by Julie Morgan
She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “How should I introduce you?”
His fingers intertwined with hers. “However you want.”
“Suzy doesn’t know about us. Not yet.”
“Do you want to tell her?”
She smiled. “Yes, I do. Should I tell her that you’re, umm, my boyfriend?” She bit her lip, curious as to what he would say to this.
“Do you want me to be your man?”
“Well, I kind of thought you were. It’s not every day I offer up this body to just anyone.”
He chuckled. “Then saying I’m your man is just fine.”
She grinned. This setup wasn’t just for show, this was real. He was real. What she felt about him was real. She imagined walking down the aisle at a church in a beautiful white dress while he waited for her at the altar. The inner child in her wanted to squeal with joy while the adult in her gave her a mental slap back to reality.
Jax was new, amazing, and kind. He was the most amazing person she had met, aside from her father. She knew her father would approve of Jax if she had the chance to bring him home. Maybe one day she would take him to his grave.
“We’re here,” Jax interrupted her thoughts.
She took her seatbelt off and turned to him. She cupped his face and leaned in to kiss him. “Everything will be just fine. I know it will be. Hopefully soon this will all be over. Then we can talk about us and figure out what to do next.”
He smiled and took her hands. “Sounds like a great plan. Let’s get through tonight first.”
She nodded and slipped out of the car.
Moments later, they were inside the pub. The music was loud and the girls were even louder. Someone asked if Andria brought a stripper. This made her blush and Jax laugh.
II
Jax
13
They say never play where you’re paid. The moment Jax met Andria, that mantra went flying out the window, along with any reservations he had on working with GAPS.
You can keep up with your training, they said.
You can choose which jobs you want, they said.
You’ll fall in love with your charge, said no one.
Jax sighed and when Andria stepped out of her bedroom in her come-fuck-me-and-never-let-me-leave-the-bedroom-ever-again dress, he wanted to make an excuse to keep her home. That damn dress showed off the sexiness of her legs, the curves of her body, and the barely-there straps could be snapped off easily enough. The dress would be shredded by the end of the night. He knew it.
He did not, however, like the idea of venturing out to an area he had not scoped out. His team did not have this pub on their perimeter.
Before they left for the evening, he went through the bible, as he called it, with his team.
He dialed GAPS and waited for someone to answer. When the line picked up, it was Cash McAlister, one of the newer SEALS Jax brought on under his wing. Cash was fairly new to the operation of GAPS, but he and Cash went back a number of years.
“GAPS, we have your six,” Cash answered.
“This is Jax. I need a location on a place called Skinny Bob’s.”
“10-4 that, buddy. What’s the place?”
“A place in downtown by the beach. We don’t have it in our bible of Andria’s township, neighbors, or popular spots she frequents.”
“Right. Is she going out on a girls’ night thing?”
Jax heard Cash typing in the background. “It’s a bachelorette party. She told me she was going, regardless what I wanted her to do.”
“10-4 that, buddy. Yeah, got it right here. It’s about fifteen miles from Andria’s residence. I can have the satellites point to the location but it’ll take some time.”
Jax thought on this for a moment, then shook his head no. “No, don’t do that. Like you said, it’ll take a while and we’ll be back before the setup is complete. I’m going to set a tracer. Let me know when it shows up.”
“10-4,” Cash returned.
The line grew quiet and Jax opened a case like a tackle box for fishing. He pulled out a small device, so small it barely sat on the tip of his finger. He pressed his thumb against it and waited.
“10-4, buddy, it just registered. It’s hot,” Cash told him.
“Thanks, Cash. Keep this online. I’ll be in touch.”
“10-4.”
The line went dead and Jax hung up his phone. He opened the book of reports that had been provided to him by intel.
Draven popped up on a few reports between Denver, Missouri and Kentucky. The fucker was making his way toward Andria. She was right, he would manage to find her. However, this time, he would not get close enough to her.
He flipped the pages of the report and read where stolen credit cards between Denver and Kentucky had been reported and wondered if it tied back to Draven. Most likely.
“Jax?”
He came back to the present as they made their way inside. He looked over to the woman he had fallen in love with. Her dark hair had been curled and hung loose down her back. He wanted to run his hands through it and pull her close. Her hazel green eyes lit up the room anytime she walked into it. He had it bad for her and it would progressively become worse, in the best possible way.
But he could not tell her about the report book he had. She paid him to protect her and more often than not, ignorance was bliss.
“Girl, did you bring me a stripper?”
Jax chuckled and when he looked to Andria, she blushed.
“Umm, no. Guys, this is my boyfriend, Jax. Jax, these are my girls. And this here,” she pulled who was the bride, if the sash gave her away, to her side, “is Bailey. Bailey here is about to get married and we’re so very excited for her.”
“Congratulations,” Jax told her. He scoped the pub, finding all possible entrances, exits, and windows. There were only a few, but there were a lot of people. He was not particularly fond of crowds, but this was for Andria. He would make do.
The women chatted, drank, woo’d in between shots, and laughed. A lot. It was good to see Andria having fun with her friends, but it did not do anything to relieve the edge Jax continued to teeter on.
On one hand, he wanted to relax with his woman and enjoy the night. On the other hand, he was being paid to guard and protect her. If he let his guard down for a second, that valuable moment could cost Andria her life.
He sighed and continued to scan the area, taking in all the different faces and picking up any possible patterns in people. He was trained for this, but not necessarily on the fly at places like this.
Jax glanced to the bracelet Andria wore and felt some relief knowing she would be found if that assbag did happen to find out she was here.
He thought back to the reports he reviewed. Nothing on social media about tonight that he was aware of. She didn’t post anything anywhere, part of what they talked about. She was good there. But that did not account for her friends. If they did anything and tagged her…well, he wouldn’t think of that right now.
A loud bang erupted and Jax went on high alert. He moved directly next to Andria and put her behind him. He scouted around and found it was the bartender. He had dropped a tray of glasses.
“Jax?” came a mousy voice from behind him.
He turned to find Andria standing there, petrified. Her eyes were wide and fear unlike he had witnessed in her resonated. He rubbed his hands on her arms and smiled. “I wasn’t expecting that. It caught me off guard.”
She nodded and motioned with her finger to come closer. He bent down and she kissed him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He smiled. “You’re welcome.” She returned to her friends and they began to ask her questions.
“Why did he guard you like that?”
“What is his deal?”
“Is he military?”
She waved off their questions and refused to answer, except with, “He’s very cautious of me, that’s all.”
Good answer, he thought and took a sip of his water.
>
A few hours went by and Andria had been dancing with her friends most of the night. As much as he wanted to dance with her, doing so would take him out of his element. He needed to pay attention to their surroundings. He did enjoy the show she put on for him, though.
She would move her hands over her body in a seductive way while she danced. He made a mental note to ask her to do that later in the bedroom.
Hot damn.
Andria said something to her friends, then she approached Jax. “I need to use the bathroom.”
He nodded and the conversation they had earlier briefly came to mind. “I’ll watch you from here, if you like?”
She nodded with a smile. “I’ll be fine. It’s just right over there.” She pointed toward the wall.
Jax could see the lit sign. He nodded and pulled Andria toward him. “Kiss me,” he growled. She grinned and stood on her toes. They kissed and when her tongue touched his lips, he pulled her hips against his. “Damn, woman, I’m ready to get out of here and go home. I want to peel this dress off you and have you dance for me.”
“Hmm, you would like that, wouldn’t you?” She licked his lips again then turned to leave.
“Come on, Andria,” called one of her friends. Jax furrowed his brows to recall her name. Did he know it? He couldn’t remember and the look on his face must have been obvious. The girl smiled. “Brandi.”
He grinned and nodded. “Thanks.” He pulled Andria back once more and kissed her.
She smiled and touched his cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
He let her go and lightly spanked her butt. She let out a squeal. He grinned as she made her way through the crowd. When she disappeared inside the bathroom, Brandi on her tail, Jax held his breath and waited. She would return unharmed and continue dancing. It would take only a moment. Just a moment. She would use the bathroom, wash her hands, fix her hair, lipstick, whatever women do in the bathroom, then head back out.
His chest tightened from holding said breath, and he waited. And waited. And waited. He felt the need to rush inside to make sure she was fine. He wanted to throw her over his shoulder and head home, right now.
Then it all changed and all hell broke loose.
A woman screamed and ran from the bathroom. Jax’s heart skipped. Another woman followed the first and screamed, “He has a gun!”
“Fuck!” Jax bolted through the crowd, pushing people as he went. Everything around him meant nothing. Everyone became the enemy and became a barrier between him and Andria. Screams faded into the void. He pushed forward but felt as if he were in a dream and his feet were being pulled further into the earth. With the silence of the void, a part of his soul shattered. The only part of his mind on repeat were the words, ‘He has a gun.’
14
Where the atmosphere before felt warm and humid, it was now nothing more than ice. His heart hung heavy in his chest and his breath was ragged. Jax gripped the handle of the women’s bathroom door and yanked it open.
“Andria!” He ran inside and the door closed behind him. His chest rose and fell as he scanned the room. Mirrors, sinks, stalls…five of them and all open. He reached around his back and pulled out his Glock. He pulled the top chamber back and loaded it, but left the safety on. Holding it in front of him, he proceeded further into the bathroom.
“Draven, are you in here with her, you son-of-a-bitch?” His voice echoed through the emptiness. The stalls were open, but regardless, he needed to check. He kicked in each one, and each held an empty toilet. On the fifth one, there was a purse on the floor. He bent down and recognized it. It was Andria’s.
“Fuck,” he whispered and picked it up. He opened it and looked through it. Nothing had been removed. She dropped it when he took her. That motherfucker was here, under my fucking nose, and took her.
He took a step back and held onto the clutch. He looked up to the ceiling that met the wall. Windows were up there, but too thin to slip through, and too high climb out of. He stepped around the last stall and his breath caught in his chest.
There was an emergency exit door. The cords were cut.
How?
He stepped closer and a red stain was on the door jamb. Probably blood. His blood pressure skyrocketed.
Who was in here with her when she went to the bathroom? What the fuck was her name? Brandi? Did she have a part in this?
He pushed his gun back into his holster and pulled out his phone. He pressed the speed dial to GAPS and brought the phone to his ear.
“GAPS,” Cash answered, “we have your…”
Jax cut him off. “Cash. He has her. He fucking took her right in front of me.”
“Motherfucker,” the man whispered. “All right. We’ve got this here. Get to your station and track where she is. Do not let your emotions get to you. Set your feelings aside and be the soldier. She will be fine. You planted a bug on her, we’ll find her. Now go. Call in when you’re at your station.”
“10-4,” Jax said and hung up. He needed structure. He needed routine. He needed his team to find Andria. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let it go. Pushing the phone in his pocket, he left the bathroom.
Jax made his way back to the bachelorette party and went to the bride. “Who the fuck is Brandi?”
The woman’s eyes widened, then shook her head. She had tears in her eyes. “I…I don’t know.”
“Do you know what happened? Do you know that Andria has been taken by a criminal who busted out of prison, and is her ex? Now tell me, how the fuck do you know Brandi?”
The woman shook her head and she cried. “I met her through a friend of a friend. We hit it off and she’s always been around. I…I don’t know what she has to do with any of this. Oh my God, this has ruined my bachelorette party!”
Jax growled. “Fuck your party. Someone’s life is a stake here! Now think,” he told her. “When did you meet her? Where does she live? Does she have any links to Draven?”
The woman stood speechless, possibly shell-shocked at the situation. She opened her mouth to say something, but squeaked.
“Do I need to call the police?” asked a female voice next to him.
He turned to a small woman that had been with their crowd. “What is your name?”
“Marla Blackstone. I’m a friend of the bride. I only met Andria tonight. I wish I could be of more help.”
Jax nodded. “Call 9-1-1 and let them know Andria was taken. Give them the name Draven Combs. He’s a wanted man, escaped prison, and has been on the hunt for her.”
“Oh my God, he’s been hunting her?” Marla asked.
“I need to go. Call the police. Here’s my number, just in case anything turns up here.” He handed over a business card from his pocket. He jogged toward the door and left for his Humvee.
He would drive home.
He would search where the planted bug landed.
He would gather his team for search and rescue.
He thought all deaths would have ended during his last tour of the Middle East. It looked like tonight, he would make another kill, and Draven would be out of her life forever.
Jax pressed the power button on his computer. As the screen lit, he input his password. The GAPS screen appeared and he brought up his tracking application. He keyed in the information for the bug and waited. A map appeared and centralized over Virginia Beach. Then a red spot lit on the map.
He zoomed in on the location and leaned into the screen. She was barely five miles away from her home.
“Found you, you son of a bitch,” he growled. He grabbed his phone and dialed GAPS.
“Jax,” Cash answered. “What do you have?”
“I have her location. Get the team assembled and ready to go in five. I’ll meet you out front.” Jax hung up his phone and opened the closet in his room. He grabbed a black fitted t-shirt and jeans. He stripped and quickly pulled the change of clothes on.
He then grabbed his foot locker and using his key, he unlocked it. Lifting the lid breathed life into the
contents inside. Owning weapons was not a luxury. These weapons were ones you should never plan to use.
He pulled out his utility belt and loaded it with the silver baton, black utility flashlight, a couple of hand guns and ammo, handcuffs, two knives, and thick zip ties. He picked up the black bulletproof vest and pulled it on. A black cap sat inside and grabbing it, he pulled it on.
In the darkness, he would mostly be hidden, and that would work to his advantage. He closed the trunk and headed out to his Humvee.
Turning on the ignition, he sat behind the wheel for a moment and gripped it, closing his eyes.
Leave the emotions.
You’re a soldier.
He took your woman.
Jax opened his eyes. “This is fucking war.”
15
The air felt thick when Jax pulled up to GAPS. Sweat beaded down his back when he stepped out of his Humvee. He approached his crew and felt as if he were picking up his unit.
In a way, he was.
Cash, along with Ryan Waterson, and two others Jax hoped would be here, Greg Reiner and Ben Young, stood outside the building, readied in the same type of gear as Jax.
Jax had known Greg since being a SEAL and occasionally brought him in on a job involving GAPS. Greg stepped forward and held out a hand, giving Jax’s a firm shake. “We’ll find your girl.”
“Fuck yeah, we will.” Jax looked to Ben and nodded. “Good to see you. Too bad it’s under these circumstances.”
Ben stepped forward and clapped Jax on his shoulder. “We’ll get that drink when this is over and she’s home safe.”
Jax nodded. “All right, listen up. I have her location. If she still has on the bracelet with the tracker, she’ll be easy to find. Cash,” he looked to his friend. “You have a wall breeching tool?”
Cash grinned. “Oh, do I have one.” He rubbed his hands together. “I got my hands on a gatecrasher!”
Jax had not utilized a gatecrasher but had witnessed one in action. Set in place, this tool could blast through a cement wall. He nodded. “Good. Weapons at the ready. He’s armed and dangerous. There’s possibly a woman with him. I believe she had a part in Andria’s snatching.”
