Steve swallowed thickly and eased into the room, watching every corner for movement. He reached under the table behind the couch and pulled out the Kimber .45 they had hidden there. Son of a bitch. Weber didn't even have time to grab a weapon.
Pulling himself together, he silently moved through the living room, careful to avoid the pools of blood. He cleared the kitchen, then the bedroom. Where the hell was the body? Not that Steve wanted to see Weber like that, but he refused to let this be his final resting place. The man deserved a 21-gun salute for his service to his country. Steve would see to it that he got that.
That tightness in his chest moved to his throat as his eyes burned. He was too late. While he was having dinner with the enemy, Weber was being tortured before they cut him up so much that he bled out.
"I'm so sorry, Hollywood." His voice shook with emotion. His best friend, his partner-in-crime, gone. Gone because Steve couldn't get to him in time.
"Sorry for what?"
Steve whipped around, his finger on the trigger. When Weber walked out of the bathroom, looking like he'd gone through a meat grinder as he held a blood-soaked rag to his forehead, Steve lowered the gun.
And immediately hugged him.
"What the hell, Broadway?"
"I thought—" His throat closed on him. He pushed away and wiped at his nose as he composed himself. Weber, the stubborn, lucky bastard, was still alive. "You made a mess."
Weber shrugged and grinned. "It's amazing how much terrorists bleed. Look at this place. We are definitely not getting our deposit back."
Steve chuckled. He slapped Weber on the shoulder. "You are not allowed to scare the shit out of me again, got it?"
Weber nodded and pulled the rag away, studying it. Steve spotted the gash on his forehead, the black eye, bloody nose, and split lip. "Did you get him?"
Steve glared at the gun in his hands. "The son of a bitch disappeared into another room to take a call. I used the opportunity to grill the wife. Oh, which, by the way, isn't the wife."
"I know," Weber admitted in a tense, even voice. "There's something I need to tell you."
Oh no. Oh hell no. "You keeping secrets from me?"
"Only the highly classified ones."
Steve hated that Weber ranked high enough inside of TREX that he had intel he couldn't share with him. "How do you know Ashad?"
"Right before we shut down Project LEON, Charlie Cole and I made a little trip to the Middle East. Apparently, word leaked out about LEON and Faizan Ashad thought he could make a bid. Cole and I stopped that from happening."
"Are you shitting me right now? How in the hell did word get out about LEON? That project was above top secret."
"You got me." Weber brought the rag back to his head. "We eliminated the threat."
It clicked. "You killed the brother. You killed Faizan Ashad."
"Which didn't make his big brother very happy. We've been watching Amoor Ashad, waiting for him to make his move. We knew he'd try to make a play for me."
"Why not Cole?"
Weber looked at him, sadness swirling in his eyes. "Do you really need me to answer that?"
No, he didn't. Steve knew why. After TREX shut down LEON, Cole lost his mind. He never did recover from his mental breakdown. Charlie Cole was no longer a threat. Dan Weber, however, clearly was. Steve glanced around at the amount of blood, well, everywhere. "How many where there?"
"Only four. Can you believe that? It's a fucking insult. If Ashad wanted to avenge his brother's death, he should have hired better muscle."
He loved that Weber could joke at a time like this. It was their way of coping with it all. "Where are the bodies?"
"Bathtub. I figured I'd let them relax a bit before I barbequed them."
"You won't have to." Steve shoved the gun into the back waistband of his pants. "Ashad rigged the hotel to blow. We have to get the people out of here."
Weber tossed the rag to the floor. "I figured as much. Ashad loves to kill."
"I'll pull the fire alarm."
"Don't. We don't need a panic on our hands or anything in the news. That will only give him what he wants." Weber walked to the window and glanced up to the sky. "I destroyed my phone since Ashad must have used it to track me. I then made a call on the SatCom. TREX will be here any second with a shit load of field agents, bomb techs, and a few highly trained snipers."
"McKoy?"
Weber nodded. "We've got two teams deployed. Well, old teams. But they still move as one. Yours and Allen's."
Steve grinned. Now they were talking. "So, now what?"
"Now we wait."
He hated the wait. Every TREX agent did. They were bred for action. A hell of a lot of action. Waiting was torture.
Weber handed Steve a receiver and lip mic. "TREX has a guy, the Gadget Master. He has a knack at finding ways to stay under the radar. The frequency is secure. Ashad will never know we're coming."
He wished he had the same confidence as Weber, but he’d seen something in Ashad's eyes, something that had him on edge. It was pure, unfiltered evil. He knew better than to underestimate the power of insanity and hatred.
"How far out are you?" Weber asked over the airwaves.
"Coming in black," TREX Special Agent Spencer Allen answered. "Already dropped."
"That was cool." Steve's grin widened. "I didn't even hear you."
"That's the point, Gessler." Allen's gruff tone sounded through the radio. On a normal day, Steve would have come up with some smartass comeback. Right now, he just wanted his TREX men here with him, helping him take down the terrorist about to blow up a Tahitian hotel.
Weber spoke up. "Allen, get the teams in position. Bomb techs, move in and get those charges disarmed. Snipers, find our best vantage point and settle in. Take out any unfriendlies. Gessler and I will go after Ashad."
"No collateral," Steve added, earning a glare from Weber.
He switched off his radio. "What the fuck was that?"
"The family hates Ashad. Hessa protects her boys, but the two oldest know what a monster he is. She's the one who gave me the intel on Ashad's plan to blow up the hotel."
Weber lifted his brow as his gaze narrowed. "Are you going soft on me?"
Steve thinned his lips as he thought about Jo, about those boys, and yes, even about Hessa. None of them deserved to die, just for TREX to take out Ashad. He debated his decision and finally shook his head. He'd get them out himself.
"Take the lead," he told Weber.
"Excuse me?"
"It's what you want anyway. You've been bitching about being stuck in the room. I'm giving you the lead. Take out our target."
"And I suppose you're going to go play hero to the family and their fuckable nanny?"
He didn't appreciate Weber talking about Jo like that but said nothing. They'd just end up screaming at each other and wasting precious time. "I'm going to get them out of harm's way. If you have a problem with that, shoot me now."
Weber set his jaw. "You are such a pain in my ass, Broadway."
"See you on the other side, Hollywood."
FIVE
Jo shoved everything she could find into the four backpacks she had lined on the bed. Hessa kept the boys occupied with having the two older ones helping the two younger ones gather shoes, hats, and anything else they could find. Jo didn't know where they were going, only that with Steve taking care of Ashad, they had to disappear before anyone else inside of Ashad's faction found out what they'd done.
"Ready," Hessa declared as she walked into the room. Jo zipped each pack closed and nodded for the boys to take them. They did without hesitation. Hessa watched them, admiration shining in her eyes. She touched Jimmy's head as he scurried out of the room after his brothers. "They listen to you."
A nervous laugh bubbled out. "I think they're just scared right now."
"Excited," she corrected. "My husband never wanted this life for them. He tried to shelter them from his brother. Amoor is an evil man and one who does not toler
ate disloyalty."
Jo still reeled from the news that Hessa was Ashad's sister-in-law and not his wife. Those weren't his kids. They were his nephews. That made her feel so much better knowing they didn't come from him. "That's why we’re getting you out of here."
"I think not." Amoor Ashad walked in, a gun in his hands, the barrel on Hessa. "Did you think you would be able to betray me the way you betrayed my brother?"
"Amoor." She whispered his name as she put a hand forward. "Please, it's not what you think."
He glanced at the backpacks on all of the kids, at the pile of hats and coats at the door, and then sliced those sharp eyes back to her. "It appears you are attempting to run. After all I've done for you, this is how you repay me?"
"Amoor, please."
Jo pushed through her fear and slowly made her way over to the boys, shoving them behind her. If Ashad killed Hessa in cold blood, Jo didn't want them witnessing it. She knew firsthand how that level of shock would burn into the brain and never let the person forget.
"Hessa, bring the boys to me." Ashad waved at her with the gun. "I will have you watch what happens when you betray me."
"You will not hurt these boys," Jo said, her voice steady. She'd already made her peace with God and wasn't afraid to die. Protecting the boys would be the ultimate sacrifice. Steve would kill Ashad. She had to believe that.
"You do not order me!" Ashad stormed toward her, the gun now aimed at her chest.
Hessa jumped at him. "Ashad, no!"
The gun went off. Hessa collapsed. Jo turned and hugged the boys to her so they wouldn't see their mother like that. The two youngest whimpered and held her close. The oldest, Jason, peeked out and sucked in a breath.
"Mama," he whispered and pushed away from Jo.
"Jason, no!"
But Jason kept his dark eyes, sparkling with hatred, on Ashad. "You dishonor my papa's memory. You disgrace this family."
Ashad raised his gun and settled it on Jason.
Jo hugged the kids tight as the shot rang out. She sobbed and whipped around, expecting to see Jason's body next to his mother's. Instead, she saw Amoor Ashad's body face down on the floor, a pool of blood oozing from of his head.
She jerked her attention to the door. Steve stood there, a gun at his side, the barrel smoking. She grabbed Jason and pulled him close, holding the kids tight as she waited to see his next move. He’d said the kids were a threat, that they'd grow up to be monsters like Ashad. If he so much as raised that gun at them, she'd kill him. With her bare hands, if she had to.
He tucked the gun behind him and approached. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, still unsure whether to trust him. Jimmy jumped into his arms and burst into tears. Jason and Jared ran to their mother's body. Jackson just stood there, staring at her, silent tears streaming down his face. It was the most heartbreaking think Jo had seen since the bombing.
"It's over," Steve said, soothing Jimmy. He then took Jackson's hand. "It's all over, boys."
"Mama," Jackson whispered and wiped at his tears.
Jason, so mature for his years, stood and nodded at the rest of the boys. "Mama's dead. I'm the head of this family now."
Jo's heart hurt for him and his brothers. No child at the age of ten should have to declare something like that. She decided then and there that she'd do everything she could to make sure he never had to again. "Jason, come over here."
He looked at her.
"Now."
He jumped, as did Jared. Jimmy slipped out of Steve's arms and joined his brothers. She waited until they were all together before kneeling down, addressing Jason first out of respect for him being the oldest, but also making sure she made eye contact with each one of them.
"I'm the head of the family. No arguments. I'll take care of you."
"You aren't family," Jason pointed out, though his voice shook as doubt flooded his eyes.
"You're family to me." She smiled at him as tears streamed down her cheeks. She couldn't imagine not having them around. After only four days, she'd fallen absolutely in love with these boys.
"Will you leave us, too?" Jackson asked, leery as he stayed back from everyone.
"Never."
Jackson looked to Jason. In fact, all the boys looked to him. He gave Jo a single nod in acceptance. "Until I can take care of them on my own."
"Of course," Jo conceded, knowing they had to take things one step at a time. "And you are the man of the house, Jason."
His little chest swelled as he gave her a slight smile.
Steve had the bodies covered in blankets when she turned to address him. "Thank you."
He bounced his gaze from the boys to her. "We'll need to take you all in."
She kept the boys close to her. They'd never have to go through anything like this again. "Of course."
Steve touched something wired to his neck. "Target eliminated. One civilian casualty. Five in need of pick-up." He glanced down at the bodies. "We'll need a clean-up crew. Get Sully and his team out here."
Once he lowered his hand, he rested his gaze on Jo. "Let's get these boys out of here."
She nodded and shielded the boys as best she could from the bodies on the floor as they moved toward the door. They made it outside and the warm wind whipped at her, drying her tears and blowing her hair into her face.
Men in black appeared out of nowhere and she immediately grabbed for the boys. Steve touched her arm. "It's okay. They're the good guys."
"But—"
"Jo," he said, his voice soft, warm. "It's okay." He turned to one of the men barking orders. "Hey, Allen? How old is your son?"
Allen didn't seem to appreciate Steve's question, but then gave him a nod and turned to the boys. "He just turned a year old." He then knelt down to Jason. "Do you know how to take care of a one-year-old?"
Jason nodded.
"You're hired."
Jason shook his head and even gave a slight smile when Allen nudged him in a tease.
Allen nodded at the kids. "Come one, boys. Let's see if we can find someplace that serves milkshakes. I'm craving a big chocolate milkshake."
"I like strawberry," Jason said and waited. He was not going to make this easy on anyone, and why should he? He lost his father six months ago and lost his mother six minutes ago. To top it off, he'd been forced to live with the devil the entire time.
"I like cherries on top," Allen countered. "You know what? Let's forget the milkshakes."
All four boys, so used to disappointment, deflated.
"I think I want an ice cream sundae instead."
They all brightened. Jimmy declared, "I love ice cream!"
Allen gave Steve a nod and took the boys away, leaving Jo alone with the man who saved her life. Twice, now.
"Let's take a walk," he suggested. She turned back to the blankets covering Hessa and Ashad. "We have a crew coming in and shouldn't be here when they arrive. Separation of duties and all that."
They moved away from the bungalow that would forever be etched into her brain. The waves crashed along the beach and made for a serene scene, but her nerves were raw. It would be some time before she came down from this.
And yet, as she walked with Steve, peace washed over her. Maybe not peace, as there was no peace in having to kill another person. No, this was more like acceptance. Balance. A weight lifted and she pulled in a deep, clean breath for the first time in six years.
Steve slipped a hand around hers. She took it and curled her fingers around his. "What happens how?"
"We process the scene, clean up after Ashad. He was a bad man, Jo. You know that. He had to die."
"I know." She sniffed and dropped her gaze as she mourned the loss of a friend. "But Hessa didn't. That monster pointed a gun at me as I put myself between him and those boys."
"She died protecting you all." He looked at her. "Are you really ready to take this on? You were a nanny for four days. Now you've made a promise to those kids to be their mom. Can you do that?"
J
o squared her shoulders and squeezed his hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
“What about Hessa’s family?”
“She didn’t have any. Amoor was the last of his family. Those boys have no one.”
Steve stopped them and turned her, cupping her face in his hands. "I want to help."
"How?"
He leaned in and kissed her, his tongue swiping across her lips, coaxing her to open her mouth. She did and their tongues met, tasting each other, promising each other. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as their kiss deepened. The intensity burned her on the spot. Her body awakened, her nipples twisting, her clit swelling. Wow, did this man know how to kiss.
His hand moved to her hair. When he tightened it into a fist, she whimpered and kissed him even harder. He pulled back, his gaze searching hers. "Now that this is over, I'm taking you back to London."
Her heart skipped at his words. She wanted him. Despite what happened tonight. Despite how he’d knocked her out when they met. She wanted him, here and now. It was more than likely the near-death experience driving her, but she didn't care. She needed him to touch her and reached for him.
Reluctantly, he took her hand and stopped her. "Despite every bone—and I do mean every bone—in my body wanting to lose myself buried inside you until we both collapse, I have to get back."
"You're turning down sex with me?" Americans.
"No, baby." He grinned and she shimmied when those delicious brown eyes danced. "It will happen, just not here. Not now, but soon. My agency has an office in London. I'll escort you there."
"And then?"
"We'll get the boys settled."
"And then?" She hated the desperation in her voice, but she had to know.
He grinned and nipped at her lips. "And then I take you into the bedroom. I strip you down and lick every last inch of you. Once I'm sure I've covered your entire body, I will cover your entire body and ravish you until neither one of us have the strength to do anything other than hold each other, trembling. How does that sound?"
She almost collapsed into a pool of her own liquid desire. He had her close to an orgasm just describing the night to her. Unable to speak, she simply nodded. They started to walk again.
No Way Out (TREX) Page 4
