Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
A lot of times, having a metric shit ton of money sucked.
Especially when you didn’t know if people were your friend for you, or for the amount at the end of your bank statement.
At other times, it fucking rocked, Gunnar decided.
Especially when you wanted to land at a private airport, transfer a prisoner to a blacked-out truck, and transport him across town to your fancy ass compound which had a cell with his name on it.
“Hit the wire there, will ya, Colt, and tell Dory we are two minutes out.”
“On it.” Colt picked up the handset. “Yo, Dory, flip the switch. We’ll be there in two.”
“Copy.”
“I can’t wait to have a real fucking shower.” Colt replaced the handset on the hook. “This shit of having sand and dirt itching the crack of my ass is getting old.”
“Maybe it’s you who’s getting old,” Gunnar teased.
“You’re older than me, bro.” Colt waved at the camera as they swept through the gates of their Agadir compound and around the back of the building. It wouldn’t do for anyone to get a glimpse of them hauling the asshole Zombie had captured in the front door. “What’s that make you? Grandpa?”
“Mature. It makes me mature.”
“Sure.” Colt drawled out the word. “If you say so.”
Sometimes having brothers, especially younger ones, was a pain in the ass.
His mom should have listened when he’d begged her to send them back when he was two.
Instead, here he was four decades later and stuck with them.
Gunnar pulled the truck parallel with the entrance and jumped out to open the door for Marco.
It took both of their efforts to haul the prisoner out, and they half carried-half dragged him toward the cells.
“Move, motherfucker.” He jerked hard on the prisoner’s upper arm.
“You’re going in there the easy way, aka walking, or the hard way, with me dragging your ass. Don’t matter none to me which it is.”
“This is illegal…”
“Quit whining and move your ass,” he grumbled.
What the hell ever happened to taking your punishment like a man, for fuck’s sake?
“My government will pay to get me back.”
“Your government won’t pay jack shit,” Gunnar deadpanned. “I don’t need your country’s fucking money. I couldn’t spend what’s in my bank account if I went shopping with my ex—wife for six months straight.” He nodded to Talon and his brother made a clicking sound with his tongue.
Zombie immediately snarled and snapped at the back of the prisoner’s calves without making contact.
Gunnar bit back a grin when the man jumped and shot forward.
There was nothing like the threat of a pissed off MWD to get someone’s reluctant ass in gear.
This moment right here reinforced the reason he had fought so hard for Zombie to retire from the military with Talon.
It had taken a personal guarantee of continued service via Black Ops to the President of the United States to secure those orders, but Zombie was worth it.
With Zombie’s aid, they got the prisoner into the holding cell.
One of Dory’s men ensured the door was secured before taking up guard duty in front of it. “Dory is waiting for you upstairs, Sir.”
“Thank you.” Gunnar nodded to Dolan, a recent recruit to The Four X’s Group from Delta Force.
Dolan would spend at least another six months here, completing the BUD/s style course before graduating to field ops.
In his book, there was no such thing as too much training.
Fail in training, succeed on the field was one of the core values of his business.
All his commanders ensured their guys complied or were cut loose.
“If he insists he needs some shit or to use the john, the door is not to be opened unless me or my brothers are present. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir.” Dolan stood at parade rest. “You have my word.”
“Store your crap, boys.” Gunnar headed for the elevator which would take them upstairs to what had been the hotel kitchen before he purchased the former hotel.
“We’ll be here until he tells us everything.
” As much as he’d love to be on a flight back to Italy, this wasn’t a job he wanted to hand over to someone else.
This was personal. This fucker had sent lead down range toward him.
He wanted to know why and how he’d earned himself a spot on the shit… sorry… hit list.
The elevator doors slid open. He greeted the man standing waiting for them. “Hey, Mojo.” They bumped fists and kept walking. “Am I not important enough for Dory to drag his sorry ass down here?”
“Nah, he’s squaring away some operators and the Nemesis man you sent our way.”
“Ah.” He grabbed a cookie from a tray on the countertop and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing as he spoke around it. “Do we have a problem?”
“Nah, nothing we can’t handle.” Mojo pushed open the door and led him into the dining room. “Coffee is made and in the usual spot. Dory will be here in a minute.”
“Thanks.” Gunnar bypassed the coffee and headed straight for the line of bottles on the top shelf. He grabbed a glass, filled it, and tossed it back, before refilling it and swallowing it down too, then taking the coffee Talon handed him. “Thanks.”
“You solid?” Talon eyed him warily. Even Zombie stared up at him from where he leaned next to his human’s knee as if he too was waiting for an answer.
“Yeah, I’m just pissed is all.”
“Understandable.” Talon went behind the counter and disappeared from view as he ducked down to open the cupboard where Gunnar knew the dog food was kept. “Don’t let that fucker get under your skin.”
“I don’t intend to.” His words were almost lost under the sound of kibble hitting a metal bowl.
“Platz, Zomb.” Talon ordered his boy to take the position required before his food would be put in front of him.
Even though Gunnar couldn’t see Zombie, he must have been hungry as instead of his normal tap-dancing routine and Talon’s bitching, his brother gave the free command and Zombie’s munching sounded. “Did you not have food for him?”
“He doesn’t like the new brand.” Talon shrugged. “Damn dog has expensive taste.”
“Ah. Yeah, he does.” Thankfully Dory’s coffee making skills had improved, as the joe in the mug was decent. “Even so, he’s getting a steak as soon as we get home. Two, even.”
“You’ll spoil my dog, Gunnar, and then Imma going to be pissed.” Talon filled a bowl of water and placed it on the floor before grabbing himself some coffee.
“As if you don’t spoil the crap out of him too.”
“That’s different.” Talon leaned against the counter as if he didn’t have a care in the world and smirked at him. “He’s my dog, not yours.”
“Grizzly.” Dory strode into the room, shutting the door behind him.
“Good to see you, bro.” He nodded at the team.
“You too, guys. You know where shit is, help yourselves. Eat what you want, cook if you must. But anyone who doesn’t load the dishwasher after them gets to mop the fucking floors, because I’m not cleaning up after your asses. Understood?”
While Gunnar and his brothers might own the property, this place was Dory’s domain.
None of them minded him calling the shots here.
If they needed to pull rank on something, then they would do it behind closed doors at a later time.
Dory had saved Remi’s life. They owed him respect in what had become his home at the very least.
“You do that every single time I bring my guys here,” Gunnar said dryly as Dory finally made it across the room to him. “Do you think their memories are that bad?”
“How many times did our instructors ask us our ‘gut check’ in BUD/s?”
“At least twice an hour.”
“Exactly. Remind the minions of their responsibilities and give them my version of Old Miss if they fuck it up.” Dory grinned.
“Where the hell did you get a two-hundred-pound telephone pole, and did I pay for it?” Gunnar’s arm muscles ached with the memory of balancing that bastard of a log on his shoulder with half a dozen other recruits as they performed squats for hours on end.
“Nah, I made the last bunch who didn’t clean up after themselves cut it out of a tree the last quake took down.”
“Evil bastard.” Gunnar grinned at his friend. “Is that the operator version of cutting your own switch before getting a hiding from your pop?”
“Damn straight, brother, damn straight.” Dory smirked. “Do you need to eat before we go take care of your guest?”
“Nope. I ate in Pakistan. I don’t think I want a full stomach for this.” He nodded to the fruit basket. “I will take an apple though, just because I know the jackwad is probably hungry.”
“Hell, bring him a bowl full.” Dory dragged the fruit bowl closer. “You might have to peel it for him though, as his hands are tied.”
Gunnar picked the apple he wanted. “This, Dory, is one of the many reasons we are friends.”
“You are still fucked in the head.” Dory walked with him to the door where Mojo immediately joined them.
“I never claimed to be any different.” He’d never claimed to be anything he wasn’t. Except sober; he’d claimed to be sober a time or two where it wasn’t true. “Let’s get this over with. I want to go home.”
“You mean back to the woman I hear you have staying?”
“Remi is a fucking gossip.”
“Yep. He’s a SEAL, we’re all fucking gossips.” Dory paused halfway between the elevator and the cell door. “You know this dude is on half a dozen watchlists, right?”
“Yeah, Remi ID’d him this morning and told me.” It was frustrating to know his hands were pretty much tied. “We don’t know who gets him after me. But he’ll be in one piece.” Gunnar lowered his voice. “Just don’t let the fucker know it until I have the intel I need.”
“I’m good cop then?”
“When are you ever bad cop?” They continued onto the door. “I’ve given up askin’ if you want to be bad cop.”