Triple Threat_An MFMM Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  She was an unsung hero, but she was never going to be given the praise that she deserved. Others would stand up and take credit. General Roberts was always trying to make himself appear bigger. He was a man that held very little power behind a desk.

  “I do believe that it’s time to make a grand entrance with my new personal bodyguard. This will show them that things have become serious enough that I’ve taken steps to protect all of us. I do wonder how Bryce is making out with his new assignment. I chose him to join the ranks of my security to limit your interaction with those that would only get on your last nerve.” It was almost a little unnerving how much she knew all of us like the back of her hand.

  “The only thing that is certain in this life is death and taxes. Having me around is a necessary precaution, but nobody is truly safe.” It appeared that my words set off a chain reaction.

  A woman with platinum blond hair suddenly bumped into me, but she was ineffectual at knocking me off my balance. She was a little frazzled, but I could tell that she had the pulse of this company in the palm of her hand. Her name tag said that she was Georgina Mclean and she was Rachel’s head of development.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we just received word that the convoy with General Roberts was attacked. Two of his soldiers are dead and they have been pinned down in front of this building.” I went over to the window and peered to the street level to see a war zone in the making.

  Chapter eighteen

  Bryce

  I was using my gift of conversation on the female contingent of Rachel’s security staff. I was happy to regale them with the stories of my heroism back in the day. There wasn’t one person who wasn't on the edge of their seat listening to my recounting of a battle that had barely gotten any press.

  I was getting to the best part when the windows began to rattle in their frames. The sound made me drop my cup of coffee in mid-swig. I was quite familiar with the sound of explosives and gunfire. I quickly surveyed those in attendance watching for anybody that wasn’t startled by this unusual display of strength.

  The main guy, a soldier built from the hardships of making the tough decisions in the field, didn’t seem all that concerned. Commander Connolly Jones wasn’t wet behind the ears. This was a man who had seen and done it all. Nothing seemed to faze him, but he didn’t allow his middle-age-spread to hamper his ability to lead.

  “It looks like we’re going to have to get dirty boys and girls. The weapons you are holding are not going to cut it. We have an arsenal. I want everybody geared up and ready to go in 1 minute. We need to get eyes on what is happening and figure out the next course of action.” I had made a case with Rachel to immerse myself into the infrastructure of her security staff.

  It took a bit of convincing to make her see that flying under the radar was better than standing out from the crowd. I made her believe it was her idea. I didn’t have the same ice-cold exterior that my brother Caleb did. I was more personable and socially accepted. It came easy to me, like breathing.

  The battle gear was state of the art and I found all the deadly toys that those of the military would appreciate. The black helmet had bulletproof glass, and the body armor was lightweight and maneuverable.

  “I’ve read your file and I want you center stage. Everything I have learned about you is nothing compared to what I see in your eyes. I don’t have time to second guess your decisions. You are to determine what needs to be done when you get on the scene. I will be busy protecting this company’s assets from those determined to get their greedy little hands on proprietary research.” Commander Connolly stated brusquely. He wanted up to date reports every 20-minutes, but I could tell that he respected me enough not to micromanage.

  “I’m going to need four of our best in the thick of things with me. We need to make a perimeter and close in on the perpetrators before they can gain a stranglehold.” I had three in mind and one that had come downstairs.

  The suit he was wearing looked like a second skin he didn’t want any part of.

  “You have full control over what team members you want right there beside you. My team has already been handpicked and you have your choice of those ready to take your orders. We’re going to be the last line of defense, but I hope that won’t be necessary. I’m glad to have you on board. Your reputation is one of legendary status. I use some of your training missions that aren’t redacted to drill my soldiers into a finely-honed killing machines,” he stated with his arms behind his back and authority in his words.

  He was a man that didn’t look for the pat on the back. What he had gone through molded him into the man standing before me. I contemplated what he was saying, reflecting on his background.

  He appeared to be at ease, but I had heard about how he had lost his battalion a few years ago during a skirmish in Baghdad. That would have followed him back to his civilian life. How could it not?

  He was the only survivor and managed to make his way back to base with a bullet wound to his shoulder and inner thigh. He was dragging a 200-pound weight over his shoulder. The man he had pulled from the cold hand of death had died on the table during a 4-hour surgery to remove a bullet from his spine.

  I motioned for three of the loyal followers that had shown me potential on my very first day. Two were women with adventurous spirits and a never say die attitude. Lynn and Rebecca spoke their own language that nobody understood. They both had the uncanny ability to precisely bring down a target with no wasted motion. Their black as night hair made them appear to be sisters.

  The other guy was Randal, a seasoned professional that had three tours of duty under his belt. His stoic expression reminded me of Caleb. His short-cut brown hair was nothing compared to the muscles rippling under his shirt. There were moments of civility where he actually cracked a smile, but it was rare to see him lower his guard.

  I didn’t like the idea of Rachel picking up arms, but to stop her would have taken a lot more than twisting her arm. My team was assembled. Caleb didn’t even bother putting on the battle armor, but he did have the good sense to put on a flak jacket.

  Commander Connolly was directing his team to the back of the building to secure the area. It was almost second nature and I saw his leadership being given the respect that he had earned. My team was on the hunt, fanning out the front of the building and avoiding detection by keeping low behind those vehicles they could use for cover.

  Caleb was right beside me with this hunter mentality and his finger on the trigger, ready to exact justice for those soldiers who paid the ultimate price. Two bodies were lying motionless by one of the lead vehicles.

  “Stay behind me, you know I wouldn’t hear the end of it if anything happened to you. Make no mistake about it, this is a war and we need to treat it as such. Giving them an inch will only allow them to take a mile.” I heard return fire from seemingly nowhere peppering the vehicle with the General in it.

  “We both know somebody needs to lay down cover fire. I can sneak up on those responsible better than anybody. Show me the courtesy of giving me some room to breathe. I don’t want you to mistake what I’m doing for bravery. Any soldier will tell you that fighting is not a choice.”

  I gave him the cover fire and was joined by Rachel with her gun drawn. We both watched Caleb dance through the reign of bullets. I verified the shots were coming from the building across the street. They had lain in wait. It was the perfect vantage point for an ambush. Caleb’s approach was haphazard with no discernible rhythm to his madness.

  “I will never get over how he doesn’t even think twice about running into danger. I wish that I had his courage, but that could also be some kind of death wish. It’s my fervent hope that he’s not trying to punish himself for past misdeeds done to protect the freedoms of others.” Rachel seemed impressed by Caleb’s fortitude, with tears welling up in her eyes that she wiped away with the back of her hand.

  He used a silencer to breach the building, shattering the glass and running straight through it with hi
s arms out to shield him from possible injury. He was immediately fired upon by the front desk clerk. I watched mesmerized by the way that he slid across the floor on his belly with his gun firing quick spits that sent the man careening over the desk

  “We need to keep moving. Worrying about Caleb is counterproductive. He will live because he’s too damn stubborn to give death the satisfaction of dragging him straight to hell,” I said with my mind a steel trap determined to see this through to the end. It was how I was built.

  I was building him up and hoping that he was going to exceed my expectations.

  I didn’t know how many assailants were on the roof putting us in a shooting gallery where we didn’t know where the next bullet was going to come from. I would be continually moving to limit the possibilities of somebody getting a bead on me from staying in a stationary position.

  Those soldiers guarding the General never blinked, and were behind the vehicle putting up a good fight. The General was a pencil pusher and he made no effort to join the fight on his own behalf. He stayed sequestered in the vehicle, banking on the armor plates to keep the bullets with his name on it from finding him.

  “I can’t see what happened to Caleb.” Rachel didn’t know him like I did.

  I didn’t have the luxury of putting myself in his shoes, but the way he handled himself in that building where the odds were against him was inspiring. The man knew the fine art of being stealthy when the only thing that mattered was that they couldn’t see him coming.

  “He has the nine lives of a cat and don’t ask how many he has already used up. Nobody ever knows when their time is up. It’s what we do when we are still living that leaves behind something that we can be proud of. We have dedicated our lives to the sanctity of life. We don’t need anybody patting us on the back for a job well done.” I crawled under a vehicle with pieces of asphalt exploding inches from my face.

  It was a good thing I was wearing the helmet. Those pieces ricocheted off the glass leaving very little scarring. I had my hand over Rachel, but she was also wearing the very same helmet protecting her from the danger of shrapnel in any form.

  I could see down the block how the police had cordoned off the area but were reluctant to come any closer when unseen forces were firing indiscriminately at innocent bystanders. The only person that was going to level the odds was Caleb. It would’ve been nice to be right beside him, but I had my own history to write.

  “I’ve gotten too personally invested in your lives to let them be snuffed out prematurely. I want you to treat me like anybody else in your platoon. I will know if you are giving me preferential treatment. This company is my baby and I will protect it with all the resources at my disposal,” she stated with her eyes narrowed to make me see her conviction.

  The only big difference was that this was happening in broad daylight. They were taking a huge risk of being spotted by a helicopter that was just arriving on the scene. It was a news copter and it was taking fire moments after they started recording for public consumption.

  A very thick black smoke came out of the back, and the engine sounded like a sick puppy on its last legs. It veered over to a residential area, and the crash was deafening with a huge billow of flames shooting into the sky. They had gone down.

  Chapter nineteen

  Rachel

  Bryce was currently directing traffic, with the three soldiers under his command moving closer to the building where the gunfire was coming from. I saw an opening and I ran through it to the front door of the building that Caleb had just gone through.

  I approached the desk and looked over to see this man lying sprawled half on the floor with his legs on top of the chair. His eyes were wide open. I placed my hands on his lids and closed them in a sign of respect. I wasn’t going to think about the circumstances surrounding our unfortunate meeting.

  The elevator was out of order for maintenance after the bomb scare. The door to the stairs was slightly ajar. Everything was more than met the eye. I had to be very careful not to find myself ensnared in some kind of trap. I took a few steps, testing the possibility of somebody waiting to draw me into their sights.

  I made it five floors when I was accosted by Caleb who somehow got the drop on me from behind.

  “The fact that I caught you off guard should tell you that you don’t have the military training for this kind of work. Go back and leave this to the professionals. I can’t be worrying about your safety,” he said with his hands on my back.

  I was pleased that he wanted to protect me, but annoyed that he, of all people, was treating me like I couldn’t take care of myself. I nudged him in the ribs hard enough to hear him wheezing through clenched teeth. It made me happy to see his discomfort, but I tried to hide the pleasure by zeroing my eyes in defiance.

  “Need I remind you that I can take care of myself? I don’t need a man to act with the chauvinistic tendency to protect me from any harm. You can go it alone, but I will only follow you. Working together is far better than seeing you face this enemy by yourself. This time it won’t be one lone gunman or enforcers from the mob. These guys mean business and have taken it upon themselves to go after the General.” I crossed my arms crossed defiantly, and refused to budge despite his stern look.

  He was teasing me with how he was playing the injured party by rubbing the very spot my elbow had made contact with.

  “I know a losing battle when I see one. Take my advice to heart and go back from where you came from. Don’t make the foolish choice of putting your life in danger for no reason. I can handle this. I’m better off on my own.” He was trying his best and he was certainly giving me something to think about.

  “Thinking about it only gets in the way of what has to be done. I will be your shadow and only intervene when I feel it’s absolutely necessary. Those are the only assurances you are going to get from me. Are we going to talk about this all day or give those soldiers on the front line a fighting chance? One of those soldiers is your brother. I would think you would want all the help that you can get to bring this to a swift end.”

  He was shaking his head and I could feel that he was in a tight spot with no surefire way of getting what he wanted.

  “I hope I don’t regret this. I’m not usually accustomed to people having my back. Don’t make the mistake of splitting up. We are stronger together.” He was moving at a brisk pace and not bothering to check each floor. We knew exactly where the danger was coming from.

  “I’m surprised that they came after me right where I live. They could’ve easily followed me home and taken me where there was little chance of anybody coming to my rescue. I feel like I’m missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on. Perhaps you have some insights that I haven’t thought about.”

  He had a one-track mind, but he did stop for a moment to contemplate what I was saying.

  “The building was evacuated, leaving a small contingent of elite soldiers to fight the good fight when everything else is lost. Come to think if it, Commander Connolly had handpicked those that he was going to use as the last line of defense. I want to check something, but not until we deal with this menace.” We came to the roof access and there was one man clad in black with a rifle and a scope over the side taking aim.

  “I know this is going to be distasteful, but you need to immobilize him before he can get a shot off. I will leave that to your discretion in how you go about that,” I said quietly, "and it should be done in such a way that this man will not be able to alert the others to our presence."

  “I can’t… I can’t shoot him in the back. He’s a soldier, and to die without even seeing your enemy is unconscionable in my eyes.” Caleb was trying to sneak up on the enemy, but the small rocks making up the roof made it virtually impossible.

  The man turned with his gun ready with the cold lead in the cartridge. He didn’t get a chance to fire and dropped with barely any sound. The bullet that killed him went through his neck, cutting off his vocal cords and his ability to call for
assistance.

  I walked up to touch Caleb on the shoulder, thankful that he didn’t turn and render me unconscious with a single blow to the head. His eyes narrowed into a frozen stare at the man that was determined to do him harm.

  He blinked back into focus, taking a firm stance with the barrel of his gun still smoking after being fired. He swallowed, and I could tell the burden of responsibility was heavy on his shoulders. Caleb’s stone-cold demeanor wavered slightly, but he didn’t become a casualty of this unspoken war against me.

  Caleb sprinted across the roof with me hot on his tail to give him the added benefit of my backup when needed.

  There was another one leaning over the edge with this black balaclava over his face, and a pair of glasses to prevent the glare of the sun from making it impossible for him to take a shot.

  “I’m going to have to do this up close and personal. Stay close, but don’t do anything unless I signal you. I need to drag him away from the edge without the other one seeing what is going on.” Caleb very carefully took a few tentative steps, deliberately attempting to keep his enemy unaware of his presence until it was too late.

  My finger was shaking on the trigger and I had to control my flight instinct by breathing deeply. I was forcing myself to stand my ground and to do otherwise would only encourage my guilt. It would choke me to death in the middle of the night. I was never going to be able to live with myself had I been able to prevent Caleb’s untimely demise.

  I was watching with intense interest as he meticulously got a little closer one step at a time. Caleb was soon standing behind him, completely still, with the gun from his enemy bucking each time it went off.

  With the speed of a ninja, he put his hand over the man’s mouth and he grabbed the stock of the gun and placed it underneath his chin cutting off his air supply.