by Julia Bright
She didn’t wait for a reply because her eyes were closing, and she was about to drift off. She fell into a deep sleep that dreams didn’t interrupt. She woke to her alarm sounding and groaned. For too many days she’d been living in other time zones and seven in the morning European time came too early. After using the restroom, she headed to the kitchen to grab a coffee. She checked her messages and found a few from Jackson.
Adam and I are headed to Mexico. We’ll already be gone by the time you get this. I miss you. I may not be able to answer for a few days. Maybe we can Skype when I get back.
She sighed as disappointment wove through her. This was what having a long-distance relationship would be like. They were in vastly different time zones. She’d been asleep, and Jackson had been leaving for Mexico. She took a sip of coffee before typing in a reply.
I know you’ll already be in Mexico by the time I send this. I miss you. I’d love to Skype. Send me a note when you get home.
She almost typed in love you, but she knew better than to throw out those words without real thought. She may really like Jackson, but it would take time for them to be more than just friends with benefits.
Work called, and she had to live her life here. She opened the refrigerator and regretted it almost instantly. Aware of the issue, she couldn’t put it off. After tossing a trash bag of rotten food, she found a yogurt that wasn’t past the expiration date.
There wasn’t anything she could do about Jackson or missing him. She’d just have to deal with her raw emotions like other adults and suck it up.
8
Jackson’s dark sunglasses hid his eyes from the crowd. If they couldn’t tell where he was looking, they wouldn’t know who he was focusing on.
“C1 this is C2, we’re clear,” Adam’s voice sounded in the earpiece.
Their window was small, and he moved fast, holding onto the woman’s arm who they were guarding as he led her from the office building to the car. He scanned the street as they moved. Adam had the car going, but he stayed in the driver’s seat, not wanting to waste any time if something happened.
Two more steps and they were at the car. He pulled the door opened and helped the woman in before sliding in behind her. Once he had the door shut, they took off. Usually, they wouldn’t be guarding this woman. She wasn’t super wealthy, but she had information, and that information made her the most sought-after target in Mexico City. They’d done an excellent job keeping her location secret. Even this meeting with prosecutors had been secret. She had a body double, and her regular bodyguards were with the double.
“Thank you,” she said with a thick accent.
“De nada.” He tried to speak Spanish without tossing in his southern accent, but he figured he failed.
She gave him a patient smile and sighed as she sat back and closed her eyes. This woman could take down the biggest drug cartels in Mexico, but it would take her standing strong. She also had to survive, and that was where they came in to play.
They arrived at the hotel where she was staying and entered the guarded parking garage. They all gave a huge sigh of relief as they rolled to a stop near an employee entrance. He moved to open the door when she put a hand on his knee.
“You two are dears. I fear someone in my personal entourage is giving away my secrets,” she said.
He met Adam’s gaze in the rearview mirror and a chill swept through him.
“Why do you think that?” Adam asked.
“It’s a feeling. I don’t feel safe with them. I’ve not told anyone in my crew where I’ll be when I’m with you, and there have been no attempts on my life. The body double has had no attempts on her life. But the last time I traveled with my crew, someone tried to kill me.”
“We can look into it,” Jackson said.
Adam turned in his seat, his stare pointed. “We just need names, information about your people. I’ll send it to my contact in the States, and we’ll look.”
“Do you think you could find anything?” Her voice shook as she spoke.
“If there is anything there to find, we will,” Adam said.
“Our contact is good. If they’ve dropped information out there, we’ll find it.” Jackson wanted to fight for this woman. She deserved to win this battle.
Señora Artiza nodded. “I have the file on my phone. Tell me who to email it to.”
Adam gave her their generic email address. She opened something on her phone and sent the email.
“It is done,” Señora Artiza nodded and shot them a tight smile. “I hope you find nothing, but I fear you’ll find a rat.”
“I’ll ask our contact to look. I’ll be up in a moment after I park the car. Do you feel safe going into your room?”
“Yes. Only my personal assistant has access to my room. None of the others know which room I’m in.”
“Okay, we’ll do everything we can to keep you safe,” Jackson said.
Her lips tilted up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. After hearing her fears about her team, Jackson was just as vigilant here as he’d been out in public. Too many people wanted this woman dead. He didn’t want to think how betrayed she must have felt knowing someone in her own group was out to get her.
Time passed slowly since Señora Artiza wanted to stay in her hotel room. There was no going out to parties, or dancing. Jackson thought about Marissa and how he could get more time with her.
He’d stretched out on the couch, trying to nap when Adam’s phone buzzed.
“Is that Kelsey?” he asked.
“Yes, and it looks like Señora Artiza was right to worry.”
Jackson sat up, rubbing his face before looking at Adam. “How so?”
“There’s a guy in her organization. This is him.” Adam handed Jackson his phone, and he stared at the photo. The guy was low-level security on Artiza’s team. He wasn’t one of her most trusted men, which would probably make her feel a little better.
“Let’s go talk to her,” Jackson said.
“Check your weapon. I want to make sure we aren’t blindsided by the guy.”
Jackson tugged on his body armor after slipping on his boots. He had a bad feeling this might get messy.
“You ready for anything?” Adam asked.
“Yes, are you?”
“I am.”
They stepped into the hall and headed over to Artiza’s room. Adam knocked then stepped back, watching the hall. A minute passed before he heard a voice on the other side. “Quién es?”
“It’s the men Señora Artiza hired.”
The door cracked open to reveal Artiza’s assistant. She smiled and stepped wide, allowing them to enter. He checked the hall one last time before going in, making sure it was still empty.
“You have good news?” Señora Artiza asked.
“Yes and no. We found the person in your organization who is trying to kill you.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she sucked in a breath. “Who?”
Jake handed her his phone. She gasped, and her hand flew to her chest.
“No, it can’t be.” She shook her head as her lips turned down in a frown.
“Do you know him?” Jackson asked.
“Yes, he is the son of a longtime friend.”
Señora Artiza’s brows bunched and pain flashed over her face. He didn’t blame her. He would be pissed if the child of a friend tried to screw him over. Betrayal hurt no matter the source, but when it was someone close, it stung like a bitch.
“What would you like us to do about it?” Adam asked.
“I need to hear it from him myself.” Señora Artiza’s chin lifted in a defiant slant.
“Well, he can’t come in here. The quarters are too close.” Jackson pointed around the room. “If he lunged, he might be close enough to do some damage. Downstairs in the restaurant, he’d have to go over a table. We’ll set everything up so he won’t be able to get to you.”
She took a moment where she was obviously contemplating his words. Finally, she nodded. “Tomorrow mor
ning at ten.”
“Okay, we’ll wait until then. Please tell no one else. Our person is still looking into him and the situation.”
Señora Artiza met his gaze and then Adam’s. She looked devastated, and Jackson wanted to do anything to help her. “Thank you, both of you, for believing me.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry we found something. I would rather come to you and tell you your people were all good. That they all supported you. I don’t like this one bit.”
“Don’t be sorry. You are both good men. You have saved my life. Thank you.”
They stepped out into the hall, finding it still empty. Artiza had one man stationed near the elevators, preventing anyone from walking down the hall. He felt relatively safe but knowing she had a weasel in her group scared him.
“How safe do you think she is?” he asked when they entered their room.
“I added two alarms which will sound if someone walks down the hall. I also have a camera that sends alerts to my phone. We’ll know if someone approaches.”
“I’m going to get some sleep,” Adam said.
“Sure. I’ll stay up for a bit. Sleep well.”
With Adam asleep, he wished he had his personal cell. He’d left it at the ranch because neither of them needed the distraction. If he had a relationship with Marissa, how would she feel about him doing work like this? They weren’t doing anything illegal. Would she be proud of him? And did any of that even matter? She was in Spain, and he wasn’t. They weren’t in a relationship though that was what he wanted.
9
The next morning, he and Adam told Señora Artiza where to sit in the restaurant. Three of her own people were brought in along with two police officers. These were people Adam and Jackson trusted. Finally, the traitor and another man stepped into the room.
Jackson was ready for anything. The young infiltrator looked a little overconfident. Jackson’ didn’t like that. Had he planned something? What if another one of Artiza’s own people were working against her? Drug money was serious business here, and if the cartel had gotten to multiple people, that would really screw them up.
Señora Artiza greeted the men, thanking them for their service. Then everything got real. “But you, David, you have turned your back on me.”
With her accusation out there, Jackson didn’t take his eyes off this David character. The man tried to hide his reaction, but it is evident to everyone in the know that David knew what she was talking about. Adam moved closer, and Jackson closed the distance too.
David let out a frustrated growl that echoed around the room. His face turned red as his eyes narrowed. His Spanish was fast, and Jackson didn’t understand every word, but he got that the guy was pissed because his parents were running drugs and would be hurt by her testifying. She didn’t know her friends were drug runners.
Jackson was prepared when the guy made a lunge for her. Two seconds passed, and David was down. One of the other men who worked for Artiza took a step closer, and that’s when Jackson saw he was pulling a gun.
Jackson rolled up, pulling his trusty Smith and Wesson 38 Special from his ankle holster. He popped off two rounds before the guy could fire once.
The room erupted into chaos. One of the police officers was up and in his face, gun drawn. Adam had Señora Artiza protected. This could all go sideways if the cops were dirty. He glanced at Adam as he tried to figure out what next.
“Why don’t we all take a breath?” Adam asked.
The cop who had his gun in Jackson’s face backed off. Someone rushed over to the guy Jackson had shot. They had cuffed David, and he wasn’t a threat.
He looked at Adam and shook his head. “She needs to testify now and then get into hiding.”
Adam gave a sharp nod. “Agreed.”
Señora Artiza squared her shoulders. “They will not intimidate me. I won’t back down. I will not fold.”
“Good, but we need you to live,” one of the cops said.
He and Adam took Señora Artiza to her room while a cop stayed behind to take care of the situation.
Lawyers were called, the courts readied, and Señora Artiza testified. What they’d done had been important. The abuses and drug dealers needed to be shut down. Two days later, they were on their way home. Artiza was safe. They’d done their job. He could deal with jobs like this one. The man he’d shot had died, but the Mexican officials weren’t pressing charges. They’d presented enough evidence showing he had acted in self-defense.
“What do you think about that operation?” Jackson asked Adam when they got in his truck.
“It was good. I think we accomplished our goal.”
Jackson nodded. “We did. Do you think this job will affect our future? Like what type of cases we’re willing to take?”
“I don’t know. I mean, she could have hired almost anyone. But you getting off that shot would have taken advanced military training. So I guess it did matter who she hired. I think she’s lucky she found us.”
He nodded. “We don’t have anything else lined up, do we?”
“No, we don’t. I wish we had a few more guys we could trust on the team.”
Jackson nodded, wondering how hard it would be to find someone to work with them. “I’m sure we could find someone.”
Adam didn’t say anything for a while. They were almost in Cheyenne before Adam spoke.
“Do you remember Striker?”
Jackson chuckled and shook his head. “Oh yeah, I remember Striker. How is he doing?”
“Not sure, but I was going to call and see what he’s up to.”
“Think he’d want to live out here?” Jackson asked.
“I’m not sure he’d have to.”
Jackson turned and stared at Adam. His mind flew to Marissa. Could he move to Spain and still work with this crew? It would be hard. Maybe he was jumping the gun. Would Marissa even want him?
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Jackson said.
“I like having you around. I mean, I think it would be good if we started working on the other house. If we built that out, it would give you a place to live where you didn’t have to listen to Kelsey and me.”
Jackson chuckled about that. The pair hadn’t woken him up more than twice, and he always lied to them and said he slept like a baby through the night. Adam shot him a strange look, and he just smiled and nodded.
“We could start on it.”
“Well, the weather is improving, and we could get the outside finished before December when it gets too cold to work outside. The land should be cleared in the next week, or maybe by now, I haven’t checked in the last few days.”
Jackson nodded and stared out the windshield, thinking about the ranch, living there, and Marissa. They didn’t know each other well enough to make life-altering decisions, but he wanted to know her that well.
Maybe in a few months, or a year, their situation would be different. Plus, if he helped Adam build the house, at least the task would be done. His dad had accused him of not being able to stick around. Was that what he was doing with Adam? Was he bugging out because he found something else? And would he do that to Marissa as soon as the polish on their love affair wore off?
His dad was wrong about him. He’d left the military because it was time. He had to distance himself from the death and destruction. Hell, a lot of guys left after the things they’d seen. Life was too precious to give up to a war that would never end, especially when they’d been neutered by politicians trying to stick their noses into a war zone.
He tapped Adam on the shoulder. “Let’s start in on the house.”
“Awesome. It should be fun. The house won’t be huge, but I think it’ll be a good place. Kelsey already has plans she’d been looking into.”
“I know they’ll be good then.”
Adam chuckled. “They will, that’s for sure.”
Pulling into the drive leading to the house made his heart swell. This place was home. His dad was wrong about him, he didn’t lack commitment,
he had never found a place he loved until now.
Kelsey stood on the porch, one of Adam’s sweatshirts on, looking a little silly in the oversized clothes.
“God, I love her,” Adam said.
He glanced at Adam and saw the love clearly evident on his face. “She’s a good woman.”
“What about Marissa?” Adam asked as he cut the engine.
“She’s in Spain.”
Adam grunted before stepping out of the truck. Marissa gave him a quick hug before being enveloped by Adam’s embrace. He left them to it and headed inside to his room to retrieve his personal phone.
He read her note, I know you’ll already be in Mexico by the time I send this. I miss you. I’d love to Skype. Send me a note when you get home. A pulse of sadness swept over him. He missed her. She’d texted, but he wanted her with him.
At some point, they’d see each other again, maybe one more time, maybe two. Jackson’s heart felt too hollow without her. Perhaps it was the loose ends making him sad. If he knew she was his, maybe he’d feel better.
Before he stepped into the shower, he typed in a quick reply. Need to shower. I want to hear from you soon. Can you Skype?
Disappointment filled him when he cut off the water after his shower and checked his phone to find she hadn’t replied. An hour went past, then another. It was late, and he needed sleep. Maybe she’d been asleep when he’d texted. He thought about the time and realized it had was the night for her. He was such an idiot. It was the middle of the night in Spain.
Going to sleep was hard. Every noise made him jump because he thought it might be her texting. He did eventually fall asleep but woke to the buzz of his phone. He fished it off his nightstand, blinking as he stared at the screen.
Hey, I’m headed to Ceuta and then Tangier for work. We can Skype when I get back. I want to see you again. I’ve been thinking. Work is… work.
He read her text twice before responding. What do you mean, work is work? Is it bad? Did something happen?
Jackson waited a few minutes with no reply. He was about to call her when her text came through.
Can’t talk now. Will call you later, once I’m home?