RELENTLESS: An Option Zero Novel

by Christy Reece

  They reached the exit, and Liam said, “Stay here. I’ll be right back. You see any kind of threat, scream as loud as you can.”

  He walked out onto the drive and evaluated. The parking lot was filled with cars, but he saw only a few people. To the left of him, about ten yards away, a couple got into their car. To his right, a man and woman with two toddlers entered their vehicle. Straight ahead, an elderly man shuffled toward his car. Nothing was out of place, everything seemed calm.

  Clicking the key fob to unlock the door, he strode to the SUV, jumped inside, and started the engine. He was driving toward the building when he saw Green walking alone in the parking lot.

  Sliding his window down, he shouted, “Green, where are you going? Get in here! It’s not safe!”

  As if he hadn’t heard him, Green continued to stride through the parking lot. He didn’t appear to have a specific destination or purpose. His steps were slow and awkward, almost shuffling.

  From the doorway of the hospital, Aubrey shouted, “Uncle Syd!”

  “Aubrey!” Liam yelled. “Get back inside. I’ll get your uncle.”

  He shoved the SUV into park, jumped out, and ran toward the man. “Green, what the hell are you doing? Where do you think you’re going?”

  Finally acknowledging him, Green stopped suddenly and glared at Liam. “I have nothing else to tell you. I’ve given you all I know.”

  “All right, fine. But you need protection. You think they’re going to let you live?”

  “Do you think I care?” Looking up at the sky, he raised his hands, and walking in circles, shouted, “Come and get me, you bastards! I’m ready! You’ve taken everything from me! I have nothing left.”

  “Uncle Syd, please!”

  Liam turned to see Aubrey running toward them. “Get in the car,” Liam snapped. “I’ll take care of your uncle.” Turning back, he growled, “Green, get in the car!”

  “No!” Looking back up at the sky, he shouted again, “They can’t hurt me anymore!”

  Liam took a running leap, preparing to tackle the man. One way or the other, he was getting inside the car. He stopped short when an expression of horror crossed Green’s face. He clutched his chest, and Liam caught him before he could drop to the ground.

  “No! Uncle Syd!” Leaving the safety of the SUV, Aubrey ran to her uncle, falling to her knees beside him.

  Liam gently laid Green on the pavement. He was gasping for breath, his entire body twitching and writhing, his face deathly pale.

  “Go get some help, Liam. I’ll stay with him.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone.” He looked around and saw a couple standing a few feet away. “Get a doctor out here!”

  They nodded and ran inside the hospital. Less than a minute later, two people in hospital garb ran toward them.

  Aubrey was leaning over her uncle, urging him to stay alive. When help arrived, Liam pulled her away to allow them to attend him.

  Aware that she was in danger, but knowing there was no way she would leave her uncle, Liam stayed as close to her as possible. His eyes continually roamed the parking lot, looking for a threat.

  For several long moments, they watched as CPR was performed. Liam already knew it was a hopeless cause, but he had to give the medical people credit. They worked tirelessly to try to save him. It was no use. When a nurse stood and looked over at them, he knew the words before she said them.

  “I’m sorry. There’s nothing more we can do.”

  Chapter Forty

  Three Days Later

  OZ Headquarters

  Montana

  “Looks like we have more questions than answers.”

  Liam’s eyes roamed the room, taking in the perplexed expressions of his fellow operatives. Returning his gaze to Jazz, who’d made the statement, he nodded. “That about sums it up.”

  “Who are these people?” Gideon asked. “And how many are out there?”

  “According to Green, more than we can fathom.”

  “Perhaps so,” Ash said, “but I don’t think it’s as dire or as hopeless as it looks.”

  “How’s that?” Gideon asked.

  “Green was a pawn. As was Ferante. Looks like Senator Nora Turner was, too. Their relationship with this entity or organization was the ultimate quid pro quo. For status, wealth, and even the price of staying alive, keeping their families safe, they did certain things to aid this group.”

  “That’s a good thing, how?” Xavier asked.

  “We focus on finding who is in control. Once they’re exposed, the others will lose their power.”

  “Cut off the head of the snake,” Eve said.

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, but how are we going to find the snake head?” Xavier asked. “Everyone we know who was involved is dead.”

  “We start from the beginning,” Liam said. He hadn’t slept much in the last few days, trying to come up with an answer. “Go through every name Green gave me. Find connections. There have to be some. We work it until we find the one thing that connects them all.”

  “I’ve already been looking into this school that Green claimed he attended,” Serena said. “His bio only reveals what university he went to, which was UCLA. There’s nothing about his formative education. Looks like a lot of his early years have been erased. It’s got to be somewhere, though.” She shrugged. “We’ll dig until we find something.”

  “And in the meantime, how much danger is Aubrey in?” Jazz asked.

  The other thing that had kept him from sleeping. “I don’t know. The only players she knew about—Ferante and her uncle—are dead.”

  “Is she still going ahead with her documentary?”

  Since that was one of the many items they’d yet to talk about, he just shook his head. “Hard to say.”

  “How’s she doing?” Sean asked. “Sorry I couldn’t be there to help at the memorial. Serena said she looked like death.” He winced and added, “Sorry. Poor choice of words.”

  He couldn’t argue with the assessment. The light had gone from her eyes, and he feared he’d never see it again. Her entire world had been upended. She had barely talked to him since their return from LA. It was like she’d gone inside herself to hide.

  “Becca was like a sister to her; her uncle a second father. Having him die in front of her, on top of all the things she just learned from him, that he had something to do with her abduction, and all the abuse she endured…” He shrugged. “That’s a lot to deal with in one lifetime. She got all this in the span of an hour.”

  “Just one of those things would destroy many people,” Jules said. “But your Aubrey is made of sterner stuff. The ordeal she survived in Syria might’ve broken a weaker person. She just needs time.”

  “I can’t believe her mother didn’t even come to the memorial,” Serena said.

  He couldn’t either. Though he’d yet to meet her, he wasn’t much of a fan of Elizabeth Starr. She had left it up to her daughter to take care of all the arrangements for the double memorial, saying she wanted to remember Becca and Syd in good times.

  And since Aubrey’s safety was Liam’s primary concern, they’d had their first argument. Having her front and center at a memorial for two well-known celebrities had nightmare written all over it. He wasn’t sure which had infuriated her more—the bulletproof vest she’d had to wear beneath her elegant black dress, or having several OZ team members covering her every step.

  The paparazzi had been in a frenzy. The tragic story of two deaths, father and daughter, both famous, had caught their imagination and they couldn’t get enough. The memorial had been limited to invited guests only, but hundreds of people had parked themselves outside the large cathedral, clamoring for any kind of news or photo op.

  As the only family member in attendance, Aubrey had received the brunt of attention. That attention was the last thing he’d wanted for her, but he couldn’t ask her not to attend. Not that it would have done any good. He was learning that Aubrey Starr was an independent, very st
ubborn woman. And as he loved that independent, stubborn woman with every fiber of his being, he’d been determined that she stay safe.

  Having protection twenty-four seven, giving her almost no privacy, had been smothering. Though she had handled herself with grace and dignity, he knew she’d been hanging by a thread.

  They’d all flown back to Montana together on the OZ plane. She had sat silently in her seat with only minimal interaction with anyone. Other than the empty look she’d given him each time he tried to talk to her, they’d had no communication. He was giving her space and time. She was hurting, and he was hurting for her. He had to believe she would come around. She had to.

  “Will Green’s cause of death just remain a mystery?” Xavier asked.

  And that was one of the most infuriating things that had happened. The heart attack had been too coincidental. Had something been in the tea he’d seen Green drinking? Which nurse had brought it to him? When questioned, no one had admitted to delivering it to him. The paper cup, which could have provided evidence about what might have been in the tea, had mysteriously disappeared from the room.

  At his urging, Aubrey had insisted on an autopsy. When Liam had called for the results, he’d learned that paperwork had suddenly appeared, ordering an immediate cremation. The autopsy had been canceled, and Syd Green’s body had been cremated, destroying any evidence that could have explained his death.

  Liam had lived with the need for secrecy most of his adult life. He understood the need for them. Having been a SEAL, then a covert agent, and now an OZ operative, almost everything he did was undercover and hidden from the world. But at least his secrecy usually resulted in saving lives. From what he could tell, the secrets these people kept revolved around destroying and taking lives.

  “Where do we go from here?” Jazz asked.

  “We start digging even deeper,” Serena answered. “My team is working overtime.”

  “There’s another link that we hadn’t considered,” Ash said. “Aubrey was taken to the same prison that I was. A prison that somehow Syd Green and Nora Turner apparently knew about, or this organization has some connection to.”

  “It’s like a gigantic spiderweb that’s intricately tied together,” Eve said.

  “True.” Ash sent a smile over to Serena. “But we’ve got one of the best teams for untangling spiderwebs.”

  “Yes, we do,” Serena said. “We’ll find them. It’s just going to take some time.”

  Liam checked his phone to ensure he had no messages from Aubrey. He’d been away for several hours. He didn’t like being away from her this long. The grief would come out one way or the other. He intended to be there for her when it came.

  Standing, he looked around the room. “Thank you guys for being there. Don’t know what I’d do without any one of you.”

  “That’s what we’re here for, brother,” Gideon said.

  “Unless something comes up,” Ash said, “Liam’s going to take a few days off.”

  “Give Aubrey a hug for me,” Jazz said.

  “Tell her I’ll call her soon,” Serena added.

  “Will do. And thanks again.”

  He walked out of the conference room and headed to the front door. Eve called his name, stopping his progress.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I know Aubrey’s hurting, and you’re at a loss on how to make it better for her.”

  “Yeah…exactly.”

  “I have some news that might help. That thing we talked about.”

  “It’s done?”

  “Yes. They’re being shipped to you. Should arrive sometime next week.”

  Liam grabbed her in a quick hug. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Just make sure she knows that no matter what, we’re here for her. She’s one of us.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  The blinking cursor mocked her. Her eyes dry, her body numb, Aubrey sat in front of a blank screen and felt just as empty as the file before her. She had nothing left. Writing had always been a panacea, her release and escape. But now she couldn’t write a word. Her entire life felt like a lie. How could she write about truth when she didn’t even know what it was anymore?

  Losing Becca hurt more than she could have fathomed. As children, they’d played with each other every day. And even when her parents had moved from California to Connecticut, they’d talked almost daily on the phone. Their holidays and school breaks had been spent in each other’s homes. She had told Becca about her first kiss and had consoled Becca each time a boyfriend had broken her heart.

  The last few years, they’d seen less of each other because of their careers, but they had still talked several times a week. And now her sweet, precious cousin was gone and it was all so senseless.

  And Uncle Syd.

  Unable to stare at the blank screen any longer, Aubrey stood and began to pace. She always did her best thinking this way. However, she doubted a hundred miles of pacing would help her to understand why her uncle had done what he’d done.

  The man she’d believed was one of the kindest, most generous people in the world had been a fraud and a murderer. Aunt Jenny’s death had been nothing less than murder. Her uncle might not have initiated it, but he had done nothing to prevent it, nor had he gone to the authorities with what he had known.

  Lawrence Medford’s death was on him, too. It didn’t matter that he had diverted Ferante’s attention to keep her safe. A man was dead all the same.

  The fact that he had been indirectly responsible for her abduction was another mind-blowing, nauseating truth. She had thought him such a hero for paying her ransom. When he’d made sure there had been no media exposure, she had been in awe of his influence and thought he was so very kind. His protection of her privacy had helped ease the trauma she’d endured.

  Instead, he had paid actors to make her and her parents believe his lies.

  She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask him and a million tears she wanted to shed. She could do neither. Syd was dead, and her questions might never be answered. The tears had dried up, too. Not since Becca’s death had she been able to cry.

  Liam was most likely disgusted with her. While he was so incredibly supportive and brave, she was like a frozen lump on a log. She couldn’t talk to him. No matter how loving and tender he was, the words simply would not come. Since they’d returned home, she had stayed in the guest room. Not because she didn’t want to be with him. It was as if she had nothing left inside her. She was a shell of a person.

  The entire OZ team had been amazingly supportive. Liam had told her they were her family now, and while she very much appreciated that sentiment, she still felt alone.

  Even her mother had abandoned her, although she couldn’t say she was all that surprised. She and her mother had lost their connection after her father passed away. Tragedy either brought people closer together or tore them apart. In this case, it had definitely been the latter.

  Though it hurt at the time, not having her mother attend the memorial was really a blessing in disguise. Acting normal would have been impossible, and there was no way she could tell her mother all the things she had learned. Telling her that Aunt Jenny had been murdered was impossible. Elizabeth Starr had loved her younger sister. There was nothing to gain in letting her know the truth. Especially when the details were so blurred and sketchy. Who, what, and why were as clear as mud.

  Wrapping her sweater tighter around her body, Aubrey looked out at the glorious view. It had been snowing most of the day, and the scenery was incredible. How could she see the beauty before her but feel only the ugliness within?

  “Aubrey!”

  She turned at the sound of Liam’s voice. He had left this morning before she’d emerged from her room. The text he’d sent her had simply said he had a meeting at OZ and would be back as soon as possible. It was now late afternoon, and the relief she felt was tangible. She was sick of her own company.

  Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, s
he grimaced. No way was she going to meet him looking like something a cat had spit up.

  “I’ll be down in a minute,” she called.

  Hurriedly, she combed her hair into some semblance of order, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. She had actually dressed in something besides sweats this morning so when she stepped back and gave herself a once-over in the mirror, she wasn’t totally bummed out. Yes, she was still pale and looked like she’d lost her best friend—which she had—but at least she didn’t have the appearance of a wraith, as she had the last few days.

  She walked out of the bedroom to find Liam heading down the hallway toward her room. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just needed to tidy up a bit.”

  “You had anything to eat?”

  Of course she hadn’t. Her appetite had been off since the wreck. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. This morning she’d gotten dressed and gone straight to her laptop where she’d done absolutely nothing but stare at the thing all day.

  “No.”

  “I brought dinner.” He held his hand out. “Let’s go.”

  She got the distinct impression that saying no wouldn’t be a good idea. He had a glint in his eyes that she’d learned meant business.

  The instant she reached the kitchen door, her nose began to twitch. “Something smells incredible.”

  “I went to my favorite deli in Missoula. Homemade chicken noodle soup and ham and cheese on croissants.”

  Suddenly ravenous, Aubrey grabbed bowls and plates from the cabinet while Liam pulled a couple of sodas from the fridge.

  Within minutes, they were sitting at the table, consuming what had to be the best meal she’d ever eaten in her life.

  “Good?”

  She mumbled something incoherent and kept eating. Several moments passed before she finally looked up to see Liam grinning like a loon.