The Marine Bk. 02 Ch. 14

"Angie knows the plans?"

"I've kept her informed the entire time. She and her small team were on a plane following us in. The Director knows you, Nate. And he was never going to allow you to do this alone. He knew you'd understand."

"I do." Taking her hand, I leaned across to kiss her. "Thank you."

"Let's go get your family back."

As I drove, Julia positioned my earpiece, doing the same for herself, then did a comms check. Hearing Angie at the other end, I recognised a couple of other voices. Informing me of her position, she was currently watching the farm with her colleagues. Parking where we'd planned, I knew the road past the farm would now be closed to traffic until the operation was complete.

Picking up our weapons, we checked everything more than once, checked each other's clothing and vest, before applying the final touches. The only thing the enemy would see would be the whites of our eyes and my teeth when I chose to smile. "As silent as possible to start," I said, placing my knife in its sheathe, "The most important thing is that we all get out alive."

"I'm glad you're thinking that way," she replied.

"Comm check. You hear me?"

"Affirmative."

"Angie?"

"Affirmative, Nate."

"Once we're in place, focus on the pair on the roof, and the pair nearest the gate. We'll move once they're down."

"Copy that, Nate. We have both teams lined up already. On your go."

Julia might not have had military experience, but she'd learned more than enough during her own OGIS training, and I'd kept my senses sharp and a training regime while working in London, and she'd happily joined me whenever I headed out on a training operation. Using whatever cover we could to make it into position unobserved, Julia and I watched and waited for a couple of minutes, observing the patrol routes of the two-person teams. As for the observation team on the roof, they were not looking in our direction. The only light from the homestead filtered through curtains at two windows. Further light was provided from within the barns.

"So we have six in the farmstead and three in each barn," I whispered, everyone able to hear my words, "It is assumed a hostage is in each barn and the third in the homestead. We hit the barns first, silently if possible. The farmstead will be difficult."

"That's when four of us will join you, Nate," Angie replied, "Hit it hard and fast."

"Bingo. Confuse the fuckers and put them down hard."

The first phase of the operation passed as planned. The two on the roof were put down and thankfully their bodies didn't roll from their positions. As soon as the two-man team was in position by the gate, they were put down, Julia and I moving from cover, retrieving their bodies and moving them so they were hidden.

Moving quickly, we made our way towards the two barns. We know time would be short. If they had any brains, they'd have their teams reporting in their positions every few minutes. As soon as a team failed to report in, lights would illuminate the area and I didn't want to face everyone else without support.

Making it to the first barn without issue, we checked inside, a lone light illuminating a small area. It was my mother, tied to a post, her mouth covered to keep her quiet. Two men were seated in front of her, backs to us, not being particularly observant otherwise. The one to the left had their weapon resting next to him, butt on the ground. The other held his weapon across his lap.

Relying on hand signals, Julia and I moved quietly but quickly. Unsheathing our blades, we waited until we were in position before leaping into action. Keeping an eye on my mother, her eyes widened when she noticed our presence, the two men reacting far too to late, the point of my blade breaking skin, burying it deep. He was dead in seconds. Julia did the same thing, ensuring her victim made little noise.

Mum was quiet as I knelt in front of her, Julia helping unbind her hands. "Who are you?" she asked once the cloth in her mouth was removed.

"It's me, Mum."

"Nate?" As soon as I nodded, she hugged me tightly. "You're alive?" she cried softly, feeling her start to sob.

"We can do this later, Mum. I need to get Dad and Amy."

"I don't know where they are."

"I do. What I need you to do is..."

"Nate, team is moving towards your position. Want me to take them out?"

"Negative. We'll grab their attention and take them down silently. Keep an eye on everything else."

"Copy that."

Turning back to Mum, I could see in her eyes she was terrified. "Mum, I need you to take cover for a couple of minutes. Once this is handled, I'll come back and get you. Okay?" She managed to nod. "Julia, let's get into position. Going to try and get their attention, draw them closer..."

Worked like a charm. I sometimes wondered if I was rather lucky in addition to being rather good at my job. Yes, sounds arrogant, but I'd survived so far, and I knew other agents had washed out long ago, unable to cope with the stresses and strains the job brought. The pair approached the barn at hearing my voice, walking through the large doorway without a care in the world. There was a loud crack as we put them down. Dragging their bodies so they were hidden, Angie continued a running commentary as I led her away from the barn, positioning her safely where the last remaining patrol route wouldn't venture.

"Stay here and don't move," I told her, "And I mean it, Mum. Bullets might start to fly and I don't want you hit by any strays."

She nodded before hugging me tightly. "I love you," she whispered, "I felt... I felt I never told you enough."

"I love you too, Mum. I'll be back soon with Dad and Amy."

Approaching the second barn, the set up was much like the first. Taking out my pistol, Julia met my eyes and grinned as she took hers from its holster. My father was again illuminated by a small light. Unlike my mother, he had the look of someone who'd taken a bit of a beating. My father was a hard man, though. He'd have likely laughed at them while taking it.

Lifting his head as he perhaps sensed our approach, Julia and I placed the barrel of our weapons close to the back of their heads. "How many in the farmstead?" I asked in Russian, noticing the perplexed look in my father's eyes.

I already knew the answer, I just wondered if they'd tell us the truth. "Six," he replied. Julia shot his colleague. "Okay. Eight! There's eight plus the hostage."

"Which hostage?"

"His sister. She's in the basement."

"Houses rarely have basements in this country."

"This place does! We knew it was abandoned."

"Thank you for your co-operation."

I'm sure he had faint hope I'd just knock him out instead of shooting him. He learned in those last seconds of his life I was all out of empathy. I can forgive certain things, but you don't go after anyone's family. Going after mine simply meant they'd already written their obituaries. Helping my father out of his binds and to his feet, his face lit up.

"Knew you'd come for us," he said, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Mum's okay. Got her first. Amy's in the house. I'll get her then we'll get you out of here."

"Nate! They know you're there!"

"We knew it would happen, Angie. Where are they?"

"Two heading towards the other barn. The rest are taking position. We're moving from ours. Contact, two minutes."

"Be ready to unleash the dogs of war." Turning to my father, he was still grinning. "Dad, I know you'll want..."

"While I'm thinking it, I'm going to leave this to people with training. Go take care of them, son. And make sure your sister is safe."

As soon as I heard gunfire erupt from the other side of the farm, Julia and I threw caution to the wind. Heading back towards the first barn, I almost laughed as the two guards who had gone to check in there rushed out without checking their surroundings. After putting them down, we moved cautiously towards the farmstead. Hearing windows being broken, I knew immediately that they were going to ready themselves for a siege.

"It's fibro," I muttered, "Just shoot through the walls."

"Nate?"

"It's an old farmstead made of fibro," I informed Angie and her colleagues, "Trust me, the only thing stopping bullets in that house will be their bodies. Light the place up!"

Gunfire erupted, using sign language to communicate with Julia my idea. While she fired from cover, I rested my body on the grown and slithered forward towards the building. Making it to the side of the house, I took out a trusty grenade, pulled the pin, and looped it through one of the broken windows. I heard a cry of surprise before an explosion. A second explosion followed seconds later.

"Breach! Breach! Breach!"

I couldn't help smiling I as checked the window to see a dead body. Carefully entering the house, I checked in with Angie, reporting I was in the other end of the house. "Got three dead bodies here, Nate. How many with you?"

"One here and we took care of two more outside. That should leave two more."

We checked the house, putting down a seventh who was hoping to surprise us in one of the bedrooms. The bullet he fired whizzed past my ear before I put a bullet in his head. Finding the door to the basement, I carefully descended the stairs, pulling the cord to turn on the lights. There was no sign of the eighth man, relieved there wasn't going to be some ridiculous stand-off. Amy was hog-tied on the floor. When she noticed me approaching, she started to struggle and cry.

Kneeling next to her, I caressed her cheek. "It's me, Amy," I whispered.

Watching her eyes widen, I helped untie to the cloth in her mouth. Flexing her jaw first, she whispered, "Nate?"

"It's a long story, Amy. Let me get you out of these binds first." Cutting the ropes, I helped her to a kneeling position. "Are you okay?"

She met my eyes and burst into tears, hugging me tightly. Hugging her back just as tight, I let her cry for a few minutes. "You bastard!" she sobbed, "You fucking bastard!"

"That's the reaction I was expecting," I replied, adding a touch of humour.

"But you saved me too. Mum and Dad okay?"

"They're okay."

"I mourned you for so long, Nate. And I still love you despite you being a bastard."

"I still love you too, Amy," I whispered, "I've never stopped, no matter what I was doing."

Standing up, I helped Amy to her feet and led her upstairs on unsteady feet. Ensuring she didn't see any dead bodies, we walked outside into the evening fresh air, calling out to my parents to join us. Mum came running in our direction, hugging Amy tightly before she turned towards me. I wasn't sure what sort of reaction I'd get. I was happy when she went with the spine crushing hug.

"I'm sorry, Mum," I whispered, "I have a lot of explaining to do."

"It's not important right now," she replied, pulling Amy into our hug, "My little boy is alive, and he protects his family."

Hearing footsteps approach, I pulled back to see Angie and her colleagues approaching us. Noticing my smile, she told me that she'd call it in. Within five minutes, a convoy of vehicles was hurtling through the gate towards the farmstead. I was a bit worried that I'd miscounted the number of people we'd put on the ground, but Angie assured they'd checked everywhere thoroughly. There was no chance anyone was hiding.

Leading my parents, sister and Julia towards the convoy, I was informed we'd be taken to a hotel where we could clean up before being taken to an undisclosed location for debriefing. The Director then wanted all of us heading back over the Pacific as the matter wasn't finished just yet. This was merely part one of the operation. Part two was going to be trickier.

My sister and mother didn't want to leave my side, Julia offering to drive, my father taking the front passenger seat, as I found myself pressed between my sister to one side and mother to the other. Given an escort the entire way, it was early morning by the time we arrived at the hotel. Hannah, Emma and Katie had already been moved, waiting in the restaurant for our arrival.

"Nate!" Katie called before realising I had the rest of the family with me. More tears were shed as the reunion took place, the three women hugging as my father wrapped his arm around my shoulders. The three eventually turned towards me, Amy looking me up and down before she shoved me.

"Bastard!" she cried, tears cascading down her cheeks. She slapped my chest a few times. "You horrible bastard! How could you do that to us?!" I didn't say a word, aware we would need a lot of conversations in the next few weeks. "We all mourned you because we thought you were dead."

Collapsing against me, she sobbed loudly, holding her and Katie in my arms. "I love you so much," Amy whispered, "We've missed out on so much time together."

"Captain Smith, we have organised a large suite upstairs for you," I was informed by hotel staff, "If you'd like to join me."

Glancing at Julia, I realised we'd barely had time to wipe our faces. "Before we go, um, I should introduce you to someone. Julia, this is my family. My father, Keith. My mother, Susan. And my sister's, Amy and Katie. Guys, this is Julia... I've worked by her side for the last few years. She's also much more important than just a colleague I work with."

Everyone hugged her before Amy asked, "Have you been looking after my brother?"

"Since the first day I met him when we left Iraq. Fell in love with him the same day too."

Thankfully, she smiled, as did Katie and Mum. "Can't really blame you for that," Katie stated, "He always looked rather yummy in his uniform."

"I know we all have a lot to talk about, but I'm desperate for a shower and I'm sure Nate needs one too."

Led upstairs, we were shown around the suite, asked to order anything we liked off the menu, a couple of officers assuring us that the hotel was locked down and only guests would be coming and going, the three floors beneath us also empty. Julia headed straight for the bathroom, not surprised there were already clothes waiting for all of us. She was in there for quite a while, reappearing wearing a hotel gown and a towel wrapped around her hair.

Walking into the bathroom, I was ready to shut the door when Amy practically pushed her way in, shutting the door behind her, hearing the lock click in place. Staring at her in silence for a few seconds, I honestly thought she was going to slap the shit out of me. I wouldn't have blamed her. Instead, she leapt at me, her lips crashing against mine. I can't even begin to explain how I felt holding her in my arms again, eagerly stripping off my clothes as her t-shirt, shorts then underwear quickly dropped to the floor at the same time.

"Not wasting time," I murmured.

"My little brother needs to be cleaned up. And his dirty big sister needs his hands to clean her up too."

"Amy... Should we really..."

"We have a lot to talk about, Nate. Right now, I need a shower as I feel really dirty right now and I don't mean..." She trailed off as I cuddled her to my body. "I'll understand in the end, but thinking you were dead, Nate. It broke my heart. But was it for a good reason?"

"It seemed like it at the time. The job required it. When I made the decision, I knew it was going to hurt people I loved, but the job I've been doing, it was supposed to keep you safe. It's simply the things I've been involved in lately that led to this happening."

Stepping into the shower and under the hot water, she giggled as, despite everything, my body couldn't help itself reacting to the fact I was showering with my naked sister once again. Feeling my cock pressing into her as I washed her body, she turned around and leaned back against me, my hands slowly moving up and down her body. "I've missed these hands," she whispered.

"I missed you, Amy," I whispered back, "Every single day, I found a moment where I thought about you."

After we were both cleaned up, she cuddled against me again, lifting her head enough that I could kiss her properly. I knew we were both desperate to make love quickly though we both knew it wasn't the right time. I didn't want to wait too long but we needed at least one long conversation before we leapt into bed together. "You're not going to make me wait too long, are you?" she asked, her lips barely an inch from mine. When I smiled, she giggled as my hand ended up between her legs, making her gasp as I gently ran a finger along her slit. Feeling her shudder, she kissed me softly. "Is Julia your girlfriend?"

"She is. I love her as well, Amy. And she's not the only one."

"My little brother has been enjoying his life?"

"In a manner of speaking."

After drying off, we wrapped ourselves in a large towel each and joined the rest of the family in the room outside. Mum and Dad also needed a shower, most of us now just surviving on adrenaline. I was used to surviving a few days with minimal sleep, Julia the same, but everyone else was already starting to drift off.

"Anything from the boss?" I asked Julia.

"He's being kept informed by Angie. He wants a report tomorrow morning. There's also the matter of returning to Montana. Your family will be kept safe in Seattle, same as your cousins and sister during our last visit, but you know he's going to want another face to face."

"I don't exactly want to retire but my position there is untenable now."

"Do you want to go after him?"

I knew who she meant. "You bet your arse I do. And if it means going into Russia again, I'll do it. We have assets in the country. I want them activated and I want him found." Noticing concerned looks, I made sure to smile. "I've been there before and the man I'm talking about is responsible for everything that happened."

"Good at your job, son?" my father asked.

"He's one of the best," Julia replied for me, "It's why he was positioned where he was. He's completed numerous assignments successfully over the years and he's one of our most trusted agents."

"Who do you both work for?" Amy wondered, not surprised she was snuggling into me. Julia noticed and was watching intently, same with Hannah to my other side. I'm sure she'd figured out already how it all worked.

"You'd have never heard of our organisation. We're one of those that work in the background though we do work with numerous intelligence organisations across the globe, including the one in this country."

We made polite conversation for another half an hour or so before everyone agreed that sleep was necessary. Mum and Dad took one of the rooms, Julia kissed my cheek and told me to sleep with the woman who quite clearly needed it. Hannah, Emma and Katie all kissed my cheek and hugged me before hugging Amy, all of them thanking me for coming to the rescue.

Amy stood up and offered her hand, leading me to the last spare bedroom. Closing and locking the door behind me, she had me sit on the edge of the bed as she stood between my legs. Helping her out of her t-shirt and shorts, she wasn't wearing underwear, running my fingers across her soft skin before I stood up, my shorts and t-shirt hitting the floor next to hers.

Getting into bed, we lay on our sides, facing each other, her fingers stroking my cheek. Her lower lip started to tremble again. "I'm going to be an emotional wreck for a while," she said.

"I understand, Amy. And I understand if you get rather angry at me from time to time."

"I can't be angry because you're here with me again, Nate." Cuddling into my body, I wrapped my arms around her, sighing as it immediately felt right once again. "You're poking me," she giggled.

"My hot older sister is currently naked in bed with me."

"Still think I'm hot?"

"The only reason you're not underneath me right now is that we need a serious conversation about everything that's happened."