Love Hurts (Eternal Flames Book 12) Read online

  They had all tried to figure out how the truck would get to the caves. With the terrain as it was there was no way it could be driven in and it would take hours for them to cart everything out by foot or ATV. Then they tried to figure out where the plane would be taking the cargo.

  As they discussed the situation waiting for Ireland to fully come awake, an idea hit him. He wasn’t sure if it meant anything and was fully expecting the group to dismiss what he was about to say, but he knew he needed to say it.

  “I think I may know what they’re planning,” Ireland said, interrupting Wade, Shadow, and Suneth. They all turned to look at him with questions in their eyes.

  “The cave was near a lake. There was a decent size river flowing past that emptied out into the lake. I’m not sure, but it may be big enough to handle a plane as big as the one Rory talked about.”

  “I couldn’t see the lake, but I don’t think it could handle something like the 208B,” Flyer gently argued.

  Ireland sighed. He knew they wouldn’t listen to him, but he was certain the waterway he had seen was more than capable of handling a plane that size. And a 208B would be a great choice for moving the amount of stuff Ireland had seen in those caves. If they removed the seats except for the pilot and co-pilot’s, there would be enough room. The more Ireland thought about it, the more he was convinced that was the cartel’s plan. With the area being so isolated, and the darkness to help cover their tracks, they could slip right onto that lake unnoticed, load up the plane, and be gone in an hour tops, and no one would be any the wiser. He knew his mate was an expert when it came to all things that flew, but Ireland had a little knowledge himself on the subject and he needed to speak up.

  He cleared his throat, then met Wade’s gaze and said confidently, “If all the non-essential seats on that craft are removed, it would have plenty of room for what I saw stashed down in that cave. And I know the 208B will fit on the lake I saw. It has a 31-foot length and only needs approximately 2,000 feet for a water take-off and a little less or about the same for a water landing. That lake is plenty big enough to accommodate. As you said, they can’t get the truck in, and it would take too long by foot, so what other option is there except maybe a helicopter?”

  He waited for a fight from Flyer, but it never came. Instead his mate agreed with him. “How do you know all that?” Flyer asked.

  Ireland gave him a shy smile as he shrugged. “Just something I picked up.”

  Wade gave him an appreciative smile as he narrowed his eyes at Ireland. “Just something you happened to pick up huh? I’m thinking there is more to our Ireland then meets the eye. Not that I don’t believe you, Ireland, but Flyer, is what he’s saying accurate?”

  “Actually, yes, Commander. With the seats removed, they would have a pretty large space. Now, I have no idea how big that lake is, but if Ireland believes it will work, then I think we have to take his idea into consideration.”

  “We’ll be taking it more into consideration than you think, Flyer. I think Ireland is spot on with his assumption, which means we really need to move,” Wade replied, then added, “Rory said during our last conversation only ten minutes ago, that it looked like they were readying the plane for take-off. We need to get down there now.”

  And that’s where Ireland’s day, or night as it now was, got really exciting. The part of the plan they had changed while he was sleeping, the part that made him wonder how it would ever happen, the part that made him as nervous as hell, and would get them back to the cave in the blink of an eye…was for them all to ride on the backs of the gargoyles.

  Ireland watched in amazement as Suneth, Oz, Qavex, Juddan, Canuz, Asbuth, Nuzan, and Sylux, all shifted into their other forms. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen it before, because living with Timmy and York, on the same property as the gargoyles, Ireland had seen them transform many times, but it still captivated him.

  Wade climbed on Suneth’s back of course just as Snake climbed on Oz’s back, then Six joined Juddan, Shadow was paired with Canuz, Bull with Qavex, Flyer with Asbuth, Ireland got Sylux, and Nuzan was given the task of carrying all of the gargoyles’ equipment.

  Ireland was a little nervous at first and he shook as he climbed on Sylux’s back, then closed his eyes and wrapped his arms tight around the gargoyles throat as Sylux opened his wings and took flight. The hard stone of Sy’s body wasn’t too comfortable but Ireland was surprised and grateful to find out that this great stone creature wasn’t as cold as the rocks below them, but instead radiated a warmth that kept the chill away. After a couple of moments, he heard Wade’s raised voice calling him over the whoosh of air.

  “Ireland, we need you to open your eyes and direct us. I know you’re scared, but I promise you, Sylux will not let you fall.”

  Ireland opened his eyes and gasped at the beauty around him. Then he began to laugh as a thought hit him. A flying porcupine. Damn his brothers and sisters would be so jealous. His Mama on the other hand might cuff him upside the head, but his Dad would want to know every last detail.

  Ireland took a moment to look around and enjoy the scenery, as he tried to figure out exactly where they were. He and Flyer had walked in, so the terrain looked a lot different than it did from up where he was. Seeing the base of the mountain they had just lifted from, he finally knew which way to go and instructed Sylux.

  Because they were now flying and not having to worry about climbing over boulders or finding a way around them, as well as jumping over small crevasses and creeks, it took them no time to get back to the lake and cave.

  As they approached the area, Ireland could see little points of lights bopping around. Then the sound of an engine coming from their left caught everyone’s attention and Sylux touched down on a small hill not far from the cave’s entrance. The others followed, and Ireland was shocked at how quiet they all were. Not even a whisper of sound came from anyone but him and he tried damned hard to keep any noise to a minimum. They all hid behind a large rock formation as they watched what was going on below.

  The sound of that engine got closer and Ireland looked up just in time to see the seaplane go over their heads and head for the lake.

  “Shit, it’s here. We need to―” Wade began but cut himself off when Shadow grabbed his arm and pointed at something down near the cave’s entrance. Wade pulled a wicked looking pair of binoculars out and held them to his eyes, then cursed under his breath, but it wasn’t a curse of dread, but one of joy mixed with surprise.

  “What is it, mate?” Suneth asked.

  “The man in the dark suit who just exited, do you see him, Sun?”

  “Yes, as clear as day.”

  “That is Khan Bharrat,” Wade replied gleefully.

  “Fuck. Mr. Kingpin himself is out here for this transport? The gods must like us today,” Bull said.

  “Is this the man you told us about? The leader of the biggest cartel in the world? The one no government has been able to find?” Nuzan asked.

  “The one and only,” Wade replied. “And if he’s out here in the middle of the night in some lost world in the middle of the mountains, then this must be big. We need to not only stop this shipment from going out. We need to stop Bharrat from getting away. Dead or alive, I don’t give a shit, but this man needs to be stopped.”

  “Okay, so let’s get to the plan and stop them,” Oz said.

  “Okay, Flyer, Ireland, you two remain here and stay hidden. Here Ireland can you handle this?” Wade asked, as he held out a large black rifle to him. With shaky hands, Ireland reached out and wrapped them around the big gun.

  He swallowed hard as he looked at the thing, then answered, “I’ve never tried to fire a gun before in my life. I don’t know if I can.”

  Flyer moved closer and touched Ireland’s knee. “I know it’s scary, but I’ll be right here with you. You just tell me what you see and together we’ll get through this, okay?”

  Ireland nodded, then realized Flyer couldn’t see him, so he answered with a whispered, “O
kay.”

  Wade came closer and showed Ireland parts of the gun, explaining what they were. After a few minutes they heard a load whirring sound coming from below and they all looked over to see what was happening.

  An ATV appeared coming out of the mouth of the cave. It had a small trailer hitched to the back and it was loaded down with some of the crates that he and Flyer had found earlier.

  “They’ve begun moving everything out. We need to make our move,” Snake said.

  “Shadow, Bull, you know what to do,” Wade said. “As usual, Snake, you’re with Shadow, Six, you’re with Bull.”

  “Oz, you and the men have your orders. Surround that cave and don’t let anything else come out,” Suneth commanded.

  Suddenly Shadow shifted into a huge black panther and Bull into a very large timber wolf. Snake and Six each picked up their discarded packs, then Shadow and Snake went one way and Bull and Six the other. Both teams disappeared into the darkness silently, and Ireland finally understood how skilled they all were and how they got to be one of the most elite Black Ops teams in the country. He had never been happier to have them on their side.

  Suneth’s men shifted back into their gargoyles and they too rose up off the ground and within the blink of an eye disappeared into the darkness of the canopy. Wade looked to Suneth and cupped his cheek, kissing him tenderly, then smiled and turned, he too vanishing into the night.

  Suneth looked back at them and smiled. “Stay together, stay hidden, and watch out for one another. We’ll be back soon,” Suneth said, then turned to leave.

  “Wait,” Flyer said, stopping him and Suneth turned back to face them. “What about the back tunnel that we escaped from? They could use that.”

  Suneth’s smile widened and Ireland could see the twinkle in his eye even in the darkness. “Don’t worry, I’ve got that covered.”

  And with those last parting words, Suneth transformed into his very large gargoyle and flew straight up without a sound.

  CHAPTER 14

  “What’s happening?” Flyer whispered, as he and Ireland lay flat on the ground facing the cave, so they could look over the ridge and keep an eye on things. Ireland kept the rifle Wade had given him close beside him.

  “The bad guys are driving the ATV down a dock that goes out a few feet into the lake. It’s where the plane has docked. It’s too far away for me to see inside, but I do know the doors are open. “

  “How about our guys, anything yet?”

  Ireland shook his head as he replied, “No, I haven’t seen any of them, but I’m guessing that’s the point, right? Wait, another ATV has just come out from the cave and this one is loaded down to capacity. Two guys are on the ATV and six are surrounding it as they go, they all have guns.”

  “Do you see any others?” Flyer asked.

  “Yeah, there are four guys standing at the entrance to the cave and another four on the dock by the plane, there’s also…it looks like, wait, let me count again. I could swear I just counted ten around the perimeter, but now I only see eight.”

  Flyer chuckled. “That would probably be our guys taking them out.”

  “But we didn’t a hear a thing.”

  “Exactly.”

  They continued watching, well, Ireland watched and described everything to Flyer, for the next twenty minutes as the first ATV returned and went into the cave. The second one was just about empty when Ireland noticed a shadow to the left of the cave, away from the entrance.

  A guard stood, gun in hand as he turned his head left then right, scanning the area. A shadow snuck up behind him, then wrapped around him and suddenly the guard was gone. “What the hell?”

  “What? What happened?” Flyer asked anxiously.

  Ireland explained what he had seen, and Flyer chuckled again. “That was no normal shadow. That was Shadow.”

  “Damn you guys are scary, do you know that?” Ireland said.

  “Scary in a good way I hope,” Flyer replied.

  “Let’s just say I thank the gods you’re on our side and I’m not one of those asswipes down there in the guys’ crosshairs.”

  Ireland scanned the area again and smiled. “The outer guards, the ones I said were first ten then eight, there are now only four.”

  “That’s great, and no explosions or gunfire yet is definitely a plus,” Flyer said.

  “A man just walked out of the cave. The one in the suit. He has five men with him and they’re talking. Oh shit,” Ireland hissed.

  “What is it?”

  “Asbuth and Sylux just reached down to grab two of the guards, but―”

  Just then gunfire sounded.

  “The man in the suit saw them and the others with him opened fire. Everyone’s ducking and diving for cover,” Ireland explained in a rush of words.

  I loud cawing sound came from above and Ireland looked up to find Ozcog in his gargoyle form flying down toward two of the guards.

  The man in the suit looked up and Ireland could see his eyes go wide right before he turned and took off running toward the dock. At the same time Oz clawed the two guards and they immediately went down, blood spraying from their chests.

  Oz swooped back up to avoid the bullets, then turned and headed back. The other gargoyles dropped down from above the cave opening and joined Oz. Then Ireland saw a large wolf and a man dressed all in black run from the woods and head right into the cave.

  As everything was happening Ireland tried to keep up and tell Flyer exactly what was happening but too many things were going on at once. Suddenly there was a snapping noise from behind them and they both froze. Ireland slowly looked over his shoulder, then swallowed as his gaze landed on the two guards who had first disappeared. They had thought Flyer’s team had taken them out. But they had been wrong.

  The guards had their rifles pointed right at him and Flyer. “Get up slowly, with your hands behind your heads,” one said, in a thick Creole accent.

  As he and Flyer rolled first to their knees, then their feet, Flyer said, “You know this is pointless now, right? Look down there and you’ll see you’ve already lost.”

  “From where I’m standing, all I see is our way out of this mess. You two will come in very handy at helping us in our escape. Now let’s go.”

  The guard pointed his gun in the direction he wanted them to walk in, then he and Flyer put their hands on their heads and started walking, but Flyer tripped on a downed limb.

  “He can’t see. Please let me help him,” Ireland pleaded.

  “Like I give a fuck whether he can see or not. Now move,” the guard sneered and dug the barrel of his gun in Ireland’s side as he pushed.

  Ireland hissed in pain but turned and started walking.

  “What happened? Did he hurt you?”

  “It’s nothing, just try to keep walking,” Ireland answered.

  “No,” Flyer hissed, then turned around to face the guards. “Don’t fucking touch him. I swear you lay one finger on him and so help me God I will―”

  But before Flyer could finish that sentence, the guard lifted his rifle high over his head and as Ireland screamed for Flyer to duck, the guard brought the butt of the weapon down and crashed Flyer across the head with it.

  Flyer spun as blood flew from his mouth, then he dropped face first onto the ground. Ireland ran to Flyer’s side, then dropped to his knees crying, and grabbed onto Flyer. “No! Flyer! Flyer wake up. Aiden!”

  “It’s too late for him, now let’s go,” the one guard ordered as he grabbed Ireland’s arm and tugged him to his feet, then began to drag him away.

  Ireland kicked and screamed, punching the guard in the chest, fighting with everything he had, as he tried to get away, but the man was too strong and only gripped him tighter. Ireland cried out from the pain in his arm. It felt like the man’s fingers had punctured his skin and was now embedded in the muscle.

  “You killed him! You fucking bastard killed him. You don’t realize the shit storm you just brought down on yourself,” Ireland said as he
fought.

  The guy sneered at him as he stopped walking and pulled on Ireland’s arm to stop him, then he lowered his face right into Ireland’s and when their gazes met, a cold shiver of fear raced down his spine. Ireland had the feeling he was looking into the eyes of pure evil.

  “Shut your damn whining piehole or you’ll end up just like him. Now let’s go.”

  Ireland knew he couldn’t go with these guys or he would be dead as soon as they used him as leverage to get away. Besides that, dead or alive, Ireland needed to be with his mate. That meant he only had one choice left. He gave the guard the evilest smile he could conjure, then allowed the shift to take over.

  His porcupine laughed as they watched the guys cold, hard eyes go from fury, to confusion, to shock in a matter of seconds. He quickly released his grip on Ireland’s arm just as his transformation was complete and the guy got a handful of quills. Ireland dropped to the ground on all fours and scurried away as the man began to scream in pain.

  Ireland knew once the guy got himself together he would be coming back to find him. So he quickly ran around a tree and spotted a small opening in another tree. Ireland ran towards it, then pushed himself inside. It was a bit of a tight fit, but he made it work, and he was still able to look out to see where the guards were and what they were doing.

  His chest felt tight and his heart shattered as he thought about his handsome mate and how he couldn’t save him. All Ireland wanted to do was go home, curl up in his bed, and cry for his loss. His mate was dead, and it was all his fault.

  If he hadn’t caused Flyer to crash that plane, they wouldn’t be in this mess and Flyer would still be alive. Shame and despair filled him, and Ireland prayed the gods would take him just so he didn’t have to live with all this pain about what he had done.