Fatal Courage: Shadow Force International, Book 3 (Shadow Force International Romantic Suspense Series)

by Misty Evans

  Paula looked a tad confused for a moment. “Why do you care if people know you visited my little bed and breakfast?”

  “You should be more careful who you open your door to,” Beatrice said, struggling with her seatbelt. The poor strap could only reach so far. “In addition, I strongly suggest you change that egregious wallpaper throughout the house. Someone might kill you for your abhorrent taste in decor.”

  Jax piled into the backseat next to Ruby as Hunter shut Beatrice’s door and hustled around to the driver’s seat. Paula stood, wringing her hands and looking even more confused.

  “You have to stop using such big words, boss,” Jax said, chuckling. He leaned forward, reached around Beatrice, and grabbed the seatbelt out of her hand. “We talked about that, remember?”

  She smacked his hand. “What did I say that a person of average IQ couldn’t understand?”

  He didn’t let go of the belt, managing to snap it into place. “Abhorrent is one thing, but egregious? Come on. No one uses that word. Next time, try ‘appalling’ or plain ol’ ‘flat-ass ugly.’”

  Beatrice’s chest rose on a slow, deep breath, as if she were struggling to control her irritation. Her gaze focused on the cop car pulling out ahead of them. “Curse words are base and uncalled for.”

  Jax sat back as Hunter took off after Rolands. He winked at Ruby. “They get the point across, don’t they?”

  “Oh, Jaxon,” Beatrice sighed, but she sounded like a tired mother rather than an aggravated boss.

  The cruiser generated a lot of dust as they took a dirt road off the main one Ruby and Jax had walked to get to the B&B. “Where are we going?” Ruby asked.

  Hunter shrugged. “I imagine the chief knows a short cut.”

  Good thinking. “What do you plan to do with Elliot once we catch him?” she asked Beatrice.

  Beatrice took a pair of sunglasses from her bag but didn’t put them on. “That depends on you, Agent McKellen.”

  “Call me Ruby, please.”

  The woman shot her a look over her shoulder. “What do you wish to do with Elliot Hayden?”

  There was something in the steady gaze she gave Ruby over her shoulder. A question under the question. Ruby felt like Beatrice, out of any of them, might understand her predicament. “I need to know the truth.”

  A slight nod. “I’ll make sure you have time to speak to him before we turn him over to the CIA. My only request is that Jax is present during the interview.”

  In other words, Jax would interrogate him. Beatrice wanted answers too. “Jax doesn’t have clearance to…”

  “It’s Jax or me,” Beatrice said. “Your choice.”

  Jax had his head turned, pretending to be interested in the passing landscape. Ruby could still see the grin on his face.

  Ruby met Beatrice’s gaze. “Who did you work for before you took this gig?”

  “I suppose that does matter to you, doesn’t it?”

  “It does.”

  “Fair enough. I was NSA. Part of a specialized, top-secret group called Command & Control. I can assure you, my clearance level was beyond anything you’ve ever even heard of.”

  “But you don’t work for the government anymore. Your former clearance level means jack squat.”

  There it was again, that flare in her eyes and the slight crook of her lips. “I like you, Agent McKellen. You’re passionate but intelligent. An agent who knows when to bluff and when to be a straight shooter. But let me make this very clear to you. While you are currently a client of Rock Star Security because of Emit’s insistence, I’m running this show. My main concern is for Jax’s safety. Secondary to that, is the safety of Emit Petit’s company. If you don’t like the way I handle things, Trace will stop the vehicle and you can exit it. Meanwhile, I will find Agent Hayden and bring him in. Once again, your choice.”

  God, what a hardass. Beatrice made the Colonel look like an easy boss in comparison. She could only imagine what would happen if she put the two of them in a room and let them duke it out.

  But down the road, Ruby could use a hardass like Beatrice to help her get her position with the Colonel’s secret army back. Might be wise to keep Beatrice in her friendly column.

  Besides, what real choice did she have? This little party would definitely catch up to Elliot before she did and she was out of resources.

  She wiggled her bare feet, sore from walking on blacktop and gravel. “Jax it is, then,” she said, twisting the Rock Star bracelet still around her wrist. Sometimes you had to play along to get what you wanted. “You’re welcome to sit in on the interview as well, Ms. Reese.”

  A slow, knowing smile crept over Beatrice’s features. “You are good, Agent McKellen. I see why Elliot wanted you as his partner.”

  The burn of betrayal ate like acid in her stomach. Up ahead, she saw the cruiser pull to an abrupt stop along the side of the road.

  “What is it?” Jax asked, sitting forward.

  “Body,” Hunter replied. He drew up behind the cop car. “In the ditch.”

  Ruby was out of the SUV before it came to a full stop, Zeb exiting the cruiser and looking down into a clump of tall grass in the ditch.

  Rocks bit into her already sore feet as she tore across the gravel, not missing the trail of blood on the dirt road. The grass was slick from the rain, causing her to slide and nearly go down on her butt.

  A strong hand grabbed her from behind and hauled her back up. “Whoa there, sweetheart,” Jax said. “Let Rolands take a look first.”

  Ruby’s eyes locked on the blood trail that led to a folded down patch a few feet away. A body lay facedown, the sun, now low on the horizon, spilled soft rays across a head of blond hair. The man’s clothes were streaked with dirt and blood.

  He didn’t appear to be breathing.

  “It’s him,” she whispered as the Chief snapped on latex gloves.

  Time seemed to freeze as Rolands leaned over and felt for a pulse.

  “He’s dead, isn’t he?” Ruby asked.

  Rolands silenced her with a glare, stayed stationary for a minute longer. Finally he drew his hand away. “Not yet,” he said, carefully rolling the body over.

  The sight of Elliot’s face made her breath catch. He was gray, a large bruise on one cheek, blood streaming from his hairline.

  Rolands shook his head as he eased him onto his back. “But he’s about as close as you can get to meeting his Maker.”

  TRACE STOOD NEXT to Beatrice’s open window. “Should I call 911?” he asked as they watched Jax approach Hayden’s broken and battered body.

  “No.” She reached down next to her leg—which was no easy feat, thanks to her gigantic belly—and brought out Jax’s medical bag. He’d left it in his car back in Chicago. “Let Jax stabilize him, then we’ll move him to an approved medical clinic.”

  “If he can stabilize him,” Trace said, taking the bag through the window. “Looks like the guy’s been shot.”

  Jax appeared to come to the same conclusion as he lifted his head. “GSW, left thigh. He’s bleeding out.”

  Ruby stood beside the road, body frozen, eyes locked on the scene in front of her. Her shock was palpable, and for a moment, Beatrice felt the urge to hug her and tell her everything would be all right.

  The baby is making me soft.

  Logically, there was no way in Hades that Elliot Hayden was going to make it out of whatever jam he’d gotten himself into. Whether he was the culprit behind all of this or simply a pawn, he had obviously ran afoul of someone very powerful.

  “I’ll call 911,” Rolands said, hitting the mike on his shoulder to alert his dispatcher.

  “Don’t.” Trace stepped forward so quickly, he was a blur as he reached out and stopped Rolands’ hand. “There are people after this man. People who are monitoring their scanners for any type of call like this.”

  The Chief’s face went hard. “The man needs medical treatment.”

  Trace raised the black bag and held it out to Jax. “And he’s going to recei
ve it.”

  Jax snapped his attention from the bag to Beatrice with a question on his handsome face. He gave her a tiny shake of his head. “He needs surgery and a whole lot of blood.”

  Beatrice was already on her phone, dialing Rory. Trace resumed his post as her bodyguard, scanning the area with his razor-sharp gaze. “You know what to do to stabilize him until we reach an appropriate facility, Jaxon,” she said.

  Appropriate in this case meant an SFI-approved clinic, where no one would find them or even know they’d been there.

  “Beatrice…” Jax’s voice was full of warning. “I’m not qualified to treat this man.”

  Trace kept his attention glued on the dirt road and fields around them. His voice was soft as he murmured to her. “I can help him if need be.”

  “Not necessary,” Beatrice replied. Then she raised her voice to speak to Jax once more. “The lack of the initials MD behind your name is a moot point. You’re a medic with plenty of field experience treating gunshot wounds. Stabilize Hayden and let’s get out of here.”

  Rory picked up on the other end of the secure line and Beatrice watched Jax wrestle with his conscious a moment longer as she gave Rory their coordinates and explained their situation. “I need a facility to handle Hayden’s care and recovery. Jax believes he needs surgery and a blood transfusion.”

  Making up his mind, Jax opened his bag and went to work.

  Surprisingly, Ruby fell to her knees next to him and began handing him gloves and bandages.

  As Rory searched for what they needed, Beatrice watched Jax and Ruby work to save Hayden’s life. It was as if Ruby read Jax’s mind, handing him supplies without him even asking.

  They make a good team.

  But when had she begun thinking of the woman as Ruby rather than Agent McKellen?

  That was unfortunate, both the fact that Jax was sleeping with her and that Beatrice was growing soft about her. Like Hayden, Ruby was in deep, whether she realized it or not. Extracting her from the clutches of whatever government cover-up was involved would be not be easy.

  Beatrice wished she could share an ounce of her intelligence with Jax and give him a clearer picture of what he was facing. Not that he wasn’t smart and savvy—he wouldn’t be on her team if he wasn’t—but hormones inflated his little brain and cut off his big brain’s IQ until his logic became completely buried.

  “Jesus, you are in the boonies,” Rory said. “If you needed a cornfield or a pig farm, you’d be set. A clinic like you’re talking about is at least forty miles away.”

  With Chief Rolands running point for them, they could get there in under half an hour. “Send me the coordinates,” Beatrice told him. “Make sure they’re ready for us.”

  “Roger that,” Rory said. “Before you hang up, there’s someone who wants to talk to you.”

  Emit’s voice took over. “B, what the hell are you doing?”

  “Apprehending our target, who at the moment is bleeding out. What do you need?”

  “You’re supposed to be in DC getting ready to have a kid.”

  Jax was sticking an IV in Hayden’s arm while Ruby held a pile of bandages on his leg. Rolands stepped forward to hold the IV bag above Hayden’s body. “The baby is uncooperative and I have a job to do.”

  Strained silence. “I could have gone out and retrieved Jax and Agent McKellen. You didn’t need to fly here and take over.”

  “I have experience with government cover-ups. My expertise was needed.”

  “You’re having a goddamn baby, and a woman as far along as you is not supposed to fly. What if the baby has problems?”

  “There is no evidence that flying is harmful to an unborn child or the mother if the mother is in good health. I am in good health and so is my son.”

  Another round of silence, full-throttle exasperation coming through the invisible phone line. “Do you know how many ways your husband is going to kill me when he finds out you’re here?”

  “He already knows and I suspect he’s on his way to Chicago to drag me back to DC against my will at this very moment. I’m here, so arguing is a waste of your time and mine. Let me get Elliot Hayden to a safe clinic and I’ll deal with Cal when I’m done.”

  She hung up before Emit could say anything else.

  Jax put a stethoscope to Hayden’s heart, felt for a pulse. “We’re losing him,” he announced, straddling Hayden and starting CPR.

  Ruby grabbed Hayden’s hand and watched Jax pumping on the man’s chest. “Please save him, Jax. You have to save him.”

  Jax was singing. Beatrice couldn’t quite make out the tune, but it sounded familiar. “Is that Staying Alive, the pop song?” she asked Trace.

  Her bodyguard glanced at her. “Most med students learn to sing that song, at least mentally, or Another One Bites the Dust, while performing the recommended one hundred chest compressions per minute. Both songs have the appropriate beat.”

  Why did she not know this?

  “Sure you don’t want me to help out?” Trace asked. “He’s in great shape, but he can’t keep up compressions for more than a minute or two. No one can. Except maybe, me.”

  Beatrice weighed the pros and cons. Zeb shot her a look over Ruby’s distress. “Zeb,” she called. “Watch our six. Trace, help Jax.”

  Trace nodded, switching places with Zeb, and then taking Jax’s place over Hayden, continuing the chest compressions.

  “Adrenaline, in my bag, Ruby,” Jax ordered as he shook out his hands. “Can you find it?”

  Ruby bit her lip, let go of Hayden, and came up with the syringe from the bag a second later. “Is this it?”

  She handed it to Jax, who nodded and tore the plastic covering off. Taking his place at Hayden’s head, he primed the syringe, brought it up, paused, and plunged it down, straight into Hayden’s heart.

  The body convulsed, Trace stopped chest compressions, and Jax slowly pushed down the head of the syringe.

  Seconds ticked by. Jax removed the needle from Hayden’s heart, threw it down and leaned over to put his ear next to the man’s lips.

  Hayden was stone still. So was Jax. His massive body was so inanimate, Beatrice found herself holding her own breath in anticipation. Jax closed his eyes and Beatrice thought oh no.

  They’d lost Elliot Hayden.

  Now they’d never know who he’d been working with or what plan he had put in motion. They’d never know what had cost the man his life. His and Nelson’s and James’.

  Ruby’s shoulders shook, her sobs silent. Her chin went to her chest.

  “Dammit,” Zeb swore, shaking his head.

  And then, without warning, Jax reared back and sent a fist into Hayden’s chest. “You goddamn bastard.” His voice echoed across the field. He reared back and hit him again. “Don’t you dare die on me.”

  A moment later, Elliot Hayden’s body convulsed. His eyes flew open and he sucked in a sharp breath.

  Chapter Seventeen

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  TRACE HUNTER MOVED off Elliot and Ruby didn’t know whether to throw herself at her former partner and hug the crap out of him, or slap him across the face for scaring her to death.

  Slapping an injured man who’d just come back from the dead was loathsome and barbaric, so she threw herself at him instead.

  “Elliot!” She cradled his face, touched his shoulders. “It’s me, Ruby.”

  His eyes were dazed, pupils unfocused as he stared past her at the sky. His mouth moved, but no words came out.

  “Ruby, back up,” Jax said.

  His face was tense, a muscle in his jaw jumping, brows drawn in a severe frown. Looking at the man who’d saved her partner, she nearly threw herself at him as well. “Thank you for saving him. You’re amazing.”

  At her words, a light came into his eyes. Confidence. Pride. And then it was gone just as quickly. “We’re not out of the woods yet. Hunter, we need a blanket.”

  From the
black SUV came Beatrice’s voice. “Get Mr. Hayden in the vehicle and let’s go. Time is of the essence for both him and us.”

  “He’s not stable,” Jax argued. “He could go into cardiac arrest again at any moment.”

  Elliot’s eyes stayed open, his focus landing on Ruby as his lips trembled with the effort to speak.

  “Rub…sor..ry…”

  “Shh,” she said, stroking his battered face again. “It’s okay.”

  From the Escalade, Beatrice’s tone brokered no room for negotiation. “I suggest you do your best to keep that from happening, Jaxon. An appropriate clinic is forty miles from here. The sooner we get Agent Hayden there, the better.”

  Ruby saw the struggle on Jax’s face. He wasn’t about to lose his patient, even if he did hate the guy. “I need five minutes.”

  “You have three.”

  He sent his boss an ugly look, but kept his mouth shut as he searched his black bag for something.

  Elliot blinked and Ruby squeezed his hand. She wanted to believe he had a good reason for what he’d done. A reason she could get behind. “El, tell me what happened. Who did this to you?”

  His gaze zeroed in more intently on her, his eyes sunken in his pale face. He’d lost a lot of blood, his body definitely in shock. Nothing came out of his mouth but nonsensical whispers.

  Ruby leaned forward, placing her ear close to his lips in hopes of figuring out what he was saying. He grunted and she knew he was trying.

  Jax took another syringe from his bag and injected it into the IV port. He tugged her out of the way so he could listen to Elliot’s heart.

  Ruby watched, a flood of emotion heating her chest. Jax looked rough and tough, a day’s worth of beard on his face, the tats on his arms and the scar on his temple suggesting he was a fighter, not a healer. There was nothing about him that looked like a competent, skilled doctor, and yet, at that moment, Ruby was sure Elliot couldn’t have been in more capable hands.