Nico's Heart (RARE Book 1) (7 page)

Chapter 22

Nico watched as Angel became aware of her surroundings again.  Chase had arrived while she was in the vision with Lily, and as soon as the team moved back away from her, he went and knelt down in front of her placing a hand on her cheek.  She closed her eyes and seemed to lean into his touch for a moment.  Wow, he had never seen her do anything like that before.  Not even with her teammates, and she considered them family.

Angel seemed to get control of herself and she pulled away from Chase.  She looked over at Lily and reaching out she wiped the tears away that were falling down her face.  “Thank you, Lily.  Thank you for showing me what you did.  Now, you go with your mama and play out on your swing set for a while.”  Nico stepped forward and gathered up Lily, giving her a hug and handing her off to Jenna.  “Go play, Princess,” he said.  “I will see you in a little bit.”

As they left, Nico moved back in the room and sat down on the couch by Angel, Chase sitting on the other side of her.  The rest of the team gathered around and waited for her to speak.

“Chase, you need to get Bran here now.  I will start once he gets here, but he needs to get here now and he needs to be involved in everything regarding this rescue mission.”  Chase didn’t ask questions.  He just grabbed his phone and placed the call.

When Bran arrived, Angel had him take a seat in the chair across from her.  She explained everything that had happened with Lily’s kidnapping to him, including the team’s and Lily’s psychic abilities.   He looked at Chase once she was done and asked, “Is this the truth?”  Chase gave him a nod, and that was all it took.  Bran had complete confidence in his alpha.  If he said it was true, then it was. 

“He
is breeding the women,” Angel said.  “I am positive it’s the General, and he is trying to match psychic men and women with shifters.  There is a bear cub, two wolf pups, and two pregnant women.  One is very pregnant; the other is not as far along.”  Angel paused for a moment.  “We need to get them all out of there, but we really need to get the second woman out now.”

She glanced ar
ound at all of them.  “We are not going in alone this time, guys.”  Nico watched her for a moment as she seemed to gather her thoughts.  Looking over at Chase she said, “I need Ryker, Storm, Aiden, Xavier and Slade on guard duty for Jenna and Lily until we get back.  I need Bran to come with us.”

Angel looked over at Bran and said, “One of the pregnant women is a feisty red head.  She wasn’t very far along, maybe four or five months.  She seemed to notice me as I watched the vision unfold and she told me where they were.  If we don’t get there soon, she is going to be raped by two of the guards right before the
building explodes.  Bran, she is your mate.”

“What the fuck,” Bran roared as he surged to his feet.  “Are you messing with me?”  Angel shook her head.  “No, now sit your ass down and listen to me.”

Chase got up and put his hand on Bran’s shoulder, growling low in his throat to get Bran to calm down.  “Listen to Angel, Bran.  She is risking a lot by letting you go along this time.  She never takes anyone because it could easily screw up her mission.  I have no clue why she’s taking you, but you better calm the hell down and listen to her so she doesn’t change her mind.”

Bran slowly got control of himself, but it took a few minutes.  To find out he had a mate, one that was being held by sadistic bastards and was possibly going to be raped by the
m, if she had not already been, was killing him.  God, she was pregnant, so that meant she probably had.  He was going to kill every last mother fucker in that place.  He looked up at Angel.  “I have no idea why you are letting me go, but let’s get the hell out of here.  I need to get to my mate.”

“Flame,” Angel said gently.  “Your mate’s name is Flame.”  Bran took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, nodding.  “And I am letting you go because she will die if I don’t.” 

Chapter 23

As Jaxson made the phone call to have the jet fueled and ready for them, Nico went outside to talk to Jenna and Lily.  Lily looked over as he approached and smiled, her dimples showing.  “Catch me, Daddy!” she squealed as she took off down the slide.  Laughing, he ran over and scooped her up, throwing her in the air.  As he hugged her again, she placed a hand on his cheek and smiled.  “Don’t worry, Mama and I will be ok.”  He smiled at her and said, “Yes, you will.  And I promise I will be home just as soon as I can.”  He turned as he heard Storm’s voice.  “Hey there, Lily.  Let’s see which one of us can swing higher!”

“I thought you were resting,” Nico said.  “I’ll rest when I’m dead,” she quipped back.  “That’s our motto,” he said
, laughing.  “You should really leave the council and come work with us.”  Storm just laughed.  “I don’t know if I could put up with all that testosterone in one place.”

Nico grabbed Jenna’s hand and pulled her back towards the house.  When they walked in, the team was still in the living room debating on the best way to launch the rescue.  As they walked by, Angel stopped them.  “Congrats on the mating,” she told them. 

“We will have a mating ceremony as soon as possible,” Chase told them.  Basically, that meant they were going to have one kick ass party.  Nico and Jenna were already mated, but at the ceremony Chase would announce it to the pack, approve it, and everyone would party until dawn.

“We leave in 20 minutes, Nico,” Angel told him.  “Move this outside by the car,” she told the rest of them.  “Let’s let them say goodbye in peace.”

“Bow chica bowwow,” Rikki drawled.  Everyone laughed as they moved out the front door.  “I really don’t want to think about my sister like that,” Chase groused.

They heard the front door shut as they hit the bedroom.  Nico had Jenna stripped in record time and was sliding into her warm, wet heat balls deep.  “God,” he growled into her ear.  “I don’t want to leave you.”  He pounded into her desperately as she clung to him.  He felt her clench tightly around him and he let himself come at the same time she did, latching onto her shoulder with his teeth, claiming her once again.  She cried out as she sank her own fangs in deep.

After a few moments, Nico leaned up and gazed down at her.  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered.  “I wish I could stay here and make love to you the rest of the day.”

She smiled softly at him as she reached up and her fingers through his short dark hair.  “Me too,
but your team needs you.  I will be here waiting for you when you come home.” 

Nico kissed her one more time and then got up and went into the bathroom to wash up quickly.  When he came out of the bathroom, Jenna was waiting for him.  She reached up and placed a chain around his neck.  At the end of it was a small medallion that had a carving of two wolves with two small wolf pups in the background.  “This was my father’s,” Jenna told him.  “When I was younger, he told me that one day I was to give this to my own mate for good luck.  I want you to take it with you now.  I will pray that it helps bring you back to me.” 

Nico pulled her close and nuzzled his chin on her head.  Then he got dressed and they moved downstairs.  He kissed her one last time and walked out the door to his waiting team.  When they loaded up in the SUV to leave, he glanced back one last time at his mate and smiled, saluting her with a cocky grin as they drove off.  She laughed and saluted back.

Chapter 24

The team stopped at their homes and geared up before heading to the airport.  Bran was going crazy waiting, but the team had to be prepared for anything.  They never went on a mission without an overload
in gear.  Never.  If you did not plan and prepare, then mistakes were made.  Mistakes meant death, and Angel refused to allow anything to happen to her team.

They were at the airport and in the air flying to a little airstrip that didn’t even show up on a map within an hour.  They went over the plan again and again on the way there.  They needed it to be flawless if they were to get into Mexico and get back out with everyone without any casualties. 

Angel would try to connect with Flame once they got to the market area.  She had connected with her just briefly in the vision, so she thought she would be able to do it again.  Once they figured out what warehouse the women and children were being held in, they would fan out around the building and do some quick recon.  Trace and Rikki would find places to hold up in with their sniper rifles. 

The team would come in from different areas if possible and spread out until they found out what part of the building everyone was being held in.

Bran’s main focus was to be on his mate.  He would not be able to talk to the rest of the team telepathically, but thanks to Jaxson, they all sported some techy communication devices to fix that problem.

Jaxson was to try and find any computers that might have useful data on them regarding whatever the breeding program was and download it.

The rest of the team was to focus on kicking ass and taking names, and on getting everyone else out of that building before it blew.  Because it would blow.  Phoenix would make sure of that.  To take down the monster, they would destroy every tentacle of his they could find.  He wouldn’t be able to hide indefinitely.  They would find him.  Then he would die.

Chapter 25

Once again, darkness was their friend. The team swarmed silently through the market area keeping in the shadows.  The nightlife in Tijuana was going stron
g, and Angel and her team did not want to be spotted.  They wanted to get in and out without drawing attention to themselves.

It was a huge risk taking Bran in with them this time, but he was following Angel’s instructions, so sh
e was letting it slide.  And they needed him if Flame was going to make it home alive.

Angel crept behind a building, becoming one with the shadows surrounding it.  She stopped beside it and spoke very softly, “I’m going to try and connect with Flame now.”  Nico came up beside her to guard her and keep her safe.  Bran was on the other side.  Normally it would have been Phoenix, but if Chase trusted Bran enough to make him his Beta, then she would trust him, too.
  Because even though she was not ever going to act on it, she knew that Chase was her mate.  And above all, a mate protected what was his.

Silently she closed her eyes and concentrated on the fiery red haired woman that she had seen in the vision before.  Flame was sitting in a corner on the floor, hugging her legs up to her chest.  As Angel connected with her, she felt the dark pain ripping through Flame’s stomach.  She was losing the baby.  It was happening fast and it was
very painful.  But Flame was not saying a word. 

Chapter 26

Flame panted softly,
her head bowed on her knees, with her hands clenched tightly together.  She knew there was nothing that could be done to help her baby, he was already gone.  And she was afraid to bring attention to herself.

The guards were in a rowdy mood tonight.  The last time they were like this, she had watched helplessly as they had raped the woman in the room next to her.  The woman had screamed and cried as they took turns with her.  But there was nothing Flame could do to help.  She had tried.  The guards had brought her into the same room and made her watch.  They had tied her to a chair, her arms tied behind her back and her legs tied to the legs of the chair.  Flame had fought and fought to get free and get to the other woman, but no matter how hard she had tried, she couldn’t.  She had yelled at them, had threatened them, but they had just laughed.  They had told her that her time was coming and they wanted her to see how good she was going to get it. 

The woman had cried for her baby.  Had held her stomach and begged them not to hurt her baby.  But they had just laughed at her, too. They told her that you could not hurt a baby from having sex.  By the time they were done with the woman, she was pretty much comatose.  She just laid there.  They did not even bother to clean her up.  Flame hadn’t heard her utter a word since then, except for singing to her baby.  She could feel how much pain the other woman was in, how terrified she was, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do to help her.

Right now Flame kept quiet and suffered in silence.  She knew she was losing the baby.  She knew he was already dead.  And if she called out to the guards for help, she was afraid that they would come in and use her like they had the other woman.  Afraid they would see that there was no way she could protect herself from them now.  They were all such twisted fucks.  You never knew what
they were thinking.  It would not matter to them that she was in the middle of losing a child, they would just wait until it was done and then take their turns with her while she was helpless.  It was not like there was a doctor there anyway, only the scientists.  And she didn’t want any of them anywhere near her, either.

Flame froze when she felt another’s presence in her mind. 
Who are you?
she whispered.  She had felt that same presence touch her mind a few hours ago.  It had just touched briefly, but Flame recognized it.  It was the woman she had seen when she was yelling at the guards earlier.  She had prayed that the woman had listened to her.  That she would help her somehow.

We are coming for you, Flame
, the woman whispered in her mind. 
We are here. We are in Tijuana, in the market place.  I don’t know what building you are in, though.

Tears flowed down Flames cheeks as she listened to the voice.  She had prayed and prayed for months that someone would come after her.  She had begun to lose hope. The guards hadn’t broken her spirit yet, but they had come damn close. 

She had thought she had left the worst of it behind when the General had moved her to this location.  Away from Gideon after he had finally been able to get her pregnant.  But she was wrong.  At least with Gideon he was the only one raping her.  Here, if the guards go a hold of her, it would be several of them at once.

She panted softly as another pain ripped through her belly. 
Why don’t you ask someone for help?
the woman asked. 
There aren’t any doctors here
, Flame panted. 
And the guards would rather fuck me than help me
.  Flame felt a hand stroke gently down her hair.  It was a soothing gesture, one she hadn’t felt in so long. 
We are here now, Flame
, the voice said. 
You aren’t alone anymore.  We are going to get you out
.

Who are you?
Flame asked again. 
My name is Angel
, the voice said. 
Angel
, Flame whispered. 
I could use an Angel right now.
  Angel chuckled softly.  
I’m not your typical Angel, honey.  You won’t see any white wings on me.  And definitely no halo.  But you could think of me as The Angel of Death because I will be bringing death and destruction to everybody in that building that hurt you.

Just my kind of Angel
, Flame said.  Flame heard Angel laugh as another pain slammed into her. 
They’re getting closer
, Angel said. 
Yes
, Flame groaned. 
Anytime now…He’s already gone Angel.  I can feel it.  My baby is already gone and there is nothing I can do about it.

I know, hon
, Angel responded. 
We are gonna take that sweet baby home with us and we are going to give him a good burial, ok?  And he is going to have those beautiful white angel wings that I don’t have
.  Flame cried softly at that. 
Thank you
, she whispered.

Do you have any idea where you are, Flame? 
Angel asked. 
They thought I was drugged when they brought me here,
Flame said.  
But most of it was already out of my system. I remember the building is red.  A dark red.  Another building by it had a sun on it.  A bar or something.  That’s it, I’m sorry.  That is all I saw. 
Another pain ripped through Flame and she cried out softly.  She was not going to be able to keep quiet much longer.  Flame looked up when she heard the door to her room open.  A couple of guards were standing there grinning smugly at her.  “By the blood all over the floor, I take it that thing inside of you is either dead or about to be.”

Oh God, Angel, hurry.  Please hurry
, Flame cried as the next pain slammed into her and all hell broke loose.