Jason leaned over and brushed a tear from her cheek before he pressed a smiling kiss to her temple. “Still afraid they won’t like you?”
She leaned into his side and smiled up at him. “No, they’re wonderful.”
He chuckled, “They’re a mess.”
“You’re lucky.”
“I am.”
Jacob threw a question across the table and Jason turned his attention away to answer. Faith took the break in laughter as an opportunity to take a sip of her sparkling cider. She watched as Jared answered his phone and lifted away from the table. His relaxed demeanor tightened and the smile on his face dropped. His eyes cut from the floor to Jason. Moments later he pocketed his phone and strode over to them. He leaned down and spoke to Jason. The words were too quiet for her to hear.
She squeezed Jason’s leg.
Jason’s rumbled reply wasn’t as soft. “Alright. If that is the way he’s dealing the cards, set it up for tomorrow morning”. He glanced at Jacob and Jewell, who’d stopped talking and were staring at Jason. “Jared and I need a quick word with you. Jewell, I’ll need you and Jacob, too. Justin, do you have a secure area we can talk?”
Justin nodded and fished out small ring of keys. He tossed them to Jason. “The key to my office.”
Jason pulled Faith closer. “I’ll be right back. We need to make a few calls.”
She smiled and kissed her fiancé. “Do what you need to do. I love you.”
“I’ll never get tired of hearing that.” Jason flashed her a quick grin as he got up.
She watched them walk to the back of the restaurant. Tori cleared her throat, drawing her attention back to the table and the three other occupants who remained.
“It’s alright, this type of thing happens. Not often, but in their business, it’s expected.”
Christian nodded. “That’s a given, especially when they are all together. At least one of them will get called away.”
Justin poured some more sparkling cider in Tori and Faith’s glass. “How are you liking retirement, Tori?”
He nodded toward Christian’s wineglass. The man put his hand over the top. He’d nursed one glass of wine all night long. It was obvious he wasn’t a drinker.
Tori almost choked on a swallow of cider at Justin’s question. “Retirement? I have three babies and one on the way. I don’t know where you’ve been living, but Justin, that is not a retirement. I think I need to go back to work to rest!”
“Congratulations on baby number four, by the way.” Christian leaned over and nudged Tori’s shoulder with his. “What are you going to name him?”
“Her.”
Justin laughed. “Do you know, or are you hoping? We Kings breed boys, you know.”
“Oh, believe me, I realize that. No, I’m only picking girl names this time. Trish, Tabitha, Tonya, Tina…”
“Are ‘T’ names special to you? I’ve noticed all your sons have first names that start with ‘T’,” Faith asked.
All three of her table mates laughed. “Well, since we have some time, let me regale you with the family tradition. It started on my dad’s side eons ago and hasn’t been broken in six generations as far as I know. The first letter of the first name of the first child dictates the starting letter for all the family’s children. For example, the King family has eight children that have names starting with ‘J’. When my mom got mad, sometimes she’d run the entire gambit before she’d hit on the right name—and lord forbid if you laughed because she called you the wrong name.”
Tori snickered. “She still does it. The last time we were at the ranch, Miss Amanda was fussing at Joseph and called him Jason. Jason wasn’t even in the same state. Joseph made the mistake of reminding her of that fact. Believe me, it wasn’t pretty.”
Justin and Christian laughed, obviously knowing something she didn’t. Justin looked toward Faith and explained, “My brother Joseph is… well suffice to say, he has a corner on macho.”
“Scary, freaky macho,” Christian chimed in.
“He is intense,” Tori added.
“Anyway, I’ve only seen two people put the man in his place—his wife Ember and my mom. I wouldn’t want to be on their bad sides.”
A bolt of fear ran through Faith. Would Jason’s mom like her? Would she accept Reece?
Tori chuckled. “Don’t believe him, Faith. Amanda is the sweetest woman on the face of the earth, and she happens not only to be my mother-in-law, but she’s also my stepmother.”
Faith blinked. How the heck did that work?
Tori giggled. “Let me help you on that one. My dad was a widower. He met Amanda after Jacob and I were married. They hit it off and the rest, as they say, is history.”
Faith blinked again as she connected the dots. “Oh, well, okay. That makes sense.”
“The Marshalls, Tori, her sister Keelee and Frank, their father, are fantastic people. Tori and I grew up near each other. I was younger, but Keelee and her father went out of their way to watch out for my brothers and me,” said Christian.
“Are your brothers still in… South Dakota… is that right?”
Christian pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and dropped his gaze to the tablecloth. Faith had the sudden and strong impression she’d stepped in something.
Tori reached over and placed her hand on Christian’s. “His brother Gregg still works on the ranch with my dad and sister. He lost his father and older brother Clint a while back. But all that is in the past, and I’m blessed to have Christian here in D.C. to help me out when I get stretched too thin.”
“Yeah, about that. I need to let you know I’ve accepted a job. Well, I say it’s a job, but it doesn’t pay much. However, it works with my school schedule for my last term.”
Justin poured the last of the wine into his own glass as he asked, “Have you told Jason?”
“Not yet. He’ll understand. Besides, it’s not like I’m doing anything illegal. I’m going to work with a shelter and resource center for at-risk teens.”
“I’d kick your ass if you were remotely involved with anything illegal, but I can understand wanting to leave the nest and be your own man. I trust you to lead your own life, Christian; however, I reserve the right to check up on you.” Jason’s voice brought everyone’s head around.
“Right… like you need permission, Jace. You run Guardian.” Christian stood and Jason grabbed the man in a bear hug and slapped his back with a resounding thud.
Tori leaned over toward Faith. “Never, ever let one of these guys hug you. Deadly.”
Faith winked at Jason. “Believe me, I learned that earlier.”
Justin put his hand over his heart. “I’m wounded!”
“Wounds aside, I’m afraid Faith and I need to go. Tori, I’ve given Jacob a few tasks he’ll need to see through to completion tonight. May we give you a ride? I’ll take you both home and then I’m afraid I need to head into the office.”
Jason grasped Faith’s hand, and she squeezed his in understanding. Jason had explained his job, and she knew going into the relationship that his work could lead to insane hours. Obviously, it affected not only him but his brothers and sisters as well.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“We’ve got a problem. You, me, Jacob and Jewell need to talk.”
Jason glanced at Jared at the hushed words. The look he received was one he’d know anywhere. He lifted from the table and excused himself after he’d grabbed the keys to Justin’s office.
Jason waited for Jewell to close the office door before he leaned against his brother’s desk, crossed his arms over his chest and leveled his stare at Jared. “Alright, we’re here. What happened?”
“The switchboard intercepted a message for you, or rather the ‘you’ that we allow to be seen on the web page for the business. It seems Reece’s father has staked a claim on his son.”
Jacob’s strong grip on his shoulder and Jared inserting himself between the door and Jason were the only things that kept him in the office long
enough for Jared to continue. “He wants five million in cash to give up parental rights. He alleged he has photographic evidence Faith is an unfit mother. He’s giving you 72 hours to come up with the cash.”
“He’s calling back?” Jason ground out the question.
“Yep. Stupid fucker thinks you are the CEO of our cover company. He warned you not to go to the cops or he’d release the photos.” Jared returned his smirk. Jason glanced at Jewell and Jacob before he took a deep breath and brushed off Jacob’s restraining hand. “Alright. That bastard is done. Jewell, I want you to call in your best people. I want every piece of dirt on that bastard that they can uncover. If he posts any pictures…”
“Not on my watch. Trust me, if he posts them I’ll pull them. How much time do I have to find shit on this asshole?” She cast her comments to him almost as an afterthought as her fingers flew over the keyboard of her phone.
“For the initial intel, twelve hours. We can build from that point, but I need a solid foundation to base our actions. The bastard is a cancer. He’ll leave a trail. Find it. Follow it and get me what I need.”
Jewell nodded but didn’t look away from her phone. He’d lost her, but even when she was deep inside her own head, she was one of the best assets he had.
“Jacob, I’ll need…” Jason lifted his eyes and searched the ceiling while he thought through his plan, “…three teams.”
“This is domestic, Jace.”
He expected Jared’s comment. “I know, but I’ve done my due diligence on Hit. His compound is easy to defend, and even if we were able to recall fifteen of your guys they wouldn’t be trained to do what I need. Your guys will be there to ensure the evidence and crime scene is processed, but for the initial takedown, we need Jacob’s expertise. It isn’t a slight against you or your people.”
Jared’s eyes locked onto his as if weighing his sincerity. He must have found what he wanted, because he nodded before he shifted and cast a glance at Jacob.
Jason turned toward his youngest brother too. “Three teams. Work the logistics, firearms, comms, any equipment you think we’ll need. Have Jewell get you the location of the clubhouse or any other location she thinks he may be hiding. Ping her team for any information they can provide for plotting the breach.” Jacob nodded his acknowledgement and palmed his phone.
Jared put his hand on Jacob’s arm, stilling the man’s actions. “Jace, there is one person who has firsthand knowledge of the compound.”
Jason turned back to Jared. “Faith will know nothing about this, Jared. Reece is her world. That bastard is threatening our little boy, and I won’t put her through this scum’s play at using me to get rich quick.”
Jacob cleared his throat before he spoke. “I wouldn’t put Tori through it. I agree with Jason, Jared. We go in with the information we can gather. Not like we haven’t gone in blind as bats before. Unfortunately, we are damn good at it.”
Jason agreed. They were good at it, and that’s why he was using the spec ops teams. Guardian might have separate and highly specialized organizational missions, but under his watch, he’d use whatever assets he had to ensure his people’s safety. He looked at Jared and continued, “The last time I did a check on that bastard he was in Detroit. Work with Jewell and locate him, then work your network, do your magic and get me jurisdiction. I’ll work with the local LEOs, but I’ll be damned if I’ll answer to them.”
“Depending on the information Jewell can get, we’ll try to go for a federal warrant. We can easily usurp the local and state agencies that way.”
Fuck, he didn’t want to put Faith through this. Maybe he should just pay him. No, that won’t solve a damn thing. Lowlife scum like him would never go away, they’d just fester and want more. He’d seen it too many times to count. Jason closed his eyes and nodded. He held a tight rein on the red-hot hatred that boiled so fucking close to the surface of his skin it itched. Hit. So that bastard wanted to dance with the devil, did he? Well Jason would sure as hell provide the band, play the music, and spin that motherfucker across the parquet floor for his last fucking dance. But first he needed to get Faith home and then get back to Guardian. It was going to be a long fucking night.
***
Jason hit the mic on his radio and eyed the derelict Detroit building his snipers occupied. “Eagle One, status?”
The radio crackled. “In place. No bogies on rooftop. Three… no, four men outside, no visible weapons. Thirty-four motorcycles, four MPVs.”
Damn it. Thirty-four motorcycles and four multi-person vehicles. Figuring four people per vehicle there were fifty people in the compound. Jason looked across the graveled driveway at the locals’ command post and rolled his shoulders. “Roger that, Eagle One, Arch Angel copies all.”
“Sir, we’re ready.” Jason glanced at Lima Team leader and nodded. “Five minutes.” Jason headed in the direction where Jared lounged against the Detroit PD cruiser. “You got this handled?”
“Yep. They’ll clean up. They get the credit, we do the dirty work. Same day, different op.” Jared uncoiled and followed Jason as he passed. Jacob waited at the rally point with Lima Team. Tango Team deployed around the perimeter of the compound at the same time as the snipers took their position. Anyone who thought they’d escape the evening’s entertainment would be stopped. Hard.
Jason checked his gear one last time. “Alright. Tango Team will fall in behind us once we’ve cleared the exterior. His watch vibrated on his wrist. Time to go. He pulled his .45 and nodded to his brothers.
Eight men ghosted against the side of the building, their approach soundless except for the soft thud of weighted leather soles hitting cement and asphalt. Jason lifted his arm and closed his fist, stopping the team’s forward movement. He visually cleared the approach. A hushed whisper drifted through his earpiece. “Entrance clear. Two men right, two left. Left obscured by south side of the building.”
Jason clicked his mic once, acknowledging the sniper’s intelligence. He lowered his hand, knowing his team had heard the same information. They crossed the street in a crouch with weapons drawn. Lima Team disposed of the lock on the gate and clipped the chain-link fence next to the post. The fence rattled against the bolt cutters, freezing every member of the team. Jason eyed the man who’d made the noise. Thirty seconds later they entered the compound. Jacob, Jared and two team members went left behind the building. Jason and the three remaining members headed right.
The ‘guards’ lounged against an old truck. From the stench in the air they’d decided not to miss the party even though they had guard duty. The distinct smell of marijuana tickled Jason’s senses. Fucking idiots.
Jason lifted to his full height and walked up behind the men. He tapped the largest on the shoulder. The man startled and turned. Jason’s closed fist met the man’s chin seconds before he grabbed the other man’s neck and slammed his head into the hood of the truck. The second guard’s body did an impressive imitation of a Slinky as he slithered to the ground unconscious.
He motioned his team forward, knowing Jacob’s team would meet them at the entrance they’d chosen. Casting an eye toward the gate he saw Tango Team slip through the open fence line and head toward the back of the facility. So far, so good.
Entering the building and clearing the first floor netted them six hardcore MC members. They went down by the numbers. Hogtied with heavy-duty zip ties and locked in a room with a heavy door, they no longer posed a threat.
Jason split the thirteen Guardian members surrounding him into two teams. They ascended the stairs and timed their entrance to the second. Jason cleared the door and dropped into a defensive stance. He froze. His team froze. Jacob’s team didn’t move.
“What in the fuck?” Jared whispered next to him.
“Literally.” Jason straightened. At least twenty naked bodies writhed against each other in an entangled mass of arms, legs, and every other conceivable body part. The smell of sex hung heavy in the air. “It’s a fucking orgy.”
“Repeat
that, Arch Angel?”
Based on the tangle of humanity, none of the people currently sucking, fucking and being fucked were an escape risk. It would take too long to clear them out. They’d keep an eye on their six but they needed to find the fucker who’d threatened his family. Jason cleared his throat whispered his response. “Eagle One, relay to Guardian assets and DPD, six males on first floor are secured and waiting. We need recovery assets on the second floor. Moving to the third floor.”
“Roger. Did you really say orgy, sir?”
Jacob’s voice cut across the radio. “Eagle One, protocols.”
“Affirmative, Alpha One.” The sniper’s voice lacked any of the previous humor.
Jason motioned to the stairwell and both teams backed out of the room completely unnoticed. The doors on either end of the hall opened at the same time. The third floor, unlike the second floor, was partitioned into smaller rooms. Jason motioned for Jacob to start the search on his side of the floor. They cleared the floor together, working toward the middle.
Jason’s heart pounded out a staccato rhythm. They had three rooms left. He cracked a door open and shut immediately. He snapped his fingers, bringing every eye toward him. He motioned toward the door and indicated the five men he saw. With American Sign Language he signed: Five. All armed. No good visual.
Jacob nodded. Jason waited until the entire team had readied outside the door. He repositioned and allowed one of Lima Team to take the handle of the door. He was going to be the first one through the door, and no man on the face of the earth would stop him. Lifting his hand he counted it down. Five. Four. Three. Two…
Jason went in heavy, as did the rest of his team. He had a .45 in his hand and an Interceptor 911 strapped to his leg. His teams bore more firepower than most small armies. When the son of a bitch who’d dared to threaten his family saw him and his men, he turned a sick shade of green. It was almost comical.
Jason (Kings of Guardian #4) Page 17