Pine Wood Road was pitch black except what their headlights illuminated. Mature trees stood like tower guards, their heavy boughs served as natural canopies over the road, allowing only a smattering moonlight to filter through its leaves. The address he’d fed into the GPS came up on the left and made him turn onto a paved road covered with more trees. He came upon a small gate and punched in a code. It swung inward and he drove through. The house was set far from the street, tucked away behind woodland. Jake was sure there was a security trip line running across the perimeter of the property. Most of the Guardians safe houses had them. He paused in front of a gigantic garage, and brought up the AGS app on his phone, entering the address. Several options appeared that controlled the utilities of the house. He pressed the one for the garage and a soft token scrambled six-digit access codes every sixty seconds. He pressed push. The bulb over the garage illuminated and the door began to trundle up.
Jake hadn’t spoken to his passenger since they turned off the exit. He sensed she wasn’t in a chatty mood and thought to give her some space now because he would be in hers for the next twenty-four hours. Pulling into the garage, he cut the engine, swiped the button to close it and got out of the van.
He went straight to the back, apprehensive of his passenger’s condition and state of mind. He wished she wasn’t too sore. Taking a deep inhale, he opened the door and his breath caught at the beautiful and vulnerable face of Patrol Officer Hunt. Tendrils of hair had escaped from her bun and her cap had fallen on the road when he’d lifted her into the van. He noted belatedly that he left a lot of clues at the scene that pointed to Stella’s abduction.
“Are you going to uncuff me?” her voice was low.
“I am. I didn’t mean to do this, Stella.”
“What’s with all the guns?”
Instead of answering her, he slipped out the cuff keys he’d lifted from her earlier and started to free her. “Your arms are gonna feel prickly for a while as circulation returns.”
She sighed. “Who do you work for?”
He met her eyes as he released her wrists from the restraints. “Best you don’t ask questions. I’ve entangled you in this mess enough.”
He shouldn’t have been complacent. It must have been the abject misery that emanated from her during the drive here, but Jake was too late when he caught the gleam of subterfuge in her eyes. He was a bit too late when her forehead came swinging straight for his face, he managed to jerk his head sideways as an almighty pain cracked somewhere between his cheek and his nose.
“Fuck me.”
Two feet kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering backward. She jumped down from the back of the van like some ninja monkey and attacked. He managed to catch the foot aimed for his groin and, just as quickly, dragged her by that foot into him, spinning her around so her back was to his chest, and his arms banded over hers—and very ample tits, locking her in place.
“Let me go!” she yelled.
“Depends, fighter girl,” Jake gritted. Wetness trickled down his nose—blood. “Are you going to behave?”
“Fuck you!”
Shit! She shouldn’t have said that while squirming that rounded ass somewhere in the vicinity of his crotch as he was bent over her as they struggled for the upper hand. All that rubbing was not helping him keep the blood from going to his groin. She tried to stomp his feet, but he managed to avoid it and lifted her just high enough so she couldn’t ram the back of her head into his nose again, and probably break it this time.
“Stop fighting,” he grunted. “You know you can’t win.”
He hefted her across the garage, toward the door. Fuck him. How was he going to do this? He dropped his load and immediately pushed her against the van, pinning her body. He lowered his mouth to her ear. “The last thing I want is to hurt you. Let’s get through this night and decide how to return you to your people tomorrow.”
“You could have just dropped me at Hamid’s store,” she hissed at him.
“Every second was valuable. We needed to get away from Schneider’s men and the last thing I needed was to get pulled over because you already gave my license plate to dispatch. You did, didn’t you?”
No response.
Exasperated at her for not answering his questions, he stepped back.
“Go ahead. Give it your best shot. Kick me in the nuts.”
She twisted around and glared at him. She was like a little kitten, baring her claws and yet earlier she froze after shooting Gould. Jake tucked that information away.
He purposely turned his back on her, took out the phone again and set the app to behave like a hotel keycard when held against any exterior door of the house. The light on the handle turned green and he pushed down on the lever to open it.
He stood aside, canted his head in her direction but didn’t exactly look at her. “After you.”
For all of three seconds, she stood motionless, a battle of wills ricocheting between them. Then she hurried past him and entered the house.
A small victory, but he still couldn’t decide whether he was going to use restraints on her tonight or not.
3
Stella didn’t know what to make of her captor. He seemed to be telling the truth about keeping her safe, but what was his deal? It piqued her curiosity. He indicated he was working undercover against Krieger United—a rumored neo-Nazi gang that’d been plaguing the area from Virginia Beach to Hampton Roads and all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.
Her gaze moved along the lines of the house. A row of French doors opened to a narrow dock and a boat landing. It was typical of the houses along the area’s estuaries where the rivers mixed with the ocean. At least that’s where she thought they were.
The kitchen was central and overlooked the living room with hallways on either side of it. There was a utility room on her left, and when Jake headed straight for the room slightly ahead on the right, it revealed a security area with CCTV and stacks of computers.
Who did he work for?
The FBI?
DEA?
Or the CIA?
The law enforcement leadership in the area refused to acknowledge its gang problem. Was that why other federal agencies were getting involved?
“Okay, we’re locked and secure,” Jake said, walking out from the room.
“That’s secure?” She nodded to the row of French doors.
“Bullet-proof glass,” he told her. “And they can’t see in. But if you’re not feeling comfortable …”
He fidgeted with his phone again, brows furrowing before they smoothed out and he grinned as accordion doors that were relegated to the corners unfolded and blocked the view from outside.
“Who the hell do you work for?” she asked. “I mean. I know there are apps to control security, but not to this extent. You control every facet of this house.”
“Hardware is getting obsolete. Everything is controlled by this guy here.” Jake held out his phone and, for the first time, Stella saw his face brighten much like Sam’s would when he had a big boy toy to play with.
Thinking of Sam, made her think of Gram again and how her abduction would make her worry. Gram was a strong woman. She’d been their rock when their parents got killed in a mugging and, even though she lost her son—their dad—she kept her grief to herself and gave her and Sam a home.
“You okay? Tired?” The concern on Jake’s face seemed genuine. Maybe she could still plead her case.
“Jake, you have to let me go. Drop me off somewhere.”
The concern in his eyes fled and his face shuttered into a granite mask. “Can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“Until we get this sorted out, where our op stands, we can’t let Virginia Beach police know about what’s going on in their area.”
“Why not?” she pressed. “Isn’t it common courtesy for other agencies to let local LEOs know what’s happening.”
“Not us,” he clipped.
“You’re CIA.” She tried to gauge hi
s reaction to that. Still stoic.
“No comment.”
He was CIA. But why were they concerned with VB’s gang problem?
“My grandmother … she’s gonna worry.” She tried to make her reasons personal, but then another thought struck her. “If my abduction hits the news and if Schneider is as dangerous as you say he is …” her eyes flew to his. “Danger to me won’t end when I go home, will it?”
Jake gave a curt nod, confirming her fears. “My team is still assessing if maintaining my cover is viable. If I disappear and you return, then they’ll come after you to find out what happened to the guns.”
“Is my gram in danger?”
“I can’t answer that with certainty. I’d say no, but it doesn’t mean that no one will be watching your house. Schneider has ways of getting information. You’ve got dirty cops in the VBPD.”
“I need her protected,” Stella said. “This is non-negotiable, Jake.”
“Let’s see what your department does. You think they’ll release your name?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m not sure, but Gram will be frantic. I always call her after my ten-hour shift.” That was Pearl’s only condition when she became a cop. “If they don’t release my name and notify her immediately, then we have time, but if they do, I need to let her know I’m okay.”
The stoic mask of his face broke and regret fleeted through his eyes. “Sorry. I can’t let you go.” He straightened from the counter and walked toward her. “It’s getting late. I think you need to rest.”
She made a pfft sound. “I’d just started my double shift, I’m not tired.”
“Well I am,” he muttered. “Do I have to lock you in a room?”
This surprised her. “What?”
“Can I trust you to stay put and not sneak out in the middle of the night?”
His statement angered her. “Is there a way I can override the security in this place?”
“No.”
“Then why do you need to lock me in a room?”
“Oh, I dunno, maybe I don’t trust you not to stab me in my sleep.” He grinned, but Stella didn’t find any of this funny. Noticing she didn’t share his sense of humor, his face turned bland again. “Do I have your word?”
“I don’t owe you my word. You abducted me.” Asshole, she didn’t add, but judging from the hardening of his expression, her own communicated that sentiment loud and clear.
“Guess our truce is over?”
Stella refused to answer and a look of frustration crossed his face.
He invaded her space, slouched slightly and lowered his head to whisper by her ear. “I really, really hate it when you give me that silent treatment.”
Didn’t he know that only made her want to do it more, simply to annoy the hell out of him?
He straightened and stared down at her. “Fine. I would’ve given you the master bedroom with the comfortable bed.”
Stella soon found out what he meant. There was a bedroom on the second floor which locked from the outside. It didn’t take her long to figure out what the room was used for. It had a rudimentary full-sized bed and an attached bathroom. Surprisingly, it had a window.
“Those don’t open,” Jake told her as if reading her mind. He handed her a bag. “You have a change of clothes, a toothbrush and all the bare necessities. If you’re hungry, there’s an MRE in there. Fridge in the corner has water and soda.”
“You’re just gonna lock me in here?”
“All I need is your word, fighter girl, that you won’t run away while I figure out how to save this op and you’ll have free rein of the house. Might even share the bacon and eggs I’m making.”
“You’re really such an asshole.”
His brow quirked. “On the contrary, I think I’m being a very reasonable captor.”
Her lips flattened mulishly.
“There’s an intercom on the wall if you need something.”
Of course she gave him the silent treatment.
His nostrils flared, realizing what she was doing.
“Enjoy your stay.” He shut the door.
4
All she had to say was she wasn’t going to attempt to run away, dammit. Not that it was possible, but the gauntlet was thrown, and his stupid pride wouldn’t give up the ghost. Instead, he ate bacon and eggs that tasted like cardboard, although it could be because the eggs were from the frozen pasteurized shit from the freezer. No amount of seasoning would transform the taste to the free-range eggs he was used to growing up on their Nebraska farm.
Was this the kind of life he wanted? And why the hell was he thinking about this now? Was it because of the woman he locked in the room upstairs? If it would’ve been someone else, would he be questioning his life’s choices?
Those accusing eyes.
Eyes that pierced a corner of his soul that drew out uncomfortable self-reflection.
Angry at himself for losing focus on the job, he got up from the kitchen table and dumped the dishes in the sink. He dragged open his phone and pawed the AGS app to check on her. He should give her privacy, but he wasn’t the kind of person who would confine someone in a room without verifying her welfare. He had an inkling her pride rivaled his, and she would refuse to use the intercom even when she was at death’s door.
This infuriated him.
It infuriated him more that he admired her for it.
The infrared sensors were on, which meant she’d turned off the lights. At first he couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing … rumpled sheets on the bed, a water bottle on its side on the floor.
Heart pounding, wondering where she was and if she did manage to escape, Jake sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he reached the landing at the top, he looked at his phone again and found where she was.
His heart stopped.
Lungs seized.
Stella was slumped in the corner at an odd angle.
Fuck! Did she have a medical condition and not tell him?
He didn’t think he took another breath as he reached the door to her room, hand shaking as he held his phone to the code reader to unlock it. The door slammed against the wall and the light from the hallway shone an arrow of light straight into the room and he saw her bare feet and legs and that was it. He punched the lights and saw her.
Face deathly pale.
Lips bloodless.
“Stella!”
He rushed to her, sliding to his knees, resisting the urge to shake her. To find out if she was still alive. Instead, he eased her on his lap, seeking her pulse, relieved it was strong. She blinked slowly, eyes etched in confusion and then fear, before recognition set in.
“Jake?” she whispered.
“Sweetheart, what happened?”
With her left arm she attempted to lever herself up and since he refused to let her go, he ended up sitting on the floor with her cradled securely on his lap. She looked different, and Jake realized why. A curtain of hair framed her face, freed from the severe bun. Her once luminous eyes were dull, but it had a different effect on him.
Beautiful, haunted, and vulnerable.
His protective instinct flared.
“I … I think I had another panic attack.”
“Did locking you in this room cause it?” he asked tightly.
“It wasn’t that,” she said.
“I need to know what triggers it.”
Her expression turned thoughtful. “Both times I was thinking about Gram … and one thought led to another.” Her face turned grave. “You need to let me go.”
He cleared his throat. “If I let you talk to her. Would it make you feel better?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You’d do that for me?”
“Anything for you not to scare the shit out of me again,” he muttered.
She peered at him curiously before dropping her eyes and fixing a stare at his shoulder. “Have you seen anything on the news yet?”
“I haven’t.” Although having her in his
arms felt good, sitting on the floor having this conversation wasn’t comfortable. “How about we move to the living room and check the news?”
Breaking News: Police on the scene of possible Pungo murder and kidnapping.
“That’s all?” Stella asked.
“That’s it. I checked other news websites but there’s not much information. You think your department is keeping the details from the media?”
“Possibly.” Stella was tucked in beside him and sipping the hot chocolate he made for her. Her hands were cold as ice earlier, she didn’t want to eat and only acquiesced to drinking the hot liquid.
“I can log in to our internal bulletin boards but,” her voice died off when he was already shaking his head. She sighed. “I guess they could be tracking that.”
“Yes. The fact that they haven’t mentioned that a cop was the one who’s been kidnapped is a good thing,” he said.
“Gram knows that I rarely answer calls or texts when I’m on shift.”
“So how long you got before she blows up your phone?”
“It’s one a.m. so, not until after four.”
“And everything happened around ten, so that breaking news could have been recent and released when she’d already gone to bed.”
“She sleeps early and she’s more online in a chemistry chat room than watching TV.”
“Chemistry, huh?”
“She’s a geek, what can I say.”
Jake smiled. “She sounds like a fascinating person.”
Stella looked away. “She only checks the news in the morning when she drinks her coffee.”
Jake nudged her. “So you will be fine then? And not worry your grandmother until we have no choice but to call her? I hate to set a precedent of an early morning call.”
Protecting Stella (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) Page 3
