Harder (The Unit #3) Read online

  “Thank you!” Tony watched as the decoder found the last number of the eight-digit code. Barone surely wasn’t expecting someone as trained or as smart as Tony.

  “We’re coming in now.” The door hissed and slightly opened. Tony was on his knees, ready to take out anyone who wasn’t Barone; he had seen pictures of the bastard through his research. Tony fired the first shot, taking out the first man. The second man fired at Tony, but Tony rolled to the inside of the door to avoid being hit. When he got up, he fired at the second man, hitting him directly in the heart. He heard the thump as the man hit the floor. “Only three to go, Barone. Why don’t you save your men’s lives and give yourself up?”

  Just then, three men ambushed Rob, Michael, and Tyrrell from the other end of the hallway. The men dove into one of the rooms they had already opened and cleared. They could hear the men’s boots approach down the hallway. Michael leaned out and took a shot. The man ducked and Michael missed. Tyrrell got on his stomach and inched his way out just enough to see their attackers. He took down each one with one bullet.

  “I’ll never let you capture me alive,” Barone shouted through the mass of gunfire.

  “Yes, we will. Just to make you beg for death, you son of a bitch. Just like you told Jules.”

  The third man standing in front of Barone took a shot at Tony, but this time Tony was on his feet and ducked and swerved out of the way. Michael, who was behind Tony took the bullet to the right shoulder. He fell to the ground. Rob, who had just come up to Barone’s safe-room door pulled Michael out into the hallway to examine him. He rolled Michael over to see if there was an exit wound. Nope. The bullet was lodged inside. “Stay down. We’ve got this. You’re going to be okay. It’s your shoulder.”

  Tony was wound up beyond belief, because not only had they grazed his ear and shot Michael in the shoulder, but they still had Jules. Bringing the gun up to his sights, he immediately squeezed the trigger. The third man went down hard.

  “Just so you know. If anything happens to me, my men have instructions to kill the bitch,” Barone stammered.

  “You won’t have time to give the order,” Tony quipped as he fired at the next man in line. It was a direct hit. Apparently, the last man was more afraid than the others as he went to lay his weapon on the ground in front of his feet, but the gun that Barone pressed to his back had him thinking better of it. No matter now. He was dead, and that left only Barone.

  The man with Jules heard the gunfire. Should he end her here and now? He waited; she was still unconscious. They were in the back room under the stairs. Even if he didn’t get the order, he would wait. He didn’t want to disobey Barone. And Barone’s instructions were clear. Wait until she begs for death. Then, and only then, did she die.

  Jules’s head was resting to the side. He had to wake her up to continue torturing her like his boss demanded. He reached into his bag and produced smelling salts. As he held them under her nose, she started to rouse. “Good, you’re awake. We have much more to do.”

  “Please, just tell me what you want from me. I’ll do it,” Jules moaned.

  “I want you to beg for death.”

  Jules’s head fell back with laughter. “That will never happen.”

  “Well then, let’s just see how much more you can take.”

  Over in the hot coals laid a branding iron. It glowed bright orange as he pulled it from the fire. “Where would you like this mark to go?”

  “How about my ass,” she said with a go-fuck-yourself smirk.

  “Suit yourself.”

  The man pulled Jules’s skirt and panties down and moved to the back of her.

  She screamed in agony as he pressed the branding iron against her ass. Her flesh sizzled under the coal-heated iron. As he removed the iron, some of her flesh stuck to it. Jules screamed louder. “Fuck you,” she yelled at the top of her lungs, agony forcing tears to flow from her eyes.

  Three of the four men all pointed their guns at Barone. “You may get one of us, but you won’t get all of us,” Tony said with an upturn of his lip. “Lay down your weapon, and you might make it out of this alive.”

  Tony moved closer to Barone, until Barone’s gun was touching his chest. “I dare you. End my life, but you will end yours as well.” Tony looked Barone squarely in the eyes. “They don’t miss. So I’ll say again, lower your weapon.”

  As Barone dropped his gun to his side, Tony grabbed it and put it in the back of his waistband. “Smart move. Now, tell us where you’re keeping her.”

  “Who?” Barone asked, playing stupid.

  “Julia Bakas,” Tony said with deadly control.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

  “Wait,” Michael said. “Do you hear that?”

  Echoing throughout the basement was a scream of anguish.

  “That better not be my Jules.” Tony motioned for Rob to take Barone into custody.

  Rob moved behind him and bound his hands behind his back. “Move.” Rob pushed Barone forward.

  Tony took off in the direction of the scream. Rob, Tyrrell, and Tony cleared each room in the hallway. Finally, they came to the last room under the stairs. Tony didn’t think. He couldn’t. He just used his muscle memory to fight this battle. With one swift kick, he knocked the door into the room, which startled the man holding Jules hostage.

  The man didn’t waste any time. He moved quickly to shield himself with Jules and held a knife to her neck. “Lower your weapons, or I’ll end her right here.”

  Relief flooded Tony’s body. He was right, his Jules was alive. Thank you, God.

  “If you want to live, you won’t do that. And I guarantee, if you kill her, you’ll have me to deal with.” Tony looked at Jules, seeing tiredness yet determination in her eyes. God, he loved this woman.

  Jules could do nothing with her arms, as they were suspended above her head, but she had her feet. Jules brought her heel up, aiming for the man’s knee. The man barely winced as her shot glanced off his shin. Tony saw her cringe as the motion pulled on her hands above her head.

  Rob had his gun aimed directly at the man’s head, right between the eyes. All he needed Jules to do was move her head a few inches. Making eye contact with her, he motioned his head to her left.

  Jules nodded slightly. She shifted her head to the left, but the man hadn’t moved the knife, so it sliced into her skin. She didn’t flinch away from it though.

  Whizzzz. The bullet passed right by her ear and into the head of her torturer. He collapsed to the ground with a loud thump.

  “Thank God. Tony, get me down.”

  Before those words even left her mouth, Tony was untying her hands and lifted her down until she could stand. He brought them down to her sides and started rubbing them to get the blood moving again. “Where are you hurt? What did this motherfucker do to you?”

  Finally able to put her feet on the floor, she took care not to put pressure on her right leg for that was the side of her branding. “I was tased—a lot. Then the asshole branded me on my ass.” She winced as she moved her right leg.

  “Son of a motherfucking bitch,” Tony ranted. “Other than your ass and your neck, is there any other body part that is in pain.” Tony turned to look at Barone with deadly control. “Barone, you’re a dead man.”

  “I won’t be able to sit for a while,” Jules explained with a half smirk. Although Tony knew the pain was killing her, she was trying to lighten the mood.

  “Rob,” Tony called the medic over.

  Although Michael had taken a bullet to his shoulder, he still came to Jules’s side. “Here, let me help you.” He held her under her left arm with his good arm so she wouldn’t have to put any weight on her right foot.

  First, Rob examined her neck. “You won’t need stitches. I can patch you up to stop the bleeding.” He pulled out some gauze and tape from his bag. He placed the gauze against her neck where the knife had sliced into her flesh and taped it. “Keep pressure on it for a while.” Next, he moved around
to examine her ass. “You’re going to need this.” Rob got into his medic kit and pulled out the burn cream he had used on the many victims of roadside bombings during his tours. “This is going to hurt like a bitch when I touch you, but after that, the cream helps heal the wound and numb the pain.” Rob squirted a generous amount of it onto his finger. Jules inhaled and held her breath while Rob applied the cream. “It should start to feel better in a minute.”

  “Oh my God, that is amazing. It’s completely numb.”

  “Good stuff, huh?” Rob smiled.

  Rob then examined the marks left by the Taser that littered her neck, chest, legs, and the inside of her arm. “Do these hurt?”

  “Not as much as when I was being tased,” Jules smiled at the respite from the pain.

  “How are your arms? Let me see your hands.” Jules held out her hands. “She’ll be fine. We just have to keep applying the cream. And, Tony, she can’t wear any pants.” Tony glared at Rob. “Don’t worry, we won’t look.” Rob winked at Jules.

  Tony forcefully sat Barone into a chair. He made sure his hands and feet were secured. Barone wasn’t going anywhere. “Jules, anything you’d like to do to Barone?”

  “I don’t think I’m capable of what I want to do to him.”

  “Just tell me. I’ll do it.”

  “I want everything he did to me done to him.”

  Tony picked up the branding iron and replaced it in the hot coals as Rob picked up the Taser from the workbench. “Let’s start with this.” He held the Taser to Barone’s neck for a long while. Barone’s body tensed and contracted from the energy running through him. “How many times did they do this to you?”

  “Six. But one’s enough for Barone.”

  “Are you sure? I’m sure he has five left in him.”

  Jules looked Rob straight in the eyes as she considered her answer. “Okay, once more. But this time, hold it on there for a little longer.”

  Tony took great pleasure in watching Barone’s body contract and convulse. Rob held the Taser to the same spot on his neck as the first time. Barone had a big burn that looked like one giant, bright red hickey.

  “Where do you want the branding?” Tony asked Jules.

  “Let him pick the spot.”

  “Where?” Tony looked to Barone.

  “Please don’t. Just kill me. I know you’re going to anyway.”

  “Nope. You don’t get so lucky. Choose or I’ll choose for you,” Tony said with an evil grin gracing his lips.

  “On my upper leg.”

  “So be it.” Tony picked up the iron from the red coals and brought it close to Barone’s face. “On second thought. I’m going to put this right on your cheek. It should be delicate enough.” Tony pressed the branding iron to Barone’s cheek. Only when he heard Barone’s flesh sizzling and saw him writing in pain did he remove it and admire his work. “Now you and Jules match, you motherfucking son of a bitch.”

  Tony was overcome with anger and rage. He pressed his thumb into the fresh burn, and Barone screamed like a girl. “Beg for it. Beg me for it.”

  “Please. No more. Just kill me. Please kill me,” Barone begged through his tears. Apparently, Barone put on a good show but was a wimp when it came to pain. Jules had survived this and didn’t once beg.

  “As you wish.” Tony pulled out his side piece and held it underneath Barone’s chin. He exhaled and squeezed the trigger. Barone’s brains shot out the top of his head along with the bullet. “Do you feel better, Jules? No one is going to come after you or harm you again. I won’t let them. Barone is dead. I’m sure someone will take over his territory, but you won’t be on his radar.”

  “Let’s just get out of here.” Jules tried to walk on her own.

  “Don’t.” Tony picked her up and carried her, careful not to touch her branding. Sure, she would have scars. Her nails had healed up nicely from the terrorists’ torture. He was certain that, with surgery, her scars would heal up nicely too. But he worried about her emotionally.

  Although it was a strange time to be thinking about dominating her, he couldn’t help but wonder if she would be emotionally able to give herself to him. He shook his head. That was not something he could or should be thinking about at a time like this. He had his Jules back. That’s all that mattered.

  Jules lay on a seat in the back of the SUV with Tony sitting right in front of her. Rob and Michael were in the front, and Tyrrell wouldn’t dare turn to look at Jules’s exposed ass. They left Barone’s and drove straight to Tyrrell’s doctor. No one would know they were ever at Barone’s estate. As far as Tony figured, they not only did the public justice by killing Barone, but law enforcement too.

  Tony carried Jules into the hospital and approached the check-in desk. “I have an emergency here.” Tony wouldn’t wait for Jules to be seen by a doctor. He would march her back there himself if he had to. The nurse obviously recognized the need for urgency and brought around a wheelchair. “No. I have to carry her. She can’t sit.”

  “Very well. Follow me.” Tony followed the nurse into the emergency room. “Lay her here on her stomach.”

  Before Tony did so, he had to kiss her. Just one kiss. He needed the reassurance that she was here with him, alive and in his arms. Exhaling, he tried to release the pain and grief he felt when he believed her dead. It had worked him over in a number of ways. He realized he had been a fool all these years for leaving Jules. He knew he could never live without her again and he would take her anyway he could get her.

  Wanting Jules to feel his love for her all the way to her soul, he leaned in slowly and pressed his lips against hers. She didn’t hesitate in kissing him back. Tony relished in the kiss. Soft and substantial. Opening his mouth, he pulled both of her lips gently into his. He suckled, causing her to moan. Releasing her lips, he kissed her with a passion that overwhelmed him.

  “Excuse me, sir,” the nurse interrupted. “The doctor is ready to see her now.”

  Tony couldn’t let her go yet. All he could do was take pleasure in Jules. He would take every emotion she had ever felt and hold them tight for her. She would come out of this emotionally stronger than before. He would make sure of it. He heard her moan again, and his cock started to stir, but this was no time for that.

  Pulling back, he whispered, “I love you. I always have, and I most certainly always will.” He laid her on the table on her stomach and pulled her shirt slightly above her ass.

  When the doctor came in, he asked Tony to leave, but he refused, declaring, “Not on your life.” The doctor studied him for a moment, then nodded, allowing Tony to stay. Without her reassuring presence in his arms, Tony began pacing back and forth, but the doctor kept his focus on his patient and didn’t seem to let Tony’s aggravated state bother him.

  A few hours later, Tony went into the waiting room and briefed his brothers on Jules’s condition. “Nothing serious. She’ll have to have reconstruction surgery to have the branding removed. They’ll do a skin graft.”

  “That’s great news.” Rob stood and hugged Tony like he had never hugged him before. His happiness and relief was obvious. The other men rose and gave Tony a handshake and a side hug as well. “Is she being released?” Rob asked.

  “Yes. I can take her home. Do you think I can have a tube of that cream you used on her before?”

  “Sure, but I’m sure the doctor will prescribe some.”

  “I don’t want to run out.”

  Rob reached into his medic bag and pulled out an unopened tube. “Here, you can apply this whenever she’s feeling pain.”

  “Thank you,” Tony said, but he wasn’t just thanking Rob for the cream. He met each man’s eye and communicated his gratitude. “I don’t know what I would have done if I had really lost her.”

  “Now, you’ll never have to know.” Tyrrell patted Tony on the back. “Come on, guys. Let’s give the lovebirds some privacy. Besides, we have work to do.”

  “Thank you again. I can’t thank you enough.” Tony hugged each of t
he men again with all his might.

  To onlookers, Tony was sure it looked weird to see a bunch of alpha males hugging each other in the waiting room of a hospital, but he didn’t care.

  Over the next few weeks, Tony waited on Jules hand and foot. She never went without anything that she wanted or needed. He was at her beck and call. Unused to someone taking care of her, she felt a little guilty.

  “I thought I lost you. You have no idea what that did to me,” he confessed when she mentioned it.

  “But you didn’t lose me. I’m right here,” Jules said as she smiled up at Tony from the couch where she was sitting. In the weeks that passed, Jules’s branding scar healed and she was able to sit down again, and the scar on her neck was fading.

  “I still think you should let me take care of you full-time.”

  “Tony, we’ve been over this. Once the doctor clears me, I’m going back to work. I love my job,” Jules said, giving him a stern look. Although she would never forget Barone or what he had done to her, she had decided she wasn’t going to quit her job. Through all of Tony’s begging to the contrary, she never once gave in.

  “But, Jules, I could barely handle what happened to you this time. What if something like this happens again?” Tony asked, determined to get her to change her mind.

  “Then you’ll be there to save me.”

  “I don’t want to save you again. I don’t want you in any danger again. If you’re going to keep your job, at least promise me you won’t go after stories that can get you killed.”

  “I can’t make that promise, Tony.” She continued, “You know I have to go after the stories that matter. The stories that can help improve the lives of the people in the community. The juicy stories. You don’t win awards going after stories about puppies.” She tilted her head to the side and looked at him with a quizzical expression playing on her lips. “The doctor said I’ll be back to normal in a few days. I can’t wait for that to happen.”