A Night of Redemption (The Redemption Saga Book 5)

by Kristen Banet

  Up until the last target. Axel was already sentenced and slated for execution.

  And when she delivered that execution, there would be no one to save him.

  15

  Jasper

  He rode quietly in the passenger’s seat as they made the trip to the mansion compound. Elijah and Zander were now in the backseat of the SUV. After dropping Sawyer and Quinn off, they went to the meeting place they had designated for the regional IMPO detectives and officers to meet them.

  None of them had been happy that the team had started an entire operation without bringing them in, but at the end of the night, their team - Special Agents - outranked everyone else. The chain of command was respected, and now they needed to go in and create a huge mess for the locals.

  Sawyer had once told the team that Special Agents were known to criminals as guys who ran in, stirred up all the shit and then disappeared. Now he could really see it. That’s exactly what they were doing to the locals.

  “I was thinking,” Elijah said from the back. “The other targets might think we’re too busy cleaning up the three we hit to even consider we’re coming for them any time soon.”

  “Exactly. They won’t think we’re leaving others to deal with our cases,” Vincent said nonchalantly, secure in his plan.

  “Which is exactly what we’re doing.” Jasper sighed. “So, Zander and I, since we have a few moments, want to say something. We told Sawyer and she’s been pretty angry with us since.”

  “Yeah, all of thirty-six hours,” Zander mumbled angrily in the back.

  “What is it?” Vincent asked, seeming genuinely concerned.

  “Zander and I are going to leave the IMPO after this case.”

  “What?” Elijah exclaimed in the back.

  “We’re tired of this,” Zander said. Jasper couldn’t see it, but he could imagine and hear Zander’s arms fly up and land back on the seat in a childish gesture of exhaustion. “We’re always getting hurt. The WMC fucks us over at every turn. We’re going to finish this, then get the fuck out before they kill us.”

  “And what are your plans?” Vincent asked carefully.

  “We think we’ll just get new jobs, try to find something we’ll each enjoy. We’ll keep living with the team, if we’re allowed to, or move close by. We’re not leaving her, just the work.”

  “But she flipped, since leaving is leaving.” Elijah hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, I can imagine she needs a little reassurance. You two bounced on her before and it wasn’t supposed to go as wrong as it did.”

  “But you still left and it still went wrong,” Vincent finished, also thoughtful. “You’ve spooked her.”

  “We noticed. But yeah, that’s what we wanted to say before all of this went down.”

  “Waited until the last minute, didn’t you?” Elijah’s tone was teasing and also somewhat hurt. Like he was trying to hide that he was upset. Jasper closed his eyes, feeling bad, but he couldn’t do this anymore.

  “We’ve been…busy. We spent all day doing things while she slept. This is the first quiet moment, and…I was worried everyone would want us off the case before we finished it.” Jasper found it hard to admit that. “But we’re in this together. This means Sawyer is free to make her own decisions. We have to see this through.”

  “Exactly. We couldn’t leave before this was done, but we can’t keep going, after this. Jasper’s lost a leg. Elijah, you nearly died. Quinn and Sawyer got lost in the jungle. We’re all going to die before we’re forty if this keeps up.” Zander groaned. “I can’t keep…barely being on time. One day, I won’t be lucky. One day, someone is going to die, and I can’t…”

  Jasper knew how hard it was for Zander to admit any of that. The reckless man had never thought five minutes into the future or past his own immediate wants and needs. And here he was, admitting that he wanted to live longer than this job would ever let them.

  “I understand,” Vincent whispered, nodding. He kept his eyes on the road. “Of course you’ll both still live with the team. We’re family.”

  “Amen,” Elijah hooted in the back. “You can support from home, ya know?”

  “Thanks, guys. Elijah, you’ll…talk to Quinn, right?” Jasper didn’t want to hurt the feral Magi who believed in pack above all else.

  “Yeah, he and I can talk, no worries.” Elijah smiled at him. “I’ll be sad to see you both off the team, I won’t lie, but your reasons are sound and it’s not like you’re leaving us. I know we’ll never be rid of you.”

  “As long as Sawyer is with us, I think none of us will ever want to leave completely,” Zander reminded the big cowboy.

  Elijah laughed. “Yes, you’re probably right about that. Just make sure to shower that woman in some love. She’s probably going off the deep end. With her background, I can see it.”

  The SUV slowed a few minutes later, after they let the conversation drop. Jasper felt a bit better as he saw the main gate come into view. They were there. He checked the time. A couple minutes late. She would have been in just over twenty minutes by now, which worried him.

  When they stopped completely, it was Vincent who got out of the SUV.

  “Let us in. We have permission from the WMC and the Director of the IMPO to search the premises. It’s over. We’re taking Alfie in. You can do this the hard way, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”

  “And who thinks he can just drive up here and say he can do whatever he wants?” one of the thugs yelled back.

  “Special Agent Vincent Castello.” Vincent didn’t back down, his chin held high. Jasper knew it was picked up from Sawyer. There was something superior and confident, to a frightening level, when it came from either of them. Sawyer had done it her entire life and, well, they were all spending so much time with her that they were bound to pick up her habits.

  There was a moment of silence as that last name settled in over the thugs at the gate. Jasper heard other SUVs pulling up behind them. They were rolling in with over thirty Magi who worked for the IMPO. They didn’t get IMAS involved, not this raid. It was too close to the city for that.

  One of Alfie’s guys raised his gun towards Vincent. A shot rang out and the guard dropped. Wolves began to howl. A screeching, awful sound came over the emergency speakers. Jasper watched as some of the guards also clutched their ears as their headpieces screamed in their ears.

  “Is this thing on?” Sawyer’s voice came over the speakers. “Yeah, perfect. I have Alfie in custody, everyone. Put your weapons down. You lost this fight before it ever happened. It’s over, and the only thing you can do now is plead out or get killed. Your choice.”

  Jasper nearly chuckled. Trust Sawyer to say that so nonchalantly to the criminals in front of them.

  It happened quickly. Some of them started running, while others began firing. Some did drop their weapons and went down, looking for protection. Bullets hit the windshield, but Jasper didn’t blink. They were trained to trust the bulletproof glass. Pushing his magic out, he created a gust of air that knocked several of them down.

  “Most of the general thugs are non-Magi,” Jasper reminded the guys in the back. “Be careful with them.”

  “Yeah, we know,” Elijah said, getting out of the SUV. Zander went next, looking for any injured. Jasper sighed, leaving and pushing back more as Zander dropped a shield between the IMPO forces and the gate. It freaked the employees out. Non-Magi knew about magic, but they never truly integrated that well with it. A thug with a gun in a neighborhood, which is where most of these men came from, was normally the most powerful guy in the neighborhood. But no one could ever expect the magic shield, or the guy who could hit them with air. Or Elijah, making their weapons too hot to hold.

  Or Quinn, as the earth shook and wolves howled and a couple of screams came from the nearby hills.

  “Handcuffs on all of them,” Vincent ordered loudly, walking forward. “We’re not leaving anyone. They probably have hostages and prisoners in the basement. We need healing services to check on them.”r />
  The real work began as the Magi pushed their way through the gate, walking as Zander and others kept shields up. They handcuffed those on the ground that they passed. Vincent sublimated and went after a Magi who was about to call on whatever magic he had, disarming him before the man knew how close he was.

  The raid was going exactly how they thought it would. While they were giving all the lower-ranking fools a problem, Sawyer dragged Alfie out the front door, snarling at one of the thugs who tried to stop her. She dropped Alfie unceremoniously and kicked the non-Magi thug in the gut, sending him back into the dirt as well.

  What bothered Jasper a bit was that she still wore her mask. It was eerie, not really seeing her, just a black emotionless face of sorts. He also hadn’t known she would be wearing it. He had no idea what to think of the assassin in front of him.

  This was what the WMC had wanted: Shadow doing their dirty work.

  Because of that, he felt disgusted. Not with her, never with her, but them. The people who were supposed to be leading the Magi into better futures. The WMC was rotten and he hated it. He hated that they had pulled her into this, pushed her this far.

  “How was your part?” Elijah asked, grinning.

  “Good,” she answered.

  And when she spoke, people began to realize who was walking among them. The local IMPO officers stared at her, wide-eyed. The thugs were confused as it began to dawn on them that they were in the middle of a grudge match. Vincent Castello against Axel. Shadow coming after her master.

  This wasn’t about Alfie, the thugs, and whatever business they were a part of. They were just another piece.

  “How are you, Alfie?” Vincent asked, walking closer. “Enjoy working for my brother for as long as you have?”

  “Fuck me,” Alfie groaned. “I’ll tell you anything.”

  “You will,” Vincent whispered.

  “He’s like a leaky faucet,” Sawyer commented, shoving Alfie to Zander. “Hold him, please.”

  “Of course, love.” Zander grinned. “Well, actually. Elijah, here. I’m taking a unit down into the basement. Time to see if the rumors are true. We might actually help someone tonight.”

  “Good idea,” Sawyer agreed, nodding. “Vincent?”

  “Just as planned. Good job.”

  And with chaos around them, Jasper knew everyone on the team was feeling supremely satisfied. Raid night one went according to plan. They needed to check in with the other teams once they had a moment.

  He felt good and a little sick, an odd sensation. She wasn’t taking off her mask and he really wished she would. It would have made him feel easier about the entire thing, certainly. More like a normal raid and another day on the job. Her standing there with that black void for a face made him feel like they weren’t the good guys.

  Then again, he hadn’t truly felt like a good guy for a while. He’d tried, but this was the straw breaking the camel’s back. He wasn’t completely sure when the change had started, he just knew there was no turning back now.

  “It was easy,” she replied shrugging. “It won’t stay this way. They had no idea we were coming. The others will become more paranoid every day.”

  Jasper stepped closer to her and she eyed him. “We told Vincent and Elijah. They understand.”

  “Oh, not right now, please,” she snapped, walking away from him. He winced at the tone of her voice. He should have known better, but he also wanted her to know as soon as he could tell her. If the other guys weren’t hurt, then she might let go of her anger sooner.

  “Maybe you should corner her when we make it to the next hotel,” Elijah suggested. “Just…uh…be ready to protect yourself.”

  “She wouldn’t hurt me,” he growled at the cowboy. Mask or not, Sawyer wouldn’t hurt him or Zander. He knew that. He trusted her with his life. “She’s just mad, but…”

  “You should be focused on Axel, not what comes after him,” Elijah reminded him.

  “She and Vincent are focused enough on Axel for the rest of us.” Jasper resisted rolling his eyes. He had never done that to anyone and didn’t want to start. “Plus, I’ve done really well not touching on my feelings about him, and I don’t want to start.”

  “Ah, covering it all?” Elijah asked, shoving Alfie to another agent to take away. “So you aren’t feeling the boiling rage that we’re going after the man that brutalized her? Or made Vincent’s life hell before we met him?”

  Jasper clenched his jaw. Oh, of course he felt it. Of course he wanted blood and gore from Axel, for all of that and more. For every stain he left on their life. Every haunted, twisted, awful nightmare she had marked Jasper with. He wanted retribution for all of it.

  “If I give in to that, Elijah, I’ll never be allowed to look myself in the mirror ever again,” he whispered harshly, looking away from the cowboy. He realized they were alone now. Sawyer was off doing something. Vincent was talking to other agents. He knew Quinn was still in the hills, taking down anyone trying to run, because there were always runners. Zander was helping any prisoners of Alfie’s. His team was doing what they always did.

  Elijah hummed for a moment before stepping back in front of him. “Is it that bad?” he asked softly.

  “Our government has sent out an assassin to kill her creator. Our military tried to get all of us killed through ignorance and stupidity in the Amazon. Our organization had someone in it willing to kill you and Sawyer, not to mention a lot of other people, to install a new regime in place of the WMC.” The anger built up in him. His faith in everyone was shattered, completely gone, not even the smallest thing remained. “The only thing I have any sort of respect for anymore is this team, Elijah. And we’re going after the man who has made hell on earth for some of our family. Those two bear the scars from him. Fuck, Sawyer now also bears the scars of what our side has done to her.” Jasper took a deep breath, trying to contain it. “That bad? It’s so much worse.” Jasper stepped around the cowboy and headed back for their SUV.

  He had to get out of the IMPO before it broke him. Before all of this broke him and took away everything he loved, not just about others, but about himself. He needed Sawyer to understand that he was absolutely okay with this mission, and that was part of the problem. He wanted her to kill Axel and cut him open. He wanted her to kill him in every nightmare and then kill him in the real world. He wanted her to run over to the WMC and tell them to shove it.

  He didn’t feel good, and that was exactly the issue. He couldn’t live like this. They would deal with Axel, and then he had to get out before it completely ruined him, if this job hadn’t already.

  He leaned against the hood, trying to push it all down. As grief faded from James’ death, he was being consumed by this. He hadn’t even told Zander the whole of it. The whole of everything going on in his head and the feelings in his heart. He wasn’t willing to admit out loud that he was okay with them going out and killing a man. He deserved it, Axel Castello.

  But Jasper felt sick that he was fine being an executioner. He wasn’t fine with being fine. He wanted to hide behind his shield. All the things his parents taught him, everything he had left of them. The world’s a good place, they would always say to him. Their people were good people. Their government loved them and Magi around the world could rely on them.

  Now Jasper felt like it was all a lie and he couldn’t handle it. He needed to tell Sawyer all of this. She would understand if he just explained all of it.

  Not knowing how long he stayed there, he jumped when someone touched his shoulder. Looking up, he found a concerned Zander.

  “Hey, man…” Zander murmured, rubbing his back gently.

  “How were the prisoners?” he asked, needing something else to think about.

  “Good. Or they will be. You don’t want to hear about all of that. We’re going to load up soon, I think.”

  “Great.” Jasper shoved his hands in his pockets, nodding. Sure enough, they got word as soon as Vincent’s voice echoed in their heads.

&n
bsp; “We’re leaving. Travis is waiting for us at the hotel to portal us to the next location. Plus I still need to get on a secure line and find out how the other raids went.”

  Jasper didn’t wait. He jumped into the SUV and turned it on. Zander jumped into the passenger’s seat. Elijah didn’t come back to their ride, leaving Sawyer and Vincent with them.

  “He’s going out to get Quinn and the animals to meet us,” Vincent explained.

  “Sombra is having too much fun tormenting one guy. Quinn should be stopping her and securing him soon,” Sawyer added.

  “What is she doing?” Zander sounded a little more excited than he should. Jasper caught a grin out of the corner of his eye.

  “Just chasing him around, terrorizing him. You know her. She loves a good game. I’ve told her to just take him down, but she knows he’s the last one.” Sawyer was chuckling now. Jasper looked into the rearview mirror and caught her removing her mask. He watched it move off her face like a smoky ink and become the emotionless, porcelain-looking mask he’d seen before.

  “That was cool,” Zander commented. “Can I try?”

  “No,” she answered, chuckling. Jasper turned to see out the back window as he backed out. He caught a glimpse of her running her fingers over the mask. “It takes sublimation to use and practice to make sure it doesn’t kill you.”

  “Well, damn,” Zander mumbled petulantly. “It’s hot, I’ll give you that.”

  Jasper could barely restrain a cough of shock. Vincent raised an eyebrow. Jasper swiftly moved them out of the other agents’ way and got them moving. He didn’t want to touch that statement with a ten foot pole.