Extracting Mateo Read online

  Extracting Mateo (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

  Project ROOT Book 2

  TL Reeve & Michele Ryan

  Contents

  Foreword

  Author Note

  Glossary of Names

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Check out the first chapter of Rule Breaker below...

  About the Author

  Also by TL Reeve & Michele Ryan

  More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books

  Books by Susan Stoker

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  © 2019 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Cover art and design K Designs ©2019

  Edited by Michelle Hoffman (Michelle Edits) ©2019

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Special Forces: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!

  If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.

  I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!

  READ ON!

  Xoxo

  Susan Stoker

  Author Note

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome back to our group of black ops guys. We are so excited to bring you book two of the series, Extracting Mateo. This book is a little different, since it is M/M. Characters sometimes hide who they are when we first start writing them, but Noah Hanover has always been loud and in our faces when it comes to who he is and who he’s married to.

  Obviously, that means Mateo is a little more reserved. Their relationship isn’t conventional, and because of that, it causes tension and a little bit of betrayal. But, the heart wants what the heart wants.

  Also, this time around, we have joined up with Susan Stokers, Operation Alpha series as well. So, we’re bringing some of her characters in for a little fun too. Michele and I are eternally grateful to Susan for allowing us to play in her backyard. We have so much planned for R.O.O.T and Operation Alpha, we hope you stick with us and follow along.

  If you would like to keep up with our updates on the series, you can do so here: https://blackopsprojectroot.blogspot.com/ or you can join our reader group: www.facebook.com/groups/RandRravingreaders/ and, if you’re curious what music we used to write Extracting Mateo, you can find it here: Extracting Mateo Playlist

  Until next time,

  TL and Michele

  Glossary of Names

  Asher Rainer – Commander of R.O.O.T. Has been with the division since its inception. Works closely with his uncle, Senator Jackson McNamara.

  Jake O’Malley – Second in Command, often referred to as 2IC. Best friend of Asher and a moody bastard on a good day.

  Noah Hanover – Team’s sniper who has a smart mouth and is very hyper. A lethal combination for a man who can kill you from a great distance, and you’re not even aware you’re about to die.

  Drew Callahan – Team’s Communication/Linguistics expert. Former SEAL who’s determined to do his job, and do it correctly.

  Alex Schoell – Former Army EOD expert who is now the team’s weapons expert. His favorite weapon of choice: AK-47. The other team members wonder if he sleeps with the damn thing.

  Murray Jacob – Resident hacker and computer expert. Mostly stays at base providing support.

  Senator Jackson McNamara – Asher’s uncle, Senator, and Chairman of the Council which overseas R.O.O.T.

  Brigadier General Blackwell – One of Asher’s superiors. During normal circumstances, Asher deals with the General the most.

  Dr. Rae Mackenzie – A doctor working for Doctors Without Borders. A pediatrician who specializes in infectious and autoimmune diseases.

  Joseph Franks – Medic, relatively new to Barclay. He has a wife named Sydney, a daughter named Gabby, and a son, Rhett.

  Thomas Kaine – FBI Agent in charge of the Aquila Cartel case. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  Duncan Frazier – FBI Agent in charge of the Aquila Cartel case. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  AJ “Two Hands” Hoover – Analyst/Hacker and ASL interpreter for Scotty. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  Scotty “Ears” Reisner – Hacker extraordinaire. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  About the Book

  Noah Hanover doesn’t mix business with pleasure—ever. His relationship and subsequent marriage to Mateo Aquino, hasn’t even been a blip on his team’s radar. He enjoys the peace and quiet when he’s able to come home to his husband and telling anyone would destroy his secret double life.

  High school history teacher, Mateo Aquino, loves his job and his kids and is always willing to help anyone in need. When a man approaches him appearing lost, Mateo is thrust into the middle of a war he had no idea was happening around him.

  In order to save Mateo’s life, Noah must expose the one thing he liked to keep tucked away—his marriage. With the help of Noah’s teammates, John “Tex” Keegan, and two temporary new recruits for R.O.O.T: Scotty “Ears” Reisner and AJ “Two Hands” Hoover, Noah will set out to find his husband.

  However, when the suspect escapes, Mateo and Noah are thrown into a new reality where Noah’s job is exposed, and the things Mateo took for granted are destroyed. Can Mateo accept Noah’s double life? Will Noah be able to track down Mateo’s kidnapper before he strikes again? Or, are they once again, running out of time?

  Prologue

  “Now happening on WKLP news radio, twenty-four hours a day. Senator Matthias Lincoln has been transferred to a federal maximum security prison to await trial. New documents show his alleged collusion with Barclay Security and a still unnamed co-conspirator in a murder-for-hire ploy to assassinate the Colombian president.

  Another day of testimony from Doctor Rae Kenzie brought about new information not heard since the first day of her providing answers to the committee. As a member of the Doctors Without Borders team, she had firsthand knowledge of some of the village government. She answered questions concerning the local cartels and how much they affected the general area.

  Then the questions took a personal turn as those who were still loyal to Senator Lincoln discussed her personal relationship with Asher Rainer. Doctor Kenzie didn’t answer the questions. Her lawyer reminded the panel she was there of her free will and a
victim of Lincoln’s disturbing behavior.

  As more information is coming out, we have learned of fifteen government contract companies who have suffered due to Lincoln’s pay-for-play scandal. A toll-free number has been established along with notices going out to all those who might have been affected from the senator’s alleged dirty dealings.

  The documents allege Senator Lincoln blackballed companies that refused to do a job. Most ranged from bodily injury to death. There were also startling allegations of rape and torture of the victims from his company’s missions. WKLP will bring you continuous updates as more information is known.”

  The station flipped back to the announcers talking about the charges against Senator Lincoln and what would happen to those who invested in his ill-begotten company. “If Senator Lincoln was smart, he’d take a plea deal to make this go away.”

  “But we know better. He won’t give up. He’ll fight tooth and nail until the final decision is made,” another man said.

  “Why? Every day, the evidence becomes more damning. His best bet is to acknowledge his transgressions and take the sentence.”

  He didn’t care what the senator did, if he’d take a deal or not. The man would pay, just like everyone else would. Pay for the death of his family. Pay for the death of his friends. He would watch all their worlds crumble from the top to the bottom, and by God, he would take joy in seeing them squirm.

  He tapped the keys on his computer, putting the finishing touches on the statement Noah Hanover would make. Then, he would laugh as Noah was forced to see his lover die. Slow and painfully—even though he read the confession.

  When he came up with this plan, a sense of rightness soothed him. For too many years, the agony of loss consumed him. Getting up in the morning became a chore. Working became impossible. The loss overrode everything to do with his life.

  Then, he found a weak spot.

  Mateo Aquino, history teacher. Yes, he’d been the perfect target.

  Noah Hanover was the weak spot.

  The doctor bitch, he figured out quickly, was in their secret base, unavailable for him to grab while the teacher stayed in the open, an easy target. Ginger O’Malley, the ex-wife of Jake O’Malley, found herself another man to play daddy with her little girl. Jake suffered enough knowing his wife took another dick up her ass.

  And Schoell, the bastard had no one. Not a soul. The poor asshole. Momma should have swallowed instead of getting pregnant. He laughed. It only left Hanover and his butt-loving man. If he took this man, he’d knock down the first domino in the hundred that would comprise destroying their team, like they destroyed him.

  For him, R.O.O.T. was just as much as fault as Barclay for all he lost. They should have stopped the senator long before. Fifteen years ago would have been perfect. Before his parents were killed and those bastards tortured his brother until he became a shell of his former self. He swallowed hard and gritted his teeth. He called up the memory of his parents and his brother to keep it fresh. To remind him of what his endgame would be.

  He shut the laptop and waited. Today, he would grab Mateo. The Internet could tell anyone anything if the person knew what they needed. He grabbed Mateo’s background check through the database at the Virginia Bureau of Investigations after he applied to be a teacher. Mateo had been with Virginia Beach Schools for the last ten years and was a well-loved teacher.

  Mateo lived in a small house with Noah Hanover near the school, and after a bit more digging, he found the man enjoyed spending time at the gym. Probably to blow off steam.

  As the final bell rang, he prepared himself for the mission. He had to wait for Mateo to exit the building, then he could grab the man and take him to his special place.

  The warehouse in the middle of the unincorporated part of Richmond was the perfect place to keep his quarry. The windows were already blacked out. All but one set of doors had been chained shut, and to add a bit of flare, he placed a coming soon billboard on the roof. Schmucks could be so gullible sometimes.

  No one would think twice to check there; plus, he loved to play things close.

  No one had heard about his plan. No one would suspect him. He liked to think of himself as being a nondescript man. He didn’t have tattoos or distinct hair. He appeared ordinary. No one would suspect a thing.

  He got out of the rented van and kept his head down as he approached Mateo as he exited the building. He didn’t pay attention to his surroundings. Noah hadn’t taught him very well. Oh well, it made taking him that much easier.

  “Excuse me,” he muttered. “I’m lost.”

  Mateo stopped and turned to him. “Where are you wanting to go?” He lifted the shoulder strap of his bag, hitching it higher.

  “My van is over here. I have GPS, but it dumped me here, and this is not the Municipal Building. I think I programmed it wrong.” He gave a sheepish chuckle. “I’m new here. Just got a job and paperwork. What can you do?”

  Mateo laughed and followed. “It’s what makes the world go ‘round, my man.” He stepped up to the driver side door. “Where did you get a job?”

  “Water department,” he answered quickly. “Good benefits. Vacation. Better than some places, I guess.”

  “Don’t I know it. The school is great about vacations and benefits.” He peered into the van. “Wait... There’s no—”

  He struck fast. Wrapping one hand around his mouth, he positioned the other at his neck, injecting a sedative. Their drive to Richmond would take a few hours, and he had to make sure Mateo wouldn’t cause any issues.

  With a press of the key fob in his pocket, the side door opened and he pushed the heavy load into the back before sliding it closed. He checked the area to make sure no one saw him before climbing in and pulling away.

  He exited the parking lot in a cool and calm fashion. No one had seen a thing. Stage one was complete. Stage two would begin once he hit the warehouse. A preset text message would go to Noah’s phone explaining exactly what would happen next...

  Chapter 1

  Noah Hanover walked through the door of the small house he shared with Mateo and paused. Silence filled the space. Mateo should have been home from work by now. “Hello?” He walked through the small space, glancing in each room. When he didn’t see anyone, he shrugged. He probably had an impromptu meeting and couldn’t call.

  It happened. High school kids were more trouble than the little kids sometimes. He might have had to take a teen who broke some rule before the disciplinary committee Mateo headed, or something for school technology. He’d give it a few more hours before he questioned where his husband had gone off to.

  He showered while he waited, removing the day’s grime. They were training the newbies, Calvin, Wayne, and Paul. Each man had skills. Some were innate and others were still being honed. He liked the guys and, after saving Asher and Rae, well, they earned his respect, too.

  As it stood right now, Rae was considered precious cargo. Every day, she received more death threats. The majority they kept from her. She didn’t need to see how depraved most people were.

  Asher, on the other hand, was back to working operations. The committee inquiry for Lincoln had learned the information about McNamara and Asher being family, but in all the cases he worked, Asher came out above board. As of right now, he was clear to continue with R.O.O.T. The bigger results would come within the next two weeks. So far, rumors were saying they would end up clearing the whole team, and Asher would continue to be their boss.

  He'd been telling the truth when he said he’d quit before he’d take the job as commander. Pretty much, they all did. No one wanted to work for a government entity that would change leaders because of a familial connection. Plenty of people did it. Noah stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his hips.

  And while Asher did the heavy lifting with his uncle during those meetings, Hanover and the guys continued their hunt for the black-market uranium Lincoln had bought. The man had it stashed somewhere, and it was only a matter of time
before they found it. Or it ended up in the wrong hands. No, he couldn’t think about that right now. They had to stay positive. The ramifications of not finding it could have lasting effects globally.

  Noah glanced out the window of his bedroom and frowned. The sun had set, and Mateo still wasn’t home. Damn. It’s not like him to not call. He stomped to their bedroom, hellbent on calling his husband to give him a piece of his fucking mind. The light on his phone blinked, and a wash of relief filled him.

  He picked it up and unlocked the screen. A message waited for him with an attachment. Noah frowned. “What the fuck?”

  Tapping the screen, he waited for the attachment to download, then sucked in a breath. At first the screen had been blank, and seconds later a picture of Mateo tied to a lone chair in a room filled his phone. Blood trailed down the corner of his mouth into his beard, discoloring the hairs. His eye was split and swollen, and his dress shirt laid against him in torn shreds. Whoever had him, his lover had fought back. A surge of pride filled him.

  “Noah Hanover. I have what you want. You have seventy-two hours to broadcast the letter in the message, or else I will take what you love most. Like you took what I loved. Do not call the police. Do not tell your team. I will know if you do. I will know your every move. Time is ticking.”