Walker (Bad Boys of X-Ops #1) (19 page)

Desperate Warrior

WE DRESSED INHUMANLY FAST, grabbing only what we needed.

Kohana was in the clearing, his ears pinned back, neck elongated. Even he sensed danger in the air.

There was no easy canter on the way back to the heart of the reservation. Jade and I bent forward, keeping our heads below low-hanging, fast-slapping branches. I gave Kohana his head and his hooves pounded a loud tattoo on the soft-packed snow.

Worst-case scenario: we’d been raided and Madge had been taken.

Best case: false alarm.

Too bad my dad was not one given to shooting off false alarms.

I hunched over Jade’s back, willing Kohana faster. His steamy breaths billowed in the air and sweat lathered on his flanks, but he stretched his legs longer, took the ground faster than I’d ever seen.

He started snorting just before he reached a bend several klicks from the settlement proper. Skidding to a halt, he started stepping backward, tossing his head.

“Stay still. Stay quiet,” I whispered against Jade’s ear before sliding to the ground.

I stared into Kohana’s eyes briefly, communicating to him to run like hell with Jade if I encountered trouble.

He bent his neck, pawing at the snow.

Moving through the snowbound landscape, I kept to the trees that would break into open plains in just one more klick. I had only a Bowie knife for hunting. I clasped it in my hand as I lowered my stance with every silent step forward.

Hooves. Galloping hooves. One horse. Heading in my direction.

Sheathing the knife, I leaped up to grab a tree branch. I pulled myself up and swung over it. Balanced on the balls of my feet, I waited.

The horse slowed. The rider was smart, cautious.

I prepared to jump down, effectively ambushing them.

The horse and rider loped into sight.

Fuck me.

I somersaulted through the air, landing directly in their path. “Mom?”

“Well? Who’d you think it was?” She threw back her hood as her mount pranced beneath her, whickering a greeting to me.

“What’s going on?”

“Where’s Jade?”

“Gimme a ride.” I hopped on behind her, and we quickly trekked to Jade.

Kohana must’ve scented the other horse’s approach because he’d gentled and remained where he was.

That stallion was smarter than some of my closest friends.

“Sheila?” Jade slipped from Kohana’s back.

Mom and I dismounted, the horses forming a solid-bodied wall between us and the other side of the trail with no command spoken.

“Strangers were spotted on the land. In daylight. Don’t they have the sense their God gave them?” My mom shook her head.

“And?” I pressed.

“Lots of weapons. Definitely not shotguns, if you know what I mean.”

“Government?” I asked.

“No government I’ve ever seen, but definitely . . . paid for.”

Jade and I looked at each other. “Mercs.”

“Majedah?” Jade looked ghostly white, shaken.

“Brian hid her away. Walker, he said you’d know where.”

I nodded. The caves we’d scouted out one summer and hidden with a scree of thick vines and bushes.

Jade paced in a small circle. “Majedah’s safe. Good.” She stopped in front of me. “You go for Majedah, and I’ll turn myself over.”

“Fuck that, no.” I pinned her arms at her sides, and Mom slipped back toward the horses. “We don’t even know who the mercenaries are working for.”

“Let me go, Walker.” She twisted her wrists within my hold until I was afraid she’d break them.

I relinquished her, punching back a few steps.

“I couldn’t protect Marisol, that little girl in Mexico. Couldn’t keep Majedah safe.” Two small tears slid down Jade’s face. “You have to do it.
You
!”

“You are not fucking leaving me. After everything we’ve been through? No.”

“I’ll buy you some time to get away.”

I grabbed her shoulders. “
I am not letting you do this
.”

“You will.” Her soft smile merely made everything worse. “You need to take care of Majedah. I can take care of myself. You know I can.”

Every emotion rushed over me. Fear. Loss. Panic. Hate.

Love.

“Bullshit, Jade.”

“You know the score. Don’t get personally involved.”

“Goddammit!” Grabbing her to me, I gnashed out, “It’s a bit too fucking late for that, don’t you think?”

“I love you, Walker.” She touched my cheek.

Her hand was so warm. She was always so hot to the touch, the fire burning bright inside her.

“Don’t do this. I’m begging you.” I held her against me. “We’ll find another way.”

“We’ve been trying for over a week now. There is no other way.” She pulled free. “This is the end game.”

“Your gun. Your blade! They’re at the house. Wait!”

“They won’t let me keep my weapons wherever they take me. You know that.” Jade walked briskly down the trail away from me.

“I am not done with you yet.” Reaching her, I pulled her against me.

Mom appeared beside us. “All of your belongings are waiting with Majedah.”

I spun on her. “You left that woman with all the gear and guns?”

Mom hauled herself up. “I don’t know who she is exactly or what she may or may not have done, but she’s certainly not the first woman to hold a weapon as you well know.” She looked toward Jade then back at me. “And I know I didn’t raise you to be a male chauvinist.

“Jade. Come here, dearling.”

“I should go, Sheila.”

“This won’t take a second.” From her pocket, my mom produced a bracelet, one I recognized.

It was a tiny, beaded, umbilical amulet in the shape of a turtle my mother had worn as her rite of passage.

She tied it briskly over Jade’s wrist and kissed her quickly on both cheeks. “Go with speed. And come back more quickly.”

As she removed herself a discreet distance away, Jade’s hand covered her mouth.

Her throat bobbed, the pulse at the base thrumming visibly.

I curled her against my body.

“Don’t do this. I won’t be able to leave,” she pleaded.

“I don’t want you to.”

With her arms wrapped around my neck, she tipped her face up. “I love you!”

The final kiss.

Oh, God.

I wanted to take it slow, to savor it, but I couldn’t. Terror trampled through me, and the only outlet was Jade.

I held her hard. I kissed her until I thought my lips would bleed. I sucked her tongue into my mouth, waiting for that whimper she always, always uttered.

Pulling away enough to relieve the aching pressure, I kissed her more softly, fully on the pout. I tasted her like spring waters after a winter’s frost. I held her hips, and I hated our parting. Salt mingled on our tongues from tears we’d never shed for each other before.

“If you don’t fucking make it through this I will never forgive you.” I swallowed hard, smudging my forehead against hers. “I love you.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“Take Kohana. He’ll get you to the house. Go in the back.” I held her face in my hands. Memorizing her unimaginable eyes. The soft bow of her lips. That tiny piercing. The smile, slightly tilted, sometimes sad—as now—that was mine alone. “My dad will walk you out.”

I helped her mount, keeping my hands on her as long as I could. Whispering into Kohana’s ear, I stroked his mane.

When I slapped his rump, he shot off.

White flurries of snow burst from beneath his hooves, but all I saw was Jade, her hair lashing back.

Loss punched me in the chest.

Loss. Again.

I braced a hand against a tree, close to puking from pain that had no other escape.

“You need to fetch Majedah now, Wakiza.”

“What about Dad and the others?” I struggled to compose myself.

It was time to get mission-ready.

Mom placed her hands on my shoulders. “Wakiza. Your dad is probably having the time of his life. You know we’re warrior people and an enemy who trespasses our land must pay
our
restitution.”

****

The following days made up the longest seventy-two hours of my life. The
wait
left me with a permanent sickening twist in my gut.

I’d taken Mom’s horse and raced toward the cave I knew Madge had been hidden in while Mom trekked back to the outbuildings near the big house.

Madge hadn’t been taking any chances. She jumped on me with Jade’s Beretta raised as soon as I slipped through the tangled scree.

“Goddammit, Madge. Lower the weapon.” My face stony hard, I’d brushed past her and gathered the packs containing everything we’d been lugging around since the beginning of this fucked up fiasco.

“Where’s Jade?”

I’d ignored her. I was barely keeping my emotions in check.

She grabbed my arm. “I demand to know where Jade is!”

I’d gripped her wrist hard enough to snap the bones in two.

“She fucking sacrificed herself for you,” I bit out. “Did you hear me,
Sheikah
? So don’t you demand anything from me. Don’t you touch me. Don’t talk to me. You may have gotten the woman I love killed.”

Shrinking back, she’d raised a hand to her mouth, clearly as horrified as I was.

Fuckitall.

The one damn thing Jade had asked of me was to take care of Madge, and I’d bitten her head off.

Harnessing the fury one more goddamn time, I’d held her hand in mine for a short moment. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to go off on you like that.”

“We’ll go after Jade then.”

“You’re damn right we will.”

Easier said than done.

I couldn’t go after Jade, not without a solid plan and a definite lead. I’d just end up putting her and Madge into even more danger.

Jade is gone.

With every minute the reality settled more deeply in my bones.

I’d had to push past the fact I didn’t know where she was, what they were doing to her, if she’d survive.

By the time Madge and I made it off the reservation the trail had been cold. We’d huddled in the cab of my pickup, and I drove like hellfire, heading east. I didn’t freeze Madge out for long.

For what it was worth, she and I were in it together until we unfucked this thing.

I’d contacted the guys, getting them on point. Thankfully they were all stateside and ready to mobilize at a moment’s notice. Since Minneapolis had been the nearest big hub, that was our rendezvous city.

Three motherfucking days later we were back in Beirut, holed up in a building across the street from the drop point. Justice, Storm, Bane, Madge, me.

The room was tight as fuck and not the prettiest joint on earth, to say the least. Rundown Shithole met Cockroach City, and I couldn’t fucking believe it had only been two weeks since this upside down, inside out fuckup of a mission had begun. Jesus Christ, it was only the first week of March. Two years of wanting culminating in two weeks together, and it felt like I’d known Jade—
loved
Jade—half my lifetime already.

I paced around the sparsely furnished room, trying to ignore the blockheads who were my team. The dingy place had nothing to recommend it and whole lot going wrong for it—stained walls, the bare mattress probably crawling with stuff the fake folks on
CSI
liked to illuminate with their flashy penlights. You know, semen, blood, vomit, the residue of drugs . . .

Add in four hulking dudes and one Middle Eastern woman, and tempers were running high.

Especially when Storm and Bane were two of the guys involved. I didn’t have a clue what their beef was, but for months they’d been at each other’s throats like mortal fucking enemies. I’d about had enough of that shit.

“
Pic kee toi.
I am so fucking sick of playin’ house with y’all.” Storm padded around in a constricted circle. “Fuckin’ Beirut,” he spat out.

“And I’m so fucking sick of your face.” Bane lashed back.

The two of them faced off, trading insults and ready to get into it. While we all bristled with weapons and unleashed rage issues in a few hundred square feet of space.

“You know what?” I slammed my hand down on the dusty wooden table with enough force it almost cracked in two. “I don’t give a
fuck
if you hate on each other, but we are here to retrieve the package—AKA
Jade Huntington
—and I’d really goddamn appreciate it if my girlfriend got out alive.”

“What?” Bane rocked back on his heels.

“Girlfriend? Jade?” Justice walked up to me and peered deeply into my eyes. “Did you hit up that old wacky-baccy when you were home?”