by Jana Leigh
“So the other biggest share holder is a company out of somewhere in the Middle East. Dragon Imports, ever heard of them?” Jazz asked as she stood and stretched. They were only part way into the document and the tension was evident.
Both women knew the answers had to be in the document, however old it was, someone in here was after them. Jazz moved to her phone and texted someone. “Just asking Jolly to find out everything he can on the company.”
Arden nodded and looked back at the screen. “John said there was a pattern in here. Something about attacks and shipments. He was looking closely at only the incidents where my father reported the shipments were stolen.”
Jazz nodded and looked back at the screen. “Well then, let’s focus on the dates, shall we?”
Diego shot the two men without blinking and eye. He held out his hand and one of his minions handed him a towel to clean himself up from the blood spatter. It was the best forty thousand he ever spent. Replacing his suit would cost that much, but the headache was finally gone.
Neither man had given him anything. No excuse, nothing. Their only response was the woman was a sharpshooter and she had help. Diego knew it had to be one of the team members, fucking nosey bastards were always in the way. How had his destiny for greatness become so enmeshed with those arrogant pricks. He knew, his father. If the old man hadn't made so many deals with Americans, they would not be in this mess.
Diego was only just learning what making a deal with scum did for him. He was going to eliminate the problem before he went any further. He snapped his fingers and three men jumped. He wanted to laugh at the sight, but he remained in awe of his power.
“I want locations right now for the Planes, and their lovely daughter. These idiots did something right, although they had no clue they had done it. We have an idea who has thrown in with the military. The daughter is good friends with one of the men I arranged to have killed. Her father had to have given the military information. That is why my father was caught, it is all falling into place, the reason why this all went to hell,” Diego said absently.
His men began to scurry around. They would find the information he desired. Then he would let loose his wrath. The connection he wanted to talk to was the woman. She would be easy to break and so was the key.
“Find me the daughter. Tell our people I will be in San Diego shortly,” he snarled and went back to the car, a few hours and he was sure his men would track down where the little whore was.
By the time he was in the air, Diego received a call they had tracked the woman’s movement to San Diego, they also told him they had been back at the soldier's apartment. They followed them to a hotel. Diego gave them the orders to bring her to him. Then kill the others.
The computer was running a program to pull out every name that was mentioned in the document. So many names to go through, and so little time. The men had already called several times checking on them. Arden had snorted when Jazz asked her men if they needed a camera installed so they could watch their every movement.
“Do you know how to use these?” Arden asked when they were snooping in the guys ‘equipment bag’, they always had the best toys. Arden used to dig through John's and play with things. Her brother would yell at her, and when she accidently set off a taser, the bag had been taken away. He had been pissed when the prongs hit his calf. She smiled when she pictured the large man dropping to the floor and grabbing at his leg.
“Sure,” Jazz said and grabbed one of the small ear wicks and showed Arden how to use it. They ran into different rooms and tried them out.
“Testing…” Arden said and she heard Jazz laugh.
“One…Two…Three…” she replied.
“Hey, these would come in handy if we were shopping. I could call you over if I found a cool outfit.” Arden smiled.
“If we can find the sunglasses with a camera in them, you could even try them on and not have to come out of the dressing room. I could see what you were seeing when you looked in the mirror,” Jazz teased.
“Oh, I wanna play with the toys, what else do they have stored,” Arden said, moving back into the living room.
Later they would both agree that leaving in the ear wicks probably saved their life. It was also good they had found the guns the men had stored, if it weren’t for the fact they were sitting right next to them when the security guys called moments later to tell them they had suspicious activity in the lobby.
The girls giggled while they emptied the bags the men had left in the corner. Each of the little things had them ‘oohing’ and ‘ahhing’ when the call came in.
Jazz was laughing when she went to the phone. “Lo,” the woman said and she winked at Arden who pulled up a vest that had knives and other weapons already stored in it. Arden slid it on and laughed because it was so big but she fastened it. “Okay, we will move to the other room,” Jazz said in a clipped tone and then hung up the phone and looked at Arden who was looking at her intently.
“We need to move, there is something going on in the lobby, the guards want us to move into a room down the hall,” Jazz said, running for the table and pocketing as much of the stuff as she could. “Text the guys.”
Arden pulled out her phone and typed in the signal they had worked out, in case their stuff was being monitored. They needed help. As Arden had found out, these bastards were using their phone to find them. There was no way they had West and Arden’s phone number, but they could have Mason’s, Rex’s, or Drew’s still under surveillance.
‘I need chocolate’ she typed into the phone and sent a group text to every number that Mason had put into the phone.
The replies were almost instantaneous. Damn, she had to have sent it to like thirty people. She didn’t even know half of them. Bailey, Calli, and David, the list went on and on.
***
‘Location?’
‘Calling 911’
‘Move to secure location’
‘On the move’
***
Arden didn’t know who to reply to so she put the phone in her pocket of the vest she still wore and followed Jazz out of the room. In the hallway it was silent, they moved quickly around the corner to another room. When Jazz opened it, Arden frowned. The room was empty of furniture, except for a computer in the middle of the room on a small table.
Jazz moved quickly and hit a button. Instantly, Alex and the other men she knew from Team TEN were on the screen.
“What’s going on, Jazz?” Gage asked in a clipped tone.
“There is something going on in the lobby. We were told to move and we did. Do you have contact?” Jazz asked and she saw Ice typing and then staring intently at the screen.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Ice said not looking at them. “There is a lot of activity, it looks like they are closing off the stairs. Something is not right. They've closed the front doors and are directing traffic to the exit in the rear. The manager is smiling and helping but he is looking around, kinda looking freaked out.”
Jazz nodded and waited. An alarm went off and both of the women jumped.
“They are trying to flush you out, stay where you are. The guards are reporting that several men have disappeared and they are searching,” Gage said, looking over Ice’s shoulder.
Arden went to the door and looked out the peephole, there was nothing. But she stood there and watched while she listened to Jazz and the others talk.
“Do we have a back up plan?” Jazz said.
“Yep, Mason and the guys are on their way back. The Commander allowed off duty SEALs to come with. They are in three SUVs currently on the highway, time out is thirty-five minutes,” Alex said.
“Shit, that is too long, they could be in here in seconds,” Jazz whispered.
“Rex and Drew sent the plan of the building. Out your door and on the left is a stairwell, it leads to the roof, there is no down stairs, only ones going up. You can go two ways when you get to the top. One hallway will lead you to the atrium on the roof—lots of places to
hide. The other leads you to the roof, out there they have three maintenance buildings and a few other cubbies they scoped out,” Gage said.
Arden saw a shadow move across the tiny hole. Arden held up her hand indicating there was movement. Jazz muted the computer, and began to type softly, letting them know there was something going on. Shit, someone was out there. She froze and held her breath when the shadow froze and turned a little. She could see that he was looking at the door. Damn it. This was not one of the guards, they would have knocked on the door in code. Fuckity-fuck-fuck, Jazz and her were stuck in here.
As she leaned forward a little more the phone on her chest made a vibrating noise. She sucked in a breath when she saw the shadow freeze. Shit, she thought, and stepped back slowly. Jazz stood, grabbed her shirt collar, and then motioned with her hands to get ready.
Arden pulled out her gun and both women stood there waiting. She could hear the faint beeps on the computer, and felt the vibrations on the phone. They were going off constantly. She knew one of them was West or Mason trying to find out what was going on. Jazz breathed deeply, Arden did the same, trying to calm her nerves.
She saw the door handle turn slowly, as if someone was testing the lock. When they met with resistance, she heard the man yell something in a different language. Shit, just like the guys who shot up her Hummer, she wondered if they were the same men. She tried to picture them in her head. She knew what they looked like. If it were one of them, she would be pissed. Didn’t they realize she was dangerous. She had shot them in the leg for God’s sake. Who could be that dense.
Jazz backed up slowly and hit a key on the computer, the room was instantly filled with the guys' voices yelling at Jazz to respond.
“Hey, guys, as much as I would love to sit and chat, I think we are about ready to have company. Tell the guys we are going active. Make sure they know we are armed, and will be in the up staircase ASAP, don’t shoot us,” Jazz said calmly, then turned to Arden. “Arden, the door in the bedroom leads to the hallway. Right across the hall is the door to the stairs. Hopefully they are focused on this door, we need to move fast. If confronted, shoot first ask questions later. We can’t stay here.”
Arden nodded and moved to the side, keeping her gun aimed at the door, but making her way to the other room. She couldn’t listen to the guys that were telling them to stay put. They didn’t understand that they couldn’t. Jazz followed and she looked at Arden intently. “You go to the Atrium, I go to the roof, find a place to hide and use the ear wicks. We wait them out. But if someone finds you, don’t hesitate alright, they will kill you.”
“Got it,” Arden said with determination.
“Open on three,” Jazz said and held up her gun with one hand and reached for the handle with the other. “One…Two…Three.”
Jazz opened the door quickly and they heard the men yelling. Arden went through the doorway first, firing down the hallway without looking. Maybe she would hit one of the bastards. She threw her body against the other door and turned, Jazz did the same and when they shut the door, Arden saw at least three men chasing. She flipped the lock and grimaced when she heard the crunch of a body hitting the door.
“It is not going to hold, go!” Jazz yelled and the women ran up the stairs to the top, Jazz continued up a short flight of stairs while Arden ran for the Atrium. She had just entered when she heard the crack of wood breaking and the men cussing. Shit, that hadn't taken long.
Arden took in the plant-ridden room, and moved quickly to the side and back, finding a place in between two large ass plants, then stuck herself between and pulled the leaves to cover her. She could see out, but they should not be able to see her.
The crackle over the earpiece made her jump. “HEY!” Jazz said, and although she was probably whispering, the fucking volume went up somehow. She didn’t know how to turn it down. Either she chanced going deaf, or she was going to have to suffer through this. The beautiful woman who was her new friend didn’t have a good voice to listen on loud. Shit.
“Hey,” Arden whispered.
“Fuck, why you yelling?!” Jazz yelled back.
“I'm not, volume is messed up,” Arden replied.
“Shit, that is right, we fired and they auto adjust to outside noise, so they can hear over explosions and shit. Tap your ear a few times it will turn it down,” Jazz said.
She did as instructed. Both women silent until Arden finally wanted to test it. “Hey,” she whispered.
“Thank God,” Jazz murmured.
“Where are you?” Arden asked.
“In one of the mechanic closets,” Jazz responded. “You?”
“Between two plants sitting in dirt,” Arden whispered. “Do you see them?”
“Nothing, we wait, I heard the door go, they know where we are, if I were them I would split up and search the whole area. Just hold tight,” Jazz said.
“Rodger that,” Arden said and she heard Jazz chuckle.
“I always wanted to say that, so wait, I get to say that next,” Jazz replied. Arden smiled and thought of all the words she had heard John use. It kept her mind busy. She felt her phone go off again and she pulled the phone out. One hundred seven missed messages. Well fuckin' A, she scrolled to the last one—it was West.
***
‘What the fuck is going on?’
Then Mason.
‘We are coming!’
***
She rolled her eyes and was about ready to put the phone back into the pocket when she received two more at the same time. Both Mason and West, the message was the same, ‘I love you'. She felt tears gather in her eyes and she smiled through them. Figures assholes would text their love while she was in a gunfight.
She heard the door open. “They are here.”
“Rodger that, here too,” Jazz whispered.
They went silent and she closed her eyes briefly wondering how the hell she was going to survive this. Arden gripped the gun and held it so she was ready to defend herself.
She could hear the footsteps, she opened her eyes, her vision was clear, and she was determined to live so she could tell her men she loved them too. She saw the leg first, one guy, there had to be more close but she only thought about the one guy. He paused right in front of her. Fuck could he see her?
Arden heard a blip and the guy lifted a walkie-talkie to his mouth. She heard Jazz at the same time.
“Fuck…I got two. They are looking in each building I am the last one, but I think I will have to take the shot,” Jazz said grimly.
Chapter Fifteen
The guys were freaking out a little as they screamed down the road. When they received the text, none of them had hesitated, they stood and ran for the door. The Commander, obviously knowing they had a situation, ordered some of the men to go with them.
They were ten minutes away and it felt like it had been hours since they had left the base. Mason was driving and West had both phones talking and texting. When Alex told them the girls were armed and had to move, Rex and Drew had been pissed.
“Shit, here we go again,” Drew said grimly.
“What?” West said absently.
“Jazz gets real pissed when someone shoots at her. Fuck, by the time we get there she should be worked into quite a frenzy if they were being chased,” Rex said.
“But she is trained?” West asked and Mason snorted.
“Dude, the women of this family are better shots than most of us. That isn’t the point. Jazz, like the rest of them, takes it personally when someone tries to kill them,” Mason said grimly.
“She is solid, and even though Arden had that bit of a breakdown, she is solid too. However, if she has to kill someone that is another story,” West said.
“Jazz too, I mean she has shot people in the leg, but this is a bit different. I think we may have a problem dealing with the aftershock. Maybe we should call Bailey and the others, let them know we may need them at the ranch,” Rex said.
“Would be for the best, let's get prepared
for the girls to be a mess, they will be crying and need reassurance but we still have to take care of business. It is obvious we are sitting ducks out here in the open. We still don’t know who we're dealing with, but if the guys are right, it is going to take a while before we figure it out. The list on the drive was long. They need time to compare and see where these assholes are. Is Arden prepared for her parents to be accused of treason, it looks like that is where this is headed,” Drew said and both men up front shook their head.
“We haven’t talk that far into it. I know she has issues with her parents, but I am not sure how she will react. Love and hate are a fine line. She says she hates them, but she is still their only child. I can’t tell you how she is going to react,” Mason said honestly. “Three blocks.”
The men felt their anger rise again. Now they would finally come face-to-face with someone who knows the name of the people or person who was trying to kill them.
Mason didn’t bother to park, it was San Diego, he could be driving around for days trying to find a good spot. Instead, he drove the large SUV up on the sidewalk, parking perpendicular to the entrance of the hotel. His front end looked right into the lobby. There was already a commotion. He could hear the sirens, they knew the local police would be there quick. They needed to get inside now, before they were told they needed to evaluate the situation by the locals.
The men poured out of the SUVs that followed him, parking along side of him in front of the building. Mason and West moved together, both with the mindset they needed to get to the women.
“One elevator open!” the guard yelled and the four men along with three others made it inside before the doors closed. The guard who spoke to them had followed also giving a brief description of what they knew.
“Six men, they went up the stairs, and blocked the doors. We only noticed when we were doing our rounds. Not sure how long they have been in the building. Last video we have was the women shooting down the hallway making their way to the stairs that lead to the Atrium and roof. We lost the feed after that. We were just planning to go in when Alex told us to wait. That you were coming. Both the women are armed,” the man said and looked up at the lights as they passed each floor.