it with her when she fled, and they had no idea what was on it. Could be a lot, could be nothing, but Damien wasn’t taking any chances.

Furious that he was stuck in Florida, Marty trashed the place, starting with Tessa’s suitcase, ripping up a picture of her standing with her parents and smiling. Damn her. Every drawer, every cabinet was searched and emptied.

The bureau and closet held men’s clothing, but Marty didn’t think the guy was here. He upended the couch, smashed the plates in the kitchen, pulled the toilet away from the wall, and watched as the water flooded the place. Nothing. Damn her. Where could she have hidden it? And where was her car?

Marty stomped out of the cabin and glanced around. The car must be behind the cabin. He walked around back and bingo. He pulled out his knife and yanked the door open. In a frenzy, he proceeded to slice and dice everything in the car.

Nothing. There was no recorder. No Tessa.

If Tessa wasn’t here, where was she? Maybe she walked into town. Although the nearest town was a few miles away.

He stomped back to his car and dialed Damien.

“The bitch isn’t here. I couldn’t find a recorder.”

Marty listened to Damien’s furious screams, then rolled his eyes before hanging up. Maybe he’d just wait here for her to turn up. No sense going back to that fleabag motel he was staying in.

Leaning against his car, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it while contemplating his life.

Things were going so well.

Damien had the club and his drug route. Cash was coming in, going out, and they had willing women at their disposal.

Why did Tessa have to ruin it?

Marty coughed. Damn. Time to give up these cancer sticks, but it was his only vice. Well, not his only vice. The other was he enjoyed hurting people, enjoyed hearing them beg for their lives as he was hurting them, but that wasn’t happening today.

The sound of a heavy truck echoed in the woods. Someone was coming. It wouldn’t be Tessa. Marty hurried to his car, turned it on and began driving down the long drive. He could see dust coming from around the corner, so he pulled off into a clearing in the woods. A huge tow truck passed him.

Time to get out of here before he was spotted. This wasn’t finished—not by a long shot.