Rick's Road

  Books in This Series:

  Damon’s Deal, Book 1

  Wade’s War, Book 2

  Gage’s Goal, Book 3

  Calum’s Contact, Book 4

  Rick’s Road, Book 5

  Scott’s Summit, Book 6

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  About This Book

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Epilogue

  About Scott’s Summit

  Excerpt from Magnus: Shadow Recon

  Author’s Note

  Complimentary Download

  About the Author

  Copyright Page

  About This Book

  Welcome to a brand-new series from USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer, where dark-ops SEALs have special senses and skills, needed to solve intrigue, betrayal, and … murder. A series with all the elements you’ve come to love, plus so much more, … including psychics!

  Stubborn was something Rick had been called a lot. Independent. A loner. All true but, once a powerful healer connects to bring him back from the brink of death, Rick is in danger of losing that control and that privacy he so values.

  Cara understands Rick’s need to be alone, but it’s not possible any longer, and that isn’t something she’s ready to tell him. That and the value of the connection they now share is something he has to find out for himself.

  And the sooner, the better, as the attacks on the team continue, their temporary headquarters under surveillance, and their much-vaunted skills nowhere in sight …

  Sign up to be notified of all Dale’s releases here!

  Prologue

  Rick Hucklebee struggled with his consciousness.

  Something was here; something was eating at him, and he could feel it.

  Danger everywhere.

  Somebody was trying to hold him down, and he cried out for help again and again, but he just didn’t seem to get any answer. And suddenly there was Terk.

  “I’m here, Rick. Calm down. I’m right here.”

  Rick took several gasping breaths. “Dear God, what the hell is going on?”

  “The team was attacked,” Terk replied. “You need to rest and recover.”

  “Am I alive?”

  “You are.” Then Terk hesitated and added, “You are alive but still unconscious.”

  At that, Rick stared at the man in front of him. “But I can see you.”

  “I know you can. You were always good at that.”

  “Says you,” he murmured. “What do you mean, the team was attacked?”

  “You heard me. The team, everyone, was attacked, and we all have been struggling to get back to normal. You’ve been in a coma, part of it self-induced, part of it medically induced, so you could heal. Now we need to carefully bring you back out, but you’re fighting everything we’re doing.”

  “Of course I’m fighting everything,” he murmured. “I don’t understand how any of this could happen.”

  “None of us do,” Terk admitted. “The bottom line is, you’re alive, and you’ll be with Cara.”

  “I’ve felt somebody around me these last few days,” he noted, “but the feelings have been getting stronger and stronger.”

  “Well, people are definitely around you,” Terk confirmed. “Have you felt anything dangerous?”

  “Yes, that’s what I’m trying to tell you.” He gripped Terk’s hand. “I don’t know what it is or who, but, every time I try to move, I can’t. It’s like being locked up in a prison.”

  “I know,” Terk murmured. “Take it easy, and I’ll help bring you back—as soon as it is safe for you. Just give me a little bit of time.”

  “A little bit of time?” Rick asked. “How much? I need out of here.”

  “And you’re coming out,” he replied firmly. “You’ve trusted me up until now. Don’t lose that faith.”

  “No, no, … of course not.” He took several calming breaths. “Just get me up now,” he demanded in a hard tone.

  At that, Terk smiled. “Open your eyes.”

  Slowly Rick did as asked, seeing Terk standing here, with Calum beside him.

  Rick stared at them for several moments, waiting for his consciousness to slowly filter in. “Jesus. Am I ever glad to see you both.”

  Cal reached out, obviously caught up in emotions, and gripped his buddy’s hand. “The feeling is mutual, man. I’m so damn glad to see that you’re awake.”

  “What the hell happened?” Rick murmured. But his voice was a croak, sounding nothing like it was supposed to. He tried again. “What happened?”

  “Too much.” Terk nodded. “At least too much to explain all at once. Listen. We need you to recover slowly and to get back on your feet.”

  “There’s no such thing as recover slowly in my world,” he snapped. “You know that.”

  “You might find things are a little different now.” Terk searched Rick’s psyche, aura, and expression.

  Rick stared at him. “In what way?”

  “You may have lost a few abilities,” Terk replied, “or you may have gained something. I don’t know.”

  Just then a voice that Rick knew drew closer. “I really think this is a bad idea.”

  “You might,” Terk agreed, “but he’s awake, so there’s not a whole lot we’ll do about it now.”

  Rick stared at the woman beside Terk. “It’s been you.” He frowned at her, his tone almost surly. “You’re the one who’s been looking after me.”

  She nodded. “I have. Terk hired me.”

  “I feel like—” And he stopped, shaking his head. “I know it sounds stupid, but I feel like she’s involved.”

  At that, Terk stiffened. “Involved in what?”

  “I don’t know.” Rick studied her.

  Terk turned to look at her. “Have you had any other visitors?”

  She shook her head. “No, I told you that. We’ve also got cameras all over the place. We also know that, when they come out of the coma, they’re very disoriented.” She glared at Rick. “So I don’t know what you mean by involved, but I’m certainly not involved in anything untoward. I’ve been here for the last several weeks, looking after you.”

  Terk reached out a hand and gently patted hers. “And it’s appreciated. He’ll need to stay here for a few more days, at least, in order to get his head together.”

  “Like hell.” Rick drew back the blankets and tried to sit up. And blinked.

  He was in a room, white, with no carpet, some wood flooring, but he was alone. The room was empty. He turned his head around and stared. “Hello,” he cried out, and almost instantly the sickroom door opened.

  And that same woman walked in, took one look at him, and raced forward. “Lie down,” she barked. “Take it easy.”

  He stared at her in shock. “Where’s Terk?” he asked. “I was just talking to him.”

  She stared at him. “Nobody’s here but you and me,” she murmured. And then she helped him lie back down again. “Please relax. You’ve just come out of a coma. You need to rest.” She immediately slapped a blood pressure cuff on him and started going over his vitals.

  Nothing she did could change the shock in his head. He wasn’t alone; he hadn’t been alone. Everyone, including her, had been here.

  So what the hell just happened?

  Chapter 1

  Rick opened his eyes yet again, feeling that same strange parallel-universe feeling. He was pretty damn sure he’d had
everybody in his room not very long ago, and yet he couldn’t remember what the woman’s name was, which was also an indicator of where his brain was at. When he mentioned it again, the woman had said it was just the two of them for the last couple weeks. He struggled with that because it was the opposite of how he felt. As he shifted in bed, his wasted muscles groaned and complained at any movement.

  Rick muttered to himself, “Get used to it. We’ll be back on our feet and damn fast. Whether you complain or not.”

  At that, the sickroom door opened again, and the same woman walked in. She smiled when she saw him sitting up. “Hey.”

  “Hi.” He hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, “I’m sorry. I don’t remember your name.”

  She nodded, as if that were the most common thing in the world. “My name is Cara.”

  He asked, “With a C or a K?”

  She laughed. “Does it matter?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe not, but it helps me place you in a spot in my head.”

  “With a C,” Cara replied.

  “Ah. Your mother was a romantic, many times over,” he noted, with a wry smile.

  “Oh. Interesting.” She looked at him for a long moment.

  He felt the intensity of her gaze, as it swooped over him. “I’m fine, you know.”

  “Good. In that case, you’ll get up and move around a little bit today, right?”

  He nodded. “Of course I will.”

  She smiled at that. “I like the enthusiasm, but we need to make sure you don’t overdo it.”

  “Overdo it, hell,” he snapped. “I’m not staying in bed, and I need to get ahold of Terk.”

  “You can call him,” she offered instantly.

  He looked around for a phone and then realized that’s not what she meant. He studied her closely. “What do you know about that?”

  “Know about what?” Cara asked in a seemingly innocent tone.

  But Rick knew a whole lot else was going on here. Almost immediately Terk’s voice blasted in his head.

  I hired her. Be nice.

  Rick groaned, as the telepathic communication caused an intense pain, almost made his body shake. “And that was Terk right there,” he muttered.

  She laughed. “Yeah, he has a tendency to come in like a sledgehammer, doesn’t he?”

  At that, he could only look at her, … speechless.

  She shrugged. “What? You think you’re the only one?”

  “No, … I know I’m not the only one.”

  “Good,” she replied, “then it won’t do you any good to sit here and to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about, when I said you can call him anytime.” At that, she chuckled. “I’ll go get you a cup of coffee, and then we’ll sit down and discuss what you need to do to get your body into better shape.” And, just like that, she was gone.

  Holding his head, he whispered to Terk, Turn down the damn volume.

  That’s on your side, Terk noted, with amusement. And, by the way, welcome back.

  Yeah, Rick winced. Hell of a welcome. Where am I?

  Manchester, for now.

  What the hell happened?

  Too much, Terk replied in a clipped voice. Four of you are up and about, but we’ve still got team members down. You’re the fifth to wake up.

  Well, that’s good, Rick noted, and then he stopped. What about the others?

  They’re not quite there yet, Terk murmured.

  The whole team?

  Yep, Terk confirmed, all attacked, all down. Not one of you back to normal.

  Normal? Rick repeated, with a bitter laugh. Did you think we were ever normal?

  Nope. None of us are, he agreed in his usual tone, never any deception in his answers. And that’s why we do what we do. With that, Terk was gone.

  Rick shifted, so he was sitting up in bed. It felt weird. His body felt weird; in fact, it felt like his core muscles had taken a holiday. Everything was off-kilter and out of sorts. When Cara returned with a cup of coffee in hand, he smelled it before she ever got to him. “Is there ever a smell,” he murmured, as she placed the cup on the table beside him, “that evokes such an amazing response?”

  “Yes, fresh bread.”

  He looked at her, startled.

  She grinned. “I do like my fresh bread.” And, just like that, she headed for the door.

  “I thought we would sit here and discuss some things.”

  “Yeah, but you’ll need coffee first. Let me know when you’re ready for a second cup.”

  He sent a message to Terk. Who is she, and why did you choose her?

  She’s special, Terk came back. Besides, you’ve worked with her a time or two before.

  No, I haven’t, he replied immediately.

  Terk smiled. Well, let’s just say, she’s been a big help with this.

  It’s not like you to prevaricate, Rick murmured.

  It’s not like you to need answers, when the answers are right there in front of you.

  At that, he froze. Do you think maybe I’m not remembering everything?

  Like I said, things are a little shaky when you first come back out. It was the same for everyone, Terk murmured. Take it easy, hold back on the judgment, and see what comes up. Remember. Your initial reactions may or may not be something you can trust just yet.

  That won’t go over well, Rick muttered. Things are already far from normal.

  Of course not, Terk replied immediately, but it is what it is.

  That was such a Terk comment.

  You don’t have to be so fatalistic about this.

  Were you hurt? Rick asked.

  Not nearly so badly as the rest of you. At least I don’t think so. He stopped and added, The pain for me was more knowing the entire team was down, then trying to provide what everyone needed.

  I can’t believe I haven’t been awake all this time. You’ll have to catch me up.

  We will, once you’re capable of handling that, Terk noted.

  Handling what?

  There have been a lot of changes on the team, he replied. Our support group had been under attack too, and we’ve sustained some losses. As soon as you and Cara determine that you’re equipped for this, we will fill you in on a conference call, if nothing else.

  Do the guys know I’m awake?

  They’re all being told now, Terk confirmed.

  And the others?

  Everybody is different. They’re all coming back slowly. For a while there I was afraid that someone wouldn’t.

  Do we know what happened?

  A well-executed cyberterrorist attack. We have no idea beyond that.

  He had to stop and think about that for a moment. So we were targeted.

  Hell yeah, we were targeted, Terk snapped, a bitter edge to his voice that was impossible to ignore. We are still being targeted. And where it goes from here, we still don’t know.

  Have you tracked anyone down?

  All kinds of people, he replied. We’ve got a lot to discuss, and it will take you some time to assimilate. I don’t want to put either of us through more than we need to, so I’ll get back to you later, and we’ll go through it all, when your brain is alert and functioning. And, once again, Terk was gone.

  It was a hard thing for Rick to admit that he still needed healing time. But if Terk said this had been the same for everyone, then, hell, maybe it made sense. As he sipped the coffee, he tested out his body, disgusted to find that he was weaker than a baby.

  When Cara returned, he looked up at her, nodded. “Thank you for the coffee.”

  “Ready for a second cup?”

  “Always,” he replied immediately.

  She laughed. “I hear you. Just something about coffee.” Then she disappeared and soon returned with a pot.

  “Okay. Now that we have my second cup,” he began, “what can you tell me about what happened?”

  “I can’t really tell you much about the originating incident,” she replied. “All I can tell you is that Terk contacted me and said that so
mebody on his team was in trouble.”

  “Why you?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Why you?”

  He winced at that. “If I knew that answer, I’d be a much happier camper.”

  “Well, I presume it’s my skill set,” she noted. “So, as soon as you are back up and healthy, I can leave.”

  And, at that, he didn’t know what to say. “Leave?”

  “Yep, you are in a small apartment—my office, you may call it—all on your own,” she explained. “I’ve been under strict orders to do my best to keep you alive but also to not let anybody know where we are, keeping our location completely hidden. So I’m not exactly sure what kind of problem your team is involved in, but I’ll take Terk’s word as gospel any day.”

  “It’s just a little shocking to wake up and to find out all this shit has been going on.”

  “Absolutely,” she agreed.

  He wished he could remember anything about what had happened. He studied her, seeing the long classic lines, high forehead, heart-shaped face, and long brunette hair, tied back into a braid. “Are you a nurse?” he asked curiously.

  She nodded. “I am. I normally do specialty nursing for long-term care patients. But, when Terk called, I came.”

  “You must be good friends.”

  “He knew my brother,” she noted quietly.

  He looked at her in surprise.

  “Maybe your team did too,” she added. “I assumed as much when I came running, but it wasn’t necessary. Either way, if Terk needed me, then I was here.”

  He frowned. “Are you sure I’ve been alone this whole time?”

  She gazed at him with a wide-eyed stare. “I’m not sure what you’re asking, but I certainly haven’t let anybody else into the apartment.”

  He nodded at that. “Okay. Any chance of getting some food?”

  “Now that is a good sign,” she noted. “Food is a very necessary component to you getting out of here. You’re also not going anywhere without Terk’s permission.”

  At that, he gave her a flat stare.

  She smiled. “You can argue with me all you like, but you’ll need to take it up with the boss.”

  He nodded. “Don’t worry. I will. When it’s time for me to leave, I’ll be gone.”