by Maddie Wade
“Lucy, you will get her back.”
Lucy pulled herself together and took a deep breath. “Bet your best pair of shoes I will.” Lucy laughed before pulling away and heading for the door as Ava smiled at her.
Chapter Twenty
The whole team had watched the footage from Lizzie’s abduction, and the feeling was the same for everyone. Smithy was not under his own influence but would not hurt Lizzie intentionally.
That, however, did not mean that she was not in danger. The Divine Watchers had proven how deadly they were. Lucy hadn’t understand why Lizzie was a target until Ava had brought up the blooded family link.
That had instantly put her on the top of the shit pile as a possible target. She’d argued viciously with Dane when he’d wanted Zack to bench her for her own safety. Even if she was a target, she wasn’t sitting this one out.
In the end, she had threatened to go it alone if Dane insisted. Jace and Zin had backed her up, and Zin even argued her case with Zack. Zack had agreed she was safer within the team that out of it. Dane had backed down, albeit reluctantly.
Will had tracked the van to a service station where he had lost them. The van had been found abandoned. They should have realised that would happen. Smithy was a top class operative and wouldn’t make mistakes.
Lucy had been trying all afternoon to contact Roz with no luck. They were all in the conference room eating takeaway kebabs while they pondered the next move. Lucy was so tired her head hurt, and her stomach was rolling, but she knew she had to eat to keep her strength up.
“So what do we all think?” Zack asked, “Do we do remote satellite surveillance on the most likely target in the Surrey area and potentially risk it being wrong or do we step back and investigate it as we normally would?”
Lucy knew what Zack thought, and although she hated it, she agreed. “We do this properly and investigate all the angles. We can’t take the risk of rushing and getting it wrong.” Lucy spoke with confidence.
“For what it’s worth I agree with Lucy,” Ava said. “The portion of the script which pertains to blooded family talks in a reverent way. It’s as if the people it talks about are sacred to them.”
“What are you saying exactly Ava,” Jace asked. Ava swallowed and looked at her then Jace and finally Dane.
“I need to see the script in the library, but from what I can grasp the blooded family line pertains to three females. It also mentioned a Prime Fecund, at least I think that’s what it says.” Lucy gasped and looked at Jace.
“That’s what they called you,-the Prime Fecund.” Lucy looked back at Ava “So are you saying that the blooded family pertains to Megan, Lizzie and me?”
Ava nodded, “That is what I believe, yes.”
“Jesus, fucking Christ.” Swore Zack. “So Sly is the Prime Fecund, and his girlfriend and her family are by chance the blooded family. No way is that a coincidence.”
Jace went stiff at her side, and Lucy knew the shit was about to hit the fan.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Jace asked. Lucy put her hand on his leg to try to calm him, but it didn’t help. She felt his muscles tense under her leg as he pushed up from the chair.
“Sit your ass down Sly, I didn’t mean anything by it other than I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Zack said as he stood as well, hands on hips.
“Okay everyone take it down a notch,” Nate interjected.
“Let’s look at what we do know,” Zack said as he went to the whiteboard. “Number one, Megan was kidnapped as a newborn baby. Number two, it looks like the ancient scripts for these nutters are kept in our very own Chained Library. Number three, the Russians are somehow involved. Four includes a high number of government officials, including military personnel. Five, they have sources around the world. Six, they seem to have something planned for the Olympics this year.” Zack threw down the pen.
“There seem to be too many angles for us to cover. Can we pass some of this over to Eidolon?” Will asked.
Zack looked at him and nodded. “They have already taken on the international links, and I have a meeting with Jack later to go over what he has found and share our Intel.”
“Good so we can just concentrate on the UK which seems to be the hub of things,” Will replied.
“How we doing with our hair grabbing prick from the other day?” Lucy asked.
“Zin is spending the evening with him, so we should know more later,” Zack answered with a smirk.
They continued to toss ideas around, but nothing concrete was sticking. They seemed to be missing a large chunk of the puzzle. An hour later Zack called time, “Okay everyone lets wrap this up and sort out leads. Will you and Drew go through every inch of data you can from Redcast and any of its subsidiaries.”
“I want a lead on the building as soon as poss. Dane, I know you have Lauren’s twenty-week scan tomorrow, and I want you to go. I won’t have these fuckers ruining everything for you. Go so that you can tell Lizzie if she is getting nieces, nephews or whatever when she gets back. When you are done with that, I want you to work with Sly and see if you can find out how your two families are linked, if at all. It may go back generations, but I don’t think it’s fate that brought you all together.”
He raised his hand as Jace started to argue, “I’m not implying that your relationship with Lucy or friendship with Dane is at all fake. I’m just saying that you were all pushed into the same air space and the rest just happened. Sly while Dane is doing his thing with Lauren, take Nate and go visit Felicity Lockwood.
Lucy felt Jace look at her and she turned to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He looked as bad as she felt and she knew having his feelings for her questioned didn’t help. He lifted his arm, and she settled against his side as he dropped a kiss onto her hair.
“Lucy you need to get hold of Roz and find out what the fuck she knows. Then you and Zin need to get a lock on the Surgeon and find out what is going on there. When that’s done, I want you both chasing down any links to the Olympics. Reach out to any contacts at GCHQ about any chatter.”
He turned his attention to Ava next, “Ava I will take you to the Chained Library. Luckily for us, I have a contact at the Cathedral, and I can get us some time in the library uninterrupted.”
“I can reach out to friends at the NSA to see if they have heard anything about the Olympics,” Ava said.
Zack nodded, “Great thank you. Okay team one last thing. The funeral for Ambrose is next Friday at 11am at the Crematorium, I want as many there as possible to show their respects. Now go home get some rest and stay frosty.”
Everyone rose and made their way towards the door; all were sombre after losing Liz and then the reminder of Ambrose’s funeral reinforced what they were dealing with. Some would get started on the assignments now, while others would get going at daylight. Zin had been first out the door and Lucy was walking to the tech room when she got a text from him.
Meet here tomorrow 7am.
Short and sweet. She texted back her okay and watched as Jace spoke in a low tone to Dane. Her man seemed very troubled. Dane reached out and grasped Jace’s hand then slapped him on the back. The sight caused her to swallow tears. The genuine respect these two had for each other filled her with joy. She continued to watch as Daniel joined them and the men spoke. She guessed they were still in shock about Smithy. Lucy went into the tech room and left them to their discussion.
She plonked herself down in a seat next to Will.
“Hey baby girl how you holding up?” he asked as he swivelled to face her.
Lucy rubbed her tired eyes and let her arms hang limp. She was bone tired. “I’m okay just tired and worried about Lizzie, my dad and Matty. My dad didn’t handle it well. Not that I blame him. One minute we’re going to bring his lost daughter home the next we’ve lost another daughter.”
Will put his arm around her and hugged her. “I know it’s hard Luce but just do your job and concentrate on what you can fix not on what you can’t contr
ol.” Will grinned when the door opened behind her back. “So like I was saying Luce run away with me and I will show you what real man can do.” Lucy instantly felt Jace's presence behind her and laughed as he punched Will on the arm.
“Back off you big emo,” Jace said and swivelled Lucy’s chair round. He knelt between her knees and laid his hands on her jean-clad thighs.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes, I need to stop by dads before we go home though and see how he is doing.”
“Okay babe, let’s go see your dad and find out who has Matty tonight.” He reached for her and pulled her up.
~~~
By the time they had left her dads and got home, it was gone 9pm. Her dad had been unwell when they arrived, and after having some chest pains, Lucy had called an ambulance. After an initial assessment, the paramedics had decided that he should be seen in the hospital. Surprisingly Marco had been there with Matty.
She had a very love/hate relationship with her brother-in-law. She had initially loved how happy her sister was but as the years had gone on and she had heard the rumours of his cheating she had become increasingly angry with him to the point she had stopped being around him when possible. Lucky for him his son adored him, or she might have thought twice about ending his sorry existence for him. He had been uncharacteristically good though. Making sure Matty was entertained while the paramedics were with her father and had even offered to go to the hospital with them.
She had declined saying she thought it best he stayed with Matty who though his mother had gone away on a last-minute buying trip for the shop. Jack had sent two of his best men to watch Colin, Matty and Marco so at least Lucy knew they were safe.
Thank God, her father had not had a heart attack, it had been a panic attack caused by worry. Jace had stayed with her the entire time. Not once leaving her side. Lucy was so used to being on her own and being strong for herself that she thought she would find it hard to lean on Jace, but it had been as easy as breathing. He’d held her while she cried outside the A and E entrance, supported her while she gave the nursing staff shit for keeping her father waiting and he’d stood with her while they told her that her dad was overwrought and needed to be kept calm. Jace had talked her down when she had wanted to kick the junior doctor's ass for being condescending about her father wasting their time when they had real patients, and they had both cheered when the same arrogant little fucktard had his ass handed to him by a Senior Staff nurse who had overheard.
They were now home, and Jace was upstairs running her a bath. Her father was at home in bed after Marco of all people had convinced him to take a sleeping tablet. Marco had offered to stay with them there so as not to upset Matty or her father. Lucy had found herself thankful for that and had told him so.
She cocked her ear and listened to Jace humming a song. She couldn’t make out what it was, but it seemed familiar. She looked up from her position on the sofa as he came in.
“Come on babe let’s get you bathed and then into bed.” He reached his arms down to her, and she let him pull her up. He walked her upstairs and then stripped her clothes in the bathroom. She felt a little tingle of awareness when his hands skimmed down her thighs.
“Luce babe help me out. I’m trying to be honourable here.” She giggled as she pulled him up and started to undress him. He slapped her hands away, “Woman seriously no. You need to relax then get some sleep.”
“What I need is for you to remind me that life is not just one big pile of fucked up shit that relentlessly kicks me in the teeth just when I’ve got what I always wanted.” Her voice wobbled on the last word.
Jace caved at the sight of her tears. “Oh baby please don’t cry, we’ll get Lizzie and Megan back I promise you.” He took her in his arms and kissed her gently but with a passion and intensity that made her knees weak. He stepped back and quickly stripped his clothes. His body was hard and ready as he stepped into the bath and then lifted her in with him.
Lowering them both he settled her back against him and proceeded to wash her hair and body with so much tenderness that Lucy was in no doubt how he felt and it meant more to her than the words he had uttered earlier.
This was the only thing that was sure and safe in her life right now. Her father was sick with worry; her beautiful Lizzie was gone, Megan was still in the hands of those evil fuckers and Dane was beating himself up over not protecting them. On top of that, she was now considered a prime target.
She let Jace get her out of the bath and dry her off with a soft bath towel. He sat on the bed in boxers and blow-dried her hair for her before he tucked them both into bed and made her forget all the bad things that had happened that day. She drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
Lucy was woken at 5am by the sound of her alarm going off. She rolled to it and turned it off before rolling back into Jace’s outstretched arms.
“What time is it?” he asked sleepily.
“Five am. I wanted to get a head start on contacting Roz before I meet Zin.” Jace groaned, and his hands started to wander making her squirm as he pushed all the right buttons. Her body went from sleepy to burning in seconds. “Jace we don’t have time for this,” she said on a hiss as he slid a finger inside her.
Jace rolled so that he was on top of her. “Come on baby I’ll be quick.” She giggled at his statement as he kissed his way down her neck. He knew better than to try to kiss her mouth before she brushed her teeth. She had nearly maimed him for life last time he did it. Suddenly she was flipped to her tummy, and Jace pulled her up so that her ass was in the air.
It all felt so dirty, wrong, and yet so right. He gripped the flesh of her hips and pushed his cock into her. Quickly he found her clit and tortured her into a fast, hot climax that left her feeling alive. She pushed back against him as he stroked into her faster and faster building the fire again until he adjusted his angle and hit a spot that had her seeing stars as her climax smashed through her again. She felt him shudder as his own orgasm hit him before letting his body weight take them both to the bed.
He kissed her back and neck and said, “Now you can get up, and I’ll make us some breakfast while you shower. He raised up and slid out of her causing her to moan a little. Getting up he lifted her from the bed and walked her to the bathroom.
“I can walk you know,” she mumbled into his shoulder.
“I know but this might be the last time today that I see you until we get home and I don’t want to waste it.” He set her down in the shower and left, but not before dropping a quick kiss on her smiling mouth.
“Jace,” she yelled as he left, walking out naked as the day he was born. The reproach died on her lips. Fuck, he was sexy and was all hers. If he wanted to kiss her gross morning breath, then that was up to him.
She showered and dressed quickly, her mind going to Lizzie. Heading downstairs, she sat at the table with her laptop and her coffee while Jace made pancakes. Going through her usual channels, she found that Roz had left a message for her.
The message was a bit ambiguous, but it also set up a meet for the following day. Details would follow. Lucy slammed the lid. One step forward and two steps back all the bloody time.
She looked up as Jace slid a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of her.
“Eat up babe you’ll need your strength for when we find Lizzie,” he dropped a kiss on her nose and headed upstairs for his own shower. It was still only 6am so she texted Marco to see how her dad was doing.
Just as she dropped the phone to the table, it instantly lit with a text from Lauren. Opening her messages, she read,
Hey, Sweetie, Dane is worried
about taking the time out for
the scan. If you need him,
it’s okay. I can reschedule
it. XX
Lucy immediately shot back a reply,
No! He has to go to the
scan today. Nothing is
moving very fast with
Lizzie. GO TO THE SCAN.
Sh
e wrote it in capitals so Lauren would know she meant it.
Her phone fell silent, and she ate the pancakes, Jace had made for her. They were fluffy and delicious, and her tummy rumbled reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since the kebab from the day before.
She finished her food, downed her coffee and poured two more into travel mugs. Jace joined her as she was rinsing her plate. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her jean clad hips.
She smiled as he leant his head over her shoulder.
“You doing okay babe?” he asked, and despite all the crap flying her way, she was. Yes, she was frightened for Lizzie and would break her neck to get her back, and she would, but she knew in her heart that she was only coping because of Jace.
Their relationship was more than she had ever hoped. It felt like he completed her and she knew that sounded pathetic but whatever, it was how she felt. She turned her head, looked at his beautiful face with the soul deep eyes, and nodded.
“Yes, I’m okay. Worried, but I’m okay, and that’s down to you. You’ve had my back every step of the way.” Lucy grabbed a dishtowel and dried her hands as she twisted in his arms.
“No babe that’s not because of me. You’re strong and fierce and beautiful and sexy. You’re okay because of you. I’m just doing what I can to help,” he slid his arms around her and pulled her body flush against his.
“You know, I used to have dreams about my mum and Megan. I’d wake up crying and upset, but I haven’t had a single one since I started sleeping with you.” Lucy watched as something like pain flitted across Jace’s features before he locked it down. “I never told anyone that,” she said in a soft voice.
“Thank you for trusting me baby,” he said and rested his forehead on her hers. “What makes you have them?” he asked, and Lucy felt her heart begin to pound. She went to pull away, and he held her tighter, “Don’t shut down on me Luce,” he in a soft whisper.
“I’m not,” she denied hotly and tried to laugh. She knew she was but how could she tell him she had the dreams because it was her punishment for wishing her sister away and killing her mother.
