Promises (Blood Brothers #1) (2 page)

There should have been more activity, others than just those guarding the outside. Yet he could sense no one was in the front of the structure.

"Clear!" he whispered into the communications link for the team, Rafe's nod to his right.

The nape of his neck tingled and he could still feel a tentative, almost hesitant vibration pushing at his psyche as though trying to reach out but it made no sense. He could feel where each member of his team was located, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no one else within miles of the area other than the team who had their enhanced abilities, so it as impossible for someone close enough for him to feel them. There was no movement, nothing to indicate hostiles in the cabin. Otherwise, he would sense them, their intent, the evil. All he could pick up was silence, no movement and no one coming at them. He couldn’t grasp what might be going on.

Rafe cleared the small kitchen and the front of small structure while Kayne took the last room to the back, pushing the door open slowly. What caught his attention had his breath freezing in his lungs, his heart nearly stopping and his gut clinched at the sight.

Suspended from the ceiling was the "package" and she was in no shape to travel. Chained to the ceiling, she was stripped bare and hanging by her wrists, her toes barely touching the floor. Glancing at her hands, he could see that she must have fought, the skin bruised and torn by the chains holding her in place. Blood coated her lower arms and ran down to her arm pits, her fingers barely grasping the chains she hung from.

From where he stood he could tell her face was hardly touched, but the rest of her body looked like someone had used it for a punching bag. Every inch from her perfect nipples to her waxed feminine mound was almost one massive color and in places there was blood from several scratches and sliced cuts. It took everything he had not to go back and kill the bastards all over again.

The instruments lying next to her were abominations meant for torture, some so-called sex toys streaked with blood and gore. His stomach almost rebelled at the thought of what those monsters must have done to this small slip of a woman and his hands fisted in an effort to control the rage quickly spiraling out of control.

"Rafe, I need your shirt!" he hissed, reaching behind him for it. "Now!"

Kayne didn't even flinch when the shirt was slapped into his hand from behind.. "Help me cut her down."

With gentle hands, growls and curses for the death of her captors, the brothers managed to cut her down without further injury and gently wrapped her in the huge shirt that hung below her knees. She managed a few moans as Kayne brushed back tangled strands of long tawny hair from a beautiful face that was too pale, normally lush lips that were cracked and dry. He was just as shocked as she was when chocolate and honey colored eyes fluttered open to lock with his, her scream locked deep in her bruised chest. The instant their eyes locked Kayne realized who he had sensed all this time.

Kayne secured a massive hand over her lips, leaning close to her ear.

"Hush, little one, you're safe now!" he crooned, inserting a mental push to calm her as much as possible. He felt her inner turmoil, and instantly recognized how strong she was even now. Here was the terror he had felt up on the ridge, the strength.

"Sleep," he whispered, forcing his strong willpower deep into her confused semi-consciousness, careful of the fragile hold she had on reality. She fought it hard and it amazed him to see her surface for just a moment.

“The girl. They took her.” The hoarse whisper barely came on a breath but Kayne heard her and leaned down, his lips near the shell of her ear.

“She’s safe. My team found her. Now hush.” He watched her long dark lashes flutter then close back over those luscious rich eyes filled with pain and loss, eyes Kayne knew he would be lost in if he continued to look at for too long. A gut wrenching pain hit him deep in his stomach and he took a knee, unable to do more than breathe as he held the injured woman in his arms. He had known this kind of pain when they were in the labs but for a female to suffer it was unforgivable.

Kayne could tell Rafe was having just as much of a problem as he, but that for some reason it was the situation and not the woman that was bothering his twin. He could feel Rafe's emotions as he continued to assist Kayne bundle the female up in the huge shirt and knew there would be a serious discussion once they returned to base.

Careful of her injuries, he allowed himself a slow caress along her side before handing her off to the only man he trusted at his back. It made no sense, this sudden aching need to guard a female he had just rescued, one of many the team had pulled from deplorable areas over the years as they worked to break up the human trafficking rings that were as popular as crack or heroin and just as profitable. Without realizing it, his hand smoothed over a taunt stomach that was covered in massive contusions, marveling and wondering how this little bit of feminine flesh had lived through whatever these killers had managed to do to her.

"We need to go… Now!"
Rafe growled silently.

"You carry her, I'll cover the rear."
He gently lifted the female and handed her to his brother, taking another quick look at the room.

For the first time he noticed there were other items scattered about. Pictures of additional females and a few young males hung above a metal desk in the corner. A camera with what looked like an internet connection sat propped against the other corner but no laptop or other device was anywhere in the room. Looking closer, he could tell the women were of different ages, different backgrounds but all appeared to be of gentle breeding. This operation was about more than trafficking, much more.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he whispered into the communications link as he quickly gathered everything he could to take with them for evidence.

"Explain!" Merc's command came over the link.

"Later, we need to move!" he whispered, looking toward his twin. Rafe's nod assured him the female was secure. "Davey - report!"

Silence - damn it, where was that boy!

"Merc, do you have a location on Davey?"

"He's got the other package and is headed toward extraction. So far so good." Kayne could tell there was more to it than what his teammate was saying but for now, they had to evacuate. Too much time here and his neck itched. Not a good thing.

His gut was crawling, the spirits of the forest screaming at him to get a move on it. Kayne's senses were telling him something was wrong but he couldn't see, taste, or smell it. Yet it was there!

"Move out!" Signaling his twin, Kayne pulled up the rear, allowing Rafe to carry the fragile burden in a fireman's carry that couldn't be helped. Taunt flesh peaked out from under the bottom of the shirt, crisscrossed with shallow slices from either a well-placed blade or some kind of whip. He found his hands wanting to smooth them, take the pain away.

"
Do you have her?"
The twin-speak the two of them had used for so long came natural and swift, easier on the mind and body, automatic.

"
She's coming around again, Bro. I can feel her body temp and heartbeat changing. When she does there's going to be panic. She won't understand who has her now."
Rafe didn't so much as miss a step, he just ensured nothing hit the female as they hung low and made for the extraction point.

"
Let me know if I need to put a narc patch on her before she comes to all the way. She isn't receptive to my mental pushes. We can't have her giving away our location yet, and I don't want her more terrified than she already is."
He knew Rafe understood. Even badly injured men trained for this type of work barely managed to keep quiet and usually required sedation, must less a slip of a female. They had to get to the Pave Hawk helicopter at the extraction site before things went tits up.

Suddenly the skies behind them lit up, as the ravine seemed to implode. The concussion took several seconds to hit them, but when it did the noise sent the forest animals screaming in all directions.

No fire, no debris.

The team ducked, unsure what was coming at them until they looked back and saw the destruction left behind. Total annihilation of everything that had been in the ravine. Only a thin trail of smoke gave evidence that the cabin had even existed, the contents of the structure obliterated. Whoever had been there had not intended for there to be any witnesses, including the guards that had been left behind.

Chapter 2

He stood in the library sipping brandy, gazing out the tall windows as he contemplated the reports sitting on his desk. Everything was supposed to have been destroyed in the small valley, except for his two “treasures.” Those were to have been brought to him as soon as the transport had arrived but it was detained due to a road block of some kind by local authorities. It had taken three hours to clear air traffic and make it to the site but all was lost. The idiots onsite had somehow messed up when setting the detonation sequences, which was a lesson learned. He would make sure from now on his chosen treasures were removed before he even allowed the idiots of his employment to do any kind of menial jobs around them again. They were too important in the scheme of things.

Once again, Alpha Team had interfered where they should never have and he was going to have to deal with them one way or another. The fact that they had even been able to find the cabin, much less both of his treasures was giving him a migraine. He was confident of recovering both of them, he had no doubt of it whatsoever. It was just a matter of time. However, Alpha Team was and had been a hindrance for long enough. He needed to deal with the twins once and for all. His temper snapped and the brandy sniffer flew across the room and into the quiet fireplace, shattering the silence of the room. He was getting tired of their interfering.

Circumstances were at a critical stage and he couldn't have those freaks continue to impede progress, not if he was to meet his deadlines.

"Robert!" he yelled, summoning his second-in-command.

"Yes sir?" The tall ex-Marine stood at attention, waiting for instructions as if he were still in the military, which in reality he was.

"It's time for Operation Daisy," he whispered. The seasoned Marine visibly swallowed, his eyes never showing his concern.

"Are you sure, sir?" the Marine chanced the question only to wince when his superior turned blazing eyes around to look at him.

"Don't question me, moron! Do it!"

"Yes sir." The solider did an about face and left the room to follow orders, never seeing the sadist smile on his employer's face or the calm that returned.

"Now we'll see who is superior, won't we?" he whispered to the empty room, reaching down to stroke his hardening cock in anticipation of the plans he had just put into place. Let Alpha Team figure out who and what was coming for them.

Chapter 3

The light hurt her eyes.

It was the only thing Chayle Olsen could concentrate on as the pain stabbed into the base of her skull. She struggled to open her eyes to find the constant annoyance of beeping nearby. Through the haze and sluggishness of her brain, someone was loudly whispering in the background and it wasn't a voice she recognized.

"There are multiple contusions, deep bone bruises that will take a while to heal, but no permanent damage that I can find so far. She has also been sexually assaulted both anally and vaginally, and I've had a rape kit sent per your instructions in hopes of gathering any DNA." The person seemed to hesitate before continuing.

"Stop looking at me with murder in your eyes! I wasn't the one who did this to that poor young woman, so get your ass out there and find out who it was because they are sadist assholes. They intended to inflict as much pain as possible while having their fun. And, they almost killed her, it was a miracle she had lived at all. If you had been any later, I can assure you that she wouldn't have survived another day." The talking stopped, then Chayle heard someone quietly closing the door as they left.

She reached up to rub her temple, finding something attached to her wrist. She could only stare at it for long seconds before she could finally focus. Once the fog cleared and she could see clearly, she realized there was an IV leading to the side of the bed, then up to the bag hanging from the pole. Instinct had her trying to jackknife away from whatever danger was nearby, but strong hands gently held her in place.

"Easy, sugar. Nothin' to worry about." A deep drawl caressed her senses, soothed her jingling nerves. It didn't penetrate the fog still lingering at the edge of her mind or terrible memories crowding toward the surface, and her fight or flight reflex continued to kick in no matter the inducement from the sexy as sin tone in her ear.

How had they moved her to this place? What did they want now? She struck out with everything she had, slapping and struggling to move away as her body screamed that it couldn't move this fast yet, but instinct and a rush of adrenaline powering her ability to fight, to get away or die.

"Damn it… Stop it or you're going to hurt yourself! They just finally got you cleaned up!" A male voice cursed long and low as strong hands held her still.

Something made her finally hold still… something primal. She stopped fighting those strong fingers, frantically searching for the source of the velvety voice, needing an anchor before the panic took over. When she found sparkling navy blue eyes watching her closely, Chayle stopped breathing.

"Now don't you go and pass out on me again. If you do, Rafe will be pissed with me and I just don't want to deal with one of his temper fits right now." A quirky grin tilted at the corners of lips that should have been on an angel instead of the giant gently holding her arms pinned to the bed. The darkest blue eyes fringed by the sexiest long, black lashes she had ever seen drew her in and made her chest ache. Her first coherent thought was a man shouldn't have eyes so beautiful.

Chayle caught her breath and felt it hitch with pain. The military haircut couldn’t hide the fact that the color was as blue-black as the lashes, and Chayle had to stop herself from wanting to touch it to see if it really was as black as a raven's.