The man scoffed. “How the hell should I know? The bitch skipped out on me.”
“Wrong answer.” Ian rounded the desk and used his foot to quickly spin the swivel chair so Marks was facing him, then lowered his weapon, aiming at one of the man’s knees. “She wouldn’t skip out on you, because you’re holding her passport. Now, let’s try that one more time, and if I don’t like your answer, well, then, you’ll be minus a kneecap.”
The man’s eyes widened in alarm, but then he smirked when the sound of a shotgun racking filled the room. Jase pivoted, swinging his gun around, so he could keep an eye on the bodyguard and whomever the newcomer was. The huge bouncer who’d been at the front entrance was now standing in the doorway, his weapon aimed at Ian. “Drop it, motherfucker.”
“Uh-uh-uh, big boy.” Jordyn’s voice was laced with a combination of venom and amusement. Jase couldn’t see her, but she was definitely standing behind the bouncer. “That cold metal you feel is my honey’s favorite Sig Sauer pressed against your brain stem. I doubt I have to tell you what a bullet will do to that. Now, since I don’t have my heels on today you’re a little too tall for me, so my Sig is aimed at your asshole. If I pull the trigger, you’ll lose that and your cock and balls in one shot.”
Ian grinned wildly, his gaze never leaving Marks. “Damn, I love your style, sweetheart.”
“Right back at ya, Boss-man. Smooches.”
“I love when she threatens dirtbags,” Carter quipped from the hallway. “Makes me horny.”
Jase rolled his eyes—the three were like a bad, black-ops vaudeville team. A large hand reached around and took hold of the now upright shotgun, pulling it out of the man’s grasp. It then disappeared around the corner of the doorjamb. Seconds later, the hand was back and grabbed the bouncer’s shoulder, as Carter forced him into the room. “On the floor like your buddy.” Once the man was on his knees, Carter switched places with Jordyn in the hallway where he could see anyone else coming. The petite, female spy had changed from her sundress into black, capri leggings and sneakers topped with a snug, burgundy, short-sleeved shirt. Her man was still dressed in his cargo shorts and T-shirt like Jase and Ian were.
Addressing Marks, Ian said, “All right, now, where were we? Oh, yeah—your kneecaps. Want to keep them and tell me where Nadine is?”
“I told you, I don’t know where she is.” When the retired SEAL took an overly-dramatic aim, Marks threw his hands up and pushed his feet against the floor, rolling the chair backward into the wall. His tone went from pissed to terrified as his words came tumbling out of his mouth in a rush. “Don’t! I swear I’m telling you the truth! S-She left at the end of her shift on Wednesday night and was a no-show on Thursday. When she didn’t show up again yesterday, I called her cell and fired her. I don’t know where the fuck she is. Ask anyone. I swear!”
It was obvious the bodyguard and bouncer weren’t going to say anything different after hearing their boss’s version, and since Marks had just pissed his pants at the threat of losing his kneecaps, there was only one more question Jase needed the answer to. “Where’s her passport? And Amy’s too.”
When Marks didn’t immediately answer, Jordyn huffed when she saw his gaze flicker toward the wall behind Ian. Marching to where a large, framed painting of two naked women making out hung, she tucked her gun in the holster at her lower back. “Why do men feel the need to hide their safes behind really ugly erotic paintings? I mean, seriously? Black velvet? I’d get my money back from the interior decorator if I were you. What’s the combo, asswipe? If you don’t tell me, I can easily crack it, but then you’ll probably be in a helluva lot of pain.”
The man rattled off three numbers, and within seconds, Jordyn had the wall safe open. Ignoring the bundles of cash inside, she pulled out a stack of passports and shuffled through them, finding the two she wanted. Sticking them in her waistband, she held up the others. “I’ll be giving these back to your dancers and waitresses on my way out. If you don’t want a visit from me in the middle of the night, with the intent to slit your throat after I cut off your dick, then you better not ask for them back. Understood?”
When Marks reluctantly nodded, Jordyn glanced around the office, before spotting something. “Excellent.” On top of the file cabinet was a roll of Duct tape. Grabbing it, she started with the big bouncer. “Hands together at your lower back.”
Within minutes, all three men were restrained at their wrists and ankles, and large pieces of silver tape had been stretched over their mouths. Jase was glad he wasn’t one of them because when the strong adhesive was peeled off, it was sure to take a fair amount of skin off their lips.
Closing the door the best they could since the lock was ruined, Jase and the others gathered in the hall. As they were discussing what they needed to do next, the curtain leading out to the main part of the club swung open and Brie hurried toward them. Jase scowled at her. “I thought I told you to stay out front.”
“You were taking too long. Listen, I―”
“Hang on. We’ve got to go interview the dancers and see if any of them know where Nadine might be before one of the other bouncers comes back to check on their buddies.”
Her eyes shot up. “What’d you do to them?”
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Ian answered. “They’re alive and tied up. Now let’s get going before all hell breaks loose.”
“But―”
Jase grasped her upper arm and turned her toward the doorway back out to the club. “Let’s go.”
She ripped her arm out of his grip and stomped her foot. “Damn it! Would you fucking listen to me? I know where Nadine might be.” Ian, Carter, Jordyn, and Jase all stopped short and stared at her. Shrugging her shoulders, she crossed her arms. “While you were all running off doing whatever, I asked our waitress if she knew where my sister might be. She said Nadine had hooked up with this guy who was going to take her to some club called Perdition.”
“Shit.” Everyone’s attention turned to Carter, who didn’t look happy. “Perdition is an underground lifestyle club and one we’re going to have problems with. I’ll explain later at the hotel. Let’s get the hell out of here—Jordyn and I have some calls to make before we go anywhere near the place.”
As Jordyn brushed past Brie, she grinned at her. “I’m starting to like you, sister. You’ve got grit.”
“Uh . . . thanks.”
Opening the door to the dressing room, Jordyn handed the passports to someone inside. “Here’s your freedom, ladies, if you want it.”
Without waiting for an answer, she closed the door again and rejoined Carter. They headed for the back door, while the other three made their way out to the bar. The bouncer closest to them narrowed his eyes as he watched them come out from behind the curtain. With Brie between them once more, Ian led the way to the front door and the parking lot without a moment’s hesitation. Jase had just started the SUV’s engine when the two remaining bouncers came running out. Flooring the accelerator, he peeled out of the parking lot before they got anywhere near the vehicle.
Once the club was out of sight, Jase stared at Brie’s reflection in the rear view mirror. “You okay?”
She appeared a little shaken, but nodded. “Yeah, I’m good. I can’t believe Nadine was working in that dive . . . stripping no less. Why the hell would she do that? If she needed money, she should have come to me. ”
Wishing he could give her the answers she was seeking, Jase drove them toward the hotel, with Jordyn and Carter following in their vehicle. About two miles before the entrance, he saw the other SUV make a right turn and wondered where they were going. As spies, the couple had connections all over the world, and Jase hoped they had the right ones to help him find Nadine. He not only liked the woman as a kid sister of sorts, but Brie had already lost both her parents—she’d be devastated if she lost her only sibling, too. And he was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that didn’t happen. He just prayed they weren’t too late.
; C
HAPTER 6
I an hoofed it down the hallway to his suite, anxious to get back to Angie and try to convince her that his deceiving her had been for her own safety as well as Jase’s. He’d been calling her best friend “Jase Atwood” for close to two years now, and no longer considered the man to be Jimmy Athos or James Andrews, his given name. Although he’d been so pissed earlier, when they’d first run into him, Ian had let the name “Athos” slip before mentally correcting himself. Apparently, Carter had made the same faux pas—which almost never happened.
Before the man had “died,” Ian had gotten into hot water with Angie because they’d hidden the fact her best friend had hired Ian’s company to watch over her. When she’d found out, Ian had almost lost her before he ever realized he was in love with her and couldn’t live without her. As they were working things out between them, things had gone to shit again. So much had changed since the day Ian’s world had almost fallen apart at the hands of the rogue DEA agents and gang members they’d hired to kidnap his goddaughter, while attempting to get to Angie and, ultimately, their fellow agent. He’d thought he was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him, but instead, she’d ended up losing someone she’d considered to be the last of her family at that point in her life. Fast forward to today, and she and Ian were starting their own family. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be a broken one. How he was going to get out of this mess when he’d sworn he’d never lie to her again was beyond him.
Sticking the passkey into the slot, he unlocked the door and pushed it open. His heart clenched at what he found. Angie was up from her nap and sitting on the couch. Her eyes were red and raw, while her cheeks were still wet. She was surrounded by used tissues and pillows, one clutched tightly against her chest. At the sight of him, she tried unsuccessfully to wipe the tears from her face, and that just made her cry harder.
Without a word, he rushed over, picked her up in his arms, relieved when she didn’t resist, and then sat in a nearby recliner with her on his lap. Her arms went around his neck as she sobbed. “I—I’m still . . . still mad . . . at you.”
“I know, baby. I know,” he murmured into her hair as he guided her head onto his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Angel. We had to. It was too risky for you to know he was alive. Too risky for you and him. You know I’d do anything to keep you safe. He felt the same way.”
“Th—that didn’t . . . give you the . . . r-right—” A hiccup cut off whatever else she was going to say.
“Sh . . .” His hand cupped their child in her womb. “This here—our child, Little Bit—is the other reason I did it, Angel. Most of the cartel’s US connections, and the bad agents and cops are either dead or in jail, but there were other DEA agents suspected to be involved. And, hell, the Colombian cartel is still out there, although we don’t think they know what he looks like. The less people who know Jase is alive, the better.”
“Don’t call him that! H-His name is Jimmy.”
He reached up and grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. His gaze and tone were terse. “Not anymore. His name is Jase Atwood, and this is the first time you’ve ever met him in your life. It’s who he is now. He’s a mercenary who has no ties to you or our child, and you can never be used against him ever again. I won’t allow it.”
She obviously wasn’t thrilled with any of that, but at least she didn’t argue with him further. Ian held her close again until she got her emotions under control. A good ten minutes passed before she finally pushed off his chest and got to her feet, reaching for the box of tissues on the coffee table. Wiping her eyes and nose, she asked, “Where is he?”
“In his hotel room with Brie.”
“Brie? That woman who was here earlier? Who is she?”
Ian stood and slid his hands into his pockets. His clothes were still piled up on the other couch, but he didn’t think it was a good time to mention it or move them back into the bedroom. “At the very least, a friend of his. I suspect there’s more to it than that but I’m not sure either of them know exactly where they stand with the other. She owns a bar in Caicos where Jase has been living, and her sister went missing in St. Lucia a few days ago. They’re here looking for her. It sounds like the sister could be in big trouble. Carter’s checking on a few things, and we’re just waiting to hear―”
Almost as if his words had cued it, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. Carter. Punching the call button, Ian brought the phone to his ear. “Talk to me.”
“Meet us in our suite—we’ve got some intel. A-man and his woman are on the way up.”
“Copy that.” Disconnecting the call, he eyed his wife who was unconsciously rubbing her swollen belly. He couldn’t wait to see her when she was fully round with their child—a child he’d never thought he’d have. That is, until he met his beautiful angel. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I want to see him . . . talk to him.”
He’d expected that. “Okay. Go wash your face. Everyone is meeting in Carter and Jordyn’s room in a few minutes.” When she hesitated, he stepped forward and cupped her chin in his hands. “Angel . . . I’m sorry I hurt you by keeping this from you, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant you were no longer in danger.”
Taking a step back, out of his reach, she held up her hands. “Don’t, Ian. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to be able to get past this . . . this betrayal. That’s the only word I can think of right now. And even though I know you did it to protect me . . . I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to forgive you for this.”
Tears were welling up in her eyes again, but before they started to fall, she did an about-face and disappeared into their bedroom. His heart sinking, Ian thrust the fingers of both hands through his hair, trying to squelch the urge to go kill Jase. It wouldn’t solve his problems, but, damn, it would feel so good.
Jase sat across from Brie on the private suite’s large balcony, where he could see both the crystal blue ocean and what was going on in the living room to his right, behind the glass windows and doors. Jordyn and Carter were on their cell phones again, as the latter strode to the door to the hall and swung it open. Jase’s gut roiled as Angie marched in with Ian on her heels. She was still pale, making her red, swollen eyes stand out even more. Without saying a word to anyone inside, her angry gaze moved to him as she made her way across the room to the sliding door.
He stood as she came out onto the balcony. “Angie, I―”
Holding up a hand, she silently cut him off, before turning her attention to the other woman, who’d remained seated. She extended her hand. “Hello, Brie. I’m Angie Sawyer. I’m very sorry you had to witness what went on earlier. I’m usually not a raving lunatic, but having a ghost show up wasn’t something I’d been expecting.”
Brie shook her hand. “It’s okay. I understand . . . now that it’s been explained to me. I’m sure the pregnancy hormones didn’t help either.”
Wait. What? Jase’s jaw dropped, and so did his gaze. Angie’s pregnant? Now that it was mentioned, he noticed the swell of her abdomen her sundress kept mostly hidden. Well, shit.
Angie crossing her arms brought his gaze upward to her face, where her mouth was in a full smirk he knew well. “Yes, I’m pregnant.” Her jaw tightened as she glared at him. “If it’s a boy, I was going to name him after my best friend who died two years ago—Jimmy Sawyer had a nice ring to it, but now I’m not too sure.” Yeah, that sarcasm was hard to miss. She paused. “Brie, would you mind if I spoke to Jase alone? There’re a few things I need to get off my chest.”
When Brie glanced at him, he nodded. “Please, give us a moment. Then we’ll get back to finding Nadine.”
Proving that no matter how pissed she was, she was still one of the most caring people he’d ever known, Angie added, “I’m very sorry about your sister. And despite everything else, Ian, Carter, and Jordyn will do everything they can to help you find her. I don’t think there will be much I can do, but I’ll he
lp if I can.”
Her lips disappearing as she rolled them inward, Brie swallowed noticeably. “Thank you. I appreciate any help we can get.” Getting to her feet, she went inside the suite, leaving the two of them alone, closing the door behind her.
Angie sat in the chair the other woman had just vacated as Jase lowered himself back into his own seat. There were a million things he wanted to say but thought it was best to let Angie go first. For a few moments, she just stared at him, her gaze raking over his face as if still trying to convince herself he was real. Biting her bottom lip, she leaned back in the chair. Her voice was low and raspy, thick with emotion, when she finally spoke. “How could you do that to me? I lost both my parents and my brother. You were all I had left in the world from my childhood. Did it ever occur to you that your ‘death,’” she made quotation marks with her fingers, “would devastate me? Would rip my heart to shreds?”
“Angie, I―”
Her hand slapped the table. “Those were rhetorical questions. I had nightmares for weeks, Jimmy—Jase. God, that’s going to take a long time to get used to.” She glanced out over the ocean before returning her attention to him. “I woke up five or six times a week, yelling your name, crying and grieving for you. How Ian put up with me, I have no idea . . . harrumph. . . okay, yeah, now I do. Because the alternative was for him to tell me the truth.”
“Ang, I―”
Once more, she cut him off. “I hate you right now.” Her clenched fist gently thumped her chest. “And what’s even worse is I hate my husband, too. I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to forgive either of you. My first child will be born in a few months and I’m . . . I’m seriously thinking about filing for a divorce. That’s how angry I am.”
Fat tears rolled down her cheeks, and she swallowed hard several times, trying to get her emotions under control. She was breaking his heart. Standing, he rounded the table and swiveled her chair so she was facing him as he squatted before her, his back to the windows and living room beyond. Taking her hand, he squeezed it. “Angie, please don’t put this on Ian. It was my decision—I talked him and Devon and the others into it. None of them were happy with it, but I couldn’t ruin your life any more than I’d already done. You could’ve been killed because of me. Jenn, too. I would never have been able to live with myself if that’d happened. You had a new life with a man who loved you more than anything else on this earth. I knew you’d be okay if I disappeared, and that was all that mattered. I’m sorry, baby. I don’t know what more I can say, other than don’t end your marriage over me. I’m not worth it.”
Salvaging His Soul Page 7