Finding Ella

Chapter 1

Ryder laughed as he shoved Blaize in the shoulder, sending him crashing into a tree on the side of the path they were running along through the forest. Blaize stumbled, slamming his shoulder into the trunk of the huge maple tree before quickly finding his feet and taking off after his brother.

"Payback's a bitch, you do realise that right?!" Blaize shouted at the retreating form of his brother in front of him.

"Ha! You have to catch me first, grandma!" laughed Ryder over his shoulder at him.

Blaize huffed and dug deeper, racing to catch up. His three other brothers were further ahead of Ryder, having kept up a steady pace instead of the playful pushing and shoving that he and Ryder had been engaged in.

As he caught up to a laughing Ryder and they rounded a bend in the path, they found the other three had slowed to a walk and were taking a moment before they turned around to start their run back home.

The five men weren't brothers in the traditional sense, sharing a bond stronger than mere blood. They were a former Delta Force unit, a family, forged in the harshest of conditions under the toughest of circumstances. They had watched each other's backs, protected each other, fought, bled and triumphed together. There was nothing they wouldn't do for their family.

Having left the service 3 years earlier, they had created a security firm specialising in covert operations and protection. Building their company – Nemesis – from nothing, it was now one of the most elite and discreet companies in the business. Their list of clients read like the who's who of politicians, CEOs, athletes and celebrities. They had kept their services small and exclusive, meaning they were able to offer the best of the best to their clients, earning them a stellar reputation amongst the elite.

At 29, Blaize was the youngest on the team, but not much separated the five of them. His short brown hair, full lips and dimples easily had the ladies swooning, but it was his eyes that really held his secrets.

Ryder was the next youngest at 31. With blonde hair that brushed his jaw, ice blue eyes and a massively muscled body, he closely resembled the Vikings of old. He was vicious in battle and loyal to the bone.

Storm was the quietest of the group, his grey eyes missing nothing. At 6' 2" he was the shortest of his brothers, but towered over almost everyone else. Being the 'middle child' as he was sometimes called because his age was between the others, he was also the most sensitive. Much of his childhood had been spent saving wounded and stray animals, which was also why he had been the designated medic on his team. Taking care of others was part of what drove him.

The twins, Wolf and Hunter, were the oldest as well as the leaders of the team. Whilst all five of them could be described as deadly given their training and backgrounds, the twins were absolutely lethal. Predators through and through, they moved and fought as though one were merely an extension of the other. A single deadly fighting unit. Standing at 6'5" with dark hair, dark eyes and heavy muscles that spoke of years of training, they were intimidating in the extreme.

Ryder and Blaize slowed to a walk as they caught up to the others, Blaize giving Ryder a quick smack to the back of the head as they did so.

"If you guys worked out half as hard as you play around you'd probably outrun Wolf and Hunter once in a while you know," commented Storm.

Ryder shook his head, "Nah, having fun is what makes getting through these workouts bearable."

The twins didn't even turn to look at them as Hunter replied, "You'll wish you'd worked harder the next time one of us is chasing you."

Blaize winced, that was probably true. Ryder tended to be a practical joker and usually roped Blaize into his pranks. Ryder's favourite target was their older and much more serious brothers, however that also meant that whilst they might be laughing they were also getting their butts kicked by the pissed off twins. And to be honest, the twins were just fucking scary when they got riled, even if they would never really hurt them.