Blue Moon: Too Good to Be True (31 page)

“Now, I have a plan to get Angel back…that is if you’re down to bending a few laws.”

Max grabbed Pierce in a bone-crushing hug. “Fuck yeah I’m down.”

“We are too,” the Captain responded and looked at the other fighters as they slapped a few high fives to each other. “We take care of our own. You know that Strong. And, if Angel is yours…well then, he’s ours too.”

Max struggled to keep his emotions in check.

“Cool. Now let’s get out of here before Ryker gets back and grounds you from leaving the club.” Pierce chuckled.

Max popped Pierce in the back of the head on their way out of the office.

They quickly descended the stairs and made their way out the side exit undetected and filed into the two large black Tahoes waiting on the curb.

Max felt horrible for leaving Ryker like that without a clue as to where he was going, but he knew his brother would fight him on this. He’d deal with those consequences later…after he had his Angel back.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The SUVs pulled up to a building that looked like an abandoned warehouse. There were several broken windows and the paint was practically nonexistent. The building was set about a mile off the main road. Pierce got out of the Tahoe along with Zander, Keith, and James. Max rode shotgun with the Captain, Ken, and two other serious-looking men that were already in the vehicles when he got in. Max noticed several city official vehicles in the warehouse parking lot.

Max jogged up to Pierce when he got out. “Pierce man, where are we?”

Pierce turned to one of the serious men that rode with him and asked the man for his eyes, which he quickly pulled out of the duffle bag on his shoulder. Pierce handed the night-vision binoculars to Max. “See that old rundown building across the lake.” Pierce pointed.

Max looked through the binoculars and saw a shabby airplane hangar about eight hundred yards away, past a shallow lake. There were tall trees along the perimeter of the lake and all around the hangar. He didn’t see any cars or planes but he squinted hard and noticed several men walking around on the rooftop with…
fuck
…automatic weapons. The realization hit Max like a sledgehammer to the chest, making him stumble backward. Keith reached out a massive arm and steadied Max.

“You got it friend. That’s where they’re holding him. Come inside, I’ll explain everything.” Pierce turned on his heels and headed in the direction of the steel warehouse doors.

Max’s heart was hammering inside his ribcage like it was trying to burst free of its confinement. Max surveyed the area as Pierce led them through a bunch of rows with empty, thirty foot high shelves before coming out into a vast open space. His Captain and the rest of his fighters fanned out behind him and went further into the room. Max felt like he’d just walked into James Bond’s headquarters. The area was filled with several computer stations, tables and tables of weapons, and stacked crates of God knows what. Along the back wall were ten televisions displaying images of what looked like the area surrounding the warehouse, and other images of the city. The men at the

computer stations were typing their hearts out while speaking softly to whoever was in their ear on their headsets. Over at the weapons table were several men wearing army fatigues and black Tshirts stretched tight over their huge backs.

“Pierce, who are all these people?”

“Getting to it, Max. I want you to stand over here by me and listen. I know how you can rant, but just wait until I’m completely done and I’ll answer any questions you have after that. I promise. But trust me, you’re going to enjoy this.”

Pierce cleared his throat and raised his hand high in the air. “All right everyone, if you wouldn’t mind stopping what you’re doing and coming front and center, please. I need to get full status reports. Our estimated departure time is now thirty minutes. Angel’s father and his team are already rolling and they’re gonna come in hard. I want to provide them with the backup that they don’t know they need.” Max stood at Pierce’s side with his feet shoulder width apart and watched his best friend go into genius mode.

“First off I, Max, and the other firefighters here would like to thank you all for doing this. Although taking down Valenzo is more on the personal side for us, it’s also doing a damn good service for this city. As you all know Pedro Valenzo is the most notorious drug lord the East Coast has seen in a while. He’s also slippery as fuck. The DEA can never catch him, even in the vicinity of his deals or when he gets a shipment of drugs into the city. So the DEA and FBI have been trying to find another criminal charge to convict him on…to no avail. Until now. Pedro Valenzo abducted Angel DeLucca from his club exactly eight hours and forty-two minutes ago. Unfortunately for Valenzo he has no clue who the fucks boyfriend he just took.” Pierce turned and winked at Max.

“He sure as hell doesn’t know that he took the one and only son of the Beastmasters. Everyone has been brought up to speed already on Shot’s team of Seals. We are relying on them to be the muscle on the ground while we are doing our thing from the other end. Viper knows that someone has been picking around in his system, but he probably assumes it’s the police department trying to get in. He definitely doesn’t know it’s me. They have

surveillance darts already inside what we’ve tapped into, but they are unaware of Valenzo’s new team that came in two hours ago…underground.” Pierce stopped talking when he heard Max clear his throat. Max couldn’t wait until he was finished. Pierce rolled his eyes and asked drily, “You have a question Max?”

“Do we even know if Valenzo is there?”

“We have a visual confirmation that Valenzo came in underground with his infinite number of guards two hours ago. Now if I may continue.” Pierce looked at Max expectantly. Max swept his arm out in front of him telling Pierce to continue.

“The Mayor has made it clear that he doesn’t want a blood bath on the five o’clock news. That’s exactly what Angel’s father’s team is going to do.

They’re gonna try to take out anything and everyone that moves. We will need to get in, use our trump card, and get the fuck out of there. We’re gonna let Ace here have the honor of playing that card.” Pierce flicked his thumb over his shoulder pointing at Max. Max was gearing up to ask another question, but Pierce put his hand up before he could be interrupted again.

“Sean, where are we on confirmation of Valenzo’s family?” Pierce asked one of the scrawny guys at the computer.

“Everyone is home and peaceful, sir.” The boy went back to watching the monitor.

“Wonderful, I want them to stay that way. Jake, where are we on our delivery boys?” Pierce pointed to a tall, slim man that had his ear to his phone. He put up one finger, telling everyone to hold on. Several men, including Pierce groaned with impatience.

“They’re already there and waiting your command, Backhander.”

Everyone turned and looked at the stern voice behind them. Some men gripped their side arms in surprise. Max recognized right away that the chief of police and the Mayor had come in with six men that had SWAT in bold letters across their chest. The Mayor came to stand directly in front of Max.

To say Max was surprised would be like saying the ocean is just water. Max was floored.

“So you’re Sergeant Maximus Strong.” The Mayor stuck out his hand for Max to shake. “I saw your face every day on the news for two weeks. Not to mention Jessica talks about her superhero all the time.” The Mayor laughed at the confused look on Max’s face. Max turned to look at Pierce and noticed the man had that sly look on his face again.

Max’s Captain stepped up and spoke. “Max, you never thought to question who the little girl was that you rescued in that fire where you almost got yourself killed.”

“It didn’t matter who she was, Captain. But out of curiosity, who is she?”

Max questioned.

“She is my one and only granddaughter, Sergeant Strong. I want to apologize for not coming to thank you personally, but after you were released from the hospital I had to leave town on business.” The Mayor put his thin hand on Max’s shoulder as he spoke. “When Pierce Thorton contacted the Chief about your situation, I immediately gave them approval to use whatever means and resources necessary to return your partner to you safely.

I truly don’t think we’re gonna catch much slack for this, but if we do…who cares.” The man scratched his neatly trimmed beard as he spoke. “But fuck it! It’s long overdue for Valenzo to go down!” The Mayor shouted, and everyone cheered and whistled. Max didn’t know what to think as he looked around the room at all the men that had gathered to help get Angel back to him and take the drug-slinging asshole out.

The chief of police looked at Max. “Maximus, you couldn’t have a better man planning this. I’ve worked with Backhander on many missions, and let me tell you he knows his shit.” The Chief turned to look at Pierce. “I brought you a little package.” He directed his thumb over his shoulder pointing at the very threatening-looking SWAT team. “They will accompany Max to get Mr. DeLucca. They are the only ones I want in the vehicle with him. Corporal Jackson is a licensed EMT as well, he’ll have supplies ready if Mr. DeLucca needs immediate medical attention.”

The intimidating team stepped up and shook Pierce and Max’s hand. The SWAT Squad Leader spoke to Pierce. “I must say your reputation precedes you, Backhander. It is truly an honor to work with you. When they said you’d

retired to the fire department I was disappointed that my team would never get the opportunity to work with you. So needless to say, my men and I jumped at the chance when we heard you were on this.” The big man paused and looked Pierce up and down. “However, not to be rude, I really didn’t expect you to look like this. All of your profile pictures are sealed, so I had a mental image that you were two hundred fifty pounds, seven feet tall with muscles coming out of your face. Not five foot five and with hands the size of my mother’s.” The whole room let out a few laughs at the large man’s confession.

Pierce grinned and shrugged it off. “No, I’m a behind-the-scenes guy. I’ll let your muscles do all the work Squad Leader. My hands may be small but I have a mean backhand,” Pierce bragged.

“Tell me about it,” Max chimed in rubbing his still slightly swollen right cheek.

Pierce laughed and so did the other fighters. “Come on friend, let’s get you suited up and ready. The Beastmasters should be in position now.”

Pierce hugged Max and moved him into the next room.

The old airplane hangar was set back from the main road. The Beastmasters could only bring their Suburbans within one hundred yards of the buildings. Lucky and Viper would remain in Shot’s eighteen-wheeler at their stations, so they could communicate to the others on mission status and positions.

Shot and Fox would be on top of the building directly adjacent to where they were holding Angel. Each man had high-powered military issue assault rifles with unlimited ammunition. Hawk would remain on the roof of the farthest building as their watchman. He had his Steiner military issue 7X50

night vision binoculars. Hawk could also provide cover fire from his fifty-caliber assault rifle with armor piercing bullets.

Shade, Toad, Bass, and Monroe had on night-vision goggles as well and would infiltrate the building at Call’s order. No one ever knew Call’s specific location…it varied. The man appeared wherever he was needed.

Everyone confirmed that they were in position. The Beastmasters were in full Navy Seal tactical mission mode. This was not a test. This was not a drill.

Shot’s voice came over their earpieces. “Call. Beastmasters are in position, and ready on your mark.”

Call’s steady voice came across their ears. “Let’s bring our boy home…Viper, cut the power, now.”

“Viper cutting power.” Two seconds later everything went pitch dark in and around the hangar.

All was quiet, no one breathed. Call’s smooth voice broke the eerie silence. “A man without a conscience is feared, a man without fear is a God.

A warrior without both is a beast. Groundsmen ready on my mark…three…two…one…mark.”

Shade pressed the trigger and an ear-splitting explosion of C4 rocked the foundation as the airplane cargo doors exploded into a million pieces.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Bass, Toad, Monroe, and Lucky waited behind a wall for the debris to clear and the first few guards to come running out of the hangar after the explosion. Five men ran out, one behind the other, and Fox or Shot put a single round dead center in each one’s forehead. Another man ran out firing his AK-47 at nothing in particular. He stopped suddenly and looked at the five men lying on the ground with half of their heads missing. He looked up for a split second before two separate rounds hit him between the eyes simultaneously, making one very large hole.

“Fox and Shot, I knew it was fucking brilliant to put you two together,”

Call spoke smoothly. “All right groundsmen, let’s make this quick. Get in there.”

Shot watched Bass and Lucky move down the right side of the interior with Agent Monroe and Toad on the left. As they moved quickly with their backs against the wall they pulled down the tarps from the windows so the outer team could have a better visual inside.

Their latest report was that Angel was in the far room on the corner, but Viper came across their earpieces telling them that he was being moved down the back corridor.

“Fuck!” Shot yelled in their ears. “Bass, Shade, get your asses back there and get him. Now!”

“Shot, stay calm. We won’t lose him,” Fox spoke calmly as he masterfully let off a whole cartridge in the men on the rooftop. “Deep breath now and get your head back in the fight. I need you, honey.”

Shot suddenly realized that there were way more men than they’d initially surveyed. He took aim on the ground and held the trigger in, expertly firing off ten rounds per second. The walls to the hangar were being destroyed as Hawk began to fire his 50 caliber armor-piercing bullets from three hundred and fifty yards away. The shots sounded like claps of thunder. The silver-tipped six-inch bullets Hawk fired were exploding through the brick wall and hitting the guards with so much velocity that they were rocketed back fifty feet, some of the bodies splitting in half.