Terks triumph, p.1
Terk's Triumph, page 1
Books in This Series:
Damon’s Deal, Book 1
Wade’s War, Book 2
Gage’s Goal, Book 3
Calum’s Contact, Book 4
Rick’s Road, Book 5
Scott’s Summit, Book 6
Brody’s Beast, Book 7
Terkel’s Twist, Book 8
Terkel’s Triumph, Book 9
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
About This Book
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Sneak Peek from Radar: Terkel’s Guardian
Sneak Peek from Magnus: Shadow Recon
Author’s Note
Complimentary Download
About the Author
Copyright Page
About This Book
Welcome to a brand-new series from USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer, where dark-ops SEALs have special senses and skills, needed to solve intrigue, betrayal, and … murder. A series with all the elements you’ve come to love, plus so much more, … including psychics!
The move to a castle is both daunting and exhilarating. Damn sure he has bitten of more than he can handle, Terk asks Charles for help. In turn, Charles brings in an old friend to get the team installed and to get the castle renovated and organized. Going into private business never looked so good or so hard. But, with Levi and Ice joining in the fun, even Bullard helping out, the renovations are in Emmaline’s capable hands, and all is well.
Or is it? When Jonas calls to say there’s a problem, and it’s heading their way, Terk knows the priority is safety and security. But what does that look like with a large group of energy workers? There’s also another side effect of so much energy all in one place—something no one thought about—and something that’s way too late to stop …
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Prologue
Almost one month later, as they landed in London, Celia winced because her lower back and the long flight had not been a good combination.
“You and the babies okay?” Terk murmured as he ushered her toward the big SUV waiting for them.
“Yep.” She yawned heavily. “They’re both more than ready to rest though, and so am I.”
“Lots of rest coming up,”
“We still don’t have a home yet,” she said, looking at him.
“Depends on how you feel about being part of a big compound.”
“Like Ice and Levi’s?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Something like that.”
As they drove out of town, she thought about a compound and what that would be like as a home, a working home. But when the drive went a little longer than expected, she turned and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Charles suggested a new place as a base. I’ve been there before, but I didn’t realize it was up for sale.”
“What kind of a place is it?”
He looked over at her, as they started to climb a mountain. “How do you feel about something fairly old-fashioned?”
She frowned. “As long as it’s got all the modern amenities—inside plumbing, hot water, electricity, and communications—I don’t hate the idea, especially if it’s got some history and charm.”
He laughed, as they entered through a huge stone wall and a double gate.
She looked at him in shock. “Oh my God. Is this a castle?”
“Kind of.” Terk chuckled. “It looks like it might be big enough for the expanding family.”
“What is there, like twenty of us or something?” she asked.
“So far, nineteen, counting our twins. Plus, we’ll need people to help run the place, like weapons specialists, builders, tech support, culinary staff, housekeeping, gardeners, and whatever else. We’ll need a bunch of staff, unless you’ve got a problem with that.”
She stared at the unfolding landscape, as they drove around and came into full view of the castle, and she was just stunned. “Is that a moat?” she cried out in delight, as the grassy grounds went straight to the water’s edge. She bounced out of the SUV and raced over to the water in an awkwardly pregnant hop.
“I see you approve of it, but I don’t think the twins appreciate the bouncing.”
She laughed, holding her belly. “Is there a pool too?”
“There is a pool. Now, we haven’t finalized any of the legal arrangements yet, but the plan is to spend a few days here, while we think about it.”
“What’s to think about?” she cried out, turning to look at him in shock. “Sign on the dotted line. I think it’s perfect.”
He had to admit that he thought so too. As he looked around at the grounds, he could envision them all here.
She whispered, “Can we really afford this?”
“We can afford it, especially since the US government has paid for it,” he said, chuckling.
“Considering that they tried to kill us all, and we could have had them caught up in litigation for decades and would have gotten the money anyway,” she murmured, “it’s pretty much all good.”
“Exactly, so, in theory, we’ve just saved them money.” He reached out for her hand. “Come on. Let’s go take a look at our new home.”
Just then the front door opened, and an older man leaned against the door, a gentle smile on his face.
“Charles?” Terk said in delight. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
He nodded, beaming at Terk and Celia. “Not sure how you feel about it, but I thought I’d meet you here and make sure everything was in order.”
The men shook hands, and Terk introduced Celia to Charles. She was immediately drawn to the charming older man. “It’s very nice to meet you, and I hope you’ll stay.” She was filled with joy, as she reached out and hugged him, already enjoying the kind energy of this man.
Charles flushed with pleasure. “How sweet of you. I do have a friend here with me.” Celia watched as an older woman walked—with an obvious limp—toward them along the long central hallway.
As the men stepped away to look at something on the property, the woman approached Celia and smiled, holding out her hand. “Hello, I am Emmeline. Charles and I are old school friends.”
“So nice to meet you. I’m Celia.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the woman, immediately noting that Emmeline was the type who only grew more beautiful with age.
“This is such a beautiful and peaceful place. I already want to visit again,” Emmeline replied.
“Absolutely.” Celia hugged the woman. She looked over at Terk, as he and Charles returned. “I don’t think anybody here will mind, and the place looks to be huge. I hope we can get it.”
“Oh, wait until you see inside it,” Emmaline said. “It’s amazing.”
“Perfect.” Celia beamed. “All I want to do now is explore, and then I want to hit that pool, wherever it is.”
Charles laughed. “It’s being uncovered right now. It should be ready within the hour, so probably about the time the tour is complete,” he said affectionately. “I also took the liberty of having a meal prepared.”
Celia grinned at him. “I knew I liked you already.” She reached out to grab Terk’s hand. “Come on, Terk. Our future is waiting.” The pool is also waiting for us, she whispered in his mind.
What about the twins?
They can handle it. So can we.
Chapter 1
Dr. Philly “Celia” Waterball walked down to the end of the hallway and stared out one of the huge arched windows. Terk’s energy drifting toward her; just moments later she felt Terk’s hands on her shoulders.
“Are you okay?” he murmured against her ear.
She leaned into him. “Better than okay.” She sighed. “This is definitely not where I expected to end up.”
“As long as you’re okay with this as a destination.”
“It would be awfully hard to change it now.” She laughed.
“This would be the time to change it though. The paperwork is just now going through.”
“So how is it we’re living here already then?”
“Because we rented it for a little while to ensure we’ll be okay here. But the paperwork was submitted, based on our intent to purchase.”
“Got it. And, yes, I’m totally okay to stay here.”
“You won’t miss London?”
“If I do, it’s a quick hop away—and the same for the US, though a much longer trip. I really like your friends over there. … And family too,” she added, as an afterthought.
Terk chuckled. “Merk is likely to spend a fair bit of time over here too. We’ve always been close. Our paths diverged in the military, but it’s never been our intent to be separated.”
“No, I’m sure you didn’t.” She stared out at the massive fields surrounding the castle. “What is here, ten acres or something?”
“Closer to twenty-five. I can pull out the specs, if you want to know for sure.”
“No.” She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I just can’t imagine even having something like this. It seems so vast and yet so perfect.”
He laughed. “You look at it from the picturesque point of view,” he said affectionately. “And I’m looking at it from the standpoint of defense, secrecy, privacy, and all those good things.”
“Of course you are,” she murmured. “And you always will.”
He nodded. “I think at this point, it’s pretty well ingrained in us.”
“Is the whole team okay to live here?”
“Yeah, though, as soon as we can, we’ll seek out opportunities to expand our holdings into neighboring areas, so that we have a continuous supply for expansion,” he murmured.
She twisted to look up at him. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “It’s never a good idea to have everybody in one location. That’s just a standard defense tactic. However, it’s definitely important that everybody still have the same access to security. So, as we expand to the neighboring properties, we’ll add tunnel systems and security between each of the properties.”
“Wow, that is more elaborate than I expected. Does everybody on the team really want to set up a new company?”
Terk nodded again. “I think everybody realizes we’re uniquely prepared for this, and who else understands us except for the rest of the team? Plus, the rest of the world doesn’t really care or even know we exist.”
“No, I’m sure they don’t. Although, in fairness, how could they? This is just so far beyond what is normal.”
“Yet it’s definitely normal for us and for you.” He tapped gently on her chin. “Remember?”
She chuckled. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was ever possible.”
“Sometimes you’ve got to let dreams just happen on their own. Don’t try to manufacture anything. Just sit back, and let it happen.”
“And I love that theory, but, after my divorce and years of thinking I would always be alone, and alone with my abilities as well”—she shook her head—“it’s hard to see how it’s even possible.”
“Ah, that’s okay. Just leave it to us. We’ll get you where you want to be.”
“I’m already exactly where I want to be,” she murmured, linking her arms around his, as they wrapped around her belly from behind. “There’s just so much to be done, even to get set up.”
“That’s why I’m wondering if you want to go somewhere else, until the birth, so you’re not part of all this chaos.”
“No, I’m fine.” She smiled. “And I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I don’t think there’s any more danger, is there?”
“Would like to think not. I mean, obviously an awful lot still needs to be dealt with on many levels, but we’re on it. Yet, because so many different elements were involved in trying to eliminate my team, I’m not sure I can ever be 100 percent positive.”
“That’ll always bother you, won’t it?”
He nodded calmly. “Sure it will, as it’ll be something that I’ll always keep in mind and look for opportunities to do something about.”
“You keep it in mind, but don’t worry because we’re just fine.” She patted her belly again.
“Good, still there’s been no progress on tracking down whether or not there are other eggs.”
“God, I hope not,” she murmured.
“It’ll be something we may never get final answers on,” he added cautiously.
She realized just how much that bothered him and that he was afraid it would bother her as well. She nodded slowly. “I get that, and I think we have no choice but to go on faith that, if more show up, we’ll deal with it then.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I sure as heck wasn’t expecting this problem.”
“Neither was I. Imagine how I felt.” She gave a nervous laugh.
“I can’t even begin to imagine that. It must have been a frightening shock.”
“Absolutely, but a lot of good came from all this, so it’s hard to get too angry.”
“That’s a hell of a reason for finding forgiveness.”
“Sometimes we must forgive because anything else would drive us too crazy. Forgiveness is not for them. It’s for us.”
“Agreed,” he murmured, “and you’re a very smart cookie.”
She chuckled at that. “I don’t know about the smart cookie remark. I’m just somebody who loves you.”
“And I love you.”
They stood in a sweet silence for several moments, and then he said, “Anytime you want to go lie down, we do have some more furniture moved in. And we have multiple trucks coming over the next few days.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, things are a little sparse at the moment, and that’s fine. I’m not breakable.”
“You are breakable but hopefully not that breakable.”
“I’m perfectly okay to rest on what we have.”
“That’s good, and I know Charles is hiring us some staff.”
“Have you considered trying to get Charles to stay?”
“I think he probably will stay close by, but I don’t think he wants to live on the compound.”
“Is there a particular reason for that?”
“I’m not sure if there is or not,” Terk murmured, “except we have an awful lot of people in our growing team. He’s getting older, and I think he’s just used to having his own space. Plus, he has an agreement with MI6, and I don’t think he wants anything to jeopardize that or his own work.”
“I can understand that too,” she noted. “He is a lovely man.”
“He is.” Terk chuckled. “I don’t think he’d have a problem being a godfather.”
She smiled. “I already told him that our kids have no living grandparents, so we needed somebody nearby. I think he was tickled pink.”
“I can tell you, without a doubt, that he was definitely tickled pink. He has a granddaughter he loves dearly but, so far, no great-grandkids.” Terkel hugged her gently. “Many of us have availed ourselves of his skills and abilities and connections over the years,” he shared. “Charles is a guy who tends to pop up in situations when you least expect it. Levi’s team has been over here many times as well.”
“Can I assume that, over time, I’ll get to meet all these people?”
“Absolutely. You’ll probably spend more time with them than you ever wanted.”
“Right,” she said, “but one of the first things we need is kitchen staff because there’ll be a lot of people to feed here.”
“I think Mariana wants domain over that.”
“And I’m totally okay giving it to her, but she will need lots of help. And, if I could have a room for my research and lab work, then that would make me happy too.”
He chuckled. “There are lot of rooms in this place.”
“And I can see that. However, by the time you have it all planned out—with an armory, a weight room, a control room, a panic room, and all that defense-related allotment, not to mention the living quarters, there won’t be as much extra space as I thought.” She hesitated and then asked, “Will we also have a jail?”
He stiffened ever-so-slightly and then nodded. “Yeah. We really have to, just from a safety point of view.”
“Fine,” she said, with a heavy sigh.
“On that note,” he murmured, “Levi and the team are coming over to help us get things set up.”
“Oh, wow. That’s really nice of them.”
“It’s what we do. I heard rumblings that Bullard may even come at some point.”
She shook her head. “Aren’t you all competing for the same business though?”
“No,” he said, “we’re all in complementary businesses, and each of us has our own skill sets and specialties. And let’s face it. Some of our skills are ones that we learned from each other.”
“Ah,” she murmured. “So, in a way, they could also be people who would want your skills.”
“Absolutely. Even if they don’t necessarily know it yet.” He chuckled.
“Business,” she remarked, with a smile and a shake of her head. “I love it.”
“Good, because there will be a lot of business going on here.”
“I really like that whole big conference room yet dining room scenario that Ice has going. It was family-friendly, yet still worked from a business perspective.”
“It does, and I like that too,” Terk agreed. “We’ll figure out something similar. I’m just not sure how to make it happen here.”
“That,” she said, with a laugh, “is because this place is huge.”
“It is, but we’ll get there. Everybody seems to be pretty excited about it. The electronic security equipment and battery backups, and even solar panels as a further backup, have been ordered. A start, at least. As soon as we can get everything connected and online, I know things will feel better.”
