Chapter Sixteen
Poe Seville’s Home
Same Time
Eight P.M.
W hen he’d been alerted that half of their people at the house had been killed, Von Donore was not amused. Truthfully, he knew one thing, and only one thing as of late.
What was that?
Oh, that good help was damn difficult to find.
You’d think that hiring ex-soldiers would be easy, and that part was, but getting good ones?
Almost impossible.
Clearly, these assholes couldn’t do one simple thing. How goddamn difficult was it to find a freaking psychiatrist on a farm?
Obviously, that was a hard task for his hired thugs.
Because they couldn’t find him, and on top of that, someone ended four of their lives.
To make themselves look even more incompetent, they couldn’t track a doctor on a horse through the trees.
This was annoying him.
When he had to leave the safety of The BlackStone Group building, to come deal with this bullshit, he was not going to be nice.
Not.
At.
All.
Honestly, he didn’t understand how they couldn’t get this under control.
It was a freaking doctor for Christ’s sake.
What the hell?
So, as his helicopter landed, and he stepped out onto the front lawn, he was not in a good mood.
What Von wanted was the goddamn money. That money had been promised to the other owners of the group, and he needed to make them happy.
This wasn’t just his clusterfuck.
This was a group clusterfuck.
Walking toward the house, he was actually appreciative of how nice the doctor’s home was. Then again, he was the son of a Duke and Dutchess, so it should be.
When he’d been told about Hemmingway’s brother, he’d been pissy, since this crypto key was missing, but now, he had hope.
The last thing he wanted to do was kill the doctor.
No.
All he really wanted was the key. If the man would give it to him, he’d let him live.
Von had done research on the man, and if he disappeared, the US government would be suspicious.
Hemmingway Seville first?
Then a Duke and Dutchess?
Now, an American/British citizen doctor?
That went against everything he knew about getting shit done, and it also drew attention to BlackStone .
That wasn’t happening.
Now that the skirmish in Afghanistan was over, they needed that fifty million to keep the company going until the next profitable war.
The Middle East was a shithole of possibilities, and it was only a matter of time before one of those countries made a mess.
Until then, he needed that funding, or he wouldn’t be at the head of The BlackStone Group anymore.
As he walked into the room, what was left of his mercenaries looked worried.
“This had better be good. Show me,” he said.
They walked him out to the barn, and when they reconnected the lights, and opened the one horse’s stall, he saw it.
Three.
Dead.
Men.
Von sighed.
“Well, that’s unfortunate,” he stated. “He lost his head, and the other two look like they had their necks broken. That looks to be a professional hit.”
That it did.
“Do we know who we are dealing with?” he asked. “By any chance?”
One of the last living mercenaries handed him a file. The second Von saw it, he knew.
“Oh, we have a problem,” he said, opening it. Inside, there was a picture of a man, and he had the credentials to prove that this whole situation was bad.
The government was now up in his business—or it would be if this man got away.
“Captain Gamble Holloway, special forces, and CIA operative. Well, fuck, gentlemen. We now have a problem. That this is the Marine hunting you guys down…”
The ex-soldiers all looked scared.
And they should be.
Von had wanted to keep the US Government out of this, and now, it appeared that was NOT going to be the case.
“So this guy is the one protecting the doctor. Do we know why? Is there a connection?”
They weren’t sure.
“Well, at least we know who the ghost is that’s haunting my mission here.”
“What do you want us to do?” the one man asked. “We can’t find Ty. We think he was also killed by him. He was doing rounds, and we haven’t found the body.”
Oh, and they likely wouldn’t.
They were playing games with a highly trained killer. His men…and he used that term lightly since they were more like incompetent children, were fucked.
Well, it would clean up the mess and take out his trash. He could always buy more soldiers.
They were expendable.
“I suggest you get on your quads and start looking in the woods. He’s going to be difficult to find. I’ll see if I can get us some equipment to scan the woods. Maybe I can find something that will pick up heat traces. It’ll take me some time. So spread out, and each of you go in a direction until you find him.”
Or one of them disappeared.
That would tell them where to look.
Now wouldn’t it?
It was clear they hadn’t thought of that.
“There are only three people left who could have this key. Two members are from the platoon and then, there’s Hemmingway’s brother. That code is with one of them. My bets it’s with the man being babysat by a Marine. I need to figure out if the US Government is wise to our plan. If it is, war is coming, boys.”
None of them looked happy.
Well, he didn’t care.
War was profitable, and if it meant making one break out in a US city…
So.
Be.
It.
“Search the house, and see if the code is there.”
One of the men raised his hand.
“Sir, we searched. We can’t find it,” he said.
Von pulled out his gun and shot the man in the head. He dropped to the floor.
“Can’t isn’t in my vocabulary, Gentlemen. We find the doctor, and see if we can motivate him to give me the code. If he’s friends with the Marine, we’ll use that to our advantage.”
“So, when we find them…?”
Von smiled.
“Be nice to the doctor, and maybe I’ll hire the Marine. God knows he outsmarted ten mercenaries and did it without you assholes being any the wiser.”
Sadly, for Von, wasn’t that the truth?
As Von went to make some calls, his mind was spinning. The other members of The BlackStone Group were not going to be happy when he gave them this update.
They had to find that code before this whole mission compromised the company.
Or heads would roll.
* * * Hunters * * *
Same Time
The Woods
Not Far Away
Hell!
He was getting tired, but there was no way that Gamble was giving up. He wasn’t leaving Rufus behind in the woods to die.
Something might get him, or worse, the assholes who hurt him would light him on fire and burn him alive.
That wasn’t happening.
This was his dog.
THEIR dog.
They were all getting out of this, or none of them were. Now, he had to hope and pray that Zayn, the paranoid nut, had his phone on.
This was a lesson to be learned. It was a bad idea not to have memorized anyone else’s number. Going forward, he was making sure he did just that.
When Rufus whimpered, he comforted him.
“It’s okay, boy. I have you,” Gamble said, scratching him and trying to keep him quiet. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll get you fixed up.”
Only, with each step, he was jostling Rufus’ body, and he knew the dog had to be hurting in the worst way.
“We’re almost back to Poe. I’ll get us there, and I’ll catch you some fish. We’ll fix you up, boy.”
The dog licked his arm, giving him kisses.
“I’m sorry that I had to leave you behind,” he admitted. “I wish I didn’t. I killed the assholes who hurt you, and I’ll get the rest.”
Rufus just let him carry him and the whole time, his tail was wagging.
God.
He felt horrible for letting his dog be hurt. Gamble was going to make it up to him. As soon as he and Poe got through this, he was getting a big steak on a bone.
Bet.
On.
It.
As he was almost there, he heard something that made his bowels run cold.
A quad.
Fuck.
It looked like the bodies were found, and the shit was about to hit the fan with him and Rufus out in the open.
Now, he had to think quick.
From the sound of it, there only seemed to be one quad coming from the direction of the farm. It looked like they were going to have to play a game.
Finding some soft grass, he put Rufus down, and kept his voice low.
“You stay here,” he said. “Okay? I’m going to get the asshole heading this way,” he admitted, pulling some rope from his bag.
As he wound it around two trees, that a driver on a quad would have to go through, he only hoped it was dark enough that the guy wouldn’t notice.
As soon as it was strung up, he moved back toward Rufus, and got ready.
When the lights from the quad appeared through the woods, and seemed to come to a stop, he whispered to Rufus.
“Bark,” he said.
Rufus listened, and did. That got the driver’s attention. He floored it, and headed right toward them. Only, he wouldn’t be getting them.
The guy blew through the trees, and was met with a rope at throat level.
It clotheslined him right from the quad.
As soon as the man hit the ground, he was gasping for breath, as the rope crushed his throat.
Moving toward him in the woods, he reached the man, and grabbed his gun.
“That’s for touching my fucking dog,” he said, crouched down next to him. “And this is for trying to hurt the man I love,” he added.
And then used the butt of the rifle to destroy his face, and end his life.
Then, he dragged him by the ankles to a ravine, and shoved him into it. The body rolled to the bottom, and rested in the shadows below.
Well, that was another one down.
Going back over to the quad, he looked for a phone or radio.
Unfortunately, there weren’t any.
The man’s walkie talkie must have fallen off in the leaves, and Gamble knew he didn’t have much time before another might come by.
So, it was time to move.
Picking up Rufus, he carried him to the quad, and used his jacket to hold him bundled up so his leg didn’t move.
Then, he followed his trail markers to where the rocks were.
He’d have to leave Rufus with Poe, and go dump the quad. It was too easily traced and tracked in the woods. He wouldn’t take a chance.
They’d be moving out later tonight.
For a brief moment, he thought about using the quad to escape with Poe, but he wasn’t sure it wasn’t being tracked.
These were mercenaries, and this was their equipment that they had brought in—not Poe’s.
Moving around the woods, he came to a stop every now and again, just to throw off anyone who might be tracking the vehicle.
If he got lucky, they’d be good.
When he screwed with them, he headed deeper into the reservation, making it back to where he stashed Poe.
Turning off the quad, he picked up his dog, and found the entrance to the cave. As soon as he did, he called to his man.
“Poe, it’s me,” he warned so as not to scare the man.
There was silence, and then, he heard him.
“Gamble?” came his voice.
Oh, shit.
It was crystal clear that Poe sounded stressed.
To.
The.
Max.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m back. I didn’t want you to jump out and club me to death,” he joked.
What were the chances?
Probably, slim to none, but in the dark, he didn’t want to get shanked by a knife either, and he’d armed him when he left.
When he walked into the grotto, his man was sitting by the fire, and he looked like he was about to lose his shit.
As in cry.
The second Poe saw him, he was up, and heading toward him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Gamble was, but he knew Poe wouldn’t be shortly. He was going to have to tell him about what he’d found out about his parents and brother.
That was going to suck for both of them, but more so, Poe.
“Yeah, I’m good, Baby,” he said, not realizing what he’d even called him.
When Poe went to say something, that’s when he saw what Gamble was carrying in his arms.
Their dog.
“What happened to Rufus?” he asked.
Unwrapping him from his flannel jacket, Gamble told him.
“They had him tied to a post and were going to burn him alive,” he stated.
Poe gasped.
“What? Who does sick shit like that?” he asked in absolute horror at hearing that. Rufus was a living thing, and he couldn’t imagine.
As for Gamble, well, he knew what kind of animal would do that.
Mercenaries.
Gamble went there.
“Well, you tell me. You deal with the crazy, Poe. That’s pretty high up on the list for me.”
That it was.
Psychopaths did shit like that, and now, they’d hurt his dog.
That pissed Poe off.
It took him a minute, and then, the realization hit him.
“The horses!” he said, looking around like he was about to bolt.
Gamble reassured him.
“I saw all four, and three of them were currently getting fat in the orchard at the apple buffet.”
Why wasn’t he shocked?
Now, though, he was curious.
“Where’s the fourth one?”
He told him.
“Snow is on her way there. I set her free from the stables. She’ll be bellying up to the buffet any moment now, if not already.”
Thank God.
That was a weight off of his shoulders.
When Rufus whimpered, Poe focused on him because he needed them.
“Poor dog,” he said, gently petting him.
Gamble told him what else they were doing to the dog.
“They were dropping big rocks on him, trying to hurt him, and now, he has a broken leg. It was risky bringing him, since they could hear him if he barks, but I couldn’t leave him behind again. They were going to kill him.”
Poe stared into his eyes, and at first, Gamble really believed he was going to be upset when he said he killed them.
He was wary.
Poe wasn’t a mercenary.
He was a doctor.
“Did you make them pay for what they did to him?” he asked.
And that was the last thing he wanted to answer.
Gamble knew this was a slippery slope. Poe came across as the kind of guy who would turn the other cheek and not burn the village down in rage.
That was not Gamble.
Not.
At.
All.
“Yes. Let’s just say they won’t be hurting anything again,” he stated. “They met their maker.”
Honestly, Poe was glad.
“My poor dog,” he said, petting Rufus and letting him kiss his face.
Gamble laughed.
“Technically, he’s my dog. You gave him to me,” he admitted. “Remember? You can’t take him back now. I just schlepped him miles in the woods.”
Poe laughed.
He was so glad the man was back. Now, he wasn’t nearly as afraid. Gamble had gotten there and back again, so they were safe.
“I do believe you’re right, Mate,” he admitted. “Then, he’s ours.”
That he was.
That warm fuzzy feeling didn’t last long.
Because he knew what was coming, Gamble kissed him. He slid his hand into his hair, and tugged his mouth closer.
The lip lock was steamy, and it left no doubt in Gamble’s mind that this was, definitely, his man.
God.
He missed him and had been worried.
Poe fell into the kiss, and it was when Rufus began kissing them too that he slowly pulled away.
“Told you that I’d be back,” he admitted. “Only, now, I have to go again.”
That brought the panic back.
What?
Was?
This?
“Pardon?” he asked.
Gamble handed him Rufus.
“I took out one of their men and ditched his body. He was on a quad. I rode it here with Rufus. He was getting heavy. Now, I have to go ditch it away from here. I don’t want to lead them to us. There are more out there.”
Shit.
“Will you be okay?” Poe asked.
Gamble palmed his cheek, and stared into his baby-blue eyes. Even in the shadows, they made his heart skip.
“Yeah, I will. I’m going to leave you what I was able to get. We have some tea, apples, and I’ll go fishing again when I get back. Try to take care of Rufus and keep him quiet. If he starts barking, grab his mouth and hold it shut. He’s not going to like it, but he’ll like being lit on fire even less.”
Oh, well, he didn’t have to worry.
He’d do it.
Poe felt bad the poor thing had been hurt.
Clearly, Gamble did too.
“He’ll be a good boy, though,” he said, kissing his dog on the top of his head. “I’ll be back, buddy,” he stated.
He glanced over at Poe.
“Later, we’re going to have to head out. I’ll stash the quad where we can get to it. Then, we’ll ride it out later when they settle down. If it’s still there, then they likely aren’t tracking it.”
That worked for him.
Poe just wanted to get somewhere safe.
“Please be careful,” he warned.
Gamble smiled.
Oh, he had nothing to worry about. Now that it was pitch black under the canopy of trees, this was his preferred terrain.
“I’ll be back,” he said.
Then, he walked into the shadows of the grotto, and headed out, once more, leaving Poe alone.
Well, this time, he had Rufus, so that was a little better.
Carrying him over to the small fire, he placed him softly on the ground, and dug through the pack. He found a blanket, and used the knife Gamble gave him to cut a few strips. Then, he got some of the wood in the pile, and looked at the dog.
“You’re not going to like this, Rufus, but we have to get this splint on your leg. I’m sorry they hurt you,” he offered.
He sat beside his dog, and saw the wounds on his body from burns.
That made him sick because he knew what they would be. That this poor animal had been hurt broke his heart. He made the silent vow that no one would hurt him again.
“I don’t know what these animals want,” he said, “but Gamble will find out and keep us safe,” he offered. “Then, we’ll be okay.”
And he hoped they would be.
All of their lives were now relying on how well Poe had done healing the damaged man.
If there was ever a time to have done his job right, this was that time.
It was a matter of life or death.