Delta Salvation (Phantom Force, Book 1) (5 page)

When the waitress circled back, he reached out, pulling her onto his lap. “Hey sweet thing, is there anywhere around here we could party. We’re on leave, and could use a little relief.” He let his eyes wander over her curves, his hands never strayed past her hips, but he squeezed, making her think he wanted more than the liquor she was serving.

She licked her lips. “Si, senor.” In broken English she told them to meet her an hour after closing. The bartender watched them with narrowed eyes until she returned to him. A knowing glint entered his gaze as Kai stared at the two heads bent together.

Without letting them know he was aware of their conversation, Kai picked up the deck of cards, and began dealing. As he lay down each card, the rest of the team got the message he needed them to have. It was a strategy they’d used many times before, and luckily, they always carried a marked deck.

Coyle stood, tossing his hand into the pile. “That’s it. I’m out.”

“Pussy.” Tay laughed

Oz lay his cards on the table with relish. “Read em and weep boys.”

“Motherfucker,” Kai groused.

Laughing, Tay wagged his finger. “Sorry, but my hand beats yours.”

“Damn, you cheating again?” Oz growled.

Tay stood up, knocking his chair over. “Fuck you. I don’t never cheat.”

“Bullshit. You’re nothing but a lying cheating bastard. I saw you with Linda last week. Who is not your girl, but Coyle’s. What do you think he’ll have to say about that?” Oz pointed his finger toward the bathroom.

Kai jumped between his two men. “Listen you two, now isn’t the place for this shit.”

Oz knocked Kai out of the way, and all hell broke loose.

“Fuck, Sully, grab one of them.” Kai reached for Oz.

Sully pointed at Coyle. “I am not sure which one.”

“You screwing my old lady?” Coyle’s voice was deadly.

Tay looked between Oz and Coyle. “Man, it was nothing. She came onto me. What was I supposed to do? You should thank me. Besides, she was a shitty fuck.”

A roar that would’ve done Rowan proud flew from Coyle, and then the man leapt over the table, tackling Tay.

Kai watched the bartender reach under the dirty counter, more than likely for a weapon. Sully grabbed the man from behind, quickly stopping him. The little waitress appeared to be trying to sneak out the back, exactly as Kai had expected. He followed, keeping to the shadows. A few times she looked back as if sensing his presence. The small house she entered a couple blocks down had all the windows boarded up, but Kai was faster than she was. He easily kept the door from locking into place, and she was too intent on getting inside, thinking she’d made a quick escape.

Making sure the door was locked as he entered, Kai looked around the empty space.

“Are you sure you weren’t followed?”

“Yes, they think I’m a dumb waitress.” Her voice no longer held the broken English from before.

A deep chuckle could be heard. “You realize those are not some ordinary military boys, don’t you, Milly?”

“I don’t give a shit who they are. I’m paid to tell you when there are suspicious men in town, and you keep me safe. That is our deal. Now, I gotta go. Jose will notice I left, but he’ll think I got scared and ran home,” Milly said.

“You know I could get you out of here and set up real nice...for a price.”

Milly laughed. “Yeah, no thanks, Burns. Gotta go.”

“Don’t you want to know who those guys are?” Burns asked.

“Nope. Questions get you dead real quick.”

Kai heard light footsteps coming back toward him, and flattened himself against the wall, waiting until she walked out the door. He and Burns were gonna have a chat, and if he could do something for young Milly he would, but first he’d find out if she’d had her hand in any missions that got people killed. She didn’t seem to mind she may have been sentencing the five of his team to death.

The sound of the other man’s boots pacing came closer to where Kai stood.

“Houston, we got a problem.” His voice faded.

Kai waited, listening to the other man’s conversation.

“Yeah, well you didn’t cover your tracks good enough, nor did you kill the fuckers like you were supposed to.”

Burns laughed, a nervous sound that made Kai’s lips twitch. “I’m pretty sure my days, if not hours, are numbered. Just thought I’d give you a heads up. Not sure why, except to ask you to look out for Milly for me. She’s a decent girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, with the wrong guy.”

In that moment Kai understood Burns knew he was there. He waited for the operative to hang up, then said, “put your arms above your head and walk this way, Burns.”

“Did you come in when Milly did or after she left?”

“Does it matter? Do what I said. My team are all around this place.” He was more than a hundred percent positive they’d already figured out all the ins and outs of the location, and if there were any traps, and disabled them.

“I guess not. You know I won’t tell you anything, no matter what you do to me. My life was over the moment you stepped through that door.” Burns voice sounded resigned.

“You tell me what I need to know, and you can have a new life.” Kai could give him that. Not one he’d like, but a new one just the same.

The man named Burns laughed. “It was good chatting with you. When you catch Tyler, tell him the Devil always collects his dues.” Kai rushed around the corner, knowing it was too late.

A sound Kai was familiar with, almost like a whoosh of air sounded, and then a heavy thud. Burns ended his own life before Kai could extract information from him. Seconds later, his team entered from the sides and front. Oz and Tay shook their heads, while Sully studied the body and the room.

“We need to scat real quick like. I have a feeling this place is a set up, too.” Coyle stared at the equipment on the desks.

“What did he say?” Tay asked.

Kai reached under the dead man for his phone. “Think you can trace the last call he made?”

Nodding, Tay pocketed the phone. “I can hack anything.”

“You need anything else from here?” Kai indicated all the computers.

“More than likely he has it encrypted so that it will infect whatever I load it to. Besides, we don’t have time. This,” he tapped his pocket. “Will give me a more accurate location than the computer, and knowing Jase, he isn’t a computer freak. I’d say he’s relying on others to do that.”

He hated to agree, but their old team member was lazy in that respect. His specialty was tracking. “Let’s head back to base. How long before you can get a lock?”

Tay rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna need a computer that I trust. So a few hours, boss.”

Shit! He hated that Jase had led them on a wild goose chase. They took the time to cover their tracks, making sure nothing could lead back to them.

Once they were safely away, Kai twisted his head back and forth. “Did you at least get to hit each other before following me?” He asked as they neared a corner.

Coyle rubbed his knuckles. “Hoorah that was fun.”

“For who, exactly? I had Oz and you on my ass,” Tay grumbled.

Kai held up his fist, and his team went silent, becoming the ghosts they were known for. He lifted two fingers, and made a circular motion.

They heard movement in the alley, which wasn’t unusual, but they weren’t taking any chances. As the men passed, completely unaware of the danger, the Phantom team slipped down the alley. “We need to get the girl. Her name is Milly. I don’t know what she can or can’t tell us, but she knew Burns.”

“I’ll get her,” Oz offered.

“We stick together. I don’t trust her. She’s willing to trade our lives for her own.” Kai indicated they follow him. Nobody said another word as they made their way back to the bar.

The bartender looked up. “You come to tear up my bar again?”

Kai looked at the dirty establishment. “Where’s the little waitress. She was gonna meet me after she got off work.”

“She left early. Said all that violence upset her.”

“I should apologize. Where does she live, and I’ll do so in person.” Kai smiled.

The big bastard crossed his arms. “I ain’t telling you shit. You boys need to go back over the border and leave good girls like Millicent alone.”

A laugh bubbled up. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, my friend. Trust me though, your Millicent is far from a good girl.”

An hour later, they stood outside another house on the outskirts of the little town. With hand motions, they moved in. Kai and his team had seen enough to know she lived alone and was already in bed. Her pitiful attempts at security would keep out most amorous men. Not his team. Hopefully, by morning, they’d have more information to go on.

Chapter Three

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N
ot dreaming was a mantra she kept having to remind herself. If the apartment wasn’t so down to earth, and something she’d have chosen if she’d had the money, Alexa swore she’d have left. A file on the counter had her name on the front. Inside was everything they’d promised. A checking account with enough cash to get her started, along with what looked like a promising job.

“How do they know I can even do this type of work?” She tapped the folder. “Stupid question. They’re some super military that has the ability to know everything.”

The refrigerator had been filled with the basic necessities, and she was too tired to do more than pour herself a glass of milk and sit on the large sofa. She wondered if they used the apartment for one of the guys she’d met, then dismissed it from her mind. None of them looked like they’d want to stay at a place that wasn’t their own. After she drained the glass, her first thought was to kick off her shoes and take a nap. However, she didn’t know the first thing about the town, or where the job she was supposed to be working was. Alexa wanted to have an exit plan just in case things went to shit, and she needed to run.

“No time like the present to acquaint yourself with your new town.” Taking the glass to the sink, she rinsed it, then grabbed the folder before heading out the door.

“Hello, gorgeous. Already leaving us?” JoJo asked.

Alexa nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the concierge’s voice coming from behind her. “Jesus you scared the crap out of me.”

Shrewd brown eyes assessed her. “Where you heading? Aren’t you tired from your long trip?”

“I thought I’d drive around and get an idea of where everything is.”

He nodded. “I have your keys behind the desk.”

For one crazy moment she thought he was going to try and stop her from leaving, fear a friend she had become so accustomed to having, she hated it. The training ma’am had made her do gave Alexa newfound confidence. Straightening her spine, she held her hand out taking the keys and smiled, before walking out. The same guy stood out front, but he didn’t give her any notice as she went to her used car parked next to an expensive one. She wasn’t even sure of the name on the emblem gracing the hood, only that she was way out of her element.

Rapid City was a good sized city, with a lot of things to explore and see for tourists. She made mental notes of things she wanted to do while she drove around, keeping her eyes out for anyone who might be tailing her. One thing Danny taught her, was not to think you were safe, just because you thought you were.

She’d driven hundreds of miles, and he’d clearly been waiting for the right opportunity. Or as she’d realized too late, he’d done something to either her car or the road to make her have a flat tire, waiting for the inevitable to happen. She shivered at the last image of her ex being dragged away by the pack of wild dogs. In the time she’d been held, the only sign of the animals had been the howls. Ma’am had informed her she’d handled the situation and not to question her if she wanted to see another day. Mrs. Reed was probably worried sick, but Alexa couldn’t work up any sad feelings for either of them.

Her fingers cramped from the tight grip on the steering wheel, making them unclench took a little effort. Pulling into a small coffee shop, the wifi sign meant she could pull up a map and find the directions to the office building. If she’d been thinking clearly, instead of needing to make sure she could leave the apartments, she’d have asked JoJo. “Oh, well. No sense crying over spilled milk.” The lot was surprisingly full, making it difficult to find a spot close to the door. She drove around the lot, and then back around. “Woohoo,” she cheered as a car was backing out near the front.

Once inside, she ordered a Chai Tea Latte, not needing any caffeine so late in the evening. “Can you tell me where The Steinem Building is?”

The little brunette stared at Alexa like she’d grown two heads. “I have no clue.” Shrugging her shoulders, she looked to the next customer.

Alexa went to the end of the counter and waited.

“The Steinem Building is two blocks north of here.” An older woman smiled, and then proceeded to give exact directions on a piece of paper.

“Thank you. I’m new to town, and was trying to figure my way around before reporting in for my first day. Don’t want to show up late.” Alexa laughed.

“I work in the building as well. Lots of offices there. Maybe I’ll see you. There’s a decent café there, but I usually bring my lunch, however, there is also a coffee shop in the lobby. I swear they make the best lattes, or I just need the extra boost at eight a.m. My name is Debra by the way.” She held out her hand.

“Alexa. Thank you for the directions.” Hearing her name being called pulled her away from the conversation. Although she didn’t want to think about why she was nervous, making friends didn’t come easily, nor trusting them.

Waving her hand in farewell, Alexa got back in her car and drove to the office building in downtown Rapid City. She liked that it wasn’t in some secluded area where she would feel closed off, nor did the buildings next to it look deserted. She made note of all the alleyways, and streets, driving around each one a couple times until she felt certain she could navigate them without getting lost.

Her stomach growled as she passed a fast food chain. The thought of going back and cooking held no appeal, neither did a greasy burger, but her body needed substance. Three square meals had become a highlight. Sad what her life had turned into, but she swore she wasn’t going to be that woman anymore. First she’d get a decent meal, and then tomorrow she’d grocery shop. Make friends, and get a life. So why did all seem doable, except the last. She swiped at a tear that fell down her cheek. She wanted someone to come and carry her home, and tell her it was all a bad dream. Only her life had never been anything but one bad dream after another.