Harder (The Unit #3) Read online

  His touch made her feel uncomfortable. Why wouldn’t he want to talk in the café? She stopped and turned, placing her hand on his chest. He was a muscular man. She could tell he took care of himself. Maybe he didn’t drink caffeine. Then why choose a café for a meeting? Why not a museum? That was her favorite place to meet. She could record the conversation and all the while people thought they were there looking at the artwork.

  “I don’t really feel comfortable getting in your car with you. You must understand, Mr. Weimar, it’s not you. I’ve just had a hell of a bad couple of months. Let’s go back to our seats,” she said as she started past him.

  “Really, Ms. Bakas,” he exclaimed, “I must insist. If you want what I know, you’ll come to my car.”

  “How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

  “You must trust me.”

  “That’s a little hard for me to do given who you work for.”

  “Mr. Barone mustn’t scare you. He doesn’t even know I’m here. If he did, I’d be dead. We both would.”

  “Still, let’s sit at the table and allow me to get to know you for a bit before we get in your car,” Jules all but begged.

  “Okay, but we can’t sit long. This needs to be over before anyone finds out I’m gone.”

  Jules and Mr. Weimar returned to their original spot, and Jules started to question him.

  Mr. Weimar gave her intel. Nervously, Mr. Weimar looked at his watch. “We must really go to my car now. I can’t be gone much longer.”

  She pulled out her phone. “Let me just give Tony a quick text.”

  “I really must insist we go. Now. Don’t look, but I have my gun pointed at you under the table. Now, up you go. Head toward the kitchen. I’ll be right behind you.”

  And right behind her he was, gun pushed into the side of her back. They made their way quickly through the building and got to the door at the exact time an explosion sent her flying down the steps. She landed on the pavement of the alleyway.

  “Get up,” Mr. Weimar, or whatever his name was, demanded.

  Jules struggled, but the blast really did a number on her. Her face hurt from landing on it. Her knees were scraped up from being pushed against the pavement.

  “There,” he motioned toward his vehicle. “See it? Get in.”

  Not this again. She knew Barone wanted her. What she hadn’t realized was that Barone wanted her enough to kill innocent people. Luckily, she couldn’t see how bad the damage had been. Her nostrils burned on the smell of smoking flesh. Mr. Weimar shoved her in the front seat of the car and zip tied her hand to the door. Then he rounded the antique Chevelle and got in.

  “Please tell me where you are taking me. Do you still plan on giving me information?” She knew the last question was stupid. He was there to kidnap her for the third time in how many months. This time, Tony wouldn’t know to look for her. He would think she was dead. He would be devastated. As the Chevelle traveled down the alleyway, Jules still tried to garner information.

  “Where are we going? Are you taking me to Barone himself? I’ve wanted to talk to him,” she said with an upturn of the corner of her mouth.

  A few blocks later, the Chevelle turned onto Main Street and made a left turn in the opposite direction of Tony. He would never know she was alive, but he would risk his life taking down Barone. She just knew it. She knew him. He would make it his life’s mission, especially if he thought her dead. She looked out the car window and reminisced over this morning. Being wrapped in Tony’s strong arms, she felt safe and loved. She lamented over the kisses and touches she would never feel again. Barone meant to torture her and make her beg for death. Only then would he kill her. Otherwise, he would have just blown her up in the café.

  It hit her. Tony thinks I’m dead. And she began to weep softly for the love of her life going through the pain and agony of her death. Thinking that it couldn’t hurt, she sent positive thoughts to him, hoping to communicate with him because of their deep connection and love. She felt silly, but what other option did she have? Tony. I’m alive. Please find me before it’s too late.

  Tears rolled silently down her cheeks. She knew what fate awaited her, but she wasn’t frightened for herself. No, she was frightened for Tony. She could handle the pain. Then and there, she swore to never beg to die, no matter what the bastard did to her. She could handle pain. After all, she had her fingernails removed by the terrorists and “Barone” carved into her flesh by Frankie. She could handle whatever awaited her.

  She must have lost track of time, because before she knew it, they were pulling into a large farm. Of course, there was armed security at the large, iron gate. The guard waved them through, and Mr. Weimar parked the car in the circular driveway. He got out and opened her door. After cutting the zip tie, he grabbed hold of her upper arm and dragged her out of the car.

  “How about I finally let you meet the great Mr. Barone,” Mr. Weimar said to her with a smirk.

  The Unit pulled up to the outskirts of the farm. It was located in the middle of nowhere, so finding a spot to pull into the woods wasn’t hard. They got out of the SUV and put on their bulletproof vests. They slung their AK-47s over their shoulders and placed their Sig P222s in their side arm holsters. Rob even grabbed three grenades and put them into his CCW Breakaways. His pants had the perfect number of pockets to hold the grenades.

  Once they were loaded with gear, they took care to hide the vehicle. The men set about breaking off large, leafy branches for camouflage. When they were done, one would have to be right on top of the SUV to know it was there. There was no way anyone would spot it from the road.

  Rob came to the front of the vehicle where the others were prepping their attack. They weren’t going in completely blind. Rob had a handheld thermal imaging device. That would at least give them the number of men they were facing. “I calculate about one mile.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for? I want that bastard dead,” Tony spat.

  Tyrrell looked up from tying his boot. “Patience, man. We’ll get him.” Tyrrell stood. “Comm. check.”

  “Copy,” Tony verified his earpiece was functional. Then he took the lead. “Let’s go.”

  The Unit hiked through the forest, hugging the road. They wanted to conceal their arrival, yet at the same time, they wanted to see who was coming and going. Tony pushed through the brush then raised his hand in a fist. The others halted behind him. “Car.”

  Rob crouched to avoid detection. “It’s probably from the farm. After all, that’s the only structure out here for miles and miles.”

  Tony released his fist after the car passed, and they started their hike again. The terrain was hilly and boulders lined the side of the road. “We can take defensive positions from these boulders if we have to.” Michael grabbed hold of Tony’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  “Man, it’s all I can think about. I’d say I’m obsessed with killing Barone. You saw Jules’s torso. ‘Barone’ was carved into her skin. When I think about the pain that bastard put her through and what he’s doing to her now…”

  Rob cautioned, “Tony, we don’t know if she is alive.”

  “I know she is. I can feel her. We have a deep connection. A very strong bond. I would feel if she left this earth.”

  “So, you didn’t turn it all off?” Michael climbed over the boulder that lay in front of him.

  “If I turned it all off, then I wouldn’t be able to feel her presence. I know she’s alive. And what’s worse, I know Barone has her. She told me that Barone’s men said he wouldn’t stop torturing her until she begged for death. Only then would he kill her. I know my Jules is strong. I just hope she’s strong enough to handle what he dishes out until we get there. Double time.” Tony picked up the pace. They only passed one car on the way. In no time, they came up to the guard’s station, which was a good half-mile from the farmhouse. However, it wasn’t a farmhouse they were looking at but an exquisite estate with a manicured lawn and groomed bushes framing the p
lace. They stopped.

  Rob pulled out his thermal imaging device and aimed it in the guards’ direction. “There are five of them at the guards’ station. How do you want to play this?”

  “Let’s just start shooting and see what happens,” Tony quipped.

  “You know we have to take the guards silently to avoid a shitstorm raining down on us. We have no idea how many of Barone’s men are on his compound. Michael, did you bring your suppressor for your rifle?” Tyrrell asked.

  “Of course.” Michael produced the suppressor from his pants pocket and held it up with a devious grin.

  “Okay, let’s get Michael to take them out one at a time until they notice us.”

  After attaching the suppressor, Michael crawled on top of the large boulder and examined the scene through his scope. “I’m going to take out the one in the guardhouse first.” Michael exhaled and squeezed the trigger, and then watched the man go down. “One down, four to go.”

  Next, Michael aimed for the man standing in the back of their four-man formation, so as not to alert the other men to the gunshot. Although he wasn’t dressed in a camouflage ghillie suit, he felt confident behind the boulder. The other men stayed behind the boulder as well, peeking around it to see what was going down. Lining up his shot, he adjusted the bearings on his scope two clicks to the left. Down went the guard in the back. One man turned to see what the sound was, and that’s when all hell broke loose. He grabbed the dead guard and dragged him into the guardhouse.

  The remaining three men gathered in the brick guardhouse as well. There was a window on the front, which Michael could see directly into. He squeezed. Another man went down. Too bad they couldn’t tell what the other two men were doing. Were they calling for reinforcements? They didn’t see anybody running.

  Tony stepped out from behind the boulder. “Cover me.” He ran from the tree line to the guardhouse. A man stepped aside and was immediately taken down by Michael’s fire. Tony made it to the outside of the building and pressed his body flush against the side. He could take down the last man.

  “I repeat. Four men are down,” Tony heard the man say into his radio. Taking a deep breath, Tony stepped into the doorway and came face to face with a pistol. He raised his hands as if in defeat. “I have one here. Looks military.”

  The man had a hard time getting the word military out as Tony kicked the gun from his hand. It went flying into the dirt road. Tony wrestled the man to the ground and straddled him. Then he let him have it with blow after blow to his face. Tony heard two cracks when he brought his fist to meet the man’s face.

  With a hip toss, the man managed to get out from underneath Tony and quickly switched their positions. Tony raised his fists in a defensive gesture when the man brought his fist up, but instead of taking a swing at Tony, he used his forearm to wipe the blood out of his eyes. Big mistake. Tony punched him square in the throat. The man lost his breath and tumbled to the ground.

  Using zip ties, Tony secured the unconscious man’s hands to the leg post of a built-in desk.

  “We’re under attack,” the radio crackled. Tony quickly snatched it up. Now he had some way of knowing what was going on inside. Tony peeked around the corner of the guardhouse, but didn’t see anyone coming. “All the guards are down. Let’s get Barone to the safe room.”

  So, Barone was there.

  Tony waved his hand in the air, motioning all-clear for the Unit. Tyrrell, Rob, and Michael crossed the road and made it to Tony in five long strides.

  “Are you okay?” Rob asked, examining Tony’s face.

  “I’m fine. And looky what I’ve got.” Tony waved the radio at them. “They’re taking Barone to a safe room.”

  “Any chatter about a hostage.”

  Tony looked at Tyrrell. That was the bad news. No one mentioned the hostage. It didn’t matter; Tony would find her if it took his last breath to do so. “Let’s breach the house.”

  Michael aimed the HID at the house. “I see three on the top floor, two on the main floor, but it can’t see underground. From what we’ve gathered, he likes to be well protected. He wouldn’t be here with only five men. Either there are men underground or Barone’s not here.

  “I don’t have to remind you what’s at stake.” Tony didn’t wait for their response. He jogged to the house and took cover flush against it.

  “Tony, we’re here with you. We’ll get her out safe,” Michael assured him as he came to stand next to Tony.

  “Good. I needed to hear that. She’s my world, man.”

  “I know. I know how you feel. And better yet, Rob knows how you feel. But Rob lost Lizzie. If Jules is alive, we’ll get her back to you. Safe and sound.”

  “But what have they already done to her?” Tony asked, deflated.

  The strange electrical current zipped through Jules’s body. One of Barone’s men had a Taser and was at her every ten minutes. She would just recover only to be zapped again. “Please stop. I’ll tell you whatever it is you want to know.”

  She couldn’t take any more. She had been tased half a dozen times and was weak. Her hands felt like they were pulling from their sockets as she hung by a rope from the ceiling of the basement with her tiptoes barely touching the ground.

  Instead of answering, the man zapped her again. Only this time, it left her unconscious.

  “I have a bad feeling,” Tony said as he stealthily descended the steps into the basement. Luckily, the entrance to the basement was on the outside of the main house. If they could make their way in undetected and take out the five men, including Barone, then they could find Jules and bring her to safety—if she was still alive. Tony shook his head. He knew she was. He could feel her presence like a palpable energy.

  The others stood behind Tony, who had his lock-picking tools out as he attempted to breach the door. Unfortunately, the security was that good; he was unable to do it. So much for their silent entrance.

  Tony removed some explosive from his pocket and pressed it against the door so that it stuck. He then went about setting the detonator. When everything was ready to go, he ordered the men to the top of the stairs. He remembered the last time this was done. They had lost a man with Homeland Security. He wasn’t about to lose one of his brothers. “Take cover.”

  There was a loud explosion that blew the door off its hinges. Tony rushed down the stairs through the smoke of the explosion with his brothers following closely. They entered into what appeared to be a den. It was set up with recliners for watching movies, and one wall was nothing but a white screen. It was plush and stately with a masculine feeling to it. This must be where Barone entertained at times. There was a full-size keg master sitting in the corner. At the other end of the room was a door.

  He heard it before he felt it, the rapid fire of an assault rifle firing through the door. The men hit the ground and waited for the shooting to cease. Once it did, they fired back through the door relentlessly. When no one returned fire, Tony crawled to the door and carefully opened it while on his knees. He didn’t want to be standing in case someone had survived.

  Pushing the door open, he took note of the three men that lay on the floor. One’s neck had been shot and blood was squirting into the air. The other two had taken multiple hits to the torso. Dead.

  “Were these the men from down here? Or were these the men from upstairs?” Tony inquired.

  “There’s no way of knowing. We couldn’t get a read on the basement. We just killed three. I don’t know how many to go,” Michael cautioned.

  “Let’s see if we can find Jules first. Then we’ll take care of Barone.” Tony started to walk down the hallway to the next closed door, but Rob stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

  “If we don’t find Barone first, we risk the chance of him escaping,” Rob said, following Tony closely.

  “Good point. I just can’t think straight.”

  “That’s what we’re here for, brother,” Rob said, squeezing his shoulder in a show of solidarity.

  �
��Okay, Barone first.”

  They came to the next door and tried to open it, but it was locked. With one swift kick, Tony sent the door flying. Nothing. The room was clear.

  They continued down the hall until they came to a steel door. Above the door was a camera, which was pointed directly at Tony. “Why don’t you come on out, you motherfucker. Make it easier on yourself.” Tony knew he was never going to open the door, and the plastic explosive they had would be useless. There was, however, an electronic lock on the outside of the door. This was Tony’s specialty. “Blacken the camera.”

  Michael reached into his pocket and produced plastic explosive. It was all he had, but it would do the job. He stuck it to the lens of the camera, effectively blocking any images from getting inside. Tony set to work. He pulled out his electronic decoder and began running sequences on the door. “I’m coming for you. You’re not as safe as you think you are.”

  Meanwhile, Barone was ordering his men to cover him in case they breached the door. There were five men standing in line in front of Barone. The Unit would have to take down all five to get to Barone. Knowing Barone could hear him, Tony continued taunting him. “Not only am I going to kill you, Barone, but I’m going to torture you so that you feel the pain you inflicted on not only Jules but all those innocent people you killed with your bombing.” Tony held nothing back. The closer he got to breaking the code, the more he could feel Barone’s blood on his fingers. “Two numbers to go.”

  Suddenly, two men with pistols appeared in the hallway. The Unit were sitting ducks where they stood. Immediately, each man dropped to his knees. Tony felt a shot zing near his ear. Then he felt a burning pain rip through it. Touching his ear, he discovered it had been grazed by the bullet.

  Rob fired a shot as soon as the man peeked his body around a corner. Perfect. One down. Michael zigzagged to the end of the hallway. When the other man peeked around the corner, Michael grabbed him by his gun and swung him into the wall. Michael held the weapon vertically over the man’s head as he wrestled it away from him. When the gun flew down the hall, Michael punched the man in the stomach, causing him to double over. In no time, he had the man bound and gagged and was dragging him down the hallway next to his brothers. “We’ll use him to get info on Jules.”