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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

O n the edge of consciousness, Jazz’s first impression was the feeling of safety. Though full awareness hadn’t kicked in yet, she somehow knew that she no longer needed to be afraid.

Soft, feminine whispers around her brought her closer to the surface. She took in a shallow breath, working toward coherency. That’s when she felt it. Pain was everywhere…even though it was on the outer edge—more like a distant threat—she recognized that something bad had happened. That something was causing her to hurt. Her mind was still too foggy to comprehend details. Waking up seemed suddenly imperative. Where was she? Why were people whispering?

“There she is.” The soft whisper made her smile. She recognized Serena’s low, quiet tone, almost lyrical in its sweetness.

“Yes, she’s definitely waking up.”

Her smile grew wider. That husky, feminine voice was none other than Eve’s.

Two of her closest friends were with her. She really was safe.

“She’s smiling.”

Aw, she’d know that gruff, masculine voice anywhere. Gideon was also here. Even though she was ready to open her eyes, she waited for the voice she wanted to hear the most. He had to be here. No way would he not be close by when she woke up.

She pushed aside for now the questions about why she’d been unconscious and why she was hurting. Having the reassurance that her friends were close by was enough. Knowing Xavier was here, too, would be the ultimate reassurance. But why hadn’t she heard him?

Unable to wait any longer, Jazz forced her eyes open. Though her vision was slightly blurry, she made out the faces of some of her favorite people. Serena stood on one side. Eve was on the other. Gideon was at the end of the bed.

She shied away from the knowledge that she was in a bed—most likely a hospital bed. She’d think about that later.

There was no one else in the room, and the surge of disappointment caused her mouth to tremble. Why wasn’t Xavier here?

“Jazz?” Serena said softly.

She tried to speak and realized her mouth was so dry, she couldn’t get past a raspy groan. A glass of water with a bent straw appeared before her, and she took a short sip, thinking that nothing had ever tasted sweeter than the deliciously cool, clean water.

Swallowing down the liquid, she tried again. “Where’s Xavier?”

Eve and Serena exchanged a look, and fear flooded her body, increasing the pain she’d refused to acknowledge. Her voice trembling, she whispered, “Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” Gideon said. “He and Ash had to leave for a few hours. They’ll both be back soon.”

Serena punched in something on her phone as she said, “He told us to call as soon as you woke up.” Holding the phone to Jazz’s ear, she said, “Here he is.”

“Serena?” Xavier said.

Just hearing his voice calmed her. “Hey, it’s me,” Jazz whispered.

“Jazz…baby. It’s so good to hear your voice again. How are you feeling?”

“A little woozy.”

“Are you hurting anywhere? If so, they can give you?—”

“No.” The last thing she wanted was to be drugged and miss whatever was going on. “I’m okay. Where are you? Where’s Ash?”

“We’re trying to get some answers for you. Hold on. Ash wants to talk to you.”

Despite herself, Jazz tensed. She respected Ash so much, and she knew she’d screwed up by going off grid. Just removing the tracker in her arm was grounds for dismissal, not to mention all the other things she’d done to violate protocol.

“Jazz, thank God you’re okay,” Ash said. “How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad, considering. I’m sorry, Ash. I shouldn’t have?—”

“Don’t worry about that now. We’ll talk when you’re better.”

“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.”

“Always to the point, Ash.” A softness entered her eyes as she said, “How’s Jazz?”

“Why don’t you tell us, Kate?” Xavier snapped. “Seems like you know a helluva lot.”

“I know less than you might think, Xavier. But I would like to know how Jazz is doing.”

“She was shot three times. Did you also know that?”

“Yes, but fortunately they were non-life-threatening injuries.”

“She was kept in a fucking kennel like an animal,” Xavier snarled. “Almost starved to death. You act like it’s no big deal.”

“On the contrary, I’m infuriated that she was hurt. You may not believe this, but I’m extremely fond of Jazz.”

Holding up his hand and giving Xavier a telling look, Ash turned to Kate. “We know you are, Kate. And that’s why you’re going to tell us everything you know about the people who took her.”

“I’ve already told you that I?—”

“You told us to go to Chicago and look at people with the name Byrne. Why?”

“Did you ask Jazz what she knows about who took her?”

Xavier ground his teeth. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been more disappointed in anyone. It was obvious that Kate was holding out on them.

“Jazz was unconscious when we found her,” Ash answered. “She had to undergo surgery to have three bullets removed. She’s suffering from blood loss, dehydration, and exposure. So no, Kate, we didn’t ask her for intel. We were waiting to see if she was going to live.”

Though Ash never raised his voice, it was more than obvious that the man was teetering on the edge of losing his famous cool. And that was just fine with Xavier. He was seconds away from pulling his gun and making threats. It would likely get him shot—he was sure Kate had more than one weapon on her—but he was willing to take the risk.

A flicker of distress traveled across her face, and then she sighed. “Ash, there are things at play here that are bigger than me, bigger than you, and bigger than Jazz.”

“Don’t give me that. We’ve known each other a long time. We’ve kept secrets that would make the devil himself tremble if he knew them. There is nothing you can tell me that would be detrimental to you or anyone else.”

“What I can tell you is that I believe Jazz’s abduction is related to her past—her childhood.” Twisting round, she pulled a folder from a nearby credenza. Sliding it across the table, she gave them both a determined look. “Here is everything I know about Jazz and the people who might have abducted her. That’s all I can give you.”

Ash opened the folder, then pushed it toward Xavier so they could both read the brief, short sentences within and see that Kate was very likely telling the truth.

“How much of this does Jazz know?”

Just for an instant, Kate showed a momentary guilt as she said softly, “She knows absolutely nothing.”

The minute Ash and Xavier walked out of the room, Kate let loose a long, shaky breath. That hadn’t gone well, but she really hadn’t expected that it would.

All her energy had been focused on not thinking about what Jazz had gone through. If she had known exactly who’d taken her, she would have rescued her without a qualm. She wasn’t heartless. Jazz meant the world to her, but that didn’t mean she could distract key players from the bigger picture.

But now, not only was her relationship with the entire Option Zero team in jeopardy, she needed to make another phone call. One she had put off for too long.

Retrieving her satphone, she punched in a series of numbers. The instant the call went through, she said, “Before I tell you what’s happened, I’ll say up front that Jazz is safe.”

“What does that mean?”

As she explained what had happened, she could feel the explosive anger all the way across two continents. If he were here in front of her, she had serious doubts that she would survive his wrath. She wasn’t afraid of this man, but she did respect his skills.

“And the reason I wasn’t told?” he growled.

“There wasn’t anything you could do. The team was working the case. I had no real intel on who was responsible. It could have been one of a hundred or more. You know that.”

“That wasn’t your call to make.”

They could argue that point, but she wasn’t going to even try. They had more than enough on their plate as it was.

“She’s going to want some answers soon,” Kate said. “When she’s well enough.”

“I don’t want her involved.”

“She’s already involved. She’s a valuable member of the most elite black ops team in the world. She’s tough as nails.”

There was a long silence, and she knew he was thinking long and hard about where this needed to go. Finally, he gave her the words she knew he despised saying. “When she’s well enough, I’ll give her what I can.”

Before she could feel a modicum of relief, he added, “And, Ms. Walker, if you keep anything like this from me again, no agreements or obligations will keep me from coming after you.”

The line went dead before she could respond to his threat. She didn’t work for him. He didn’t work for her. And even though they were on the same side, they were adversaries in many ways.

Her shoulders drooping with the weight of her world, she placed the phone on the table in front of her and said softly, “I know you’re disappointed in me, my darling. And out of everyone who’s angry with me in this, the idea of disappointing you rips at me more than anything.”

Turning, she looked up at the portrait of the man she had adored…still adored. They’d had only a few short years together, and she would give everything she owned just to have one extra day.

“But hear me now, my love. They will pay for what they did. I will not rest until it’s done. No matter who stands in my way, I will end them.”

Xavier and Ash were halfway to the airport before they spoke. The intel Kate had given them was minuscule in some ways, but in light of what had happened to Jazz, it was earth-shattering.

“When do we tell her?” Ash asked.

Xavier appreciated that his boss was asking for his input. Telling Jazz was going to be a delicate matter, to say the least. Not only was she in for some major surprises and heartache, there were still gigantic holes in the information Kate had provided. She would have questions and would want answers immediately.

“She’s not going to be in any condition to hear any of this for a while. Because once she does…”

Ash nodded. “Once she does, she’s going to want to get to work.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. We’ll wait.”

Xavier didn’t ask for how long. This might be a one-day-at-a-time thing until they both thought she was ready. Yeah, she’d take a giant bite out of his ass if she knew his thinking, but this was going to have to be the way until it wasn’t. He wasn’t going to take the chance of losing her again.

“And Kate?” Xavier said.

“She’s holding on to a boatload of intel. Until we can figure out what’s going on, or until she’s willing to spill, we keep her out of our circle.”

“What she gave us is a good starting place,” Xavier said. “She wasn’t lying about that.”

“No. I don’t think she’s lied about anything. She just knows a lot more than she’s willing to share. For now, we’ll focus on who grabbed Jazz and why. Based on the little intel she gave us, we know the major player in this massive cover-up is dead, as is his family. But someone wanted Jazz for what she could do for them. We find out what that is, then we might pinpoint who took her.”

Nodding his agreement, Xavier took in the scenery as they sped down the highway. The Blue Ridge Mountains were a beautiful, impressive sight, but he missed Montana’s massive peaks and snow-covered vistas. When Jazz was well enough to be moved, he wanted to take her to his cabin. He would care for her and make sure she regained her health. In the meantime, he and the team would dig deep to find out who’d had the audacity to capture and torture one of their own.

And when she was ready, he would tell her everything, including what was in his heart.