One for Three [Elite Dragons 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

He slowed the truck and pulled up a block away from the property. Once more, Coulter glanced through the window into the back of the truck. He saw the precise, controlled movements of weapons being checked and readied.

He, his brothers, and his teammates were stronger than a normal human male. They had volunteered for experiments for the safety of their country, and though they weren’t superhuman, their strength was more than the average man’s. The men could hear and see better and also had the ability to feel what others felt as well as being stronger than the average male. They were empathic, but could also tune out most people’s feelings and emotions. The Elite Dragons only called on their abilities when absolutely necessary, hence the earpieces. They didn’t intrude on each others’ privacy if they could avoid it.

The scientists who worked for the government had injected him and his men full of chemicals he would not even be able to name. From the first he had been more in tune with his body and felt strength, stamina, and a nearly never-ending supply of energy strum throughout his body. His strength still had the ability to amaze him, even years after the metabolic changes had been made to his body.

As the months of experiments had progressed the scientists had taught them how to utilize their brains to almost eighty percent of their capacity, instead of the supposed ten percent the average human used. The masterminds of the operation had taught them how to feel what others were feeling, but also how to build a wall and block emotions so they wouldn’t be inundated all the time.

There was no one better prepared for whatever they might find in that basement, yet Coulter, checking his own semiautomatic, had to take a moment to brace himself.

The truth was that he was tired. He was thirty-five years old and this was his and his brothers’ last mission with their team. They’d had enough of taking orders, but they all planned to see this mission through until the end. It could take years to eventually get the bosses in the black-market organ trade behind bars, but they would finish it.

Once their time had been served, he and his brothers planned to take over running the stud farm that provided cover for the Elite Dragons. His brothers weren’t going to renew their service contracts when he retired, for which he was grateful. He loved his brothers and wanted to know they were safe at all times. He was a control freak, but since he’d had to be in order to make sure he and his men survived, he was okay with that.

Maybe that would have to change when he was out of the service. His brothers were as arrogant and dominant as he was, but he was the most controlling of them all. Yet he wanted to settle down with a woman and start a family. He wanted to be able to cuddle and enjoy a warm, soft, loving woman for the rest of his life. He wanted to have children and help to nurture them. He loved his men nearly as much as his brothers, but he was sick and tired of only having testosterone to deal with and no estrogen, besides his mom and her friend May, who both cooked for them all.

He put those thoughts aside. Maybe once this mission was over he could think that way, but not while there was still a job to do.

Coulter turned his attention back to the small-town street and the job ahead of them. He spoke again into his microphone. “Okay. Seton, you and your brothers can move in first and break down the door. Ward, you and yours are to back them up. Bryden, I want you, Linton, and Codi to cover the sides and backyard. No one is to get by us. Keep an eye on the windows on either side of the house. Trace, Corbin, and I are heading straight for the basement,” Coulter informed them.

He slowed the truck and pulled up a block away from the property. They didn’t talk at all as he and his team exited the vehicle. They each knew what they had to do, and he wouldn’t have wanted to work with anyone else. He knew if there was trouble they would cover each other’s asses and would still get the women out safe and sound.

Coulter, Trace, and Corbin followed the two teams who would breach the house and secure it. He steeled himself for the coming battle and knew he probably looked as cold and mean as his brothers did. He just hoped they were in time to rescue the women and they weren’t hurt.

He opened his mind to his surroundings and felt the fear and cold of the three women in the basement. He also felt the two men inside the house, as they portrayed good health and carelessness. That was about to change. He wondered if they would put up a fight or if they would give in without even lifting the weapons they must surely have for protection. He closed his mind off to them and gave the signal to invade.

Seton, Wolfcot, better known as Wolf, and Lander Garman crept into the yard, keeping to the shadows. The house was run down, and Coulter was thankful the front porch was concrete. If it had been timber, the house’s occupants might have heard the creaking as they mounted the steps. Ward, Stedman, and Bronsin Tilton had their weapons ready and checked the tear-gas grenades attached to their belts. All the operatives were packed full of weapons, from semiautomatic rifles and pistols, to knives and tear gas. They never went on a mission without being fully loaded.

Coulter watched as Bryden, Linton, and Codi Healy slid around the sides of the house and disappeared. He waited a few seconds and gave the signal to go when he received a light click in his ear.

They stormed through the house. Coulter laid his mental blueprint over the rooms before him. He ran unerringly to the basement door and encountered neither of the two kidnapers on his way. His brothers were behind him, but the other men had disappeared into the house. Through the walls, he heard brief skirmishes. Before he reached the kitchen, the rest of his team had secured the upstairs and incapacitated the two men.

Coulter found the door to the basement off the kitchen and kicked it in. He held his semiautomatic rifle in front of him at the ready and raced down the stairs. He saw three women huddled in a corner but didn’t stop moving until he knew the room was clear. Empathy had its limitations, as Coulter had drilled into his men often enough. Only after he’d made his visual sweep of the room did he feel it was secure. Some people had the unconscious ability of blocking their thoughts. He had encountered this ability a couple of times on missions. The first time he felt like he was trying to penetrate a brick wall and had ended up with a god-awful headache, but nothing he had done had been able to get through that barricade. Since then he made sure his brothers and team didn’t just rely on their empathetic senses.

“All clear,” Coulter called and swung his rifle over his shoulder. He kept his now-empty hands in front of him so the three women could see he meant them no harm. His brothers moved in close as well and had their medic kits out. They offered the women the silver insulating blankets to help ward off the cold. Coulter walked over to a dark corner where he could see a shadow.

He squatted down and reached out to move the pile of clothes he saw, but his hand came into contact with a cold body and he realized there was a fourth woman in the basement.
Shit.
He moved his hands up and down the small form, felt for a pulse, and sighed with relief when it beat against his fingertips. He picked her up in his arms and moved toward the center of the room where there was more light. He swore when he saw how pale the small woman looked. She was dressed in black from head to toe, but her clothes weren’t warm enough for the conditions. She was wearing light, black trousers, a black turtleneck sweater, and flat shoes without any socks. She was wet through to the skin. Her hair was as black as ebony, and she was tiny compared to him and his brothers.

Her face was so pale and her pulse so weak that he worried she wasn’t going to make it. He had to get her warmed up and fast. The thought of losing her tugged at his heart. Coulter allowed himself to search again for her mental presence. He was kicking himself for having missed her in the first place. But even with the woman in his arms, he could feel her unconscious mind only weakly.

Her lips had a slight blue tint to them, and he knew she was in danger of hypothermia. He whipped his pack from his shoulder, dug for his medic kit, and got out the thermal blanket. He wrapped her up in it and picked her up.

He carried her from the room, knowing his brothers were taking care of the others. He rushed up the stairs and out the door, because he knew the truck would have already been moved close to the house by one of the Healy brothers.

He placed the woman on the front seat of the truck, and adjusted the heater to the highest setting. He pulled the woman’s shoes off and began to remove her clothes. He felt her panties and bra and sighed with relief when he felt they were at least still semidry. He didn’t want to remove her underwear, but he would if it became necessary to her health. He threw her clothes to the floor, wrapped her in the thermal, and pulled her against his body. His arms around her, he shifted again until he had her freezing-cold feet between his legs. He gritted his teeth together and clamped his legs on her feet. The part of his mind disengaged from his work felt a strange draw to the little woman in his arms. He pushed the feelings aside since there was work to be done, but it was hard to even tear his gaze from her.

He looked up as his team brought the cuffed, gagged, and blindfolded perps out as well as the other women. The perps were latched to the hooks in the back of the truck, and the men helped the women in as well, making sure they were shielded from the kidnappers.

“Trace, get me some more thermals. This one is in trouble,” Coulter told his brother. “Make sure the women are kept warm.”

“On it,” Trace replied. Once he had passed on Coulter’s orders, Trace helped wrap the small woman from head to toe in silver thermal blankets. When they were done, Corbin got into the middle of the truck and pulled the little female onto his lap. Corbin wrapped her in his arms and held her securely while Trace slid her feet under his thighs.

“Wolf,” Coulter called out to his medic as soon as his friend and colleague came out of the building. “Can you please check this woman’s medical condition?”

“Sure.” Wolf immediately knelt and began checking the woman’s vitals. His movements were brisk and professional, but Coulter still suppressed a twinge of discomfort at seeing Wolf’s hands on the woman.

He told himself to focus. “Anything in the house?” he asked.

“Nothing but those two pieces of trash.” Wolf jerked his head toward the perps hanging from their hooks on the other side of the truck. “Linton’s taking care of the rest.”

Coulter grunted an affirmation. “How is she?”

“She’s suffering from mild hypothermia, but should be okay now. I don’t think a hospital is necessary. I can take care of her once we get back home. Just make sure to keep her warm. Her color’s starting to come back already,” Wolf stated.

“Make sure you give the other women the once-over,” Coulter said.

“Will do,” Wolf replied.

Coulter got into the truck and drove them away. By the time they got back to the Dragon Stud Farm, the house where the women were held captive would no longer exist. Linton was an explosives expert and had set a charge to go off well after they were gone. The surrounding houses would suffer not even a crack in the plaster.

He kept glancing at the woman in his brother’s arms. Something about her just tugged at him. She looked familiar, yet he knew he’d never met her. It seemed wrong for him to feel this spark of interest in an unconscious, ill woman. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her. He’d never reacted so strongly to a woman before and was curious why she affected him. She was pretty, but not beautiful. Something about her girl-next-door looks called to him.

“How’s she doing?” Coulter asked.

“Her color’s coming back and the blue to her lips is leaving. Her pulse is speeding up and her breathing is evening out,” Trace replied. His brother lifted his thigh and slid his hand up under the thermal blanket to test the temperature of her feet.

“She’s warming up. By the time we get back home her temperature should be back to normal,” Trace answered.

“Wolf said he would tend to her when we get back home.” He had no idea why he felt the way he did. He just felt…drawn to her and didn’t want her out of his sight.

“Guys, ask the women in back with you for their names. One of these women hasn’t been reported missing, and I want to know who we’ve got,” Coulter demanded.

“We have in back with us Katlynn Wyatt, Janie Fraser, and Alicia Cobden,” Seton answered. “You have Brooke up front.”

“There was no Brooke reported missing,” Coulter replied. “See what you can find out about her from the other women.”

“You feel it, too, don’t you, Coult? She could be the one we’ve been waiting for,” Corbin stated.

Coulter could see a wealth of emotion in Corbin’s eyes as he looked down at the woman on his lap, enclosed in his embrace. He looked at Trace and saw the same soft expression in his eyes.

He and his brothers had dated singularly as well as together. They had always seemed to be attracted to the same women, and after trying to outdo each other and compete for a woman’s attention, with some harmless fights along the way, they had finally sat down and talked over their similar tastes. One thing had led to another, and eventually they had decided they needed to find a one woman they were all attracted to and could love together. They hadn’t been lucky enough to find that woman. Until maybe now.

All the members of his team felt this way about relationships. Each family unit seemed to have an affinity with the same type of woman. Often there were discussions of finding one woman that could be shared amongst brothers. He wondered if it was because of the unique close bond they shared due to their empathetic abilities.