Cade
Two years earlier
There were no sounds of chirping birds, no calls of emerging crickets, no croaking toads. The warm Georgia spring night was still and quiet.
Too still and quiet.
With the amount of guns, drugs, and money going in and out of the warehouse where we were positioned at the ready, it should be a hive of activity. If Julio Varga’s intel was correct, there was a huge deal going down, and the DEA’s Special Response Team was in place to take Chavez, also known as El Guapo, out of the picture for good.
“Awfully quiet.” Levi, our team leader and my best friend, was on the other side of the warehouse, watching the back entrance with Jared Rivera, Sam Gonzalez, and Miles Smith, while I was positioned out front, with Todd Martin, Zach Falwell, and Joseph Romero at my back.
“Yeah, my thought, too. Varga said it was happening tonight. Where are the worker bees?”
“I don’t like this.”
“Me neither. Do we call it? Head back?”
There was a long pause, and I knew Levi was mulling it over, looking at every angle, determining the risk. That’s why he’d risen to captain so quickly. He was good at what he did, and I trusted him with my life.
“Let’s get closer.” His directions went to the whole team. “Team A, cover me. We’ll go in and to the right side of the building. Team B, you take the left.”
“Roger that.”
“Go!” Levi’s voice pushed me into motion, and I left my cover from behind the trees, Martin, Falwell, and Romero at my back. We crept over gravel and broken glass as we neared the front garage-style doors of the building. There was only one old, blue, beat-up truck parked outside, but I kept my eyes peeled for anyone who might have us in their sights.
“Team A in position.” Levi’s voice was just above a whisper in my ears.
I bent my head closer to my comm device and followed his lead. “Team B in position.”
Sliding closer to the large doors, my back to the metal building, I scrambled over to an office door with a small window cozied up beside the large ones. With hand signals, I motioned to Martin to stay while I took a peek.
“Montgomery, you got eyes on anything?”
“Negative. I’m checking now.”
“Roger that.”
Inhaling, I swiveled, moving in direct line of sight of the window, my gun raised. All was quiet. I could only see a dark hallway. Nothing more.
“Can’t see a damn thing.”
“I was afraid of that. On my command we go. Stealth mode. Let’s not announce to the whole county we’re here.”
We waited for the countdown.
“Three—two—go!”
I tried the door, and the knob turned without resistance. Once again, I got a bad feeling about the whole mission. Everything seemed too easy, and if it went to hell in a handbasket, that would be on me. I was the one who’d made the deal with Julio Varga to gain the information. I’d chosen to trust a low-level drug dealer and fixer for the Chavez Cartel, and if he’d turned on us, it would be on my head.
The inside hallway was dark, doors on each side indicating the office section of the building. We cleared each room as we passed, but they were all empty. The last one held an old computer sitting atop a metal desk. Papers were scattered about, and old coffee cups sat abandoned. Whether El Guapo was using this now or not, someone had been in recently, and according to county records, the place should have been empty for years.
We left the office and carefully opened the door at the end of the hallway. It led to the warehouse, and I saw Jared Rivera and two team members moving along the perimeter on the right side of the building. I moved to the center, while Martin took the other two members to the left side. The eight of us could hold our own in most cases, but if Chavez had an army at the ready, we’d be outnumbered and out-powered real quick.
I shook off the uneasiness and moved in closer to Levi as he approached several crates at the back of the building. He caught my eye and jerked his head in his direction, an order to get my ass over there. Quickly but quietly, I ventured across the middle of the room, sidestepping the debris scattered along the floor where I could, but the place was a wreck. My heel landed hard on a piece of wood, and my blood ran cold when an ominous click pierced the air, just as Levi pulled the lid free of the crate he’d been searching.
Levi’s horror-filled eyes met mine as he lifted a bright-orange Nerf gun from the crate.
“It’s a trap! Fall back!”
Simultaneously, I yelled, “Bomb!”
I ran knowing my life depended on it. Only a couple of seconds had passed since I’d stepped on what I was sure was a detonator, but I’d need every one of those to make it out of there alive. Without looking back, I crashed into Levi just as the world exploded.
Levi and I were thrown into the air, hitting the ground hard with a thud. Red-hot debris rained down on us, the hellfire-like pieces singeing my skin. My hands flew up to cover my head, protecting myself as much as I could, as another explosion shook the ground. More remnants fell, their fiery talons ripping into my flesh.
And then the world was still.
Only the sound of the flames licking the remains of the warehouse could be heard. In the distance an engine sounded, but I was too busy searching my surroundings for Levi and the rest of my teammates.
I found him lying amongst the pieces of ruin and ash, just a few feet away from me. His body was still, too still, his chest not exhibiting its usual rise and fall with each inhalation and exhalation of breath. I scrambled over the burning debris, ignoring the pain in my back and legs from the burns. I shook Levi lightly, then let my head fall to his chest to listen for the sounds of respirations.
“Slater! Slater, can you hear me?”
He didn’t move, so I checked his pulse. It was there but faint. I leaned closer again, checking for breath, but if he was breathing it was shallow and inhibited. I started CPR, pounding on his chest, willing his lungs to breathe and his heart to beat. I blew a breath into his mouth and watched his chest rise and fall, and restarted the compressions. Seconds later, a cough racked his body, and Levi’s confused gaze landed on me. His eyes darted wildly around as he struggled to sit up.
“Geez, you scared the crap out of me, man.” I pounded his back as he coughed again, and helped him to a sitting position.
“It was a trap.” He shook his head. “I should have never sent anyone in. Have you heard from Rivera or Martin?”
I searched the immediate area, and when I didn’t see them, I hung my head.
“No. Not yet.”
Slater hit his comm button. “Rivera, Martin? Where are you?”
The comm was silent. “Rivera, Martin?”
Levi let his head fall for just a moment, shaking it back and forth. “Let’s go. See if we can find them.”
I stood, reaching my hand down to help Levi to his feet. We were both a bit shaky, and I could feel the burns on my back and legs pull and stretch. They would take some time to heal, but for now, we had to find our men.
“You go that way, and I’ll go this way.” Levi pointed to the sides of the building. “I’m hoping they went out the front and are either unconscious or too winded to respond.”
I took off at a jog, rounding the left side of the building. The flames stretched high as if lifting their blazing hands in praise—a worship dance of destruction. I searched the immediate area just outside what would have been the door, but I didn’t see anyone. Moving farther into the woods, I searched the vicinity, hoping that I’d find our men. No such luck.
Glancing over my shoulder at the billowing flames engulfing the warehouse, I knew that Martin, Falwell, and Romero were still in the burning hell in front of me. And there was no way anyone had survived inside the blast zone.
“Any luck?” I asked into my comm.
“Negative. You?”
I didn’t respond. It was too hard to say. Rivera, Gonzalez, and Smith were gone as well.
And it was all my fault.
“Dammit!” Levi’s response was guttural, a cry of pain at the reality of losing six of our best men. Six of our friends.
The fire department arrived moments later, as well as the Atlanta Police Department. It was then I noticed that the old truck that had been parked there before was now missing. Someone had watched as this place blew to pieces. Someone had watched as our men had died.
Levi and I were whisked off to the ambulances where they started treating our wounds. No doubt Levi had a concussion, and I knew I had some second- and possibly third-degree burns on my back. All of it paled in comparison to losing our entire team due to my mistake. I’d trusted Julio Varga, and six men had paid for that mistake with their lives. Chavez was our priority, but Varga had just moved up on the list of people I wanted to kill with my bare hands.
“Mr. Montgomery, we need to take you to the hospital.”
“Not until Kennedy gets here.”
“You waiting on me, Montgomery?” Gene Kennedy approached from the side of the ambulance. The man was in his fifties but fit as a man twenty years younger. His graying hair and lined face didn’t seem to do him any harm in the ladies department either. At every event we had, Kennedy arrived with a woman half his age and rarely the same one twice. He wasn’t a playboy really, just said the life he’d chosen didn’t exactly warrant serious relationships, so why not have a little fun?
“You okay?” His voice sounded concerned, but I was sure that would change to fury once I was done telling him what had happened.
“Can you excuse us for a minute?” I directed my question to the EMT.
He nodded. “I need to get you to the hospital, though.”
“Sure. After this.”
The EMT left, and it was just Kennedy and me. “What happened?”
“Varga. Told me a big deal was happening tonight. Drugs. Guns. Possibly even girls.”
“And there was no buy?”
“Nope. Unless someone bought stock in orange Nerf guns.”
“Dammit!” Kennedy pushed his hands through his hair.
“It’s my fault, sir. I took Varga’s word for it. Made him a deal I thought he couldn’t refuse. Apparently I was wrong.”
“You can’t put this on yourself, Montgomery. It’s the nature of the job. Slater okay?”
I shrugged. “He’s beating himself up for moving us inside.”
“He made the right call. Had there been women in there or guns, we’d be singing a different song. Why do you think he turned?”
“I have no idea. His sister is married to Chavez. Beats her and worse. The stories Varga told me, and from what I’ve heard on the street, the man is a real sicko. Varga wanted her rescued and set up somewhere safe. I can’t imagine why he’d give that up, unless something changed.”
“We need to find out. Get to the hospital. We’ll talk once you’ve been treated.”
Kennedy clapped my upper arm and turned to go find Levi, no doubt. What a cluster this op had become.
When I found Varga, I was going to make him pay.
***
At the hospital, I was treated for the burns and kept overnight so they could change the bandages and monitor me. Levi was diagnosed with a concussion, and we were both monitored for blast lung and given oxygen as a precaution.
The night was long, with constant interruptions of nurses coming in to check stats or draw blood. Each time I tried to close my eyes, I’d jerk awake with memories of the explosion, or I’d see my team’s faces, charred and unrecognizable. Sleep wasn’t in my foreseeable future.
The following morning, the nurses changed my bandages after the doctor examined the wounds. I was fortunate, as it seemed I would avoid any skin grafts or surgeries. Damned lucky was what I was. If only my men had been.
After I was suitably bandaged, I managed to put on the scrubs the nurses had given me to go home in, since my clothes had been cut off and were most likely in the hospital incinerator.
I’d just pulled on the pants when a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
A small man with a bald head and round wire-rimmed glasses came in. His close-set eyes didn’t show the smile he wore on his face.
“Can I help you?” He’d yet to say a word, just stood there with that fake smile and assessing gaze.
“Yes, actually. I’m hoping you can.”
I waited for him to continue. Several seconds passed before the man took a deep breath and dropped the smile.
“Mr. Montgomery, my name is Henry Washington.”
The name sounded familiar, and that same phony smile spread his lips as it registered with me.
“You’re an advisor to the president.”
“In so many words, yes. It’s actually quite a bit more complicated than that, but we’ll go with it.”
Henry took a seat in the only chair in the room. I wasn’t about to sit on the bed, so I moved to the cabinet and propped myself against it, crossing my arms.
“Why would a presidential advisor be in my room?”
“Very good question. First of all, before I get to that, I have some news for you. Gene wanted to tell you himself, but I assured him I’d take care of it.”
“Did they find Varga?” I stood, suddenly excited at the prospect of getting my hands on the rat.
“No, nothing like that. You might want to sit down.”
“Is Levi okay?” Fear gripped me. Maybe he’d developed blast lung after all. Last I’d heard, he was recovering just fine, but what if that had changed?
“Mr. Montgomery—”
“Cade.” If the man was about to give me bad news, I’d prefer he use my first name.
“Cade. Please have a seat, and I’ll tell you.”
I obliged, propping myself on the edge of the bed, my knees bent and my elbows resting on them. I had a very bad feeling about this conversation.
“Levi Slater is fine. I’ve just left his room after giving him the same news and the offer I’m about to make you.”
That piqued my interest, and I sat up straighter. Henry held up a finger to keep me from interrupting.
“The DEA has placed the blame for yesterday’s incident at your and Mr. Slater’s feet. They will be releasing you from your positions as soon as a formal hearing has been had.”
“What? Why is Levi being blamed for this? If it was anyone’s fault, it was mine.”
“Six men died yesterday due to his leadership and your bad intel. Unfortunately, consequences are necessary to atone for the atrocities of losing so many fine agents.”
The guilt stabbed my insides like a thousand knives. I knew I was to blame. I’d even said so to Kennedy yesterday—but to hear it put so bluntly to me by a stranger was jarring.
“That’s the official statement.” My head jerked up at the bizarre declaration. Henry smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “What I’m about to tell you is confidential in nature. Should you choose to accept the offer, your life will drastically change. Either way, you will no longer be working for the DEA.”
I waited patiently for him to continue. The news that I’d be dismissed from the job I’d worked so hard for was unsettling, and my stomach churned.
“Do you agree to keep this information confidential?”
“I do.”
Henry nodded and stood, pacing in front of the hospital room’s window.
“The record will show that due to your and Mr. Slater’s negligence, you were dismissed from the DEA. The case will be closed. Unofficially, you and Mr. Slater will be reassigned to a team the president has created called Shadow Force. You will continue to work in Atlanta under a cover organization. Since you and Levi both have backgrounds in MMA fighting, an old strip mall with a warehouse in the back has been purchased, which you will convert into a gym and fighting arena. You will both be undercover as disgraced DEA agents looking to get back at the organization that let them go.”
“I don’t understand. Why would we want to get back at the DEA?”
“Cade, the real story is that there is a mole in the DEA. This person leaked the information that you were working with Varga to Chavez. Chavez had Varga’s sister—his own wife—raped and tortured while he watched. Then she was executed in front of him.”
Bile rose in my throat, and I choked it down. “Geez, what a nasty bastard.”
“Precisely. We assume Varga turned over the information in exchange for his life. Either way, we have to find the mole in the DEA and shut him down. Your primary role as Shadow Force will be to find the mole and take Varga, as well as Chavez’s entire organization, out. If you agree to be a part of Shadow Force, you must understand that you will be working alone. If you are arrested, we will not come to your rescue. If you’re captured, Shadow Force alone will be there to retrieve you. For all intents and purposes, Shadow Force doesn’t exist. I will be your contact with President Mills and will deliver your assignments to you personally.”
“Has Slater agreed to this?”
“He has. He will lead the team, and you will be his second. Together you will design the gym and choose the remainder of the team members. We will provide some options for you from all branches of the military and government agencies. You will never work for the DEA again, and your official record will remain marred by this incident.”
“Doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice, now, does it?” Anger rushed through me that these people had manipulated my life and were unapologetic about doing so. I had served my country for eight years, and this was the thanks I got?
“I want to talk with Levi.”
Henry nodded and went to the door. “You have twenty-four hours to give us your decision. After that, the opportunity will pass to another. Good day, Cade.”
I stood in that hospital room wondering how my life had just taken such a nosedive. I wasn’t kidding when I said it didn’t appear that I had much choice. I wished the president and his advisor had gone about this differently, and yet, I understood it. What better cover than a man whose country had turned on him? What better motivation?
I got it, but I didn’t like it.
I’d talk to Levi, but my decision was already made. I’d take the job and continue to serve my country.
My first act would be to track down the traitor who was ultimately responsible for the death of my friends and teammates.