Nothing Special V, page 10
part #5 of Nothing Special Series
Steele raised his hands and moved closer to the counter. Exactly where he needed to be. He wasn’t going to let these petty thugs hurt innocent civilians who were trying to earn an honest living.
“Don’t you try anything, man,” the hoodlum snarled, his teeth clenched tight. “Don’t be a fuckin’ hero.” He gave his partner in crime the nod. “Go to the safe. Quick, go.”
The shortest of the trio jumped the counter and pointed his AK at the manager, shoving him hard enough to knock the young man to the ground. “Get up! Get to the safe! Now. Hurry up!”
Amateurs.
“No one move and you won’t die today,” the guy whispered sternly. Steele didn’t know if that was the guy was trying to sound menacing, but it came off as weak. When the third man was all the way in the back, it was time for Steele to make his move. He looked over at Ruxs and Green and they both gave him an imperceptible nod that only he would understand.
Steele kept his hands up in the air. “Just get what you want and go.” Steele spoke up, knowing it would piss the guy off. He needed to draw him closer.
“On the floor!” the man barked, looking at Steele like he’d lost his mind, especially when he didn’t move. “Don’t make me kill you, motherfucker!”
The employees’ sounds of fear became louder as Steele stood motionless, watching the thug’s trigger finger.
“I hate thieves,” Steele snarled, his lip turning up in the corner. His disdain and disgust were real.
The guy walked up on him, moving to put that barrel to his chest… wrong move. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ruxs’ arm moving. When the leader was in his reach, Steele snapped his arm out and caught the barrel of the gun, thrusting it up in the air – exposing the man’s ribs. Simultaneously, Steele swiped his knuckleduster from his sleeve and struck his fist into the bastard’s side three times before he could even react, turning his body into each blow for maximum impact. The sound of ribs cracking was louder than the customers’ gasps of shock. A blow from the grip of his knife was like being hit with brass knuckles. Steele cocked his fist back and caught the man’s temple once – ripping the shotgun free, sending him to the floor, dazed and disoriented. The fucker’s head hadn’t even hit the tile when Steele spun around at the sound of the third man coming out the back office. With his knuckle-blade still secured in his left hand, Steele drew his gun from behind his back with his right, making it appear like magic, and squeezed the trigger twice, the suppressor silently sending two bullets into the man’s thighs.
He’ll never run in and rob another store.
Steele had ignored the sounds of pain that rang out behind him while he took out the ringleader, trusting Ruxs had his back. When Steele was sure his own perps were no longer a threat, he looked behind him to see the second would-be thief on the ground with a knife embedded in his shoulder and his gun about twenty feet away from him. Ruxs stood over him, making sure he didn’t move.
Green was still sitting at the table drinking his soda. The ultimate trust in his partners.
Tech
This was the hardest part of Tech’s job. Listening to his team when they were in the thick of it while he sat there in the office. He’d already dispatched Syn, God, and Day the second Ruxs called out his name but didn’t voice a request. Tech heard the sound of the place being robbed and got to work. Their trackers put them at the Burger King on Atlantic Ave. and Syn took off out of the office while Tech contacted the zone three precinct in Peoplestown. He knew they had the worst response times in the city, over twenty damn minutes. A good response time was ten, that’s if the call was near a zone. But a robbery happened in a quarter of that time. Tech had confidence in his team; they’d handled worse than a few desperate, petty thieves that were willing to risk their freedom for a measly few hundred bucks.
Tech hadn’t wanted Steele to have a problem on his very first day out, but shit happened. He could hear the commotion and knew they were safe for now, but his hands sped across his keyboard while he used his software to scan for the IP address to tap into the restaurant’s security cameras. He needed eyes in there. He didn’t want to distract Ruxs, only spoke once to let him know his team’s ETA. When he heard the hisses and pops of a suppressor, he closed his eyes, praying it was the one he’d just given to Steele. Most robbers didn’t have silencers. After four too-long minutes, Ruxs’ voice was composed and clear, “Tech. 10-24 and 10-52.”
“10-4,” Tech responded. They were Ruxs and Green’s usual codes. The situation’s been contained. Ambulance needed for suspect. They used the general police codes much of the time, but their task force also had a few of their own. Tech would need to teach them to Steele soon. He waited for his software to finish moving through the many IP addresses in the area before it hit on the one he wanted. In that time frame, he let Ruxs know that first responders should be on the scene in six minutes. It took another eight minutes after that before Tech’s computer beeped and his Hydra system highlighted an address for him.
Yes. Tech quickly copied the address and fired up Kali to bypass all passwords. As soon as the footage came up Tech could see the place swarming with firemen and about six uniformed officers. His eyes darted all over the lobby, looking for his teammates. One in particular. He spotted Green talking with the officers and kept searching for Ruxs and Steele. Where is he? Tech had his hand on his chest the entire time, looking back and forth over the people in the grainy image. When his other monitor finally picked up the outside cameras, he realized Steele and Ruxs were outside, watching the paramedics load up a man whose large body filled the stretcher. Tech blew out a breath. Jesus Christ. After a few more minutes, he recognized God’s big RAM when it flew into the parking lot.
As much as he’d have liked to keep his eye on them, his lieutenants didn’t need that. Tech had his own job to do and it wasn’t to stare at the new recruit. Instead, he went about getting the footage downloaded and into files so it could be reviewed by God and Day when they meet with the captain and the robbery lieutenants. His department always appreciated not having to wait for a company or city office to give them the video they needed, Tech was able to provide it himself within minutes. By the time he had everything compiled, including the closest street cameras, the men from his team – accompanied by the captain and a couple other detectives, were walking back into the precinct. Tech ejected the flash drive and inserted it into a cover.
Ruxs’ hands moved animatedly the whole time they were walking across the bullpen. Steele was behind God so he couldn’t see him, but the lieutenants and the rest of the guys looked pretty entertained by the story. When they got through the glass double doors, Ruxs finished with a loud, “It was some real Steven Segal-type shit, God, I swear.”
God’s deep chuckle was contagious, all of them smiling and recounting their own version of the scene. Tech hoped one day he’d be able to add in his own after-action account. Not likely. Tech turned back around to his monitors until he heard….
“Who the hell’s desk is this? The Secretary of Defense? Shit, Steele. Tech really hooked you up, man.”
Damnit, Day. Green and Ruxs had to pass him to get to their own desks, each of them whistling when they passed Steele’s. “Oh boy, he has a little place for his pens and paperclips too… how sweet.” Tech could feel his skin heating as he did his best to ignore the teasing. These guys were notorious for it and Tech usually got a kick out of it… but now he was the butt of it. He could take it, though. He put his middle finger up over his shoulder, not bothering to turn and face them.
“Tech, you got the footage yet?” God asked him.
“I got it ready.”
“Nice job. Boot it up. We let a couple Zone Three detectives take the tapes from the restaurant. Let’s see what’s so damn fascinating.”
Tech put the drive back in and pulled it up on the big monitor above his head. He had it cued to start right when the robbers pulled into the parking lot. All the men were crowded around his desk watching like it was the latest blockbuster film. He stayed seated and he could feel a strong, hot presence right at his back, but he didn’t turn around, keeping his eyes on the screen.
“Where the hell are you, Steele?” God asked.
“I’m out back on a phone call,” Steele said, directly behind him.
“Look at Ruxs’ greedy ass, still eating while the place is being robbed.” Day laughed, pulling a few laughs from the room.
“Those fries are disgusting when they get cold. Everyone knows that, Day,” Ruxs said wryly. All of them laughed at that, only quieting down when Steele appeared through the front door. Tech’s eyes widened when Steele put himself in front of the older woman at the register, a sawed-off shotgun pointed at his head. Outstanding valor.
It was so silent in their department; you could’ve heard a pin drop. When Steele finally made his move, a round of whispered “shit, oh damn, fuck,” filled the room. Tech held his breath while he watched Steele manipulate that one-of-kind knife and his firearm at the same time. His military training showing up in full force.
“Hey! Is that my suppressor?” Day asked over everyone’s shocked silence.
“Shut up, Day,” God grumbled. “Damn, Steele. Those were some bad moves. I’ll give you that. You move faster than Day.”
“That’s debatable,” Day scoffed. He was joking and everyone could tell, but the look he shot God was downright hilarious.
“You wanted a test and I guess you got it.” Ruxs nodded, clamping Steele on his shoulder, looking proud to be partnered with him.
“Damn, the way you threw that blade, that guy didn’t even know what happened,” Steele countered.
Tech had to rewind that part, it’d happened so fast. They were all watching Steele, not noticing when Ruxs yanked his blade from under his arm and flung it across the dining room. It lodged so deep in the other suspect that his arm flew back, making his weapon fly from his hand.
“Well, God. Looks like you got yourself another one.” The SWAT captain shook his head, walking back towards the door. “Why don’t you save some for us?”
“You got enough of your own, Hart. Now get outta here, you know IA will be down any minute.” God dropped down in his chair.
“You mean your best friends.” The big man laughed.
God gave his friend a middle-finger salute and turned back towards Ruxs, Green, and Steele. “Well, did you guys actually do what I asked and get some information from the dockworker? Or did you just play cowboys all day?”
“Um. Well, we went to the house—,” Green started.
“But the guy didn’t show—,” Ruxs finished.
“So we thought to check out the bar—,” Green jumped back in.
“But we figured we’d eat first—,” Steele concluded.
“Then that’s when—”
God put his hand up stopping Ruxs’ add-on. Syn and Tech both were having a hard time concealing their laughter. They could only imagine what God was thinking, after hearing all three of them finish each other’s sentences.
“Save it. Damnit.” God huffed and ran his hands through his long hair. “You guys attract trouble like balls attract sweat. Now I have to talk with this IA prick again.”
“Actually, my balls rarely sweat,” Day added quietly, not looking up at God while he took the drive from Tech and labeled it.
“Day.” God stared, looking irritated.
“I’m just saying. It’s a bad analogy.” Day shrugged indifferently, tucking the drive inside the file Tech handed to him. Anytime Ruxs and Green did anything, the lieutenants had to answer a ton of questions from IA. Usually about using excessive force, but Tech didn’t see that at all. Steele could’ve put a slug center mass and killed the perp, but he’d wounded him instead, and so had Ruxs. He didn’t throw the knife in the man’s eye. He could’ve… but didn’t.
“Come on, y’all. Let’s go do the nasty.” Day waved the file in the air and headed out the door with Syn and God following him towards the captain’s office.
“Tech. I need a new knife, please. The paramedic wouldn’t let me rip my other one out of the guy’s shoulder,” Ruxs informed him.
“Sure. I’ll get it.” Tech stood, still not making eye contact with Steele. He could see him out of the corner of his eye, studying the new map on his desk. He hoped he liked it. He punched in the code to the equipment room door and went inside, walking towards the knife shelf. He’d need to put in a new order soon. While his inventory system opened up, he went to check on the mold for Steele’s earpiece. He opened the case and gently prodded the small lump.
“I like the desk.”
Tech gasped and jumped hard enough to drop the plastic tool he has holding. Steele’s dark voice was close to his right ear, near enough to feel his breath on his neck. “Jesus Christ. I didn’t even hear you come in.”
“Relax. I’m used to moving silently. It’s gonna be a hard habit to break.” His powerful words made their way under Tech’s collar and the heat of his body washed down his back like a hot caress.
“I guess it would be,” Tech replied before clamping his mouth shut. “Get to know that map, I’m gonna quiz you on it. It’s important to learn the city.
“Hmm. A quiz. I guess that’s better than a test… I don’t like tests. But you probably know that. You’ve had an unpleasantly close encounter with me, you’ve read about me… seen that video just now.” Steele’s whisper was rough. “I know you read what they called me. Are you still afraid of me?”
Tech closed his eyes and let the excited nervousness settle inside his stomach. Yes, he had read more. He knew exactly what Steele could do, but no one else did. That video only revealed a fraction of his skill and agility. “I do know. And, no. I’m not afraid.”
Steele was so quiet it was eerie, because Tech knew he was still there. Lurking, stalking. Tech felt like he was being hunted, but not to be eaten. He tried to calm his body, but he had a feeling Steele could sense his anxiousness. God, the things this man could probably do to him. But Tech wasn’t on Steele’s level and he never would be. No one was. All the training in the world wouldn’t make him his equal. Steele’s strength came from centuries of ancestral ingrained talent and decades of elite training. Tech was just a nerd.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing,” Tech huffed. “Was there something you needed from me?”
Steele’s laugh was predatory. “Actually, yes. But for now, I’ll take more bullets, and I need a better suppressor. Day can have this piece of shit back. It’s too loud. An AAC would be preferable, but if they won’t approve it… a GEMTECH.”
“I’ll get it approved,” Tech responded. He’d get that damn suppressor even if he had to sell his ass for it. Wow, where’d that come from? He’d move a few things around in their budget this quarter.
“Good.” Steele felt so close to his body, Tech couldn’t turn around if he wanted to. “How’re your arms feeling now?”
Tech cleared his throat while he busied his hands with the earpiece components. “They’re great. I can hardly feel the soreness now. Um… thank you for the bandages. I type a lot, so sometimes my forearms can get a little sore.” Really. Tech rolled his eyes, did he actually just admit that? Typing, seriously. If he didn’t sound like a weakling before, he certainly did now. Damnit.
“I can believe that. It’s tedious and repetitive. I’d be happy to show you some exercises for them.” Steele’s hands ran up the length of his triceps and around his arms. Tech tried not to shiver at the light touches. Thoughts of what Steele could do with those hands that were now on his body were causing a lot of feelings that’d been dead for a long time to spark back to life. Steele kept his fingers on his forearms and ran his thumbs down the insides until he reached his pulse. Steele pressed both thumbs there and Tech felt his knees weaken. “Your pulse is erratic.”
Of course, it is.
“You may not be afraid… but are you comfortable?”
Was he comfortable? That wasn’t something he could answer. Now, if Steele asked was he confused in his company… fuck yes. However, he was also pissed at himself that he’d admitted to this FORECON Marine that typing made his wrists hurt sometimes. He didn’t want Steele to treat him like a baby. “I’m not scared,” Tech growled.
Steele dropped his arms and caught him around his waist, spinning Tech fast enough to make him dizzy. His breath caught in his throat when he stopped only a couple inches from Steele’s face, having to slightly tilt his head up to look into those penetrating gray eyes. “You keep saying that. But your body is telling me different,” Steele hissed.
Tech didn’t dart his eyes away. He didn’t want Steele thinking he was insecure. Instead, he held those blown pupils and majestic irises with his own interested gaze. Inching in closer, Tech fought down his tension and gently placed both hands on Steele’s tight stomach. Maintaining eye contact, he slowly moved them up Steele’s chest, gliding over the defined pecs. Steele’s nostrils flared but he didn’t stop Tech when he gripped his collar and pulled him down closer to his mouth. Just before their lips could touch, Tech inched over and whispered in Steele’s ear. “I can’t control the way my body trembles when you’re near me, but trust me when I tell you… it’s not fear, Ghost.”
Tech used Steele’s classified identity, hoping it didn’t backfire like hell. But the way Steele’s hands tightened on his waist, he didn’t think it had. He’d taken the gamble, hoping it’d pay off. He was confessing to Steele what he’d learned from those documents, information revealing what the lieutenant colonel had to do – had to become – to keep himself and his men safe. Yet Tech was still standing there in the man’s arms, his cock as hard as a missile, flirting with danger… hoping he’d flirt back.
Steele
