by Avery Gale
Jen patted the older woman’s hand and Sage saw how her fingers trembled. “Jen, how about you let Sam and I check out the place first while you wait with Ms. Betty?” He gave the older woman what he hoped was a warm smile that she returned, but Jen didn’t seem inclined to take his suggestion.
“Well, thanks so much for your kind offer, Sage, but the best you’re getting from me is to let you two warriors enter first since you’re the ones with weapons.” The overly saccharine tone she’d used told Sage that she wasn’t over her “mad” yet, but at least she was speaking to them now.
“Oh, honey, if you want a gun, I can help you out.” And with that Betty pulled a Dirty Harry special from the tote bag draped over her arm. Holy shit Sherlock, how had he missed that kind of weight in her bag? Christ Almighty, that kind of mistake in the field could easily cost a soldier his or her life. Guerilla Granny’s laughter cut through his thoughts just as he heard Sam’s muttered curses behind him. “Oh, sonny, you are a hoot. You should have seen the look on your handsome face. Let that be a lesson to you. Don’t turn your back on anybody in this town, not even sweet innocent looking little old ladies.” He and Sam both nodded numbly.
“Well, perhaps you could tell these two Navy SEALs what you did before you retired, Betty.” Jen was already moving down the hall with her key in her hand so Sam trailed her while Sage looked down at Betty.
The white haired woman giggled again before leaning in to whisper, “I was a spook. Worked for the CIA until about ten years ago. Truthfully it got easier after I got older because no one suspected me.” She batted her eyes at him and he had to chuckle. “Now, you go on and see what kind of a disaster scar face left in there and I’ll start writing down things for the detectives I know your brother just called.”
Chapter Eleven
Jen handed Sam her key and when his fingers brushed hers the arc of electricity that surged up her arm caused her to suck in a quick breath. Damn her traitorous body. Why didn’t it listen to her head, which had been broadcasting warnings as loud and clear as those annoying Emergency Broadcast tests on television? She’d managed to stay mad at them until they’d all walked up to her car. Seeing the incredulous looks on their faces had nearly had her howling with laughter. The only other person who’d given her that look about her car had been Jax, and he hadn’t even attempted to fold his six foot eleven inch frame into the small car the last time he’d visited her.
Thinking back on their conversation with Betty, Jen knew her elderly friend had been slipping a bit lately or she’d have never let a stranger into her apartment. Jen made a mental note to call Betty’s son to make sure he was checking on his mom regularly. Since she was going to be returning to Texas for a couple of weeks, Jen wanted to make sure he knew his backup wasn’t going to be available. Ben Remly was a nice guy, but his socialite wife and new baby kept him busy enough that checking on his mom sometimes fell by the wayside. The minute Sam opened the door the smell of stale perfume hit her like a rolling wall of stench.
Sam had pulled the gun from where he’d nestled it in the back waistband of his jeans and held it low but at the ready. He asked her to stay in the small foyer while he and Sage cleared the small apartment and she agreed. Even from her position by the door she could see the place had been ransacked. She watched as they used hand signals to communicate and taking only a few short minutes to determine no one was inside. Sam was already talking on the phone when they returned to her. It wasn’t until Sage pulled her into his arms that she realized she was shaking like a leaf.
“I’m sorry, baby. The place has been wrecked. I’m not sure what he was looking for, but he didn’t leave a single thing undisturbed. We won’t touch anything because this is a crime scene and even though I doubt seriously there is any valuable evidence, we won’t take a chance on destroying something that might help us find out who did this.
“I want to see,” was all she managed to stutter and she was grateful when he didn’t argue.
“Okay, we’ll walk through. But I want you to be really careful where you step and don’t touch anything, got it? Also, keep a look out for anything that isn’t yours, okay? Anything he might have left behind will be something we want to point out to the lab guys.”
The next several hours passed in a blur. Jen was amazed at the violent and personal nature of the destruction. Whoever had done this wasn’t just looking for something. No, this was an act of anger and the perpetrator had been sending her a very clear, very personal message. Someone intended to frighten her and they’d succeeded. But the single piece among all the shattered fragments that had once been her life that sent ice through her veins was the note scrawled across Elza McDonald’s picture. Your friend will pay for your misdeeds. When Jen had read the words, black spots started dancing in her vision. She’d heard Sam shouting her name, felt Sage pull her against his chest, and then everything had gone black.
*****
Jax McDonald had been fielding calls since Jen and the McCalls entered her building, and each call had heightened his concern. But this call sent terror through every cell of his body. Jax had been on SEAL teams that stormed full speed ahead into every imaginable danger and he’d never so much as flinched. However, Sam McCall’s words had leveled him. Snapping from the daze, Jax realized that Kyle was shouting at him to sit the fuck down. Numbly Jax complied, falling onto the bar stool he’d been leaning against. His friend picked up the phone Jax had dropped, and he could hear Sam McCall was filling him in. Kyle waved over Kent and Micah who were just walking in the club’s back entrance after their workout. Kyle called to them, “Where are Gracie and Tobi?” The panic in his voice clear and both men took off running for the pool area.
As soon as Jax had his phone back in hand he fired off a text to his younger sister. Elza was a loving young woman, and far too trusting if you asked her older brother. Her profound deafness made her particularly vulnerable to the dangers of living in a large city, but she’d stood rock-solid against what she called her family’s attempts to keep her wrapped in cotton. Jax realized Kyle was already making calls, but Jax wasn’t able to focus on anything but his phone’s infuriatingly blank screen. When she finally responded that she was at their parent’s home, Jax had been grateful he was already sitting because the relief that flooded him would have folded his knees out from under him. “At mom and dad’s. Flu. Needed TLC…Why? What’s up?” Never thought I’d be happy my baby sister had the flu, but damned if I’m not downright thrilled. He’d tapped out a quick get well soon message and then called his dad filling him in on the threat to Elza’s life. His parents’ home was a virtual fortress and Jax didn’t doubt it would be impregnable within the hour.
According to Sam, the only things the intruder hadn’t destroyed in Jen’s small apartment were the few items she’d secured in the wall safe and what she kept packed in her panic bag stored in the hidden space between the floor joists under her bed. Sam’s voice had been filled with admiration when he’d described how well concealed the compartment was. And Jax was damned proud of her as well. He was also thrilled that she’d followed his suggestion. The only time he’d visited her apartment in D.C. had been right after she’d moved in, and he’d told her the wooden floor in her bedroom would work perfectly for a place to hide a bag of essentials. Jax had given her suggestions for various items to place in the “escape or panic bag” and he was beyond proud of her for following through.
Jax’s dad had called him three times wanting Jennifer brought to the McDonald estate at the edge of Austin. Jax understood why his dad wanted her under his roof because Bill and Carol McDonald considered her one of their own, but Jax also knew they’d have a much better chance of resolving the situation if she was at Prairie Winds. Not to mention the fact Jax knew his friends well enough to be certain they weren’t going to let the little trouble magnet out of their sight. Jax had never seen Sam or Sage McCall show the slightest hint of interest in a woman beyond an evening of mutually shared pleasure. But he’d seen
a change in both men after they’d accompanied Jen home from Costa Rica. The flicker of possession in their eyes had been unmistakable.
Bill McDonald hadn’t become successful in the oil fields by being a push-over and Jax had finally been forced to recruit his mom to convince his dad that six former Navy SEALs were perfectly capable of looking out for one woman, even if that woman was Jennifer Keating. Jax smiled as he thought about how quickly Jen had become a part of their family. In his opinion, the love and commitment they’d consistently shown Jen spoke volumes about the kind of people his parents were. He’d already been in the SEALs when she’d come into Elza’s life, but he and Micah had fallen under her spell that first Christmas and she’d been a second sister from then on.
Jax knew his parents had funded Jen’s education. They’d made her sign loan papers each year and taught her how to budget her money. They’d crammed a lifetime’s worth of lessons in just a few years. During her graduation party after finishing her master’s degree, he’d watched as they set fire to all the loan “notes” in the backyard fire pit. He’d laughed at her shocked expression. How she’d ever thought they’d let her repay them was a mystery to him. In short, the sweet little woman with the smart mouth and brilliant mind had become a part of their family in such a fundamental way he couldn’t imagine how they gotten along without her.
He and Micah had worked non-stop for the past several hours. Between their regular duties at the club—which had been busier than any normal night, and handling details for the D.C. trio’s return to Texas via private transport, Jax felt like he’d been run over by a truck—a very large truck that had backed up and hit him a second time just for good measure. Waiting for the private elevator that would take them upstairs to the Wests’ private condo where Gracie was resting under Tobi’s watchful eye, Jax looked in the mirrored doors and groaned. “Jesus, I look like shit. Hope I don’t scare our wife.”
Next to him, Micah chuckled, “I’m not sure that’s possible after the evening she’s had.” When Jax looked over at his best friend with a brow raised in question, Micah explained, “Tobi sent me a text about an hour ago. Gracie’s been sick off and on all evening. I called Doc Brian and he suggested an electrolyte drink, which Regi went to get for her. I haven’t heard how it’s working, but he wants to see her in their office first thing in the morning regardless.”
Jax was grateful Kirk Evans and Brian Bennett had recently relocated their women’s health clinic to a small community just west of Austin. The two physicians were also members of Prairie Winds and well-respected Doms. They were also both prominent ob-gyns and their first-hand understanding of the dynamics of D/s relationships made them perfect choices for Gracie’s care. And knowing Gracie’s prenatal care was being handled by doctors who wouldn’t report them to the local authorities if he or Jax threatened to paddle her ass for not taking care of herself was more important than anyone outside the lifestyle might imagine.
Stepping into the Wests’ opulent living room, they looked up to see Tobi headed their way shaking her head. “Shhhh. She just fell asleep. Are you sure you don’t want to just leave her here tonight? I hate to disturb her. She really does need to rest.” Jax was torn but in the end he wanted her between them and he honestly believed Gracie would rest better in her own bed. Besides, she was theirs to shelter and nurture, and they’d already left her in Tobi’s care far too long today.
*****
Raphael Baldamino watched from the shadows across the street from Jennifer’s apartment building as she left with the two men who had stolen her from him in Costa Rica a year ago. If the idiots who had worked for him had gotten the right woman the first time, she’d have been his this past year. He’d seen her just before leaving for a short trip to the U.S. and had mistakenly assumed the pictures he’d snapped would ensure his men would be able to pick her up without incident. Watching her walk down the street that first afternoon had taken him back to the first time he’d seen Rose. There was a carefree innocence surrounding her, but the light of intelligence had also shown in her eyes.
Jennifer was the perfect contrast to his Rose. Where Rose’s long dark hair accented her lightly tanned lush curves, Jen’s blonde hair and ivory skin emphasized her petite, slender build. He looked forward to having them both on his arm as he showed them off to the world that had turned its back on him. He saw the repulsion and horror in people’s eyes when they looked at him. But it was the pity in the expressions of so many that made him want to reach through their chests and yank out their hearts with his bare hands. How dare they pity him? Respect was what he craved, but that fucking helicopter crash had stolen the gilded life he’d known. The months he’d spent healing had allowed him plenty of time to plan, putting everything into place. And now, after overhearing detectives exiting the building mention Jennifer was returning to a private club in west Texas, Raphael knew it was time. It was time to make his way back to The Prairie Winds Club and reclaim the two women who belonged to him.
Chapter Twelve
Jen was numb. She’d gone through all the motions—answered all the questions and somehow managed to remain focused until she’d looked down at the duffle that served as her “go bag” and realized that aside from her car, everything she owned was now contained in the small black satchel. Staring at it, she felt the tidal wave of emotion she’d been holding back finally break free and this time she didn’t make any attempt to push out of Sam’s embrace when his strong arms encircled her.
“It’s okay, pet. Let it out. We’ve got you.” Sam’s words were all it took for the dam that had been holding her tears to crumble and she just cried until she felt completely drained. She let him comfort her and once she settled he’d wrapped her in a blanket scented with the sweet jasmine Jen associated with Betty’s large corner apartment. Jen hadn’t even tried to argue when Sam had picked her up into his arms and made his way down to the car idling at the curb. The last thing she remembered before drifting off was Sage settling next to them and lifting her feet into his lap.
Feeling Sam’s lips pressing against her forehead as he murmured soothing words to her lulled her into a deep sleep that set her free from the images replaying in her mind. The destruction that had greeted her when she’d stepped into the apartment that had been her sanctuary faded away, replaced by blissful calm. Jen had been independent since her foster mother had died just before her eighteenth birthday. Sure she’d had more than her share of help from the McDonalds, but she’d never felt comfortable putting herself fully in another person’s care until this moment. The peace she felt letting them handle things today probably should have mortified her, but it didn’t, she hadn’t felt anything but sweet relief.
*****
Sam held Jen in his arms as they drove out onto the tarmac toward the private jet waiting for them. Rather than stay in D.C. until the McDonald’s family jet could make the flight from Texas, Micah and Jax had called in favors and secured alternate transportation in less than an hour. They’d already arranged for Jen’s car to be stored and Sam hoped like hell she’d just sell the damned little cracker box and let them replace it with something safer. Folding himself into the little death trap and then letting her hurtle them down the freeway had been a harrowing experience he wasn’t anxious to repeat. And thinking about her driving the bright yellow Mini down the open highways of Texas where most of the other vehicles on the road could run over her like a speed bump made him break out in a cold sweat.
Watching the sparkle in her beautiful blue eyes dim over the past few hours had broken his heart. She’d been amazing and held up under the barrage of questions thrown at her from investigators as well as her curious neighbors. When the intrusive inquiries from people in her building seemed to stop suddenly, Sam had ventured out into the hall and found Betty Remly standing guard and turning people away. He’d sent Jax a quick message and Betty would be getting several very nice surprises over the next few weeks from the McDonalds and everyone at Prairie Winds. God, he loved the little
geriatric steamroller.
Micah was still trying to get access to the security footage from the days following Jen’s departure for Bolivia, and Kyle was using their military contacts to worm their way into the State Department to see if the trip had been a set up from the beginning. If that was the case they had two problems, but Sam had the feeling the man who’d destroyed her apartment hadn’t known where she’d gone and that had fueled his anger. But that wasn’t to say he hadn’t found out and then quickly arranged the embassy takeover. Rubbing his hand over his face in frustration, the truth was that right now he was too exhausted to sort it out.
“You look like I feel.” He could hear his brother’s attempt at humor, but knew the words were likely true as well.
“Fuck you. I’m beat and worried. And I don’t do either one of those gracefully, but you already know that.” Sam was usually like a bear with a sore paw if something was eating at him or if he managed to get past a point where he could rest. As a trained soldier, he knew how to push past fatigue, but once he’s gone beyond a certain point, he couldn’t rest, and that usually just plain pissed him off.