Cain's Cross (Bullard's Battle Book 2) Read online

  “Not an issue,” he said. “He took the ultimate bullet, and I’m good with that.”

  “Well, as long as he’s dead and gone,” she said, “but I would have liked to kick him myself for my sister.”

  “He did confess to that by the way,” Cain said. “So that will help put your sister’s case to rest.”

  She nodded ever-so-slightly. “It’s all so sad.”

  “It is, but you have a chance to make a complete break,” Eton said. “And you can help Cain not screw up this relationship.” Then he turned, and, whistling happily, he walked out to the front.

  “Help you not screw this up?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry about it. They’re just bugging me. Everybody likes you, and they want me to not mess things up, so that you leave.”

  “Well, I was hoping to leave,” she said and pulled back ever-so-slightly. “I was actually hoping to leave with you.”

  He looked at her in surprise, then drew her closer and said, “Looks like it’s you and me now.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “I figure we could use a few days to ourselves.”

  “It’ll take a few days before we’re cleared to leave,” he warned.

  “I know,” she said, “but just even knowing that that’s coming will be enough to get me through this.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’m good with anything,” she said. “I’ll resign from my job, give notice on the apartment, and put everything in storage. I’ll say goodbye to my family at the cemetery, and then I’ll be free to rebuild something for myself, somewhere else. I don’t know what form that’ll take, but I know one thing,” she said. “I’d really like to have you at my side.”

  He tilted her chin and kissed her gently. “And I would be honored,” he said. “So let’s go take care of business and see if we can shorten that time frame until we can get out of here. Or at least get it down to something more reasonable.”

  “First, we better get that arm of yours taken care of. I happen to have some contacts at the hospital. Maybe you can jump the line.”

  As it was, everything took longer than either of them wanted, but they managed to do an incredible amount in just a couple days. She buried both her father and her sister, cleaned out her apartment, and let go of her lease. She quit her job, while Cain and Eton raced around doing what they needed to do. She kept in touch, as she took care of the mundane details, and they took care of whatever was on their list.

  They hadn’t really filled her in on too much of it, but she knew they were looking for whatever was the next step in this journey. They were trying to find the shooter who’d killed Tristan but figured it was just another hired hand. They focused on tracking down every number in Tristan’s phone, trying to find the next connection. Last thing she’d heard was something about Switzerland. She was totally okay with Switzerland, but Eton didn’t like the idea at all.

  Cain ended up having some out-patient surgery to repair the damage to his arm and would have some rehab to do once it was healed. But finally he was on the mend, and she had finished with the police, the funerals, and her apartment. The last of the furniture was being loaded into a truck to be donated to a local charity. “Do you realize I only have what’s in the car now?” she murmured. “Everything else is gone. Even my car can be sold later, if need be.”

  “You have what counts,” he said. “You have your memories. I think it was smart to deal with it all, rather than cram it in a storage unit and have to come back.”

  She smiled and nodded. “I do too. It feels kind of freeing in a way. I have a whole new life ahead of me.”

  “Only if you’re ready for it,” he said.

  “I am,” she said.

  He smiled and reached to hug her. “Well, come on then. We’re booked at a hotel about four hours from here. I didn’t want to go too far on the first day, in case you were emotional.”

  “I am emotional,” she said, holding back tears, “but it’s all good.”

  And, sure enough, it was. He was driving her car, his injuries still sore, but definitely better.

  Chapter 15

  When they pulled into the bed-and-breakfast, it was four and a half hours later. She looked up and said, “What are we doing about dinner?”

  “A little restaurant is around the corner,” he said. “Let’s go check in first.” They checked into the bed-and-breakfast and moved into their room. She stopped in the doorway, noting the huge bed, and gave him a sideways look. He just smiled and said, “No pressure.”

  “On you or on me?”

  He gave a bark of laughter at that. “Come on. Let’s go get dinner,” he said. “We have the rest of our lives to talk about how many bedrooms we need.”

  “As long as the rest of our lives means that we’re coming back here sometime in the next hour, I’m good,” she said. He squeezed her fingers, and they headed for the restaurant. But the whole time he could feel the need coursing through him, knowing that big bed was there, waiting for them. The knowledge that she was just as eager for him as he was for her made dinner almost a torment.

  “Do you think we can take it and leave?” she muttered some twenty minutes later, when they still hadn’t been served. He looked at her and smiled.

  “Why not?” When the waiter passed by again, Cain called him over and asked if they could get it to go. The waiter immediately apologized for the delay and said it was almost ready.

  “Good,” he said. “So if you could have them pack it up, that would be perfect.” And that’s what they did. They were standing outside with their dinner, when he looked at her. “That’s not quite what I expected to happen.”

  “You should have,” she said, with energy. “Come on. Let’s go.” And, with that, they headed back to the bed-and-breakfast with their dinner in tow. As soon as they got into their bedroom, she took the bags from him and carefully put them down on the small table and said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m really hungry.”

  But then she turned and faced him, gave him a cheeky smile, and started taking off her clothes. His breath caught, and he was flabbergasted, as, within seconds, she stood before him completely nude.

  “Dear God,” he murmured, his eyes feasting on her.

  “And you,” she said, “are definitely overdressed.” His hands got busy, but she brushed him away and quickly undid his shirt and his belt buckle. Only she wasn’t willing to give him any time to get his clothes off, as her hands slipped across his skin, stroking and discovering, but, when she lowered her head and nipped him on the collarbone, he let out a muffled roar and started stripping as fast as he could.

  “What’s the rush?” she murmured.

  “You,” he said, breathing hard. But she chuckled, and he quickly snagged her up, carried her to the bed, both of them now completely nude. He came down on top of her, and immediately she moaned, arched her back, rubbing up against him, and wiggled ever-so-slightly, sliding skin against skin, heat against heat.

  “Oh, my God,” she said, “I’ve wanted this since the first time I saw you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down tight, and kissed him hard. He leaned into the kiss, his body already more than ready, hitting the flashpoint sooner than he would have liked, but she was just incredible. She was so honest and so giving that he knew he couldn’t hold back. He tried to pull away his head, but she was having none of it. Her tongue slipped into a war with his, even as her hand slid down to grab his buttocks. When her nails dug into his flesh, he reared back slightly, but, when he came back, it was to find her thighs wide and her long legs wrapped tight around his hips.

  He slipped inside, shuddering at the heavy emotions coursing through him. He pulled back, buried his face against the crook of her neck, and just tried to control his breathing. Again, she wasn’t having any of it. She clamped down on him tight. “I need you so much,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted you for so long. I want this, and I want this now.” She placed her hands on either side of his face and kiss
ed him long and deep, as her hips started to move.

  He pulled his head back, hitting the snapping point, and started to plow and plunge deep into her. It was already past the point of no control, and he knew there was only a slim chance of getting her to catch up with him. But, when he looked down to see her mouth open, her eyes closed, and her face a picture of absolute joy, he wondered how he’d gotten so lucky. She reached up, clung to him, and whispered, “Now, now, now.” When he plunged one more time, she bucked beneath him and cried out.

  He watched, trying desperately to hold back his own joy to see her reaction as she soared over the edge, a tiny film of sweat breaking over her face as her relief swept through her. And then it was over for him too, and he groaned a heavy deep guttural roar of release himself, before he collapsed on the bed. He gasped for air, trying to regain his balance.

  She murmured, “Now that’s the kind of meal I enjoy. I was really hungry.”

  He burst out laughing and cuddled her close.

  “This is what our life should be like,” she said. “Passion, joy, and laughter.”

  He opened his eyes, looked down at her, and said, “Absolutely. Promise me more nights like tonight?”

  “I promise,” she said, “Lots more. Forever and a day. Wait. That’s not fair,” she said. “It’s not fair to pin you down like that.”

  “Forever and a day,” he said.

  With a nod, she smiled and kissed him deeply. “Anytime you’re ready to go again, I’m still a little hungry.”

  He smiled, rolled over, and kissed her again. Life had never been better.

  Epilogue

  Eton Duram studied the phone numbers in his hand. Switzerland, but where in Switzerland? It might be a small country, but it wasn’t that small. Finally he got a phone call from Kano.

  “Garret is awake!”

  “I knew that,” he said. “So what’s up?”

  “Ah,” and then there was an awkward silence and a rustling noise. A different voice came on the phone.

  “He means that I’m here now, and I’m, like, really awake.”

  “You’re supposed to be in the hospital,” Eton said immediately. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I’m not technically here. I’m in Switzerland, waiting for you to get your ass over here.”

  “Where in Switzerland though?” he said. “I was just looking at that.”

  “Outside of Geneva is my best bet, but I think we’ll end up in Baden soon enough.”

  “Do we have anything to go on?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Garret said. “I’ll send the info through, but get on your flight and get the hell here.”

  “I’m not booked anywhere yet,” he said.

  “Well, check your email,” he said, “because you actually are. And you’re flying out in about an hour and ten minutes. Get your ass over here. We’ve got work to do.”

  Eton stared down at his phone to check his email, and, sure enough, his flights were booked for Geneva. He shook his head, sent a text message to Garret. You should be in the hospital.

  No fucking way. I’ve been there long enough. It’s time for me to get after these assholes, so I’m getting after them with you. Cain needs to rest up and rehab that arm, so now it’s our turn.

  Eton agreed entirely. Not to mention the fact that Cain was working hard on not messing up his relationship with Petra. Eton grinned at that because, if anybody deserved to have a good relationship, it was Cain. He was the kind of guy who gave his heart and soul to a cause and so very often didn’t get anything back out of it, except the satisfaction of a job well done. That’s what was most important, sure, but it still didn’t change the fact that sometimes a guy needed a little bit more. And, in this case, Cain sure as hell did. But he got it, and that was all good.

  Eton really liked Petra; she was something else. Somewhat wistfully, he thought about Ryland and Cain, and Eton wondered if it would ever be his turn to find that someone special. When the hotel’s front desk called, he checked his watch.

  “Your cab is here.”

  Smiling, he told them that he’d be right down. As always, Kano had thought of everything. And whether it was Kano or Garret, Eton was damn glad to have his team behind him and on board, as part of his mission. It was one thing to have somebody to watch his back; it was another thing to know they were your brothers and were looking out for your best interests too. And they had the best team possible. The loss of Bullard was hard to take, but, after all these days, it was hard to imagine he had lived somehow. Eton just had to make sure nobody else would go down because of these assholes. Enough was enough. It was time to end this, and he was the guy to do it.

  This concludes Book 2 of Bullard’s Battle: Cain’s Cross.

  Read about Eton’s Escape: Bullard’s Battle, Book 3

  Eton’s Escape: Bullard’s Battle (Book #3)

  Welcome to a new stand-alone but interconnected series from Dale Mayer. This is Bullard’s story—and that of his team’s. All raw, rough, incredibly capable men who have one goal: to find out who was behind the attack on their leader, before the attacker, or attackers, return to finish the job.

  Stay tuned for more nonstop action as the men narrow down their suspects … and find a way to let love back into their own empty lives.

  Eton journeys to Switzerland, unimpressed at finding Garret there as his backup. Barely recovered but pissed and mobile, Garret refuses to be kept out of service any longer. Eton’s intel leads them to a small village, to a woman in distress, and to someone who likes cleaning up a trail a little too much.

  Living a quiet life with her aging father, Sammy is surprised by an offer of help when she gets an unexpected flat tire. Strangers in this area are not common, and neither are they well received. Still this stranger’s a can-do person, and she instinctively turns to him when she soon needs additional help.

  Only to find he’s partly why she’s in trouble—and he’s got bigger troubles of his own. Now they both had to get out of this nightmare and somewhere safe and sound, … before it’s too late.

  Find Book 2 here!

  To find out more visit Dale Mayer’s website.

  Damon’s Deal: Terkel’s Team (Book #1)

  Welcome to a brand-new connected series of intrigue, betrayal, and … murder, from the USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer. A series with all the elements you’ve come to love, plus so much more… including psychics!

  A betrayal from within has Terkel frantic to protect those he can, as his team falls one by one, from a murderous killer he helped create.

  Ice poured herself a coffee and sat down at the compound’s massive dining room table with the others. When her phone rang, she smiled at the number displayed. “Hey, Terk. How’re you doing?” She put the call on Speakerphone.

  “I’m okay,” Terkel said, his voice distracted and tight.

  “Terk?” Merk called from across the table. He got up and walked closer and sat across from Levi. “You don’t sound too good, brother. What’s up?”

  “I’m fine,” Terk said. “Or I will be. Right now, things are blown to shit.”

  “As in literally?” Merk asked.

  “The entire group,” Terk said, “they’re all gone. I had a solid team of eight, and they’re all gone.”

  “Dead?”

  Several others stood to join them, gathered around Ice’s phone. Levi stepped forward, his hand on Ice’s shoulder. “Terk? Are they all dead?”

  “No.” Terk took a deep breath. “I’m not making sense. I’m sorry.”

  “Take it easy,” Ice said, her voice calm and reassuring. “What do you mean, they’re all gone?”

  “All their abilities are gone,” he said. “Something’s happened to them. Somebody has deliberately removed whatever super senses they could utilize—or what we have been utilizing for the last ten years for the government.” His tone was bitter. “When the US gov recently closed us down, they promised that our black ops department would never rise again, but I
didn’t expect them to attack us personally.”

  “What are you talking about?” Merk said in alarm, standing up now to stare at Ice’s phone. “Are you in danger?”

  “Maybe? I don’t know,” Terk said. “I need to find out exactly what the hell’s going on.”

  “What can we do to help?” Ice asked.

  Terk gave a broken laugh. “That’s not why I’m calling. Well, it is, but it isn’t.”

  Ice looked at Merk, who frowned, as he shook his head. Ice knew he and the others had heard Terk’s stressed out tone and the completely confusing bits and pieces coming from his mouth. Ice said, “Terk, you’re not making sense again. Take a breath and explain. Please. You’re scaring me.”

  Terk took a long slow deep breath. “Tell Stone to open the gate,” he said. “She’s out there.”

  “Who’s out there?” Levi asked, hopped up, looked outside, and shrugged.

  “She’s coming up the road now. You have to let her in.”

  “Who? Why?”

  “Because,” he said, “she’s also harnessed with C-4.”

  “Jesus,” Levi said, bolting to display the camera feeds to the big screen in the room. “Is it live?”

  “It is, and she’s been sent to you.”

  “Well, that’s an interesting move,” Ice said, her voice sharp, activating her comm to connect to Stone in the control room. “Who’s after us?”

  “I think it’s rebels within the Iranian government. But it could be our own government. I don’t know anymore,” Terk snapped. “I also don’t know how they got her so close to you. Or how they pinned your connection to me,” he said. “I’ve been very careful.”

  “We can look after ourselves,” Ice said immediately. “But who is this woman to you?”

  “She’s pregnant,” he said, “so that adds to the intensity here.”

  “Understood. So who is the father? Is he connected somehow?”