FIRE (Elite Forces #2)
Hilary Storm & Kathy Coopmans
PROLOGUE
KALEB
I can hear her in my ear as they pull away. The sound of her voice screaming keeps me fighting until I don’t have a choice but to let them drag me from where I fell to my knees. There are too many of them. I can lie here and take their brutal attacks all f*cking day, because I know she’s safe. I’ll play their games as long as it takes. I’ll either die this way, or I’ll kill a few of these motherf*ckers and find my way out of here and back to her.
I feel the scrape of the gravel across my skin as my body is dragged to god knows where. My eyes are both swollen shut from some *’s steel-toed boot to my face. I have no clue where I am; I only know there are tiny f*cking pebbles digging into my flesh. My skin is on fire, and the reality of this hell begins to settle deep within my soul. Fuck.
These brutal f*cks are about to eat me alive, and I know this is only the beginning of the torture I’m bound to receive.
I feel at least five sets of hands grip my body and throw me in the back of a truck like I’m a bag of trash. The landing only intensifies my already bruised ribs, but I welcome the pain. It means I'm still alive.
I focus on the noise around me, trying to memorize every single f*cking sound. There’s nothing but the harsh whispers of the night. I’ve been proficient in knowing every bit of my surroundings when a dangerous situation arrives, until now.
My focus shifts to the loud cawing scream coming from above. I can hear the vulture circling as if there’s something here to feed off of. I refuse to believe that's my fate and silently will that f*cker to choke on the next rotting flesh it preys on.
The rumble of the engine starting reminds me of the truck we were moved in earlier, but it's slightly smoother. I imagine an old farm truck with a similar bed as I'm flipped to my face, so some dickhead can tie me up tighter. The restraints are tight, and I'm trying my hardest not to fight back. I need the element of surprise on my side, and I'm positive having two eyes to see with will be a great start.
I focus on the movements of the truck as I'm being manhandled. The further away we get, the harder it is to swallow. I know it'll be hard as f*ck for my team to search for me now. My only hope is to stay alive long enough for my guys to find me when they do return. They're the best at what they do, and they will find me. I'm just not sure how long it will take them. Their first priority is to get the target back to the States under any condition, and if any of them falter from that, I'll personally kick their asses myself.
The sound of the truck braking pulls me back to the reality of the nightmare I'm living. I'm lifted to my feet by the ropes I'm bound by and shoved face first off the back of the truck. My knees crack, and a sharp splinter of pain hurls up my leg when I hit the ground. I will kill these motherf*ckers the second I'm free. I can smell their f*cking filth everywhere and will never forget it.
The feeling of my body scraping against the ground again emphasizes the pain I'm trained to deal with. It doesn't make it any easier; in fact, knowing what is possible is far worse than being surprised about any torture coming my way. My body is f*cking killing me, and I'm fighting the urge to vomit as they drag me into a wooded area. The rustling of dried leaves crunching under their boots on what I can imagine is a gravel road burns into my memory. I’m trying to focus on everything I can. Every single one of my senses is on high alert; it's vital I pay attention and focus on each one of them. I hope like f*ck I'll need this information in the near future.
The voices speaking Spanish ring in my head long after I’m tossed into some sort of cold-cemented cell. The metal door is slammed, sealing me to my fate for now. These men have no idea who they have f*cked with. I’ll build my strength in here, if need be. My mind begins to run a race of its own. Time means everything in love and war. I refuse to believe my love ends here, so I use the memory of her to fuel me.
I roll over and spit out the blood that's pooling in my mouth and try not to think about anything but her. She's stolen my heart, and I know she has to be battling her own kind of internal war over the way the mission ended.
Jade’s beautiful skin lights up my memories, and even through this f*cking hell, I can feel her. I know she's mad as f*ck and won't stop until she gets to me. This should be comforting to me, but it scares the f*ck out of me. I can handle anything they do to torture me, but if they lay one f*cking finger on her, it'll feel like I'm being gutted. It will absolutely devastate and destroy me.
I need to do everything I can to keep her in my mind, where it's safe. Whoever the hell is behind all of this can’t know about her. She’s my f*cking weakness and my stone-cold strength. Right now, she's giving me the courage I need to get through this, no matter what my fate might be. I know my team won't let anything happen to her, so I just need to focus on getting myself out of here alive. That’s all I can do for now. I'll let her be my angel in this hell, the woman I’ve fallen in love with, and she'll be the power behind my force and the reason I need to survive.
I hear more voices outside the door and work to translate their disgusting words that are barely audible to my ears. My knowledge of how this works should have me shitting myself in fear, but I'll be f*cking damned if these *s will ever smell fear coming from me.
I wish they'd come in here, untie me, and let me have a fair chance against their bullshit. Chicken shit motherf*ckers. I know how this works. Most likely, I'll be left here to die unless they find a reason to keep me alive. In the grand scheme of things, that isn't likely. They can do whatever they want to me. I can spend the last few days of my life knowing I succeeded. I never once failed my country, and given the chance to do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat.