“Extremists like this are tricky. They hold on to their ideas even when confronted with logic and reason. Compromise is difficult when they are deeply rooted in their beliefs.”
Jay didn’t believe the negotiator, or anyone, would deter Otis from carrying out his deadly plan.
Jay left the negotiator and Cruz to work out a plan for what they hoped to accomplish with the first call and when to send in the tactical team, if at all because of the bombs, if and when Otis refused to cooperate. He caught King behind the tactical vehicle, sneaking in to grab some gear. “You know I can’t sanction you going in there.”
“Damn it, Jay, I love her. I’m not leaving her in there to die alone.” King never used his first name on the job, but this wasn’t just any job to King. This was personal. “I’m going in whether you like it or not.”
Jay’s phone pinged, not dinged, with another text, signaling this one wasn’t business, but personal. Jay turned the phone over and quickly read the message.
Alina: Call me back NOW!!!!!!!!!
He’d had no right to text her that message earlier and then leave her hanging. He hated that his job had to come first. But King was about to put his life on the line and Jay needed to be ready to back him up. Because that’s what friends do. And first and foremost, they were friends, even if Jay was the boss.
King tilted his head and eyed Jay and the way he tried to hide the phone and the embarrassment heating his face. “Why are you getting text messages from Alina?”
Jay swore. No sense lying. Not when King was so deeply personally involved in this case. And he’d just been caught. “After the bomb and nearly dying tonight, I texted her a message better said face-to-face.” Jay looked away, not wanting to give anything more away.
King clamped his hand on Jay’s shoulder. “I get it, man. That bomb made so many things clear to me. Like what and who are important to me.”
Intense situations tended to do that. He appreciated King’s support, though he expected King to warn him away from Alina because she was Caden and Trigger’s sister.
“As much as I’d love to call my family, Cara is in there facing everything bad in her life. Whatever I have to do, I’m getting her out of that building alive.” King squeezed Jay’s arm. “Call Alina, then you can say you never saw me sneak away.”
Jay leaned in past him and grabbed a bulletproof vest out of the tactical vehicle. “Put that on and take this.” Jay pulled his gun from his back and handed it over to King. “You’re the best shot we have—take them down.”
King pulled the vest over his head. He winced with pain when the vest brushed the lump on the back of his head. His movements were slow and deliberate. The pain obvious in every line on King’s face.
Jay helped pull the vest into place and secured the side straps as King tucked the gun between the vest and his stomach. “I’m barely on my feet after that bomb nearly blew us to hell. I don’t know how you’re still standing with that head injury.”
King glanced at the gash on Jay’s forehead, reminding him that they were in the same condition. Sheer will and waning adrenaline kept them both from giving in to the pain and exhaustion.
Jay tapped King on the chest. “Don’t get killed.”
King eyed the vehicles and men surrounding the building. “Tell everyone out here not to shoot when I send her out.”
Jay grabbed King’s arm and held him still. “You mean when you come out with her.”
“However it goes down.”
Jay didn’t like King’s fatalist attitude. He didn’t like sending his friend into a situation where he believed he wasn’t coming out, because he’d sacrifice everything for Cara.
Jay felt the same way about Alina.
This time when Jay’s phone rang, he answered it and the need to hear her voice.
Chapter Twenty-One
Alina stood in the open door and tried to hold it together. With her gut tied in knots and her heart in her throat, she didn’t know how much longer she could pretend she was okay.
“If you want me to stay, I will.” Beck stood on Jay’s porch, sticking back to talk to her while Ashley loaded Adam into their car. They’d returned from their honeymoon and decided that it didn’t matter how late it was, they wanted to see Adam and take him home with them.
Sweet, but with Jay in trouble of some kind and her unable to reach him, all she wanted was for her brother to leave so she could try Jay again without Beck knowing how desperate she was to hear Jay’s voice. And why.
“I’m perfectly safe here. They’ve found nothing about the car crash that leads to an ongoing threat. I’ve got a guard. I’ll actually feel better knowing Adam is away from me and with you just in case someone is targeting me.”
“You know we’ll find out and keep you safe. Come home with me.”
She shook her head. “You just got back. After all you, Ashley, and Adam have been through, I don’t want to bring more trouble to your door. I’m fine here.”
Beck’s usual intense vibe amped up and deepened his frown. “I’m not so sure the trouble didn’t find you because of me.”
“If it did, it’s not your fault. I understand the game and how hard you guys play to win.” Like tonight, Jay put his life on the line to take down a drug dealer. She had no idea what happened, but he’d had to keep his focus on the job instead of talking to her after he’d sent those text messages.
Something dire made him send those messages and kept him from contacting her again. What, she didn’t know, but a thousand tragic nightmares filled her mind.
As much as she wanted to get Beck on the phone to the DEA and find out what happened, she didn’t want her brother’s first hours home to suck him back into work before he even had time to unpack. That wasn’t fair. She needed to believe in Jay and his abilities and those of the men he worked with to keep him safe. Men like her brothers.
She had to have faith.
Though the longer her phone remained silent, the more her confidence waned.
Beck studied her harder. The man was a human lie detector and adept at ferreting out secrets. “Is something else bothering you?”
She tried to stay calm. She didn’t want to lie so stuck as close to the truth as possible. “Jay’s helping King tonight. I’ve heard a little about the case. I hope everything goes their way.”
“Jay’s got the experience and tactical mind to make it go their way. You don’t need to worry.”
She couldn’t stop worrying after his texts. Nothing was a given in their line of work. Taking down one of the top lieutenants in a drug cartel meant facing life and death because those guys didn’t go down without a fight.
Beck’s gaze sharpened on her face. “You really are worried.” He touched her shoulder. “Sis, I know he went above and beyond for you after the accident. I appreciate it more than I can say. If you want, I’ll call the office and see if I can get an update on what’s going on.”
She shook her head. “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s been really good to me and Adam. When you and Caden are on the job, I worry, but I’ve never been this in on what you guys do. I guess knowing what he’s doing, what he’s facing, it kind of puts your job and what you go through into perspective even more and brings it up close and personal.”
“Caden and I always come back, right?”
She hugged Beck, and it eased her heart. “I don’t think I told you how happy I am for you and Ashley.”
Beck rubbed her back. “You did. But don’t think Caden and I didn’t notice something seemed off with you. What’s going on? Does it have to do with your accident?”
She leaned back and pressed her lips together for a moment. “No.” It had everything to do with Jay, but she’d keep that to herself a little longer. At least until she and Jay had a minute to settle into this thing between them that seemed to get more intense with every passing day. She needed time to think, breathe, and just be with him. She really wanted him to be standing in front of her right now instead of Beck. “Seeing
you and Caden so happy on your wedding day, it just made me want that even more for myself.”
Beck hooked his hand around her shoulder and held her tight. “You’ll find it.” He gave her a rare smile. “Try to get some sleep.”
“Drive carefully.”
“I will. I’ll check in with work tomorrow, see what’s going on with King and Jay, but I know they’ve got things under control. It’s tough waiting, but when they’re in the thick of it, it’s best to let them focus and get the job done.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” I pray he’s okay.
Beck studied her face, but didn’t say anything before he turned and walked down the porch steps toward his car. “We’ll figure out your situation in the next couple of days. We’ll get you home as soon as possible.”
She waved Beck off and closed the door on the house that felt more and more like home. If only the man who lived here was with her right now.
She stood in the foyer, staring at Jay’s office. She saw the baseball he and Adam played with lying on his desk, the neat stack of folders, the pens in a mason jar, the books on the shelves alongside framed photos of Jay, family, and friends. She hadn’t noticed the one of him with her brothers and a few other men from the DEA, standing behind a table stacked with drugs. Must have been a big bust for them.
She couldn’t deal with the quiet and being surrounded by reminders of him. She pulled her too-silent phone from her pocket and called him again, hoping he answered, but expecting his voice mail yet again. Even the sound of his voice right now might be enough to soothe her overactive imagination.
“I’m okay, sweetheart.” Jay’s strong and steady voice eased her aching heart.
The endearment sent tears to her eyes. Intense emotions she couldn’t even decipher clogged her throat. “I . . . I . . . Are you really okay?”
“Please don’t cry. I’m in the thick of it here. I still have so much to do, but if you cry, I don’t know . . . I can’t get to you right now.”
She sucked in a ragged breath, wiped her eyes with one hand, then raked her fingers through her hair and held the top away from her face and tried to contain her emotions. “I’m not crying. Of course, I’m not crying. I just needed to hear your voice. And you’re fine, and I’m okay. So okay. Everything is okay.”
“It is now that I’ve heard your voice.” The weariness in his killed her.
“Will it be over soon?”
“I don’t know. King’s just walked into a trap I hope he can get out of. If not . . .” Desperation filled Jay’s words but underneath ran his confidence in King.
“He’ll make it out.” The best she could do right now was support him. “You said there was an explosion. Are you hurt?” The five seconds of silence sent a bolt of panic through her system. “Jay? Are. You. Hurt?”
“I’m on my feet, but I won’t lie, as soon as this is over, I’ll probably need to go to the hospital.”
Panic turned to terror and amped her heart rate to hummingbird speed. Instinct took over and she started searching for her purse and keys to a car she didn’t have anymore. “I’ll call . . .” What the hell was the guard’s name? “The guy into the house. He’ll bring me to you.” She rushed from the kitchen toward the front door. “Where?”
“Shots fired,” someone in the background shouted.
“Stay put, Alina. I’ll call you later. I . . . I have stuff to say, but it has to wait. I’m sorry.” He hung up on her without telling her where he was or what hospital they’d take him to or why he needed to go in the first place.
“‘I’m on my feet.’ The damn man hangs up on me and that’s all he says.” She flung the front door open, took a second to remember who was watching her tonight, and yelled, “Joey, we’re leaving!”
She stood on the porch barely able to contain the urge to stomp her foot with impatience. About to yell for him again, she opened her mouth but snapped it shut when Joey ran around the corner of the house.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She rushed down the steps. “No. We need to go.”
“Where?”
“I don’t really know for sure, but you’re going to find out for me.”
Joey ran his hand over his dark hair. “Uh, I’m supposed to protect you. Here.”
“Either drive me where I want to go, or I’ll go wake up Jay’s mother and make her take me. Either way, we’re leaving.” She jumped down the steps from the porch and headed for Joey’s SUV, calling over her shoulder, “It’s useless to argue. We’re going to see Jay.”
Joey ran after her. “He’s on a case. You can’t just go see him.”
“He’s been injured and will be taken to the hospital soon. I will be there when he gets there.”
Joey unlocked the doors with his key fob. He climbed in behind the wheel. She sat in the passenger seat and pulled her seat belt on, though it rubbed against her bruises and made her shoulder and chest throb with pain.
“I know you can get the name of the hospital from work.”
Joey eyed her, scrunched his mouth into a perturbed half frown, then started the engine. “I thought this gig would be easy. He’s going to kill me. You know that, right?”
“You can tell him I threatened you.”
“With what?” Joey shook his head, but drove down the driveway anyway. “I could take you out with one hand.”
“You’ve got a long drive to come up with something both good and plausible he’ll believe.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Every bruise and sore muscle throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. She should move, shift to a more comfortable position, but that required energy Alina just didn’t have after spending the night in the uncomfortable chair beside Jay’s hospital bed.
She’d beat him here, but hadn’t been allowed to see him until the doctors had completed their exams, run their tests, stitched and bandaged him up, and settled him in the room exhausted and out for the night. Then, and only then, did they allow her in for what they said was a brief visit. She’d simply refused to leave. With a DEA agent watching the door, they didn’t see the harm and withdrew from the battle she was ready to fight if they tried to have her removed.
It took her a moment to realize Jay’s eyes were open. She’d been staring at him so long, her vision had become blurry with fatigue.
She’d propped her legs on the bed beside Jay. He reached out and rubbed her knee, her sock-covered feet tucked in his armpit. His still groggy but sharp gaze swept over her. “Are you okay?”
After the sleepless night she’d had, not so much. Sweet that he cared, especially with him lying prone and unconscious for hours.
She gripped the chair arms and pulled herself up straight, easing her feet to the floor and straight into her sneakers. She took a moment to tug them on, holding back the groan as her achy body protested the movement.
“Alina?”
She tamped down the unwarranted anger rolling in her gut, stood, and leaned over him. His eyes were clear if not wary. She kissed his forehead next to the bandage covering his stitched gash, leaned back, touched her hand to his face, and stared down at him. “How do you feel?”
She felt a million times better, seeing him awake and alert. And even as that relief washed through her, last night’s fear flared to life, too, bringing with it the nightmare of what happened to him. What could happen to him in the future.
He gripped her arms and held her still. “Better seeing you here.”
Alina’s cell buzzed on the blankets with yet another text, the fourth in the last hour. She barely glanced at it.
“What’s that about?”
Alina rolled her eyes. “Noel. Checking on me. Again.” Since the accident, he’d become obsessed with making sure she was okay. Like a gnat buzzing at her ear, she wanted to swat him away and be left alone.
“Is that what has you so upset?”
“No. I’m upset because last night I got this disturbing text that you’d been blown up, then those te
xts stopped coming, and I waited and waited and waited in frantic desperation to hear from you.”
His eyes clouded with regret. “Alina.”
“When I finally do speak to you, you tell me you need to go to the hospital but you can’t because you’re still working but you’re on your feet.” She slipped from his grasp and stood over him, raking her fingers through her hair. “You’re still standing!” The incredulous tone made him wince.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn’t have reached out to you—”
She fisted her hands at her sides. “Shut up.”
His eyes went wide, then resignation set in. “You’re angry.”
She shook her head because the anger only hid the deeper feeling that sent her running here to his bedside. Fear. All-out terror that she’d lose him. Tears welled in her eyes. Tears she hadn’t allowed herself to shed last night.
He grabbed hold of her arms again. “Oh God, don’t cry. I don’t know what to do if you cry.”
She sucked in a ragged breath. “You scared me.”
His frown didn’t deter her.
“I did this with Beck not even a year ago. Sat by his bed, hoping he’d wake up and be okay.”
Jay shook his head and rubbed his hands up her arms and back down to soothe her. “This isn’t that serious.”
“This time.” The desperate text message he’d sent her, the details of what Jay had been through last night that Joey got for her as she waited to see Jay, it all came in a rush of fear that made her heart thrash against her sore ribs. “Someone tried to blow you up.”
He pulled his hands away and clasped them over his stomach like he needed to restrain himself from touching her. “I admit, it was a close call. One I don’t want to repeat, believe me.” He touched his head and winced, then stared down at his bandaged leg propped on a pillow. “In the back of my mind, I knew you didn’t want any part of this. Though I have to admit, I thought maybe . . .”
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