The Omega Team: Ethan's Promise (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Men of Mercy Book 7) Read online

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  DOSSIER

  TASK FORCE SCORPION (TF-S)

  A branch of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)

  Ft. Grenada, MS—

  MACK GREY: Detachment Commander, Captain

  ♣ Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, interrogations specialist, psychological warfare

  ♣ First in Command. Responsible for ensuring and maintaining operational readiness.

  ♣ Height: 6’

  ♣ Weight: 195lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Gothic Serpent, Somalia. Operation Desert Storm, OIF, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Rhino, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Mountain Viper, Operation Eagle Fury, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles

  HUNTER JAMES: Warrant Officer, Detachment Commander

  ♣ Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, psychological warfare

  ♣ Responsible for overseeing all Team ops. Commands in absence of detachment commander.

  ♣ Height: 6’3”

  ♣ Weight: 230lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Mountain Viper

  RANGER JAMES: Team Daddy/Team Sergeant, Master Sgt.

  ♣ Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon

  ♣ Plans, coordinates & directs Team intelligence, analysis and dissemination.

  ♣ Height: 6’4”

  ♣ Weight: 225lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Mountain Viper, Operation Eagle Fury

  JARED CROWE: Weapons Sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class

  ♣ Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, Sniper

  ♣ Weapons expert. Capable of firing and employing all small arm and crew served weapons

  ♣ Height: 6’0”

  ♣ Weight: 220lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles

  HOYT CROWE: Asst. Weapons Sergeant, Staff Sgt.

  ♣ Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, Sniper

  ♣ Weapons expert. Capable of firing and employing all small arm and crew served weapons

  ♣ Height: 6’0”

  ♣ Weight: 210lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Crescent Wind, Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles

  AARON SPEIRS: Medical Sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class

  ♣ Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnaissance, medic

  ♣ The life-saver. Employs the latest field medical technology and limited surgical procedures

  ♣ Height: 6’1”

  ♣ Weight: 195lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles

  RISER MALLON: Asst. Medical Sergeant, Staff Sgt.

  ♣ Recruited from Delta Force, Ft. Bragg, NC

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, medic

  ♣ The life-saver. Employs the latest field medical technology and limited surgical procedures

  ♣ Height: 6’2”

  ♣ Weight: 215lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Anaconda, Operation Jacana, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles,Operation Mountain Viper, Operation Eagle Fury

  MERC: Engineer Sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class

  ♣ Recruited from Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, Demolitions, psychological operations

  ♣ Demolition expert. Trained in psychological warfare, conducts field interrogations.

  ♣ Height: 6’5”

  ♣ Weight: 250lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Classified

  ETHAN SLADE: Communications

  Sergeant/Commo Guy, Sgt. 1st Class

  ♣ Recruited from the 75th Ranger Regiment, Ft. Benning, GA

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special recon, communications

  ♣ Communications expert. Employ latest FM, multi-channel, and satellite communication devices.

  ♣ Height: 6’0”

  ♣ Weight: 200lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles

  CORD CARTER: Weapons Sergeant, Staff Sgt.

  ♣ Recruited from the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), Camp Lejeune, NC

  ♣ Specialized Skills: direct action, unconventional warfare, special reconnoissance, weapons expert/sniper

  ♣ Weapons expert. Capable of firing and employing all small arm and crew served weapons

  ♣ Height: 6’1”

  ♣ Weight: 210lbs

  ♣ Combat Experience: Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Condor, Operation Summit, Operation Volcano, Operation Achilles

  CHAPTER ONE

  Ethan Slade, Sergeant 1st Class of Task Force Scorpion, an ultra-classified unit of the United States Special Forces, downed a gulp of his cowboy cold beer, silently wishing the dive he’d ended up in had invested in a refrigerator that actually kept drinks cold. As it was, his decision to go out with his buddies tonight was starting to look a lot more like a bad idea than he’d originally thought.

  After the attack last week on TF-S’s headquarters by their old CIA liaison, Mr. J, his team needed a minute to wind down and get some of the leftover adrenaline out of their veins. Aaron, Riser and Ethan had been the trio who’d decided that going out, slamming back a few and finding a woman was the answer.

  “Look, she’s still staring at you. Ethan, you need to go talk to her.” Aaron Speirs, TF-S’s medical sergeant and resident jokester, nodded his head toward the bleach blonde a few tables over. To civilians, the trio looked like everyone else. Bearded, regular clothes – they were meant to blend in to any surrounding, but to those who paid closer attention, they might notice the way each man at their table constantly scanned their environment, looking for threats.

  Ethan grimaced and glanced away. “Not my type.”

  Riser Malone, assistant medical sergeant, rolled his eyes, a lock of shaggy blond hair fell in his face and he tucked it behind his ear. “You don’t h
ave a type other than female.”

  “Yeah, I saw you hook up with two chicks in one night,” Aaron chimed in.

  That had been a long night and one he never wanted to repeat. The years of deployments and random women to fill the spaces between didn’t hold the same appeal anymore and he didn’t know why. Not that he wanted to settle down, he just wanted…something. Something he knew the already-drunk blonde couldn’t provide.

  “You still jealous I stole that girl from you? I’m telling you, she climbed in my lap, not the other way around.”

  “Jealous? You’re crazy. I practically gave her to you,” Aaron said.

  Ethan might not want to go back to his wild partying days, but he had no intention of missing the opportunity to rib his best friend. “That why you pouted like a girl for the whole week?”

  Riser snorted and said, “More like a wittle baby.”

  “Like you did when Cheri told you she just wanted to be friends?” Aaron said.

  Riser’s laughter stopped and he glared across the table. “That was just a minor speed bump. We still talk.”

  Riser’s attempt to date the waitress back at The Wharf had hit an abrupt dead end, leaving his buddy scratching his head. Riser normally kept to himself, but Cheri had hurt him, and that wasn’t what Ethan wanted Riser stuck on all night. “I thought ya’ll said some of the guys from Team Omega were meeting us here.”

  “Awww, you boys miss me already?” Rowdy, one of the team leaders for Omega stuck his head over Ethan’s shoulder and batted his eyelashes.

  “About time. Where’s the rest of you?” Aaron said.

  Rowdy pulled a couple of extra chairs from a nearby table and took a seat. “Just me and Colonel Grey tonight. The rest of Team Omega had to get back to prep for our next assignment.”

  Colonel Mack Grey, TF-Scorpion’s commander, in his typical navy pullover and khaki shorts slid into the open seat on Ethan’s right. “And I’m not here to stay, just to give you an update.”

  “Merc?” Riser leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table, Aaron following suit.

  Merc was the ghost member of TF-S and he’d left immediately after the attack to go overseas and track down Mr. J. The rest of TF-S had to stay stateside and finish cleaning up the mess before they could go. Ethan’s entire being itched to be in Afghanistan right now, but he’d have to wait until next week, when the rest of the team was slated to deploy.

  Grey nodded. “He may have a lead on Mr. J. He’s tracking him to a village in the Indus Valley and thinks J possibly holed up in a fortress supplied by the Islamic State of Afghanistan, ISA. He’ll be expecting us to counter after we took out the whole mercenary team he sent to attack us.”

  Blood fueled by the need for revenge surged through Ethan’s veins and he clenched his hands into tight fists in his lap. “I want to go now.”

  The desire for retribution against the man responsible for so many deaths demanded attention, and Ethan had every intention of being the first boots on the ground. He’d need to do a little bit of restocking and resupplying. Ethan’s favorite combat boots and Camelbak water pack had been destroyed in the explosion at headquarters, along with his laptop. He’d need to ask Hank James, the man who’d supplied the land for TF-S’s headquarters, if he could store his motorcycle in his barn.

  “You’re not going anywhere. I got a call from Joint Special Operations Command, JSOC, today. You’ve already gone over the number of sequential days on duty.” Grey turned to Aaron. “You too.”

  “What?” Aaron pushed back in his chair.

  “I’m volunteering,” Ethan said.

  “Right after you take two weeks of leave. Me and the rest of the team will deploy next week. You two can follow in fourteen days.”

  “Fuck that.” The last thing Ethan wanted or needed right now was two weeks of nothing to do and nowhere to go while his brothers risked their lives going after a monster.

  Until last week when Mr. J tried to have TF-S and their families murdered, everyone thought J had died in the same ambush that had resulted in TF-S’s sniper, Shane Carter’s capture and ultimately his death.

  Grey sat up straight, his spine stiff as a damn metal pole. “Are you refusing my order?”

  His voice came out so quiet Ethan had to lean in to catch his words. Ethan swallowed past the knot forming in his throat. “I’m not staying behind while my team is deployed.”

  “Me, either,” Aaron’s voice was tight with anger.

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “What about debriefing my last deployment? And the attack on headquarters?” Ethan was grasping at straws, he knew it, but the fear of being left behind scrambled his thoughts.

  Ethan’s last trip to Afghanistan had morphed from a recon mission to the damn American Horror Story. A few months in, Ethan had unintentionally stumbled over a big ass rock of information and discovered that Mr. J, who had been long thought dead, was actually alive and kicking. And the fucker had not only betrayed his country, but he’d been hired by the very terrorist TF-S had been tracking for the past few years. Even worse, Mr. J had put out a hit on TF-S and their family, sending assassins to have them all murdered.

  “I’ve already debriefed you about Afghanistan. The rest of the team can handle the cleanup from the raid. You know the rules. You’ve both got two weeks of leave starting now whether you like it or not.”

  Grey shoved his chair back and stood. Ethan surged to his feet frantically searching for the right words to stay this order of leave. “Sir, I can’t let my team go over there without me.”

  Grey placed his hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “I know you want to go back, but you need a break. You’ve been walking too close to the wire. You know what happens to soldiers who don’t get their R&R. Eventually the stress will break you and you’re too valuable to the Team for me to allow that to happen. I’m ordering you to take these next two weeks and relax.”

  Grey squeezed Ethan’s shoulder and left, leaving Ethan staring helplessly after his commander. What the hell was he supposed to do on leave? Play patty cake with Aaron? He didn’t need this shit right now. He didn’t want it either. Ethan ate, drank and breathed for the Team. He had nothing else. No home. No family. Nothing but his bike and an admitted addiction to adrenaline.

  “You two don’t look happy about two weeks of paid vacation.” Rowdy said.

  “I’d rather have my dick stepped on than go on vacation right now,” Ethan replied.

  “You know it will take a full week for us to get ready and make it overseas. You won’t miss anything but the bullshit,” Riser said.

  Ethan ground his teeth together, trying to calm the violent urges coursing through his veins. “What if something goes down before we get there?” He might miss his chance for revenge against J.

  Riser pointed to Ethan’s empty chair. “Sit down. I’ll get you another beer.” Riser gestured for a round of refills. “You know we won’t move until you get there. I’ll make sure of it. When we locate J, the entire fury of Team Scorpion is gonna rain down like hell on that bastard.”

  Aaron slammed a fist on the table, drawing a few questing glances from nearby people. “You better make sure of that; I want a piece of him.”

  “Not to interrupt your plans to dismember the traitor, but I could use a couple of extra hands on Omega’s next mission. It’s easy money and an easy mission.” Rowdy leaned back in his seat and grinned.

  Ethan studied Rowdy and his open smile. The retired Delta Force operative never seemed pissed off about anything. Even in a firefight the man smiled while he pulled the trigger, which meant one of two things: Rowdy was a good man who really enjoyed his job, or he was insane.

  Either way he offered Ethan a lifeline. “Tell me more.”

  “A senator’s daughter is getting married in two weeks. He’s a little overprotective and has some delusion that she is a high-value target. He hired us to transport her to and from the wedding, and provide protection while she’s there.”

 
“Where?”

  “A couple hours south of here. He’s rented out a plantation a few miles out of Natchez.”

  “Hell yeah, my grandma lives down there,” Aaron said.

  Ethan held back his grimace. “You want me to go babysit a spoiled princess?”

  Aaron raised his beer. “I’m in. I haven’t gotten to see my grandma in months.”

  Ethan glanced back at the blonde across the room, weighing his options. If he played his cards right, he could probably bunk at her house for a full week, making that as long as he’d ever stayed with a girl, or anywhere besides the military for that matter. Or he could go play babysitter. “How much is the pay?”

  Rowdy’s grin didn’t falter. “I can pay you five thousand cash up front. With the possibility of a bonus once the mission is successfully completed.”

  “Holy shit, I’m in the wrong job,” Riser said.

  Five grand for two weeks, more than he made in a month working for the United States Special Forces. Could he stomach working some joke mission for two-weeks while his men were in danger?

  “Look, either you take the job or what? Hope you hook up with a chick and pray you don’t get an STD? I’m offering you hard cash and something to do.”

  Ethan ripped his beer up from the table and downed it before answering. “Fine. I’m in.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kate Richards shifted in the sleek chrome and black leather seat, plucking at an invisible piece of fuzz on her black pant suit and trying not to squirm under the intense stairs of Gray Holden and Athena Madero, co-owners of the private securities group team Omega.

  Holden sat tall in his chair, his intense hazel eyes seeming to peel back layer after layer of all of Kate’s thoughts and memories even though no one said a word. Athena, with her jet black hair and equally black eyes, leaned forward and steepled her fingers together, placing her elbows on the desk separating Kate from her potential new bosses. “So tell me Miss Richards, why did you quit the CIA?”

  Kate hid a grimace and bit back her initial response, that her boss was a sexist asshole who’d done everything he could to thwart her career while copping a feel when no one was looking. Instead she offered them a tight smile, and a carefully blank expression which she’d honed over the years as an analyst for the CIA. “I had reached a plateau in my career, unable to advance further in my field, I decided my services would better serve my country elsewhere.”