This was getting out of hand. Using her Dad’s pride was wrong, but she also knew he had done his best to prepare her by sending her to endless self-defense classes and weapons training. The man was thorough, and she loved him for it. She wanted to laugh. When most girls were playing with Barbie’s, she was playing with AK47’s. Yeah, he wasn’t a typical Dad, but she loved him just the same.
“Now, gentlemen, we would like Alpha taking the lead on the Franklin case, as stated before,” Senior announced. “Charlie and Echo teams will act as a backup as long as Liam and Milo don’t have any problems with working in that fashion. Zulu team has its hand full with the serials. Bravo is going boot on the ground in Texas.”
All of the men appeared to be on the same page. Seems like this dick-measuring match was finally simmering down. Finally, Ryleigh thought.
“Zoey emailed me earlier, and she believes she is on Cassie’s trail,” Ryleigh revealed to the group. “It has led her to a facility located in El Paso, Texas.”
Kayden jumped out of his seat visibly agitated. Ryleigh knew he wanted to go to his sister as soon as possible, but he needed to hear the rest too.
“She does not feel that this is an existing Pandora facility due to the lack movement, but is continuing to do recon,” Ryleigh disclosed to the men. “There has been practically no movement from within the gates, but the street kids in the area stay away from the facility at all costs. From what she has been able to find out, the street kids are also sticking together. Something happened to spook them.”
Fuck, Jacks knew what that meant. Street people knew what was going on in their towns. They needed to so that they remained as safe as possible and if they were wary of the place, then they needed to check it out because something was definitely going on there.
“Carter and Delta team will be working on their current caseload,” Senior continued.
“Guys, I would like to put you in touch with our operative, Victoria Gramm, to help organize and prioritize your case load.” Ryleigh said. “At this time, we couldn’t see any connection to Franklin, Pandora, or Davis Defense in your cases, Carter, but we aren’t ready to rule anything out.”
Kayden interrupted, “Will Zoey be meeting with my team or is she too deep under to make contact?”
Ryleigh could sense his already extreme concern for Zoey. Who could blame the man?
“She stated that she would meet with you when the time is right, which she indicated would be soon,” Ryleigh said trying to assure Kayden. “As mentioned before, I am her primary contact, and I will be unreachable for the next week or so. I have advised her of the need to collaborate with your team, and she has agreed. Expect a call in the next 24 hours on a meet and greet time. Also, if you have any guys on your team that could pass as a teenager, I suggest you get them up to date as well. Zoey is going to need backup.”
“Okay, gentlemen, if that is all, we have our marching orders,” Senior announced. “If any of you have a problem with the missions as assigned or the merger, please see me in my office. Our primary mission has been to protect and save as many women and children as possible. Now our task is going to include taking down the fuckers that think it is okay to mess with Shifters.”
“These fuckers are exploiting, harming, and killing our people for their personal gain,” Senior said irately. “We have a report of how several wealthy people have ordered up Shifter babies for their own personal enjoyment. We cannot let this happen any longer. We must put a stop to this while remaining focused on helping as many people as we can.”
The men let out a Hoo-Rah showing their support of Seniors statement. None of them wanted the outside world to know of their existence they would make these people pay.
“Getting Franklin’s data is essential to taking these fuckers down,” Senior continued. “He was known for being OCD about details. We are hoping that we will be able to determine not only test facilities and the location of the children he created, but also identify members of The Pandora group. Meeting adjourned,” Senior concluded.
Senior walked out of the conference room with the rest of the guys, leaving Ryleigh and Jacks alone for the first time. Ryleigh wasn’t really sure how she felt about it. The man had the ability to infuriate her and arouse her at the same time, and she didn’t know if she liked it
Jacks was excited about working with Ryleigh even though he didn’t or couldn’t show it visibly; that just would not be cool. Plus, he kind of wanted to make up for being an asshole in the meeting. He waited for the room to clear before he made his move. She went to exit the room, but Jacks placed his hand on her shoulder.
Chapter 18
“Well, baby girl, are you ready to meet my team and talk strategy?” Jacks asked.
Ryleigh wanted to groan. She liked Jacks calling her baby girl; like she was his. She really needed to get her emotions under control or this man would walk right over her, and she hadn’t let that happen since she was a little girl.
“We are going to have to fly out soon if we are going to have any time to come up with a workable plan of action,” he said. “You are also going to have to show me some physical therapy moves if we are going to make this look good, and I will show you some wifely duty moves, so we are more believable in our roles,” Jacks said with that same little sexy smirk.
Just to be facetious, Ryleigh replied, “No problem, Teddy Bear, we can take my plane anytime you like.”
Jacks wasn’t expecting such a playful response.
“With your team being in Michigan and Franklin’s residence being in Tennessee, I propose a meet in between, maybe Kentucky or Indiana,” Ryleigh suggested. “Do you think your team can mobilize and secure a facility within the next couple of hours? We have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time to do it in.”
Jacks continued with the endearments, “Oh, Sweet cheeks, I don’t think my team will have any problem with that at all. We will meet all of your expectations and then some.”
Exasperated Ryleigh asked, “Jackson, do you think you could get rid of the silly nicknames? I am your partner, not your plaything.”
The asshole had the nerve to laugh, “Just getting into character, Baby. You know what they say; practice makes perfect and all that. You might want to come up with a sexy little nickname for me as well since we will be playing the part of a happily married couple. I figure by the way your face turned the shade of a stop sign a couple of times during the meeting it won’t be that hard.”
Jacks nudged Ryleigh with his elbow and gave her a little wink.
“Come on, Baby, give it your best shot,” he said playfully.
This back and forth was fun, and for some reason she really enjoyed sparring with him. Maybe it was the weird draw she felt toward the guy, but Ryleigh couldn’t let Jacks get the better of her.
“Oh Jackson, I could, but I don’t think it would do our cover any good to call you an asshole or a conceded bastard,” Ryleigh responded. “But I will work on it. How about Paddington? I could start as soon as we meet up with your team. What do you think about that sweet little nickname?” Ryleigh thought that she had him, but the jerk just couldn’t let her win.
“Oh, come on, Sugar,” Jacks shot back. “As you reminded me earlier, you’re not stupid. Surely you can be more creative than that. We aren’t going to convince anyone we are a couple if you don’t start talking all sweet like and showing me some affection.”
Dang-it, she wondered if she would ever have a normal reaction to this man. She could feel the heat on her face and neck and knew she was glowing again, and that would just not work for her. She just wished she wasn’t. She also didn’t want to admit she liked the idea of showing him some affection, preferably in the bedroom or, dang it, the conference table might just do too.
Holding his arms open he said, “Come on, give your sexy man a hug and make me believe it, or are you just not cut out for the job? You know Shifters can smell emotions and right now you are just a little bit pissed, but I detect something else
too.” Without hesitation, he inquired, “do I turn you on Ryleigh?”
It sounded more like a declaration rather than a question. The nerve of this guy, thought Ryleigh. He must really think highly of himself to just assume that she would be attracted to him. Even though she was so attracted to him, he didn’t need to point it out. That was just rude.
“Remember, this is all for the mission and if you can’t even give me a little hug then how are you going to make the targets believe we are together?” Jackson accused. “I just don’t think that you have what it takes to go undercover for this mission.”
Yep, the man was a total jerk, and at least now Ryleigh could say that the embarrassment from early wasn’t the only thing coloring her cheeks. He seemed to know just what buttons to push to piss her off.
He continued. “Maybe you should assign another operative, or I can get in touch with one the women we frequently hire to play the wife or girlfriend on missions. Most of them are pretty good at their jobs. Getting fully into the role they are playing, if you know what I mean. He said wiggling his eyebrows. The PT stuff can’t be that hard to learn” he said, with a wistful smile on his face.
The bastard was standing here with her and thinking of another woman. Suddenly it became apparent that she was experiencing the rage of the green-eyed monster, otherwise known as jealousy, for the first time in her life. This new feeling made her feel uncomfortable and vulnerable, and she did not like it at all. No man had ever had this effect on her.
What the hell, Ryleigh thought to herself. I don’t get jealous, and I don’t even know this man; who he has been with or if he is even available. Why the heck was she getting all clingy and jealous? Shoot, he could have a girlfriend, a wife, or even more than one. It wasn’t unheard of in the Shifter community; her Dad had told her that much. What the hell was she thinking? She was not going to break up someone’s relationship just for a mission. Ryleigh contemplated.
Why did she even need to consider his relationship status? It was merely an essential performance for the mission as opposed to a real relationship; not that she would know how one of those worked. But hell, she felt compelled to put this gorgeous asshole in his place and fast. Ryleigh quickly composed herself and got into character. Time to use some of the lessons that Mia had taught her.
Walking up to him slowly with just the right amount of sway in her hips, she seductively played with the top button of her blouse trying to look as innocent as possible. When she got within a few inches, she popped the button open and started playing with the second button. Watching his reaction, she noticed his breathing had escalated, and his pupils had become larger with the green around them glowing brightly. He tried to keep his cool, but he was not as unaffected as he wanted her to believe.
At least she had his attention and he wasn’t laughing now, Ryleigh thought to herself and chuckled. Closing the space between the two of them, she ran her hand up his chest until it went over his shoulder and then glided to the back of his head. Pulling him closer she lightly licked then kissed his neck. Under her hand, she could feel the shiver that ran up his spine. Ryleigh then gently sucked his earlobe into her mouth.
After releasing it, she whispered softly in his ear, “Sorry, baby. Being so distracted by your raw magnetism, I forgot my place.”
She could feel his generous cock harden where it was pushed against her stomach. Lordy, the man had to be huge because his manliness covered all of her stomach. How was he keeping it contained in his pants, she wondered? But she had a job to do, and that was putting this jerk in his place.
She cooed, “How was that, asshole. Still, think that we aren’t going to fool anyone?”
Ryleigh quickly stepped away, trying very hard to hide the fact that that little scene affected her just as strongly as it had affected him. She had to maintain the upper hand in this situation. The jerk couldn’t win.
“I don’t know. I think we may be okay, but you’re going to have to up your game if you want someone to believe that you are anything but a scared little girl playing a game,” Jacks replied, attempting to save a little face. “Your cheeks give you away every time. If you ever want to learn what a woman should know at your age just let me know, and I can put you in touch with one of the girls we use for our operations.”
Ryleigh wanted to scream. Jacks was such an ass. She could think of a hundred ways to kill him but didn’t think any of them would be painful enough for the conceded jerk.
“Oh, just in case you got the wrong idea, partner, my cock gets hard when the wind blows just the right way. Your little act wasn’t anything special,” he snapped back.
What the fuck am I doing? Jacks thought to himself. This woman just got him hard in zero point two seconds, and he told her the fucking wind could make him hard. Not only that, but he said she needs more lessons. Fuck, if she were any hotter than I would have come in my pants when she took my ear in her mouth, Jacks thought. Why can’t I seem to say the right thing around her?
She just appears to have a knack for pushing all my buttons and challenging me, Jacks considered. God, I wonder who she learned that little move from or whom she has been doing that too; it was fucking perfect. Holy, Mother, he could not think of this woman with another man; his bear was already surfacing. If the bear had his choice, Ryleigh Quinn would be mated and claimed already. Shit. This was quite the dilemma.
Asshole! Ryleigh screamed in her head. She couldn’t let him know that he was getting to her. Two can play that way; she was playing his game and was going to win it. Declan “Senior” Quinn had not raised her to be second best.
“That is okay, Jackson. No need for further training by your groupies. Oh wait, you said trained professionals.” She rolled her eyes. “Exactly what are they trained for? Since there are no female members of NAC, I can only have assumed they are ‘paid professionals.' Could you name that profession? Escort, Prostitute or maybe Stripper; are those the ladies you would like me to train with? You know, it might be interesting, I could even teach them a few things.”
Damn, why was she baiting this man? Ryleigh thought to herself. This week couldn’t move fast enough for her. The sooner that she could get away from this sexy yet infuriating man, the better. Shoot, if he knew her real secret he would probably scrap the mission quicker than bad beer turns to pee.
“Oh, honey, they are definitely professional, as well as paid very well. They earn it in ways that your big brain couldn’t even fathom. But I think you’re right. We can play an old married couple. You know, the ones that barely talk or touch,” Jacks snapped. “That should be convincing enough for the old biddy and her crew."
Ryleigh wasn’t going to let Jacks’ last statement stand. She needed him to acknowledge that she wasn’t the only one having issues with the sparks that seemed to be flying between them, so she decided to hit him where it hurt; his pride.
“If that is what you want Jackson. I am here to serve, but I am a little confused about something.” Ryleigh inquired. “I have never had to pay for a man’s services. What is that like when you have to hire a woman? I would think it would be, I don’t know, a little distant, cold even. Do you like distance, Jackson?”
Shit, Jackson decided to not answer that last question and divert Ryleigh’s attention. No way was he going to tell her up. Until she walked into the conference room, distance was all he ever wanted from the women he entertained in the bedroom. He fucked them and was out of there as fast as he could get dressed.
“Listen, if we are going to mobilize the team and fly out of here we better get going,” Jacks suggested. “Do you need to contact your pilot so he can file a flight plan? Getting a departure appointment out of JFK might be a problem. The sooner we get him on it, the better.”
“It won’t be a problem,” Ryleigh responded. “The flight plan has already been filed. I put in a tentative destination of Clarksville, TN. We are ready to go in a half hour. Better get your boys moving, Jackson, time is wasting.”
Chapter 19
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br /> The ride to the airport was quiet except for the phone conversations Jacks had with his team. At least she could breathe, Ryleigh thought. The Alpha bear wasn’t putting off any of those vibes, and she felt more like herself for the first time since the meeting ended at NAC headquarters. This man was exhausting. She let out a deep breath.
“What was that for?” Jacks asked.
“What do you mean?” Ryleigh responded.
“You sighed and your shoulders relaxed. Why so comfortable all of a sudden?” Jacks interrogated her further.
“You’re just imaging things. I am fine. The same way as I have been since we left headquarters,” Ryleigh assured him.
“No, you’re not. What changed?” he demanded.
Jacks was getting persistent, staring at her, waiting for her to respond. The man wasn’t going to let this drop, and Ryleigh knew it, but there was no way she would give him the satisfaction of knowing just how he affected her. So, she decided on doing the mature thing and said, “Nothing.”
“Come on, you know you want to tell me what changed,” Jacks said, trying to elicit some sort of response from her.
“Nothing. Jackson, leave it alone,” Ryleigh demanded. He was starting to annoy her with this nonstop pestering. It’s was like it was his goal to aggravate her. What kind of reaction was he looking for?
“No, tell me. I want to know what changed,” he demanded again.
“Fine!” Ryleigh finally broke down. “If you must know, you stopped putting out your alpha vibes, and I can feel finally breathe. The dominance you exude is stifling at times. I'm not sure if I should expose my neck or go to my knees. Are you happy now?”
Jacks was happy that Ryleigh responded to him in any way, but wasn’t going to let her in on that, so he said, “Either will do, but if you want to know my preference going to your knees is always going to be my first choice,” with an irritating, smug smile. “However, I could also see the benefits of exposing your neck as well. So, it could be a toss-up. But if you do either of those things you need to know you will indeed be playing with fire. I like my women submissive and at my mercy.”
Jackson: NAC & The Holly Group (Alpha Team Book 1) Page 12