The Omega Team: Hellbent on Saving Her (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read online

  “How did you find that?” It was a picture he’d taken of her on a weekend get-away to the desert.

  “Who do you think cleans this house? The dust fairy? Now go on with your story.”

  He told her more and she gave him her typical “Uh-huh.” Until, she evidently couldn’t take the suspense any more. “Are you trying to tell me I have a grandchild?” She started breathing heavy.

  “Mom, what’s wrong? You’re out of breath!” I finally give her a grandchild and she has a coronary.

  “I’m…dancing…around…the kitchen,” She replied in a sing-song voice. When can I see him? And his mother has held your heart all these years? How romantic.”

  “Yes, she was…still is very special. Now, if you promise to sit and calm down, you can talk to him, but he’s been through a rough time so go easy.” He called for Quinn, who ran into the room and stood in front of him. “Would you like to say ‘hello’ to your grandma?”

  His eyes widened. “I have a gwandma, too?” ZQ had to listen to his mom’s reaction, so he put the phone on speaker before handing the cell to the child. “Helwo.”

  “Hello, my love. I wish I could see you right now.”

  “Tell Grandma you’ll be at her ranch tomorrow for lunch. You and Athena.”

  “I will? I’m gonna stay wif gwandma while you go get my mommy?” He placed one Spidey sandal on top of the other and leaned against ZQ’s thigh. “I’m coming to see you tomowow. Me and Athena. She’s my mommy’s bestest fwiend.”

  “Won’t that be wonderful? What do you like for lunch?”

  “Peanut buttah and jelwy sammiches. Sometimes my mommy spweads peanut buttah on a banana. I like that. Gwandma, will I have to kiss you?”

  “You sure will.”

  The boy sighed. “Daddy’s been kissing me so much I’m getting chapped skin. Do you have Chap Dick? My mommy always uses it on me when my wips chap.”

  His mother was laughing. “I’ll go to the store right away and get some.”

  Oh God, this boy! ZQ never thought he wanted children. Now, in the span of an hour or two, this perfect child had burrowed his way deep into his heart. “Quinn, why don’t you say goodbye now? I need to talk to Grandma some more.”

  “Bye, gwandma. I nevah had a gwandma before. I can’t wait to see what it’s wike.”

  “We’ll have lots of fun together. I promise.” ZQ could almost see the tears and smile woven into his mother’s words.

  Athena extended her hand and the boy joined her. “First we pack for our trip. Then we eat.”

  “Mom, you finally got your wish. Walk into the living room and look at my Kindergarten picture on your antique desk. Quinn looks exactly the same. Now, before you tell me how excited you are, I have to make sure you understand our boy could be in danger. A drug cartel has his mommy. Now they have pictures of him and are on the hunt, no doubt to use him to make her talk. Tell your prayer circle and other friends to be on the lookout for strange men and unknown vehicles. If anyone comes, go to the underground bunker. Understand?”

  “Don’t you worry one bit, I haven’t waited all these years for a grandchild to allow any sidewinder to so much as look at him. He’ll be safe with Grandma. I’ll put the word out. Everyone will be scrutinizing any new faces in town.”

  They spoke a little more before ZQ hung up. He gave her instructions about having some legal matters taken care of and she wholeheartedly agreed. JJ glanced at him and grinned. “How’d she take the news?”

  “I lay you a hundred bucks she’s on the run to her car right now, heading to Warrior Falls to stand in the town square and make a general announcement before she goes on a toy and book buying spree.” He shook his head. “That was one excited woman.”

  With renewed determination, ZQ examined every word of the file Grey had put together. This time his focus was fueled by his son who needed his mommy. “How much do you know about Gilberto Muñoz, Grey?”

  He leaned forward and lowered his voice since Quinn was in the next room. “His MO is murder, especially with a knife. He enjoys the hell out of watching people suffer. Last I heard he was still in the States, but chills run up and down my back at the thought of his leaving for Cartagena.”

  “Then we need to take off in the morning. Damn, I want to spend more time with my son, but I promised him I’d get his momma back. I can’t renege on my promise. If only life hadn’t worked out the way it had.

  “Afghanistan, hospitals, therapy centers, and a second round of BUD/S. As soon as I got back to my team, I had to put them through hellacious training in preparation for Syria. God, what a hellhole. We suffered injuries there.

  “On our way back, I got word Dad had terminal cancer, so I took an early retirement to go home to help care for him. Right away, the CIA pushed me to organize Black Eagle Ops. I’ve always loved serving my country, but in the process, I lost Rose,” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, “Ivy. It’ll take me a while to get used to thinking of her by that name. But fuck, no matter what I call her, I’ve lost her and missed out on my son’s life. She shouldn’t have had to go through all she did alone. I should have been with her.”

  “Yes, you should have.” Athena handed Grey a beer. “Now that I know what happened, I’ll let you live.”

  Quinn rounded the corner, carrying a plate piled high, and taking tiny steps. “I…I made you a ‘sammich,’ Daddy. I made it with no help. Well, Titan, he pointed out some things for me to use.” Quinn set the plate down and glanced at his dad for approval.

  A freckled face peeped around the corner and grinned. Who would have expected Black Eagle’s most muscular team member could relate so easily to a small child?

  “Wow! Did you really make this yourself?” His son nodded, a smile of pride twinkling. His concoction had six slices of bread intermingled with bologna, ham, turkey, roast beef and salami to say nothing of four types of cheese slices, onions, and one withered lettuce leaf. “This looks so good.”

  “Eat it!” His boy patted the sandwich with his little hand.

  ZQ scooped it off the plate, smashed it a little, and opened wide. He took a bite and tasted half a bottle of mustard. His cheeks drew in and he grabbed for his beer. “Gee, Monkey, this is—” he choked and coughed, “something else. Thank you.” Kee-rist a-mighty! Even my asshole puckered from all that sour mustard.

  Quinn took off. “I’ll make you anotheh one, Daddy!”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  While Monkey, or mustard boy, took his bath, ZQ went over all the information with his team. They studied maps and JJ plotted their flying route to Cartagena complete with fueling stops at small airports. Grey printed some new emails he’d gotten from his various sources. He also printed out a close-up map of the older section of the city where his informants told him security was heavy at one particular building owned by the Muñoz Cartel. Grey put an X on the address provided.

  ZQ studied it. So did Dust who asked if the cartel owned other properties in the area. Grey, a computer whiz, hacked into Cartagena land records. Athena, fluent in most Hispanic dialects, translated them for the guys.

  Gilberto Muñoz owned seven buildings, plus acreage in the mountains. His brother Eduardo owned two residences. Grey laughed, claiming one house was probably for his wife and the other for his mistress. Most of Eduardo’s holdings was land concentrated in the mountains.

  What had ZQ worried was the new intel Grey had gotten. Gilberto had flown out of Tampa this afternoon. No doubt to wherever his men held Rose.

  Once again, ZQ told himself he would have to start thinking of her as Ivy and not Rose. Ivy was her real name. It was how little Quinn heard people refer to her. His son was under enough emotional stress, he shouldn’t be further confused by hearing his dad call his mom by another name.

  Dust, the architect, pulled a chair next to Grey and asked him to use a program that gave a closer view of buildings than typical sites.

  After Grey brought it up, Dust rattled off descriptions Steelhead jotted down. “
The building is stucco. Five floors. Wooden blinds are closed on the fifth one. Wonder why that is? Any ideas running though your minds? It has a flat roof with railing around it. Building is a coral color.

  “You getting all this, Steelhead?” Dust barely spared him a glance.

  “Every damn word. Sketching it out, too.”

  Dust patted Steelhead’s shoulder. “Good, man. Now, the building next to it is the same rectangular shape, but turquoise stucco. All the blinds are open on all the floors. Pan around to the other side of the coral house, Grey.

  “Turquoise? Why not say blue. What man says turquoise or coral, for that matter.” Titan crossed his massive arms.

  “I’m an architect. I have to be able to identify the differences in colors. You’re a gear head. You know car parts. I know buildings and, yes smartass, turquoise and coral.”

  Titan held up two open hands. “Hey, cool your carburetors, man. I still say they look fuckin’ blue and orange to me.”

  “Enough!” ZQ barked. “Continue, Dust.”

  “The neighboring building is gold, almost faded to yellow and only three floors. It’s built flush against the coral one. Yet there are a few feet, roughly six I’m guessing, between the suspicious coral structure and the turquoise dwelling. If she’s in the upper floor, one of us could repel between the two to get to a window.”

  “That would be me.” ZQ leaned over Grey’s shoulder to study the pictures. “Are these real time? I see two men out front with guns.”

  “As real as it gets,” Dust insisted.

  “Pan around to the backs of the buildings. Are there lawns or more houses built close to them? Any guards in the back?”

  “No men, ZQ. Just a narrow alley between buildings.” Dust pointed and ZQ leaned forward to get a look-see himself.

  Everyone got quiet when pajama-clad Quinn entered the room. He had his hair combed in the same style as ZQ’s—in the front anyhow. The back was still a tangled mess. He quietly slipped into his dad’s outstretched arms and curled against him.

  “Are you ready for bed?” Athena kissed the child’s hand.

  “I want my daddy.” He curled his fingers into ZQ’s t-shirt and snuggled closer.

  He kissed his son’s forehead. Depending on how the mission went, he might never see him again. He was determined to bring Ivy back to little Quinn no matter what it cost. “He’ll be fine here with me while we go over plans. Quinn, when you wake up in the morning, we’ll be gone. Daddy and his men will be on their way to find your mommy. Don’t be scared. Okay?”

  “Okay.” Small, dark eyes bore into ZQ’s, no doubt searching, yearning to trust someone he’d only ever heard of from his mommy.

  “Never forget Daddy loves you more than anything. You’re his special boy.” He kissed him again. His palm rubbed up and down his son’s back until Quinn fell asleep. “Athena, make sure you do something for me. Tell Ivy she’s a hell of a good mother. She’s raised him well. He’s warm, loving, and comical as hell. Any man would be proud to have him for his son. In case things go to shit for me, I want her to know how I feel. Promise me.”

  “I will.” Athena nodded.

  “One more thing. Encourage her to take him to the ranch from time to time. I’ve already talked to Mom about leaving the property to him. Eagle Ridge Ranch has been in our family for four generations. She’s having her will changed. I want Quinn to fall in love with the place.”

  “Come on, man,” JJ growled. “Ditch this defeatist shit. We’ve been is worse situations.”

  “Yes, but I only had to worry about my men then. Now I have a son who needs his mommy and I’m hellbent on seeing he gets her back.”

  ZQ’s determined gaze landed on everyone and the room went quiet. “Understand this: No one means more to me than this boy, his mommy, and my own mother. I’d gladly give my life for any one of the three. I protect what’s mine. End of discussion. Now, let’s detail our plans.” Everyone leaned in to go over the intel they had.

  ****

  Ivy curled on her bed. Something was up. No one had beaten or threatened her today. In fact, an older woman had given her a crumpled red tank top and an orange and yellow floral long skirt to replace the torn and bloody dress she’d worn to court the day she was kidnapped. The young woman who brought her meals still called her “Puta” before she spat into her food. That hadn’t changed, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was in the air.

  She snatched the hard roll from the edge of the plate before it touched the defiled rice and meat concoction she’d been given. Breaking a piece off, she held it to her nose to inhale the yeasty aroma. No moldy smell, thank goodness. She examined every bite for tiny bugs. Since she’d been here, her diet was sparse thanks to the quality of the food and the server’s behavior. To hide the fact she wasn’t eating, she scraped the contents of her plate into the commode and flushed it away.

  Would she ever make Quinn pancakes or baked macaroni and cheese again? She smiled as she slipped beneath the raggedy cover. What about his favorite—a mustard and cheese sandwich, heavy on the mustard? She missed their run and playtime at the nearby park when she got home from work. She missed reading to him at night. She missed him period.

  What would his father think of the child named for him if he ever met her boy? Once they grew close why didn’t she tell Quinn her real name and that she was looking for positions in Florida? Then if he wanted to find her after his mission, he could have tracked her down. Where was he now and who was he with?

  Memories of meeting her SEAL giant slipped through her mind as tears slid into her hairline. She curled into a fetal position and tried to ease her way into sleep, gunfire peppering the night air outside to the soothing strains of trumpet and guitar music from a nearby cantina.

  Did her little boy miss her? Was he scared?

  Where was her SEAL Master? Was he safe? All these years without him and he still crossed her mind every night before she drifted off to sleep. Was he even alive? He’d never replied to the pictures she texted him. His silence was so unlike his normal behavior. Yet she still hung onto his memory when, in all likelihood, he never thought of her. Not anymore. She closed her eyes and her breathing deepened.

  He swaggered toward her, the Dom who’d introduced himself to her weeks ago. She’d been on her way to the locker room to change clothes before leaving Secrets of the Deep, a BDSM club. He’d stopped both her and her heart as they exchanged names and pleasantries. She liked his manners and the way the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. There was an innate kindness about him.

  Then he’d been gone for three weeks.

  She figured she’d never see him again. Who knew, maybe he’d just been a figment of her lonely feminist body, because Quinn had to be the finest man she’d ever seen in black leathers. Sexy. Potent. Desirable.

  He’d been on her mind almost constantly these past weeks. As he approached tonight, her heart triple beat and she couldn’t focus on anything or anyone, but him. Well developed thigh muscles bunched and lengthened as he walked in his tight leathers.

  Only he didn’t merely walk, he sauntered with the grace of a man who knew his strength and paid attention to his surroundings. He carried himself with a military bearing. Although his height was almost intimidating, his sensual demeanor made her hormones want to stand up and salute. To her surprise, there were stitches through his one thick, dark eyebrow.

  His attention was solely on her. With every step he made to close the distance, her breath quickened.

  “I was hoping you’d be here.” He took her hand, his thumb making slow circles. “How are you, Rose?”

  She lowered her gaze. “I’m fine, sir.” When her gaze rose, she counted seven stitches and a nasty bruise on the side of his face. “May I ask what happened to you?”

  “I’m a SEAL. We were on a mission. It was short, but intense. That’s all I can say. We’re not at liberty to talk about where we go or what we do.”

  She’d heard about the secrec
y involving Special Forces missions. “I see.”

  “Are you spoken for this evening?” She shook her head. “Would you consider being my submissive tonight?” His head lowered to brush a kiss beneath her ear as his hand lightly swept down her spine sending waves of desire skittering over her skin.

  Her mouth had gone dry with all the moisture in her body rushing to her core. “I would like that very much, sir.”

  “Your safe word?”

  “Homework.” She glanced at him under her lashes. “I’m a college student.”

  He leaned his head back and laughed, a rich sound that cocooned her in safety. “Homework, it is then. What are you studying?”

  “Too much. My brain is tired.” She really didn’t want to go into her private life. Her future career as a lawyer had to be completely separate from her stolen hours as a submissive where she could let loose of life’s stresses and relax.

  When she stopped focusing on his face and how well he filled out his leathers, she realized his bicep was also bandaged. “What happened to your arm, sir?”

  He glanced at the dressing as if he’d forgotten it was there. “Just another souvenir from our latest mission. It doesn’t bear talking about.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her deeper into the club. “What interests you here, Rose? Do you enjoy watching the scenes or would you rather participate?”

  “Sometimes I’m not even sure if the lifestyle is completely for me.” At his arched eyebrow, she explained. “I do like kink, but not to the degree a lot of the people here do.” She laughed in embarrassment. “Some of the scenes I can’t even bear to watch. Does that make me a coward or a vanilla woman who just likes to be spanked and stuff?”

  The backs of his fingers trailed down her cheek, a gentle caress that made her want to lean into him. “Why not explain to me what you like? I’m a trained and certified Dom. I’ll tell you what I think. I mean, a little kink is not a bad thing.” He winked at her and she had to look away to keep from laughing.