Chapter 14 #2
Kam closed the latch part of the way to keep the cold from seeping more into the space, but leaving it open enough for a quick get away. A scrapping overhead had them all turning towards the door. Cool metal pressed against his arm, and Kam instinctively took the gun from Paul.
"The three of you each take a jump bag and stay here by the hatch. Be ready to run," Kam instructed Alexei, Max, and Nalani.
Paul and Taylor stood on either side of the stairs, guns at the ready. Kam took up the spot next to Taylor. Paul gave him a nod. It was as close to a sign of trust as Kam would get from the agent and he'd take it.
The door flew open. "Don't shoot," Amelia called down.
Boots smacked the concrete stairs as Amelia made her descent.
"It's all clear, but let's stay here for the moment.
" Amelia pulled out a tablet with multiple square on the screen.
Whatever opportunity she had to offer after this was over, Kam was seriously considering it.
"What tripped the alarm?" Paul asked.
"Tucker. He’s Hal's boy. They are the next homestead over.
" Amelia's face pinched. "He said some lady gave him a hundred bucks to see who all was at our house and take pictures.
" She placed her hands on her hips. "I told him that spying on neighbors could land him in jail, or worse, dead if he wasn't careful.
I also promised not to tell Hal or press charges for trespassing if he got a picture of the mystery lady and sent it to me. "
Her phone dinged and she swiped the message open. "Do either of you recognize her?"
Kam fisted his hands. "Katarina."
Amelia cocked her head and waited for him to fill in the blanks for the rest of the group. "She was the one that tortured us on the boat. And put the bullet in my shoulder."
A still settled over the group. Paul and Max looked at him with understanding. Alexei had gone darkly quiet and Nalani looked like she wanted to tear into someone. Taylor's fingers brushed past his and he reached out to the calming anchor in the raging sea of anger he was falling under.
"We should move then. Don't want to show our hand until we're ready." Amelia shoved past them to the latch they had propped open. "I see you found the exit tunnel."
"Wait," Taylor demanded. "Who are you? You and Ted have been nothing but trustworthy since we arrived, but I've got to know."
Amelia came and stood in front of Taylor, calm and in control. "When I got pregnant and Curtis died, I left the Rangers only to find out civilian life was much harder of a transition than I expected. I had made enemies while serving my country and no one seemed to understand my paranoia."
Amelia hung her head. "Even the support group Ted and I joined didn't seem to understand the burden of not knowing if your enemies will one day find you.
" She raised her head and squared her shoulders.
"So we started a company to help those forgotten or brushed aside by the government after their term was up. "
She looked straight at Kam as she delivered the next part. "We give soldiers and ghosts new lives."
"What does that exactly entail?" Kam asked the words wanting to get stuck in his throat. Could God have landed him with people who could actually help him?
"We give them new IDs and find them a place to live.
Some of them find employment where they land and others will help us, on occasion, protect those who may have an enemy get too close.
Every once in awhile we'll need to go ghost hunting for someone that wants to join the land of the living again. "
Kam looked at Taylor and saw the same hope that filled him in her eyes.
"First we need to stop Dasha and Katarina." Kam stood next to Taylor and put his arm around her. Facing Amelia, he confessed, "Afterwards, I'd like a job interview."
A smirk lit Amelia's face. "I thought you'd never ask. Let's go."
Amelia led the group down the tunnel with Taylor in the middle, and Paul and Kam at the back. The sounds of their footfalls were the only ones Kam could hear. Paul shortened his stride so that they came closer together.
"I take it you'll want Taylor to go with you," Paul whispered.
Kam looked ahead to Taylor. "Only if she wants to go with me." They hadn't figured it out yet and he wasn't sure how Amelia's job offer would play out.
Paul stopped, which caused Kam to come within inches of him before he could stop himself. "Take good care of her," Paul growled. Kam nodded his head. Davin had given him the same command at the beginning of all of this mess, and Kam had every intention of doing just that.
The end of the tunnel opened up into a large garage that housed an RV, several UTVs, and a pair of dark SUVs on the end. He wasn't sure how big the company Ted and Amelia created, but he was more and more impressed with them.
Amelia popped open the back of the one SUV, pulling the third row up and placing the bags into the cargo hold. She tossed the keys to Taylor and Kam narrowed his eyes at her. "You are injured, but I'm sure you're still a better shot." She looked at Taylor. "No offense."
"None taken. He was the one that taught me to shoot." Taylor gave him a heated look. Color crept up his neck at the memory of them celebrating her bullseye afterwards. He swallowed that memory and took the passenger seat.
"You'll find Toni at slip C9. Tell him I sent you.
He'll give you safe passage to Homer. Have Davin meet you there.
" Amelia hit a button on the wall, causing a large door to slide open in front of them.
"Go. I'm going to see if I can catch our Russian friend before she makes it back to the queen bee. "
Taylor punched it and they all pitched up and down as they flew across the rutted road.
The map on the screen showed the way to the docks.
Now all they had to do was get out undetected, fake a jail break, and take down a terrorist before they could weaponize their neurotoxin on an unknown target. No problem.