Break Me Open (Desert Wraiths MC) Read online

  "What happened to that kid?" he asked.

  "He grew up."

  "Into a solider? Or just a killer?"

  "Same thing. Just depends on where you stand."

  That shiny brow crossed with wrinkles. "Is that what you truly believe?"

  I shrugged. I was a solider for the army. I was a soldier for the Wraiths. Turns out my mission wasn't that different. If he wanted those details though, he was going to have to get that warrant.

  "Now I've been reading up on you,” Meckler said. “Like I said, there's not much they'll tell me. I did manage to get a tidbit from your court martial. Abandonment of duty, reckless endangerment of mission, direct disobedience that led to the dissolution of your team. You know, they never specified what dissolution meant. What does that mean?"

  I imagined that dome of a head cracking like an eggshell. I gripped my hands so I would know where they were.

  "It's a really clean word, dissolution,” he said swaying his chair back and forth. “But I don't think it was clean at all."

  Clean. The only thing clean about it was how swiftly we’d been taken out. We were tasked with protecting a warlord who was a staunch ally of the US. His opium fields were being burned at night by a rival. That's what we were supposed to stop. A half squad of genetically augmented soldiers trained to operate and succeed in the most vicious enemy territories tasked with stopping narcotic arson. Maybe that warlord knew what he was getting. Maybe he thought we were just normal soldiers. Either way he’d figured out a better price for putting an end to the fires. He sent us into a killing field.

  They had five shooters buried and waiting and there were six of us. Spiking doesn't help you outrun a sniper bullet. I was the one that turned out not to be in anyone's sights.

  They should have brought another shooter.

  Later, after the ambushers were watering the sands with their insides, I buried myself in with them and waited until the warlord’s armored SUV rolled past and he stopped to examine the price he'd paid. Idiot rolled down the window. I hit him right between the eyes.

  When I stumbled back, I was told that he had been coerced by his bigger brother. That I had killed our biggest ally in the region. But they hadn't seen his eyes through a magnified lens. They hadn't seen the little twitch of a smile cross his face at the sight of his little victory over the great and mighty US army.

  Clean? No, the whole thing was dirty through and through.

  "I don't know what happened to my team. I don't really care. The only thing the army and I agreed on was that it was time for me to leave." I hoped he didn't see my eyes glaze as the faces of my first brothers flashed before me.

  Meckler sighed. "I guess you're not what I hoped you were. Turns out all that's in front of me is the shell that was ejected after they were done with you."

  "Sorry to disappoint."

  "Which means, that I have to believe the accounts I heard from the men we have in custody. Men that claim there was a fifth Wraith on the scene the day of the shooting."

  It must have been the guys that had tried to kidnap Katie. The ones I'd knocked out. "So you have two killers in your custody, and you're wasting time chasing-."

  "A ghost? That's the way justice works. I'm sure you're familiar. Rest assured, the Scorpions are getting their due. But this ghost we're chasing also happens to be equipped with a large bore rifle which matches ballistics from several of the dead on the scene. A rifle which isn't accounted for. Now I don't suppose you can blame that on the Scorpions?"

  "That's really your call."

  "Then, of course, there's the body we found with that same entry signature a full block away. It was lying there right under a fire escape which just so happens to lead up to a rooftop where we found gunpowder residue on the sill overlooking the shootout."

  "Very interesting."

  "No biological residue though." His eyes rose to my buzz cut. "I guess you can thank the Army for a few things they built up in you."

  And blame them for the parts rattling loose. "Is that all?"

  Meckler shook his head sadly. "I like to open weak. Now, let me ask you something. The name Shane Tyrell ring a bell?"

  "Nope."

  Meckler flung around a picture of the dead man on the monitor. Here, the military training did help. I'd seen plenty of dead men - before and after I'd delivered the death. Made little difference. Especially not this asshole. I shifted my gaze back to Meckler without a flinch and waited.

  "We have reports that you killed him."

  "Ok. From the same men who blame me for the other shooting, I guess?"

  "That's right."

  "No chance they'd be lying, cause they've been killing guys from our club."

  "Oh, sure, but in this case, they gave us a location. Biological proof."

  There had been plenty of blood. Had we cleaned up enough?

  "Do you?" I asked.

  Meckler rapped at his table and watched me a bit longer as if that would crack me. "It's a matter of time. We're scouring every inch of the factory."

  They had shit. I leaned in, just enough to show Meckler how much I cared. "Listen if you want me to deny rumors, just make up a list and email it to me. You may think I'm useless, but I’ve got stuff to do."

  "Well, then how about we move on to the event where we have unbreakable proof. The abduction of Katie Phillips."

  "Abduction? I recall saving her from two Scorpion goons."

  "Oh, that, everyone agrees on. It's why I thought we might have common ground early on, before you corrected me."

  I actually wasn't sure how legal my actions there were. I tried to keep my relief to myself. "Well, I'm happy to testify at the trial of the men who attacked her, if that's what you want."

  "We'll make do," Meckler said. "But what interests me more is that she's the sole remaining reported witness to the murder of Mr. Tyrell."

  "And she told you this or are we going back to the words of those upstanding citizens in your local jail cell."

  "I'd love to ask her," Meckler said. "Do you know where she might be?"

  "If she wants to contact you, she will."

  "Can she?" Meckler's face grew completely dark. "She's got no contacts. No family. Her one friend we talked to refuses to report her missing. I don't know why.” He paused, glanced at the screen - a picture of her now, now doubt. “I promise you this. If something happened to her and you lied to my face, I will watch you burn."

  I moved in even closer. "Nothing. Will ever. Happen to her."

  Meckler’s frowned stayed on a few seconds longer. Then it turned the other way, into a smile. "I see.”

  Shit. He'd got me. "She's not involved with this."

  "Oh yeah?" Meckler leaned back, more relaxed. "She's saving you, and you got her convinced that you're doing her the favor by keeping her away from us?"

  I shook my head, before I could stop myself. "Just leave her out."

  "Wow." Meckler started laughing, and I looked away. Half to get rid of the sight of his stupid face, half to remind myself that I would be arrested for knocking it off him.

  "Listen," he said. "I'm not even your biggest problem. That's a good girl you've brought into your world. You think you can keep her safe?"

  "My only problem at the moment is having to sit in this damn chair. Are we done?"

  Meckler slammed his palm into the table. "Done? You come in here acting as if you're doing me a favor. You want to run out the clock? Fine. We cracked those guys we caught. They're telling the truth. We can trace it back through all the connections and soon we’ll have what we need to get you. So are we done? No, I expect you'll be seeing a lot of me."

  The outburst didn't bother me much. It was generally a good sign. He was letting out steam cause he couldn’t do much else. But he had a point. Time was not on my side. If they searched hard and long enough they would find me.

  But why would they? They still hadn’t answered that. They were pulling at threads, but what were they trying to unravel?


  "You're not here for me," I said. "You’re not here for Shane. You're not even really here to investigate a multiple homicide. So, why are you here?"

  "We're not here for just you. But we are going to clean this town up. This little pissant blotch on the map is becoming a focus for Mexican gun running." Meckler swiped the table. "This little gun fight's just the noose we need to wrap you up with."

  Mexican gun running. I remembered the gleaming carbon-steel semi-autos the Scorpions had taken down my crew with. "The Wraiths have nothing to do with that."

  "Oh, no, of course not."

  "Hey," I leaned in on the table. "I'm serious. Did you see the stuff our guys’ bodies were carrying? Why would we be...defending ourselves with that shit if we had Cartel sugar daddies?"

  "Maybe it's you. Maybe it's them. I think -"

  "It's them. They're not gonna use two groups to peddle their shit. That's just grounds for trouble."

  Meckler leaned back, frowning, but the deep kind that comes with thought.

  I pressed on. "Our guys aren't saints. But they're just a bunch of busted men with no hopes and no future. They aren't a vanguard for some Mexican crime lord."

  Then again, Nico was 100% Mexican. I wondered why they hadn't approached him.

  "We'll see," Meckler said. "The truth will come out." He raised an eyebrow.

  "Yeah, it should," I said.

  "Your cooperation in that matter would go quite some way toward repairing your image."

  Our gaze met and an understanding passed from him to me. He was willing to take his pound of flesh from the Scorpions so long as he had the proof in hand. If I didn't know better, I would have considered myself deputized.

  "Can I go now, Agent Meckler?" I asked.

  "Yeah, alright."

  We got up. He stayed in place, but as I went for the door he spoke up.

  "That girl," he said. "Make sure you know what you are doing with her. I don't want to have to pick her up in a body bag."

  "She’ll stay safe," I said. "Don't worry."

  He nodded. I stalked out past the clumsy recruit manning the front and escaped into the sun.

  By the time I walked the short distance to my bike, I had the plan. Meckler and his partner had bigger game in their sights. And oddly enough, none of the sins they were after were truly ours. I'd have to convince Nico, but the thing to do was to help the FBI. To get them someone they could hang.

  Gyro.

  I rode back home formulating the plan, but what kept coming to mind was Meckler's warning about Katie. Putting her in harm's way. She had stumbled there, and I had kept her alive through it. What was I doing now? Housing her with the people who had tried to have her killed?

  If all I cared about was her, then she'd be in a safehouse with Meckler in LA, waiting to testify. Our guys weren't fucking assassins. They wouldn't go after her.

  Sighing's hard with the wind roaring past on a chopper, but I managed somehow. I parked by the others at The Oasis and sank into its depths. It was lunch. I figured I could get some with Katie before pow wowing with Nico.

  Couldn't find her. I searched the booths, checked my bunkhouse. Even waited at the women's room door till some spiky haired chick came out and bared teeth as she caught sight of me.

  Only room for one there. My heart began to pound. I reached instinctively for a spike, but kept it at bay. Denise was in the kitchen and I went to her.

  "Hey honey," she said. "How were the feds? Oh, what's wrong?"

  "Katie. Have you seen her?"

  "Sure."

  She shrugged so slowly. I nudged her forward. "Where is she?"

  "She went to town with Trig a half hour ago."

  I had Trig let me off just at the edge of the district. Near where his club had come roaring into my life.

  "You sure you'll be alright?" he asked.

  He looked deeply concerned behind his facial hair. That vaguely troubled look he wore so often was making it increasingly harder to believe that this was the guy who had been sent to gun me down.

  "I grew up here. I'll be fine."

  He nodded and roared off, deeper into town. He lived not too far from here, he'd mentioned. With a druggie sister. The club was her supply. It was kinda sad, but I wasn't near comfortable enough to share that opinion. Heck, asking for a ride into town itself had been a bit hasty. There were things I needed to get, though, if I was going to stay up at the Oasis. Better sooner than later.

  I found my way to a bus stop. I didn’t fit the demographics for this part of town, but no one seemed to notice or pay me much attention. I thought I saw a few people glance at my neck then look away quickly. Maybe I wasn't as out as place as I'd hoped.

  The bus wound us deep through gridlike streets. Industry cleared out for commerce. I took a transfer and headed for the part of town where I lived. I had an eye out for wanted or missing posters of me, but there were none. I guessed it was far too soon for that. Somewhere by main street, we passed a patrol car, and when the officer driving glanced up through his shades, I quickly grew interested in the inside of the bus. A part of me though - a little part - wanted to turn and see if he knew who I was. I wasn't sure I knew anymore

  Ghost might not approve of me being out here, but I could handle myself. Just cause he had saved my butt didn't mean I was going to hide while he put himself into even more danger. Who knew what the FBI were doing to him right this moment. Would he come back? For all this new confidence I felt, it faltered when I thought about what could happen to him.

  I got off the bus, but wound through my neighborhood towards the back entrance. That was probably safe enough to avoid being recognized. It was midday, and you didn't venture out midday in Gilsner until you had to. I was also hidden under a Wraith's jacket. By the time I clambered onto the back porch, my body was sweaty and uncomfortable enough to probably not look like me.

  I wavered in the kitchen, trying to decide between creeping through the house and getting in and out quickly. It didn't seem likely that anyone would be waiting around for me to show up. I wasn't a suspect or anything. Even if I was being hunted, Ghost had mentioned there were just a couple FBI in town. They couldn't just sit around my house hoping I'd show.

  But they may have bugged the place or something. Or they could have just asked the neighbors to keep an eye for movement. I didn't really know what tools they had. It was better to make sure they didn't have time to put them to use.

  I ran upstairs to my room. My books lay scattered across my bed where I'd left them. It was odd to see how undisturbed my life had been not so long ago. Everything seemed so still and silent. The whole house seemed to echo with the sound of nothing. No wonder Sandy had tried to drag me out whenever possible. It must have always been like this since my parents had died. Being with Ghost and around the bustle of life at The Oasis let me see it with stranger's eyes.

  I worked through the new feeling as I shoved my books into a bookbag. I decided to put some clothes in there too. Ghost had got me a couple tees while we were on the lam, but looks weren't a priority. Especially given how much time I spent not wearing anything.

  Of course, none of my stuff really fit life around the bar either. I couldn't exactly walk into a place full of leather wearing a summer dress. I found room for one anyway. It was an azure blue and I liked the color. I made sensible choices on the rest, settling for more tees, and a few pieces of lingerie that I thought Ghost would enjoy tearing off. I even found a leather skirt that I had gotten god knows when, with the price tag still on. That could go with my new colors.

  The books and the clothes were all I'd come to get, but I lingered, trying to rifle through anything else I had, feeling like I was looking through some collection at a museum. I took a few things from the bathroom, then wandered into the master bedroom. The air felt so thick it might have been solid. I almost never came in here except on my parent's anniversary. It really was a museum exhibit. I paced the bed remembering other times I'd done so on shorter legs. The bedside stands held
photos of the three of us from when I’d still had baby teeth. That seemed appropriate to carry with me, but it didn’t seem right to bring into my new life.

  In the end, the pictures stayed on the dusty stand. I eased their bedroom shut and went back to mine. The backpack threatened to topple me over when I put it on, but it still didn’t seem enough. Half my books still lay on the bed.

  I glanced through one, an exotic animal physiology text that I'd got for an optional class. In my first year at vet tech school, Gilsner had been abloom with the story of Mal Nixon, a rich local crackpot, who had been found to be keeping a live African lion in his mansion. The poor thing had been hidden in a dark basement. They’d tagged it and taken it to a zoo in Phoenix, but not before it killed Nixon and escaped on its own.

  I was deep in my funk back then, but the incident had made me consider working as vet tech in a zoo, something which would have meant leaving Gilsner - completely unthinkable to me at the time. Buying this book had been a mild act of optimism, that one day, I might be in a state to consider it. I flicked through the pages and saw the side view of a lion’s insides. A callout on the page focused on the animal’s eyes. Under the cross-section of the pupil, there was a smaller photo of how they looked looming at you out of the African savannah at night.

  I shivered in the warm air. Twin blue beams looming out of the darkness. Just like Ghost's eyes. More than once it had made him look like a nocturnal predator. Maybe I really was onto something.

  Bio augmentation, he had called what they had done to him. I'd pressed for details but he didn't have them. Just that it was a combination of genetic alterations and direct surgery.

  Suddenly, the purpose of this visit changed. I dumped out half my class books and replaced them with biological ones. Chemistry, medicine, genetics. Forget classes. I was going to figure out what Ghost really was, deep down inside. Someone had to. For this new goal though, my collection was paltry. A vet tech didn't really need all that much detail on the why of how a body worked, just the how. I could get some more at the school library, but fat chance of not being spotted there.