The Rites: Ethos Society Part One Read online

  To procrastination- we still fucking did it.

  Contents

  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

  Afterword

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Chloe Gunter

  Seeing two armed men dressed in black outside my front door on a Friday morning wasn't what I was expecting. Though, I couldn't tell you it hadn't happened before. Travel mug in one hand, I moved my other to hover just behind my messenger bag, where my concealed weapon was.

  "Agent DeWitt, we need you to come with us."

  An all black Town Car was waiting at the curb, the back passenger door ready and open. I took in their appearance, noting how the guns at their sides weren't any run-of-the-mill standard issue weapons and how their all black outfits lacked any threads or emblems of identification.

  "Points for knowing my name boys, but I'm not going anywhere with you until you show me some proper identification," I said, raising an eyebrow at them challengingly.

  "Look, everything will be explained in the car but we can't stand on your doorstep any longer, there are too many eyes in the sky. So, please, get in the car so I don't have to make you get in," the slightly taller man said, a hint of exasperation and surety in his tone.

  Weighing my options, I decided to go ahead and get in the car. Plus, if I didn't show up to work in the next half an hour, that would trigger an alert and there would no doubt be people looking for me. Oh, the joys of being an FBI agent.

  As soon as I had slid in, placing my messenger bag beside me, the door closed and the locks engaged. The partition was down and I could see the two men take one glance around before getting in and pulling away from the curb.

  "I'm not sure what I want to ask you first, what your name is and who you're with, or where the hell you're taking me."

  "Where the hell we're taking you," the driver said, "depends on you, we can take you to work for your 0900 profiling meeting or you can decide to come with us."

  The taller man reached back from the passenger's seat and passed me a piece of glass. I looked at him confused for a moment, not having seen this technology in such a portable manner, but he just shook his head and said, "Place your palm on the glass. It's keyed to you based on your employee files."

  As I followed his instructions, the screen lit up, seeming to analyze my prints until it unlocked and an electronic docket appeared on the screen. I read the words twice, half in disbelief, and half just making sure I wasn't missing something. I had been offered a position, effective immediately, at GRAVITAS.

  GRAVITAS was one of those things that you heard about in all those three-letter government departments but didn’t appear on any search result on the internet. All they had was their reputation. That when things were critical, they were the people you called. No one even knew what exactly they dealt with. If there was a clearance level above Top Secret, well, they definitely had it. So really, it figured that they would do something like just show up at my door, telling me I had been recruited, and take me on the spot. I knew I was good, I had risen relatively fast within my short time at the bureau, but this was a whole other level.

  “So what’s it going to be DeWitt? Are we taking you to work, or are you coming back with us?”

  “Oh, I’m definitely going with you. What about my things?”

  “The furniture will be stored and your personal items will be brought to where we’re going. Partition has to go up now,” the driver said pausing, “Oh, and DeWitt, the name’s Luke.”

  When the partition closed I was left with nothing but a supple leather interior and an overhead light. I couldn’t tell how long before the concrete structures of the city disappeared in favor of lush trees, but I could smell the scent of pine through the air vents. The windows were severely tinted to where you couldn’t see in or out. Wherever we were going, judging by the distance and the subtle changes in the air, it was as remote as you could get in the area.

  The leather bench squeaked as I shifted in place. How did I manage to wind up here? The FBI was covered in red tape and it'd begun to wrap around my life.

  It's hard to be an altruistic person in a jaded society. There's only so much of yourself you can give before there's nothing left, only a husk of yourself and former dreams, wanting to make the world a better place for the ones you love. People like my sister deserved better than that. I’d like to tell you that I never gave up, that I was still fighting the good fight, but the truth of the matter is that the invitation to join GRAVITAS had been the lone small spark of hope in my life for the past few years.

  Eventually, a few hours later, the partition rolled down as we came to a stop revealing a massive, sleek black gate. The view behind the gate was completely obscured, giving no hint to what lay inside. I got the feeling that we were being carefully watched from multiple vantage points, which was to be expected. Luke spoke to the guard briefly before the guard, dressed in black fatigues, approached my now open window.

  “Good morning, Ms. DeWitt. I’m going to have to ask to see your phone and laptop before we can proceed any further. For security purposes, we need to upload our protocols on your devices.”

  I pulled my laptop out of the messenger bag that was on the seat beside me then slipped my phone from my jacket pocket before handing them both over. If there’s one thing I learned after working for the federal government, it’s that true privacy is an illusion. Unless you take stringent precautions, the right people can unearth any data you generate, from debit transactions to that photo you liked on your phone five years ago. If they hadn’t forced this protocol, I’d be rather worried that the elusive GRAVITAS really didn’t have their shit as together as everyone said.

  Turned out, they were efficient as fuck. I had my devices back and we were rolling through the gate in just five minutes.

  The scent of fresh pine, that I had smelled from the vents earlier, hit me harder as I stepped from the car and in front of a sleek concrete building. Making my way through the double doors, I noted the cameras stationed in the corners, no doubt covering every angle.

  The woman who received me in the foyer stared at me from crystal blue eyes that catalogued everything from my loose hair, to the scuff on the toe of my left shoe. Her sleek blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and her air of quiet competence was accented by her sable attire. When she caught the answering quirk of my eyebrow, she let out a small smile that melted her icy veneer and softened her glacier-sharp cheekbones.

  “It seems like they finally realized how big of an asset people like you and I are,” she declared with a small laugh.

  “And what kind of people are we?” I asked, playing the game I knew so well.

  “Only the best of course,” her grin widened until I was looking at the predator camouflaged as beautiful prey. “The kind that can make people see what they want to see, and read their deepest secrets from a glance.”

  “Whatever do you mean?” I schooled my features into a clueless facade, my facial regulators mimicking the true expression of confusion. I stared at her vapidly while I tilted my head slightly to the side.

  “Oh!�
�� She gave me a slow clap. “You are going to be so much fun! I can’t wait to see how you’ll fare in the games. I’ve been looking for someone who could keep up with me.”

  She handed me a new black backpack containing the essentials I would need over the next few months, as well as a key tag that was fitted with my credentials and would serve as my pass for the facility.

  “Orientation is tomorrow at 0700 sharp, you’ll get the rest of the details then. Your gear should already be in your room waiting for you. Oh, and DeWitt?” she leaned in closer, whispering conspiratorially, “the name is Katya.”

  She reminded me of Luke with how she traded her name like a precious piece of information. With a small shake of my head at her antics, I left the hall in search of my new quarters, feeling a thrill of excitement at what was to come. It seemed like maybe I’d find a challenge here after all.

  From a quick glance at the map, it appeared that my new apartment was located on the east side of campus. The electronic docket indicated that I’d be sharing with a senior operative who was familiar with the inner workings of the facility and could assist me, should I need it. Already this was starting off better than the bullshit Quantico made you go through. Quantico fostered competition, pitting trainees against each other in ways that promoted the individual first mentality. Here, it looked like they were going for a team-based approach.

  As I approached the building I noticed, like the rest of the campus, that it was modern and sleek with crisp lines, a harsh contrast to the forest surrounding it. My unit, much to my delight, was a corner unit on the top floor. A grin slid across my face at the thought of the views I was going to have.

  When I used my keycard to open the door, I was pleased to find that the decor didn’t match the harsh exterior. I was met with a decently sized living room that boasted a leather couch and chair. Coffee and side tables framed the furniture and were a mix of wood and wrought iron, giving the space a down-to-earth vibe. There were two hallways in opposite directions to the main living space. Noticing the slight opening of the door leading to the left, like someone had recently come out of it, I decided to give the hallway on the right a try.

  My room was, for lack of a better word, comfortable. I felt a little odd essentially living in a dorm style set up, sharing an apartment with an unknown roommate, almost like a blind date with higher stakes. At least the furnishings helped give the place a sense of establishment. There weren’t any twin beds or plywood desks here. The built-in bookshelves, that were no doubt custom, housed a collection of manuals that would likely prove useful.

  Running my fingers over the well-loved spines, I moved to open the door closest to the entry. To my delight, I found a walk-in closet that was deep enough to actually take a few steps inside. Hanging on the left were a variety of shirts, from collared polos to work out gear, all branded with my last name under the GRAVITAS logo and all in my size, no doubt for training since you’d never go into the field wearing something as blatant as that. They were also all black, like we were going to be in full on recon mode 24/7. The matching bottoms were folded nicely on the shelf above. Even without having my personal items here yet, it seemed that they had provided most of what I would need.

  I took a quick glance in the bathroom, noting the toiletries, before setting my messenger bag and new backpack on the desk. I desperately needed to get some fresh air and stretch my legs after being cooped up in the car for that long. Grabbing my key card and wallet, I left the rest of the things on my bed to take care of when I return and headed out to explore.

  One good thing about being a non-verbal communication expert is feeling out your surroundings for yourself. I purposefully didn’t look through my things for a map beforehand, wanting to get my first take of the campus with a fresh, unadulterated perspective.

  Starting with the perimeter, I walked for about thirty minutes, first close to the fence, then through the trees that lay beyond the field. I didn’t even make it to wherever the back fence was before I decided to return to campus and explore the rest of the parts that might be more useful.

  The lip of my shoe caught and I stumbled to the forest floor, fingers covered with soil from catching my fall. I looked down to see what I had tripped over and found a mass of vines. Looking closer to investigate, I noticed a rusty metal handle peaking through the greenery.

  Pushing the vines aside, I bent and tugged at the door only to find that it wouldn’t move an inch. Not wanting to pry things open on my first day, I decided that if I was meant to see what was inside then it would have opened.

  As I made my way to the center of the facility, I noticed that the campus wasn’t overwhelmed with people. I got a few raised eyebrows, no doubt from my work clothes and curious expression, and nods along the way until I found myself standing in what could only be described as a quad.

  It was easy to see that this was the heart of campus. On the grassy lawn, people threw a football back and forth while some lightly jogged around a track. Across the way, I saw what looked like a decent sized commissary and a brick building positioned off to the side that appeared like it was closed down. As I made my way across the quad to the building, I saw a placard on the rustic facade that read ‘Veritas’. At least someone had a sense of humor, truth could be found in many ways, one of which was liquor. Sure enough, as I walked up the steps and peered through the window at what appeared to be a billiards hall, my suspicions were confirmed that Veritas was a place where people could blow off some steam.

  “They only open the hall on weekends and never on break,” a deep voice called from behind me. I turned around to see one of the guys who was jogging around the track, his earbuds now hanging around his neck. His shoulders were relaxed and open, no doubt friendly and wanting to make conversation.

  “Do you all really cause such a ruckus that they don’t think we can handle ourselves?” I gave him an easy smile and came down the steps to give him a closer look. I’ve learned that the people who are the most willing to be helpful are a crucial resource to have.

  “Nope,” he said, popping the word while he shoved his hands in his pockets, “I’m pretty sure they just don’t want us drinking them out of house and home. I mean, we’re not exactly close to civilization. With the kind of backgrounds the people have here, they’ll make anything a competition, including drinking each other under the table.” I let out a small laugh, looking up at him. He easily reached 6’ 3” and had an undercut to his dark locks with a kiss of silver at his temples.

  “Jarhead?” I ask deliberately, wondering how he’d take the backhanded name for a Marine. Instead of being offended, he gave me a lopsided smirk and a slow perusal.

  “Come on now, didn’t your momma tell you not to judge a book by its cover? My head definitely isn’t empty. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe,” I shrugged, not giving anything away. He took a step closer to me, leaning down until his lips were near my ear. I held my ground, not wanting to show any weakness, but also curious as to what he’s going to say next.

  “A word of advice, since you’re obviously new, be careful about the types of games you play around here and who you play them with. You never know exactly who you may be talking to.” He abruptly leaned up, looking me dead in the eye with a bit of spark dancing behind his lids.

  Without another word, he put his headphones back in and started jogging the track again, leaving me to ponder just what I had gotten myself into with this place.

  Having had enough exploring for the day, I waved my keycard on the authentication plate for my apartment, stepped inside, and was greeted by a rather unexpected display that had me rooted in place.

  Sitting in an armchair in the corner of the room was a man with jet black hair whose head was thrown back in what was unmistakably pleasure. One hand gripped the arm of the chair while the other held the head of the man between his legs. They were almost fully clothed from what I could tell, but they were both clearly into it if the groans were any indic
ation.

  Muscles rippled through the shirt of the man who was kneeling. He was built, which was common for the more tactical men I’d seen around. His dark green shirt clung to him as his tattooed bicep pumped in time with his head.

  I shifted my thighs, trying to relieve some of the growing ache that was building watching the scene. It was just my luck that no one picked up the sound of a fucking door, but the slight shift of jeans caught some attention.

  The dark-haired man’s eyes snapped open to meet mine with an intensity I wasn’t prepared for. His eyes stayed on mine for a few more seconds before he came undone, lips parted and a long groan escaped him. It wasn’t until then that the man in the armchair looked away as he cupped the face of his companion who raised to meet him in a quick chaste kiss before whispering in his ear.

  His companion quickly snapped his head toward me and I saw a faint pinkness tinge his face. I took my time assessing him, taking in his sandy blond hair and short beard with an obvious tan. I’d wager he was a combat specialist who, judging by his blush, wasn’t laissez-faire when it came to his sexual tendencies. He took a step closer while running a hand through his disheveled hair.

  “Can I help you?” His voice was smooth like a double Bulleit Rye on the rocks, with just a hint of grit. Given the situation, I was pleasantly surprised by his manners.

  “I think you’ve already helped him,” I winked, trying to diffuse the situation. It worked as intended as the dark haired man chuckled while the other gave me a full fledged grin. “I’m Charlie, I moved in earlier today.”

  “I guess they left out that tidbit in my docket this morning. Well, I’m Reed,” he said moving to offer his hand.