Liam: An Eidolon Black Ops Novel Read online

  Liam

  An Eidolon Black Ops Novel: Book 4

  Maddie Wade

  Liam

  An Eidolon Black Ops Novel: Book 4

  by Maddie Wade

  Published by Maddie Wade

  Copyright © May 2020 Maddie Wade

  Cover: Envy Creative Designs

  Editing: Black Opal Editing

  Formatting: Black Opal Editing

  This is a work of fiction. Names characters places and incidents are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as fact. Any resemblance to actual events organizations or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook onscreen. Except for use in reviews promotional posts or similar uses no part of this text may be reproduced transmitted downloaded decompiled reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical now known or hereafter invented without the express written permission of the author.

  First edition May 2020 ©Maddie Wade

  Acknowledgments

  I am so lucky to have such an amazing team around me without which I could never bring these books to life. I am so grateful to have you in my life, you are more than friends you are so essential to my life. Writing is a solitary job unless you have people who share your passion. Many times I have called on one of you when I have written myself into a corner and with a few words you allow me to see the bigger picture and find the answers I need.

  My wonderful beta team, Greta, and Deanna who are brutally honest and beautifully kind. If it is rubbish you tell me it is and if you love it you are effusive. Your support means so much to me.

  To the ladies of Words Whiskey and Wine for Woman, you are my crew and I love you.

  My editor—Linda at Black Opal Editing, I have, and still learn, so much from you. You are more than editor; you are a good friend.

  Thank you to my group Maddie’s Minxes. Your support and love for Fortis, Eidolon, and all the books I write is so important to me. Special thanks to Rowena, Tracey, Faith, Rachel, Carolyn, Kellie, Maria, Greta, Deanna, Rihaneh and Linda L for making the group such a friendly place to be.

  My ARC Team for not keeping me on edge to long while I wait for feedback.

  Lastly and most importantly thank you to my readers who have embraced my books so wholeheartedly and shown a love for the stories in my head. To hear you say that you see my characters as family makes me so humble and proud. I hope you enjoy Liam and Taamira, he has waited a long time for his happy ever after.

  I am dedicating Liam to Linda. You teach me so much, are always there for me and you do it with calm. I didn’t just find the best editor in the world I found an amazing friend.

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peak: Mitch

  Books by Maddie Wade

  About the Author

  Prologue

  He stared at the man in the long mirror, dressed in a black suit, black shirt, his regimental tie, the medals on his chest, their weight heavy. The Military Cross, Victoria Cross among others, more undeserved than ever. He sighed, pushing away the feelings and placed the sand-coloured beret on his head, then looked away, unable to face what he saw.

  Liam looked just the same as he always had, but his eyes held a pain so deep it would never leave him. His best friend, the man he had grown up with, got into trouble with, joined the army with, and then followed into the Special Air Service was gone—dead. All because of a group who wanted destruction and hatred to rule the earth.

  He strode from the room, down the stairs, and out of the front door. He looked to the heavens and noted the rain clouds moving across the sky. He tossed his head and strode to his car. He would not be late for Ambrose; he would not let him down again—but that was because he would never get the chance.

  Crippling grief stole through his body, and he fought the impact as if it were a physical blow. Fifteen minutes, that was all it had been, but he’d arrived too late to save his friend from the attack which had eventually taken his life. Stealing his life force, taking Ambrose’s soul one piece at a time as he faded away until he was gone. No longer of this earth, no more would he be beside Liam on a mission.

  Never again would he hold his son and turn his smile of affection on the woman he loved. Natai would grow up without a father, but Liam would make sure he knew him. He would make sure he wanted for nothing that was in his power to give him. Liam just mourned that it would never be Ambrose doing that for his son.

  He would give his own life in a heartbeat if he thought it would bring his friend—no, his brother—back but it couldn’t. So, as he pulled up outside the home where Ambrose had lived with his small family, he vowed he would do whatever he could the make the blow Ambrose’s son had been dealt a little less painful.

  He glanced up as he climbed the steps to the front door and saw Gail standing in the doorway. She wore a long, black belted dress, black heels, and dark coat, her face pale and already tearstained before the day began.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” Liam said as he came to a stop in front of her, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She turned empty, watery eyes on him before she spun without comment and walked back into the house. Liam hated the pain he saw in her eyes. Gail was normally so full of life, laughing and dancing with Ambrose in the kitchen.

  He’d never seen a couple laugh so much together; they had been a match made in heaven. Her fire and his calm, the love they had for each other could be seen in every smile or look. Liam had envied them in some ways, wanting that for himself, yet he never begrudged either of them. They made him a part of their family. Gail had never wanted to come between the friends and accepted Liam as part of Ambrose.

  Liam loved her almost as much as he knew his friend had but in a very different way. Gail was the sister he’d never had, so to see her so broken up over the loss of a man such as Ambrose was gut-wrenching.

  “Uncle Liam.”

  Liam looked towards the stairs and saw Natai at the top watching him. At three years old, he was the spitting image of his father. Liam saw so much of his friend in the boy it caused his chest to ache.

  “Hey, little man.” Liam held out his arms to his godson, and the boy raced into them, jumping the last step so Liam caught him. “Wow, you’re getting so big, I won’t be able to catch you much longer.”

  Natai regarded him seriously, his big brown eyes so full of sadness Liam almost sagged under the weight of it. “Mummy is sad.”

  Liam’s chest ached where his heart beat an unsteady tattoo, but he had to ignore his pain and do what was necessary for this innocent child. Bending, he sat on the bottom step, the boy on his knee, as he heard the sobs from the living room, followed by a murmur of voices which he couldn
’t face.

  Twisting, he faced Natai. “Mummy misses Daddy, and that makes her sad,” he explained, not knowing how much to tell him.

  “Why doesn’t Daddy come home then?”

  The question asked by the child had him wanting to weep. He clenched his fist to try and control his own emotion as he swallowed. “Because Daddy had to go to heaven where he could help all the other angels fight for the good people here.”

  Natai angled his head as he chewed his lip. “Like Thor?”

  Liam fought the grin that was suddenly on his lips at the thought of his friend dressed as Thor. “Not quite but it does mean you won’t see Daddy anymore and neither will Mummy, and that’s why she’s sad.”

  “Are you sad, Uncle Liam?”

  God, this kid was killing him, making him want to lie on the floor and cry like a baby. “I’m very sad.”

  “Me too. I don’t want Daddy to be an angel.” He laid his head on Liam’s chest. “I want him to play cars with me.”

  “I’ll play cars with you, buddy.”

  “Okay, Uncle Liam.”

  He heard the resigned tone in his voice, it wasn’t the same as Ambrose doing it, and they both knew it.

  Gail walked out from the room and peered at them with grief etched into her expression. “The car is here.”

  She held her arms out for her son, and Liam stood and handed Natai to his mother who held on as if the child was the only thing keeping her breathing, and perhaps he was.

  He opened the door and let Gail and Natai proceed him as the hearse carrying his best friend’s body drew up to the curb. A tight band of pain squeezed his chest and nausea swam in his belly as he saw the flowers covering the coffin. Son, Daddy, Ambrose, and their regimental insignia all made up in flowers so barely any wood showed.

  It slowed to a stop, and he helped Gail and Natai into the car behind the hearse and climbed in after them. Her family would follow and so would Ambrose’s mother and father, his sisters, and their families.

  He stared out of the window lost in his thoughts over the next few minutes as they drove to the church where a majority of SAS soldiers found their final resting place. He alighted the vehicle and helped Gail out, keeping his hand on her back for support.

  He saw his friends from Fortis, his colleagues from Eidolon—Jack, Lopez, Reid, Blake, Waggs, Mitch, Alex, and finally Decker. They stood with their heads bowed solemnly as they waited for Gail to go inside with Natai and her family.

  He approached them then, and no words were needed as his friends squeezed his shoulder to offer their silent support or placed a hand on his back. Zack Cunningham offered his hand to shake, as did Dane, Daniel, Lucy, Nate.

  He then stepped back and watched as the undertakers pulled the coffin from the back of the car.

  Jack stepped close to him. “Are you ready?”

  “No,” Liam answered honestly.

  The weight of Jack’s hand on his shoulder was an anchor he needed. “I know, brother, but let’s give him the send-off he deserves. He lived a hero. He died a hero, and he’ll remain a hero, always.”

  Liam nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

  They began to get in position, Liam and Jack at the front, Dane and Daniel in the middle, and Zack and Mitch at the back. The others would follow behind and take their seats.

  As they hoisted their friend on to their shoulders and carried him inside to begin the service that would end with him committed into the ground, Liam struggled to catch his breath and knew he’d never breathe easy again.

  The next hour was a blur as he kept his eyes on the mahogany coffin, not wanting to look away, knowing this was the last time his friend would be on this earth. He didn’t feel the tears that fell silently down his face until Gail handed him a tissue.

  With Ambrose committed into the ground, they made the short drive back to Gail’s home where she was holding the wake. Liam grabbed a beer and moved to the back garden wanting some time to get his thoughts together.

  He sat on the step, and a kaleidoscope of memories moved through his mind of time spent in this very place. Ambrose laughing and playing Nerf with his son, Ambrose getting pelted by snowballs as Gail and Natai hid behind the shed and ambushed him last winter. Ambrose and him as they built the swing set that now sat still.

  He drank and remembered. He had no idea how long he sat there before a presence behind him had him turn, tipping his head back to see Mitch ambling towards him, his relaxed gait tensed for once.

  “Mind if I sit?”

  Liam lifted his chin in ascent.

  The two men sat in silence for a while, and then Mitch spoke. “When I was sixteen, I lost my best friend to gang violence.”

  Liam twisted his head in surprise at the words. Mitch turned his almost coal-black eyes to Liam, and he saw the pain was still fresh.

  “He was so smart, so alive, and we got caught up in a world we thought we could control. It was fun, we were clever, had money and standing in the community, and then we didn’t. A rival gang wanted our turf, and it stopped being fun and clever. In one night, I lost my best friend and learned lessons no boy of sixteen should ever have to learn. My ma moved us away, and I knuckled down and worked hard to live a life worthy of him. To live for us both and do it in a way where he’d be proud of what I’d achieved. I pray every day that I’m doing that by saving others and giving back.”

  Mitch placed the empty bottle on the floor between his bent legs and glanced at him. “The pain never goes, it will always be a part of you. It will either bury you or it will make you strive to be the man he knew you were.” Mitch stood then and put a hand on Liam’s back. “I hope you choose the second one, my friend.”

  Liam didn’t answer but he hoped so too, he just didn’t know if he had it in him.

  An hour later he heard a commotion and stood to see what was going on. He found Gail in the kitchen; she was with her sister and best friend, who looked at him with bewilderment as Gail cried and started throwing mugs.

  “Get Natai upstairs,” he commanded her sister who moved to do just that, leaving him and Gail alone as she continued to rant.

  “Don’t you take my son anywhere.”

  Liam moved to steady her as she swayed, and he realised she had been drinking.

  “Take your fucking hands off me.” The hate and venom had him pulling back as she glared at him with hatred in her face.

  “Sweetheart, I’m not the enemy here,” he said slowly, his heart beating fast.

  “Yes, you are,” she snarled. “If you had been there, he would be alive. Ambrose’s death is your fault. You killed him.”

  Liam blanched at her words, almost an echo of his thoughts from that morning.

  “My son is fatherless because of you. My Ambrose is dead because of you.” She began to sob, and he approached, pulling her into his arms. She sagged and cried for a few minutes before she pushed him away with a heave. “Leave, get out. I never want to see you again, you murderer.”

  Liam stood frozen with anguish and pain at her words, at his loss. All of it too much, he turned and walked quickly for the door. He had lost more today than just Ambrose; he had lost his family.

  Liam Hayes’ heart hardened at that moment, but he vowed he would live a life that would make his friend proud, even if it killed him.

  Chapter One

  Present Day

  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 on either side of him, along with Decker, a former FBI profiler, in the dark room that was Eidolon’s interrogation area. 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 the extensive Resistance to Interrogation training, known as RTI, used by the SAS to train all of thei
r 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 in the same position.

  Finally, Gunner’s gaze stopped on Jack as the leader of the team—his old leader before he’d betrayed them. 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 didn’t show a single emotion, the man was like a robot with the way he hid every personal feeling, as if worried someone would perhaps profile him.

  Jack stepped forward his arms loose at his sides. “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.