Troubled Paradise (Gray Tower Book 2)

by J. M. Brister

  “All I can say is that he’s the one causing the problems. The people here may be a part of it.”

  Jack shook his head.

  “You’re not giving me much to work with here.”

  “I know,” Sasha said softly. “You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.”

  She leaned in close to his face, and Jack bristled at their proximity. He had once found her attractive, but not anymore. She may have looked gorgeous on the outside, but she’d stab you in the back if you gave her the chance. Sasha was in it for herself. However, that didn’t mean that she was wrong on this one.

  “I’ll call for an extraction,” Jack said with a sigh.

  He was beginning to dislike Carr anyhow, and Gray Tower was still getting the payday from Uncle Sam. Call it a draw.

  Jack tried to step away from Sasha, but she grabbed his arm firmly.

  “What are you doing?” He asked.

  “I know things weren’t great between us when we last parted,” she began. “But I want you to know that I do care about you, and that I’ve missed you.”

  With that, she grasped his neck and kissed him. The shock of her lips suddenly on his made him freeze for a moment. After he came to his senses, he pushed her off him.

  “What the hell are you doing?” He growled.

  “Just saying goodbye,” she said with a smile.

  He shook his head in disgust, and then turned his head when he saw movement in his peripheral vision. Kat stood half-way from walking down the steps. She was frozen in place, her skin looking too pale even in the dim light.

  “Kat…” He began, but she bolted before he could say anything else.

  Jack attempted to go after her, but Sasha grabbed his arm and said, “Let her go, Jack. She’s not in your league.”

  “I know,” he hissed. “She’s way too wonderful for an asshole like me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to apologize to my woman for your arrogance and my stupidity.”

  He didn’t even turn to look at Sasha as he bounded up the steps. A few choice words were running through his mind about what he thought of her, but he was more concerned about Kat.

  Lord, how must it have looked from her perspective?

  Plus, he was now going to have to get them off this island as quickly as possible. Sasha was a bitch, but Jack was going to trust his gut on this one and get the hell out. Besides, Carr had his offer. The rest of this little workcation was going to get cut short.

  Jack turned to the steps and began to chase after Kat. If they were going to get extracted, then he’d need to get to her and fast.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Kat ran blindly down the hallway. She couldn’t see through the tears, but she somehow made it back to the suite.

  How could she have been so stupid? Why had she thought that Jack wanted a relationship with her? He was only just feeding her bullshit so that he could fuck her some more. She had heard the rumors about Jack. They must have been true after all.

  Kat walked into her bedroom and slammed the door. She tugged off her dress and put on a tank top and cotton shorts. Then, she popped her contacts out and put on her glasses. She was done with playing dress-up. She was done trying to impress someone who obviously didn’t give a shit about her.

  It had only been a few seconds after she put on her glasses that she heard the suite door open and slam shut. Another few heartbeats later, and Jack flung open her bedroom door and stalked in. He looked pissed, though she wasn’t sure why. Kat was tired of dealing with him in general. She would be happy when this trip was over.

  “Trip’s over,” Jack stated coldly. “Get packed up. I’m going to get us an extraction, and once we’re safely away, we’re going to talk about what just happened.”

  Kat froze. That was not what she had been expecting him to say. Her anger suddenly dissipated, now replaced with fear.

  “What’s going on?” She asked, a pit forming in her stomach.

  “I got a tip that we’re not safe here anymore. Get packed. Now.”

  He turned and left her alone in the room. Trying to push down the panic, Kat ran around her room and bathroom, trying to get everything packed up that she could. Jack stalked back into the room, his suit jacket off and shirt unbuttoned, revealing that gorgeous bare chest and abs of his.

  “Bad news,” he said in a business-type tone. “The earliest we can leave is tomorrow afternoon with traditional methods.”

  “Wait,” Kat said, confused. “I thought Gray Tower could just whisk us up if something went wrong?”

  “I said traditional methods. That means a guy on a boat over on Grand Bahama. Bryant is looking into something faster. I should hear back soon. Are you done packing?”

  Kat nodded, grabbing her laptop bag and larger luggage piece.

  “Great. I’m going to get changed and grab my bags. Stay out in the main room until we’re ready to move out.”

  She wondered what exactly “move out” meant when they had no other place to go on a small little island. When Jack popped back out in jeans and a black t-shirt, she wanted to ask him. However, she stopped when she saw him pull out a handgun from a bag.

  “Where did you get that?” She asked, confused.

  “Had a delivery the other day,” he said nonchalantly.

  Kat wasn’t sure what that meant, but she knew how crafty Jack could be on missions. She watched has he put on a belt holster and secured the gun on it. Then, he pulled up his jeans and strapped an ankle holster to that and placed a much smaller gun for concealment. Next to come out was a few magazines and holder for them, which he clipped next to his gun holster.

  The way Jack moved with such a purpose made her a bit jittery. He wasn’t screwing around, which meant they were in more trouble than she had thought. She momentarily forgot about the incident with Jack and Sasha.

  “What do we do now?” She asked when he had finished prepping himself.

  “We wait right here until I get more from Gray Tower’s end.”

  “How long will that be?” Kat asked nervously.

  “It could be a few minutes or a few hours or the whole damned night.”

  She flinched at his tone. This was the Jack that she knew all too well. This one was the guy who took charge and was all business. Frankly, she preferred that right now. Romantic Jack was too much for her presently, and asshole Jack had really pissed her off.

  Kat curled up on one of the couches in the middle of the room, while Jack paced the floor and stared down at his sat-phone. She tried to close her eyes and rest, but she had too much anxiety. When she felt Jack sit down next to her, she sat up and pulled her legs up and into her chest, hugging them.

  “Are we going to talk about what happened after dinner?” He asked softly.

  “There’s nothing to say,” she replied.

  “Well, I have something to say,” he continued. “I’m sorry.”

  Kat opened her mouth to hurl some retort at him, but he held up a finger and continued.

  “I’m not done yet,” he interrupted. “Going off with Sasha by myself was a mistake. I’ll admit that, but she did have intel that I needed. I didn’t think she was ballsy enough to try and kiss me, and I should have reacted sooner when she did. For that, I’m sorry.

  “With that being said, once we get back to the mainland, I’m going to do everything that I can to convince you that you are the only woman that I want. Period.”

  Kat blinked in surprise. She wasn’t sure whether this was more bullshit that he was feeding her or if he was sincere. Before she could say anything else to him, a distant sound alerted her. It sounded like gunfire.

  Jack looked at her and said, “We’ve got problems.”

  Chapter 14

  Two small boats made their way to the shore of Faraway Cay. Six men on each got out in the surf, all dressed in black. The twelve were soldiers, but they didn’t fight for any country. And, they weren’t ordinary soldiers either.

  They wore specialized armor which fit over them lik
e a glove. This armor not only protected them from most enemy fire but also contained the latest high-tech combat gadgetry, including automatic night vision, movement detection, and infrared detection. It also had air filtration for gas attacks and a helmet that had a built-in comm system and head-ups tactical display.

  The armor also looked sinister. The eyes glowed red just slightly, and the mask and suit covered the entire body, making the soldiers look more like machines than anything else.

  They were like machines in some sense. Besides being fully combat-trained, these men happened to have a small IV inserted into themselves that had a concoction of drugs that kept them alert and focused during a mission. These elite soldiers could come in fast and take down anything covertly. They also happened to be Conglomerate soldiers.

  Nathan Slade was one of those soldiers. He quickly fell in line behind three others in his squad. One team would secure the perimeter. The other would go in and secure the building. He was on the team that would surround the perimeter of the building. It would be less action, but just as much responsibility.

  Responsibility.

  That was a word that hadn’t mixed well with Nate for a long time. Thirteen years ago, he had run away from home. His parents had been narcissistic assholes—they still were the last time Nate had checked. At the time, though, they had been horrible to him. His brother, Logan, meanwhile had decided to go off and fight in wars and shit. Nate didn’t begrudge Logan for that. His brother had his own life to live. However, without the Golden Child to fawn over, that left Nate—the black sheep.

  His parents had come down on him hard. It had gotten to the point where all Nate wanted to do was escape—so he had turned to drugs. Lots of them.

  It hadn’t been that bad for a while. He had stolen some money and jewelry from his parents and had gone off the radar, living on the streets. At first, it had been fun. Having freedom had been great.

  Then, he had to start selling drugs to keep up with his habit, and then the drugs completely took over. They had dictated everything that he did. The freedom that he thought that he had was really a prison. He had spent five years drifting farther and farther into hell.

  It was only when a Conglomerate agent had picked him up out of the gutter that his life had changed for the better. It had been the Conglomerate that had cleaned him up, trained him, and had given him a purpose in life. He got to take out bad guys. He got to make a difference just like his brother. He was finally happy.

  Not that Nate didn’t miss his brother. He did. All Nate wanted to do was talk to Logan, even if it was just one more time. Last year, Nate had decided to make right with his mom and dad and give back the money that he had stolen from them, plus interest. The jewelry he had pawned had been a lot harder to find, and he had spent years trying to track down each piece. When he had finally gotten everything, he had returned them, knowing that it would let everyone know he was at least alive. That was good enough for now.

  Nate’s team of six fell behind the first team, walking quietly along the beach until they reached the perimeter of the house. It was a huge-ass mansion, but they already had floor plans. Navigation around the area would not be a problem.

  Their mission was to acquire and interrogate a high value target. Orson Carr might appear on the outside to be an upstanding citizen. He certainly had a high profile as owner and head of Cypherus, but he was mixed up in all sorts of bad shit.

  The teams separated as they made it to a large patio that faced the ocean. Then, Nate’s squad parted as well, three staying at the ocean side of the house while three made their way to the back.

  Nate went to the back side of the house, taking up position at a door that led out to a small garden next to an undeveloped part of the island. As he stood there, gunfire from the first team erupted from inside the house. Nate stood there ready to go, while he waited to intercede if necessary.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Jack was on full alert as more gunfire sounded. They had to get out of the mansion as quickly and quietly as possible. He didn’t have enough firepower to go on the offensive, but he could attempt to get Kat out and to a less dangerous spot on the island until they could get back-up.

  He grabbed a sat phone and glanced at Kat. She was panicking big time, and he didn’t blame her. This was a scary situation, and it was precisely why he had advised that she shouldn’t go on this mission in the first place.

  “Come on,” he said. “We’ve got to get out of here. I’m not waiting around here to get ambushed and shot at. Don’t take anything.”

  “But my laptop…” She started, but he cut her off.

  “Leave it. I’m worried about getting us out of here alive, not about a damned laptop.”

  “You might need it. You might need me,” she told him. “Don’t discount what I can do.”

  Jack blinked.

  He sometimes forgot that she could be more of an asset than a liability. While he certainly didn’t want them weighed down, perhaps she was right on this one?

  “Fine,” he told her. “But you must do everything that I say exactly as I say it. Got it?”

  She nodded and slung her laptop bag over her shoulder. Jack could tell that she was nervous, but she wasn’t freaking out just yet. That was a start.

  “Stay behind me. Do not move unless I tell you to. Do not say anything unless I tell you to.”

  Jack drew his SIG Sauer P226 from its holster and walked to the door, weapon at the ready. He turned the knob of the door with his left hand and nudged it open with a leg. Checking left and right, he noted the clear hallway but also heard more gunfire, this time much closer. They had to get out of here and fast.

  There was an exit down one of the hallways to their right. It led out to the back of the mansion toward the undeveloped part of the island. There were actually a few exits in the place since it was supposed to be a resort. Hopefully, he could get Kat away without an issue. However, he had no idea how many enemies were here. This whole situation may turn into something ugly quickly.

  He signaled Kat to follow him, and they trekked off to the right quickly and quietly. There was more gunfire, but it seemed to be in the other direction.

  Jack stopped her before they turned. The hall had rooms lined on each side in the similar set up as a hotel. He maneuvered himself around the corner, checking down the hall before he motioned for Kat to keep moving. The outside door was just down this hallway.

  They moved quickly and without interruption until they got to this door.

  “Stay over this way,” Jack whispered, pointing to a spot much further behind him.

  He again opened the door and checked his surroundings. The night air felt oddly stifled. Yet, as he attempted to clear the area, there appeared to be nothing around. Perhaps they had made it after all? Now, they just had to get to that northeast spot on the island that had more gear that he had left on purpose just for situations like this.

  Jack motioned for Kat to come out with him, gun still at the ready. He had made it a few steps out to a garden patio when the loud bang of a gun echoed, and a sharp pain hit Jack’s right shoulder.

  For a moment, he lost his grip on his handgun as he staggered back. Reflexes took over and he was able to catch the frame but not before a shadowy figure approached him, pointing a rifle right at his heart. Kat froze next to him.

  “Drop it,” said an almost mechanical voice as what looked to be a man in full combat armor approached him.

  The armor looked odd. It was black, full body, including a menacing looking helmet and eyes that shown faintly red. Jack had never seen anything quite like it. One thing was for sure: it had the intimidation factor down.

  Jack turned his head to see Kat in full panic mode, her face had gone completely white. Unfortunately, she had reason to be afraid.

  Whoever these guys were, they weren’t messing around, which would either mean that they’d both get shot and killed right here and now. Or, they’d get captured and tortured. The idea of Kat being beaten o
r even raped made Jack’s blood run cold. He didn’t care what the hell happened to him. That’s what he had signed on for when he took the job at Gray Tower. But Kat…

  Lord, she didn’t deserve any of this.

  “Drop it,” the man said again, walking within three yards of where Jack stood.

  There wasn’t much else to do but comply. Jack wasn’t even entirely sure if he could bring his right arm up to fire with a bullet hole in his shoulder. He’d have to think of something else and quick.

  Once the gun clattered to the concrete, the man continued, “On your knees. Hands behind your head. Both of you. Now.”

  Jack eyed Kat and told her as calmly as he could, “Do what he says.”

  They both went to their knee. Kat put her hands behind her head, her laptop bag slumping to the ground. Jack was able to do it with his left hand but couldn’t do the other since his right shoulder was hurt.

  “Sorry, but you seemed to have shot the fuck out of my shoulder.”

  The man stood there for a moment, rifle still aimed at Jack. Then, he moved his aim over to Kat.

  “Don’t you fucking hurt her,” Jack growled.

  Then—surprisingly—the man’s rifle dropped, and he relaxed his stance with the rifle pointed to the ground.

  “Jack Hunter,” the man said. “How the hell did you end up here?”

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Orson Carr sat in his office chair, gripping the armrest tightly. He had heard the gunfire. He knew who was coming. It was too late. The Conglomerate was coming for him, and it was all his fault.

  The message that he had received a few days earlier rang true in his ears:

  We no longer need your assistance on the prototype. Thank you for your assistance. This will be the last communication you see between us.

  They no longer needed him, meaning they were coming to kill him.

  There wasn’t much that he could do now. If the Conglomerate wanted him dead, then he was dead. There was no use in fighting his fate now. He had sealed it when they had offered him a deal eleven years ago.