Charge, page 1
CHARGE
LOCKED SECURITY
BOOK 3
SARAH PEIS
Charge
By Sarah Peis
©2023 Sarah Peis
Published by Hexatorial
Editing: Natasha Orme
Editing: Hot Tree Editing
Cover Art: Tall Story Design
ISBN 978-0-6454072-5-9
ISBN print 978-0-6455583-3-3
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s wild imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Except for Willa’s love for cupcakes. That’s based on a real person. Me.
To Karla. Who’s always there to cheer me on (or talk me off the ledge).
CONTENTS
Prologue
1. Archer
2. Thea
3. Archer
4. Thea
5. Archer
6. Thea
7. Archer
8. Thea
9. Archer
10. Thea
11. Archer
12. Thea
13. Archer
14. Thea
15. Archer
16. Thea
17. Archer
18. Thea
19. Archer
20. Thea
21. Archer
Epilogue
More books by Sarah Peis
About the Author
Where you can find me
Thank you
PROLOGUE
THEA
Then
“There’s nowhere for you to hide,” my mom’s screech sounded through the thin walls of the trailer we shared.
Something shattered, and I winced, hoping it wasn’t another plate. We were down to three.
“I knew I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance.”
Her words slammed against the iron-clad wall I’d built around myself. She could no longer penetrate it. Her barbs no longer hurt. My flimsy door, on the other hand, wouldn’t hold up to the assault she’d wage against it soon.
Pushing my small window open, I slipped outside, landing hands first in the overgrown grass. The trailer park I’d lived in my whole life backed onto parkland, the perfect place to disappear.
Evading my mom had become a skill I’d excelled at from an early age. It was a necessity for survival.
I’d been using the window as soon as I’d realized nothing I did or said could stop her raging anger.
And like every time things at home became too much to bear, I made my way to my best friend’s house. Everleigh’s parents were barely ever home, and her housekeeper didn’t mind the extra mouth to feed.
At least the days I stayed with her I didn’t have to go to bed hungry. I worked at a small diner in town, but the money didn’t stretch far. Not after paying for rent and utilities.
The smart thing would be to leave my family far behind. But instead, I scrambled to hold on to the pathetic life I had. But what else was there? I had no money of my own and no way to get out of Falina. The small town was the only place I knew.
Not looking behind me—because that would take time I didn’t have—I sprinted for the line of trees.
“Get back here, you ungrateful little shit. You owe me.” I could hear her yelling across the trailer park, but nobody would care. They’d gotten blind and deaf to what was going on over the years.
I made my way through the thick underbrush, scraping my arms and legs.
When the first property with perfectly cut green grass came into view, I sighed in relief. The new housing development was beautiful, and I’d always dreamed of living in such a nice place. There were no potholes in the road, and none of the houses had broken windows. I could walk down the road without getting hassled.
Maybe in another life this is where I’d end up instead of the moldy trailer I call home.
When I saw Everleigh’s house, I sped up. It had become my sanctuary. I didn’t know what I would have done without her all these years.
I walked around the house to the gate leading into the backyard. Everleigh had claimed the basement, and I had a key to the door that would get me straight there.
The loud noise of the TV greeted me as soon as I pushed the door open. Once I made it down the stairs, a familiar sight greeted me: my best friend and her little brother hanging out on her couch, watching cartoons.
Archer had only just turned ten but had been part of our trio since I could remember. We’d all been inseparable since meeting six years ago. Archer was just four back then, but we’d dragged him along with us wherever we went.
It was either that or he’d have to stay with the housekeeper. Everleigh had been more of a mom to him than his own ever had, making sure he went to school, put bandages on his many scrapes and made sure he had clothes that fit him.
He was a carefree kid, always smiling and moving around. But he was also incredibly smart, having skipped a grade and on his way to skip another.
Archer spotted me first and jumped up from where he perched on the backrest of the couch. “Finally. I’ve been waiting for you to get here for hours.”
I greeted him with a high five. “What’s up, little dude?”
He ran up to the coffee table and picked up a case, waving it over his head. “I got a new video game.”
“Is it Guitar Hero?” I asked the same question every time he bought a new game. It was the only one I knew how to play. But he usually convinced me to play with him anyway, only to beat me within the first five minutes.
I didn’t mind because it was entertaining to watch his excitement and enthusiasm when he played.
“Of course not. Will you play with me later?”
I brushed my hand over his head with a smirk. He’d recently started putting product in it, and I loved to mess it up. He escaped and went straight to the bathroom to fix his hair.
Laughing at him, I sank onto the couch next to Everleigh. “Hey, Ever.”
“What did she do this time?”
I swiped a hand over my face, suddenly feeling exhausted. “Same as always.”
“You staying over?”
I nodded. “If it’s okay with you?”
She nudged me and hit Play on the remote. “You know you don’t have to ask. You’re always welcome.”
Archer rushed out of the bathroom, his hair shiny from the extra product he’d added. “Hey, you started it without me.”
Ever rolled her eyes. “You missed two whole seconds.”
He growled at her and settled atop the backrest of the couch. His position looked decidedly uncomfortable, but Archer had always climbed anything he could; balancing on the back of the couch wasn’t a challenge for him.
Ella, their housekeeper, brought us dinner downstairs. She greeted me with a smile, not surprised I was there. I was a regular fixture at their house, after all.
We finished our dinner and settled in for another movie. Everleigh had every subscription service out there. I didn’t even own a TV.
I’d been getting drowsy, my eyes drifting shut, when shouts from outside interrupted our movie marathon. I recognized the loud voice instantly and was wide awake again. Sprinting up the stairs, I raced around to the front of the house. When I saw who was charging up to my friend’s front door, my pulse picked up, and my muscles tightened to the point of pain.
As soon as Mom set her eyes on me, they narrowed to slits, and she stormed my way. “We weren’t done talking.”
Her loud, high-pitched voice rang through the quiet street. I didn’t need to check to know that anyone who heard her would watch with avid fasciation. After all, everyone knew when Lila Henderson was involved, they would get a good show. I just hoped nobody called the cops.
I stepped toward the street. “Let’s talk over there.”
Putting her hands on her painfully narrow hips, she shot me a smirk. “You act like you don’t want your little friends to see me. You should finally accept that you’re trash who pretends to be more. If you’d accept your place in this world, you wouldn’t struggle so much.”
Gritting my teeth, I held back the tears. She didn’t deserve them. “And what exactly is my place in this world?”
When her eyes flashed with something I called her demons, I knew I’d be in for it.
“You think you’re too good to work at Diamond’s?”
I flinched when she mentioned the only strip club in town, Diamond Jewels. My hunched shoulders and fisted hands did nothing to help my case since Mom was a bloodhound on steroids. As soon as she sensed weakness, she’d take me apart bit by bit.
Working hard not to let my fear show, I pushed my shoulders back and lifted my chin in defiance. “It’s just not for me.”
I was also only seventeen. Not that the owner would care how old I was.
She pulled herself up to her full height. She was an inch taller than me and loved looking down at me. I’d always been small. And malnutrition had made sure I stayed that way. “I have bills to pay, and Marty is ready to give you the prime spot. He’s wanted you to dance for him since he saw the show you put on at your sixteenth.”
That was a memory I liked to keep buried in the darkest recesses of my mind. I’d had too much to drink and somehow ended up at the strip club, dancing on the stage. Turned out I was good at it.
“I’ll rep
A hand clamped onto my arm, and I winced at the pain. Her grip would leave another bruise to add to my tally.
“We’re not done.”
She’d be relentless until I gave in. But I hoped that before that happened, I’d have left town. And I’d better sort something out soon because she wouldn’t let this go. Especially not since I’d found out that she owed Marty a lot of money—and intended for me to work it off.
“Everything okay out here?” Ella appeared next to us, and I fought hard against the urge to sigh in relief. She’d dealt with Mom many times in the past.
“We’re talking. You’ll have to fucking wait,” my mother, the charmer, barked at her.
Ella wasn’t dissuaded by her. Instead, she crossed her arms, looking like she was having a casual chat. “If you don’t take your hands off her right now, I’m going to call Sheriff Cooper.”
The threat of the sheriff appearing was enough and she released me. I didn’t rub my arm like I wanted to, since it would only draw more attention. Any other cop, she wouldn’t have cared since they liked to visit her regularly. But the sheriff was happily married and not interested in anything she had to offer.
Shooting me another narrow-eyed glare, she finally backed away. “I’ll be waiting for you at home.”
Nothing good ever followed that statement. It might be best if I stayed away for a few days.
Mom stalked back to her beaten-up old Ford, ripping her door open and finally driving off. I watched her car turn the corner, leaving a cloud of exhaust fumes behind.
Ella put her arm around my shoulders, steering me back to the house. “Come on, honey. Let’s go back inside.”
I looked up and noticed Everleigh and Archer standing in front of the house. They must have witnessed the whole sordid scene. Even though they’d seen many of my mom’s outbursts, I still tried to shield them as much as possible.
They were the only ones who stuck around, unconcerned about who my mom was and more interested in what I meant to them. I could never pay them back for all they’d already done for me.
Ever met us halfway across the lawn, taking my hand. Ella released me after giving me a reassuring squeeze. She went back inside through the front door, and we turned to go back to the basement entrance.
Archer took my other hand, and the three of us walked next to each other in silence. When we reached the back door, they released me, making sure I went downstairs first.
My hands shook, and I had to take deep breaths to stop myself from breaking down. I needed a minute. “I’ll be right back. You can keep playing the movie. I’ll catch up.”
I rushed to the bathroom before anyone could stop me and closed the door behind me. After splashing water on my face, I sank down on the floor, leaning against the cold tiles next to the sink.
I didn’t know how long I’d been in there, but a knock on the door startled me back to the present and away from my dark thoughts.
Everleigh came in and sat down, taking my hand in hers. I leaned my head on her shoulder.
She sighed and rested her cheek on my head. “You have to get away from her.”
“I know.”
“We’ll find a way.”
Little did we both know that it would take another seven years before I would finally find freedom. And that the freedom would come with a steep price tag attached.
1
ARCHER
14 years later
“Suit up. We’re jumping in five,” Devon yelled over the plane’s engine.
The seat I sat on rattled, throwing me back and forth. Adrenaline surged through me at the thought of jumping out of the plane, then swimming the rest of the way to our target.
Tonight’s mission was a rescue. There was a hostage situation on a yacht. They were unfortunately the majority of what we did.
But this was part of the job and what paid my salary. Besides, it was most likely another false alarm. We’d had a couple over the last few weeks. I didn’t know who was on the boat, since there had been no time for a proper briefing. But it didn’t make a difference. The people that hired us all looked the same to me.
Devon walked past me, making the signal to move out. “Let’s go, Falcon Team.”
Less than two years ago, I graduated with honors, signed up for my master’s degree in physics, and was getting ready to go on a trip of a lifetime. Now I checked that I’d strapped my knives on properly and my gun was in a waterproof pouch.
There were five of us, and before each jump, we did one last check of one another’s parachute. Nobody wanted to plunge into the water at 150 mph. I slapped Carter on the back and turned so he could check my pack. I trusted my teammates implicitly. It was the only way we’d all survive.
Carter grinned, rubbing his hands in excitement. I’d never seen him be anything but cheerful and ready to charge in and do his job. He seemed to have no fear. Instead, he was excited about the prospect of plunging into icy water and then climbing aboard a yacht where we didn’t know what we’d find.
He stepped up to the open cargo door, then looked back at me with a salute and jumped.
I was the last to go, everyone besides the pilot already having left. With one last glance at the now-empty cargo hold, I jumped. I had to pull my parachute immediately, the jump not high enough for even the slightest delay.
I plunged into the icy waves, immediately unclipping my gear. After clearing the parachute, I swam toward the lights of the yacht. As soon as we’d stepped foot out of the plane, it was complete radio silence.
I knew my team would make their way to the light as instructed. I’d catch up with them once there. We all had different directives on where to enter the boat and what to disable first.
Our goal was to take the yacht back and then get the clients safely to the closest harbor, which in this case was Genoa. We already had a plane waiting there, ready to take them to the States. No matter how much we suspected this was another hysterical client who thought their butler was out to get them, we’d take all necessary precautions.
My muscles burned by the time I made it to the side of the yacht. The rough conditions slowed me down, the gear strapped to my body heavy.
My job was to secure the hostages. According to our intel, there were three staff and the two owners on board.
Only an hour had passed since they’d sent the distress call. If we hadn’t already been doing a job in The Haag, we wouldn’t have been close enough to respond so fast.
Usually, high-profile clients always had one of our men with them, but they’d opted to go by themselves this time. We’d tried talking them out of it, but in the end, clients made the final decisions over their security, no matter how much we advised against something.
Bet they won’t ever do that again.
Water splashed against the side of the boat, masking any sound I made pulling myself out. I’d lost at rock, paper, scissors and had to go over the side, solely relying on the suction caps I’d attached to the hull to pull myself up.
Once I was in, I’d be right next to the living area, where we’d detected the most heat signatures and someone would likely hold the hostages.
I made it up the side using only my arms, unable to find purchase for my feet.
Since becoming part of Locked Security, I’d taken any job I could. Being busy meant there was no time to think. My head wasn’t a good place to be these days, and burying myself in work was much easier than dealing with my demons.
I chanced a peek over the side and didn’t see anyone. Sloppy work, not covering all sides of the yacht, but careless bad guys made my job much easier.
Rolling over the side, I came to a stop in a crouch, getting my gun out of its protective pouch. Checking the magazine, I advanced on silent feet, my destination the door a few feet in front of me.
