Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 20

A Raid  and Mission in the works

Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.

Let’s review the Returning Dramatis Personae

Of House Black:

Harrison 'Harri' Black; Sheriff of Black County, 'Jason Momoa-looking motherfucker' mountain man (mixed heritage), former Army MP

Erica LaCosta; Fiancée of Harri, Leo's sister, Italian Tattoo Artist, Dark Brunette

Kyla Bautista; Trained dancer, Pilipino Spy, Harri's Deputy Sheriff, Raven hair

Ivy Gauthier; Quebecoise stripper, half-tattooed, Dirty Blonde anal queen

Vanessa Peters; Construction Forewoman, Daughter of Brent Peters the head of the construction project, Brunette

The Natives:

Kara Swiftwater; Harrison's high school sweetheart that ended poorly, community leader of the local Native band, Raven hair

US Military

Lieutenant Colonel Miriam Abarbanel; Military friend of Harri's, Air Force Lt Col, Jewish heritage, Commanding Officer for Valhalla Hills construction and the Oregon Quaranteam research project

Captain Laura Bloomberg; Air Force JAG serving as Miriam's second, Blonde

Guns of Thunder Bikers

?; Leader of the gang, somewhere in his mid-fifties. Served as a Marine in the Gulf War, and the early invasion of Afghanistan. Father of Kashm.

Chuck; Young, dumb, relatively attractive biker. Dating Kashm.

? 'Neck Tattoo'; Neck tattoo of eagle and American flag.

Garret; Older biker, dangerous hippy vibes.

Kashm; Short Persian woman with an attitude, daughter of the Guns of Thunder biker boss. Big tits, hourglass figure. Dating Chuck.

Militia/Sovereign Citizens

Big Paulson; Sovereign Citizen from the Golden Beaver group

Referenced Characters

Abigail 'Abi' Jónsson; Harri's Personal Trainer, Co-owner of Valkyrie Falls women's athletic retreat, Icelandic Personal Trainer and Crossfit Competitor, Tall Athletically Muscular Blonde

Danielle 'Dani'; Australian stripper, Brunette

Josie 'Joss the Boss' Draper; Professional Wrestler, Athletically Trim Blonde

Leo LaCosta; Harri's best friend and former roommate, Italian carpenter, Erica's brother

Macho; Rescued daschund puppy, named for his big balls, mascot and beloved pet of House Black

Mary Duncan; Attended high school with Harri, former cheerleader, Husband has disappeared while looking for work, left to join a 'commune' with her kids

Sara Sigurdsdottir; Co-owner of Valkyrie Falls women's athletic retreat, Icelandic Personal Trainer and Crossfit Competitor, Tall Athletically Muscular Blonde

Vanessa Peters; Construction Forewoman, Daughter of Brent Peters the head of the construction project, Brunette

Back to the story,

Most of the big warehouse area was in the dark, a trio of work lights pointing right at us making it hard to see much beyond the little ring of bikers. I'd been right that Chuck had been the one shouting at me earlier. His nose looked like he'd gotten it mostly back into place, and he was holding a ridiculous-looking Desert Eagle with two hands pointed right at me. Neck Tattoo, whose name I never got, had a shotgun pointed at me and the old hippy-looking biker Garret had what looked like an AK of some sort covering us from the side, though he was back in the dark so I couldn't tell what exactly.

Georgie Boy, who I'd fought, and Kashm weren't there.

"What do you want from me exactly?" the boss asked.

"You said you've been having problems with the Sovereign Citizens. I've interacted with the idiots up at the Golden Beaver, but I assume if you've had real trouble it would have been with whatever group is behind them. That's my best guess on who just murdered a ton of people and kidnapped more," I said. "I want to know what you know about them. Especially if they have a headquarters."

"How the hell are we supposed to know if this asshole is even telling the truth?" Chuck weaseled.

"What fucking reason could I possibly have to make up shit like this?" I countered. "I already know you're here, dumb fuck. If I wanted you out, I could make that happen. I don't."

"Harri," Kyla said quietly. "Perhaps ignore the child and speak with the adults?"

"She's not wrong," the boss grunted, then turned to Chuck. "Shut the fuck up."

Chuck clearly wanted to bite something back, but he just grunted.

"I need to know where these assholes are," I said. "We don't know what they are going to do with women and children."

The boss rubbed at his chin over his gaiter, his eyes flicking into the dark towards Garret and his AK for a long moment. "I... understand your need," he said. "Let me talk to my people. Wait outside."

"But,” Chuck started.

"Please," the boss said firmly to me, but he was already turning towards Chuck.

Kyla backed out and I followed her, the door shutting behind us.

"Do you think they know what we need?" Kyla asked me as we stepped back over towards our truck.

"I don't know," I said, sighing in exasperation. "They're hard to read."

"What are we doing if they decide not to tell us? Or say they don't know?" Kyla asked.

I cracked my knuckles and grimaced. "It's the ticking time bomb scenario," I said. "I learned it in the courses to become an MP. Is it ever appropriate to torture someone? Even if we know for certain that they know the location of a time bomb that will go off and kill dozens or more people?"

"I know it," Kyla nodded.

"I figured," I sighed. She probably had even more training on that sort of thing than I did. Hell, she probably had a better theoretical grasp on 'enhanced interrogation' than I did, too. She was a trained spy, I was just an infantry lug at heart. "If they say no, we could try and shoot our way through and keep one alive. But one or both of us get fucked up in the best realistic scenario, too. Then we don't even know if what we're told is the truth or not."

"We could try bribing them," Kyla suggested. "We have the money to make it worthwhile."

"Not if they won't tell us on principle," I said.

The door opened before we could continue or come to a decision, and the boss stepped out and walked to us. He was wearing his cut over a leather jacket and his boots crunched in the gravel of the parking lot in a way that made me think of all sorts of cinematic moments where a deal was made with a devil.

"We don't know where they are," he said. "But, we can make some calls. Someone will know, and we know people that you don't."

"Thank you," I said.

"Don't thank me yet," he said, raising a finger to stop me. "If I do find out where they are, it's going to cost you."

"What price are you going to put on a bunch of hostage women and children taken by domestic terrorists?" I asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep the sneer out of my voice.

That, I knew, landed a hit. He'd served in Afghanistan at the start of the war, while I'd served in the middle, but we'd seen a lot of the same things. Bad men do bad things, and it's supposed to happen over there. Not here. Not at home.

"I'll tell you the price when I have the information," he said.

"You should have my number," I said. "I gave your daughter my card."

"I know. She has it," he nodded. "You will hear from us if we find something useful."

I grunted, not thanking him again. He nodded, and I nodded, and then he glanced at Kyla and nodded as well. He walked back to the building and went in, closing the door and audibly locking it behind him. We got into the truck.

"One lead," Kyla said, putting her hand on my knee as I started the truck. "And just the first. We'll find her."

"Them," I said. "We'll find them."

"Harri," she said, her tone dropping seriously and forcing me to look at her. She was staring deep into my eyes. "We'll find her. Stop lying to yourself."

I had to suck in a breath from my nose and let it out, getting the engine started and pulling us back out onto the pothole-filled road. "It's been almost fifteen years. I can be over her and still care about her."

"And you can fall in love with her all over again, too," Kyla said. "And with all the evil in the world around us, there are silver linings. You had Erica and Ivy and Vanessa, but you still allowed me in. A stranger. And now you are going to be the father to our child, and I will love you forever. But I want a man who is not afraid of himself, Harri. And especially not of his emotions. My father pretended to be emotionless because he thought it was strength, and I barely know who he is even now. Our team, our family, is going to get bigger. Three more women to reach the minimum number to keep you properly protected. Minimum. Don't tell me that you would rather the government system match you with more strangers before you would take Kara."

"It's not just my decision," I said.

"No, it's not," Kyla retorted. "It's hers as well, but from everything I've heard, she was the one digging the hole you two are in and so she needs you to give her permission to get out of it. So when we find her, you are going to tell her what you feel, and what you want. And then she can choose."

"Fine," I said as I pulled the truck onto the highway and started speeding to the next destination I had in mind. "Fine, Kyla. I'll tell her. I can risk a bruised heart."

"Good," Kyla said. "Then let's talk about Miriam."

"That's a completely different thing," I said. "I've already talked to her and she says she's holding off on contacting the person she'll partner with until things are stable. She says it's complicated, so there's someone she's planning on partnering with."

"You haven't considered that you might be the one it's complicated with?" Kyla asked.

"How am I complicated? She could just set it up and it would be done," I said.

"You are not an idiot, Harrison," Kyla said. "Of course it's complicated, and keeps getting more complicated. You were already partnered with two women when you two reconnected, right? And since then you accidentally imprinted Vanessa, were assigned me, got engaged with Erica, and got into three gunfights while technically under her watch so far. Not to mention asking her for help with your ex-girlfriend, getting into a quarantined city to help a woman from a whole bunch of athletic women who fawn over you, and the giant elephant in the room that you saved her from sexual assault over half a decade ago. It's complicated."

"So what am I supposed to do then?" I asked. "Just call her up and say, 'Hey, Miriam. I know things are complicated and we've only ever been friends, but if you want to imprint on me I'd be really interested in that."

"No," Kyla said. "Because it really is complicated, Harri. You just need to be open to her, and not lie to yourself that it won't be you. She needs to ask you when she's ready."

"So I need to offer it to Kara, but wait for Miriam to ask me," I said.

"Exactly," Kyla said. "It's like dating. Some people need to be asked, and some people need to do the asking. You, my love, haven't dated in so long that you just don't have any instincts about these things. All of your romantic instincts are built off of how your father treated your mother, not in seduction or the chase."

That one hit home a little as my mind ran through my romantic situations since I left home for the military. There had been a few hookups, particularly when I'd been stationed in Germany and then while I'd lived in Portland with Leo, but I'd never chased anyone. Never really pursued. I'd offered dates, sure, but even then had I ever been the one to make an approach?

"Now let's talk about Josie," Kyla said.

"No, let's not," I said and shot her a look. "Or any of the Valkyrie Falls ladies. That's not on the table right now."

"Fine," Kyla said, holding up her hands in surrender. "That's fair, at least for now."

I sighed heavily and Kyla chuckled in her chest. "Call Erica and give her an update," I said. "Please."

"You're right," Kyla nodded. "She'll want to know you're finally coming around on everything."

"Not what I meant," I said.

"I know, dear," Kyla said, taking my hand from the steering wheel and bringing it down to grip her thigh. "But I either need to break you down and get you to laugh, or I need to fuck you in the back of this truck. You need to release some of the stress you're carrying or you'll be too tight to do what comes next."

"You know, everyone thinks Ivy is the crazy one," I said. "But sometimes you are right up there with her."

"I know," Kyla smirked softly. "But only with you."

I looked at her in the dark of the cab as I drove through the hills along the empty highway.

"Now," she asked. "How are we going to beat an entire bar of rednecks into telling us what we want to know with only two people?"

The Golden Beaver was empty.

Well, not empty. It was dead.

Kyla and I came back out with our eyes watering and instinctively covering our mouths even though we had masks on. She staggered about a dozen steps into the parking lot and ripped her mask off to throw up. I could feel my own stomach recoiling as well but managed to keep it down through sheer stubbornness and already feeling a little deadened to the scene after checking the houses at the Rez.

It hadn't been an execution inside the bar, it had been chaos.

Multiple dead, scattered around the bar. Clear signs of a fight, but none of it had really been near the door. The fight had started inside. And based on the state of one of the bodies I had a feeling about what had happened. Someone had shown up sick; the blood from the ears, eyes and nose were giveaways even if he'd gotten shot in the chest with a shotgun. So someone had come in sick, and an argument had started; if the pandemic was fake, there was nothing to worry about. But then why was Jim (or whatever the guy's name was) sick? Maybe it was real. Escalation. Fear. Anger. Firearms.

"That wasn't close to all of them," I said as I leaned against one of the support posts for the front porch.

"I think I counted eight?" Kyla said after spitting the taste of puke out of her mouth.

"Could be more behind the bar, or upstairs," I said. "But yeah, about that."

I blew out a long breath, shaking my head. Another dead end. Hadn't I made that joke to someone about if this happened? I couldn't even remember, now.

"I'm going to take another look," I said. Kyla nodded, and I went back inside. The bodies weren't rotting yet but weren't exactly warm either. I'd been in that room yesterday, so it must have happened that night or sometime early in the day. If there were survivors they probably left infected, if they weren't already. Some of the crates and pallets of stolen supplies looked like they'd been raided but there was still plenty left. It was just covered in blood.

Nine bodies, counting the bartender behind the bar. He was the least damaged and had died holding a gunshot wound to his neck and bled out all over the floor. I cracked open the beer fridge and fetched out a chilled bottle of vodka, carrying it with me as I headed up the rickety stairs to the second floor. The upstairs, which I had never seen, was mostly just a hallway with bedrooms lining either side of the building. I called out but didn't get any answers so I started kicking in doors. They were all empty, though they had been occupied. Some of them still had stuff strewn about in the messy way of a single man living in misery, others looked like they'd been cleared out recently. At the end of the hall, one of the doors had bloody handprints on the door handle, and I only had to nudge it open with my foot.

Big Paulson, the massive guy with the ginger beard, was looking back at me with glassed-over eyes and pale skin as he leaned back against the bed on the floor. I thought he was dead until he coughed, blood dripping from his lips. He had a syringe on the floor next to him, and whatever he'd taken had knocked him into next week.

"Can you hear me, Paulson?" I asked.

He blinked agonizingly slowly, his eyes completely unfocused.

"Paulson, what happened downstairs?" I asked more firmly.

He let out a little groan and then tipped sideways, going loose. The side of the bed he'd been leaning against was soaked in red. His upper back was shredded by what must have been a shotgun blast.

"Fuck," I grunted, stepping back. He was dead, his body just hadn't realized it yet because of the drugs.

Back outside, I cleaned my gloved hands with the vodka and then took a swig before offering it over to Kyla. She gave me a look. "Pregnant," she reminded me.

"Shit," I said. "Sorry."

"It's Okay," she said. "You've got a lot going on."

We did a quick tour around the back of the Golden Beaver, checking in the side building and the barn. There was plenty of random junk that would probably be useful to someone, but I was mostly concerned about the chickens that were still roaming in their fenced area. That and the feed in the barn.

"What do you think are the chances that these guys were already rescued once before from a situation like this?" I asked.

"I don't know what you mean?" Kyla asked me.

"Mrs. Branston's chickens. We went to buy eggs from her and found out she was dead, but her chickens were missing," I said.

"That wasn't me, Harri," Kyla said.

I frowned. "Jesus," I said. "That was Dani. It was right before you joined us. Fuck, it feels like it was so long ago. And it was so like what we were doing with the welfare checks... Shit."

"Shush," she hushed me, coming over and rubbing my back.

"Fuck," I sighed, going down into a crouch as I took deep breaths. There was just so much wrong in the world.

"Compartmentalize for now, Harri," Kyla said. "We're in the field. What's next?"

I shook my head, still crouching, and then sucked in a breath and let it out in a rush. "Okay. Priority One is the kidnapped civilians. This place is a bust, so our only real lead are the bikers and they are working on it. Priority Two..." I hesitated as I processed. When lives were in the balance, it was hard to judge secondary priorities because they fell so far short of the primary. "Priority two is locking this place down," I said. "Call Vanessa and see if her kitchen staff want to add fresh eggs and chicken farming to their daily routines. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for a couple of construction workers to slap together a coop and yard. Then we call the National Guard. The inside needs to be cleared out or folks will come here looking for supplies and get exposed all over again."

"Good," she nodded. "And then we take care of us, and then we sleep."

"I can't sleep until I hear from the bikers," I said.

Kyla shoved me hard enough that I fell back from my crouch and onto my ass. I looked up at her startled. "You will rest," Kyla told me. No, she ordered me. "Because when we get the location and you go hunting, I'm not letting you do it sleep-deprived. My child, Erica's child, they aren't losing you. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you," I croaked. I stood up and rolled my neck. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be sorry," Kyla said. "There's nothing to be sorry for. You just need to listen, which you are. Now, you call Vanessa and I'll call the National Guard."

"Okay," I agreed. I wanted to hug her, or kiss her, but we both knew that we'd been exposed to whatever was still floating in the air inside the bar, and there had been a lot of blood.

Vanessa was in on the chicken plan and had workers in full protective gear out to us in under an hour, during which Kyla made me try to nap in the bed of the truck while she kept watch. I might have gotten a few minutes, but it wasn't restful. One of the workers had built a makeshift coop in the bed of one of their pickup trucks and it took another fifteen minutes to catch the chickens and get them loaded up. We put the remaining feed into the back of my truck for transport.

The construction workers were just about to leave when the National Guard truck rolled up the beaten path, ploughing through the rickety palisade gate on one side because of its width. They were from another unit that wasn't managing the Rez situation and were also hazmat-geared since we'd reported a multiple-casualty event. We gave them the rundown, and my best guess at what had probably happened, and the frustrated Lieutenant started shaking his head and didn't stop until I stopped talking.

There was a quick argument over whether the chickens needed to be destroyed or not until I looked him in the eyes and asked, "What chickens?" multiple times and he caught on. It helped that I probably had some crazy eyes going on.

The Guard took over the site, and the workers left, which meant Priority Two was now fulfilled. I didn't have the energy to argue with the Guardsmen over what would happen to the supplies inside the bar, or the valuables that I was pretty sure had been looted from the community. Later I would regret that since I could have gotten them sanitized even if I did it myself and then pawned them off to the bikers to fuel their market.

Instead, Kyla and I spread our arms and legs and let the Guardsmen spray us with sanitizer from a device that looked like it was designed to spray weed killer on a lawn, and then we got into the truck.

"Bring me home," Kyla said. "To our home."

"Okay," I nodded and started up the truck. "Tell Erica and Ivy that that's where we'll be, and they can stand down their watch. They shouldn't be in any danger."

Kyla called while I drove, and soon we were pulling onto the site and checking in with the Airforce goons manning the gate. They asked me some questions; they knew about the Rez since their fellow security were still out there, and I told them what I could. They needed to know that it was possible we'd get hit heavier than last time if the Raiders were escalating. That immediately got the Sergeant in charge of the gate for the night interested and I could see the gears in his mind working, but I was too tired to ask any questions.

I got us up to the compound and Kyla and I both stripped in the dark before heading into the RV and piling into the shower. We rinsed and scrubbed each other, completely non-sexual. When we got out she put on one of my clean shirts and I slipped on some shorts before collapsing onto the bench seating.

"Don't sleep yet," Kyla said to me, making me blink my eyes open. She was on the phone and said something quietly then hung up. Then she climbed onto my lap, straddling me and starting to kiss me softly. "We need to have sex," she whispered. "Both of us. I know you're not in the mood, and neither am I, but we need to."

"Okay," I agreed. We ended up naked and she was riding me right there when Vanessa came in. Usually, she would have been home already since it was well past midnight now, but she'd been managing the chicken situation since it was a bit of a special scenario. Now she kicked off her boots and stripped right there in the entryway of the RV before climbing up to kneel next to us and pull my face around to kiss her.

"You don't mind?" Vanessa asked Kyla.

Kyla shook her head with a smile, running her fingers through Vanessa's brunette locks for a moment. "He needs us," she said. "Like the hospital."

I ended up in bed with them both snuggled up with me. It hadn't been hot, or sexy, but it had been loving. They had taken care of me more than physically, and I found myself staring up at the ceiling of the RV feeling a lot more clear than I had an hour before.

At some point I must have drifted off because I woke up to my phone ringing. Vanessa was already rolling out of bed to go get it from where I left it on the kitchen counter, and she came back and handed it to me without answering before climbing back into bed, still naked.

I thumbed it open. "What have you got for me?"

"Three skilled shooters and a civilian chopper will be on site within twelve hours," Miriam said. "Any progress?"

"The Sov-Cit cell is dead," I said. "Outbreak and internal violence. My biker pals are checking their contacts, but they said they'll be asking for something in return. I'll handle it."

"Alright. They found more survivors on the Rez, do you want the full update?"

"Email it to me," I said. "I'm trying to get my head right for when we have a location."

"Okay," Miriam said. "I can't get you more shooters for an assault in under 48 hours, but I can have a QRF with medics ready to roll for when you need a lift out of there with your objectives."

"Thanks," I said. Then Kyla put her hand on my thigh and squeezed, and I looked at her as she gazed at me pointedly in the dark. "I appreciate all the help, Miriam. And I want you to know I appreciate you a hell of a lot, too."

"Well, good," Miriam said. "Now stay alive for you to get the chance to actually show it. I think we might be up to you hiring Gordon Ramsey to cook me that dinner you owe me."

"Get some sleep," I told her.

"You too," she said. "And make sure you tell me when you're going operational."

"I will," I promised.

We hung up.

"What was that, 'I appreciate you?'" Vanessa asked, dropping her voice to mimic me.

"Harri and I had a talk about Kara and Miriam," Kyla said.

"I've been informed that my seduction game isn't up to par with a world that is heading the way it is," I sighed.

"I dunno, you did pretty well with me," Vanessa said, and I could hear her smile in the dark. I turned and kissed her, and then settled in to try and get back to sleep since it was only about four in the morning and I'd gotten maybe two hours total.

"So when are we talking about Josie and the Valkyries?" Vanessa asked.

I grunted and pulled the pillow from under her head, planting it over her face as she broke into a laugh.

I woke up again, this time to my phone ringing on my chest where I'd set it down when I hung up with Miriam. Both Kyla and Vanessa groaned and I blinked my eyes open to see that there was a soft blue glow coming in through the cracks at the edge of the RV window shades. "Fuck," I groaned but grabbed my phone. Unknown number.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Good morning, Cowboy," a woman's voice said, and it took me a second to place Kashm's sultry tone to her face and name.

"What do you have for me?" I asked.

"We have a location and my father is working on confirmation that it's the right group," Kashm said.

"And what's it going to cost me?" I asked.

"We'll discuss that when we meet," she said. "10 AM in the grocery store parking lot."

"Okay," I said. "I'll be there."

"I hear you had a lady cop with you last night. I thought you were single, cowboy."

"You'd be surprised what my life is like," I said. "But don't go getting any ideas. I'm a little busy right now and wouldn't make a good date."

She laughed and hung up the phone.

"Who the fuck was that?" Vanessa mumbled.

"Biker gang leader's daughter," Kyla mumbled.

"How do you know that?" I asked, then shook my head. "Never mind." She would have put the pieces together.

"Is she hot?" Vanessa asked.

"She tried to get me seriously maimed, if not killed, the last time I saw her," I said. "It's just banter."

"Banter can lead to more, and she definitely pushes your buttons to get you flirting like that," Vanessa said.

"I put a shotgun to her tit and used her as a human shield to walk myself out of the biker den," I reminded them.

"Maybe she's into that," Vanessa said.

"Jesus Christ, stop," I groaned, turning over to lay on my stomach and press my face into the pillow.

Both of them leaned in and kissed my shoulders and then rubbed my back, their hands meeting and making them both snicker as they realized they had the same thought to soothe me.

"Go to sleep," I groaned.

They did. I think.

The drive out to the grocery store wasn't any longer than usual, but the heavy, dark clouds in the sky were making things feel more on edge. At any minute the sky was going to open up and drop a torrential downpour, and with that rain would come thunder and lightning. The wind was causing a constant rush of rustling from the trees already that cut through the noise of the truck engine and into the cab.

Kyla and I pulled into the grocery store parking lot to find it much less busy than usual; apparently, the storm was keeping most people indoors for the day. Who knew that rain was a better influence on quarantine than all the public pandemic messaging could be? We hadn't dressed in our police 'uniforms' and were in simple jeans and sweaters.

It wasn't difficult to find the delegation from the Guns of Thunder. Kashm was leaning against the front of her car, an all-black Firebird that must have been a restoration job. It gleamed even in the overcast light, the only part of the car that wasn't blacked out was the classic firebird motif on the hood. Kashm was dressed all in black as well; black heeled boots, black jeans and her black leather jacket. Her dark hair was loose and blowing a little in the wind and if I was a photographer I would have tried to snap a picture; she looked like an American classic waiting to happen with the overcast sky as a backdrop.

"You didn't mention she looked like that," Kyla said as we pulled in a couple spaces over from Kashm. "She's got bigger tits than Erica on a smaller body."

"Wasn't really a top priority when I was using her as a hostage to get out of there," I said dryly.

Kyla rolled her eyes and we got out of the truck. I came around to her side and we approached Kashm directly.

"I thought you promised me a date," the Persian woman joked through her black fabric mask. "I don't do third wheels, cowboy."

"This is my partner, Kyla," I said. "Kyla, this is Kashm. Let's get this moving; every hour these guys have the women and children is a problem. Do you have the location confirmed?"

Kashm grimaced behind her mask as she took a breath. "We do," she said. "My father was able to confirm it's the right place and the right group. Which means we need to negotiate the price and that's why I’m here and not him."

"Did he think Harri would be more malleable to a pretty face or something?" Kyla asked. "Or is that why you've got the girls out?"

Underneath Kashm's jacket she was wearing a very low-cut top, showing off a ridiculous amount of cleavage. The Persian woman quirked an eyebrow at Kyla's comment. "Maybe I was just trying to pay him back for tittyfucking me with a shotgun," she said. "And I'm here because my father and the club have their own things to deal with."

"How much?" I asked.

"We don't want cash," Kashm said. "Which, I think, is a little ridiculous but apparently you got to him last night with whatever you said. I'm here to negotiate jobs. We know that you're associated with the big construction site that's outside of town; the one that's got people billeted in every motel in a 50-minute radius. That's a big operation, so I'm sure you'll be able to swing a few positions our way."

That was an ask that I hadn't been expecting. I glanced at Kyla, who met it, but she didn't seem to have anything either. We were both wearing disposable medical masks but I could tell she was pursing her lips slightly in thought. I looked back at Kashm. "The site is being run by the Air Force," I said. "They managed all the hiring, and they are running security for the site now too. Do any of your guys even have construction experience?"

"It doesn't matter what the jobs are," Kashm said. "We just need some income coming in that isn't through the market."

"Again, not how that works," I said. "If you guys are just trying to get on-site to sell drugs or something else, it can't happen. It's a military base, not some industrial site where you can sneak drugs or hookers in and as long as things stay quiet no one will mind." Not to mention that, with the vaccine pairings, I doubted there would be much of a market for some secret prostitution. The stories Vanessa had told me about what industrial construction workers got up to when they were 'in camp' on a big job away from civilization were almost impressive, but usually they weren't living with their wives or girlfriends.

"My father got the Guns out of the drug game more than a decade and a half ago," Kashm said. "And I won't lie, we've had our hands in Girls before, but not for a while. We seriously just need steady, protected work here."

I had major doubts that was their only goal. Another glance at Kyla only got me a shrug; she knew as much as I did; and I sighed. We needed the information.

"Let me make a call," I said. "See if there's something that can be worked out."

"You do that," Kashm said, leaning her ass back against the hood of her car again.

I took a few steps away back towards our truck, Kyla following but keeping her eyes on Kashm, while I pulled out my phone. Miriam was probably the 'right' person to approach with the demand since it was her command, but if I went to her and she said no then my hands would be tied. I had to go with the other option I had.

"This is Brent," Vanessa's father answered his cell.

"It's Harrison," I said. "I need two minutes."

"I thought you were out doing the thing with the guys?" he asked, obfuscating for whoever else was in hearing range of him back on site. He hadn't moved into one of the barracks buildings yet, but he was on-site pretty much every day. I also wasn't surprised that Vanessa had been keeping him up to date on things, particularly considering I had a hunch that the kidnappers were the same people who did the raid on his site.

"This is about that," I said.

"Alright, hold on," he said, and I could hear him moving around and then a door opening and slamming closed. He lifted his cell to his ear again and I could hear him huffing a bit. "What do you need?"

"They have the location, but the price they're putting on it is jobs. As far as they say, they don't have any construction skills but they really are just looking for work."

Brent's sigh was heavy and deep. "I've got nothing," he said. "Unskilled labor? You know I'm swamped with that already, plus I would need to get them into the system somehow which would mean them getting vaccinated and partnered. Do they know about that?"

"No," I said. "At least, not that I can tell."

"I... I really can't see getting them into the system," Brent said. "And Vanessa has made it clear that, protest or not, you're trying to help people. There are just too many hoops to try and sneak that through. Although... Is it that they want jobson site, or just jobs in general?"

"Steady, protected work is the ask," I said. I was watching Kyla while she watched Kashm; I was turned away from the biker babe just in case she could read lips or something. Kyla glanced at me and winked softly. "What are you thinking?"

"The drivers for the delivery trucks with all the supplies aren't on the vaccination train yet, so they never get out of their cabs. I know a couple of the vendors I've been dealing with are stretched thin on drivers. Any of those guys able to drive a big rig?"

"One sec," I said, and pulled the phone from my ear as I turned back to Kashm. "Any of your guys able to drive truck?"

She hesitated. "Maybe one," she said. "The others can learn."

"Possibly one," I relayed to Brent. "They'd be willing to learn though."

"I'll see what we can work out," Brent said. "These are bikers, right? Like old school?"

"One percenters," I said.

"Hmm," he grunted. "Trustworthy?"

"More than most, I'd guess. Their leader is an ex-marine and he's got a soft spot for vets and civilians."

"If I can't get them all jobs with training, I'd bet at least one of these vendors would be willing to shell out cash for protection runs," Brent said. "Truck hijackings haven't hit us yet, but they are on the rise like crazy and it isn't just electronics. Food deliveries, Walmart trucks, pretty much anything carrying commercial goods. They'll get paid to ride their bikes and do what they love doing."

"Alright, I'll pass it on and see," I said. "Thanks."

"I'll start making calls," Brent acknowledged, and we hung up.

I shot Kyla another glance, just staying connected with her, and went back to Kashm. "Alright, so that was the project manager for the entire site," I said. "He says there are way too many hoops to jump through to get any of your guys a job on the site, but he does have connections with the companies that transport all the equipment and supplies. The best we can do is a maybe training your guys to drive, but he's fairly certain some of the owners would be interested in paying you guys for security runs, which means jobs for all of you, and based on the amount of construction that's going to go on it'll be steady."

Kashm let out a long breath and nodded. "Let me make a call," she said.

"Just; I can't guarantee it," I clarified, knowing I should have just left it open but I didn't want to start a new problem while taking care of a current one. "If, for whatever reason, it doesn't come through then I'll promise to find a way to make it good."

Kashm narrowed her eyes slightly, looking me over shrewdly, before motioning me away and pulling out her phone from her jacket. As she made her call Kyla and I went back to our truck. Kashm didn't lower her voice for her call and instead spoke in Farsi, which meant she was likely talking to her father. I only then realized that I'd never gotten the guy's name despite our run-ins.

"It's worth it," Kyla said to me quietly.

"Hmm?" I asked in a hum.

"The trade," she said. "It's worth it. Even if those jobs could go to someone else."

I had to chuckle, just once, and shook my head. "For once, hon, you didn't read my mind."

"No?" she asked. "Don't tell me you're daydreaming of Princess Jasmine over there."

"Just processing how fucked up everything is that I'm making a deal with her and her father, and I never even got his name. We've pointed guns at each other, I've taken his daughter hostage, and demanded he help me with this hunt, and I don't know the man's name."

"Maybe that's for the best," Kyla said. "Keeps it less personal. In my training, and at school, it was always easier to do things if I didn't know anything about the target. Didn't humanize them too much. That's what we need to do today. We can't humanize them when we find them."

"No problems there," I said and cracked my knuckles. "I,”

"We have a deal," Kashm called. We turned back to her and approached as she was putting her phone away. "My father says if things fall through, you can just hire the Guns of Thunder as your deputies. Sheriff."

"Funny," I said. "Maybe you, your old man and Garret. The old fuck looked like he could sniff out a narcotic through three layers of cellophane."

"You just want to see my ass in tight slacks," Kashm said. "Seriously, cowboy. You back out of this and there will be problems, good cause or not."

"I know," I said definitively, meeting her eyes.

"Alright," she said. "I still feel like we could have gotten more out of you, but like I said; you hit my Dad's weak spot. Here's the location." She pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me. "You know Castle Rock?"

"The outcropping off the coast?" I asked.

"No, the town," she said. "Or village or whatever. It's a little campground community southwest of Mount Hebo on the 22. The compound is south of that, up in the hills a bit. The coordinates there should get you to the mouth of their driveway. The place belongs to a group who call themselves Freedom's Wrath. Real anti-government anarchist guys. Used to fight it out with bikers for their little corner of the state. They used to cook bathtub meth too, but they got religion a few years ago or something and the drugs stopped but supposedly the weirdness got weirder. My father says there's no way of knowing how many of them there are with the pandemic, but it's definitely the right group."

"Alright," I said, pinching the paper in my hand tightly as my chest felt lighter with a proper name and place to keep up the hunt. "Tell your father I say thank you, and I'll get in contact with him when I can to follow up on the jobs. You can also let him know the idiots from up at the Golden Beaver wiped themselves out with the sickness and infighting, so they shouldn't be problems for him anymore. There's probably more out there, but one cluster of stupid took care of itself."

"Good to know," Kashm nodded. "I assume you're going hunting, then?"

"Yes, we are," Kyla said.

"I guess there isn't much of a chance that your old man wants to come along?" I asked.

Kashm smirked behind her mask. "I wouldn't let him even if he wanted to. Again, good cause or not, I'm not letting my father walk into a death trap. If you do rescue any kids, send me a picture, I'm sure he'll get a kick out of knowing he helped."

I nodded, knowing it had been a long shot, and then Kyla and I turned to get back into the police truck.

"Do me a favor and don't die out there, cowboy," Kashm called after me. "Chuck isn't nearly as pretty after you broke his nose, and he's moping around everywhere like a little bitch. I might just want that date after all."

I just shook my head and went around the truck and got in. Kashm was leaning back against her car, arms and shoulders back and thrusting her cleavage out provocatively from between the sides of her jacket as she watched us leave.

"Well, she's fun," Kyla said flatly.

"She's a piece of work," I said. "Hot, but maybe a little crazy."

"Sounds like your type," Kyla said, smirking as she took off her mask.

"I've got more than enough on my mind in that regard," I said, then fished my phone out. "Do me a favor and call Grierson. I realized when we were leaving he's one more line I've got on some potential help."

"Who's Grierson?" Kyla asked.

"You don't know Grierson?" I asked. "He's the guy who orchestrated you landing in the family, and your parents getting vaccines. He also set up the whole land thing, and I'm pretty sure he got Miriam put in charge of the project just because she had a connection to me."

"Never met him," Kyla shook her head. "What is he, military? CIA?"

"Maybe CIA," I said. "Though I think he's... spookier than that."

"Mm," Kyla nodded. "I think I understand."

She called and the phone rang through the speakers and I half-expected it to ring through to a voicemail, but it picked up in the sixth ring. "Didn't think you'd have the cahoneze to actually call this number, Mr. Black," Grierson said. "Don't tell me you've suddenly discovered a problem with our friendly Filipina Princess, have you?"

I glanced over at Kyla as she raised one eyebrow at me. "No, Agent, though she's here in the car with me."

"Magandang umaga, Agent," Kyla said. Her native language always struck me as strangely throaty coming from her even if it sounded natural.

"Give me a damn warning when I'm on speaker, son," Grierson sighed.

"You didn't exactly give me the chance," I said. "Look, I'll cut right to it; Kyla is all in on our American Dream. I have zero per cent doubts about her; so low that she's carrying my child."

"Mazel Tov to you both," Grierson said. "But you aren't calling me out of the blue to share the good news."

"I'm not," I said. "I need a favor."

"You're going after the women and children," Grierson said.

"You know?"

"It came up," he said. "You think I don't keep tabs on one of my new favorite corners of this country as it falls apart around our ears? What are you hoping for from me?"

"Shooters, if you have them close by," I said. "I've got myself and Kyla, and three more coming in from out of town. I've got a location and a group name, but an unknown number of hostiles mixed with an unknown number of hostages."

Grierson grunted. "I assume you want to go as soon as possible? With three days I could get you a half dozen shooters."

"We're still under 24 hours missing," I said. "And who knows what awful shit these guys are doing to women and children. Or if they are getting split up and moved."

"I can get you one more shooter," Grierson said. "She's mid-recruitment for my organization and has the sorts of skills you're looking for. And most importantly, she's in the area. This is a big ask though, Black. I'm going to come calling for something in the future."

"Noted," I said. "How fast can she get to us?"

"She's waiting for you at the site," Grierson chuckled.

"God fucking damn it," I sighed.

"Good hunting, son. And try to keep him alive, Miss Bautista. You need him whole."

"That's what I intend, Mister Grierson," Kyla replied.

He hung up.

"Spookier doesn't cut it," Kyla said to me. "He already knew about the kidnapping, what you would be doing, and sent you back up. In 15 hours or so. That man is dangerous to have as a friend, Harri."

"Yeah, well right now he's a lot more helpful than dangerous," I said. "And sometimes it's good to have someone dangerous close to you. Why do you think I love you so much?"

Kyla snorted softly and shook her head. "Don't tell Erica that. You'll only encourage her."

I was a little surprised that the helicopter made it in. The wind was picking up significantly and I was sure that I heard a few soft, far-off rumbles of thunder as the skies continued to darken. When it appeared over the main camp I was already outside, getting the trucks ready; we weren't going to be able to fly down to the Mount Hebo area with the way things were looking, but I also definitely wasn't going to wait for the storm to break.

Kyla was with me helping get all the gear we might need ready, and Vanessa was checking in with us while she made sure that the whole new Chicken Coop operation was sturdy enough to protect the rescued chickens through the storm. I'd taken a quick look at the setup that was out back of the first barracks building where the main cafeteria was and had pointed out that just because there were people around didn't mean that predators wouldn't sneak in; foxes, raccoons, possums, snakes and any other number of things would want to get a taste of the chickens or their eggs. So Vanessa was handling that, and using it as a lesson for some of her new 'Carpentry Apprentices' as well as the ladies manning the big kitchen since they would be the ones taking care of the chickens on a daily basis.

That didn't mean Kyla and I were alone though. When we'd returned to the site, Grierson had been right and the help he'd sent had already been waiting for us. Captain Magdalene Luckey was deceptively short, but as soon as I saw her move I knew she was just as much a predator as anything that wanted to snack on the chickens. Weasels were cute as hell too, until they wanted to take a bite out of you. She was a black woman around the age of Erica and me in our early mid-thirties, and she met my offer of a handshake with a firm grip.

"Just call me Maggie," she said after the formal introduction. I didn't ask for more details on her service or experience, and she didn't offer it. Based on the fact that she was dressed in a military combat uniform that was dark grey and didn't bear any insignias beyond her rank, I trusted that she knew what she was doing. Maggie was helping us get everything sorted and stored and was the first to hear the chopper coming in.

We all headed to the big open area west of the barracks that, since the raid, had been dubbed 'the helicopter field' until it was eventually developed. Some joker had even spray painted a big circle with an 'H' in it on the ground, which seemed good enough for the pilot as they set it down right in the center as Captain Luckey, Kyla and I watched the smooth touchdown from the shelter of the barracks entryway.

"She can pilot, that's for sure," Maggie said as we watched the helicopter come down.

"How can you tell it's a she?" I asked.

Maggie smirked a little and glanced at Kyla. "Ladies have a different touch on the stick, don't you think?" she said. "Plus, I can tell by the profile of her through the front windscreen."

The helicopter wasn't military grade, so I didn't recognize the make or model, but it was mostly white with a couple of blue and red slashes painted across except for where it looked like some sort of a symbol had recently been removed. Miriam had said it would be a civilian aircraft, so I wondered if it had belonged to a charter company of some sort, or even a news agency. Still, as soon as the engines began to wind down the side door opened and people started piling out as we headed to meet them.

The first man out turned and offered a hand down for the other two people who followed, and the second man came to meet me followed by a woman. He was short, maybe only five foot five at best, but moved with a similar purpose and athleticism as Captain Luckey did. He had a broad jawline and was of mixed heritage and I realized he probably could have fit into almost any culture except the middle of Africa with only a change of haircut and facial hair. He took my hand in a firm grip.

"Dylan Taylor," he said. "You the man in charge?"

"Harrison Black," I said. "It's my mission, but I'm not in charge of the site."

"If Miriam says you're the man in charge, then you are," Dylan said with a smirk. Then he turned, gesturing to the woman behind him. She was blonde, about the same height as him, and looked for all the world like she could have stepped out of a photoshoot for Outdoor Life magazine. She was petite, blonde and her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail that was waving in the wind. They were both wearing heavy-duty hunting camos. "This is my wife, Jeanine."

"Pleased to meet you, Mister Black," Jeanine said, offering her hand daintily. I took it and felt like I should almost give it a kiss, she was so effete about it.

"You too, Mrs. Taylor," I said, glancing at Dylan and wondering why he'd brought her.

Dylan smirked. "Don't worry. Jeanine is fully qualified and capable for what's coming," he said. "Quick background; I was a Ranger for fifteen years, then got recruited into the CIA for another five. I got out, married Jeanine, and we've split our time between our self-defense and survival prep business and volunteering with a couple of organizations that fight child trafficking domestically."

"That's, ah, quite the set of qualifications," I said, impressed and feeling a like a bit of a shit considering how little I'd put my own military-trained skills to use since I got out. "Still, I don't know how much Miriam told you, but we're heading into,”

"Don't you worry, Mister Black," Jeanine said with a sweet smile and a wink. "I can take care of myself." Dylan's accompanying assuring nod and soft smirk told me not to argue. The other man who had gotten out of the helicopter and the female pilot were coming up behind them, as we all made room for them to join the circle.

"Jedidiah Crane," he said as we shook. He was possibly a couple of inches taller than me, putting him at six and a half feet easily, and the exact opposite of Dylan. He was a little lanky, with a blonde head of hair and a slightly ginger beard. He was dressed in jeans and work boots and already had a standard issue green plate vest on, and if he wasn't currently serving then he just recently got out. "I heard you folks could use some help with a militia problem."

"Something like that," I said.

"Julia De Luca," the pilot said, the last to offer a shake. She was dressed in a light grey flight suit, her helmet under her arm. The flight suit was unbuttoned partway down her chest revealing she was wearing a Metallica t-shirt underneath, as well as that she had a neck tattoo of a sunburst right on her throat with patterns wrapping around the sides. Her brunette hair was pulled up into a bun that must have fit comfortably under her helmet but had messy fly-away strands now.

"Thanks for being here," I said, taking a breath and nodding. "Alright. As you likely know, I'm Harrison Black. I'm officially the Sheriff of what will be Black County here on the site; you can thank Colonel Abarbanel's JAG officer for naming the place after me. I'm a former Infantryman and Army MP. This is Kyla, my partner, who was trained overseas, and this is Captain Luckey."

"Maggie is fine," the black woman said as she and Kyla shook hands all around. "We aren't exactly on the official clock here, so ranks don't matter. I'm former Air Force, Special Division."

"I'm not sure how much Miriam told you all," I continued. "But the short of it is that about a week ago this military construction site was hit by a raid conducted by what we assumed was a militia group. Since then I've been investigating it, but last night the same group hit a nearby native reservation that was being devastated by an outbreak. They looted heavily but were also witnessed kidnapping multiple women and children, and executed people in their homes. The death toll was somewhere in the fifties when we left the site and the National Guard had only cleared about a quarter of the homes in the community at that point."

"Jesus Christ," Julia muttered. Everyone was murmuring their own shock other than Jeanine, whose face had gone disturbingly blank.

"I got intel this morning that the group calls themselves 'Freedom's Wrath' and are at least partially ex-military, with what might be religious cult components. They were also associated with a local group of sovereign citizens," I said. "I've got the location of their headquarters, about two hours south of here."

"Do we know how many of them there are?" Jedidiah asked.

"Negative," I said. "And we don't know how many hostages, either. Or have any hint of what their plans are for them."

"Trafficking has seen a marked uptick in movement since quarantine started," Dylan said darkly. "Assholes with even more time on their hands creates demand. But we haven't heard of anything happening en masse before, have we?"

Jeanine shook her head. "Large group movement between locations, yes. Never a mass kidnapping though, at least not in the US. International is a different story."

"Great," Jedidiah said. "And I thought I came from a fucked up, isolated childhood. An unknown number of radicals, with unknown beliefs or goals, holding an unknown number of hostages at what I assume is an un-reconnoitered location?" I nodded in response. "Sounds like a blast."

"We also have pandemic issues to deal with," Kyla said. "Is anyone here not aware of Duo Halo?"

"Miriam filled us in," Dylan said. "And we're on the short-list for vaccines. Got the whole rundown."

"I'm also in the loop," Maggie said.

"Good," I said. None of them had been wearing masks, coming out of the helicopter, and with everything that was going on I hadn't really been prioritizing that in my mind. "Just so you're aware, Kyla is one of my vaccine partners as well as my partner in my duties as sheriff. And she's right; the outbreak on the Rez was ravaging them with Duo Halo, so it is entirely possible at least some of the hostages are infected or starting to move into the final stages of the virus. Witness reports said the militia were wearing military surplus gas masks during the raid, but we don't know if any of them might be infected as well."

"At least it's not zombies," Julia smirked a little, and several people shot her looks. "What?" she asked. "Zombies would technically be worse than this."

"Anyone have any questions?" I asked.

There were several, but they were all logistical, and we started to get into the nitty-gritty of the thing. I was right that there was no chance we could take the helicopter down with the weather. Julia, however, was all-in on participating in the raid still. She had been a pilot in the Para rescue units while Miriam had been working with them in Intelligence and had trained for combat duty and seen several ground actions in hot zones. Jedidiah was also from the Para rescue community, having escaped his Amish upbringing by enlisting. He was a true operator, as well as being trained as a combat medic, and there was a part of me that wondered if he was the guy Miriam said was 'complicated.'

In reality, I knew my internal questioning and mild jealousy was more due to the fact that I wasn't used to being around someone who was taller than me. It just felt weird, since it happened so rarely.

Vanessa, when she came around and quickly met everyone, got us a second truck from the site motor pool so that we'd have extra wheels. We unloaded their gear from the helicopter and started getting everything sorted for travel, and when I noticed Dylan was quickly loading bullets into magazines off to one side I went over to him.

"Hey, I know what you said, but I've still got some... concerns," I said. "About Jeanine."

Dylan's wife was currently talking with Kyla and Maggie, giving them what seemed to be unsolicited cooking tips.

The ex-CIA operator chuckled and shook his head as he looked up at me. "I get it, Harrison," he said. "She doesn't exactly look the part. Maggie, Julia, even your Kyla, they all at least have an athleticness to them, right? Well, let me put it this way; my wife is a certified psychopath. She got a diagnosis early on in life and was raised by really great parents, so she never turned into some maniac, but this is the kind of shit she's wanted to do since she was a kid. You know that show Dexter, where the serial killer kills other serial killers? Well, she's like that but less messed up. She is a one-woman investigation unit when it comes to putting the pieces together on trafficked kids, and she'd go full-on Taken on the perpetrators she helps catch if she didn't think the fear of lengthy prison sentences; and jailhouse justice; was better than killing them herself. So when I say she's good, believe me. She's motivated, she's highly trained, and she's highly intelligent. If anything, we'll need to stay out of her way."

All I could do was nod. "Alright," I said. "That's all I needed to know."

Dylan chuckled darkly and gave me a pat on the arm. "Don't worry, she won't snap."

"Wasn't thinking that at all," I said as I backed away.

So the team consisted of two actual operators, me, Kyla and Julia who had training and some experience but weren't actual door kickers, the somewhat unknown quantity that was Maggie and the very unknown and possibly volatile Jeanine.

Great. Cool, cool, cool. Super exciting.

We were just wrapping things up with prep when Julia, the pilot, came over to Kyla and me. "I gotta ask," she said. "Was everything Miriam told us about the vaccine true?"

"You mean the orgasms?" Kyla asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Julia said with a slight blush and grin. She'd let her hair down and I could see now it was a deep chestnut with golden blonde strands highlighting it, and she had a natural prettiness that showed when she wasn't frowning in concentration. "It sounds a little too good to be true."

"The chemically-induced orgasms are pretty fantastic," Kyla said, then glanced at me slyly. "Of course, having a partner who knows what he's doing, and falling madly in love with him, makes it all that much better."

"Ooh, " Julia chuckled teasingly. "Lucky you."

"What?" Captain Luckey asked from the other side of the truck.

"Nothing, sorry," Julia said. "Wasn't calling you."

"Oh, I know," Maggie said, smirking. "I heard the whole thing, I'm just a teasing bitch sometimes. But I got the rundown on the vaccines too. My question is how long can you go without the need for upkeep sex? Because I feel like life's gotta get in the way sometimes, ya' know?"

It was our turn to blush as Kyla and I looked to each other.

"That, ah, hasn't really come up for us," my partner said. "I'll just say Harri has some excellent stamina and keeps all four of us very happy."

"Jesus," Julia said. She'd opened up her duffel bag and pulled out a set of fatigues with brown and green digital camo on it. Definitely not military standard, but she wasn't active military anymore so I assumed it was her own personal gear. "Four times a day, every day? Fuck, if I can find a cock like that to partner with, I think I'll be a happy lady. You don't happen to like flying, do you Harri?"

That got Kyla and Maggie laughing, but I just bit the inside of my cheek as I smiled. Julia was undoing the buttons on the front of her flight suit casually and pulled off her Metallica t-shirt, revealing a thin white tank top she was wearing underneath. Her shoulders and arms were covered in tattoos along with her neck, almost like a shawl of ink, but leaving her chest bare. It was really good work, though without looking closely I only got impressions of what the tattoos were.

"Julia, you can head into our compound over there if you want to take a minute to change," I offered, nodding towards the RVs.

"Oh, alright," she said. "I'll take privacy when I can get it." She winked at me and Kyla. "Promise not to go digging in any drawers."

"Use the RV on the left, that one is ours," Kyla said.

Julia sauntered off after tying her flight suit arms around her waist to keep it up as she carried her clothes and her own bulletproof vest.

"That woman's got an ass on her," Maggie said, coming around the truck to Kyla and me.

I blinked and shook my head, realizing I'd been watching Julia walk away. Kyla just gave me a knowing smirk that told me she wasn't mad or jealous.

"What about you, Maggie?" I asked. "Do you have a partner all picked out, or are you going to make a pass at me as well?"

She snorted softly. "Y'all are cute," she said in her southern drawl. "But I'm not in the market. This fine black wagyu-grade ass is going to end up going where Uncle Sam tells it, and I'm pretty sure that's going to be handling a lot more interesting shit like this."

"Well, then good luck," Kyla said. "Because if you're looking for more interesting than life with Harrison, you're going to be in for one hell of a ride."

We were interrupted as a car came around the side of the camp, bumping a little wildly since it left the packed main road and rode over the slightly-less-packed but levelled dirt that surrounded the camp. It was Erica's car, and I broke into a smile.

"You thought she would let you go do this without seeing you?" Kyla asked.

"No, not really," I said as I pulled the flashbangs from my chest and set them down in the back of the truck so that I could hug my fiancée and Ivy cleanly.

They were out of the car quickly and I met them at the hood. Ivy got to me first, coming out of the back, and I scooped her up into a strong hug as she crushed her lips to mine. She let me go quickly, though, so that Erica could follow up as she wrapped her arms back behind my neck and held me tightly as she kissed me with a fierceness that was almost shocking. I pulled from the kiss, looking her deep in her eyes from close up, hoping she could read me as much as I felt like I was reading her.

"Hey, babe," she said softly.

"Hey, wifey," I replied.

She pulled away before saying anything else, revealing that Leo had ridden in the passenger seat, but Dani and most surprisingly Josie had been in the back seat with Ivy.

"Hey, you guys didn't need to come out," I said.

"Of course we did," Leo said, grabbing me by my shoulder and pulling me into a hug.

"And we're not just here to see you off," Dani said. "Leo and I are coming with you."

I had been stepping towards her and Josie when she said that, but hesitated. "Okay, hold on," I said.

"One conversation at a time," Erica said sternly, taking my hand and pulling my attention back to her. "I love you," she said. "Be safe. Don't let one motherfucker off for what they did. They take kids, they don't get to walk away. And I love you.

"I love you too," I said, squeezing her hand.

"Now Ivy's turn," Erica directed traffic.

I turned to my petite girlfriend, who wrapped her arms around my waist again and hugged me tightly. "Je t'aime. Reviens moi, mon courageux guerrier."

"I will, mon cœur," I said, not fully catching everything she'd said but getting the gist. 'Come home to me.'

She squeezed me again then took my hand, kissing the palm softly as she looked up into my eyes.

"Now Josie," Erica directed.

Ivy backed away with a sad smile, and I turned to meet the athletic blonde. All three of them were dressed casually, though I noted that all three of them had also done themselves up with full makeup and were showing off a bit of the goods; for a going away party, they were definitely giving me a reason to come back. Even Josie was dressed in a nice top that showed off a little of her perky cleavage, and I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra since her nipple piercings were showing in little bumps.

She came to me when I opened my arms, and her hug was more timid. I'd started to realize that when she was feeling confident, she could be boisterous with hugs and touching. When she was unsure about things between us she was more delicate. I wrapped my arms around her fully in a gentle bear hug. "Thanks for coming," I said.

"I wasn't sure if I should," she said. "And Spencer almost took my spot, but after yesterday, and what you helped me with..."

"Shush," I hushed her softly as I hugged her. "Just thank you, Joss." I gave her a kiss on the cheek, and she hugged me more fully.

After a long moment, she pulled back from me, frowning a little. "Like Erica said, be safe," she said.

"I will," I promised, then turned to Dani and Leo. "Guys,”

"Erica?" called Julia from back behind me.

Erica blinked and looked past me, frowning for a moment and then her eyes going wide. "Julia?" she said in surprise. Then her eyebrows raised up. "Holy shit, Julia!"

My fiancée moved past me and she and Julia came together in a big hug as they talked a mile a minute, leaving us all a little gob smacked.

Kyla, who had just separated from hugging and whispering quietly with Ivy in their own assurances that we'd be safe, glanced at me. "I'll see what that's about," she said and then nodded to Leo and Dani. "You talk with them."

I sighed and shook my head. Obviously, the Erica and Julia thing wasn't bad, though they'd drawn even more attention from the rest of the team than we'd already been taking with all the hugging. I turned to Leo and Dani. "Come on," I said, nodding back towards the barracks. Ivy and Josie went with Kyla in the opposite direction.

Once we had a bit of privacy I stopped, but didn't get a chance to open the conversation myself.

"Harri, we're not letting you do this alone," Dani said sternly. "Leo and I both know how to shoot."

"And there's no fucking way that you're talking us out of it," Leo said. "You've got what looks like some experts along with... is that a soccer mom?"

"Apparently she's a psychopath with a hatred for human traffickers," I said. "Which, I mean, is pertinent in this case. Guys, I appreciate the offer but I can't let you come. If something happened,”

"If something happened to you, do you think we could forgive ourselves either?" Leo asked. "I mean seriously, Harri."

"We both love you," Dani said, taking Leo's hand and practically daring me to challenge her on that.

I let out a sigh and wiped at my forehead.

To be continued, Based on a post by Break The Bar for Literotica