Sneak Peek: Liam
LIAM HAYES AND PRINCESS TAMMIRA AL-KAMALI
The tension in the room was so thick, Liam could almost taste it. He stared at the man sitting on a lone chair in the middle of the room, his legs and hands restrained, a black bag made of harsh calico over his head. Jack and Alex either side of him, along with Decker, a former FBI profiler, in the dark room that was the interrogation area of Eidolon. Decker always took part in these ‘interviews’.
This one though was different from any other interrogation he’d ever been part of, and he had conducted a lot in his time. All the men who worked for Eidolon had been through extensive Resistance to Interrogation training known as RTI, used by the SAS to train all of their recruits. The man in front of him was no different. What was unusual was that he’d once been a trusted member of the team.
Liam glanced at Jack, who nodded silently, giving Liam the signal to remove the cover from Gunner Ramberg’s head. Liam controlled the mixture of anger, betrayal, and fury inside him as he watched Gunner blink as his eyes adjusted to the light in the room. As he did, Liam saw him look around at each of the men present, assessing them as he would do.
Finally, Gunner’s gaze stopped on Jack as the leader of the team—his old leader before he’d done what he had. Liam clenched his fists in an effort to remain calm on the outside at least. What did surprise Liam was the lack of expression on Gunner’s face. It wasn’t what he was trying to hide that surprised Liam, but rather what he wasn’t hiding.
He didn’t show signs of hate or dislike. In fact, Liam could see he was trying hard not indicate anything, yet relief was in his every movement. This surprised Liam, and he looked at Decker, wondering what he thought. Of course, Decker showed not a single emotion, the man was a robot the way he hid every personal feeling as if he worried someone would perhaps profile him.
Jack stepped forward his arms loose at his side. “Nothing to say? No apology or excuses?” His voice was hard and cold, and Liam was glad he wasn’t on the wrong side of that.
Gunner angled his head to look up at Jack. “Is there any point? You’ve already decided how you feel.” Gunner shrugged, but it wasn’t without feeling, it was resigned. “I don’t blame you for hating me, fuck, I hate myself.”
“I hope you don’t expect us to feel sorry for you,” Alex growled from where he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed.
Gunner twisted to him and shook his head. “No. But I’m praying with everything in me that you’re better men than I am. That you’re the men I know you to be.”
Liam let out a bark of humourless laughter. “You don’t know fuck about me.”
Gunner focused on him. “Don’t I? I know you still mourn Ambrose. That you always resented me for taking his spot on the team.”
Liam dove for Gunner, his hand clamping around his throat as fury almost blinded him. “Don’t speak his fucking name. You’re not fit to lick his shoes. He was ten times the man you are, that I am.”
Jack watched, not interfering for a moment, letting Liam have his say. Gunner didn’t fight him or pull away, allowing the attack. Liam realised at that moment he was taunting him, so he punished him. He hated himself as much as anyone else in that room did, probably more. Liam relaxed and let go, allowing Gunner to take a deep rasping breath.
“You’re right, I’m not worthy of any of you, but I need your help.”
The room went silent at this request, and the men glanced to one another in question. Jack took the lead. “Why would we help you?”
“Because you’re good men.”
“No, we aren’t. We kill, we maim, and all in the name of our Queen.”
“Yes, you are because you don’t hurt innocents and you have a code.”
“A code you seem to have thrown away.”
Gunner hung his head before he tipped it up to Jack. “I had my reasons.”
Jack paced slowly. “Oh, we know. Milla. We know all about your sister.” Gunner’s eyes widened in surprise, and Jack continued. “Yes, we know all about Milla. What I can't understand is why you didn’t come to us?”
It was hard not to hear the betrayal in Jack’s voice.
“I couldn’t. They already had her, and if I’d told you they would’ve known. I couldn’t take that risk.”
“How would they have known?” Decker asked, speaking for the first time.
Gunner twisted to him. “I had to carry a chip with a mic and camera. If they thought for one second, I’d signalled you, she would be dead.”
Decker nodded but didn’t say any more, just lifted his chin at Jack.
“What is this favour?”
“I need you to find my sister and rescue her. I thought I could do as they asked but I can’t. I can’t lose her either.” His anguish and pain were on display for all to see, and Liam noted the dark circles under Gunner’s eyes. The man was exhausted, hanging on by a fraying rope.
Liam thought of the women in his life, those he thought of as sisters and wondered what he would have done. He liked to think he would’ve done differently, but would he? He didn’t know, and much as he hated it, his ire at Gunner faded just a fraction.
“Who are they?”
“A man who calls himself the Count. He has his headquarters at a strip club in London. Always has a team of highly trained muscle around, not Spec Ops but I’m guessing ex-military. He also has an Irish guy that has just come on the scene. He seems high level, but I don’t know a lot about him, just that the Count trusts him.”
“Is the Count the top man?” Liam asked.
Gunner shook his head. “I don’t think so. He talks about his boss but never mentions any details. He is meticulous about it. I’m not convinced he even knows who it is.”
As Jack took all the information in, Liam knew Lopez would be working night and day with Will to find out who the Count was, as well as trying to trace Bás.
“What did they ask you to do that you can’t?” Alex stood straight from the wall as he asked the question.
“They wanted me to Kill Reid and Callie Lundholm.”
“And?”
“They want me to weaken Eidolon by taking out your partners. I’m sure you figured out I sabotaged missions.”
“We did. What we couldn’t figure out was why you failed. You had plenty of opportunities to do us all real harm, and you failed. Why?”
Gunner looked at Jack with a pained expression. “You were my brothers, the closest I had to family here. I didn’t want to succeed and hurt anyone. I was trying so hard to walk a thin line, but they must have figured out what I was doing. They sent me a video of a man standing over Milla’s bed.” Gunner swallowed, and Liam knew this was painful for him. “They asked if she was a virgin.”
Liam’s lip curled in anger at the thought of the vulnerable woman being terrified by such a threat.
“I had to go all in.”
“And if we do this favour, what will you do for us? Favours are for friends, family, or team member, not traitors. Jack was being a hard ass, and Liam understood his stance and why he was forcing Gunner to work for this.