“I don’t like the thought of you alone, Jade,” Angel argued. “What if the General sends his men after you while I’m gone? I won’t be here to protect you. Neither will RARE. I need all of them on this mission.”
“Then you obviously need to go, too,” Jade retorted. “I will be fine. You haven’t been on a mission in the eight months I have been here. Just go. If I need anything, Jinx...” Jade trailed off realizing what she had been about to say. She did not want anyone to know how close Jinx was right now. It wasn’t safe.
Understanding dawned in Angel’s gaze. Tears filled her eyes. “He’s near, isn’t he, Jade?” she questioned. “You have been secretly meeting with him. My son is near and wants nothing to do with me.” Back stiffening, her voice hard, Angel turned to her team. “Get ready to head out. We leave in 15 minutes.” Seeing Flame standing by the barn door, Angel ordered, “You will stay with my daughter, Flame. Maybe she and her brother will tolerate your presence better than mine.” Not waiting for a response, Angel headed back to the house without looking back.
Jade felt the angry gazes of the team members, but refused to look any of them in the eye. They could think what they wanted. Right now, keeping Jinx safe was all that mattered. She would fight to the death for her brother.
Chapter 3
It was dark, so dark and cold. Waves of fear poured off Jade as she tried to remember where she was. The hole. She had to be back in the hole. She was sitting on the hard, cold ground, her back up against a wall. Tentatively, she moved her hand across the wall behind her and flinched when she felt cold cement scrape her fingertips. Cement, not dirt. She was definitely not in the hole.
When she tried to move her hand further, she was stopped. That was when Jade realized she was bound in chains. They were wrapped around her arms several times and hooked to the wall behind her. They were also wrapped around the upper part of her body and were digging into her chest so tight she could barely breathe. She yanked on them again and again, but could not get loose. As her fear escalated into full-on terror, she heard a door open and a dim light flickered on. Squinting through swollen eyes, Jade watched as a man approached her. Again and again, she yanked on the chains, but she was going nowhere. She was tightly secured.
The man squatted down in front of Jade. His dark, savage eyes stared into hers. “You thought you were going to get free, didn’t you? Have you started praying to your god yet?” he rasped viciously to her. “Remember, I am your god. I decide your future. You beg to me. You pray to me...Titus.” Rising back up to his full height, Titus walked over to a table on the far side of the room. Walking behind it, he removed a hammer from the wall and walked back toward her, lightly tapping the hammer in the palm of his hand. “You have lasted longer in The Dungeon than I thought you would; longer than anyone before you. I would have killed you by now, but you have information the boss wants.”
What the hell was he talking about? She had never seen this man before. Where was she? Did the General have her again? Looking around, her eyes widened as she caught a glimpse of several jail cells lined up along the walls around the room. Some contained people, some were empty. The people in them looked half dead, which did not surprise her the way she was feeling right now.
The door opened again and two more men walked in. Walking over to the wall, one removed a steel baseball bat, the other a tire iron. Oh God, she thought as they stepped in her direction. The first man laughed as he unhooked one of the chains holding her to the wall. “Are you ready for round two?”
“Leave him alone, you fucking animals!” Jade heard a woman scream. Weakly raising her head, she stared across the room at a woman who seemed to be reaching for her through the bars of her cell. Her long, ratty, dark hair hung in dirty, greasy clumps around her face. Her clothes were filthy and were hanging on her small, thin frame. Her face was swollen and bruised, one arm hung limply at her side.
Jade fought to get free as the men drug her to the table, lifting her onto it and chaining her down. Slowly, she felt the fight drain out of her and she turned her head to where the woman stood sobbing, her hand tightly clenching the bar to her cell. “Please, fight Trace. You have to fight,” the woman begged. Trace? Jade thought, trying to wade through her sluggish mind. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized what was happening.
No, she screamed in her mind, no! The man raised the hammer and brought it down swiftly, but right before it connected with her flesh, she had the strange feeling that someone pushed her away...then there was complete darkness.
Jade sat up in bed, a silent scream on her lips. A dream...it was only a dream. But it seemed so real. She was shaking from pure terror. Jade kept replaying over and over in her mind the psychotic look in the man’s eyes as he swung the hammer toward her. It had seemed so real. Obviously it wasn’t. She was fine, safe at home in her bed.
It was not a memory. Jade had never been in a place like that before. There was no way she would forget it. The jail cells, the torture devices on the wall by the table on the side of the room, the deranged lunatic coming after her with a hammer. But she could not get over how real it felt.
Jade’s eyes widened in comprehension as she remembered the strange feeling of being pushed away from the horrific things that were about to take place. That was because it had not been either a memory or a dream. It was real, and someone was going through it right now. She had somehow connected with someone who was in the process of being tortured. “Trace,” she whispered. It had to be Trace. Closing her eyes, she remembered the woman screaming his name.
God, she hadn’t heard from Trace in months. She was his mate. He would have called. He would have checked in if he was able to. For the first month and a half he was gone, Trace had made contact at least once a week, if not twice. If he could, Trace would have still been calling. Jade knew in her gut that the person being tortured was her mate. Moaning softly, she fought the fear that threatened to consume her. Trace was in pain. He was in so much pain.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Jade tried to connect with Trace again. She did anything and everything she could think of, but it was no use. He had locked her tightly out, probably thinking to keep her safe. Jade was strong, but not strong enough to penetrate Trace’s walls, especially not with the distance between them. She needed help. Unfortunately, Angel and the team were on a mission. When they went out on an op, they went radio silent until the job was done. She could try and connect telepathically with Angel, but if they were in the middle of a rescue attempt, it would not be smart to distract her.
Jade had to find Trace. She had to save him. Jumping out of bed, she screamed for Flame who was sleeping in the room next to hers. Yanking open her dresser drawer, Jade pulled out a pair of camo pants and a long sleeved, black shirt, quickly pulling them on. Bursting through the door, gun in hand, Flame quickly looked around for an enemy.
“There is no one here,” Jade said as she sat down on the bed to put on a pair of socks and her boots. “We have to go. Trace is in trouble. We need to get to him.”
“Trace?” Flame asked in confusion. “Where is he? Did he call?” Slowly, Flame lowered her gun and wiped her bleary eyes. She had obviously been woken from a deep sleep and was having trouble keeping up.
“No,” Jade said as she hurriedly pulled on her boots. “I connected to him in a dream. They are hurting him, Flame. We need to go now. I need to get to him.”
“Go where?” Flame demanded. “Where is he? Who has him?” Jade froze. Shit, she didn’t know. She didn’t have the answers to that question. All she knew for sure was that somebody had her mate and, was at that very moment torturing him. How could she find him? She had tried to reconnect with him, but he had blocked her out. Jade knew that he was not near. She knew he was thousands of miles away, in another country. Unfortunately, she had no idea what country. Neither Trace nor Angel had told her what was going on. All she knew was Trace was trying to make it safe for them to be together. Out of respect for Trace and Angel, Jade had never tried to co
nnect with either of them to find out the truth.
Looking up at Flame, feeling lost and scared, Jade whispered, “I don’t know, Flame. I have no idea where he is. I don’t know how to find him. I tried to connect to him again, but he blocked me out.”
Flame studied her for a moment, lost in thought. “What about Jinx?” she asked. “He’s very strong. He connected with Serenity when you were attacked by that rogue wolf months ago and helped her save your life. If he can do something like that, maybe he can somehow help find Trace.”
“No,” Jade protested shaking her head adamantly. “No, I can’t ask Jinx to help. He is in too much danger as it is. I won’t pull him into more. If the General suspects Jinx has anything to do with me, he will demand Jinx hunt me down and bring me back. When Jinx refuses, because he will, the General will have him killed. I can’t involve him in this.”
“So you will let your mate die instead?” Flame asked. Sitting down beside Jade, Flame tentatively put her arm around Jade’s shoulder. “I’m not asking you to choose between your mate and your brother, Jade. I am asking you to give your brother the option to help you, and to give your mate a fighting chance.”
Jade roughly pushed a hand through her long blonde hair, her dark green eyes bright with tears she fought to hold back. “Trace needs me,” she whispered. “There is no one else that can help him.”
Swallowing hard, Jade made her decision. Picturing Jinx in her mind, she called to him. I need you my brother. Please, I need your help. She did not have to wait long. Jade felt Jinx’s presence in her mind almost instantly. The twins had connected so many times in the past it was almost second nature to them now.
I’m here, Jinx responded. Just the sound of her brother’s voice calmed her. Jinx had always been there for her. Sometimes when the General stuck her down in the hole, Jade and Jinx would talk for hours. Jinx loved to read, and he would share his love of books with Jade. Sometimes he would even read to her. Other times they talked about their lives; past, present, and hopes and dreams for the future. They shared things with each other that they would never share with anyone else. Jade trusted Jinx, and only Jinx. Trust was something that had to be earned; Jinx was the only person in Jade’s life who had earned her trust. She was getting there with Angel, but still had a long ways to go.
Are you near? Jade asked, praying he was. Jinx had shown up two days ago and paid her a surprise visit. They had sat out in the barn and talked until the early hours of the morning. It was the first time she’d heard from him since the incident with the rogue wolf. Jinx was trying to keep his distance so that he did not inadvertently lead the General and his men to Jade. Now that she was free, there was no way he would allow the General to find her again. Jade felt guilty that she kept his visit a secret from Angel, but Jinx was not ready to talk to their mother yet.
The General had been manipulating the lives of Angel, Jinx and Jade from the very beginning. He had originally wanted Angel in his breeding program, but after watching her for several months, he realized acquiring her would be nearly impossible. So he did the next best thing. The General sent one of his most trusted soldiers to Angel with orders to manipulate her into falling for him and giving him a child. The soldier followed orders perfectly and within three months Angel was pregnant with twins. When Jinx and Jade were born, the doctors told Angel that Jinx was stillborn. Angel had been so devastated at the news, she had not questioned the doctors. The General stole Jinx from Angel, and four years later he took Jade.
No, Jinx replied evasively. Jade caught the impression of an older man with smoky grey eyes and dark hair, silver at the temples. He was dressed in a black tux and talking to a younger woman with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, wearing a deep blood-red colored dress. The woman definitely stood out. It looked like they were at a party, both held wine glasses and the sound of music was in the background.
What are you doing, Jinx? Where are you? Jade asked in confusion. There was no way her brother would be at a lavish party like this by his own free will. Although Jinx was a chameleon and could fit in almost anywhere, he would never choose to be around what he considered the snobbish elite. There was only one reason Jade could think of that Jinx would step foot in that place.
Stalking, was Jinx’s short response, confirming Jade’s suspicions. The General had sent him. Which meant there was no way she was going to get Jinx’s help right now. Even if he wanted to, he could not abort a mission the General sent him on.
Which one, Jade asked after a moment. Once again she got the faint impression of the male. Now he had moved on to talk to a man in a dark navy tux. Before she could see anything else, Jinx blocked the vision. What the hell, Jinx? she growled. They never hid anything from each other. They were twins. They had a connection only twins could have. To have Jinx shut her off like that hurt.
This is nothing for you to worry about, Jade. Talk to me. What did you need? Jade growled softly, gritting her teeth in frustration. Having Jinx shut her out pissed her off, but she had more important things to worry about. She had a mate to track down.
Trace is in trouble, she whispered through their connection. I connected with him somehow, Jinx. He’s in so much pain. They are hurting him. But he must have realized I was with him because he shut me out just before a new torture session started. I tried and tried to reconnect with him so that I can track him, but I can’t. I’m just not strong enough.
Jinx was silent for a few minutes. He had shut her out and she could not see what he was doing, but she knew he was in full predator mode. She did not even know why she had told him about Trace. He was on a mission and wouldn’t be able to help. But she needed him. Jade knew she couldn’t find Trace on her own and Angel wasn’t there to help. A tear slipped down her cheek as she realized she was screwed. Her mate was out there suffering, and there was no way she was going to be able to help him right now.
Her eyes snapping open, Jade jumped off the bed and turned, slamming her fist into the wall. Screaming in rage, she hit it again and again. Flame grabbed Jade from behind, wrapping her arms tightly around her. “Shhh, Jade,” Flame whispered as she fought to hold her still. “We will find him. I promise you, we will find him.”
Jade slowly collapsed on the floor, her body racked with sobs. Flame sat with her and held her, crooning softly. “As soon as Angel gets back from her mission, we will find him, Jade. That is what RARE does. They find and rescue people. I sent her a text already letting her know you need her. She will come as soon as she gets it.”
Looking up at Flame, her dark green eyes bright with tears, Jade whispered, “But can Trace wait that long? You weren’t there, Flame. He is bound in chains. He can’t move, can’t fight back. And his pain is overwhelming.”
“He will fight to stay alive, Jade. He will fight to survive so he can come back to you,” Flame vowed. “It’s what mates do.”
Allowing herself to do something she hadn’t done with anyone but Jinx in years, Jade slowly settled into Flame’s arms and accepted her comfort as Flame rocked back and forth. Closing her eyes, her body shuddered as she fought to calm herself. She knew she wasn’t helping anyone in this condition.
I will be there tomorrow, she heard Jinx promise right before their link was severed. Just like her brother, short on words but big on action. Sighing, Jade pulled out of Flame’s arms and rose to her feet. Shoving her hands through her long, blonde hair, she took a deep breath and said, “Jinx is coming tomorrow. I need to pack. Once we find out where Trace is, I need to leave.”
Nodding, Flame stood and walked to the door. Looking back she told Jade, “I will be ready.” When Jade would have protested, Flame held up a hand. “Stop. You are not in this alone, Jade. I consider you a friend, and I don’t have many of them. I am going with you, whether you want me to or not.” Without another word, Flame was gone.
Deciding now was not the time to argue, Jade grabbed a backpack from the closet and placed some clothes in it, along with a few other things she thought she mig
ht need. After she was packed, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the kitchen. It was only midnight, but she knew there was no way in hell she would be sleeping again. After storing her bag in a corner, Jade started a pot of coffee, then started to open the door to the basement. Hearing a noise behind her, Jade swung around to meet Flame’s gaze. “Let’s do this,” Flame demanded, as she reached for the door and pulled it all of the way open. Swallowing hard, Jade nodded and made her way down the stairs and to the weapons room. She’d never had anyone have her back before except for Jinx. But to free Trace, she was going to have to start putting her trust in others. She was going to need the help.
Using the keypad on the wall, she entered the code Angel had given her months before to unlock the door. Pausing in the doorway, Jade took a deep breath. There was no going back now. She would do this, for her mate. She would let her true self show, and fuck anyone that got in her way. Resolved, she pushed open the door and entered the room. Grabbing a bag off a shelf, Jade started filling it with explosives, extra bullets, and anything else she thought they would need. When it was full, she grabbed a Glock and stuck it in the back of her pants after verifying the safety was on. After securing a 9mm at her ankle, she slipped a knife into a sheath on her hip and some throwing stars into the pockets on her camo pants. Glancing at Flame, Jade saw that she was geared up and ready to go, too. Grabbing the bag, Jade made her way out of the weapons room and back up the stairs to start the long wait for Jinx. She prayed he was able to complete his current mission before coming to her so he would not have to suffer the General’s wrath, but secretly she was just glad he was coming. Jade was ready to find her mate and kick some ass, but she would need her brother to do so.
Trace's Temptation (RARE Series, #3) Page 3
