Merciless, An Option Zero Novel

Somewhere between the darkness and the dawn lies a truth that could get them killed.

Years ago, Asher Drake lost everything he loved. He had followed the rules, done the right thing, and was repaid with betrayal. Now, as leader of Option Zero, he plays by his own rules and handles things a different way. Ash knows he might not live to see another day, but one thing is certain, he will fight till his last breath for what’s right.

Out of dark desperation, Jules Stone became someone else. Having experienced the worst of humanity, she battles her demons by fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. But the shadows linger. When an opportunity arises to repay a debt, Jules accepts the offer, hopeful that the shadows will disappear forever.

Secure in the knowledge that power is the ultimate weapon and truth is only a matter of perception, an enemy watches, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Putting aside the pain of the past, Ash and Jules must join forces and fight their demons together before the darkness becomes permanent and destroys them both.

Chapter One

Colombia

Things were quiet. Maybe too quiet. Standing on the front porch of the safe house, Asher Drake shrugged off the unease. Paranoia, nothing more. Typical reaction from a Marine who’d seen more than his share of bloodshed and bullets. But this wasn’t war, and he was no longer an active-duty Marine. Time to get his head back into what peace looked like.

As he perused the neighborhood, he couldn’t imagine a more serene setting. Maybe not a Norman Rockwell painting, but the backdrop was as close as he’d seen in this part of the country. Nestled in an upper-middle-class neighborhood, with sidewalks, freshly mowed lawns, and the occasional basketball hoop in the driveway, the entire area reeked of safety. The house belonged to a local businessman who was apparently happy to rent his home out for a generous amount of money while he vacationed in another part of the world.

The assignment was boring, but that was okay. He was more than ready for a low-key, fluff job. He’d been preparing to go back to the States and continue his life with Meg, when Yeager Bates, an old friend from high school, had texted him with the offer. Bates was former Army and ran a private security firm in the States. The firm was looking for a couple extra military types to protect some bigwigs for a business meeting with locals. A couple of days, tops. Good money. Was he interested?

The answer had been an easy “hell yeah.” With the extra cash, he’d be able to put more down on the house Meg had found for them.

Making babies with Meg, having a house in a nice neighborhood, and living a fulfilling, peaceful life were his goals. With interviews set up next week for several promising job opportunities, life was looking pretty damn sweet.

He and Meg had been working toward this since they’d graduated from high school. They’d gotten married right before his first deployment, but they’d decided to put everything else on hold till he was home for good. At last, everything was falling into place.

They had agreed to wait until he was finished with his service before trying to get pregnant. Meg was eager to get started. And Ash was more than eager to help her get there.

A scuffing noise had him whirling around to see Yeager coming toward him with the big, easy grin he’d had since Ash had known him. “Still twitchy?” Yeager asked.

“Hell, does it ever go away?”

Yeager gave a dry huff of a laugh. “I’ll let you know.”

He hadn’t seen Yeager in years, but between a late-night card game and an early-morning run, they’d been able to catch up. “I’ve got no activity on this side,” Ash said. “You?”

“Quiet as a church during confession.”

“Mayhugh ready to go?” Ash asked.

“Just about. Last time I saw him, he was chowing down on some kind of pastry and reading his email.”

The man they were protecting, Frank Mayhugh, was the president of a manufacturing company in the Midwest. Why he’d come to this small town in Colombia for a business meeting was anyone’s guess. He and Yeager were to make sure he stayed safe while he was here. So far, it’d been a piece-of-cake assignment.

“You know what this meeting is about?”

“Not really. I was told the basics. A meeting with locals about some kind of business venture. My business has been slow lately. The money was way too good to pass up.”

“I hear that.”

A voice came through his earbud. “Mr. Mayhugh is ready to leave.”

“Copy that,” Yeager said. He met Ash’s eyes. “Let’s move.”

With one more glance around the quiet, peaceful surroundings, Ash followed his friend.

***

The meeting was in full swing. Ash had watched from his post as a dozen well-dressed men and women walked into a large conference room. Their expressions ranged from excitement to harried to frowns of worry. What they were discussing behind closed doors was still a mystery.

Again, he couldn’t help but wonder about this location. They were about twenty miles from Bogota in an area that no one in their right mind would call an appropriate setting for a business meeting. He’d asked around, and so far no one seemed to know exactly what the meeting was about or why they’d chosen this place to have it. And why were the buildings here in the first place? They were surrounded by wilderness on all sides. Who puts a large office complex in the middle of a freaking jungle?

His gut told him he needed to find out what was going on. When details were this sketchy, there was usually a reason. And it was rarely good.

“Drake, you copy?”

At the urgency in Yeager’s voice, Ash went stiff. “Yeah. What’s up?”

“You close to the entrance?”

“Yes.”

“There’s a convoy coming this way. Not sure they’re headed for us, but stay alert just in case.”

Yeager was on the roof as a lookout. They were taking turns between each other and two of Yeager’s security men, Jeff Mason and Cort Dunley, who were guarding a couple of other people at the meeting.

Already on his way, Ash responded quietly, “Will do.”

Arriving at the entrance within seconds, he noted both Dunley and Mason were standing across from each other outside on the small portico. Ash pushed the door open and stuck his head out. “You hear that?”

“Did he say convoy?” Mason asked.

“Yeah. And since we’re the only building, no way it’s not coming here.”

Dunley turned toward the door. “We need to—”

“They stopped,” Bates said in Ash’s ear.

“Okay. Let’s alert everyone just in case we—” Ash broke off at his friend’s soft curse. “What’s wrong?”

“Ah, hell, Ash.”

“What?” Ash barked.

“They’ve got a rocket launcher.”

“Get down here, Bates. Now!” He looked at the other two men. “Let’s get them out.”

They ran back inside. Their number one priority was protecting the people in the room. That meant getting them out of the building before the walls exploded around them.

Two men stood at the outside of the double-door entrance. Ash ran toward them, shouting, “We’ve got trouble. Get everyone out!”

Looking more irritated than alarmed, one of the guys said, “What the hell are you talking about?”

Ignoring the idiot, Ash jerked the door open. A hand pulled at his arm. “Hey, you can’t go in there. This is a private—”

He shoved the guy away and ran inside. “Everybody out! We’ve got heavy fire coming our way!”

Either these people had been expecting trouble, or they were hyperconscious of the dangerous location. Men and women jumped up, grabbed laptops, papers, and briefcases, and hurried toward Ash.

Noting that Mayhugh was in the middle of the pack, Ash turned to lead them to safety. He had studied the blueprints of the building this morning. The side door was not only closer but also led to the parking lot where several SUVs and a passenger van were parked.

“This way,” he yelled.

He heard a curse from the direction of the door. Mason ran toward him, fury on his face. “The door’s locked. They’ll have to go out the front.”

Turning, he yelled at the small crowd, “Change of plans. We’re going out the front.”

“Over here!” Dunley shouted from the front door.

Between the three of them, they herded the terrified men and women toward the door. Ash barked, “Move!” and shoved them forward.

As if in slow motion, he watched the people scramble to get out. A couple of them were pushing others out of the way to try to save themselves. One woman went down, and Ash reached for her. Picking her up, he ran toward the door, set her on her feet, and shoved her out.

Yeager’s voice sounded in his ear, “Incoming!”

A half second later, hell exploded.

Glass shattered, bricks hurled through the air, and the world went black. Ash threw himself out the door and landed hard several feet away from the building. If he lost consciousness, it was for only a second or two. When he raised his head, he saw that a thick cloud of dust and debris surrounded what was once a large office complex.

Stumbling to his feet, his ears ringing, a haze of confusion covered his thoughts. Eyes stinging from blast debris, he squinted through the thick fog of smoke. Had they gotten everyone out? The last thing he remembered was practically throwing a woman through the door. Had she survived?

Shaking his head to clear it, he stumbled toward the demolished building. Whatever had hit them had done more damage than one rocket shell. There had to have been two or three. The entire building lay on the ground, smoldering.

He touched his ear, noting that he’d lost his earbud. What about Yeager and the other men? Had they survived?

“Over here!” The shout came from within the rubble.

The dust was settling some, leaving a hazy, blurry image of the destruction that surrounded him. Ash spotted a man lying beneath a steel beam. His torso and head were clear, but his legs were pinned. The man was Yeager Bates.

Ash ran forward, stepping over debris, pieces of clothing, and other items. When he reached Yeager, he was relieved to see a grin on the man’s face. “Told everybody to get out and forgot to take that advice myself.”

Stooping down, Ash tried to lift the beam with no luck. “I need to find a rod or something to bolster this thing.” His eyes searched for something sturdy. Everything looked too twisted or damaged. “Hang on.” He glanced back at Yeager’s face. “How bad is it?”

He grimaced, tried to move. “Can’t tell. Nothing hurts.”

Standing, Ash surveyed the area. It was amazingly empty of people. Had everyone else died in the blast? How was that possible? He remembered several people exiting the building. Where were they?

“You need help?”

He glanced behind him. Mason and Dunley were headed his way. Mason had blood running down the side of his face, and Dunley was limping and holding his left arm at his side. They were banged up but very much alive.

“Yeah. Bates is pinned.”

They went to work, shoving and lifting, trying to get the beam to move even an inch. In the midst of grunting and cursing at their slow progress, the rumble of a helicopter caught their attention.

Ash straightened and peered toward the area where the noise was coming from. Was this help, or had the bastards found another way to get to them? Had they come to finish the job?

A heavy breeze swept the area, clearing the air. About two hundred yards away, a Chinook helicopter was touching down. Ash watched as a horde of people appeared from behind some big bushes and ran toward the chopper. A man dressed in black jumped to the ground and herded the people onto the chopper.

Relief flooded him. At least they had help.

He shouted and waved his arms, making sure that the pilot saw him. It was a long distance away, but Ash knew he’d been spotted. The pilot looked directly at him, but there was no nod or the slightest acknowledgment.

The realization hit him seconds before the giant bird lifted from the ground and took off. “They’re leaving us.”

“No way in hell,” Mason snarled. “They can’t—”

But they had. Standing in the midst of destruction and death, next to a man pinned beneath a gargantuan beam, Ash watched the helicopter grow smaller and smaller until it was a dot in the sky.

The sound of a vehicle caught his attention. Hopeful that this was a sign that they hadn’t been abandoned, Ash turned. The truck that had fired the rocket, or rockets, was coming toward them. This was no rescue. This was an army headed to finish the job.

They needed to get the hell out of here. They had arrived in several vehicles. If they could hold the bastards off for a few minutes, maybe they could tie a rope to one of the larger SUVs and dislodge the beam. Then they’d hightail it out of here.

His eyes darted to the parking lot that had been on the other side of the building and his heart sank.

Reading him correctly, Dunley said, “They’re demolished. Mason and I checked before we headed this way.”

Ash exchanged a look with each man, silently acknowledging what had happened. They had been left behind. And they had no way out.

They were military, trained to fight till their last breath. And that’s what they would do.

But if he survived, Ash swore that he would spend the rest of his life hunting down the people who left them to die.