Jaeger

by Evelise Archer

  Poised with his gun aimed at Luis, Jaeger took one shot and struck him between the eyes. The thug never knew what hit him, and his lifeless body slumped to the ground with a hole in his forehead. Head shots with a handgun were the hardest and not always precise, but Jaeger’s keen abilities proved flawless once again. Blood splattered on the steps and handrail. Shouts and screams rent the air.

  “Find him, Cristobal,” Javi shouted as he wrenched Wren by the arm into the cabin. Wren struggled, but to no avail. Javi led him to their destination. Jaeger watched and formulated a plan.

  Cristobal drew his weapon. Once they knew Jaeger was in the vicinity, he had to be careful. He only hoped that Javi didn’t kill Wren outright. But the smug bastard would probably wait for this brother to do his dirty work against Jaeger and then Wren. People like Javier never got their own hands dirty.

  Slinking under the cover of the foliage, Jaeger strode away from the cabin and made enough noise to insure Cristobal followed. Cristobal was not a tracker, and Jaeger would not be caught unaware. He trudged one hundred yards or so and stopped to climb a tiny bluff no taller than ten feet high. From that vantage point, he would observe Cristobal trek in the undergrowth and take his shot. Without his rifle Jaeger relied on his accuracy with the Glock. But he still had an ample supply of bullets in the firearm and an extra magazine in his side pocket—plenty of ammunition to eradicate two men.

  Jaeger patiently lay in wait until he spotted Cristobal. He raised the gun and eased his finger onto the trigger. With the dangerous thug in his sights, Jaeger pulled the trigger, but something caught Jaeger’s attention and the shot went wide and grazed Cristobal’s right arm—a flesh wound at best.

  Jaeger heard the shouts of men—some with accents, some without—scrambling in the nearby woods. Javi must have brought more people with him to guarantee they wouldn’t get out alive. Cristobal clutched his wound and barreled through the woods, searching for Jaeger.

  Out of the clearing, four more men appeared. Things were getting interesting.

  “El tiro vino de allí.” Cristobal pointed to the vicinity where Jaeger hid. His only chance was to crawl backward, down the crag, and back to the cabin. Maybe he could return before the men discovered he was gone, save Wren, and escape in their vehicle. Maybe not. For all he knew, there were more men already at the cabin with Javi and Wren.

  He scraped his leg as he slid and quickly trekked through the woods. Bullets whizzed by him, and the men spotted him. One bullet clipped his left bicep. Blood immediately slinked down his arm and pooled in his leather band. It stung his scar and made him wince.

  “Here. Aquí.” The men shouted, hot on his trail. Bullets continued to zoom by his head, but none connected except for the first one. Jaeger clambered through the pain and forged forward. He needed to get back to the cabin. A veil of calm eased over his body like a cloak that overtook him and created a suit of armor against all enemies.

  His sole mission was to protect Wren O’Riley and deliver him to the federal court building in New York in less than forty-eight hours. And if need be, give his life for his charge. He needed to outrun the men who chased him and save Wren. He stopped for a moment, placed his gun in the small of his back, ripped the left sleeve from his shirt, and tied his bicep to stanch the bleeding. Using his right hand and teeth, he secured the arm as best he could and winced in pain. Flesh wounds were like paper cuts—hurt like a motherfucker.

  Gun in hand, Jaeger forged on toward the cabin but circled around the way he’d entered the woods and came out on the dirt road leading to the dwelling. An SUV occupied the space in front of the entrance, and Jaeger peered in. The keys were on the driver’s seat, so Jaeger reached in to retrieve them. Blocked from any other means of escape, he and Wren would steal the vehicle and make their way to New York. Jaeger had no intention of hanging around once he recovered Wren from Javi’s control.

  Javi was fucking insane. Purposely setting his father up to be killed so he could control the cartel empire? All the players he manipulated, including his lover? Jaeger still heard the pounding of feet through the woods and the shouting of the men as he traversed the final yards to the cabin entrance. It was deserted on the outside, and Jaeger surmised that they were all looking for him.

  Quietly and slowly he made his way past Luis’s dead carcass and climbed the steps. The front door was open, and Javi stood with Wren in the center of the large living space. Agitated, Javi paced the floor. His demeanor was deteriorating. He was clearly pissed. Wren stood ramrod straight as tears rolled down his face. Jaeger nodded his head when Wren spotted him. He needed Wren to not make any sudden moves or flinch so he could disarm Javi, who was currently waving a gun with his left hand.

  “JAVI, PLEASE. Can’t we talk about this? I thought we loved each other.” Wren distracted Javi, allowing Jaeger to get into position.

  “We only loved each other until I deemed it necessary to not. Don’t you understand that I plan to rule the new family, and you would just be in my way. I have men already placed to overthrow your father’s regime. No one can touch me—the new jefe of Mexico.” Javi pointed the weapon at Wren, and Wren wasn’t sure he could reason with Javi in his current state of mind.

  “But what if we ruled together? You and me, side by side, bringing the two largest cartel families under one banner. We could leave together right now, before anyone else gets killed.”

  “Your marshal is still out there, my sweet, and I plan to see him dead for all the trouble he’s caused me.” Javi scratched the side of his head with the gun as he continued to pace. His dark complexion mottled crimson with fury. If Jaeger didn’t do something soon, things would quickly turn sour.

  Jaeger couldn’t believe his ears. He immediately saw red. Was Wren only saying those things to distract his one-time lover, or did he really mean it? Jaeger had been cold and callous with him at times, but he always protected him to the best of his abilities. Wren O’Riley’s fate was sealed the moment he was born into an unscrupulous family.

  Jaeger didn’t have the luxury of waiting to see if Wren was playing Javi or if he was serious. He needed to act if he planned on getting them out of the Adirondacks alive.

  He slammed the door, opened fire, and caught Javi in the leg, but Javi pulled the trigger on his own weapon and shot Jaeger in the shoulder. Jaeger fell back and hit the door frame with a thud, momentarily dazing himself. Then both men took cover—Javi behind the kitchen wall and Jaeger behind the sofa.

  “Wren, get the fuck down and crawl over here.” Jaeger shouted as Wren remained standing with his hands over his ears.

  Finally coming out of his stupor, Wren dropped to the floor and crawled to Jaeger as bullets flew overhead. He sat next to Jaeger, and silent tears slid from his eyes. Jaeger didn’t have time to feel pity for him. Javi was between them and their only way out—the front door—and the pain in Jaeger’s shoulder radiated down his left arm, making it virtually useless.

  “We need to get the fuck out of here before Javier’s henchmen return. Do you know how many of them arrived after I killed Luis?” Jaeger whispered to Wren.

  “Señor Marshal. Soon my men will return when they don’t find you in the woods, and then you will be completely surrounded. You will both die. In fact I’m not sure who will meet his demise first. I may make you watch me take Wren’s sweet ass before I kill him, and you can know you failed in your duties to protect him.” Javier’s voice grated on Jaeger’s nerves.

  “Wren, I asked you a question. Do not listen to him. Focus. Answer me. How many other men?”

  “I think four, maybe five. They didn’t drive up the road, so I assumed they left their car at the entrance.” Wren spoke quietly and leaned into Jaeger’s right side. “You’ve been shot. Oh God, I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Stay calm and do something for me. Unwrap the sleeve from my bicep and place it just below my shoulder wound. The bicep is already clotted, but the shoulder is on fire, and I need to stop the bleeding. Can you do that f
or me?” Jaeger figured he’d distract Wren from the possibility that they might not survive.

  “I can do that. How are we going to get out of here?”

  “Wren, listen carefully. You’re right about the car. Javier’s men left it at the entrance of the road. In my jeans pocket is the key to the vehicle. I’ll distract Javier, and you make your escape and run as fast as you can until you reach the car and drive the fuck away.”

  “I can’t leave you. We go together, or I stay with you.” Wren’s voice and the luminous look in his eyes showed Jaeger his fear and his love. Wren had no intention of ever going back to Javi. But they were trapped, and Jaeger Tripp was a sworn agent of the United States Marshal Service, where protection was his main responsibility. He would not fail.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  “MARSHAL, YOU must be weak. A bullet to the shoulder is nothing to play with. I’m sure you’re bleeding out. Your life force is seeping out. The fog is clouding your mind. Why not give up now and die with dignity before my men get back. If not I may not be able to control what they do to you or my former lover. Marshal, are you listening? Can you hear me?” Javi continued to goad him.

  “Oh Marshal, the fun we could have together with our little Latin lover. Maybe we can make a truce and share him. Much better than death, don’t you agree?”

  Javi’s taunts grated Jaeger, but he still responded. “Shut the fuck up, you lousy piece of shit. I can’t wait to kill you myself.” Jaeger knew Javi wanted to get under his skin so he’d make a mistake. Fat chance of that.

  It seemed as though they were trapped for hours, but only minutes ticked by—precious minutes that left them no room for mistakes.

  “Wren, you need to leave when I say go. I’m going to distract him, and you run for the front door and bolt the fuck out of here. Get to the car.”

  “Why can’t we go together? I don’t even know where I’m going. Please, Jaeger, come with me. We’re stronger together.” Wren’s voice was just a whisper.

  Together or apart, they were fucked. They had no place to go. Jaeger was shot and slowly bleeding through the gaping hole in his shoulder. If they made it out of the Adirondacks, they could drive to the federal building that housed the marshal service or Wren could drop Jaeger off at the nearest hospital and turn himself in to the feds instead of the marshals. Jaeger needed Wren to make the trial, and he most assuredly needed to confront SAC Denver Chase. They had to make a move.

  “Okay. Together. I’m going to start firing. Run for the vehicle and drive away.” Wren started to protest, but Jaeger raised his good hand to stop him. He had to convince Wren to leave and promise to join him—unless things went awry.

  “Just go about a mile down the road. Remember where we stopped at the overlook at the lake? That’s where I’ll meet you. Javi’s men will be back any moment, and I’m going to lead them away from you. Once you get their vehicle out of the way, I’ll double back and retrieve our car and pick you up. Stay out of sight and don’t come out until you see me. Got it?”

  Wren nodded. Tears pooled in his eyes, and Jaeger reached for his face and held his cheek in one hand. “You’ll come back, right?”

  Jaeger nodded his head. If the stars were aligned and everything fell into place, he’d meet Wren shortly. If not, he hoped Wren would make it out on his own. “Go!” he shouted.

  As soon as he made his move, Wren ran for the door. Jaeger emptied his clip into the kitchen, and Javier Chino returned fire. When one clip was empty, Jaeger reloaded, and Javi fired wildly. Wood splintered, bullets zoomed by. The two men tore each other up along with the cabin. Adrenaline coursed through Jaeger’s body as bullet after bullet connected with his flesh, but he forged on until he made the short, torturous trip to the kitchen—and collapsed.

  Javi slumped to the floor and grabbed his stomach. His once-pristine white shirt was soaked through with blood. Jaeger had no idea how many times he’d hit his mark, but if the wound in the man’s gut was any indication, he was dying. His entrails were spilling out.

  Though Jaeger had been hit numerous times in the arms, chest, and leg, he dragged himself to where the cartel thug lay with blood trickling from his mouth and his lungs filling with fluid. Javi’s dark, bloodshot eyes stared up at him. His perfectly coiffed hair no longer held appeal, and the sweat that trickled down his brow and nose mixed with the bits of blood in the corner of his mouth. Jaeger flung Javi’s gun across the floor. The fewer chances he took, the better.

  “Marshal, we finally meet face-to-face. You’ve been a commendable opponent. Under other circumstances, you could have been part of my organization.” Javi’s voice cracked. “It seems our time has come to an end. At least I leave this world knowing one thing.” Coughs wracked his body as blood spewed from his lips. His breathing became labored, and he struggled to speak. “I leave knowing that you’ll never have Wren O’Riley. He won’t make it to testify. This I guarantee. Someone will take over. Don’t you know, Marshal, the bad guys always finish first, and the good guys never win.”

  Jaeger sat slumped over with his gun in his hand and facing the front door in case Javi’s men and brother came back. As he looked down at Javi’s dying form, many things ran through Jaeger’s head. He could leave the man as is or kill him. He made his choice.

  WREN WAITED patiently for Jaeger to return. Hours passed, and he sat on one of the secluded picnic benches on the far side of the rest stop with Jaeger’s cell phone clutched in his hand. Jaeger had left it in the car when he returned to the cabin for the showdown. On the cell phone were Javi’s recorded confession and his implication of SAC Chase.

  A few people came and went as he waited and contemplated his fate. Javi had betrayed him and abandoned him for the chance to lead the cartel and monopolize both family’s businesses. He was so maniacal that he faked his own death. Was Wren the only fucking sane one in the entire lot? He really thought Javier loved him and was prepared to face both families head-on with the truth of their relationship.

  Sadly Javi used him to get what he wanted. And where were they? Javi was in a stand-off with Jaeger, and they might both be dead, even as he sat in a rest stop and waited. But he had promised Jaeger that he’d stay put, and Jaeger had promised to return to him. Wren hoped they could fulfill both promises.

  He’d hurt Jaeger deeply. Wren’s mere presence was an affront to Jaeger. Add to that who his family was and the reappearance of his former lover, and Wren would be lucky if Jaeger even returned.

  He’d fallen in love with Jaeger, and he might never get a chance to tell him. Even if he did, would Jaeger believe him? Forgive him? Wren had no idea what fate held for him after his testimony—where he would be relocated to and under what name. Changing his name would give him a new lease on life, but at a high price. If Jaeger survived and entertained the idea of creating his happily ever after with Wren, how would he find him if his name was not Wren O’Riley? Would the Marshal Service inform him?

  Dread and foreboding fear seeped into Wren’s body the longer he stayed hidden and Jaeger failed to return. Soon the sun would set and night would fall upon the mountain. Wren needed to make another life-changing decision. He could stay and pray that Jaeger resurfaced, or leave with the assumption that Jaeger was dead. He also had Javi’s henchmen to contend with. If they searched for their vehicle and found it and him, his life would be over and everything that had occurred would be for naught.

  He decided to wait a few more hours and then flee the scene with a course set for the city courthouse. If Jaeger died Wren’s testimony would mean all the more to him as he’d avenge the man he’d grown to admire and care for. The job of protection now fell to Wren—to safeguard the flash drive and cell phone that were so important to the case.

  The sky was illuminated with the pinks and purples of the setting sun, and the moon appeared in the distance. A chill descended, and with only jeans and a polo, Wren would soon need cover. High daytime temperatures dropped quickly in the mountains and could cause hypothermia.


  “What the fuck?” A sudden explosion from the direction of the cabin startled him. Had something happened to Jaeger? Who caused the explosion? Wren saw flames in the distance.

  He decided not to take chances. The time had come to move on. Wren strolled to the car he’d taken from Javi’s men. There was little doubt in his mind that the blast took place at the cabin where he and Jaeger had sought refuge, so Wren turned over the engine and peeled out of the parking lot.

  Were Javi and Jaeger dead or alive? Cristobal and the rest of Javi’s men? The only things he knew for sure was that Luis met his maker and that Jaeger and Javi were injured.

  Wren drove at the speed limit through the night—six hours by himself—and stopped only twice for gas and snacks. He needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible and under the radar of law enforcement. So he breathed a sigh of relief once he crossed the George Washington Bridge and eventually settled onto FDR Drive. The GPS had done a fine job of getting him back to the city since Jaeger wasn’t with him to navigate. But Jaeger’s well-being weighed on his mind.

  Wren discovered a hotel a few blocks from the courthouse. It was well after midnight, so Wren parked in the garage, made sure his two prize possessions were safely in his pocket, and sauntered to the concierge desk.

  “I’d like a room for the night, please,” Wren informed the young lady at the counter—name tag Sophia. Even at midnight she gave him a smile.

  “Of course, sir. Driver’s license?”

  Wren carried no identification. Instead of panicking Wren turned on his charm. He hoped it worked and that Sophia, although cheery, was too tired to make a fuss.

  “I’m sorry. Sophia.” Wren made a point to make a personal connection. “I seem to have forgotten my identification—locked in my vehicle. But I do have cash to pay for the evening, if that works. I just got into town, and I’m stopping for the night to rest before I move on. Would it be too much trouble if I simply fill out the guest card? Please?”