Drake extended his hand to her, and she took it. Oh…no, no he couldn’t be…Drake bent one knee and kissed her hand before he looked up at her. “Jillian Allison Law, I’m in love with you. Because you are in my life, I can breathe. You are my happiness and my sanity. You’re the reason my life makes sense. I don’t want to live without you. Will you marry me?”
Jillian realized her hand covered her mouth. Tears filled her eyes. “I love you so much. You are everything to me, you always have been.”
Drake smiled. “Is that a yes?”
Jillian shook her head. “Yes, I mean, maybe, but right now? No?”
She heard a gasp and looked up. The entire balcony was lined with the people she’d grown to love. She returned her gaze to Drake. “I can’t marry you, now. Not until Dixon comes home.”
“When Dixon comes home?” Drake parroted her words. “He hasn’t been seen in three months.”
Jillian dropped to her knees in front of Drake and touched her hand to his chest, covering his heart. “And yet you know, here in your heart that he is still alive. Don’t you?”
Drake nodded.
“I’ve watched a little bit of you fade each day that he’s been missing. Do I love you? Yes, without reservation. Do I want to marry you? God, yes, desperately, but will I accept your proposal while you fight a battle between your love and loyalty to your brother and the love we share? No. I won’t. When we find Dixon and bring him home, I'll marry you.”
“And if we never find him?” Drake covered her hand with his.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here. I love you, but I know your heart is divided between your obligation and relationship with him and your love for me.” He started to speak, but she covered his lips with a single finger. “I know you have room for both of us. That has never been a doubt for me, but you need him as much as you need me. Differently, of course, but the need is just as important.” She leaned in, and he wrapped her in his arms.
“Thank you.” He kissed her temple.
She chuffed out an emotion-filled laugh. “For saying not now?”
“For seeing and understanding what I couldn’t express. I love you so damn much.”
“And I love you.”
“Did she really say no?” a voice blurted out above them.
“Jade!” At least ten voices shouted the name at the same time.
“What? She said no! How fucking epic is that?”
A litany of voices rose. Jillian looked up at the people who were gathered at the railing. Drake’s chest started moving under her hands. She glanced back at him in time to see him throw back his head and laugh. He rose to his feet and pulled her up with him. “You better say yes the next time I ask you.” Drake grabbed her face and kissed her. Jillian melted into his embrace. Of course, she’d say yes, as soon as Dixon came home. Alive. She wouldn’t accept anything less.
Chapter 26
Zane Reynolds walked into the room beside his wife, Jewell. They’d been summoned into the main conference room not more than three minutes ago, but already seated at the table were Jason, Jared, and Jacob. What really stood out in Zane’s mind was the presence of Gabriel, the former CEO of Guardian Security. “Close the door and put the room into privacy mode, would you, Zane?” Jason didn’t look up from the stack of papers in front of him.
“Where are Jade and Nic?” Jared asked as Zane did as he was bid.
“I didn’t invite them. Jade is a wild card who breaks rules she doesn’t like. I believe if Nic is made aware of what is going on, it would only be a matter of time before Jade knew. They are a team, I get it.” Jason leaned back in his chair and took off his glasses. He looked at each of the people sitting around the table. “Frank Marshall called me a little over four months ago. He had a theory. So, I discussed it with Gabriel, and we put out some covert feelers through the business community. Nothing that could be traced back to us, yet the information that started to come back seemed to validate our suspicions.”
Jacob leaned forward. “Well, that’s cryptic as fuck. Care to put it into words us less educated folk can follow?”
Jason glanced at Gabriel who nodded.
“We’ve been gathering intelligence through both of your units, covertly.”
“You mean without our knowledge.” Jewell slapped her tablet down. “I knew it. I knew there was a leak of information.” She turned and glared at Zane. “You were funneling them information from my section. Weren’t you?”
Zane nodded. He hated doing it, but as it was explained to him, he didn’t have an option.
Jewell launched into a tirade as Jared exploded, “Motherfucker, why in the hell?” Jacob sprang up demanding who in his section was working against him.
“Shut up!” Jason roared. “Sit your asses down and shut your mouths, now!”
He pointed at Jewell who’d opened her mouth again. Zane put his hand on her leg to quiet her.
Jason stared at each one of his siblings. “I don’t want another word breathed in this room until I finish this briefing.”
“We have confirmed Stratus is a real entity.” Jason passed out a sheet of paper. Zane knew what it said. He’d given the list of six names to Jason this morning. The workers did the background searches as required. None knew why they were gathering the intel. As a ruse and to confuse any attempts to determine the ‘why’ of the assignment, each person in each section was given seven names. So, seven backgrounds were completed by each section, and for the first time in Guardian’s history, the right hand was purposely blinded from the left hand. Five names filtered to the top of each search. It was incredibly easy to check and double check when they found the common key. Five names were mined, new players in the game. One additional name was known. He glanced at the names on the list Jewell held. Five names were printed, the sixth position remained blank. He understood the reason for that, too.
“These five people have a common link to each other. Flowers, or the man known to us as Flowers, was the secret decoder ring we used to find the other six.”
“Six?” Jared looked from his list to Jacob’s then to Jewell’s.
“We’ll get to that. We are assuming each of these five has taken a blood fealty oath to the organization that operates Stratus. We bore witness to that in Colombia when Flowers killed himself before he let Asp bring him in.”
“Stratus works for someone?” Jacob asked.
“So much for not asking any questions until I finish.” Jason leveled his gaze at his brothers. “We reached out to some of the underworld contacts Chief made when he was posing as David Xavier. The information we got back was patchy at best, but we have enough now to go forward. There are supposedly three women who run the Stratus Seven—now, with the loss of Flowers, the Stratus Six. Some of our contacts called them, ‘The Fates’.”
“You mean like the Greek mythology Fates? Cutting the golden string of life and shit like that?” Jewell grabbed Zane’s hand, and he curled his fingers around hers.
He’d get thoroughly thrashed by his wife for the role he’d played in this intelligence gathering operation. He deserved it. He’d been placed in a no-win situation. Zane also knew she’d soon understand why.
“Who knows. That’s as good a theory as any at this point. While we don’t know why they are called The Fates, we do know they are well funded, well organized, and they are building up,” said Jason.
“Have we identified the members of Stratus and which of them are called The Fates?” Jared asked.
“These are the members of Stratus who we believe are funded by The Fates.” Jason handed a small booklet to each of his department heads including Zane.
Zane glanced down and read the first name on the list. Beside it was listed background information, businesses owned, shell companies, and monetary net worth.
“This doesn’t show their connection to one another,” Jared grumbled his observation.
Jason glanced at Gabriel again. The man nodded once. Jason sighed and rubbed the back of his n
eck before he hit the button that would drop the monitor from the ceiling. “This is a graph showing each man. If you look back through their pasts, there is one central link. It also links the person we believe is being groomed for the seventh position. The intelligence we gained from Chief and Tatyana’s not too willing companion when we got him back to the States was shocking. He knew more than we believed. After countless interviews, we’ve found our link.
“What do you mean? I’ve read every interview. I’ve gone through them with a fine-tooth comb. There was no indication of a link to Stratus or a link between these men.” Jared lifted his confused gaze to his brother. “Who tipped you off they were connected?”
“They did.”
“How?”
Jason pointed to the monitor and clicked his pointer. “These men all started their life of crime in an unusual way. Franco DeYoung was an aspiring ADA in New York City. He fell off the map almost seventeen years ago.” Jason listed the other four members. All were lawyers.
“The last in this series of five is someone we know.” Jason hit the remote in his hand again.
It took a second, but Zane saw the instant Jewell recognized the name. She spun to him and then to her brothers. “You’re shitting us, right?”
“No. Consider the information in its entirety. He has had a meteoric political rise to power that has concerned many on the council, especially when the monetary support is being funneled from overseas assets through shell companies and then into his bankroll.”
“That explains Flowers working the Colombian connection and bankrolling the FARC remnant to… Hell, that is why they used Flowers as a cover name. They were trying to undermine the President’s closest adviser and cast a hell of a shadow on the President.” Jared turned toward Gabriel. “That simple connection could cost the President the next election.”
Gabriel nodded. He leaned forward and linked his fingers together. “There was an economist that was assassinated years ago. He wasn’t just a simple professor. He’d published a theory in an obscure academic periodical. In it, he theorized that if a core few held the world’s money and that same group controlled the world’s most formidable military, the entire globe could be ruled within two years if specific economic actions were put into play. We’ve seen two of the steps he listed within the last five months.”
“So what…what are they going after? The Presidency? The world’s economy?” Jacob sat back as he asked.
“I agree with Jacob, we need to know what their end game is. We can’t plan a defense unless we know where they will focus.” Jared shook his head and closed the cover on the dossier he’d skimmed through. He pointed to the name on the board and then tapped the brown pressboard cover of the dossier. “The background on him isn’t included.”
“I’ve got that here.” Jason indicated the stack of papers beside him. “Before I give you this, I can tell you what their end game is.” He pushed the remote one more time.
Zane heard the collective inhale of breath.
“No.” Jewell turned toward him.
He nodded. It was true. He’d validated every shred of information, and he’d had Moriah insert herself into the equation to verify it.
“Oh, my God.” Jacob’s whispered words had been the same words that had echoed in Zane’s mind for the last eight hours.
Jason tossed a thick folder on the table in front of each person there. “Their end game is us.”
Epilogue
The desk phone rang, interrupting Drake as he scanned a new blueprint of Jillian’s building. He ignored it until it rang again and then grabbed it without looking at the caller ID.
"Go."
"Hey. Glad you’re not dead."
Dixon's voice struck him like a bolt of lightning. He straightened and grasped the handle of the phone with a death grip as if that would keep his brother from disappearing again. "Me, too. Are you okay?"
"I am, for now. Out of the fucker's grasp for the moment and I needed a sanity check. How’re things at the ranch?"
"Fuck, everything is good here. Dix, there is a new threat." Drake had to warn his brother since no one at Guardian had been able to ascertain if Dixon was getting the dead drop communications.
Dixon sighed, “Stratus. I know.”
“How?”
Dixon spoke in a flurry of words as if pressed for time and looking over one shoulder. “Look, I don’t have time to go into it. I couldn’t respond to the dead drop, they watch me, monitor me all the time, but I was able to buy this burner cell. I accessed the internet, and I’ve opened a new email account. Tell Jewell it is under our mom’s maiden name. She’ll find it. The information I could validate is in the draft message folder. I’m destroying this phone as soon as we finish talking so there will be no way for them to trace that action. Are you okay?
Drake glanced out the window toward the ranch side of the complex. He thought of Jillian. Things were better than okay. "I am. Lying low after a minor run-in with some goons put into motion by the Russian Mafia and backed by Stratus. When are you coming home?"
"I don’t know. There have been…complications. I'm working on it." Dixon sighed.
Fuck, it was good to hear Dixon’s voice. It had been over five months since he’d been gone. Christmas was in two weeks.
"What are you working on?"
"I can’t say, and you wouldn’t understand. Besides, you knowing what I’m doing wouldn’t help." Dix countered.
“I…fuck, Dix. I miss you.”
“I miss you more.”
"Ha. Semantics." Drake fell into the banter that eased both of their minds. It was good to get out of his head and play word games with his brother. No matter how briefly.
"Bullshit. There are no semantics. What you’re doing is shading your own reality. Our own truth." Dixon countered.
"I miss you. Period and full stop." Drake flipped the words out as they came to him.
"Still shades of your truth." Dixon mused.
"Define truth." Drake countered.
"That for which there is no alternative but to believe as an absolute," Dixon retorted without delay.
"Is there such a thing for us?" Drake asked as he looked out of the window. He saw Jillian, bundled up and heading his way. He glanced at the clock on the wall. He fucking loved that woman, that truth was absolute.
“Yeah.” Dixon was silent for a moment before he answered. "I think love is the absolute truth."
"Love for your family?" Drake asked.
"That is one type," Dixon responded, but his voice had changed.
Drake tore his eyes off Jillian and focused on his brother’s voice. "You've met someone?"
"I’m not sure, but...it’s complicated," Dixon answered.
"Grab onto it, Dix. Hold on tight." Drake pleaded with his brother. If Dixon had someone, then he wouldn't feel as guilty about his feelings for Jillian, and fuck him, those feelings grew stronger with each passing day.
"What about you?" Dixon's voice hardened.
"I’ve found someone, Dix. She's amazing and ... just, fuck…take care of yourself and simplify those complications. Without you here, I’m as happy as I can be. I miss the fuck out of you." Drake closed his eyes and prayed his brother would listen.
"I'm happy for you, D. Take your own advice and try to grab onto that reality. It won’t last. Good things never do.”
“Dix what are you trying to tell me?” Drake could swear his brother was talking in riddles.
“I…nothing, man. It’s just fucked up here. Nothing is solid. Everything is so mired in lies, half-truths, and innuendo that I can’t trust anyone. Hell, half the time I'm not even sure what I feel is real."
"Trust your gut. Don't take any chances." Drake dropped his head to the desk. He hated that he couldn't see his brother, be with him.
The laugh he got was dark and bitter. "Yeah, making a leap of faith could get me killed. Better to put my head down and do what I need to do, right?”
Drake bolted upright. "Walk away,
Dixon. Get the fuck out, now." Fuck, he didn't need Dixon endangering himself.
"I can’t." The words sounded distant as if Dixon had turned his head away from the phone.
"Dix..."
"Yeah man, I know. Listen, I need to go. I'm safe, for now, and I'm being maudlin. Feeling fucking homesick, maybe. Keep your head down and protect what’s yours."
Drake blinked hard. Fuck him, he didn’t want to say goodbye. "I will. Take care of yourself. I love you."
"And I love you. Later, D."
"When? When’s later, Dixon?" Drake clawed at an opportunity to know more.
"Got to go. Merry Christmas, Drake. Whatever it takes."
"As long as it takes, Dix. Merry Christmas, little brother." Drake put the phone down and held his head in his hands. His gut churned, and acid rose in his throat. His pulse pounded as he set the phone in its cradle. A sense of dread washed over him. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer before he picked up the phone again. Even if it took his resignation, he refused to stand on the sidelines any longer.
The End
Also by Kris Michaels
Other Titles by Kris Michaels:
Titles in the Kings of Guardian Series:
Jacob, The Kings of Guardian - Book One
Joseph, The Kings of Guardian - Book Two
Adam, The Kings of Guardian - Book Three
Jason, The Kings of Guardian - Book Four
Jared, The Kings of Guardian - Book Five
Jasmine, The Kings of Guardian - Book Six
Chief, The Kings of Guardian - Book Seven
Jewell, The Kings of Guardian - Book Eight
Jade, The Kings of Guardian - Book Nine
Justin, The Kings of Guardian - Book Ten
Guardian Shadow World
Anubis
Asp, Guardian Shadow World Book 2
Drake (The Kings of Guardian Book 11) Page 21