Fire and Ice (Guardians) (2 page)

"The road leading to Castle is mostly deserted, it shouldn't be too hard to identify hostile transport," Danner added.

"Manning, do we have satellite uplink?" Maia asked.

"Yes. Cycles every 3 minutes covering the exit to Castle."

"Castle is about 30 clicks from the main highway, that should give us roughly 20 minutes heads up."

"That's not a lot of time," Brett, ever the devil's advocate, spoke up.

"How long would it take you to get into your vest and dive into the panic room?" Maia shot back.

"I'm not going in there—claustrophobic," Brett declared.

Before Brett knew what was happening, his ass hit the chair, Maia's palm squarely on his chest.

"Is this some kind of damn joke? You're telling me this now?" Maia snapped furiously. "Listen McCord, it doesn't matter. I'm bundling you into that room whether you like it or not."

"Your manhandling is kinda hot." Brett grinned, wiping the tension momentarily from his face before his shoulders slumped in resignation. "I'm not too claustrophobic."

Maia looked up to the ceiling as if praying for divine intervention.

The SAT phone rang. Viktor.

"Pierce."

"Maia, there are eight hostiles. We've connected three of them to Reznikov."

"What? Reznikov is linked to Vergara?"

"It would appear so. Reznikov may be using Vergara to move the new recreational drug they have developed and isn't too happy with Vergara's impending incarceration." He paused before adding. "Maia, I need to pull you out. It's too dangerous for you."

"No.We're in the home stretch."

"If Reznikov identifies you as the one who burned him in Russia, he'll come for you with all he's got."

Small world.

"I'll ... be ... fine."

"I never should've ..."

"Viktor, damn it, I'll be fine."

"I'll monitor chatter. Keep you posted."

Viktor disconnected.

Well, this bodyguard detail wasn't turning out to be too boring after all.

Four hours later
.

"They're 20 clicks out," Lucas crackled through the radio. Ten minutes earlier, two black SUVs had taken the exit to Castle from the main highway.

"Copy that," Maia returned and handed a Kevlar vest to Brett. "Put this on."

Danner skidded into the room, assault rifle cocked nonchalantly on his arm. "Panic room checked. Response team is on its the way."

Maia nodded. "Take McCord into the panic room."

Gunfire erupted and illuminated the courtyard. Lucas and Chavez were in elevated positions on external tower structures, camouflaged by trees, giving them sniper advantage. Manning and Edmunds were providing distracting fire behind the front windows and Danner was guarding the back.

Castle was a ranch-style house sparsely built on five acres of heavily wooded land. It had minimal furnishings and architecture because it kept getting blown up and rebuilt. All the windows were retrofitted with bars so that, even if the glass was broken, people couldn't get in. Unfortunately, unless you had a key, you couldn't get out either. The bars were configured like a gate and were on titanium hinges with a depressed locking mechanism located discreetly at the bottom right. There were two exits, front reinforced double doors and a steel back door located in the kitchen.

"Talk to me guys," Maia spoke over the radio. She was crouched behind a sofa crafted with a bulletproof frame near the entrance leading to the panic room. "How many?"

"Two are down—I think Vergara's foot soldiers. There are eight mercs plus two more foot soldiers. They're hiding behind the SUVs, bulletproof."

"Copy that," Maia replied. Figures. So it was going to be a waiting game. "Danner, ETA on response team?"

"Ten minutes."

"Fuck! RPG!" Lucas yelled through comms.

Suddenly an explosion rocked the outside wall. They were taking out their snipers.

"Breach!" Manning yelled.

"Lucas! Chavez! Report!"

Nothing.

Shit.

"Manning, Edmunds, fall back from the windows!"

Maia had barely gotten the words out when another explosion shattered the front door and blew out the windows and bars. Plaster rained down and a few deadly iron bars pierced the hardwood floors. Manning and Danner were unfazed and took up defensive positions further into the house. Maia scrambled towards the panic room and punched in the code. Opening the vault-like portal and without saying a word, she yanked Brett out and dragged him behind the sofa.

"Stay down!" she ordered.
 

"They're moving in. Brace!" Chavez yelled through comms.

"Are you okay?" Maia asked.

"Lucas is unconscious. I'm okay but I think my leg is broken."

Two canisters were thrown into the room amidst a hail of gunfire. Tear gas.
Well, we're ready for that
, Maia smiled grimly.
 

"What do we do now? Why did you take me from the panic room?" Brett whispered.

Maia spun Brett around and fitted him with a respirator before putting one on herself.

Another explosion shook the house taking out the panic room.

"That's why," Maia said, matter-of-factly, as if panic rooms blown up by RPGs were an everyday occurrence.

Brett curled up, hugging his knees with his elbows and burying his head in his hands. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," he repeated over and over.

A dark shadow fell across them as a merc dressed in all-black commando fatigues came running through the hole torn open by the blast in the panic room.
 
Maia fired her weapon, the figure staggered back but did not go down. Damn robots! Maia launched herself and wrapped her legs around the merc's neck and twisted, immediately hearing the killing snap before landing in a lunge position. Another hostile appeared, this time it was one of Vergara's foot soldiers. Maia spun a roundhouse sweep to the back of the man's
 
legs and took him down. Immediately kneeling on her left leg, right leg cocked in front, she plugged him a double-tap with her automatic pistol.

Maia spied Brett darting towards the kitchen.

Damn it, Brett
.

She tore after him at the same time noticing movement coming from the panic room again. She instinctively ducked and dodged right, but was stopped short by a burning sensation in her leg. She'd been shot.

Spinning and landing on her back, Maia saw her shooter and took steady aim at the area between her enemy's neckline and squeezed the trigger. He went down on his knees before tilting forward, dead.

Meanwhile, Brett was backing out of the kitchen, arms raised, a red laser dot of an assault rifle trained on his chest. Maia quickly assessed the situation. Danner was engaged in hand-to-hand combat with another merc, and Manning and Edmunds were still shooting it out in front.

Maia tackled Brett sideways and felt a jarring jolt to her shoulder caused by the impact of a bullet.

Before landing on Brett, she was able to draw her throwing knife. The laser was trained on her head and she sprang to her haunches and threw the knife aiming for the merc's jugular.

The rifle fired again.

***

"Castle was hit."
 

Jack tensed at Derek's words. Phone calls at 1am were always bad news. Holding his breath, Jack asked, "Brett?"

"Brett is fine, not a scratch on him."
 

He frowned. Derek sounded pissed-off.

"Any casualties from the Guardians?"
Was Maia okay?
was what Jack really wanted to know.

"Nothing major: broken leg, concussion, GSW. We better get there soon before Maia throttles that brother of yours."

"What happened?"

"I don't have all the details. Brett bolted, got himself in trouble. Maia took two bullets trying to shield him."

Christ! I'd strangle that brother of mine, myself
, Jack thought angrily.

"I should be on the helipad of your building in ten," Derek said and disconnected.

There wasn't much left of Castle. The front was blown out and so was the side and back of the house. No cops were present. The place was crawling with AGS agents. Under the radar! Twelve bodies were lined up in front of the house.
 

"Jesus Christ," Jack muttered. "Brett's lucky."

Derek grunted in agreement.

A woman with glorious wild red hair was railing at Brett whose head was hung, face red with embarrassment.

"Seriously, I would shoot you myself, you pull a stunt like that again! I told you to stay down, not go tearing into the kitchen. You could have distracted Danner and gotten him killed!" Maia yelled.

"Maia we need to look at your leg and any injuries under the vest," an AGS paramedic said.

"I'm okay!"

She whirled around her, blue eyes blazing, her hair a flaming mass gleaming against the residual fires around the house.
She looked magnificent
, Jack thought. She caught his eye and stalked towards him and Derek.
 

"Agent Pierce, you've had quite a night," Jack said lightly.

"You need to knock some sense into that brother of yours," Maia told him, still pissed before giving a chin lift to Derek. "Derek."

"Sweetie, go get yourself checked out," Derek said quietly.

Maia huffed and followed the paramedic to the medical van.

Brett walked up to them. Before Jack could lay in to him, his brother said. "I think I'm in love. Man, you should have seen her move. She took down four hostiles in a span of minutes ... seconds even. She's got quite a temper though. All that red hair."

"Maia is all that," Derek said knowingly.

"I dunno what to say, Brett, except ... What. The. Fuck?" Jack growled furiously.

"Hey, not everyone can be like you. I panicked. Gunfire and explosions everywhere ... couldn't see a damn thing. At all. The clearest path was to the kitchen, so I took it."

Jack counted to ten. The desire to drop his brother off in the middle of the Amazon so he would learn a few survival skills was proving a powerful temptation. And to have a woman, who was probably half his weight, repeatedly saving his ass was an affront to the McCord pride.

"I'm surprised none of the Guardians went down, outnumbered as they are. Not to mention facing a hellfire of RPGs," Jack told Derek. "AGS sure knows their shit."

"The emergency response team arrived before it got really dire," Brett added. "When Maia took that second shot to the chest, I thought it was game over, but she threw a knife at the shooter and took him down."

"How did she get shot at the leg?" Derek asked

"Uh, she went after me and got distracted."

Jack and Derek looked murderous. Brett ignored them, looking past their shoulders. "Looks like I'm not the only one in love with Agent Pierce."

Jack turned and saw Mike Callahan walking briskly towards the medical van Maia was leaning into. Her vest and shirt had been removed and she was wearing only a tank top. A bandage was wrapped around her right thigh.

Mike curled his hand around Maia's head to draw her against his chest and then he buried his face in her hair. His other hand went to her back gently pulling her closer to him.
 

Jack bristled. "What the hell is the story there?"
 

"They were together for a few months two years ago. Obviously our DA hasn't gotten over her," Derek said.

"Have you ever..."

"No."

"Why not?"

Derek sighed. "Maia doesn't do relationships well. I mean, look at her job. You think any man will let her disappear for weeks on end with no assurances that when she returns, if she ever does, she wouldn't be riddled with bullets? Do I love her? Yes. As a friend. And I'd rather not rock that boat."

"Good."

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" Derek called as Jack walked away.

"Staking a claim."

Maia tried to pull away from Mike. This was awkward.

"Mike ..."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a flesh wound."

"God, Maia you need to stop this..."

"Seriously, we're having this conversation now?" Maia lashed out. She was coming down from an adrenaline rush and couldn't deal with emotional bullshit.

"Counselor, I'm surprised to see you here," a sardonic voice interrupted from behind them. Mike reluctantly released Maia to face an unhappy-looking Jack McCord.

Why did McCord look so furious?

"Mr. McCord," Mike said tightly. Their gazes leveled, clearly sizing up one another. Realization finally dawned on Maia: Jack was interested in her! When had this happened?

Hell, she didn't need alpha-male posturing at that moment and started to move away.

Before she could take two steps, Jack gripped her elbow halting her escape and told Mike, "You might want to check on your star witness. Make sure Vergara has not spooked him with this ... spectacular ... ah ... assault."

The DA paled, glared at Jack and strode towards Brett.

"That was not nice," Maia said reprovingly and before Jack could reply, added, "What is your game, McCord?"

Jack smirked. Maia wanted to punch him.

"I like that. You're perceptive and direct," he drawled, his eyes turning heated as he took in the rise and fall of her breasts beneath her flimsy, ribbed tank top. The chilly night air had enhanced the outline of her nipples straining against the top. "Fuck. I shouldn't be lusting after a woman who nearly got her leg blown off."

"Uh...."

"I want you."

"I'm your brother's bodyguard."

"So, after ..."

"I can't believe this!" Maia hissed. "Really, Mr. McCord this is highly inappropriate conversation. Besides, I don't date or do relationships."
 

"Did I say anything about a relationship?"

"So you just want to fuck?"

Jack smirked again.
Really this guy is impossible
, Maia thought, her temper rising just as she felt a gush of warmth between her legs. Oh God, hell no, she was not attracted to Jack McCord.

"You want me too."

"You. Are. So full of yourself."

Jack cupped her other elbow, drew her closer, and lowered his head to the side of her ear and whispered, "Don't you want to be full of me?"