Promises (Blood Brothers #1) (18 page)

“Great!”

The twins returned to the house to find it empty and quiet, which was concerning since the two women should be somewhere within those walls. A quick search of the house found no sign of either woman sending the men outside, and Kayne finally couldn’t take it any longer.

“Chayle love, where are you?”
Kayne mentally called, keeping his thoughts calm and easy so as not to terrify her too much. It was the first time he had deliberately used their connection to locate her and he knew Chayle wasn’t going to take kindly to the realization of this new development. Turning his head slightly, Kayne grinned. “They’re in the gym.”

“Oh, you didn’t?” Rafe whispered back at him, shocked his twin had used their unique ability to locate his mate. Even more stunned that it had worked so early in their relationship. It usually took years to develop the ability to communicate at a basic level even with natural abilities like the rest of the team carried, but for the lovers to be able to communicate after just weeks together was amazing.

“Yep, and she is spitting mad right about now!” Kayne grinned back at this brother. “With the pregnancy the bond is even stronger than ever.”

“You didn’t tell her about how the bond worked, did you?” Rafe was laughing now because Chayle angry was a sight to see.

“Now where’s the fun in that, brother mine?” Kayne slapped him on the back and took off at a lope for the gym leaving Rafe to follow.

Suddenly, alarms went off, alerting the men that one of the teams were coming in hot and with injuries. They took one look at each other and nodded.

“Chayle,”
Kayne sent to his mate, knowing she would be worried with the alarms.

“Kayne? What’s going on?”
She didn’t sound upset at all, just curious and out of breath, and he was proud of her. So much so it was hard for Kayne to keep the grin from spreading as he looked over at his twin.

“
Just a team coming in from a mission. They may have injuries, so why don’t you keep Jollie there in the training facilities until one of us comes to get both of you? There should be a couple of escorts there so warn Jollie so she doesn’t get worried. Ok, love?”

“You had better stay safe, mate”
Chayle chided him, never questioning his request and again his pride almost overwhelmed him. Her trust in his ability to keep them safe was humbling.

“Always, my love,”
he whispered, Kayne’s long legs keeping up with Rafe’s as they neared the landing field.

As soon as they arrived, both men began to help moved the injured to the infirmary. Once triage was complete, the brothers located the returning team members for debriefing. The team wasn’t had been due back for another day, but was forced back due to the need for medical attention by the team of doctors specifically trained to attend them. Mercury had taken a couple of hits to his Kevlar vest and bruised his ribs, and Davy was having a hard time hearing out of one ear. It was over an hour before the brothers were satisfied with the reports from the men and could head to the command center.

They finally joined Gabriel in his “technology nest” as he loved to call it, to review the footage from the team to see exactly what had gone wrong. As they watch, the three men stood and silently observed as the team approached their target, a known trafficking cartel. What was so unusual was the amount of government-grade protection around the facility. The instance Rafe saw it, he cursed.

“This was more than a common crook. They had high-level backing. Look at the level of security surrounding the building and the guns on those guards. Those are equal to some of ours.” Gabriel pointed out as they watched it was evident the guards were trained mercenaries and not what the team had been told to expect - regular cartel. This had been high-grade military weapons and men protecting High Value Targets.

“We need to tighten security around our operations.” Rafe continued to watch the footage as his brother played with a boot knife. “And then I want to know what happened to the Intel on this op that didn’t get to us.”

“I think we need to contact the Commander Derek. Something isn’t right with this. If the team was compromised then we need to figure out how they received the info, and we need to do it quick. We have two women on the compound who are High Value Targets, and we can’t risk that psycho getting to either of them. If the Intel on this operation was compromised then we have to figure out what else has been and take care of it now.” Kayne unconsciously twirled his knife with his fingers as he continued to watch the tapes.

“Easy to do, I can encrypt the message so only the Commander can open it. We’ve worked out a method that is flawless,” Gabriel replied, his bushy eyebrows wiggling above twinkling eyes. The man loved his encryption toys.

“Do it,” Rafe growled, slapping Gabe’s shoulder. “We need to alert the Commander of what’s going on, but also stay sharp. It may be necessary to have a meeting in the near future.” Turning, he looked at his brother.

“
Let’s find the women.
” Rafe didn’t even realize he had said it telepathically as he turned to leave the room until both men behind him started laughing.

“Eager to find Chayle’s visitor, are we?” Gabe teased just before the door slammed behind the brothers. Shaking his head, he turned to his computers and started doing what he loved, making other people’s lives crazy.

Chapter 25

Jollie stared, truly amazed at the hi-tech training facility Chayle led her into while they talked. The mats, exercise equipment, and boxing bags were all standard issue until she heard Chayle giggle and watched the beautiful woman motion for her to follow through a side door. Jollie lost all manner of thought processing as she stood, transfixed, to watch two large men working out in a hologram simulator against opponents larger than they were.

“I told you there were some yummy surprises here,” she heard Chayle whispered near her ear as Jollie stood transfixed, watching the two men as they worked out in an intricate dance that was a very sophisticated form of martial arts.

“All of them can fight like that, but Rafe and Kayne are even better,” Jollie heard her comment as the two fighters’ ended their session, each grabbing a towel to sling around their necks before realizing they had an audience.

“Chayle, what are you doing in here without Kayne?” The taller of the two asked as he walked toward them, a mischievous grin causing his dark brown eyes to twinkle.

“Stop it, Merc,” her companion laughed, slapping the fighter’s shoulder. “He’s close by, I promise. And I thought you just got off mission, so why are you in here so soon?”

“I have no doubt he’s close, m’lady. That man of yours will never be very far away but I’ll just hang close by until he gets here, if you ladies don’t mind.” The fighter identified as Merc winked at both of them as he pulled a bottle of water from a mini fridge tucked under a cabinet in the corner. “Don’t want another incident like what happened before, now do we?”

“You didn’t answer the question,” Chayle pushed, curious as to why Mercury was here so soon after returning from a mission.

“I just wanted to work some sore muscles before they locked up on me. Can’t afford to have that happen, now can we?” he teased, a wolfish grin teasing across sensuous lips but Jollie could tell it never made it to dark eyes that seemed to miss nothing.

Jollie watched the two of them continue banter to back and forth, and she could tell they were friends. It surprised her that Chayle could so easily fall into such easy friendship with these men who had to have been virtual strangers before she was rescued from the cabin. Her easy bantering and friendly openness was the opposite of Jollie’s cool reserve and instant guard of anyone who came near.

When the women walked to the control panel of the room where the men had practiced, Jollie couldn’t stop from asking, “What does he mean - Kayne is never far away?”

She watched a becoming blush flush her friend’s face from chest to forehead before Chayle turned back to the panel to finish inputting the setting she was entering. Finally satisfied, Chayle turned to Jollie. “Kayne and I are mated, Jollie.” She said it so softly, so confidently it was like a prayer.

“But, you haven’t been together that long. Granted, your carrying his child but that doesn’t mean anything in this day and age,” Jollie exclaimed, unable to comprehend what her new friend was telling her. Never had Jollie heard of such a thing and she was sure something heinous had been done to cause Chayle to transfer her trust to this man she so openly adored rather than take care of herself. The two of them had been through hell only a short time ago, had survived abuse unlike most people ever experienced much less actually lived through and now Chayle was telling her that she was “mated” to the man who had rescued them from the monster that had tried to kill them.

She felt Chayle reach for her hand, which caused her to jump back, forcing her thoughts back to the present. Jollie stared into those pretty chocolate eyes and saw only honesty and caring there. Shaking her head, Jollie could only marvel at the amount of trust it took to open one’s self up to that level of love.

“I know you think this is crazy, and believe me there are days when I look in the mirror and wonder how my life has gotten to be so lucky, but it’s true. I somehow mentally reached out to him while we were held in that awful place and that’s how they found us. Otherwise, we would both be dead, Jollie. Kayne and I are linked in a way I can’t explain, it just somehow is. I know where he is at every minute of the day as if he is a physical presence in my mind, and he can always find me no matter where I am.” Jollie watched her friend’s eyes turn dreamy, and suddenly Chayle turned her head toward the door and took a deep breath. “Like now!”

The door open soundlessly and two large figures slipped into the control room while a shadow seem to slip out. Jollie’s eyes automatically found the darkest one with longer black hair and her breath caught.

Rafe.

“See what I mean?” Chayle whispered, then moved through the door and into her mate’s arms.

Jollie watched as Kayne pulled Chayle into his huge arms like she was breakable, cradling her against a massive chest and taking her mouth like it was a lifeline he couldn’t live without. A deep ache twisted her stomach into a knot making the light lunch they had eaten early begin to come back up into her throat. It was suddenly hard to breathe. She must have closed her eyes and turned away because suddenly hands were on her shoulders, light and gentle.

“Easy, little one - breathe.” A whisper brushed across her ear and down her neck, causing Jollie to shiver. “Just breathe.”

“How can she just walk into his arms like that, after…” Jollie stuttered to a halt, unable to even utter the unspeakable things done to either woman.

“Each of us have another half of our soul in this universe. Kayne and Chaley have found each other. It heals and soothes, it doesn’t cover up, but allows each the room to expand and grow as needed. It is truly beautiful to watch if you are allowed to see it.” Rafe continued to rub her shoulders, whispering in her ear like a lover’s caress so that only she could hear.

“I will never allow someone to suffocate me like that,” she growled, moving back to look down at the control panel for a distraction.

“Never say never,” Rafe said with a chuckle, brushing his large hand down her back, making her shiver.

“Are you here to stop us from using the training facilities?” Jollie deflected, turning from the whispering couple by the door and staring down at the control panels once more. Her muscles cried out from the long drive to the compound but she would never allow this man to ever see her weakness.

“I don’t think you need to be working out tonight, little one, but in the next couple of days I’ll bring you down and show you how to run the simulations. Chayle comes down often to work out and you’re more than welcome to come with her or alone, as long as both of you have your bodyguards with you if Kayne and I are unavailable.” He held out his hand toward the door indicating they leave and she saw they were alone in the control room.

“Where did Chayle and Kayne run off to?” she asked, panic pushing her breath in little puffs.

“My brother took his mate to their rooms before supper. We’ll meet up with everyone in a bit.” Rafe led her out of the building and back toward the main house, finding himself eager to show her the suite of rooms she would be staying in across from his own. He tried to push down the heady rush it gave him to know she would close by but his body betrayed him, his cock hardening at the thought of her in the large shower or reclined in the huge claw-foot tub with bubbles up to her chin. They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the house until Jollie suddenly stopped.

It had been a long time since Rafe had allowed himself to even contemplate taking a longtime lover much less the possibility of this woman being the other half of his soul. Just the unique smell of her sent the normal controls he had over his body into overdrive and it baffled Rafe to no end. Not since leaving the labs and taking control of his own destiny had he fought against his nature so hard and felt he was losing the battle.

“Why am I here, Rafael?” Her question brought him back to the present, reminding Rafe that this fragile woman had serious reasons not to trust anyone. She stood there looking up at him, her sharp little chin daring him to cover up why he had brought her to his home, to say anything other than the truth. Rafe stared down at her, trying to decided how much to tell this small woman who pulled at what was left of his soul. The soul he had thought was gone long ago.

“I brought you here to keep you safe, Jollie.” He reached up to brush an imagined speck from her cheek but Jollie shied away from his touch.

“Safe from what?” Her breath had escalated and he could hear her heart rate as it sped up in her small chest.

“From the group or groups that took you and Chayle before. It was decided to bring you here in order to keep a closer eye on your safety and so you and Chayle could be together. Hopefully, with all of the protection that the compound has here we can keep you both safe.”