Deadly Embrace (Deadly Assassins Series Book 1) Read online

  “I was surprised by that, but I’m more surprised by you right now.” Natalia smiled.

  “Why? I have to steal any moment I can with you right?” I asked.

  “This is true,” Natalia wrapped her arms around me and we both fell back on the bed.

  I landed on top of Natalia and she began to moan as I kissed her down her neck and cleavage.

  She opened her legs inviting me between them and I accepted. As we lay on the bed kissing and touching one another, we both got lost in the moment, when Mr. Ketch suddenly walked in the room. We both sat up on the bed and quickly obviously embarrassed.

  “Excuse me Ms. Morgan, I am here to install your trackers. Please excuse us Mr. Armell,” Mr. Ketch said.

  “I would like him to stay Mr. Ketch,” Natalia said.

  I was surprised at her request. “Of course, Ms. Morgan.”

  I watched as Mr. Ketch injected the tracker into Natalia’s right wrist and under her right ribcage. Natalia closed her eyes and winced in pain as she held my hand.

  “Done Ms. Morgan. You’re next Mr. Armell.”

  “Call me Jason, please.”

  “I will meet you in your room, Mr. Armell.”

  “Of course, Mr. Ketch. I will be there in a minute.”

  Mr. Ketch left the room. I turned to Natalia and smiled.

  “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

  “It’s okay. It feels funny,” Natalia said.

  I ran my finger over the small incision on her wrist and kissed it.

  “I will see you later. Better not keep Mr. Ketch waiting. I will try and sneak back tonight after dinner.”

  “Well, it might not be easy, there are cameras all over this place and your room is on the other side of the villa. I just keep thinking in the back of my head what Admiral Thompson said about us being together.” Natalia stated

  “True, me too. But you are worth the risk.”

  Natalia smiled at me then winked, “You better believe it baby.”

  I kissed Natalia and went to my room where Mr. Ketch was waiting. I lifted my shirt and winced in pain as he installed both my trackers. He activated them with a small handheld device.

  “Okay, Mr. Armell. I’m finished.”

  As Mr. Ketch left the room I began to think what a strange man he was..

  I was unpacking my bags when I turned and saw Vince standing in the doorway. Vince walked over and sat down in the chair in the corner.

  “What’s up, Vince?”

  “Hey mate. I think Maurice is going to be a fucking problem for us all.”

  “I can handle Maurice. I have dealt with guys like him before. He has no idea what I am capable of. I guess this isn’t what you signed up for right?”

  “For sure mate. I had no idea I was gonna get involved in all of this when my dad sent me here. I wonder why we were split into two teams”

  “Admiral Thompson always has an agenda. There is definitely a reason or lesson he is trying to teach us.”

  “You’re probably right. I saw you walked Natalia to her room. What happened when you two were alone?”

  “Nothing, nosy.” I began to laugh

  “Fair enough.”

  “Alright, I’m gonna finish unpacking. I will meet you and Chase at dinner.”

  “Okay, later mate.”

  As Vince left, I began to think if I was gonna be able to lead this team. All of them were so different and I was hoping that my feelings for Natalia wouldn’t cloud my judgement. My heart had been closed off for so long. I didn’t know what I was gonna do. For now, I was gonna concentrate on the training coming up.

  Chapter 26

  That evening I met the team out on the beach for dinner. I noticed Admiral Thompson had arrived early and was sitting at a table with the other instructors. When he noticed me, he nodded his head in my direction. Natalia was sitting with Maurice and Nick talking by the fire. I walked over to the buffet food table and got some salad and a cheeseburger. I sat next to Chase and Vince.

  “Hey Jason,” Chase said.

  “Hey guys. Y’all ready for tomorrow?”

  “Have you got a plan Jason?” Vince asked.

  “I think it’s best for us to use our instincts and follow our training. Let’s just see what Admiral Thompson has in store for us.”

  “Something doesn’t feel right about this place Jason. This is not what my dad and uncles went through when they had their training.” Chase said.

  “I agree with Chase mate. We are headed into troubled waters,” Vince said.

  “Well y’all know this isn’t a traditional unit we are in, right? As long as we support each other, everything will be fine. Did both of you get your digital trackers installed by Mr. Ketch?”

  “Yes, he came to my room earlier,” Vince said.

  “Yes, I got mine. That guy is weird,” Chase stated.

  “That’s the feeling I got from him as well, we need to keep an eye on him.” I said.

  Admiral Jacobson came over to our table. We all stood up to salute him.

  “At ease gentlemen. This is a more informal atmosphere. Jason, Chase and Vincent. I have heard a lot about you all.”

  “I prefer Vince mate. Only me mum calls me Vincent.”

  “Excuse my English friend Admiral.”

  Chase looked on and showed a little smirk on his face.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you Vince. Are you all ready for tomorrow?”

  “As ready as we will ever be sir,” Chase said.

  “Well we start at 0500. So, goodnight gentlemen.”

  “Good night, sir,” I said.

  Chase and Vince went off to their rooms. Everyone left the beach for the night except Natalia and I. I walked over to talk to Natalia, but I could see Admiral Thompson and Jacobson watching us from the villa window.

  “Hey baby, you look gorgeous.”

  “Thanks baby. You know I only want to look good for you,” Natalia said.

  “Well, you ready to lead your team tomorrow baby?”

  “Yes of course, you know I can handle Maurice, and Nick is awesome.”

  “Well I wanna come to your room tonight. I think I can avoid the cameras. I wanna be with you Natalia and I’m willing to risk it if you are.”

  “Okay, I’m going back to my room now. I will leave the door unlocked.”

  I watched Natalia and she walked up the beach. I loved how her wavy hair blew in the wind as her short black mini dress hugged her gorgeous curves. I took a moment and sat down on the sand and watched the waves. I thought about my journey ahead with the team. The waves washed up on the beach and washed slightly over my bare feet. I reflected on what Ryan and Brooklyn were doing right now. I missed my family already. I was hoping I had the strength to

  get through the training I was facing ahead. I walked into the villa and said goodnight to Admiral Jacobson and Thompson as they both sat by the fireplace smoking cigars. As I walked up to my bedroom door I waved my wrist in front of the electronic panel on the door which recognized my tracker “WELCOME MR. ARMELL” the computerized voice said.

  I walked into my room which was dimly lit. As I looked in the corner I saw a person sitting in the chair in the corner of the room. As I turned on the light I saw Mr. Ketch.

  “Good evening, Mr. Armell.”

  “Good evening, Mr. Ketch.”

  “I’m here Mr. Armell, to let you know what some of my roles are here at the compound. My job is to maintain the integrity of the program and the team. We have big plans for you all. Don’t even think about sneaking out of here tonight to see Natalia. Your access to that side of the compound has been suspended.”

  “I don’t know how this concerns you, Mr. Ketch. Natalia and I are just friends. I told Admiral Thompson I would end the relationship, but of course you caught us earlier, so you know I haven’t done that yet.”

  Mr. Ketch walked over to me and stood in my face and whispered.

  “Keep your dick in your pants Mr. Armell. It’s for your own good. Good night.�
��

  Mr. Ketch left and the door locked behind him. I tried the door but it wouldn’t open. At that moment I realized how serious this situation was for us all. By now I’m sure Mr. Ketch had told Admiral Thompson about catching Natalia and I making out. What was Natalia gonna think when I didn’t come to her room tonight? I was hoping she would understand. Morning came quickly. I was up early. A tray of food was next to my bed. I didn’t even hear anyone come in my room. I sat up and ate and then got a shower and got dressed. I went to my room door to open it and I was surprised to see it was unlocked. As I walked out of my room Chase was coming out of his.

  “Good morning, Chase. You ready to go?”

  “Of course. Did you notice our doors were locked from the outside last night?”

  “Yes. I was gonna go see Natalia in her room last night, but Mr. Ketch paid me a visit. When he left I noticed the door was locked?”

  “This place is crazy man. What the HELL has my family got me into? This is more than I bargained for,” Chase said.

  “I hear you man. I’m already thinking about how this is all gonna play out and we all get out of this alive. Come on let’s go, training is starting in 5 minutes.”

  Chase and I met Vince in the living room and we walked over to the training facility on the north side of the compound. As we walked in, Admiral Jacobson was waiting for us.

  “Good morning, gentlemen. You are about to start the most intense training on the planet. Natalia, Nick and Maurice will train with Admiral Thompson for the next two weeks at our second training facility. You three will then be reunited with them at that time. The purpose of separating you is to teach you to complete missions even if you become separated during combat. You will only have yourself, your training and hopefully your team members to assist you in making it home from your missions. You will be sent out to either kill or capture our country’s most deadly enemies. Some of our enemies range from drug lords, human traffickers, foreign diplomats, assassins and the worst of the worst. From this facility you will be sent on training missions to see how you and the team respond to highly stressful situations and adapt to those situations. Are there any questions?”

  “Yes, Admiral, so the rest of the team will be secluded away from us for two weeks?”

  “Yes, Jason, they will be getting the same training over there. After the two weeks you all will be able to come back together and work together. Today you all will work with Sergeant Gunner with weapons training. At the end of your twelve week training program here you will all be expected to be at sniper levels.”

  “Hello, gentlemen. Are we ready?” said Sergeant Gunner.

  Immediately Chase straightened up and shouted, “YES SIR!”

  Chapter 27

  Chase, Vince and I followed Sergeant Gunner to the firing range. I saw there were a wide range of guns for us to use. Some of them looked familiar to me from Robert’s gun collection. Chase took a particular interest in the long-range sniper rifle. Vince immediately drawn to two matching nickel-plated Glock 9mm with extended clips. I saw there was an AR-15 and I wanted to try that first.

  “Okay, gentlemen. I’m going to give you some safety rules with handling these weapons. Then each of you will get a chance to test them. Please put on your safety goggles.”

  Sergeant Gunner showed us how to fire each weapon and take them apart and clean them.

  Each of us were quick learners because all of us had experienced these weapons with trainings from our fathers. I had never seen Chase so happy as he was shooting that rifle. Vince was showing off doing trick shots with both Glocks shooting multiple targets at once. Shooting came naturally to me, besides Robert had taken me to the range multiple times. Once the training was over Sergeant Gunner recorded our scores.

  “So, sir who came in first place?” Vince asked.

  “You will get your results in two weeks with the rest of the team. Meet Admiral Jacobson back at the training center, he will be waiting for you there. Good work today gentlemen.”

  “Well, Chase looks like you enjoyed yourself,” I said.

  “I was. My dad put my first gun in my hand when I was 10 years old. I have already been preparing for this,” Chase said.

  “And Vince what’s up with you and those trick shots man?”

  “Hey mate that’s how I occupy my free time,” Vince laughed.

  “Well let’s see what Admiral Jacobson has next for us.”

  “Look Jason there goes Natalia.” Chase said.

  I looked to my left and in the distance, I saw Natalia, Nick and Maurice fighting one another with Admiral Thompson standing on the sidelines giving orders. They all were wearing protective gear and using knives and swords. The warm wind began to blow and everything seemed to move in slow motion. I watched Natalia move against Maurice and Nick. She moved so naturally and had a killer instinct look in her eye.

  The next few weeks went by quickly. We learned how to fight in close combat, how to move undetected underwater. We all obtained our sniper certification. During the rest of our training we learned how to become elite killers. Our time in Belize had come to an end and we were all headed to the Naval Academy.

  “How was it being a team leader Natalia?” I asked.

  “It was hard but rewarding. I missed you.”

  “I missed you too Natalia. I hated being away from you for that first two weeks.”

  “Well now we are going to the Naval Academy. I can’t believe I made it through SEAL training.”

  “Congrats I am proud of you baby. I can’t wait to see what we are in for next.”

  Chapter 28

  Over the next few years Natalia, Chase, Nick, Maurice, Vince and I went through more intense SEAL training at the Naval Academy and graduated. Our titles were Commander Jason “The Reaper” Armell. Natalia gave me that name after our first mission in India where I had seventeen confirmed kills. Combat Liaison, Natalia “The Sleeper” Morgan was an expert in close quarter combat and killing an enemy with her bare hands. Senior Chief Petty Officer, Chase “The Silencer” Devlin was our combat weapons specialist. We gave him that name because his target never sees it coming when he kills with his .300 Win Mag sniper rifle. Then there was Ensign Nicholas “Roundhouse” Nicola who has a black belt in Karate and Muay Thai. I appreciated Nick’s quiet approach with his enemies, only using Chinese throwing stars, daggers and his signature Sai, as his weapons of choice. He could take your weapon away from you before you even realized it was gone. Lieutenant Commander Vince “Hitman Casanova” Alexander became my second in command. I learned from Admiral Thompson that Vince would be our master of disguises and would be used to charm any female targets. Vince’s one love was his gold, matching Glock 9mm handguns which he wore, one on each hip. But Vince had a deadly side and liked to get up close and personal and slit his targets throats. Chief Warrant Officer Maurice “Boomer” Deshields was our explosives expert. Maurice and I were finally getting along; I was just hoping he wouldn’t blow us all up on a mission.

  As the years went by, we were sent on missions to kill some of the deadliest criminals on the planet. Ryan finally graduated from Briarwood Academy and then SEAL training and was able to join my team. I hadn’t see Ryan in many years because of his training and me completing missions all over the world. I tried to keep in touch with him and my family over the years, but it was not always possible. He had a full sleeve tattoo and was no longer the little kid I saved so many years ago. I was happy that Ryan never had any side effects of the supplements they had us taking. He had gained about thirty pounds of muscle during his training. He was in great shape, but of course not better than me. Ryan had advanced training in counterintelligence. He was a master hacker and was good at finding out info on our enemies from all over the globe. D.S.A.T reported to a covert branch of the C.I.A. that did not exist on paper. All our instructions were commands given directly by the President of the United States. I received all our missions from Admiral Thompson. Those first three years out on missions were the hard
est. Each mission the team and I went on was different. We were all on “Black Communications” which meant we weren’t allowed to contact our families or loved ones for risk of being exposed. Sometimes we did protection detail for U. S. assets. Chase and Natalia went on a mission to protect Vince’s father, the British government official during a United Nations Assembly where they took down a terrorist plot. Other times we went undercover to collect sensitive data that had fallen into the wrong hands.

  My satellite phone began to ring as I sat in a safe house in North Korea.

  “Yes, Admiral?”

  “Green light on Ashem is a GO!”

  “Copy that, sir.”

  My new target was Muhammad Ashem. He was a high level illegal arms dealer that sold to terrorists and criminals all over the world. He was also a human trafficker of young girls which he sold into slavery and on the black-market sex trade. Ashem and his militia would invade small villages all around the world and capture young girls and force them into prostitution. We received intel he was in the Maldives vacationing with his new wife. I took a small boat out to the island and anchored it about a mile offshore and swam the rest of the way. As I approached the shore, I ran up and stripped off my wet suit and hid it among some of the bushes along the shore edge. I slipped into my black military gear that Vince had hidden for me beneath some bushes a few days earlier. Ashem’s compound on the island was heavily guarded, but I found weaknesses in his security detail. After I easily slipped past the motion detector surveillance, I climbed over the tall stone wall and tied a rope around a sturdy tree limb and lowered myself to the ground. I ran up to the patio door and deactivated the silent alarm. Ashem’s bedroom was on the north side of the house. As I approached his bedroom, two men were on guard outside his room. One had his back to me watching a soccer game on a small handheld TV. The other was leaning back in a chair sleeping with his hat covering his face. I walked up and quickly grabbed the TV watcher and snapped his neck quickly. I laid his limp body on the ground. I pulled out my 9mm suppressed handgun and shot the other sleeping guard twice. I caught the chair and his body before they fell to the ground so not to alert anyone of my intrusion. I slipped in the bedroom and stood quietly over Ashem and his sleeping wife. I put my hand over Ashem’s mouth and slit his throat without hesitation and watched as his blood sprayed across his bed and on the walls. As I turned to leave the room I noticed and looked into the eyes of a small boy standing in the bedroom doorway wearing pajamas and holding a small teddy bear. I slipped out of the bedroom window and jumped down to the grass below. I met Vince and Maurice at the extraction point where they picked me up on the beach in a small speed boat. As the boat raced across the water I radioed in to Admiral Thompson to let him know the mission was complete.