“The Holly Group will be the gatherers, and the NAC groups will be the hunters,” Ryleigh continued. “To do this, we would like to have an operative from my team to work directly with only the six of you and your teams.”
Ryleigh could tell all the men were not on board with their plan. Kayden seemed receptive, so did Carter and Dane, but the rest of them looked kind of sick to their stomachs with the idea of working together with her team, and that pissed her off. The Holly Group had an excellent reputation, and the men would have to learn to live with what was coming.
Jacks didn’t like the idea of bringing a woman into his team on a permanent or even semi-permanent basis. Women had their place in NAC and on the teams, but it was mostly administrative or on the special occasion where they needed to distract someone with a beautiful woman, and he didn’t see the ladies of The Holly Group playing either of those parts.
“Tell only the people you trust most about the DNA information we disclosed earlier,” warned Senior. “Pandora deemed the six ladies of The Holly Group as failures. However, with them starting breeding programs again, we are afraid their viability will once again become valued if they can’t locate the other women or children Dr. Franklin created with only a single DNA strand. Their mixed genetics might be the last resort option for them.”
“Just last year one of my operatives was pursued aggressively,” Ryleigh elaborated. “We assumed it was because of the nature of the operation she was working on, but the players did not match up. She is the youngest of our group at only twenty-three. When we did the testing, she is also the only one who tested with less than three shifter DNA strands. Which means hypothetically, over time, Dr. Franklin or Pandora got better at manipulating the Shifter genes.”
Jacks couldn’t help but think that things just kept on getting better and better. Now the teams would have to babysit all the operative of The Holly Group, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“Personally, I’ve had no attempts, but have found surveillance equipment both in my home and on my vehicle,” Ryleigh revealed. “These attempts happened at different times in my life. Tracking the tech hasn’t resulted in anything concrete. The tech was advanced, so we were able to determine it had nothing to do with any cases the Holly Group had at the time. It was military grade which spurred us to investigate further. A shipment of the same tech had been stolen from a Navy shipyard two months before I discovered the bugs. They were highly advanced and solely commissioned for our Armed Forces. We tracked them back to Davis Defense Systems. We are watching the company, but have yet to dig any deeper.”
Chapter 16
“That’s what I would like one of the merged groups to concentrate on, for the time being. Davis Defense is an unknown at this point, but warrants concentration,” Senior proposed.
“So, we would essentially merge our forces to babysit The Holly Group and Davis Defense?” Jacks burst out.
The guy might be gorgeous, but he a total jerk.
“No, we’ve taken extreme measures to ensure that Ryleigh won’t be a target again,” Senior answered. “We’ve determined that her visibility was the cause of the surveillance. Unfortunately, in her case, her rescue was very public. Ryleigh took my name after her rescue, but there are still records out there the general public has access to.”
“Plus, both my incubators are no longer alive. While incarcerated for attempted murder, both met untimely deaths. They did have a son born from natural means. His name is Julius Abernathy. He is the only person alive and free who has the motive to find me and retaliate against me for his parents’ incarceration and ultimate deaths,” Ryleigh explained.
“Who did they try to kill?” Jacks questioned.
“My Dad,” Ryleigh gulped.
“When Ryleigh was 16 years old, the fuckers came up with a plan that if they got rid of me, they could save face with Pandora and get their wealth and power back,” Senior stated. “Let’s just say it backfired. They were tried and convicted. Enough said.”
Jacks started to put two and two together. Ryleigh was the girl that Senior had saved all those years ago, and he knew that girl’s name. It also meant that this fucked-up situation just got worse.
“Holy shit, you’re Jennifer Abernathy?” Jacks cursed.
“No, I am Ryleigh Quinn! I was never Jennifer Abernathy; that little girl did not exist beyond the cage she was kept in,” Ryleigh shouted. “Ryleigh Quinn came about when Dad rescued me and named me.” She attempted to regain her composure. She did not let people see her vulnerabilities, she learned that lesson as a child. As long as she kept herself calm and aloof, everything would be okay. Why did this man have such an affect her?
“We are getting off topic,” Senior continued. “Cassie Larson is all we should be concentrating on at this time. My daughter’s past is not up for discussion, and Julius Abernathy is watched closely at all times.”
“He won’t become an issue in this case or future cases. I’ll make sure of that,” Ryleigh could help but butt in.
No, Jacks thought, he would take care of the little shit, not Ryleigh. She didn’t need to deal with the man at all. She had enough on her plate, and for some reason, he needed to protect her.
“We felt it was necessary to divulge my past, so you were not only better informed, but better equipped to handle the merger we have proposed,” Ryleigh explained. “My case is mild in comparison to some of the ladies of the Holly Group. Also, I’d like to note, I’ve been able to protect myself and those I love for a very long time without the assistance of NAC or any of you big bad Alphas. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Yeah, that was a bold-faced lie. Her Dad, the biggest baddest Alpha, had been protecting her since she was eleven, but she didn’t want to admit it to Jackson Thorp. Ryleigh knew she was way out of her depth. She had training in multiple martial arts and even several degrees, but this man knew how to run a mission with his hands tied behind his back. She didn’t want to appear weak to him because it was important he considered her an equal, maybe even a partner in due time.
Jacks didn’t care what Ryleigh said. From this point forward, he would be the one protecting her, even if that meant protecting her from herself. He didn’t really know why he felt so strongly about it, but Jacks knew he would follow through with protecting her at all costs, and his bear agreed.
“After talking with my Dad, he suggested that the best way to go forward is to divide up the workload. This way we are better able to concentrate on Cassie Larson along with the existence of more women with shifter DNA and still continue with everyone’s other cases. Two months ago, The Holly Group decided we needed to concentrate on our individual origins, so we stopped taking active cases. By doing this, my operatives are free to help NAC fully while still completing our combined goals.”
Ryleigh tried to gauge how the men were taking the information, but not much had changed from the last time. It did, however, seem like a few more of the men were coming around to the merger. at least she hoped so.
“By taking a divide-and-conquer approach, it’s our belief that not only can we still help women and children, we can figure out what the hell is going on with Pandora and Davis Defense,” Senior explained. “Since Alpha just cleared several cases, they have the smallest workload currently. I am placing Ryleigh with you Jacks. We have information that needs to be picked up and we all know how much you like undercover work. We need a team to get into Dr. Franklin's house.”
Jacks was shocked. He didn’t want Ryleigh on his team, but he also didn’t want her on anyone else’s team either. Damn, why did this woman affect him so much? It was really starting to irritate him.
“The first objective will be to download all current files from the computers and cell phones at the residence,” Senior disclosed. “The Holly Group’s tech lady has a device that only needs to be within the Wi-Fi area to access the computers and phones even if they are turned off. Dr. Franklin was believed to be somewhat of a hoarder, never getting rid of old devices. Howe
ver, we will have to distract security long enough for a remote download.”
Ryleigh needed to move or the fidgeting she had been doing in her chair would become more pronounced. The last thing she wanted to do was show any of these men any weakness. But dang, they really needed to tone the vibes down a little.
“My thoughts are your tech and computer guy would be perfect to perform the download,” said Ryleigh. She also couldn’t help razzing him a little bit either. “The Holly group has several hackers at their disposal if you think your men can’t handle it, Jacks.”
Jacks was not happy to hear the snickers coming from around the room. His brothers were supposed to have his back, but apparently, they liked the little lady putting him in his place, more. He knew the next poker game was not going to be fun for him
“Since they are only hacking the device and we aren’t bringing it in, it shouldn’t raise any alarms,” Senior said. “However, it will create a power draw. You will need to distract security for about twenty minutes, so they won’t notice anything unusual. The Franklin’s home has some of the best security we’ve come across. The system is installed at military or high ranking corporate offices, not in the private sector, and their backups are just as good. That is why you need to be inside of the residence for the download. Remote hacking is not an option.”
Jacks thought, yeah right, his boys could remote hack anything. Ryleigh must not be as smart as she thought she was.
“The real problem is that we need to get a hold of Dr. Franklin’s hard drive from an ancient computer. I am talking 1980s old,” Ryleigh said.
Damn, well that explained it. A computer that old with no Internet connection was only a paperweight, even Frost and Green couldn’t get anything remotely from that dinosaur.
“We’ve confirmed that the hard drive is in the house, but not accessible,” Senior revealed. “Because of the age of the drive, it’s going to take some major old school coding to get the information, but we feel that it’s worth the risk.”
“Why don’t we take this Dr. Franklin and get him to give up the drive?” Milo asked.
“Well, that would be great, but Dr. Franklin died of a myocardial infarction, or in laymen’s terms a heart attack, six months ago. So, interrogating him to get the information won’t be possible, unless you want to get some of those psychics or clairvoyants Jacks mentioned earlier,” Ryleigh scoffed.
Jacks groaned he really wished he had never said that.
“His daughter is now handling all of his affairs.” Senior continued. “She does not live in the residence, but she does spend a lot of time there. She also doesn’t seem to be involved with Dr. Franklin’s research, more of a socialite than a scientist. Dr. Franklin’s wife does live in the home with multiple staff members, including nurses and armed guards. Davis Defense Systems provide the staff.”
“Shit, so what you are saying is they are all related? Pandora, Franklin, and Davis Defense?” Jacks cursed.
“Yeah,” Ryleigh laughed again, “that’s pretty much what we’ve been hinting at all along, and, Jacks, good catch.”
“Fuck, you have got to be kidding me. How big is this cluster fuck anyways?” Jacks fumed.
“Only people vetted by Davis Defense enter the Franklin home,” said Senior. “We have one shot at getting into the house. Mrs. Franklin recently suffered a stroke and her physical therapist just gave birth, so for the next six weeks they need a replacement. Frost and Green from the Alpha Team created a profile for Ryleigh and Jacks to get vetted with Davis Defense to be the therapist’s replacement.”
“No fucking way are you going in there and since when do you use my team without my knowledge, Senior?” Jacks all but growled, unable to contain his rage. “It’s too dangerous, not to mention plain stupid. If Davis Defense and Pandora are linked as you believe, then they know all about Jennifer Abernathy and would be able to identify her on sight.” He glared at Ryleigh. “It's an unreasonable risk, and out of the question, won’t allow it.”
Senior raised his eyebrow, looking at Ryleigh silently, as if asking her if she wanted him to step in. She didn’t.
“Well, Jackson,” Ryleigh replied sweetly, “you really don’t have a choice in the matter because the profiles are already set up. And the stupid comment was uncalled for, don’t you think?” Ryleigh all but seethed.
Why did she have to be so attracted to such a jerk? It didn’t make any sense. She was a smart woman, but it seemed that didn’t matter when it came to the likes of one Jackson “Jacks” Thorp.
“Will you be joining me in this venture or would you rather another team take the lead?” Ryleigh asked condescendingly. Screw him. She was going on this mission whether he liked it or not. Dr. Franklin was the start of all the crap that she had to put up with in her life and she wanted, no deserved, some answers. She also wanted to be one of the people who took some of these people down.
Jacks was definitely going to be joining her on this mission if he couldn’t find a way to get her off the mission that was. Maybe he could get Senior on his side. She was his daughter after all, the man couldn’t want her to be in danger any more than he did. Right?
“I’ve been informed that you can break into anything, given enough time, but maybe that is the problem.” Still feeling pissy, Ryleigh pushed a little more. “Do you feel your skills might be lacking?” Ryleigh mocked. “If so, Dad said Dane was just as good. Maybe Zulu would be the better choice to help with this mission? I wouldn’t want to push you into something you feel might be a bit over your head,” Ryleigh gloated. Take that Mr. Asshat.
Jacks gave that sexy little smirk and gloated.
“Baby, my teams are called Alpha for a reason, no offense Dane.”
“None was taken, dude,” Dane laughed. “If it’s a safe that needs to be cracked, then you are the man for the job. If any other breaking and entering situations arise then, Zulu would be the better choice.”
Asshole, Jacks thought, but he kind of had a point, reptiles were better at getting into tight places than others.
Chapter 17
“Enough!” Senior yelled. “Jacks, if you take the mission, you will have about an hour to break into a Paragon Quartermaster Quad Four safe without any power tools. The house is wired for sound and motion. The safe in question is located in the office which has no video surveillance, but even the slightest sound will be picked up and the guards will come running. Furthermore, all employees are required to stay at the residence Monday through Friday.”
Ryleigh didn’t want to inform the arrogant jerk of the next part of the mission, but she couldn’t hold it back either.
“We are going in as a married couple,” Ryleigh revealed.
Wait, what? Jacks thought. This could work to his advantage, but he didn’t want Ryleigh on a mission. However, he liked the idea of her as his wife, go figure. His brothers, on the other hand, found that statement rather funny and started laughing loudly. Jacks glared at all of them. Their time would come, and Jacks had every intention of paying them back tenfold.
“Due to Mrs. Franklin’s size and debilitation, we’ve been able to spin the need for extra muscle, and that is where you come in,” Raleigh explained, motioning to Jacks.
Dang, extra muscle was an understatement. When it came to Jacks, he seemed to have muscles on top of muscles, and Ryleigh wanted to lick each and every one. Shocked by her own train of thought, she cleared her throat and continued laying out the mission.
“Surveillance has shown that we have one window, Friday afternoon the house systems are rebooted and offline for about an hour, give or take ten minutes,” Senior disclosed. “That is when you will need to retrieve the hard drive, Jacks. Ryleigh will lightly sedate Mrs. Franklin, so she won’t notice you’re gone. Once you recover the hard drive, you’ll need to get back to Mrs. Franklins room undetected. You will then have to wait two hours before you are allowed to leave the premises for the weekend. Frost and Green can download all Wi-Fi accessible data at any time during the
week.”
Yeah, it all sounded so simple, Ryleigh thought, but she knew how hard this would be. They could not let Davis Defense or Pandora know they were on to them, and this mission was crucial in making that happen.
“Green and Frost will then have to download the information remotely from the device,” Senior continued. “While Ryleigh and Jacks are engaged, they can start to examine the data and hopefully find something that will help us locate Cassie. As a back-up, The Holly Group’s tech genius, Tory, has created a lead-lined concealment device to get the thumb drive out. She has also modified a piece of the physical therapy equipment to accommodate the hard drive, which is also lead-lined.”
Jacks thought that all sounded simple, and he was happy Senior and Ryleigh included his team members in on the retrieval.
“When we walk through the x-ray machine to leave the home, the drive will survive without any damage,” Ryleigh explained. “The trick is not raising any flags while we are there. So, Jackson, do you think you can act like my loving husband for a week? Or is that beyond your abilities? I think the husband part will be much harder than cracking the safe. What are your thoughts on that?” Ryleigh said cattily.
Jacks didn’t think he would have any problem playing Ryleigh’s husband for the mission. What really scared him was he thought he wouldn’t mind being her husband beyond the mission either.
“Oh, baby girl, I don’t think playing your loving and extremely affectionate husband will be a problem for me, but from the color of your cheeks right now I believe you may have an issue with the mission as planned,” Jacks replied with a sexy little twinkle in his green eyes
Ryleigh could feel the heat pooling in her stomach and lower regions. Dang it, why this man? He was a jerk and that was the only kind thing she could think to say about him at the moment.
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 11
