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“Okay… I?—”
“Here’s Xavier again.”
“Jazz, sweetheart. Rest and get better. We’ll be back soon.” Before she could say anything else, the call ended.
She shook her head, more confused now than when she’d first woken. First, things had definitely changed between her and Xavier. Not only had he called her baby and sweetheart, his voice had been warm and tender. She hadn’t necessarily expected explosive anger—that wasn’t Xavier’s way. But she’d never expected to hear the raw emotion he’d revealed in their short conversation. Had they finally turned a corner?
Second, he and Ash were going somewhere to get answers. About her abduction? Did they know who’d taken her and why?
Handing the phone back to Serena, she looked at the three people in front of her. “Somebody want to tell me what’s going on?”
North Carolina
Sitting in the passenger seat as Ash drove them toward Kate Walker’s estate, Xavier blew out a relieved, shaky breath. Jazz really was going to be okay. There had been a part of him that hadn’t believed that. She had looked so broken, so lifeless. Thankfully, the bullets hadn’t hit any organs or done any major damage. Even though she was suffering from dehydration and, based on her weight loss, had apparently been almost starved to death, the doctors were optimistic that she would be up and back to work within six to eight weeks, maybe less. But until he’d heard her voice, he hadn’t allowed himself to truly believe she would be all right.
When Ash and Eve had arrived at the hospital, Jazz had been in surgery. He, along with Gideon and Serena, had been pacing in the waiting room. The description of what they’d found had left him stunned and enraged. They’d taken photos of the cage where she’d been held. He had seen the evidence of the inhumanity and brutality of what she had endured. And he’d seen the body of the man she’d killed. Besides the dead body, there had been additional blood as well, which made him wonder if a third person had been there and possibly escaped.
Knowing what she had been through, how she’d been abused, it took every bit of his willpower not to tear the whole city down to find everyone who was involved in her abduction and torture and do the same thing to them that had been done to her.
Ash had been of the same mind, but he’d had a cooler head and a plan. Kate Walker knew more than what she’d shared. Why she wasn’t telling them everything was a mystery they needed to explore. Getting in her face as soon as possible was imperative. When Ash said he’d go alone, suggesting Xavier should stay with Jazz, he’d balked. Serena, Eve, and Gideon would stay with Jazz, keeping her safe. The only way Xavier knew to make sure she stayed one hundred percent safe was to find the danger and extinguish the threat. To do that, he wanted information, and he wanted it yesterday.
He shot Ash a glance. “You think she’ll tell us everything?”
“Hard to say. If you’d told me before this happened that Kate would keep any intel from us that might save Jazz’s life, I’d have punched you in the face. Now? I just don’t know. Kate’s been in this game longer than I have. She’s involved in more than just Option Zero missions. But the intel she’s provided us, along with the assistance from her people, have saved numerous lives. I’ll never discount what she’s done for us.”
“And she’s your son’s godmother.”
Ash ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Yeah, there’s that. Plus, if not for her, Jules might not be alive. And I certainly would never have met her without Kate’s assistance.”
“According to all that Jazz has told me, Kate saved her life, too. They have a close relationship. Makes no sense that she wouldn’t tell us if she knows who took her.”
“I agree. But she’s keeping things from us for sure. If we can’t trust her, then Option Zero might need to cut ties with her.”
Xavier hoped that didn’t happen. Kate Walker had aided them in numerous ways. Without her, some of them might be dead. To think she was working against them seemed almost impossible. But Ash was right. If she was keeping secrets that involved who’d taken Jazz, then all bets were off.
The car slowed as Ash braked and then turned into the private drive that led up to Kate’s home. The first time Xavier had seen the compound, he’d been awed, not only by its vastness, but also the grandeur of the structure. Lars, Kate’s late husband, had been from England and had built a home that brought to mind an old English castle, including turrets and a stone bridge that separated several buildings from the main structure.
As they pulled onto the circular drive, Xavier paid little attention to the magnificence and grace. His only priority was obtaining the answers they needed.
Kate met them in the drive. Ash hadn’t informed her he was coming, but Kate had access to intel some countries would probably envy. She likely had known the moment their plane had landed at the airport.
Dressed in a pair of black pants and a multicolored blouse, her dark hair falling around her in a casual way, Kate Walker looked both elegant and relaxed. At about five feet seven, with a slender build and the rigid posture of her former law enforcement background, she was a force to be reckoned with. The confident air she exuded had always been something he had admired. Today, he felt none of those things.
The minute they stepped out of the car, she said, “I understand you found Jazz.”
Of course she knew this. Xavier didn’t even bother to wonder how she’d gotten intel that only a handful of people knew. His priority was getting the information he needed.
“Kate,” Ash said calmly, “we need to talk.”
“Of course we do. Follow me.” With that, she turned and walked through the front door.
Following her, Xavier ran through a litany of things he wanted to ask. And even though she didn’t seem worried, he’d noted a slight furrowing of her brow, as well as a clenching of her jaw. She wasn’t nearly as calm as she wanted them to think.
They followed her into a large room filled with several sofas, along with some low tables and a few overstuffed chairs. She led them to a raised area with a table and four chairs. Coffee mugs and a carafe awaited them, along with a plate of sandwiches and a small cake. She had definitely been expecting them.
“Have a seat, gentlemen.”
Playing along, Ash sat, poured himself a cup of coffee, took a couple of swallows, and then said, “Tea time’s over, Kate. Time to tell us what the hell’s going on.”