Chapter Seventeen
The Swamp
Clint Rust’s Cabin
T he mercenaries outside appeared to have an endless supply of bullets, and they were sitting ducks in that cabin. They were pinned down, and unless they did something, and soon, the chances were they weren’t getting out of the swamp.
Alive.
For The Hunters, it was do or die time, and it was time to lean into their biggest assets.
The element of surprise.
Unfortunately, Jagger couldn’t move, since he was protecting his wife from the gunfire—and equally as important, his unborn child.
Oh, and he wasn’t moving until the bullets stopped flying.
“Jinx, can you get to the back door?” he asked as a bullet went by his face a little too close for his comfort.
She nodded, and began rolling, right toward the door to get back outside.
Zayn couldn’t let her do it alone.
Rogue would kill him.
“I’ll cover her,” Zayn said, knowing that if his wife was out in this, he’d want one of his brothers to handle the situation.
By protecting her.
The rest of them stayed down, as Raphael flipped the table over, and used it to reinforce part of the wall that was disintegrating.
Then, so he could fire back, he busted out the last part of the window and began returning fire.
Ivan joined him, while Gunny helped Jagger keep Maura safe. The woman had taken a shot to the Kevlar, and they really needed to check her, when it was safe to do so.
Outside of the thin-walled cabin, Jinx and Zayn knew what to do. They both dove off the platform, and entered the water.
The two of them knew the mercenaries in the boat wouldn’t be looking down. They’d expect fire from inside, not a sneak attack from behind them.
And that would work to their advantage.
As they got up close to the boat, Zayn grabbed a crabbing trap that bumped his leg, and wound the chain around the blades of the motor, making sure they weren’t leaving any time soon.
Then, they listened as the men reloaded.
“Von is going to want to know who this group is,” the one Mercenary said. “We need to get at least one of them alive.”
The other man agreed.
“Be careful not to kill one!” he warned.
Zayn checked out the odds.
There were three in the boat, and they could handle them. Unfortunately for the assholes, this was going to be the last voyage they ever saw.
Bet.
On.
It.
They were going to keep one of them alive too.
“Distract them,” Zayn whispered into his com, knowing he and Jinx had to get on that boat.
“Copy,” Ivan said.
Oh, and it didn’t take him long.
As soon as there was a lull in the firing, again, the door opened, and out came a burning bottle of alcohol.
It hit the front of the boat, and exploded into flames, surprising the men.
Well, that distraction would do just fine.
Who didn’t like a molotov cocktail in a fire fight in the swamp?
When they went to motor out of the way, they couldn’t move, and that gave them the last distraction Jinx and Zayn needed.
The two Marines popped up, shot two of the men, and wounded the third.
As they moved onto the boat, the surviving man tried to grab his gun, but it was empty. He’d yet to reload after peppering the cabin with rounds.
To stop him from doing stupid shit, Zayn punched him in the face.
It looked as if they had their detainee.
Play stupid games.
Win stupid prizes.
Oh, and this man was playing the stupidest game of them all. He was working for a traitor.
When the man was down, he shouted out to the group.
“They’re contained,” he said, not wanting any more molotov cocktails tossed their way.
That wasn’t the kind of fun he liked.
“Let’s get this asshole into the cabin. It looks like we have two pieces of shit to interrogate,” Zayn said, as they untangled the motor to get it beside the cabin deck.
It was information time.
Oh, and it was about damn time too.
Meanwhile...
Inside the cabin, there was a rush to do one thing, and only one thing. Now that the bullets had stopped flying, Jagger had his own mission.
He was pulling off his wife’s gear to see if she was hurt.
From the sound she made when he touched her chest, under the vest, there was no doubt that she was in pain.
Damn it.
He knew something bad was going to happen when she came into the swamp. Granted, he thought she’d be gator bait, but this was worse.
When he slid his hands deeper under the vest, past her breasts, he felt wetness.
At first, he nearly freaked out, but they were all wet since they’d been in the water.
“Are you good, Baby?” he asked, scared stupid.
“Yeah, but you’re not,” she said, seeing his arm. He was bleeding onto her.
“It’s just a graze,” he admitted, getting off of her body so he didn’t keep crushing his child. “Jesus Christ, Maura,” he muttered.
Yeah, he was riled up.
BIG.
TIME.
“I’m good,” she said, getting up now that she could breathe in again.
They didn’t know if the assholes outside radioed for backup, so they had to move. The pain could wait.
Now, Zayn and Jinx were just dragging an unconscious man into the cabin.
“Get him tied down,” Jagger said. “I can’t handle any more surprises today, or I’m going to lose my goddamn mind.”
That was the truth too.
He was a man on the edge.
Maura was back on her feet and getting back into her gear that Jagger removed as the others sat Clint Rust back up on his chair legs.
“Are you guys good?” Elizabeth asked over the com when the gunfire slowed down, and they heard Jagger’s voice. “We can get to you,” she stated.
Maura reassured her.
“We’re good, but these two assholes…they aren’t going to be feeling it soon.”
That said it all.
It was interrogation time.
“Get us something, Major,” Elizabeth said over the com. “And get us something good.”
Oh, well, that was the plan.
Now, they had to make it happen.
* * * Hunters * * *
The Native Reservation
Same Time
Thirty Minutes Later
Because he didn’t want to leave Poe alone in the grotto, caring for their injured dog for too long, he hauled ass. It was a run through the woods, risking being heard.
First, he found a good spot, and then, he parked the quad far enough away from where they were stashed, so they could get to it later.
When they moved out.
Only, before any of that could happen, Gamble knew he needed to tell Poe what he’d learned.
Truthfully, he feared having to do this.
What he was trying to do was connect with the man, and start something. Poe had made it perfectly clear that he was upset that Gamble wanted to leave him behind.
Now, he was worried Poe would walk away out of losing the people he loved, and how they’d died. He feared he’d blame the messenger.
Grief did a lot to people.
Yeah, this was a tricky situation.
When he approached the formation, off in the distance, he could hear more quads roaming around, and he hoped that he’d placed the quad far enough away from them to keep the mercenaries busy.
As soon as it quieted down, they would move out to get the fuck out of here. Staying here was now dangerous. He just had to figure out where they could go.
The quad only had so much gas, and that limited the escape area.
Inside the grotto, he found Poe taking care of their dog’s leg. He’d already splinted it, and he had Rufus resting on a blanket by the fire.
The dog was sleeping peacefully, and being tended to by the other man.
“How’s the patient?” Gamble asked, heading their way.
Poe was honest.
“He’s exhausted. They really hurt him. I found some cream in the pack, and put it on his burns. Those assholes burned him about ten times with their cigarettes. That makes me want to cry and kill someone simultaneously.”
Oh, he understood that.
Gamble did the latter because sometimes, a good bloodbath did a Marine good.
Then again, that tended to be his first response when someone he loved was hurt.
“We’ll get him out of here later. We’re going to have to move out. The woods are alive right now. When they settle down in the middle of the night, we’ll head out. I heard quads not far away. We’re going to have to keep rufus quiet.”
At his name, he looked up.
“You’re a good boy,” he stated. “The best boy.”
Rufus did a doggy grin and rested on the makeshift bed to sleep some more.
“Are you hungry?” Gamble asked. “I can dive and get us some food.”
Poe handed him an apple.
“I’m good. This will be fine. Thanks for getting me some apples. Honestly, I’m curious about what happened tonight.”
Oh, boy.
Gamble was going to have to break this man’s heart by telling him his family was dead.
This.
Sucked.
Big-time.
“Well, I already told you about the horses. I didn’t tell you how Diablo kicked the shit out of one of the bad guys. I was tucked into the weeds, and the asshole was moving toward me. Diablo didn’t like it, and he put himself between us and kicked him.”
Poe ate his apple and listened.
“What happened then?” he asked.
Gamble debated on how much to share. They came from different worlds, and again, he didn’t want to freak Poe out to the point he thought he was a homicidal nutbag.
“I had to handle it.”
Now, Poe was curious.
“You’re hesitating and holding back from me. Do you think I’m going to be disgusted by you telling me you had to take a life?” he asked, taking a shot at it.
Oh, that was a concern.
How could it not be?
“We come from different worlds, Doctor. You save lives. I end them. Of course, I’m afraid. I don’t want you to look at me and see a monster. I’m walking a very delicate line here.”
Honestly, his words horrified Poe.
“Gamble, Mate,” he began, his accent thick. “You bloody well know you saved us. Had it not been for your quick thinking, and getting us out of there, who knows what would have happened?”
Oh, he knew.
They would have killed him, and then tortured Poe for what they were looking for at his place.
Both of them would be dead by now.
“I just don’t want you to fear me. That doesn’t bode well for a relationship.”
Poe sat there.
At that word, now, he was curious.
“Is that what we have?” he asked. “Because a few hours ago, you were willing to walk away and leave me behind, so I was safe.”
Well, a lot had changed in a few hours. Starting with sex, and ending with a band of mercenaries who wanted to hurt Poe.
Not.
Him.
“I asked you to run with me, didn’t I?” Gamble asked. “That should tell you everything you need to know about what I want.”
Poe said nothing.
That worried Gamble to the point he had to ask.
“Have you changed your mind?” Gamble inquired, knowing he’d not leave Poe now.
His life was in danger.
“What’s going to happen after all of this?” Poe asked. “That’s what I’m thinking about.”
Gamble wasn’t sure.
“What do you want to happen? Let’s face it, Doctor, I don’t fit in your world. You are a good man who helps people, and you promised to keep doing that. I help people, but I use any means necessary. I mean, you can hire me to take care of the horses. I might fit in as stable help.”
That hurt Poe’s heart.
Was that all he thought he was worth to him?
Hired help?
That was anything but close.
“Or you could stay with me,” he suggested, “and we can figure it out as we work through it.”
Gamble’s heart skipped.
“Is that what you want?” he asked, feeling some hope. Since this wasn’t about his past, it shouldn’t be hard to clean up. Once he got Poe clear of this, they might be able to have a normal life.
Whatever that meant.
Would he walk away from The Hunters for this man if need be?
Yes.
In a heartbeat.
If he was being completely honest, Gamble wanted to have mornings with him, and ride with him. He wanted to take care of the horses, and be normal. Elizabeth told him when he’d been fixed that she’d give him a new identity, and let him walk away.
He’d walk straight for Poe.
Every.
Single.
Chance.
The man made him feel safe, alive, and most importantly, like he could be himself. With Storm, he had to protect her, and be someone he wasn’t.
She felt like his last chance, and he’d been so desperate to just have love that he’d been willing to do it.
Now, he didn’t need to be desperate. He was worthy of love, and now that he had it, he wasn’t letting go.
“That’s what I want,” Poe said. “I don’t know how, Gamble, but you got behind the wall I built. I’m good at being a doctor, but you were a fail for me.”
He blinked.
“I fell in love.”
Oh, well, he had news for him.
“I’m in love too, Poe. I don’t want to leave you. I want to be near you. I’ve been trying for a month to get you to fall for me.”
Poe was honest.
“I am well aware. You’re horrible at being sneaky. I had a suspicion when you kissed me by the pond that you didn’t need to stay for your mental health.”
He grinned.
“I was waiting for you to kiss me first, and apparently, Doctor, you’re a slow mover. Luckily for you, I’m not.”
He laughed.
“I see that,” Poe said.
Because he said he was waiting for him to kiss him, Poe took a chance. Leaning into him, he found his mouth, and kissed Gamble. His lips moved over his, and he enjoyed that moment.
The whole time he was kissing him, Gamble was worried.
Would what they’d begun be strong enough to hold up under what was coming?
He wasn’t sure, but he knew he could only stall for so long.
When Poe broke the kiss, he was curious.
“So what else did you find out?” he asked.
Oh, Jesus.
Here’s where it got bad.
Gamble had to go there and have a conversation with the man he loved, and he didn’t want to. Only, he owed it to Poe to share this with him.
“I found out some things, Poe, and they are bad news,” he admitted.
The man blinked.
Uh-oh.
“Bad?” he asked. “How bad is bad?”
Oh, well, here went the first blow.
“This isn’t about me, Poe. They aren’t after me. They are after you.”
In that moment, it was clear he wasn’t expecting that. The look on his face said it all. He was hella confused. Gamble knew he was going to ask more questions.
He’d do the same thing.
“What do you mean?” he asked. “Why would they be after me? I lead the most normal life. I’m a doctor. I help people. What did I do that called this atrocity out on me, and you?”
Gamble felt nauseous.
“Please know that if I could not tell you any of this, I would. Only, you’re going to find out at some point, and I want to be the one who tells you, so you have a little gentleness with this. As the person who loves you, it should be me to do it.”
Poe was so confused.
“What?” he asked.
“This is about Hemmingway, not so much you,” he began.
Poe sat there.
He hadn’t been expecting that.
Not.
At.
All.
“My brother? He died three years ago. What could he have possibly done? He was a hero. He flew Apache helicopters and saved people.”
It was time.
“The people chasing you are mercenaries, Poe. Back in Afghanistan, your brother stole a crypto code.”
As soon as it was said, Poe was horrified.
“My brother was not a thief! He was a good man!” he said, getting upset.
Gamble touched his leg.
“Let me finish. I’m not saying he’s a bad guy. He found out that a military contractor was going to use the money in a cryptocurrency account to bribe Taliban fighters to kill American and British soldiers. He stole the code so the military group couldn’t do it. He was protecting innocent soldiers on the ground.”
Poe’s heart was thumping.
What had his brother done?
Gamble kept going.
“Also, Poe, Hemmingway didn’t die in a helicopter that went down. The bad guys made it look like it to cover their tracks.”
Oh, holy shit.
Poe was gobsmacked.
He didn’t expect that.
Not.
At.
All.
Gamble had to make sure.
“Do you know what I’m saying?” he asked, hoping to god he did.
Poe went there.
“He was murdered?” he asked.
Gamble nodded.
“He took the key, and they were looking for it. From what I heard them saying, they think it was with his things that were sent home, and you have them.”
Poe was confused.
“How would they know I have his things? I went home and picked them up, and I’ve not been back. They weren’t sent to me. They were sent to my parents.”
That sat there.
Gamble stared at him, willing him to put two and two together.
He saw when he did.
The lightbulb went on, and Poe pieced it together.
“Wait. They knew I had his things because they went to my parent’s home?” he asked.
Gamble slowly nodded.
In that moment, Poe’s heart was thundering in his chest. The look on Gamble’s face said it was bad, and he knew what would be the worst-case scenario.
He went there.
“Are my parents okay?” he asked. “I just talked to them last week.”
Oh, he was aware.
Now, he had to be the one that broke this man’s heart into a million pieces.
“No, they aren’t okay, Poe. I overheard them talking about it.”
Suddenly, Poe had tears in his eyes.
“Gamble, Mate, are they dead?” he asked, his lower lip quivering when he said that last word.
“I’m sorry, Poe,” he whispered. “They said they killed them looking for the crypto key.”
That’s when the tears started falling.
Gamble sat there, and he saw the man’s world being blown apart. He knew what it was like to lose your family. Storm took his daughter away from him, and he knew that feeling of your whole world bottoming out.
“I’m sorry,” Gamble said.
Poe just sat there crying.
He lowered his head, and Gamble could see the tears dripping onto the leg of his pants.
“I can’t believe this,” Poe whispered. “My whole family is gone. I’ll never see them again.”
Gamble moved closer.
“Baby,” he whispered, putting his arms around him. When he did, Poe leaned into him, and the crying intensified.
He just held him.
What else could he possibly do?
“I’m here,” Gamble reassured. “I wish this was about me, Poe. I’d take this for you and carry it if I could. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this.”
“Did they suffer?” Poe asked. “Did my mother and father suffer?”
He didn’t know.
But he knew what Poe needed.
When his child had been murdered, he’d asked the same question.
He’d needed to know.
“No, Poe, they didn’t.”
Poe let him hold him. He moved into his body, and sat in his lap. When he was wrapped in his arms, he let the emotions go.
They poured out of him and Gamble just weathered the storm with him.
He held him, and let the man sob.
Poe had just lost his family, and his life would never be the same again.
Murder did that.
“I sent a text out to get us help, Poe. It’ll come, and we’ll be okay.”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he just leaned against Gamble and closed his eyes. In his head, he was feeling guilty.
He’d not gone back because it hurt.
Now, he had to go back.
His father would need him to make sure that Penelope and he were laid to rest. Liam would want him to make sure the horses were okay, and the staff was handled.
“Why did no one call me?” Poe finally got out.
God.
This was horrible.
“They killed everyone, Poe. That’s the only logical reason you weren’t called. It had to be earlier this week.”
Poe wiped his eyes and clung to the man.
“They were taking a holiday this week. Both of them were taking time off from their duties to just enjoy the horses and each other. My father was so happy to have a vacation with his horse and my mother.”
Gamble ran his hands up and down his back.
“I have no one left.”
That wasn’t true.
“You have me, Poe,” he said, wanting nothing more than to be this man’s family.
From not far away, Rufus managed to get up on his splint, and hobbled over to Poe. He put his head on his lap, and Poe began petting him.
“You have Rufus. You have us. I know we’re not much, but we love you.”
Poe just sobbed.
His life as they knew it had changed. As someone who helped people, he didn’t know how to help himself.
He felt…
Empty.
Gamble knew they had to figure this out. Honestly, if possible, he’d give the mercenaries the crypto key to keep Poe safe.
“Did you see anything odd in your brother’s things? It would be a key code with a lot of numbers. I’m talking like two hundred and fifty-six numbers long. They are almost impossible to hack, and he would have taken it and tucked it away to keep it from ending up with the bad guys.”
Poe thought about it.
“No. The only thing I took was a box of Hemmingway’s things. Some books, his medals, a sword that was given to him by the royal family. It was trivial things.”
Clearly, they weren’t.
Poe wanted to head home. He wanted to get on a plane and go back to England to make sure this was the truth. Maybe there was some mistake.
Maybe they weren’t dead.
“I just want to rest a while,” Poe whispered. “I need to rest,” he said.
And Gamble knew why.
He wanted to hide.
When you were emotionally battered and bruised, hiding in sleep helped. It gave you time to regroup and to try and get your footing again.
This would take Poe a while, and Gamble knew it. What he knew was he’d be by his side to help him.
“Okay, Baby,” he offered. “You can sleep. I’ll watch over you. Get some rest. We have to move out later.”
Poe crawled off of his lap, moved around Rufus, and found a spot next to the cave wall. He curled into a ball, and cried himself asleep.
The whole time, Gamble didn’t know how to make this right.
Oh, well, he did.
But that would mean hunting down the men responsible for breaking Poe.
And ending their lives.
It looked like he wasn’t retiring quite yet.
He had mercenaries to end.