by Barb Han
Try as he did to hide his true feelings, the pained expression he wore before he walked away tipped off his real emotions.
Another thought occurred to her. When she’d visited Max other day, he’d said “Herrr.” A woman. Was it the one Jaden had mentioned? The woman who’d betrayed him?
Frustration climbed up Lauren’s throat causing a heated rash. How could she find him now even if she wanted to? He was on another continent. He was making himself a sitting duck for professionally trained killers.
Lauren opened her shop, needing to focus on work to take her mind off Jaden. She had no cell number to use to reach him and there was nothing she could do about it. She flipped on the light switch, but nothing happened. A breaker had probably been tripped. The thunderstorm last night was the likely culprit.
“It’s probably a breaker,” she said to Rocky. “It’ll only take a second to fix it.”
There was enough light in the shop to see him nod. He moved to a position at the door and folded his arms. She pulled the emergency flashlight out from behind the counter, set down her keys, and moved to the stock room.
It didn’t take but a minute to locate the box. Power outages during storms were becoming more and more common in Texas, and Lauren knew far too much about how the power box worked at her shop because of them.
The door chimed out front. She froze. And then she remembered that she had Rocky. Relief washed over her. Plus, she had lights now. She moved from the storeroom quickly and back out onto the floor.
“Rocky?” The man was short but thick—thick arms, thick neck. He was nothing but muscle and hard to misplace. She didn’t see anyone else, either. Her heart skipped a beat, her thoughts snapped back to Jaden. But that was impossible. Jaden was in Caracas. He was miles and miles away. He would not be there, in her flower shop.
Rocky probably stepped out front.
“Anyone here?” she asked, scanning the racks. She didn’t see anyone and the blinds were still closed out front. If Rocky had stepped out he’d be impossible to see from this vantage point. She’d feel better if she locked the door.
Maybe she could get his attention, ask him to come back in. Lauren glanced around for the keys. She remembered them being on the counter.
Lauren moved to the cash register and looked around, but they weren’t there. She searched the area, the counter and the floor. She located them between the register and the wall.
As she turned toward the door, she saw a figure move behind a rack. Lauren froze. Her heart stuttered. A little gasp escaped her before she could swallow it. Where was Rocky?
Someone was there, messing with her. Impossible as it was, her heart wanted it to be Jaden. “Who is it? Who’s there?”
There was no answer. Her stomach knotted because she feared something bad had happened to Rocky. Jaden’s words came back to her. Whenever in danger use anything from her surroundings to defend herself.
Sticking near the front of the shop was her best opportunity to escape. With her back to the door, she fisted the key ring, allowing the jagged edges of the keys to poke through her balled fingers. It wasn’t much, but they were the only weapons she had.
Fear and panic welled in her throat. She stifled a cough. The room was quiet. Tense. It was a stalemate.
Lauren heard the squeak of a dressing room door opening. She ventured a few steps toward the door. If she could get to the front of her shop maybe she could get to the street.
From seemingly nowhere she felt a blow to the back of her head, and something heavy smacked against her back. She stumbled a few steps forward, blurry-eyed, but managed to stay on her feet. A rope pulled tightly against her neck, and a white cloth covered her mouth.
There was something on the rag. A strong odor. It wasn’t a scent she could identify, but it was screaming at her. She held her breath and fought against the nausea burning her throat. She jabbed her arm backward.
The person behind her was smaller in stature. A strong elbow to the ribs might give Lauren the break she needed. She jammed her elbow into the woman behind her. The grip loosened.
Lauren took advantage of the change in momentum. She spun around and then pushed off the woman. It was a woman. A blond woman. Helena.
The door chimed as a punch landed on Lauren’s solar plexus. Air flew from her lungs with an audible whoosh. The voice she thought she’d never hear again cut through the ringing sound in her ears.
“I’m the one you want. Leave her alone, Helena,” said Jaden, his voice angrier than she’d ever heard it before.
The next blow dropped Lauren to her knees. Before she could scream, a strong hand guided her upright again and Helena took a couple of steps back. The barrel of her shiny gun trained on Lauren’s chest.
“You came back for this one. Just as I knew you would. I saw the way you looked at her in Antigua. Did you think I would not hunt you?” the newly-blonde Helena said, her honey-coated Latin accent couldn’t hide the bite in her words, the venom on her tongue.
“She has nothing to do with this,” Jaden said, bitterness deepening his tone as he stood between Lauren and Helena.
The blonde’s eyes twinkled, and her lips turned up in a sarcastic grin. “You like this one. Is Jaden Dean, excuse me, is Jaden Orchard finally in love? Then you’re about to know what it’s like for the one person you love to die.”
“You don’t need her to make your point. You found me. I promise you won’t kill me.”
Helena’s cat eyes stayed intent on Jaden. “Don’t be so sure.”
Jaden’s grip tightened on his gun. “It won’t bring him back.”
She let out a pained screech.
“You keep slipping out of sight, you sonofabitch. You won’t do it this time,” Helena said before disappearing behind a rack filled with pots.
“I mourn his loss too. Your head’s not on straight. We can get help for you, Helena. It doesn’t have to be this way.”
“Don’t pretend to be my friend. You killed him. You’re in charge. You’re the guy who decides where we go and when,” her tone more desperate than before.
“I’m responsible for Tim. I’ll take that blame. I would’ve gone myself if I’d known what was going to happen.”
“You sent him to his death.” Her voice was a screech.
“Sent him? I didn’t have to. He begged me to go,” Jaden said.
“Liar!”
“You didn’t know? He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Said he wanted to earn extra time off.”
“We were supposed to be married.” Her pitch rose in anger.
Jaden spun around to the sound of her every move, protective of Lauren, who he’d tucked behind him. “Where’s Gabriel?”
A bullet pinged off the metal clothing rack next to her head. In one swoop, Jaden had her on the floor, using his body to cover her.
“Gone.”
Damn it. He encouraged Lauren to inch forward as he scanned the floor for Helena’s feet. She was most likely using the cash register station for cover. He squeezed the handle of his Glock. Waited. The last thing he wanted to do was use it on her.
A creak from the wood floor sounded by the door. Jaden tracked the noise with the barrel of his gun. He glanced at the wall of mirrors and caught sight of Helena coming up from behind.
He spun around as she moved into his line of fire. He hesitated.
The barrel of her gun pointed directly at Lauren. He quickly adjusted so that Lauren was behind him and he had Helena in sight.
One shot. One kill.
Jaden’s finger twitched on the trigger.
Chapter 23
Jaden couldn’t bring himself to shoot Helena. She was one of theirs and he’d taken an oath to protect his own. Besides, he blamed himself for this situation. He should’ve seen what was happening with Helena. He should’ve insisted she take time off or ordered therapy. He should’ve done a better job of taking care of her after she’d lost Tim. He’d looked into her eyes at the funeral. He’d seen how lost she’d been.
<
br /> The brief hesitation cost him the advantage. Helena disappeared.
Jaden bit out a curse. He needed a new plan because Helena would shoot Lauren in order to make him suffer.
He’d lost visual with her so he needed to bring her out again.
Luring her, he made sure she heard the door click as he slipped inside the dark storeroom. Light spilled into the room as she followed. She obviously wanted to take him out badly to expose herself like that. Jaden could use that against her.
He tucked Lauren behind a row of boxes in dead silence. He pulled his cell from his pocket, texted Gunner to alert local police. Rocky was outside, unconscious. He needed medical attention.
A long strip of cord found its way into his hand. Lauren’s doing. She knew this storeroom and where her supplies were. When he was sure she’d made it back to her hiding spot safely, he stepped into a box and knocked it over so his location would be compromised.
He could feel Helena closing in.
The light flipped on as Lauren screamed.
“Now, you’re going to watch her die,” Helena said. Her shrill voice sounded like someone different.
“No one else dies because of me, Helena,” he stated with all the authority he could.
“An eye for an eye.”
“She didn’t do anything to you. Would Tim want you to take an innocent life?” Helena knew the answer. Tim would never have wanted this. He was a decent man and brave soldier. He would never want an innocent person to suffer.
Her moment of hesitation was all he needed. He dove into her, knocking the gun from her hand.
Lauren scrambled to her feet and ran out of the storeroom.
Helena’s fists came flying at him, connecting with his face, his chest. He grabbed her hands, located the cord, and tied them behind her back.
“You bastard. It’s your fault he’s gone,” she seethed.
“I know.”
“My life is over.” She yanked her arms, trying to break the bindings but they were too tight.
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Jaden said.
“Kill me. I don’t want to live without him.” The anguish in her voice told him that she wasn’t lying.
“I know.”
Tears flooded her cheeks as her shoulders quaked. “I don’t want to live…” Sobs echoed through the back room.
“I know. But it’ll get better. We’ll get you the help you need.” He kept his voice as calm as he could.
“Why? I don’t deserve it. I tried to kill you. Why would you help me?” she asked.
“Like it or not, you’re my family now. And I won’t turn my back on you.” He wasn’t sure if his words got through or not, but he would ensure she got the help she needed. “You’re not one of them. You’re one of the good guys. What did you do with Gabriel?”
Helena’s blank eyes stared forward.
“Tim wouldn’t want this.”
A flicker of anguish crossed her features. “At headquarters. Tied up.”
A tsunami of relief washed over Jaden. He immediately texted the news to Gunner.
Within moments, a squad car appeared, complete with the blare of sirens and flashing lights.
Lauren stood, watching it all, not really comprehending any of it based on her stony expression. Rocky was loaded into an ambulance. His face had lacerations but he would pull through just fine.
Jaden kept a close eye on Helena until military authorities arrived. Helena would outsmart local police and be free in time for dinner if they tried to contain her. Jaden couldn’t have that.
When Helena was bound and placed into the back of an SUV, Jaden turned his full attention to Lauren.
“Rocky will be fine,” he reassured.
“How’d you get here? It’s impossible. No one can be in two places at once. I saw you on the news,” she said and her voice was even, emotionless.
Jaden couldn’t tell if she was glad to see him. He’d have to wait for her to regain her senses to know if she’d ever forgive him for pushing her away. “Computer trick. Gunner and I came up with it.”
Almost out of thin air, when his name was said, Gunner appeared. “A crew is on the way to pick up Gabriel at headquarters. Everyone okay here?”
“Not everyone,” said Jaden, motioning toward the sobbing Helena in the back of the SUV.
“I’m sorry,” He said to Jaden.
“Me, too.” He turned to Lauren, to the light.
Men in uniform were everywhere. Her precious business was being marked as a crime scene. She seemed in shock.
Jaden took the keys from her and locked up. He guided her back to the safe house where she’d be more comfortable. Had he gone too far in pushing her away before? He’d had to be convincing. Her life had depended on it.
His heart was ready to burst from one of his own betraying him. Didn’t change the fact Tim was dead because of him. Guilt slammed into him in knowing he’d failed his own.
He would not survive the shitstorm of guilt without Lauren by his side as his equal, his best friend…the love of his life. But he’d ruined that, too.
Could she forgive him?
Once she’d showered and changed, she looked a little more settled in reality. She emerged from the bedroom in perfect timing since Jaden had just finished pouring a cold beer for himself and a glass of wine for her.
He feared the worst. She might never let him back in her life.
He had to know for sure.
Jaden pulled her toward him and leaned in until his forehead rested against hers.
She smelled clean, a mix of fresh flowers and soap and everything good in the world.
Guiding dark locks of hair behind her ear, he ran the back of his forefinger down her arm. Her body quivered with his touch. At least she still reacted to him physically. God, her skin was soft. Her eyes wide. Those beautiful golden eyes. She was the light.
Lauren pulled back, and his heart stuttered. Fear that he’d blown it overwhelmed him.
Jaden Orchard had never been afraid of anything. Until now.
“You blew your cover. Does that mean you’ll be finding a new job? Maybe sticking around this time?” she asked, not giving away her true emotions.
He couldn’t be so close to her without touching her. He brought his hand up to her face, and he guided her lips within an inch of his. She didn’t fight him.
Was it even possible to hope she’d figured it all out? Did he still have a chance?
His voice was low, husky, when he whispered, “Are you sure you want this? Me? I’m far from perfect.”
“I need real.”
“This is real.” He kissed her. “I’m real.”
He finally pulled back and searched her eyes.
“That’s exactly what I want. You.”
His heart practically burst. “Then let’s make it official. Marry me.”
He looked into her eyes like he was issuing a dare. And then bent down on one knee. “I love you. I don’t want to spend another minute without you. Being away the last twenty-four hours was worse than death. I don’t ever want to leave you again. I want to make this permanent. I want you to be my wife.”
Her expression was unreadable when she asked, “Your real name Jaden Orchard?”
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“Then who would I be marrying? Jaden Orchard or Jaden Dean?”
“Both. But I haven’t been Jaden Orchard in a long time. Does the name on the wrapper matter? It’s still me. The man who can’t get enough of you.”
“It doesn’t make a difference to me. I was just wondering if I’d be Lauren Orchard or Lauren Dean,” she said, and she finally smiled. “I love you, Jaden. I knew by the end of the first day with you that my heart was in big trouble. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. You’re my home.”
Her words were pure sunshine on his heart.
“If you marry me, I’ll let you pick our last name and we’ll find a way to prote
ct your brother and keep the two of you in touch. You don’t have to lose anyone again. As for us, we can be whoever you want. How about that?” He kissed her again, soft and tender.
“Yes, Jaden. I will marry you.”
His chest swelled with pride when he heard the word yes. It was the only thing that mattered. Everything else could be figured out along the way.
Jaden swept Lauren off her feet, buried his face in her hair, and then carried her toward the bedroom.
“I hope you plan to be here for a while,” she said, and her eyes glittered with need.
He looked into those beautiful eyes and saw forever.
“Sweetheart, I never plan to leave.”
Epilogue
Daniel Damon sat on a limb high in the old oak at the edge of the Katy Trail playground, watching his five-year-old daughter play. He twisted his wedding ring around his finger a couple of times.
A man should know what to say to his daughter, to his wife.
Daniel came up empty. He was a soldier before becoming an operative. He’d been damn good at both jobs. And he hadn’t been home for longer than a seven-day stretch in more than six years.
Staring at his family, he didn’t have the first idea how to approach them with the news that Daddy was coming home. The Blackwater-type agency he’d spent the past three years working for after serving his country had literally just imploded.
The agency had been compromised. He’d received the code no one at ManTech ever wanted. Gunner, the owner, had issued the Code Eighty-Six after one of its female operatives admitted to putting names and faces out on the dark Web. No one knew for certain if what she said was true. It wouldn’t matter.
Now that word was out that ManTech had been infiltrated, no government agency in the world would hire them.
For the first time in his adult life Daniel was out of a job.
He almost laughed out loud. A job? Being a soldier and then an operative had been his life.