A/N… We left off with the fight coming to the mountain cabin in Trinity. I'll let you get to it. Thank you all for your patience…
~o~H&E~o~
Chapter 18
BELLA
The crawl space beneath the deck smelled musty, like earth and wood and rain. I was grateful that the rain hadn't made it muddy under there, merely damp, and that there was plenty of air coming through the lattice covering all the way around the house. Had the crawl space been any more closed up, I wouldn't have been able to handle being under there, but the breeze helped, as did my ability to see all the way around.
Mickey and I had stashed ammo and extra weapons down there with us, but for the most part, we were using the automatic rifles and our handguns, not to mention my compound bow, which I was currently looking over. Using a glowstick, I checked that my weapon was ready should I need it. Once I was sure, I leaned the bow back against the lattice and tucked the glowstick back into the dirt to conceal the light.
"Well, Katniss? That thing ready to go?" Mickey teased.
"Shut up," I said with a laugh, shoving her a little when she crawled over to sit next to me.
She was facing the front – the driveway, the main entrance – which was covering Benny's men. I was leaning against a support beam, facing the back – the lake, the deck, the woods – and that included Eleazar's men. That of course also included Edward, who was invisible at the moment, but I knew he was pacing silently just inside the woods, guarding the edge that hugged the lake on one side.
"Those are strange books," Alice piped up softly over the radio. "It's such a weird imagining of the future."
"I know. And she's all stressy and confused." I grimaced, turning to Mickey. "And she didn't end up with boy I thought she would, but that whole part went crazy."
Mickey grinned. "I liked Peeta."
"No." I shook my head. "Just no. And the other boy was no better, ending up a douche-canoe."
Mickey laughed softly, nodding. "Cute, but a douche nonetheless."
She and I fist-bumped with a soft laugh.
"You know, their training was kind of badass, though," Edward addedhis breathing heavy as he continued to move through the woods. "Hey, pixie, can you build that type of simulated bullshit?" he taunted.
"No," she answered flatly, making him chuckle.
Jasper's drawl came over the line. "You know who rocked in those movies? Haymitch."
"Yes!" we all answered.
Grinning, I shook my head at this weird thing we did, no matter how high the alert was supposed to be. In fact, the higher the tension, the sillier the conversations. Memories of missions past came to mind, and I shifted toward the side of the deck that faced the lake. Using a break in the lattice, I brought my rifle up and peeked through the scope. I remembered discussions over government secrets and bouncing quarters off the best ass, the latter making me smile to myself as I focused through the sight.
I scanned the backyard, the lake, and the dock and finally drifted my sight along the edge of the woods. I knew better than to even look for Edward; he'd be silent and invisible and on the move. I did find a few of Eleazar's men just inside the tree line – one was smoking a cigarette, the other was peeing, and the last one was gazing out over the lake. They were all armed, all alert.
We'd been quiet and in our designated spots for a few hours since Edward had spoken to Kim. I expected IGOR to alert us to Carlisle's GPS location soon because Kim would have to be getting close, but so far IGOR had remained quiet. I lowered my weapon but kept my eyes on the whole area as I spoke over the radio.
"IGOR, what's Carlisle's GPS location?"
"Approximately twenty-five miles south-southwest of your current position, Miss Bella."
"And how fast is he moving?"
"Zero miles per hour, Miss Bella. That GPS chips is stationary."
Mickey's eyes met mine as we both came to the same conclusion.
"They've stashed him," she whispered.
Nodding in agreement, I added, "Question remains… Is Kim coming? Or is he merely sending his do-boys?"
"Sweetness, it doesn't matter. Eventually, he'll either run out of men or we'll kill him, but we'll get to Dad no matter what," Edward said softly over the earpieces.
"I know, Edward." I sighed deeply, shaking my head at the fucking wild-goose chase we'd been on since the beginning. "We've barely kept up with this asshole. From the infiltration of Twi Tech Tower, to keeping him out of the servers, to leading him here… For once, I'd like to get ahead of this guy."
"The only time we were ahead was when we said he couldn't come," Rose piped up over the radio. "But he was coming anyway. Hell, he might've already been stateside, and no one fucking knew it."
"If he was, then Alec will find out for us," Edward said, staying soft and calm. "For now, just—"
A light in the backyard flickered on, causing all of us to freeze and go quiet. Using the sight of my rifle, I searched the area now lit up. I smirked at what had triggered the motion sensor.
"Raccoon," I stated softly, following the furry little guy as he waddled off into the tall grasses. However, he wasn't in there long before something sent him back into the yard the opposite direction and into the trees to the east of the lake. "Now, what do you suppose…" I trailed off, keeping my eye to the site of my gun. "Emmett? Can you get eyes on the back field?"
"I'm on it. Hang tight," he answered.
The drone was damned quiet; I had to give Alice credit for that one. She'd taken a military idea and used it here. Even without Emmett controlling it, it would've circled overhead, sending a video feed to IGOR. But with someone flying it, we could put the camera where we needed it.
"Sweetness, what do you—"
"Guys, I've got movement," Emmett warned, cutting Edward off. "East side of the lake. Any closer, and they'll trigger the lights and alarms. Guess the raccoon's on our team."
"Copy that," Edward stated. "Jasper, Bella, I want your sights trained on that field. Dean, you're with me. Silent and invisible. We'll work our way to them from behind. El, you'll keep to the west side of the lake."
Everyone answered him softly and affirmatively.
"Ben," Eleazar called.
"Go ahead," Ben answered.
"Stay alert back there. They could be coming in from every direction," he advised.
"Roger that."
"Ed, you've got enemy spaced throughout the field. They're comin' in low and quiet," Emmett warned. "Wonder what they're waiting on…"
"Me," Edward stated, and it sounded like he was already on the move through the woods. "They think I'm alone, or at least that's what their little scout buddy called back to them."
"Or they're waiting on us to make the first move, Ed," Jasper stated softly and slowly. "I say let's throw the first stone. I've got one, just inside the tall grass. He's low but not low enough."
"Edward, I've got one just inside the east woods," I told him, adjusting my sight.
"Ed, we've got movement comin' through the woods along the front driveway," Benny advised. "I've got two in my sights."
"Sure as shit, pretty boy. I've got one in my sight. Talk to us," Mickey said, dropping to her stomach and aiming toward the front yard. "We can just—"
"Do it," he grunted. "Open up hell."
"Sir!" we answered, and the sounds of high-powered rifles resounded all over the property as we took out almost five men in the blink of an eye.
It was then that the sound of automatic weapons started to fire all around us.
~o~H&E~o~
EDWARD
Staying low, I rushed to the edge of the tree line and gazed through the night-vision binoculars. The cabin was the center of the attack, which would give me the advantage of moving in from the side at these assholes. If I took the path around the lake, I could essentially come at them from behind; either would work.
However, I was looking for Kim. I was looking for the fucker in charge, who would stay back just enough to control shit and not step into the line of fire. I had a feeling that Bella was right, that he'd stashed my dad – and Seong, for that matter – away from the fight should something go wrong. And I was about to make sure that Kim's plan went way fucking wrong.
"What do you think?" Dean asked, stepping beside me.
"I think that little fucking coward isn't here. Just his men."
I scanned the lake, the surrounding woods, and the area around the dirt road where the cars were hidden. Nothing. No movement, no vehicles. The gunfire settled down, eventually stopping altogether. A motion sensor flickered on a light in the backyard close to the lake, and either Jasper or Bella took out the soldier who had triggered it.
The pop of the occasional shot could be heard from the front part of the property as well. We were dug in and prepared. We just needed to make sure not one of Kim's men made it out.
"Everyone on me," I ordered over the radio, stowing the binoculars and pulling down the NVGs I'd had since Bethy had brought them to me in Twi Tech Tower. "I'm going in silent and invisible into the back field along the woods and the lake. Keep your fire local, around the house."
"Roger that. We'll watch for you."
Dean pulled his own NVGs on, and we started through the tall grasses of the back field. The whole property went quiet. The only sounds I could hear was the chatter over my earpiece, the breeze through the grasses and trees around me, and the soft, lazy splash of the water from the lake. Every few steps, I'd hear a cry out from somewhere or a radio call, but it wasn't my crew.
Dean and I worked quickly and silently around the lake, through the woods, coming up on the field on the other side.
Tapping my earpiece, I asked, "Is there thermal on that drone, Emmett?"
"Oh yeah, bro. Definitely. Alice is like that guy from Jurassic Park; she's spares no expense." His amusement was contagious, and I couldn't stop from smiling. "Let's see, let's see," he sang, going quiet for a moment. "I'm on high, so let me break it down for you. Benny, you've got heat sources just across the main road from the driveway entrance. Looks like a vehicle and a half-dozen men."
"Yeah, I see 'em," Ben replied. "They're holding their position."
"Good, good. Next, the woods. El, your men are split up. The ones on the east side of the house need to watch that ass. They've got one, two, three… You've got six heading your way from behind. However, I bet all the little bats in the attic could handle those assholes."
"Roger that," Jasper answered. "I've got several solutions to our problems, but they're all in the field just beyond the sensors. No one has even flinched yet."
"Excellent," Emmett praised. "On the west side of the lake, those woods are pretty calm, but that's Custer's last stand anyway." He meant the stashed moving van with the bombs were located on that side, but he paused for a second. "Ed, Jasper's solutions could send a bunch runnin' your way. Or you could go all Rambo on their asses and just sneak up all creepy and shit."
Dean snorted softly next to me, shaking his head a little. "I vote Rambo, since you've got my ass out here. However, I'd take out that vehicle on the road."
Nodding in agreement, I spoke softly. "Okay, Ben, get rid of your targets and the car. Jasper, Bella… Hold your fire unless they set off the sensors. This will be like turnin' on the kitchen light and watchin' the roaches scatter."
"Okay, Edward," Bella replied with a chuckle. "Be safe."
"Stay sharp, sweetness. Let get this done. I have a feeling we'll be chasin' Dad's GPS soon."
"He's in the same location," Emmett stated. "Approximately twenty-five miles south-southwest from you. He's probably in the woods… There are campsites down that way."
"Roger that," I said, saying no more while I spun a silencer onto the end of my Glock.
Dean and I worked our way slowly through the tall grasses. The NVGs gave us an advantage, not to mention I knew this property like the back of my hand. I guided Dean as we made our way closer and closer to the house, which would bring us right behind the enemy hiding just outside the sensors.
A twig snapping to my left brought me up short, and I held up a hand for Dean to wait. Both of us paused, listening, waiting. A small smile spread across my face when I caught the barely there sound of a whisper. I held up two fingers, pointing to my left, and one finger for the guy on the right.
Dean took the right since he was closer, and I moved in on my targets. Two men were kneeling down – one was checking his weapon, and the other was fiddling with his radio. Neither were aware they had company, and by the time they did, I'd already pulled the trigger.
When both were down, I checked their pockets, took their ammo, and kept moving. I stayed low in the tall grass, working my way up the field toward the back of the cabin. I took out two more, and Dean was taking out his third guy when his head snapped up to meet my gaze.
"They just called to blow the house, Ed!" he hissed, shoving his enemy off to the side and holding up the Korean walkie-talkie. "Look for an RPG or someone throwing grenades."
"Roger that," I stated, stowing my Glock and pulling the automatic rifle around to my front. "Then let's push them." I stopped sneaking and started to run toward the house.
"Bella, Jazz," Emmett called. "You might want to brace yourselves. Ed's pushing them your way instead. Watch out for incoming – RPG, grenade, rockets, somethin'. Get them first."
"Copy that," Jasper stated calmly, giving the girls instructions. He had Alice, Mack, and Rose all armed up there in that attic. They were safer with him than anyone. Hell, he was the one who had taught them all to shoot the last time we'd stayed at this cabin.
I was just about to the edge of the lake when an asshole popped up out of nowhere and started yelling at me, though I didn't have a fucking clue as to what he was saying. The one thing I did hear that I'd recognize anywhere was the sound of a pin being pulled from a grenade.
Without thinking, I pulled the trigger, and the guy fell before he could throw. The bastard lit up the night sky, the blast sending me back several feet, and I landed roughly by the shore of the lake, losing my breath for a second.
"Jesus Christ," I heard Jasper on the earpiece. "Ed! That better not have been you, asshole! Check in!"
I shook my head to clear it, coughing to catch my breath. "I'm okay," I rasped out, rolling to my side just in time to catch sight of a figure stepping out of the tall grasses and into the backyard.
Sensors were triggered, lights lit up the back, and the alarms sounded, but he was down before he could bring his weapon up. However, he was the decoy. From the other side of the sensors, another man stood up, shouldering his weapon.
"RPG!" I yelled, scrambling up from the ground and taking off toward the guy, shooting as I went. Several bullets caught him at once, but it was the silent arrow through his eye that stopped everything.
The soldier fell back, his weapon falling to the side. Another explosion lit up the woods on the west side of the house. I turned in one spot, taking in the whole property. By now, there were fires in the field and all the lights in the yard were on.
"Everyone check in," I ordered. "Gimme a fucking status report."
A dark figure stood up from the grasses and aimed their weapon my way, but when he pulled the trigger, another arrow took him down, but his weapon discharged anyway. Pain flickered through me, my arm feeling like it was set on fire.
"Fuck!" I snapped, gripping my arm.
"Let me see, Edward!" I heard Bella from behind me. She spun that compound bow to her back and stepped from behind the tree.
"What are you doing out?" I grunted through gritted teeth as she rushed to me.
"Mickey and I vacated our spot when someone called RPG. I'd rather not have a house collapse on me today. That would suck." Her voice was calm and teasing, her eyes were tired, but she worked quickly and gently with my arm. "It's a graze, Edward. You'll be fine. We'll have to patch you up." Ripping the sleeve off my shirt, she cut it so she could tie it around my arm. "That'll hold for now," she whispered, kissing my cheek.
"Thanks," I said, taking her hand and leading her into the tall grasses. "Status report," I requested again, kneeling by the last guy she'd killed.
I checked his pockets for ammo, intel, and weapons. Pulling the arrow from his head, I wiped it off on the man's shirt and handed it back to Bella, who stowed it away. As we moved slowly through the field, I noticed more and more arrows. My girl was a damned good shot. I was just about to say that when everyone started to check in.
"The front is clear," Ben stated. "We haven't gotten rid of the car yet."
"The west woods are still quiet," Eleazar called over the radio as I pulled out a folded-up piece of paper out of the last pocket on the guy I was currently standing over.
The sound of rapid fire and a grenade explosion came from the woods opposite the hidden truck full of bombs.
"We're pinned down!" the voice called over the radio. It was the sound of El's guy, Strong; he'd been calling his position in the east side woods all day.
"Roger that; we're on our way," I answered back, looking to Bella and then Dean when he joined us.
The three of us ran across the backyard toward the woods on the east side of the house. We found Mickey already there waiting for us, her back against the trunk of a large oak. Once we reached her, I gave silent directions to split up into pairs. Bella would stay with me to the right; Mickey and Dean would take the left. It was darker inside the tree line. The moon couldn't break through the canopy, but there was plenty of noise to follow.
Bella had switched her compound bow for her rifle as I readied my own weapon. We both moved slowly and quietly through the thick woods, and I stopped us when the sound of running steps and snapping twigs met my ears. Bella froze, guarding our left while I searched the right. When the movement stopped, we continued toward the last location Strong had checked in.
A few more yards in, and the sound of rapid fire came from our left. Bella and I crouched low behind a fallen tree. She reached for my bag, pulling out the night-vision binoculars, and I pulled on the NVGs. The trouble seemed to be concentrated around a small clearing. The Koreans were actually trying to retreat, but Strong and the three guys with him had trapped them in a crossfire. And we were about add to it.
Bella set her rifle on the log in front of us, looking up at me. "I'll cover you. Go."
I dropped a heavy kiss to the top of her head. Leaving the NVGs on, I worked my way around the edge of the small clearing. There were five of them left against the four CIA agents and the four of us. And I decided to let them know that.
"Hey, assholes!" I yelled, grinning as I pressed my back against a tree when bullets pinged all around me. "We have you surrounded. There are five of…" I glanced around the trunk when a shot popped off from Bella's rifle. A body a few feet away dropped to the ground. "Oh, make that four. Four of you against eight of us. You won't make it out of these woods. You won't make it back to your car. You won't even make it out of this damn clearing. Drop your fucking weapons!"
For good measure, Dean translated for me, which resulted in an exchange with them and him.
Strong fell down next to me, shaking his head. He, too, had a makeshift bandage around his upper arm.
"Thanks," he panted. "We lost a guy to the grenade they threw. And they were able to get by, but I wasn't sure how much longer we would've been able to hold 'em."
"No problem," I said, sighing deeply when my wife had to take another one down. "That sniper will take you all out one by fucking one, or you can drop your motherfucking weapons! Jesus, it's not rocket science."
Strong huffed a frustrated laugh. "Tenacious bastards, for damn sure." He met my gaze. "Cullen, right?"
"Edward." I introduced myself. "Strong, right?"
"Yeah… Call me Gary. Platt speaks highly of you—" he waved a hand around "—and your crew."
When Bella took down one more, the two remaining bastards split and began to run.
"Runners!" Emmett yelled over the radio. "One toward the main road, the second back toward the lake. Go, go, go!"
I lucked the fuck out by catching movement heading back toward the way I'd come in. "I got number two!"
The little fucker was fast; I'd give him that much. Hell, he was probably ten years younger than me, but again, I knew the property. I knew when the ground sloped down, so I slowed enough not to bust my ass. However, my target slipped, cursed, and rolled, coming to an abrupt stop with the help of the base of a rather large tree.
"Boy, I bet that fucking hurt," I muttered but shook my head when the asshole kept running.
The woods ended, and I was back in the field again, tall grasses looming up around me like maze walls. I couldn't hear my target running anymore. Just when I was about to ask Emmett to check the thermal, he yelled my name over the radio at the same time something fast, heavy, and angry tackled me from the side.
We both hit the ground with a grunt, my gear landing somewhere in the grass. Before I could sit up, a punch landed against my face.
"Fuck!" I growled through gritted teeth, shaking my head and trying to get my bearings.
I heard the little asshole the next time and caught him off guard with an elbow to the face. My height and experience gave me the advantage. It wasn't until I caught my attacker around the middle, tackling them to the ground and pinning them, did I realize that it wasn't a guy I was fighting but a woman.
Immediately, the fight left me, and I worked my ass off just fending off her hits.
"Enough!" I snapped, trying like hell to restrain her.
Just when I had one hand, the other would wriggle free. The glint of a steel blade caught the moonlight, and I gripped her wrist, slamming her hand to the ground over and over.
"Let it go, or I'll break your hand! Let it go!" I growled, grunting when her knee connected with my wounded arm. "Give me a fucking break—"
The sound of an engaging firearm made both the young girl and me freeze. The muzzle of the gun was at her temple when the prettiest, sexiest voice met my ears.
"Drop the fucking knife, or I'll shoot you right here."
The knife fell from the girl's hand, the fight over. I gathered both her wrists in my hand and stood up, tugging her with me.
Glancing over to Bella, I smiled. "Thanks, sweetness."
"You're welcome, Edward," she said, still panting from her chase after us. "I saw it was a girl, so I figured I'd better come give you a hand. You know… Watch your six and all."
I grinned. "You're so fucking sexy when you're all protective and jealous and shit, baby."
Bella's eyes were filled with amusement and love and all sorts of naughty shit we didn't have time for, so she simply said, "Bring her up to the house. Strong caught her partner, and Eleazar still has Pin. I think Mickey and I have an idea."
"Ten-four, sweetness." I pushed the girl toward Bella, stopping to pick up my weapons and bag that I'd lost in the fight.
"Mick, bring your guy to the back deck. Make sure we still hold all the positions. And Emmett, if you could do a sweep of the area to make sure we got them all, and let me know," I said, following Bella and the Korean girl through the field and around the lake.
By the time we made it to the back deck of the cabin, the sun was trying its damnedest to peek up over the trees. Dean and Mickey were already there with the guy they'd caught, whose temple was bleeding as he knelt on the deck bound and gagged.
Mickey smirked my way, and I braced myself for bullshit. "A chick!? Pretty boy, you've got to be fucking kidding! And she touched the face?! I'm surprised Bellsy let her live."
Bella grinned, but she stayed quiet as she and Dean restrained the girl next to her fellow soldier.
"Shut the fuck up, wild child. She's as mean as you," I grumbled, pulling her cap down teasingly.
"No, she's not," Mickey said through a laugh. "She might think she is, but she's not. Trust that shit."
"Edward, come in."
"Go ahead, Emmett."
"You look clear. Benny's holding the front. The porridge is still hot and secure and secret on the west side. The east side is now quiet. Jasper finished off the field and the lake. You're holding the last of Kim's men."
I glanced up at Eleazar as he led my scout buddy, Pin, to the deck. The three prisoners glared at one another and then around at all of us. I wasn't sure what Bella's idea was, but Eleazar seemed interested. In all reality, those three people were now his responsibility. They'd be treated as terrorists.
Dean walked to the three, speaking Korean. When they all nodded, he looked to me and then El, saying, "They understand English, so do what you do." He waved a hand toward them.
I sat down on the edge of one of the loungers, gazing up at Bella when she stepped between my legs. Pulling her closer, I smiled when she kissed me softly. Her words, however, were soft and for my ears only.
"You know how you said you wanted the fight to come to us?" she asked in a soft whisper. When I nodded, she went on. "What if we tell Kim – or really, one of them tells him – that they won. They'll give him the all clear to head this way. They'll say they've caught you—"
"Pfft…"
She grinned. "I know, never gonna fucking happen. But he doesn't know that."
"Okay, so I'm the trade for my dad?"
"Well, your knowledge of the bombs and EMP location is the trade. And you're alone," she explained, shrugging a shoulder. She tapped the earpiece in her ear. "IGOR, what's the location of Carlisle's GPS tracker?"
"Exactly the same as before, Miss Bella. Approximately twenty-five miles south-southwest of your location. It has not moved."
She raised an eyebrow at me. "They're close enough to join us or run. They chose that location perfectly."
I nodded in agreement, gazing around at the prisoners, my crew, the lake, and back to Bella. "Okay, do it. We'll lay the trap. Somehow, we'll have to give my dad fair warning about it…and about Seong, if he hasn't figured it out yet."
Bella's nose wrinkled. "Yeah… And I'll be interested in what Alec finds in Seattle, but for now, we need to clean up, reset the trap, and call Kim to tell him he 'won.'" She used air quotes, which made me smile.
I cupped her face, bringing her lips to mine. "Okay. Use Pin. I don't think his loyalty to Kim is all that strong. The girl, though… She's deadly."
"You told Kim you killed Pin," she countered.
"I said I put a bullet in him, not that I killed him." I held up a finger. "There's a difference, and for a few hours, Pin will be a goddamn hero."
Bella nodded, waving our crew over. "We've got a plan."
~o~H&E~o~
A/N… More action heading their way. But the bombs are still safe and the EMP is still hidden.
Thank you again for your patience. It's been crazy trying to find the new normal. LOL Not to mention the drama at work. I'm doing my best to get back into a writing routine that works for me – the non-smoking me. It's so weird how all actions and plans and daily things revolved around it. Anyway… I'm working on it all.
All that being said, when I write a chapter, you'll get a chapter. There isn't a set day anymore. Until next time… Mooches, Deb ;)