CHAPTER EIGHT
Brunson touched behind his ear and grinned.
“I’m being fucking tracked by the Shadow Warriors,” he smiled. “Fucking cool.”
“Yeah, but don’t let anyone know,” said Grayson. None of the men had objected. Not one and that told him all he needed to know about his team.
“Before we start, can I be formally introduced to everyone?” asked Jennifer. Grayson smiled and nodded. He pointed to each man down the line.
“Brunson. Romeo. Iggy. Jethro. Kai. Rowe. Sonny. The best fucking Marines this side of Belle Fleur,” he smirked.
“I’m sure your old man would disagree,” said Iggy. “We knew who you were and who you were with, sir. It stands to reason we would also know Striker, Hunter, and Gunner Michaels. There are a fuck-lot more of the finest with your team back home.”
Grayson nodded, smiling at the men. When the door to their private meeting space opened, six men walked in that seemed to suck the air from the room.
“Dad,” whispered Jennifer running to her father. He lifted her with one arm, hugging her to his side.
“Hi baby,” he smiled. The men stood, as if waiting to salute. Moose just frowned.
“Team, this is Major Sculler, better known as Moose. SEAL. Striker Michaels, my father, hey Dad,” he smirked.
“Hi son,” he said hugging him, slapping his back so hard he groaned.
“My father, as you know, is also a Marine. As are my uncles, Gunner and Hunter. Aren’t you old guys supposed to be retired?” he grinned.
“Do you want me to show you how old we are?” frowned Gunner.
“No sir,” he laughed. “Thanks for coming, Uncle Gunner, Uncle Hunter. That’s Connor Quinn, SEAL, from a long line of MARSOC heroes.”
The men in the room could barely breathe realizing the greatness surrounding them. When someone cleared his throat, they all jumped, gripping their chests.
“You forgot me,” smiled the smaller man.
“Uncle U-Jin,” screamed Jennifer running to him, leaping into his arms.
“Hello niece,” he smiled softly.
“U-Jin is a former, um, well, let’s just classify him as Special Forces that only your imagination could dream up. Quietest man you’ll ever meet, except maybe a few back home with the last name Redhawk and Wolfkill.”
“Shit,” muttered Kai. “Redhawk and Wolfkill. They’re real?”
“As real as it gets,” smirked Striker. “Where are we?”
“Waiting for more intel to come in before we move. The nuns and kids were moved to a safehouse in Rome. They’re being watched now by some friends inside the Vatican.”
“They’re inside the Vatican?” frowned Iggy.
“Well, we can’t confirm or deny that,” smirked Grayson, “but basically, yes.”
“Well, at least they’re safe,” said Jennifer.
“What do we know about the men working with Lacroix?” asked Hunter.
“They’re all small-time thugs who suddenly made it big when they started selling human flesh,” said Jennifer. “Literally, they were just teenagers that were committing petty crimes.”
“No offense, honey, but you don’t go from petty crimes to human trafficking overnight. Someone was testing them, giving them small jobs to see how far they’d go,” said Conor. Jennifer frowned realizing that she’d never thought of that option.
“In all likelihood, someone gave them the small jobs to see if they could pull them off and if they got caught, would they keep their mouths shut,” Hunter.
“Wait,” said Grayson. “Maybe they’re not selling the kids at all. Maybe they’re using the kids to grow their army, kind of like they do in Africa. Steal young kids, train them, kill them if they don’t perform. But either way, the kids are never seen again.”
“But what about the nuns?” asked Jennifer. “They’re not training them to steal or commit crimes.”
“No, they’re probably not,” said U-Jin, “but it doesn’t mean they’re not selling them or training them for something worse than crimes.”
“Once we have the intel from our team back home, we’ll have a better idea of which direction they traveled. I agree with everyone here. Lacroix is going to be seriously pissed that they lost you,” said Striker nodding at Jennifer.
Her face flushed and she nodded back at him. Striker walked toward her, gripping her shoulders.
“I didn’t mean to be so blunt, Jennifer. You’ll realize that your soon-to-be father-in-law is an asshole sometimes. Just ask my wife.”
“You’re not an asshole,” she said leaning against him. She wrapped her arms around him and he hugged the young woman, kissing the top of her head. “You were always so sweet to me and I saw you as another father to me. I can’t wait to officially be part of your family.”
Grayson smiled at his father and then looked at the rest of the team.
“While we’re killing time, let’s get some food and start looking at possibilities.
Don’t take a piss without someone being with you, Jennifer.
You will always have at least two people with you.
” She started to protest but Grayson, Striker, and Moose all stood as if to warn her. “Always. At least two.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “No arguments. At least two.”
She left the trailer, several of Grayson’s team following her. He turned to the men he’d known since childhood, his fisted hands at his side.
“If anything happens to her, you’re going to have to drug me with horse tranquilizers to keep me down.”
“Not happening,” said Moose slapping his back as he walked by. “If anything happens to her, we’re all aligned, we go berserker.”