Pitbull_Special Forces_Operation Alpha Read online

  He did hang up then. The urge to hurl the phone into the wall of the Rogers Center across from him was strong. He gritted his teeth and bowed his head even as pain pulsated through his core. For so long, he thought he’d gotten away from Claudia and her mission to destroy herself. He’d known if he stayed with her he’d wind up hurt or worse. But years later—over ten years later—she still had a way of sticking her head into his life and turning it up-side down.

  “You all right?” Mozart asked.

  “I don’t know,” Pitbull replied, turning to face them. “Something I thought was over, isn’t.”

  “What do you need, brother?” Tex asked.

  “What I need is for my sister to go away and stop raining destruction into my life.”

  Tex arched a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “You have a sister?” Mozart asked.

  “It’s a long, long story.” Pitbull dragged a palm against the back of his neck.

  “What’s going on with her?” Tex pushed.

  “Apparently, she’s missing.” Pitbull walked around the two and headed toward the condo. “The cops found a burnt out car that her friend thinks is hers but she isn’t sure.”

  “Hey! Hang on a second!” Tex called. “What do you mean missing?”

  “And if she is, shouldn’t we go find her?” Mozart asked. “Especially if her friend is right and the blown to hell car belongs to your sister.”

  “My sister is one of those determined people on a road to death and she will take everyone with her.” Pitbull snarled. “I warned her the path she was on would lead to this. If she is dead, it is on her. I tried—for years to save her but she wasn’t interested in staying alive and I wasn’t interested in dying!”

  “So, you’re just going to leave her?” Mozart asked.

  “Claudia is not Avery, Mozart.”

  “Jesus, Pit!” Tex exclaimed. “Da-fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Tex.” Mozart’s voice held a warning.

  “No!” Tex frowned. “I know you’re angry, Pitbull, but that’s not cool. That’s actually very fucked up!”

  “It’s all right,” Mozart said, softly. “Look at it this way. Avery is gone and no matter what I do, she can’t come back. Your sister is still alive, we hope, and if there’s a chance—even a remote chance you can save her, shouldn’t you take it? You don’t have to be her friend, you know? You can save someone’s life and walk away.”

  Pitbull dragged his hand over his hair and bit into his bottom lip. “Mo…”

  “It’s okay,” Mozart said. “You’re angry. I get it. We should get back if you’re going to start looking. Pitbull, whatever your sister did, I’m not going to sit here and tell you not to be pissed. I don’t know the story there. But, if she really is in trouble, who better to save her than CIRO? Afterward, you can go your separate ways.”

  Pitbull exhaled long and hard. Mozart had a point—he hated to admit it. Mozart pulled him into a hug then and Pitbull exhaled a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding.

  “Fine,” he said. “But I can’t interrupt your vacation. The condo is paid up for another two weeks. Stay here and enjoy.”

  “You’re kiddin’ me right?” Tex asked. “Like we’d let you walk into this alone. You’re our brother. And like it not, you’re stuck with us.”

  Pitbull groaned which only made Mozart and Tex laugh. “Okay—you guys should probably call Wolf.”

  Tex nodded but Mozart left the room to make the call. Alone with the computer guru, Pitbull dragged a frustrated hand over his head and faced his friend.

  “If this is another one of my sister’s attempts at taking me with her.” Pitbull growled. “I swear to god, she’s going to wish she was in that car.”

  3

  “Hey, Pitbull!”

  Anke turned from the phone conversation she’d been having with Ruby in time to see three men coming up the stairs. The agent they’ve been calling Zero jogged over to hug each of them. All three of them were gorgeous. One walked with a noticeable limp. There had t be a story there.

  The man with the sandy blond hair who looked like Thor reincarnate must be Daniel Hunt. He resembled the pictures from Claudia’s wall. And, as she stared at him long enough, she could see the resemblance. How in the hell had Claudia not mentioned a brother—especially a brother who looked like he should be wearing a cape and leaping tall buildings in a single bound?

  Daniel Hunt was gorgeous. Though she knew she wasn’t there to find a man, her reasoning didn’t help the way her pulse reacted. She wouldn’t be a red blooded woman if she didn’t notice his beauty. His massive frame was overwhelming yet sexy. His jeans clung to his muscular thighs as if they were made for him and the leather jacket that draped across his wide shoulders was open to expose a grey graphic t-shirt underneath. He had a silver chain around his large neck with dogtags resting in the center of his massive chest.

  She chewed on her bottom lip.

  When he lifted his eyes to her, it was as though a strong, warm breeze surged through the room, blowing her a step back. The storm raging in his gaze stunned her. Still, she tried calming her racing heart.

  “Anke? You there?”

  “Rubes? Gonna have to call you back. I think I’m about to be in big trouble.”

  “What do you mean? Are you okay?”

  “Physically—yes. But I’ll call you back when I get a chance.”

  She hung up and dropped her phone into her bag then rose as the men made their way toward her. Once they were before her, Daniel Hunt towered above her, dropped his bag on the floor by her feet and leveled his gaze on her.

  “Pitbull…” Zero’s voice held a warning.

  “It’s fine, Zero.” Daniel didn’t take his eyes from her. “Could you take my bag into Beast’s office? I’ll be in to talk with you guys in a sec.”

  “I’ll start on my thing.” The man with the limp drawled.

  From his accent, Anke could tell he was American. The third man remained silent. He watched her with contemplative eyes, almost reading through to her soul. When she met his gaze, he gave her a curt nod, then turned off down a long corridor with Zero and the man with the abnormality to his steps.

  Without a word, Daniel stepped around her. She turned to see him opening a door and moving aside. He took up most of the entry way. When she didn’t move he tilted his head.

  “Ms. Fischer. You’ve interrupted my vacation. You now have my attention. The least you can do is move your ass.”

  She frowned, lifted her chin and squeezed by his large frame into the office. The connection with him was brief, but she wanted to faint with bliss. His cologne wasn’t overpowering, yet it was enough to leave her in a puddle of herself.

  Not what you came here for, remember Anke? Tell your vagina to chill out!

  With a new grip on herself, Anke turned to see Daniel had followed and closed the door behind him. She watched him walk across the room with long, purposeful steps. She could sort of see why they called him Pitbull—large frame, strong shoulders, eyes to melt a person’s soul.

  He stopped long enough to remove his jacket and to drape it over the back of a nearby chair. When he rested his ass against the window sill and folded his arms across his impressive chest, Anke swallowed a lump in her throat. She supposed it meant she needed to start talking. But her mouth had gone dry and her tongue was stuck to the roof of it.

  Breathe. He’s just a man. One you kinda-sorta dislike at the moment.

  “Look, you weren’t my first choice, you know?” She managed. “But the cops kept telling me she has a right to go away and not tell me because she’s an adult. They said probably had a fight with her boyfriend. But, Claudia doesn’t have a boyfriend. She was always joking that she didn’t have the time or the patience for a man.”

  “What makes you think she really didn’t just take a break somewhere? I was on a break before you interrupted.”

  “Yes, but did you tell your friends you were leaving?”

&nb
sp; Pitbull said nothing. He merely watched her in that slow, expressionless way he had before. She couldn’t help thinking if given a moment’s peace, Pitbull could figure out the solution for world hunger.

  “Her and I have been best friends for five years. She’s always been there for me…”

  Daniel turned his back to her. “Congratulations.”

  Anke ground her teeth. “I snuck into the garage to check for her car. It’s not exactly secure but it kept her car out of view at nights. It’s not there.”

  “I see.”

  “And she’s never missed a day of work.” Anke pushed.

  “Work?”

  “Yes. We’re waitresses at this diner in Hennef.” Anke took a steadying breath. “Look, Mr. Hunt. I know this isn’t your ideal situation. I wouldn’t have come to you if I had anyone else to turn to. I definitely wouldn’t have sounded the alarm if I didn’t think something is wrong. She could be in trouble. I have this bad feeling and the more time we sit here the less of a chance…”

  “I’m aware of how it works.”

  “They broke into her place through the window and trashed it,” Anke said. “Everything was broken or cut open or turned over…”

  He whirled to face her. “They trashed the place?”

  “Da.”

  “Interesting.” He dropped his arms to his side but didn’t move from the window. “If they trashed the place that means they were looking for something.”

  “Then why blow up her car?”

  “In all fairness,” Pitbull’s voice was calm, controlled. “We don’t know it’s her vehicle.”

  “Does this mean you’ll help me?”

  “I don’t really have a choice, now do I? As always, Claudia gets in too deep and I must drop everything to pull her out. We should…”

  Someone knocked and they both faced the door. There were a few faces peering in through the glass and she twisted in time to see Daniel waving them in. Anke remembered the ones they called Mouth and Zero. The others she hadn’t met yet including a woman.

  “You might as well meet the team,” Daniel said. “Commander Alric Gerhart.”

  “Beast,” the man said with a wave.

  “Lieutenant Sabine Henson.”

  “Barbie,” the dark skinned woman said.

  “This is John Keegan and Sam Reed.”

  “Tex.” The man with the accent gave her a mock salute. “Hey.”

  “They call me Mozart.”

  “I’ve met you two—Mouth and Zero, right?” Anke asked.

  Mouth nodded. “Clayton Hastings.”

  “Rei Hakama.”

  With the introductions out of the way, Daniel pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat. The others gathered around and turned their eyes onto Daniel. “I guess you’ve heard by now,” Daniel began. “I haven’t said anything about my sister to any of you guys. It wasn’t something I ever wanted to discuss. There’s some baggage there and I didn’t want anyone to think it would affect my work.”

  “Really? You’re a damn fine cop,” Barbie said. “We’re family. What affects you, affects all of us.”

  “Another reason I didn’t say anything.” Daniel exhaled loudly. “I know you’d all want to protect me.”

  “Damn right.” Zero cut in. “We’re not even going to deny it.”

  “Right.” Barbie tilted her head. “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

  Daniel nodded. “But when I came here, we didn’t know each other well enough. And over the years as this family grew, I didn’t want that darkness to overshadow what I’d found. I wanted to bury my past life.”

  “You’re forgiven.” Zero grinned handsomely. “Just don’t do that shit again.”

  “Aye-ay sir.” Daniel offered a mock salute.

  And with that, it seemed, Daniel Hunt was forgiven for his transgression.

  “Okay, Pit.” Beast spoke up. “Tell us what you need.”

  “Tex, there was a car explosion in Metro Valley recently. Can you get me all you can on it?”

  “You got it,” Tex said.

  “Thanks.” Daniel told him. “Ms. Fischer and I will be visiting the site of the explosion then she’s taking me back to Claudia’s place so I can look around. When I’m finished, I’ll have a better understanding of what we’re dealing with.”

  “Okay, we got this,” Tex said.

  “So, in other words.” Barbie shifted in her seat to lean her elbows on the table. “We’re basically cooling our heels until you sound the alarm.”

  “Basically.” Daniel rose first. “You’re supposed to be on vacation, guys. Let me handle this.”

  “Right.” Zero scoffed. “Like we’re goin’ to let you do this alone.”

  “He’s one of them hard learners.” Tex made his way toward the door. “Must get ma tools.”

  Anke blinked wondering what he meant by that, but she didn’t ask. Instead, she watched as the others leave the room and she was once again alone with Daniel Hunt.

  The way they were around each other was more than just a bunch of people who worked together. They didn’t question his motives or scold him for not revealing his sister. Instead, they gathered around, encouraged him then asked what he needed. Anke was jealous of Daniel. She’d never had such closeness with her blood family or her chosen family. After her parents, her super wealthy, parents disowned her, all her so-called friends vanished.

  She craved what Pitbull had found with CIRO and the Americans. There was something special being in a kind of environment filled with love, trust and loyalty—a kind of love that was one of a kind.

  “Wait here,” Daniel said, grabbing his coat. “I will get my bag.”

  Anke had no words. She merely nodded.

  The wait for him to return hadn’t been a long one. But she found herself wondering what kind of man Daniel was—to figure him out in all the ways that shouldn’t matter to her, but did. Honestly, all she truly wanted was to find Claudia. Yet, she allowed herself a few thoughts of Daniel—everything from the way he moved to the deep, almost other-worldly blue of his eyes.

  Does a man have the right to own eyes so intoxicating?

  The sound of the door opening behind her caused Anke to turn. Daniel had returned, only now he had a badge strung around his neck and his gun sat against his right hip in its holster. The weapon made her queasy, but she said nothing. He was a cop and so it came with the territory. Instead she wrapped her arms around herself until he drew on the jacket and pulled it over to hide the gun.

  “We should go,” he said.

  4

  The only time Anke had set foot in Metro Valley was as a rebellious teenager when she thought she had all the answers. For as long as she could remember her parents were adamant about her going anywhere near the ghetto. Secretly, she’d read the newspaper articles and instead of it scaring her, she just wanted to do it all the more.

  Her rebel without a clue boyfriend drove them there to prove to her just how bad-ass he had been. When they arrived, instead of feeling thoroughly impressed at his stupidity—er, bravery—all she felt was a strange sense of sadness at the devastation, the poverty, the vastness of it all. The wretchedness overwhelmed her and he had to take her back home. After she threw-up in her mother’s rosebushes, he broke up with her, saying she wasn’t a bad-ass chick.

  Even then, years later, Anke still had to roll her eyes at that. She was amazed at the dumb things kids did and the raw emotions she went through after the breakup. After all, at that age, this jerk was the love of her life and she just knew she’d die without him. In her mind, she’d never find another man who loved her like he did.

  Frowning, she refocused on the present. At least this time she was going there with someone who knew his way about bad-guys. And she was hell bent on not throwing up in front of Daniel.

  When they left San Augustine, they had to pass through a part of Hennef. As they entered Metro Valley, there was no guessing where they were. The poverty was written across the landscape like a neon sig
n. She never thought it could get any worse but as she stared at the crumbling buildings and the single stoplight, flashing red like it had when she was a teenager, Claudia knew she’d been wrong.

  Daniel’s ringing phone drew her eyes from the outside and toward him but he merely pressed the small, black object hooked to his ear.

  “This is Hunt.”

  With a smile she turned her vision back outside the car. Her mirth was gone and a barrage of thoughts invaded her mind. What was Claudia doing in Metro Valley? It wasn’t as if she’d gotten lost. There were so many warning signs heading into the place the only thing left for the politicians to do was put up a massive sign saying, abandon all hope, ye who enters here.

  And what was she into? Someone didn’t just blow up another person’s car on a whim. Something else was happening and it was making her brain hurt trying to figure it out.

  Soon, they drew to a stop. Daniel didn’t move to get out of the truck. She watched as he pulled out his gun, checked the chamber then shoved it back into his holster before reaching for the door.

  She didn’t have to ask why he stopped. The burnt-out car was still there with what used to be police tape around it. Why wouldn’t they have towed it so they could get evidence from it.

  Daniel moved around the area with practiced ease. He pulled a pair of blue gloves from his back pockets and wiggled his fingers into them. Afterward, he peered into the vehicle. Though he didn’t speak, the frown on his face was evident. At one point he tried opening the door but the blast seemed to have welded it shut. Daniel moved around the car to the other side to peer into the back seat, then to the driver’s side.

  “This is definitely her car,” Anke said, pointing to what was left of a bumper sticker. “She stuck the Betty Boop sticker on there the day she paid this off.”

  Daniel said nothing.

  “You’ve been quiet,” Anke said.

  “Yeah—my sister was five three, five four tops,” Daniel said, still looking in. “The driver’s seat has been pushed back too far for someone her height.”

  “So, someone else was driving her car?”