Tracker:There’s no way we could’ve prepped for this. Jay is back in town. He has Commander Kuznetsov with him.
Scout’s blood ran cold. He saw red. Commander Kuznetsov had been the man in charge of the program. He wasn’t the head, but he was the iron grip. Kuznetsov was also the monster who visited Rain almost nightly, forcing him to do the worst of things. The time had come. He was within their reach.
Scout:Give me five to get dressed and I’ll meet you.
Tracker:Sounds good. Let’s end this.
Scout forgot everything but his mission. The time had come for retribution.
Tracker chewed the side of his fingernail, waiting for the guys to gear up. He hated pulling everyone out of bed. More than that, he loathed jobs that had a high chance of going sideways. This rush wasn’t their M.O., but this job was different. It was personal. If there was a single chance they could get to Kuznetsov, they had to take it. They deserved to watch the life leave his eyes.
“You’ve got this.”
The sound of Zeus’ voice startled Tracker. He had forgotten Zeus was there. Zeus had likely never had that happen to him before. He was probably used to being the greatest god in every room. Zeus had been created to be perfection, and he was. That was why Tracker was one of the rare people who wasn’t attracted to Zeus like that. They were friends. They had a hell of a lot in common. In fact, Zeus had found them after their escape from the program because he was such a huge computer nerd. He had set up a computer program, one he had created himself, to let him know if anyone searched online for anyone in or from the program. A couple of years after they ran away, Tracker had hacked some systems, looking for people like them. Zeus had shown up on their doorstep ready to kill them to keep hisfreedom. Of course, what he found was a bunch of guys just like him. Now, they had come together to create a DNA database. They had all been genetically engineered before the fertilized eggs had been dumped into a group of women. Whoever stuck was the next generation of super spies. When Zeus and Ridge decided they wanted to know if they were twins, since they were practically photocopies of each other, they had uncovered a whole warren of rabbit holes to go through.
Tracker flashed Zeus a tight smile. “Why do you look so unbothered? I imagine you have a bone or two to pick with that sadistic bastard too.”
Zeus’ current calm demeanor with zero artifice was a rare sight. “Your plan is solid. He won’t get away.”
While sitting in a dark van in the garage, with nothing but a lit computer screen highlighting them, it hit Tracker how close they had become over the years. During the past week of studying the odds of how many of them were related—while waiting on DNA results—their friendship had truly grown. They had geeked out together several times over the years, getting together to share their work. But this project was different. This was about their past and their future. The waiting was an exercise in patience neither of them had on this matter. He had been with his brothers for decades, and—somehow—Tracker felt closer to Zeus than any of them. Zeus was his best friend.
Tracker leaned back in his seat, settling in to draw some comfort from Zeus’ presence. Before he said a word, the side door slid open, and the guys poured in. It wasn’t their specialized vehicle from back home. The van was just wheels in Beau’s garage thatTracker had hurriedly made his own while waiting. With Zeus’ help, of course. Still, they could make it work.
Edge stuck his head between the front seats. “Tidy, Crisp, and Scout are already headed that way. They’ll drop Scout a street over so he can walk the block. If anyone can tell if this is a trap, it’s him. Tidy and Crisp will park nearby and wait for the cleanup call.”
Tracker nodded. Everything inside him wound tight. He wondered if he would hyperventilate before they even made it to the small rental house where their target slept. Tracker was damn glad Zeus was at his side. For some reason, Tracker believed to his soul that Zeus would never allow anything bad to happen to him. He supposed time would tell.
Chapter Nine
Itwasagreatnight for a walk. Scout dressed like a jogger. He had earbuds in, keeping track of the gang, while he jogged a little before slowing back down to a walk after cars passed. Scout kept his eyes peeled and ears open to Tracker. The adrenaline had died down a bit. He was a professional. This was where Scout shone.
Since he hadn’t gotten a chance to scope the neighborhood ahead of time, he didn’t know if there were any out-of-place vehicles. It was an upper-class subdivision. Scout eyed each car, making sure it matched the class level. This was definitely one of those places where people weren’t rich enough not to care what their neighbors thought. It was a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses situation. The only out-of-price-range vehicle he found was likely their target’s rental. It was so strange to picture such an evil figure driving a ten-year-old family sedan. Even though they were here to destroy the man who had raised them in so much cruelty, Scout still fought wayward thoughts. What if hisbrothers and he could finally strike out on their own? How many of his brothers would choose to keep the family together? What if they were an actual blood family? Tracker worked to find out, and it had Scout a little on edge. So many things could go wrong thanks to those results. What if Ridge and Shadow turned out to be brothers? They were married and deeply in love. That knowledge would rip them apart. What if damn near everyone was related in some way while he was the only outlier? Would everyone eventually push him out and make him feel less than? Sometimes he already felt that way. A set of shadows moved along the dark edge of the rental home where Kuznetsov stayed. There was no glow of LED lights, peeking through the dark. Horror struck. It wasn’t their team.
Scout pushed the button on his earbud. “Guys. We have a problem.”
“You have your own troubles to worry about.” The thick Russian accent accompanied a knife to his throat, and another poised at his kidney.
Scout didn’t respond. He had always known he would likely die at the hands of the program. Scout wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing him care. But fuck, for real, he would miss the life he could have built with Clay. He marched in the direction he was told. Scout followed every command. Once inside, he felt sick as fuck at the sight that met him. If Jay was still alive at Kuznetsov’s feet, he wouldn’t be for long, judging by the amount of blood that coated the floor. No doubt he had been tortured until he led Kuznetsov to them. If that was the case, Jay had really taken a lot before breaking. He hated knowing Jaywas likely just like them, dying to be free. Scout supposed he was now.
Cold, sick blue eyes looked his way as he was steered into the room. His brothers were all there, even Tidy and Crisp. Scout had no idea how this had happened beneath his nose. He had been on his toes, knowing the importance of this job. Then again, Kuznetsov had trained them. There was likely no move they could make he wouldn’t anticipate.
With his hands clasped behind his back, his chest out, and hair perfectly brushed, Kuznetsov didn’t look his age. The guy bordered on elderly. Yet he looked no more than forty-five. There wasn’t a single frail thing about him. Apparently, evil kept people young.
“Look how grown all of you are.” Kuznetsov’s greedy gaze moved to Rain. He could hardly show his true interest in front of his men, and they were everywhere. Unfortunately, knowing the truth, Scout wanted to vomit at the twisted light in the commander’s eyes each time he focused on Rain. A full team held guns on the room while Scout’s brothers stood proud, holding their LED masks. Not a single one showed an ounce of fear.
Rain refused to look at Kuznetsov. It was a bold move, considering they all knew Rain was truly Kuznetsov’s target. He had lost his favorite toy. Kuznetsov would not let such a beautiful prize slip away. Tonight had always been inevitable. As long as Kuznetsov lived, he would hunt Rain. At the thought of beauty, Scout’s gaze skimmed the room again. Zeus wasn’t there.That thought was gone in an instant when Kuznetsov opened his mouth.
He stood toe to toe with Rain. “Choose. These men ran away because of you, so you choose which one dies first.”
Rain finally met Kuznetsov’s stare. “Me.” His expression said he had made peace with dying.
An evil-sounding laugh rolled through the room, sending chills down Scout’s spine. “No. This won’t be that simple. You will live a very long life back home where you belong, knowing all these men died because of you. Choose.”
“Me.”
Rage passed over Kuznetsov’s features at Rain’s continued defiance. Kuznetsov’s obvious impatience to have Rain alone in his clutches took control. He looked toward the man holding the knife against Scout’s neck.
He didn’t know why he had been chosen to go first, but Scout braced himself to die. Scout far preferred that end over being forced back to Russia. He wished he had kissed Clay goodbye, though. Not telling Clay how he felt was his only true regret. The familiar sound of a bullet cutting through the air buzzed past Scout’s ear. The knife fell away. Before Scout had time to turn, his abductor hit the ground dead. A round bullet hole in the dead center of his forehead was barely a passing observation before men dropped one by one in such rapid succession, no one even had time to shout. By the time Clay stepped fully into the room,Scout’s brain finally caught up with reality. Only Kuznetsov was left standing beyond Scout’s team.
