Echo

Copyright © 2023 by Sybil Bartel Cover art by: CT Cover Creations Cover Photo by: Wander Aguiar Cover Model: Soj M. Edited by: Hot Tree Editing The Ryter’s Proof Formatting by: Champagne Book Design All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. Warning: This book contains offensive language, alpha males and sexual situations. Mature audiences only. 18+ TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Books by Sybil Bartel ECHO Dedication Part One Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Part Two Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Chapter Thirty-Seven Chapter Thirty-Eight Chapter Thirty-Nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-One Chapter Forty-Two Chapter Forty-Three Chapter Forty-Four Chapter Forty-Five Chapter Forty-Six Chapter Forty-Seven Chapter Forty-Eight Chapter Forty-Nine Chapter Fifty Chapter Fifty-One Chapter Fifty-Two Chapter Fifty-Three Chapter Fifty-Four Chapter Fifty-Five Epilogue WHISKEY DELTA KILO Acknowledgments About the Author BOOKS BY SYBIL BARTEL The Alpha Elite Series SEAL ALPHA VICTOR ROMEO ZULU NOVEMBER ECHO WHISKEY DELTA KILO BLADE GHOST The Alpha Bodyguard Series SCANDALOUS MERCILESS RECKLESS RUTHLESS FEARLESS CALLOUS RELENTLESS SHAMELESS HEARTLESS The Uncompromising Alphas Series TALON NEIL ANDRÉ BENNETT CALLAN The Alpha Antihero Series HARD LIMIT HARD JUSTICE HARD SIN HARD TRUTH THE ALPHA ANTIHERO SERIES: BOOKS 1-2 The Alpha Escort Series THRUST ROUGH GRIND The Unchecked Series IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE IMPOSSIBLE END Join Sybil Bartel’s Mailing List to get the news first on her upcoming releases, giveaways and exclusive excerpts! You’ll also get a FREE book for joining! ECHO Navy SEAL. Mercenary. Ghost. Joining the military wasn’t a choice. It was survival. The Navy was the last place they’d think to look for me. Hiding in plain sight, I lived in the shadow of deployments… until an off-the-books mission put me in the crosshairs of my past. My cover blown, I walked away from the SEALs and sought refuge at the one place where I’d be more invisible than on the Teams—Alpha Elite Security. As a black ops government contractor, AES was the world’s leading provider of security solutions. High stakes, higher price tag, and complete anonymity. Trained to kill long before the military put a gun in my hand, I fit right in. But then I made a mistake. A single misstep, and I was face-to-face with the one woman who could kill me faster than a bullet. Code name: Echo. Mission: Evade. For my only child, my beloved son, Oliver. You were my greatest gift. The world was a better place with you in it. Everything in my life was better because of you. Thank you for teaching me unconditional love, perseverance, and compassion. You are and will always be my entire world. I love you, Sweet Boy, and I miss you beyond measure. Oliver Shane Bartel 2004–2020 For my readers, thank you for all of your love and support. Gratefully yours, XOXO Nine years ago Erico Palermo, Sicily Sighting, I exhaled. Then I pulled the trigger. A second later, my round hit the stronzo, the fucker’s head exploded, and bystanders in the crowd across the piazza screamed as they dispersed. Quickly unscrewing the stock and folding the bipod, I broke down my TAC-50 as my cell vibrated. Stowing the sniper rifle in my bag and zipping it shut before shouldering it, I answered Giancarlo’s call. “What?” “Is it done?” “Yeah.” “Did you do it how I asked?” My oldest brother was an asshole. He was also the Don of our famiglia. I was a lot of things, none of them good, but a walking death wish wasn’t one of them. If Giancarlo told me to pull the trigger, I fucking did it. Not that I respected him or his methods, but it was kill or be killed in this life. “Don’t I always?” “You need to learn some respect,” Giancarlo warned. “You need to earn some,” I shot back, descending the stairs. “I am Don Mantovani. I fucking have it.” No, he didn’t. He had a reputation. A violent one thanks to me. “Fear isn’t respect.” “‘It is better to be feared than to be loved,’” he spewed, citing the quote our father had drilled into us. Ignoring his bullshit, I quickly glanced around a corner, checking the hallway on the first floor of the residential building. Empty. “You never bother me when I’m on a job.” The arrogant prick demanded I call him and report in once my hits were executed. “What do you want?” Leaving the stairwell, I headed to the alley behind the building. “Get back to the estate. You’re coming to a dinner with me tonight.” “Not happening.” I was the trigger. “I don’t do bullshit dinners.” I didn’t show my face anywhere I didn’t need to. “You are not a guest. You’re reinforcement. Dinner is at eight, but we need to leave at seven. You’re driving.” Scanning the alley and the street beyond, I tossed my bag into the back of my Mercedes AMG G63 and got behind the wheel. Glancing at my watch, I turned the engine over. “Won’t make it. That’s in less than a half hour. Get Ademaro to drive you or, better yet, Caio. That asshole