Sweet Dreams Boxed Set (198 page)

“And this is Mannie.”

The midget pushed between Blane and Kade. Kade refused to think of him as a “little person” no matter what Mannie had said.

“Nice ranch,” Mannie said, sticking out his hand. Bill shook it.

“Thanks,” he said, glancing at Blane with a question in his eyes. But Blane ignored it.

“I appreciate you being willing to help us,” Blane said. “We’ve run into a bit of a…situation…involving a couple of kidnapped women and a nasty piece of work called Péng.”

“Péng,” Bill repeated. “You know, I’ve heard of him. And you’re right. He’s a nasty piece of work. He likes to stay out of the limelight, but there’s talk of stuff he’s been involved in. Made a name for himself in this town, that’s for sure, and not in a good way. How’d you get on his radar?”

Kade’s face remained impassive, but he stiffened slightly, hoping Blane wouldn’t spill his guts to this guy. The fewer people that knew Kade’s business, the better. He’d rather Blane had not even said they were brothers. Blane didn’t need the stain of Kade to tarnish his reputation.

“Wrong place at the wrong time,” Blane replied. “He pissed us off, then he decided to be a dick. Bottom line—a couple of innocent ladies are in a bad way and I’m not going to walk away from that.”

“Good man,” Bill said, nodding. “‘Bout time somebody put that fucker in his place anyway. The last thing we need is more Chinese interests in this town. He’s already gotten too big with that online shit. Rumor is he’s been searching for a way to hit the brick and mortar casinos and drive more business online.”

“Not surprised,” Blane agreed. “So what have you got that we can use?”

“Come on in back,” Bill said. “I’ll show you what I have.”

He led them through the house and out the back door. Following a paved walkway, they came to another small building. Bill held the door as they walked in.

“This is where we keep the weapons and ammunition,” he explained. “There’s also a shooting gallery.”

Two men were standing in front of a long counter, each with a disassembled gun in front of them, cleaning the parts. They were both huge guys, one white and the other black, wearing identical cargo pants and army green T-shirts. They glanced up to see the new arrivals.

“Hey guys, this is Blane, Kade, and Mannie,” Bill said by way of introduction. “Blane, this is—”

“Holy shit! Blane Kirk?” The white guy said. “You gotta be kidding me!”

“Tom? Tom McKinney, right?” Blane asked.

“You remembered!” Tom crowed. “That’s awesome! Can’t believe I’m seeing you again.” Coming out from behind the counter, Kade watched with raised brows as Tom folded his brother is a massive hug, slapping him on the back with enough force to make Kade wince in sympathy.

“You know each other?” Bill asked.

“What gave you the first clue?” was Kade’s dry reply.

Blane managed to extricate himself from Tom’s enthusiastic grip without it looking too obvious. Easy grin in place, Blane shook Tom’s hand.

“How’ve you been?” he asked. “When was your tour up?”

“Last one finished about a year ago,” Tom said. “A friend of mine told me about Bill starting this place, so I came out here.”

“That’s great,” Blane said.

“So how did you guys meet?” Kade asked.

Blane opened his mouth, but Tom spoke first.

“I wouldn’t even be alive today if it wasn’t for this guy,” he said, pointing at Blane. “Saved my life and three other guys, too.”

“I was lucky, that’s all,” Blane said. “We all were.”

Blane’s modesty was no surprise to Kade, and neither was the fact that he’d done something to save Tom’s life. That’s who Blane was. The hero, the knight in shining armor. The one destined for greatness.

Many brothers, maybe most, would’ve been jealous or bitter. Not Kade. He idolized the man who’d saved him from an uncertain fate years ago. Kade would sacrifice anything—and had—to make sure Blane was able to pursue his dreams.

And like any proud relation, he secretly loved to hear tales of Blane’s heroism.

“So what happened?” he asked.

Blane shot him a look, warning him to drop it. Kade just smiled.

“I’m a Marine,” Tom said proudly. “Was deployed in Afghanistan on my first tour. Still wet behind the ears.”

Blane shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.

“We were on a raid,” Tom continued. “Three SEALs were sent with us on the team. Went in this one house, cleared it, was moving on to the next one when this guy—” he pointed again at Blane “—spotted a suicide bomber, sneaking up behind us. Would’ve got us all if Blane here hadn’t shoved us all into the alley. The bomb went off, but we were all saved. Three seconds too late and we’d all have been dead.”

A chill crept over Kade, and he wasn’t smiling. He’d known in a visceral way that Blane had been in grave danger while he’d been serving, but he’d never heard the details before. Not like this. “You’re Marines,” he snarled. “How the fuck did you miss a suicide bomber?”

“Kade—”

But Tom interrupted Blane’s protest. He looked taken aback at the hostility in Kade’s tone. “We were looking for men,” he said simply. “It was a woman, cowering as we went by. It was an act. She was strapped with C4. That early in the war, we weren’t prepared for women and kids to be walking bombs.”

“Good thing my brother was there to save your ass.”

“Yeah. It really was.” Tom’s grave reply took the heat from Kade’s anger.

An awkward silence descended, then Bill piped up again.

“And this is Terrance,” he said, motioning to the huge black guy who’d silently been observing them. “Army Ranger, and the best ammunitions guy I’ve ever seen. Better than me, better than Tom, better than anyone.”

Terrance gave them a silent nod, not outwardly reacting to Bill’s praise.

“So, we’ve got any kind of handgun you’d want,” Bill continued. “Nine millimeter, forty-fives, semi-automatics, you name it. You want rifles, we’ve got plenty of AR-15s.”

Kade may not have been in the military, but he knew his way around weapons. He followed Bill to the far wall where many were displayed. He chose two, a Sig and a smaller Glock, both nine millimeter. Blane chose two Glocks.

“Here’s a couple extra magazines for those, and ammunition,” Bill said, getting the items from underneath the counter.

“I’ll wire you money to replace these,” Blane said, “as soon as we get back—”

“I’ll do it,” Kade interrupted. It was his mess anyway. No need for Blane to part with his money.

“One of us will send money,” Blane amended.

“No worries.” Bill said. “I know you’re good for it.”

“So what’s going down?” Tom asked. “And more importantly, can we come?”

“A problem with Péng,” Bill answered. “He’s holding their ladies hostage.”

Kade opened his mouth to correct him—Liz wasn’t “his lady”—but Blane nudged him. He caught the hint and kept his silence. It didn’t matter anyway what Liz was or wasn’t to him. They weren’t going to abandon the women to Péng’s dubious care.

“Aw, man, I definitely want in on that,” Tom said.

“I wouldn’t mind going either,” Bill added.

“I appreciate it, guys,” Blane said, “but I can’t guarantee your safety.”

They looked at Blane blankly for a moment, then both burst out laughing. “You’re kidding, right?” Bill asked. “Since when has safety ever been guaranteed? We’d jump at the chance to help take out Péng.”

Kade glanced at Terrance, who still hadn’t said anything. “What about you?” Kade asked. “You wanna go on a field trip, too?”

“I only work when I get paid,” he said.

Now that was something Kade could relate to. Money was a concrete reason to stick your neck out, not that honor and do-gooder bullshit that motivated Blane. Cold hard cash knew neither good nor evil.

“What’s with the midget?” Terrance asked bluntly.

Mannie immediately bristled. “It’s little person,” he corrected him. “And my name is Mannie.”

“Excuse me,
little person
, but what good are you gonna be in a firefight?”

That seemed to stump Mannie, his mouth slightly open as though he were going to say something, then thought better of it. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

“He’s sneaky and easy to miss,” Kade blurted, then wished he could take the words back. He was feeling sorry for the hobbit? He must be going soft. But now they were all looking at him, including Mannie, whose hopeful look on his face made Kade wince. “We don’t know what’s in there. Mannie can sneak in and report back so we’re not walking in blind. He’s not useless.”

Now Mannie was practically glowing, looking at Kade like they were buddies or something. That shit wasn’t going to fly.

“You know, for Yoda.”

That did the trick. Mannie’s expression turned into a glower as he stared at Kade.

“Okay, well, let’s get loaded up then,” Bill said. “No time like the present.”

They outfitted themselves as well as Blane and Kade with bulletproof vests. The smallest one they had was still too big for Mannie, who tossed it aside in disgust.

“You know how to shoot?” Kade asked him as he loaded the extra magazines and shoved them into the pockets of his jeans.

“I’ve never even held a gun,” Mannie admitted, looking sheepish.

“Then today’s not the day you’re going to start,” Kade said. He’d likely end up accidentally shooting himself or one of them.

While Blane was talking with his buddies, Kade sidled over to Terrance. He was still cleaning weapons, but was keeping an eye on the guys, too.

“Ten grand if you want to tag along in a just-in-case capacity,” Kade offered in a low voice.

“In case what?” Terrance asked.

“In case I want to blow shit up.”

Terrance studied him. “Twenty, and I bring the C4.”

“Fifteen, grenades, and C4 on a timer only,” Kade countered.

“I get to drive.”

“Done.”

Terrance flashed white teeth in a grin. “I don’t take checks.”

“I’ll transfer half to you electronically,” Kade said. “You’ll get the other half after. Sound fair?”

“If you screw me, you won’t live to tell the tale,” Terrance said, still smiling.

“Ditto.”

Terrance clasped Kade’s hand in a grip rather than a traditional shake. “I think you and me are gonna get along just fine,” he said.

“Saddle up then, Terrance,” Kade replied.

They had no choice but to leave Mannie’s crappy Scion behind. They all wouldn’t fit. Piling into a black Hummer, Kade sighed as he was able to stretch his legs.

“This car is too big. It’s a gas guzzler. And it’s bad for the environment,” Mannie complained.

“And those are just the side benefits,” Kade said. “Its main draw is irritating the shit out of people like you who drive crappy cars that crumple like a paper plate if someone so much as sneezes on it.”

All five men were armed to the teeth as they headed back into the city proper. Kade drove while Blane road shotgun. Mannie was pissy about being relegated to the very back row.

They parked a block away from the building, splitting up into two groups and communicating via walkie talkie as one approached from the rear and one from the front. Kade and Blane took the rear while Bill and Tom took the front. Terrance remained at the perimeter on backup.

“How much you paying him?” Blane asked.

“Enough.”

“I don’t trust mercenaries.”

“I don’t trust the buddy system,” Kade replied.

Their eyes met and Kade saw what he always saw in Blane’s gaze when he looked at him: understanding edged with pity. It bothered him. Always had and probably always would. Kade despised anyone pitying him. But Blane knew all the sordid details of Kade’s past and exactly the man he was now—and he loved him in spite of it. It had always amazed Kade, and he was too grateful for his big brother’s unconditional acceptance to let a bit of pity get to him.

Kade hitched the pack he carried higher on his back. It was loaded with everything Bill thought they might need and weighed about forty pounds. He had no idea how Blane had done what he had in the Navy. He’d carried packs this big and heavier, along with body armor, weapons, and all kinds of shit—all in over a hundred degree desert while being shot at.

He mentally shook his head. Admiration and pride. He was proud of his brother. Idolized him, though God forbid if Blane ever realized that. Kade would never hear the end of it. But if something went bad tonight, he’d would make sure Blane made it out before anyone else, including himself.

The rear of the building was dark, though the business hours on the front glass proclaimed them to be open. No cars sat in the parking lot and for all intents and purposes, the place looked deserted.

“Watch my six,” Blane hissed quietly to Kade, then moved past him to take the lead.

Kade muttered a curse, but could do nothing but follow. He didn’t want Blane going first, but fighting about it in the empty back lot was a bad idea.

Blane moved silently from one covered position to another until he stood next to the door that emptied from the rear into the lot. Kade joined him a moment later and spoke, his gaze still scanning the shadows for any threat.

“Don’t use that military shit with me,” Kade whispered.

Blane glanced at him. “Please tell me you know what ‘watch my six’ means. If not, you need to see more movies.”

“Yes, I know what it fucking means,” Kade retorted.

Blane grinned, his teeth flashing white. “Then quit bitching.”

The moment sealed itself in a kind of camaraderie that was deeper—the added element of heading into danger and relying on the other to help make it out unscathed turning the bond into something more than mere brothers. They’d gone into danger together before, he and Blane, and Kade never tired of the rush of adrenaline at having his big brother look at him as an equal.

“You wanna gossip some more or go get the chicks?” Kade asked, raising an eyebrow.

Blane thumbed the button on his walkie talkie. “Avenger in position,” he said. “Report, over.”

A moment later, the reply came back. “Vanguard in position. Mission is a go, over.”

“Radio silence, confirm. Over.”

“Radio silence. Over and out.”

Kade was busy getting his lockpicks out while Blane talked and had the lock open by the time he was done. Moving to the opposite side from Blane, he nodded. Blane made the motion they did to indicate he should go first and Kade bring up the rear, but Kade just shrugged and shook his head like he didn’t understand. Blane’s eyes narrowed, but Kade only winked as he slowly turned the knob and opened the door.