Phoenix (The Bellator Saga Book 4) Read online

  Phoenix

  Part Four in the

  Bellator Saga

  Cecilia London

  © 2016, Cecilia London/Principatum Publishing

  [email protected]

  Cover art by Luminos Graphic House

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher, with the exception of excerpts for reviews and blog postings.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  End of Part Four

  Acknowledgements

  The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.

  Miguel de Cervantes

  “Maybe another quarter mile,” Gig called out.

  Caroline wiped her brow. “Good thing. I’m about to die.”

  Jones grinned. “Four hundred yards to glory, Princess.”

  She wasn’t nearly as hopeful as he was. “I just want a place to sit down.”

  Gabe turned around to wave at them. “I can see it!” he yelled. “I can see it!”

  They picked up their pace, eager to arrive at their final destination. Jones was panting as he ran. “You ready to put on a performance?” he asked.

  All that buildup and all their hope was resting on Caroline’s ability to get them onto the base without being shot or arrested first. “I sure as hell hope so.”

  Chapter One

  Jack McIntyre wasn’t a particularly religious man, yet every night for the past year he’d gotten down on his knees and prayed for what he thought was impossible. For strength because his was fading. For peace because he would never find it. For hope because he had none left. And for one other thing, the thing he’d never receive because God knew better than to answer him. He never deserved the love he had and was destined to spend his remaining years alone.

  His miracle had come, though he had no logical explanation for it. He thought his prayers were fruitless, that he’d been tilting at spiritual windmills, but it had finally come. Caroline was alive. His wife was alive. And she was in his arms. He held onto her tightly, convinced that if he let go she’d disappear. But she was here. With him. She was real.

  “You’re safe, baby,” he whispered. “Please don’t cry.”

  Jack kissed her forehead, then realized she wasn’t moving. He pulled back. She was out cold. He pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was beating steadily and he breathed a sigh of relief. He cradled her in his arms, checking her pulse again. Her nose was starting to swell and her cheek was turning a disturbing shade of purple. Goddammit. He should have gotten her medical attention sooner.

  He wiped his eyes, aware that he too had shed a few tears. He turned to one of the soldiers in the room, many of whom were giving him baffled looks.

  “Rosen, you and the others find the men she came here with. Have them meet me in the infirmary.” He needed to raise his voice. He didn’t sound nearly as authoritative as he needed to. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. “Garcia, stay here.”

  “Yes, sir.” Rosen motioned to the other rebels and they were out the door.

  Jack took a peek at Caroline. He suspected she might not wake up for a while. Buchanan had clocked her good but he wasn’t going to think about that. Maybe later, when he was doling out new assignments.

  Garcia turned to him. “Sir, do you need any help?”

  Jack stood up with Caroline still wrapped in his arms. She was bony. If he hadn’t seen her display her physical strength he would have thought her frail. She weighed significantly less than she had before, but he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on the reasons why. He was in good shape, he was more than strong enough to carry her, and he wasn’t about to let her out of his sight.

  “No,” he said. “Find your own date.”

  “Sir, what should I tell Schroeder? About the data update?”

  Jack had forgotten his assistant had scheduled an intelligence briefing for that afternoon. But he’d gotten sidetracked by a wild woman pointing a firearm at his head.

  “Tell him to meet me in the infirmary.” He smiled. “Make sure he knows I’ll be with my wife.”

  Garcia had a hard time keeping a straight face despite his mandate to obey orders. “It’s really her?”

  Jack laughed. The idea sounded unreal to him. “Spread the word that she and the men she came here with are to be accepted without question.”

  Garcia resumed his proper posture but still sported a grin. “Yes, sir.”

  * * * * *

  The medical complex at Camp Pendleton had been converted when the rebels arrived; it was half law enforcement facility, half hospital. The soldiers training for interrogation and other screening tactics often beat the crap out of each other during their exercises, so it made sense. Although Jack sometimes wondered if it made it too easy for them to test their boundaries; they could drag their comrades down the hall whenever they took things too far.

  When he walked into the waiting area he caught sight of four anxious looking men standing next to his assistant, and it didn’t take much to figure out who they were.

  An African American man ran over, his fists clenched. “What the fuck, man? Did you do this? I knew we shoulda stayed with her.” He looked ready to punch Jack in the face.

  “Calm down, Jonesie.” A man with blond hair grabbed his shoulder, but he sounded a little upset too. “That’s her husband. The person who’s probably in charge here,” he said.

  The other man took a step back. “I thought you were dead,” he told Jack, as his companions shot him annoyed looks. “I mean, sorry, sir.”

  Jack glanced over at Schroeder, who shook his head. His assistant didn’t look too happy to be assigned the task of handling these new arrivals. Jack made a point of remembering to give him an afternoon off soon to make up for it. The man was the best employee he’d ever had.

  “Sir,” Schroeder said, gesturing at the first man. “This is Marcus Jones.”

  “Don’t call me that,” Jones said.

  “Marcus Jones,” Schroeder repeated. He pointed at the blond man and the two others in turn. “Gabe Morto
n, Sebastian Rodriguez, and Steven Gigowski.”

  Jack wasn’t about to make chitchat. Not when he had more important things to do. “If you gentlemen will give me a minute, I’d really like to get Caroline some medical treatment. I’ll come back and speak with you later.”

  “No problem,” Gigowski said. “We’ll wait here.”

  Jack walked into one of the empty treatment rooms and laid Caroline down on the examining table. There weren’t many staff on duty and he quickly found the only doctor in the building. She was in the process of treating Buchanan. Jack tried not to look at the portly man, fearing his temper would get the best of him.

  “Dr. Haddad, I have a priority patient for you,” he announced.

  She practically jumped out of her shoes. Maybe he should have knocked on the door first. Her head shot over to him. “I’m almost done here, sir.”

  “That can wait, Natalie. This is much more important.”

  She turned to Buchanan. “We’ll have to wait a few days for the swelling to go down. If you need to be wired shut, we’ll figure it out.”

  He’d used her first name for a reason, and she’d taken the hint. He’d have to thank her later. Jack beckoned her to follow him into the treatment room. Caroline lay on the table motionless and he reached over and took her hand. Natalie gave him a quizzical look.

  “Mrs. McIntyre-” His voice caught in his throat. “My wife came in here with four other men today,” he said.

  Natalie approached the table. “Oh my.”

  Jack squeezed Caroline’s hand. “Buchanan backhanded her after they got into a scuffle. She stayed conscious for a bit but passed out and hasn’t come to. She probably has a broken nose and a fractured cheekbone and maybe a concussion-” He heard his voice shaking, and stopped.

  “She looks different,” Natalie said, straightening Caroline out and taking her pulse. “I mean, I never really met her but…”

  The good doctor was doubting him? “It’s definitely her.”

  “Take it easy, Jack. I believe you. I just – wow.”

  “I don’t know what she went through in that prison. I have no idea what she’s been doing since then. I can’t-” The words started pouring out of him. “She looks like she just walked out of a concentration camp and her facial structure has changed along with God knows what else. Buchanan hit her really hard. I don’t know how she stayed conscious for as long as she did. And I don’t know the last time Caroline saw a competent doctor, it might have been almost two years, so if you could-”

  Natalie let go of Caroline’s wrist and put her hand on his shoulder. “Jack, it’s okay.”

  He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. He doubted this was the last time he’d turn into a rambling mess. But he had to keep those outbursts to a minimum. “It’s been a strange day.”

  “I’ll bet,” she said. “A lot of peculiar things happen around here, but it’s not every day a dead woman comes walking through the door. I’ll get her x-rayed and have the techs run some tests. It might be best if you’re not in here.”

  Was she serious? Dr. Haddad was the closest thing to a friend he had on the base. After everything that had happened, after everything he’d told her about his relationship with Caroline, after seeing the condition his wife was in…she was ordering him to leave the room? Fuck no.

  “I’m staying in here,” he said.

  “No,” she said. “Wait outside.”

  He clenched his fists. “You have to be kidding me.”

  She pursed her lips. “I can’t bend the rules on this, not even for you. She’s safe with me. You know that.”

  “I’m not leaving,” he said.

  Natalie rubbed her chin. He’d seen her do that before, right before she started in on a lecture. Jack held his breath and waited.

  “Do you trust me?” she asked.

  What a stupid question. Out of all the people on the base, she was the only one he’d brought into his confidence. And damn it all to hell, she was tricking him.

  “Yes,” he said quietly.

  “Then trust me with her. You know you can. Let me do my job.” Natalie gave him another hard look. “Commander.”

  He could override her. She couldn’t stop him. If he wanted to stay, she’d capitulate. Was it worth the battle? Certainly he could stand a few more hours after a year of separation. And if waiting got to be too much, he’d barge the fuck back in there. Jack sighed. “I hate when the doctors around here pull that crap. Fine. I’ll go. I have to talk to those men she brought here anyway.”

  Natalie patted him on the back. “I think that’s best. I’ll find you as soon as I get any results.” She smiled slightly. “This is going to sound incredibly unprofessional, but if it makes you feel any better, she fractured Buchanan’s jaw.” The smile grew a bit wider. “And might have rendered him sterile.”

  He coughed so he wouldn’t laugh. “That’s a shame.”

  “If she did that, she can’t be that bad off, can she?” Natalie squeezed his hand. “She’s safe now. You’ll have plenty of time to catch up with her later.”

  “If you don’t come out with an update in fifteen minutes I’m coming back in.”

  “Not an issue.”

  Jack looked over at Caroline a final time. It broke his heart to walk out that door but Natalie would do everything in her power to make his wife well. “Please take care of her,” he whispered.

  Natalie smiled at him. “I’ll step up my game, just for you.”

  “All right, then,” he said, and brushed a kiss across Caroline’s hair before walking out the door.

  Chapter Two

  Captain Schroeder looked like he’d swallowed something distasteful. Maybe Jack had to do more than just give him an afternoon off. He’d force the kid to take a vacation but there weren’t many opportunities for soldiers to relax. Once you signed up, you got your pay and your food and your occasional days off, but there weren’t any jaunts to the beach or day trips to Los Angeles. Schroeder did best when he was buried in work so Jack delegated everything he could to the man.

  With such a capable assistant, Jack could spend his days brooding in his office pretending that he knew what he was doing. No one had caught on yet, and no one had pushed him. But now he had something to look forward to. Something to focus on. Someone to help him.

  He wanted to run back into the examining room but he promised Natalie he wouldn’t. So he’d have to distract himself until he was allowed back inside.

  The four men who’d arrived with Caroline didn’t look like much. Jack wondered how they’d all gotten there in one piece. It was hard to cross the border into California; he’d had to plan for weeks and use every sneaky tactic available to swing down from Vancouver into the northern part of the state. That part of his life was such a blur. He didn’t like thinking about that journey. Especially since he’d made it alone.

  Jack approached the blond man and extended his hand. “Mr. Morton?”

  “Gabe,” he said. “If that’s okay, sir. I’m not sure anyone else goes by their given name except for me.” He pointed toward his companions. “That’s Gig, Jonesie, and Crunch.”

  They appeared polite enough, but Jack wasn’t about to cuddle up to these men just yet. Not when he wasn’t sure of their motives. He definitely preferred last names for the time being, but it didn’t hurt to put his new arrivals at ease. “That’s fine.”

  Morton gestured toward the examining room. “Is she gonna be okay?”

  Jack hoped so. “The doctors are taking a look at her now. In the meantime, I need you to answer some questions.”

  “I’ll do what I can but you don’t want to know how we got her out of that place.”

  The guy was quick on the uptake but Jack wasn’t about to let the topic die. “Were any laws broken?”

  “Yes.”

  “Laws that might actually serve a legitimate purpose?”

  “Yes.”

  Well, didn’t that sound completely fucked up. But his wife was alive. If they�
��d killed a thousand people to get her back to him, he didn’t care. “You’re right,” Jack said. “I don’t want to know.” He turned toward the other men. “I appreciate what you did for Caroline. It will not be forgotten. Has Captain Schroeder had a chance to answer any questions you might have?”

  Schroeder stepped forward. “They need quarters, sir. Should I set that up?”

  Jack hated logistics. “Put them up in one of the larger vacant apartments. We’ll figure out permanent assignments by tomorrow morning.”

  “Can we get our stuff back? Our knapsacks?” Jones asked.

  The other men glared at him again. Normally Jack would find such an attitude annoying, but he kind of liked this guy. He raised an eyebrow. “They haven’t been returned to you?”

  “No, sir,” Gigowski said. “If it’s possible, I’d like our weapons back. They were from my personal collection.”

  “Those will go into the rebellion’s collective supply,” Jack said. “I’m sorry about that, but it’s policy. If you complete training and one of your weapons is still available, you can claim it as your own.”

  Gigowski didn’t look too happy about that, but nodded his head. “Understood.”

  Rodriguez nudged Jones in the arm. “You okay with that, man? I know how attached you were to that pretty little Smith and Wesson.”

  “Fuck you, Crunch,” Jones said, before glancing over at Jack again. “Are we allowed to curse, sir?”

  Caroline’s travel companions had equal amounts of moxie and mirth. And those nicknames Morton had mentioned – Jonesie. Crunch. Gig. Had they given one to her too? Jack smiled. “Yes, Mr. Jones. We have rules but have yet to prohibit profanity. I assume most of the troops curse me on a daily basis.”

  “I may abuse that policy a lot.” Jones threw Jack a grin but it faded when he saw Buchanan walking toward them. He’d clearly made the connection between the man with the facial splint and the unconscious woman in the room across the hall. He took a step toward Buchanan, who looked a little scared. Perhaps he’d made the connection too.