Jade (The Kings of Guardian Book 9)

by Kris Michaels

  "Thanks." Nic's hands shook. Jade reached out and threaded her fingers through his. She didn't know if it was rage or worry causing the man to vibrate as if he'd explode, a combination of both she suspected..

  "What do we know?" Jade asked.

  "We have a team inbound to work with the on-scene forces. The consensus is the bomb was inside the facility, but how it got there is unknown. Fifty-seven dead so far. The Mayor has held a press conference and called it an act of terrorism. The President hasn't come online to agree yet. My sources tell me he will within the hour. When that happens, we have more avenues available to us."

  Jade knew he meant latitude in searching for and interrogating suspects involved in the bombing. The might of Guardian would rock the Triad. The limits and confines of the normal laws of the nation would not factor into the equation. A declaration of terrorism enabled the Patriot Act and unleashed all the unseen rules, agreements and operations that gave Guardian their well-deserved reputation. Criminals, terrorists, and extremists feared Guardian for a reason.

  "Intel is sparse and probably will be until we can find the explosive device-if anything is left of the mechanism. I directed our team to confiscate the courthouse servers so Jewell can reconstruct the video feed. The Mayor has directed NYPD to cede any evidence they collect to us. We can process it faster. Technically, this is a joint operation, but we are the lead organization. It could be hours or days before we have anything to go on. Unfortunately, right now we need to wait." Jared's tone apologized for something he had no control over.

  "So we do nothing?" Nicolas spat. His brothers' heads popped up. Jade held up her hand and shook her head, warning them to keep their mouths shut.

  "No, you know better than that, man," Jared spoke, low and comforting. "Jewell is running through the traffic cameras. We are scouring them for anything out of the norm. NYPD is pulling in every member of the Triad they can find. They can hold the bastards for 24 hours, and once the President calls this domestic terrorism, we are taking over all interrogations. We will find out something."

  Nic drew a huge breath and exhaled it before he spoke again. "Yeah, okay. I know you're doing everything you can. Thanks."

  "You've got our direct focus on this case, Nic. When those fuckers decided to target your mom, they messed with our family. We will not rest until they pay." Jason's gravel laced voice rumbled over the phone.

  "I appreciate that, Jason."

  "You got it, man. We are going to get back to work. Call us with updates on your mom. Do you need anything?" Jared's question brought Jade's eyes to Nic's. He shook his head.

  "Not right now. We'll be in touch." Jade replied for them both.

  "Take care of our man, Pogo," Jason said before she heard the line click.

  Nic pulled his earbud out of his ear. "Pogo?"

  Jade shrugged the comment away. "A story for later." Her head tilted slightly toward where Carmine sat staring at them.

  "What was that? Who were you talking to?" Carmine demanded from across the room.

  "Guardian. We're working the situation." Jade didn't even look at the asshole when she spoke although she knew where he was at all times. He was an annoyance, and she wouldn't give him the courtesy of acknowledging him by looking at him.

  They settled back into the chairs, and Jade still held Nic's hand. The contact grounded her and reminded her of the revelation she'd had earlier. She should probably let the man know about her epiphany but now wasn't the time. He had more than enough on his plate. She moved her arm, putting it under his and leaned against his shoulder. She felt him turn and then registered a soft kiss to the top of her head. She closed her eyes. Her brain raced through the events of the day. The horror, the shock, the revelations and the emotions all blended into a muddled replay that looped through her brain.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nic knew the instant Jade fell asleep. He lifted his arm and pulled her against him, shifting to get comfortable in the hard plastic bucket seats. She woke instantly. "Shhh… rest. One of us is going to need to be able to function." He whispered the comment to her, but Mario must have heard. He peered up and gave a wan smile. Carmine seemed entranced with the scene out the window.

  Jade hummed and settled into his chest. He ran his thumb up and down her arm, needing the contact. She'd given him a shelter in the storm today. She'd also told him that she was doing it deliberately. He had no idea how far this affection between them would go, but right now he wasn't going to question it. He needed it, and he needed her.

  He watched the shadows lengthen as afternoon encroached on evening. The clock against the wall became a torture device. Every minute that passed without word from the doctors amped up his anxiety. His mom had to survive. He didn't know if he could live with the thought that something he had or hadn't done led to the events of the day. His rational mind told him he'd done everything possible, but he wasn't thinking rationally. His worry and stress made it difficult to think of anything but revenge. He wanted blood. For the first time in his life, he wanted to go outside the laws that he loved and go rogue. The bastards that were responsible for this horrendous act needed to answer to a bullet, not to a jury of their peers. That thought should've repulsed him, but there was nothing the law could do to those bastards that a bullet wouldn't do faster. Fifty-seven lives at last count. He reminded himself he was fortunate to be here, waiting for word on his mom. There were so many families that didn't have this last shred of hope.

  Nic heard the squeak of rubber soled shoes coming down to the alcove. The steps were determined and coming quickly. He nudged Jade, and she was awake and sitting up instantly. A man in scrubs stopped in front of them. "DeMarco family."

  "That's me," Carmine responded and stood immediately.

  Mario gave his brother a look of disgust. "That's all of us." He motioned toward Nic and Jade as he spoke.

  The doctor nodded and smiled when he finally looked at Nic. Nic hadn't seen the man in a couple years, but knowing Driscol was operating on his mom lifted about ten pounds of worry off his shoulders. "Nic, good to see you again."

  "Is she okay?" Nic shot past any pleasantries.

  Driscol took a deep breath and planted his hands on his hips. "I'll give it to you straight. Your mom made it through the surgery. We removed her spleen, repaired a nick to her liver, and removed her gallbladder. We are concerned about crushing damage to her right kidney, but I've done what I could to repair it. I'm praying we won't have to go back in and remove it. Compared to the other injuries coming in, she's lucky. She did well through the procedure, but she is still in critical condition."

  "Can I see her?" Carmine grabbed the doctor's arm. The surgeon flashed down at the hold Carmine had on him. "She's in recovery. Once we get her settled in a room in ICU, we will let you in, one at a time, for a couple minutes each."

  Carmine nodded and spun away heading back to his chair. The doctor turned toward Jade and Nic and lowered his voice. "Guardian contacted me when they overheard through radio traffic that the ambulance was bringing her here. We assembled the best team we could find. She has one hell of a long road ahead of her, but I have faith in the skills of the surgical team that operated on her. The next time you talk to Jared, tell him that he and Christian need to come up and visit my husband and I. It's been too long since we've seen them."

  Nic nodded and extended his hand. "Thanks, Driscol. I'll let them know."

  "Okay, sorry, but I've got to go. We have cases stacked up. I wanted to come out to talk with you personally." The man gave him a brief smile before he spun on his heel and speed walked back from where he'd come.

  Jade and Mario turned to look at him, their expressions silently questioning how he knew the doctor. "Driscol's husband is the branch chief of Guardian here in New York."

  "Ross Stapleton's married?" Jade asked.

  "Yeah, they have been married about as
long as Jared and Christian. When Jared came out, Ross felt it was safe enough for him to do the same thing. Those two have been together for a lot longer than that though."

  "He sounded like Guardian pulled him in to operate on mom."

  Mario crossed his arms and glowered at Carmine.

  "Probably. He's the best. Guardian takes care of their own."

  "Fuck you. If Guardian was so damn good, our mother wouldn't be laying in that bed."

  "You're right asshole, she'd be dead." Mario's retort stopped Nic's angry reply. "Get over yourself and fucking swallow your pride. If Nic and Jade hadn't arranged for her security, she'd have been dead long before this happened." Mario turned his back on Carmine.

  Nic leaned against the wall and waited. Jade left in search of a bathroom and coffee. He studied the second hand on the clock for what seemed like the five hundredth time this minute.

  "Nic DeMarco?" A female voice brought him out of his inactive stupor.

  "Here." Nic lifted off the wall.

  "Doctor Stapleton asked me to bring you up to ICU. Your mom is in a room, and we can let you see her for a few moments."

  Jade walked in behind the woman with a tray of coffees. "If you would all follow me?"

  Nic fell into step behind the nurse. Carmine elbowed his way up to her and demanded information. The nurse expertly deflected all his questions, which only seemed to infuriate the man further. When they reached the small waiting room, there were several other clusters of families sitting in the chairs. "Okay, one at a time, who's first?"

  Carmine headed toward the door without comment or waiting. The nurse shook her head and followed him swiping her badge to gain access to the ward.

  "Why does he hate you?" Jade handed him a coffee. He took a sip of the hot liquid and shook his head. "Long story and I honestly don't want to get into it here." He peered down at her and pushed a small smile across his face.

  She peered up at him and lifted onto her toes. They shared a brief kiss. He breathed her in as she pulled away.

  "She'll be okay. She won't check out until all of you are married, and she has a bunch of grandbabies." Jade leaned into him, and he held her, reaching for the comfort she provided.

  Nic held his mother's fragile hand in his. She looked so much older now. The pallor of her skin combined with the massive bruising and cuts that littered her features accentuated her sixty plus years. His resolve to catch whoever did this to her grew into a fortress of intense hatred. He would have his pound of flesh, and he'd make sure the motherfuckers paid. A nurse cleared her throat behind him signaling his time was up. Nic nodded his understanding. He leaned over and kissed his mom. "I'm going to catch the bastards. I love you, Ma. Be strong."

  He straightened and headed out of the ward noticing two NYPD officers at the door. Jade was waiting for him as he exited.

  "For mom?"

  "Yep, until a Guardian Detail can get here." She fell into step with him. He didn't break stride as he hit the door to the stairs. They exited in the emergency room that was still reeling from the impacts of the explosion. Jade pointed to the SUV, and they moved with purposeful intent.

  "Where to?" She pulled the keys out of her pocket.

  "Branch headquarters. I want to know what they know." Jade jumped into the driver's seat, pulled out her phone, and was tapping away at the screen as she pulled into traffic. Nic let her drive. His mind was reeling, his thoughts so convoluted that he didn't give a shit she was texting while driving in New York City traffic. With his mother out of surgery, he could switch his focus to catching the bastards who'd planted the explosive device.

  They entered the downtown office building after parking in a secure underground area. The process of getting through security had never been more infuriating, even though they were expedited into Ross Stapleton's office.

  "Nic, Jade, come in. We are over here in the conference room." Ross turned on his heel and headed back to the epicenter of Guardian's New York response to the event. There were four video screens up and running. Two were playing feeds of what appeared to be a fast forward search of the surveillance footage from inside the courthouse.

  "What is this?" Nic pointed to the screen.

  "D.C. is running the videos. We are monitoring. CCS has been shifting through the last weeks' worth of video. What we are focusing on is this." Ross pointed to the screen at the far right of the room. Nic and Jade moved closer.

  "What am I looking at, Ross?" Nic hoped like hell it was what he thought it was.

  "This is a piece, the majority actually, of the explosive device. The building collapsed and folded like a deck of cards. The walls fell but are holding each other up at weird angles. The fire department, in an effort to keep the upper levels safe while they are evacuating, recovering the victims and clearing the building, started placing hydraulic lifts to hold the rubble up. They stumbled across this. We only have pictures right now, as you can see, the majority of the device seems to be surrounded by material. If that rubble shifts, it will bring down that section of the building. They are taking it slow and being very cautious. I don't know when we will get the physical evidence. If ever."

  "If we can retrieve the device, we might be able to track the explosives or the maker." Jade acknowledged the hope that everyone else seemed to pin on the device.

  Nic bounced his eyes toward the other screens that were still processing the security footage. "What have you gotten from the Marshals?"

  Ross tossed down the remote for the video screen and made his way around the stacks of paperwork on the table. "We have sign in logs of all personnel going into and out of the facility after hours. My guys are running these to ground for the last seventy-two hours. The likelihood of the device being planted before that time would be slim. We will start there and work backward if need be. They are getting statements from all of their people, and we will be courtesy copied on all of them. NYPD is interviewing the survivors looking for anyone who was outside the facility before the bomb exploded. They've also been given permission to haul in every known Triad member they can find. The President declared this a domestic terrorist event. Thank God, because that un-handcuffed us."

  "So we are dormant on responses until we get information from the ongoing investigation." Jade's statement put a nail in the conversation and hammered it closed. Succinct and to the point.

  "Yeah. We are going after every possible avenue and working every angle, but until they recover that device and we start to get actionable intel, we are in stasis." Ross turned looking at the detritus of the information and work they'd compiled to this point.

  "Were you able to get the things I needed?" Nic blinked and damn near popped his neck whipping his head toward Jade. What had she requested? She hadn't said a damn thing to him the entire ride.

  "Yeah. Downstairs. You'll be left alone." Ross turned back to the video screens.

  "Great. Come on, Nic. We have work to do." Nic held up a hand. Whatever Jade had planned could wait for a second. "Driscol performed surgery on my mom today. I can't tell you how much it meant to me, personally, that he'd take on her case. I'd like to do something for him. Is there something I could get him? A past time he enjoys or something that he'd appreciate?"

  A smile spread across Ross's features. His eyes grew soft, and he visibly relaxed at the mention of his husband's name. "Yeah, he's into bonsai trees. We have about ten of them. He zones out and gets his Zen on when he does his manicure thing."

  "Great. Please let him know how much it meant to me." Nic knew the man's reputation, and he knew that his mom was under the best care possible.

  "I will. I'll text or call as soon as we get anything." Ross turned back to the paperwork on the table and sat down.

  Nic turned his attention to Jade. She crooked her finger beckoning him to follow. He put one foot in front of the other. He was brain dead, and he was pissed off. He wa
nted to kill something. With each step he took away from Ross Stapleton's office, the need to lash out at the universe filled him. Jade hit the stairs, and they descended. She pulled up outside the fire door to the gym level. "We are going to go in, gear up and work out. You need to vent, and you can do it here, safely. It's either this or I'll go find Carmine, and you can beat the shit out of him."

  An involuntary huff of laughter escaped. Jade understood what he needed. Nic rolled his shoulders. The tension of the day had formed a granite knot between his shoulder blades. "As much as I'd enjoy taking his ass down a few pegs, I think a heavy bag may be a better answer."

  "Awesome. There should be workout clothes laid out for you in the locker room. I'll gear up, and after you work out some frustration on the bag, we'll spar. I want you completely exhausted so you can sleep. If you're anything like me, your mind is racing. You're pissed, and you want blood. I've found exhaustion and then oblivious sleep for four or five hours will take the edge off that."

  He watched her as she strode toward the woman's locker room and shook his head. Even with everything that was swirling around him, he could recognize the fact the woman was one in a million. He started disrobing as he walked to the locker room. Her words from earlier echoed through his mind. She was giving him a safe place to deal with the crisis. She understood the magnitude of the situation, not only for his family but for the city. He wondered how many women in the world would be able to walk down this road beside him. He unbuttoned his shirt and stopped midway. One. Exactly one woman would be able to walk beside him. His attention focused on the door to the gym. His heart shifted with that thought, locking the threads of feelings into ropes of reality. The wild, incorrigible, irreverent, and slightly insane woman had poured her essence around him when life threatened to break him apart. She'd kept him sane, given him an anchor and kept his focus where it needed to be and he… fuck, he loved her.