---Declan's POV---
"Anything new?" I asked as I walked through the door, glancing over my shoulder to double-check I wasn't followed. Richard shook his head slightly as his fingers rushed over the keyboard, his eyes fixed on the multiple screens in front of him.
"So far I've discovered that Grey, Murkov and Emanuel all flipped." He stated, glancing at me as I cursed loudly and punched the wall beside me. All of those men were high-ranking and it'll be difficult to pin them down unless we had a lot of dirt to use against them.
"Evidence?"
"None so far. They're good at hiding their traces...well almost all of them." He smirked as both of us stared at the screen, information popping up in several files. With one glance at Richard, I popped my head out in the hallway and hollered out so the guys would come down.
As Samuel and Josh stepped in the room, Sage popped his head inside before curiously walking towards me. I smiled reassuringly at him and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him against me and laying my chin on his shoulder.
A picture of a man with rather sharp features, bold nose and cool grey eyes popped up the screen while Richard started, "Ivan Murkanov, Born in Russia but raised in the US. Joined the army at eighteen and excelled in all areas before joining the Special Forces."
Another few pictures flashed on the screen, showing Murkanov in flight suits as he climbed into an F-22, others of where he posed with the rest of his team but all the time, he kept his dead serious expression glued on his face. No smiles, nothing.
"Is there any reason for him to flip or could he be undercover?" Sage asked softly, making Josh smirk slightly as he nodded, "He's got the poker face down to a T alright." He jerked up in surprise when a hand slapped against the back of his head, making us all turn around to greet a smirking Davy.
Davy shook his head slightly before placing his hands on his hips, staring Josh down. "Who started this party without me? I wanna put my two scents in too you know?" He sauntered into the room and flopped down on Josh's lap, wriggling provocatively before Josh grasped his hips firmly, glaring at the boy as he did so.
"Knock it off." He growled warningly before looking back up at the others as we shook our heads; planned or not, Davy had loosened the tension a bit and allowed us to think without stressing so much about the answers.
"So, reasons?" Sage repeated and motioned for the others to offer their input. Richard clicked a few times on the screen before motioning towards one of the pictures. "His father was sent back to Russia based on spying. No proof against Ivan though..."
"Then again, Intel says he was captured during war and hasn't flipped then...So it seems he's loyal to the country..." Sage said softly, analyzing all the information as he stood up and made connections.
"What are the relationships between the three?" he asked while writing their names on the board. Samuel shifted slightly before speaking up, "Grey is a sergeant, close to retire too. He's in the US Army."
I nodded my head before pointing out to Emanuel, "He's a Colonel in the Air force, Ivan is just a few ranks below him as a First Lieutenant." Davy scratched his head before shaking it slightly. "So basically between all this rubbish, all you said was Emanuel is the top dog along with Grey, and Ivan is dangling somewhere below them?"
Josh barked a laugh and shook his head, "No, Grey isn't a top dog at all, we're talking about Grey Senior here. Grey Jr. is the one who's a sergeant in the military, which is pretty low but his father has made it all the way and isn't even active on the battlefield anymore. Grey Sr. is a high ranking General."
Davy frowned and pointed at Samuel as he snapped, "Then why did he say that Grey is a sergeant when there are two Greys in the army!" Sam seemed surprised himself before Sage piped in, "Its because Senior is in with the Black Sun, but he's letting his kid take the fall."
As we looked back at the board, which was filled with lines, notes and pictures by now, I gaped at the images displayed there. It seemed Sage had been quite busy with hacking, since I saw some rather recent images of Jr. in Afghanistan while Sr. was living a luxurious life and visiting several high ranking veterans like himself.
Sage smirked slightly at my gaping mouth before he winked as I shut my mouth and stared at him in awe. Davy smirked right along with his brother before tossing a laser pointer at him, which Sage caught effortlessly before he aimed it at the screen.
"So while his kid is in a very tight spot, daddy is playing politics with his old friends and enjoying the good life. But here's one problem..." He pointed at a world map and the pictures attached to it. "What is so special about the abandoned church he's visiting all the way down to the remote Altai Mountains?"
That got our attention as we all looked at each other before glancing at Richard, who nodded and started typing away again. "I'll try to get one of our satellites to spy there, along with an unmanned aircraft."
My eyes were fixed on the images and dots connecting a whole new level of conspiracy before popping up towards the blank spot left at the top of the board. "All we need to do is find out whose top dog in the Black Sun, and then we can clean them all out." I stated while motioning to the board with my chin.
"Won't be easy, I'll tell you that." Samuel said while Davy shrugged and leaned back in Josh's chest. "Whoever it is, they're bound to make mistakes. Even if someone is cleaning up after them, they'll grow nervous after Sage's pestering and that'll make them rush to shut the leak in their system."
Josh and I shared a look before nodding, smiling slightly. It was a rule taught in the army to stay calm and focused when under pressure. If you didn't keep your calm during an assault, you'd likely return in a body bag.
"All right, let's close up for the night, we'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." I stated before standing up and pulling Sage in my arms. He smiled warmly at me and flushed slightly at Davy's naughty comments before Josh hoisted the guy up his shoulder and ran up the stairs.
"I'll never get used to your brother's big mouth." I murmured before pulling him closer to me, my eyes already focused on those beautiful lips as they curled in a smile. Sage sighed in the kiss and gently stroked my back before I reached for his hand and snapped out of the kiss, pulling him with me to bed.
As soon as we were in the privacy of our room, I gently pressed him against the door and pressed my lips against his forehead, closing my eyes and enjoying the warmth of his body pressed against mine.
"Declan?"
I hummed to show I heard him, letting my lips wander down his jaw to his throat, where I nipped gently at the skin as my hands slipped underneath his shirt, skimming over his skin as the shirt flowed upwards and over his shoulders before falling to the floor.
"Make love to me?" I looked up in Sage's eyes and couldn't help but smile before claiming his lips in a passionate yet slow kiss. Every touch and kiss, every move we made as we explored the other's body was slow and steady, building up a simmering heat by the time we both stumbled on the bed completely naked.
My mouth instantly sought out Sage's nipple, suckling and nipping at the tanned disk as I gave the same attention to its twin. The groans and whimpers coming from his mouth as he trashed underneath me were music to my ears but I wanted more, I needed to hear and feel Sage completely.
As soon as I nudged against his entrance, our eyes met as I slowly pushed in. The enraptured and blissed out look in his heavy brown eyes caused me to speed up, driving harder and deeper into his body as he clung tightly to me, clawing at my back in pleasure until we both fell over the edge into a blissed out state.
I managed to stumble to the bathroom on legs made of jelly, retrieving a damp washcloth to clean us both up before I threw it aside and snuggled closer to the love of my life. Sage nearly purred in contentment and wriggled closer before he threw a leg over my hips and buried his face under mine.
"Love you." He yawned before stilling in my arms. I didn't know how long I was looking down at him before I nuzzled his ear, muttering "Love you too." before I allowed myself to fall asleep.
---Samuel's POV---
I pulled up at school and shut the engine before slowly making my way out of the car. My injuries were feeling a lot better, though I wasn't too sure how I'd hold out if I started my strict training schedule again.
Closing the door behind me, I walked towards the gate and smiled as I heard the elated cries and laughter from the children there, running after each other or driving on their small bikes through the school.
I was a bit surprised though that they weren't inside; class hasn't ended yet so why were they playing outside? Several other parents were already waiting at the gates, one of them, a friendly young woman with a toddler on her hips, smiled warmly and waved me over after one look at my confused expression.
"There aren't any lessons these last few days, you know, with the holidays waiting. That's why they're already out and playing." She said with a toothy grin as the little boy in her arms cooed and giggled, yanking at her hair in his chubby fist. "No Mickey, no pulling on Mama's hair."
As she was busy prying her hair out of his firm hold, my eyes scanned the growing crowd before going back to the gates, which creaked open as the teachers released the children. I'm sure they were glad their day was over again. I spotted Ellie running towards me, pulling two girls with her.
"Sammy! I wanted you to meet my friends!" She chirped happily, pushing the two girls in front of me as they stared up in awe. I chuckled and tipped my hat at them, knowing what has drawn their attention.
Ellie twirled around her friends before spinning around when one of the teachers popped up behind her. "Girls, you all forgot your presents. I'll see you in two weeks, enjoy your holiday." The man smiled, tying a bracelet with floating balloon on each their wrists before waving as he went back to the school.
The girls shrieked with delight before enticing their friends in a game of tag, chasing around the parents' legs and dodging backpacks, people and bikes as the school poured empty. The woman beside me was standing on her toes, looking for her son while I was keeping an eye on Ellie's bright red balloon that danced above everyone's heads.
"Who are you here for exactly?" The mother asked distractedly as she was still searching for her boy. I pointed her son in the crowd, making her smile thankfully at me as I replied, "I'm here for Ellie. Excuse me Ma'am." I stated politely, nodding at her before turning around and walked towards the red balloon.
The green and yellow balloon were still chasing their red companion, shivering and shaking as the girls laughed and jumped around before disappearing behind the adults. As soon as they were out if sight, I focused on the red balloon and quickened my pace when the two others rushed back towards me while the red one stayed put before it started floating higher and higher in the air.
"Ellie!" I called out, pushing men and women out of my way to get to her sooner, gaining some grunts and grumbled responds before I heard a terrified voice scream "SAMMY!!" Shoving the last few people away, I got a clear view of what was going on and cursed mentally before rushing forwards.
Ellie's friends were running towards the crowd, tears in their eyes as they cried for help; Ellie was struggling against the hold of a muscular hooded man, who had a firm hold on her wrist as he dragged her to a car waiting to pull out.
As soon as I laid eyes on that rather familiar car and the woman that was seated behind the wheel, I dropped all thoughts of keeping a low profile, especially when another man stepped out of the car and pulled a gun from his coat.
A gunshot tore through the air, causing the parents and their children to scream and duck for cover as I rolled and pressed myself against the hood of a truck, slipping my hand down to retrieve the small gun out of my boot.
Peeking over the car, I noticed that Ellie was kicking with her feet and biting at the man's hands when he roughly yanked her up and carried her to the car, flat out running to get there sooner.
"ELLIE!" She tossed her head back as I called her name while the man turned around to look at where I was calling for. Just as I expected. Before he could get his own gun out, I had aimed a bullet at his wrist, another flying towards his leg.
He dropped her with a muffled cry, staggering out of the line of fire as his accomplice fired a few round at my direction. Ducking back, I was relieved to see Ellie stumbling into cover behind a car a few feet away from where I was hiding.
She wasn't safe yet, since the men seemed determined to get her. The wounded man was scrambling for his gun while the other stepped out between the cars, emptying his magazine as he rushed forwards.
I took a deep, calming breath before returning fire and smiled grimly when I managed to nick the approaching man on his shoulder, making him spin from impact before he staggered behind a car.
Ellie was sobbing in relief when I managed to skid behind her. My heart was thumping wildly inside my chest as memories of Marley assaulted me, especially when she scrambled in my lap, shaking like a leaf and sobbing hysterically.
"Shhh baby girl, calm down. I need you to lay low alright? Come on Ellie, its not safe now." I hushed in her ear while I kept my eye on the two men while I gave her my phone and pressed the button. "Its calling to Declan and Josh, tell them where we are okay?"
She nodded but cringed in fear and cried out when the bullets whizzed past. Why are they attacking in broad daylight when it'll only draw attention to themselves?
I shot blindly over the hood of the car and heard the satisfying sound of a man dropping on the floor as one gun was silenced, perhaps permanently. The tables turned before the engine of their runaway car revved twice, signaling the other attacker to run towards it before they took off as I rolled out of cover and emptied my gun after the fleeing car.
Seconds later, Josh's expensive car roared around the corner before it skidded to a halt, Declan instantly jumping out and showing me a glimpse of a scared Davy and Laura in the car.
"What the fuck happened?" Declan roared as he ran towards us, gun in hand as I pulled a crying Ellie up and rushed her to the relative safety of the car.
"Attempt at kidnap, they failed." I stated for the benefit of onlookers while the sirens of approaching police was clearly heard but I threw him a look which said much more than words could. Declan cursed loudly and kicked against the car to cool his anger before I noticed that Richard was here too.
A moment of clarity flooded my mind as it made the impossible and horrifying connection of what happened before I cursed and pushed Declan back to the car. "You left Sage alone?!"
Time seemed to slow then...Declan paled instantly at the implications of my words as the Black Sun's plans finally emerged. The cop cruiser skidding around the corner wasn't important anymore as I pulled my tags out of my pocket and called HQ to settle this business.
My eyes landed on Declan' frozen features before he seemed to snap himself out of it and rushed to an approaching cop on a bike. After a heated discussion, the man stepped of the vehicle and allowed Declan to take off with it, leaving me to take care of the cops as Josh tried to maneuver his car out of the rushing crowd of scared people.
---Declan's POV---
My heart was pounding away as I made my way through the busy traffic, occasionally feeling my knees scrape against bypassing cars but I couldn't help the sense of trepidation that was growing stronger and stronger.
A loud honk sounded behind me as I zigzagged between the passing traffic, nearly missing a car and swerving around the corner as I cursed constantly. Why had I left Sage behind? Why? Why? Why?
Josh had already been on his way to pick up Davy and Laura while Richard had been out, since it was his turn to do grocery shopping. As soon as my phone rang and I picked up, I heard Ellie's fearful cries and gunshots in the background. I had left the line open to know what was happening as I stole Sage's phone out of his stunned hands and ordered Josh to pick Richard up and get to the school.
It had taken me a moment to calm Sage down before I instructed him to work on the last coded files and then I had locked the doors behind me when Josh called out in front of the door. Before I could tell Richard to stay behind, I heard even more shots through the phone and cursed, pressing the others to get to Samuel first.
Mother's house came into view, the sight sending a small sense of relief through my veins while adrenaline was still forcing me to go faster. Without a care for the borrowed bike, I skidded to a halt and jumped over the spluttering bike, running towards the front door before I grew nauseous.
It was slowly moving open by the wind.
My hand flew towards my gun as I rushed inside, clearing the hallway and stealthily making my way where I had last seen Sage. Please let him be alright, please! I couldn't stand the deafening silence anymore and skirted around the wall to the kitchen.
"Sage! Answer me!"
Finally I was back in our small HQ but it was destroyed; papers were spread all over the floor, pillows had been ripped open and the computers were completely destroyed, electric crackles snapping through the punctured screen.
The white washboard had been knocked over and stepped on, the couch was laying on its side and the two desks in the middle were tossed over. Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!!
My heart throbbed painfully as I dropped to my knees in the middle of this carnage, eyes filling with tears as I didn't' even notice the fact that all of our research was destroyed beyond repair and that the Black Sun had obviously erased any evidence we had against them.
When Josh stepped into the room, I could only look over my shoulder at him, watching how his whole expression turned from guarded and hopeful to utterly destroyed.
"They have him. The Black Sun took Sage."