Chapter Five
ELIAS’ STOMACH KNOTTED. Although the colors weren’t those belonging to the Reckoners, that didn’t mean this unknown MC wasn’t affiliated with them.
“How do you know?”
“They were wearing club colors, sir. And no, I don’t recognize the colors. I just caught a glimpse of the patch and the cuts.”
“Coincidence?”
“Doubtful.”
Brent growled. “I wonder if the feds have a leak on their side.”
“Why can’t it be on our side?” Iona asked.
“Not possible. Only three people know about this assignment since Elias has kept the information to himself. Zane and I haven’t talked to anyone. That leaves the feds.”
“That’s not good.” Just thinking about that possibility made his head hurt worse. Someone on the inside might know that he was a plant before he darkened the door of the compound.
“Understatement.” Brent lapsed into silence for a moment. “All right. I’ll see what I can find out from my contact in the FBI. In the meantime, rest and talk over the op with your teammates.”
“I’m not taking them into danger.” Just the thought of taking Echo unit into that much danger made him want to hurl. “Besides, I doubt the MC will be open to that many new prospects at one time.”
“Yeah?” Brent sounded almost cheerful. That was never a good sign. “Let’s see if your teammates agree with you. Report in four hours. If you’re asleep, have Iona make the call.”
“She won’t be there.” He didn’t want her in the line of fire.
“Iona?”
“I’ll take care of it, sir.”
“Good. Maddox out.”
No matter what Iona thought, she was leaving his house. “It won’t work.”
She glanced at him. “We’ll see.”
He frowned. “I have a reason for what I’m doing.”
“So do I. Take a nap, Elias. I’ll let you know if more trouble develops on the way.”
As suddenly as the adrenaline had come, it now disappeared, leaving him wiped out. He closed his eyes.
“I’ve got you, Elias. You can let go for a few minutes.”
Because he believed her, Elias slid into sleep.
Sometime later, the changing speed of the vehicle roused him. Elias sat up with some difficulty. “Trouble?”
“Not unless you count your house as trouble. You’re home.”
He blinked. When his vision cleared, he saw the white colonial-style home he’d bought with Iona in mind. He knew now that was a stupid plan. He’d never escape his past. His father would see to that.
Elias opened the passenger-side door and stood beside the vehicle. He took a few minutes to study his home and landscape, looking for any minute changes. He found none.
“Keys.” Seth held out his hand, palm up.
“I can clear my house.” Yeah, that was a bad-tempered comment considering his team leader was doing him a favor.
“Not today. Give me your keys, Elias.”
He stared at Seth and realized he was beaten, at least today. The truth was, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself properly anyway. The pain meds were wearing off, and his shoulder gnawed at him like a bad toothache. Elias reached into his pocket for his keys and dropped them into Seth’s palm.
After getting Elias’ code for his alarm system, Seth entered the house, turned off the alarm, and began his search. He returned five minutes later. “It’s clear. No sign of intrusion.”
Some of Elias’ tension bled away. “Thanks.”
Seth grinned. “How much did that hurt?”
“Too much to admit my embarrassment. Sorry, man. The pain is getting to me.”
“Did you take pain meds before you left the hospital?”
He remained silent.
His team leader shook his head. “Take the medication. Now. Consider that an order, Knight.”
Elias started to argue, but he hurt too much to put up a fuss. He dug the medication out of his Go bag, popped two pills into his mouth, and swallowed them dry.
“Bed or couch?” Iona asked.
He frowned. “What?”
“You’ll fall asleep in a few minutes. Where will you be the most comfortable?”
“Couch.” That way he could hear if something was happening and help Seth fend off the enemy if he breached security and slipped into the house.
Iona and Seth supported him across the living room and lowered him onto the couch. He groaned as pain washed over him in a wave. Elias closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the couch. Holy smoke. Being shot hurt worse than getting stabbed. The nausea was bad, too.
Seconds later, someone draped a cold pack over his forehead and a second one behind his neck. Like magic, his nausea rolled back to where it was irritating but controllable. Thank God. He really didn’t want to barf in front of the woman of his dreams.
A hand with soft skin stroked his bristled cheek. “Sleep, Elias. You’re at home and safe. We’ve got you.”
Iona. He sighed, nuzzled her hand, and dropped into the darkness.
A long time later, the rumble of men’s voices and Iona’s laughter pulled him back to the surface of consciousness.
He realized two things. One, he was starving, and two, the pain medication had worn off again.
Man, his shoulder hurt badly enough that he might beg Violet for something stronger than the standard mild painkillers the operatives at Fortress routinely used for battle injuries.
Elias opened his eyes to see Grant standing to the side of his living room window, scanning the street and neighbors’ houses. “Everything okay?” he croaked.
“Wondered when you’d rejoin the living. So far, nothing has caught my attention. You’ll have to look when you’re fully awake and see if something catches your eye.” Grant turned away from the window. “Ready to sit up?”
Although it galled him to accept help, Elias nodded. Seconds later, he was sitting up, feet on the floor. He counted it a victory when the room only tilted for a few seconds. Much better than this morning. “What time is it?”
“A few minutes after six. Everyone is here and starving. We ordered pizza.”
His stomach growled. “Sounds good to me. Let’s go eat before the wolves in my kitchen eat everything in sight.”
Grant chuckled. “Relax. Everyone waited for you to wake up.”
They walked into the kitchen to see Echo in different parts of the room, with Seth peering out the back window. The members of Artemis were busy setting up for dinner.
Iona grabbed plates from the cabinet and set them on the dining room table.
Violet made napkins out of paper towels and set one beside each plate.
Teagan pulled glasses from the cabinet and set them on the other side of the plates.
Rayne used the pizza cutter on each pizza.
Riley filled a large bowl with ice and filled each glass.
Soft drinks and bottles of water were in the center of the table.
Iona glanced up, saw him, and smiled. “You’re awake.”
“Barely. So we’re having a party?”
“That’s right. We’re celebrating your survival.”
He blinked. “Okay.”
“If you don’t feel up to eating pizza, you better speak up.” Violet looked at him critically. “We’d rather you didn’t barf, buddy.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Sit down before you fall down.” Noah pulled out a chair for him. “What would you like to drink?”
“Water.” He hadn’t had enough, and he could tell.
“You’ve got it.” His teammate selected a bottle of water, cracked the seal, and handed him the bottle.
Elias downed half of the water before he came up for air. Man, that was good.
Iona picked up a plate. “Does it matter what kind of pizza I choose for you?”
“Nope. I’m not a picky eater. The Army drummed that out of me.”
“Same,” his teammates said in unison.
The women laughed. But it was the truth. You couldn’t be picky in the military or you’d starve until your next meal. They’d learned fast anything was better than MREs.
Iona headed for the breakfast bar, where pizza boxes covered the surface. She loaded his plate with one piece from each box and set the plate in front of him. “Need anything else?”
“Not until my plate is empty.”
She grabbed another plate and placed two pieces on top. After setting her plate beside his, Iona went back for a bowl of salad.
He’d planned to make a joke about the women eating salad, then realized the rest of his teammates were also eating salads. Is that what happened when you got married? You started eating green stuff that resembled the weeds that came out of his yard?
He kept his mouth filled with pizza so he wouldn’t stick his foot in it and offend the women of Artemis.
When they’d polished off the pizzas, Iona and Violet brought out tall glasses, vanilla ice cream, and root beer. His eyes widened. “Root beer floats? I haven’t had one of those since I was a kid.”
“Then you’re missing out, and it’s time we rectified that.”
“Sounds good to me.” Iona made his float and brought it to him along with a long-handled spoon. “Thanks.”
“Let me know if you want another one.”
Soon, the floats were gone, and the table was cleared. Elias knew he couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer when Seth turned to him and said, “Let’s hear it, and your explanation better be good.”
He looked at each of his teammates and their women, then looked at his own and couldn’t say a word. They wouldn’t understand. None of them came from the background he had.
“We’re waiting for an explanation.” Noah folded his arms across his chest. “But I bet I can make your argument for you. Does it go something like this? ‘I didn’t want to tell you because the assignment’s too dangerous.
You’re married and deserve a happy life.
Besides, I can handle things on my own.’ How am I doing? ”
Elias huffed. “Nailed it.”
“Hope you have good tread on your running shoes, Knight, because you’ll need it.” Seth’s gaze bored into him. “I had this exact conversation with Andre. Do you want to join him on his extra five-mile runs or run the miles on your own?”
He swallowed hard. “On my own, sir. Andre leaves me in the dust every time we run together.”
“If you sweet-talk her, Iona might run with you. She’s a good match for your pace.” Seth placed his hands on the table and leaned toward Elias. “If you ever pull this stunt again, you will never run yourself out of trouble. Am I making myself clear, Knight?”
“Yes, sir.”