Caught in the Crosshair

by Han, Barb

  “Whoa, boy.”

  That Jaden desperately needed to get back to Lauren sat heavy in his thoughts. A little voice in his head said she was more to him than an asset … so much more. He dismissed the thought. He was cursed. Everyone Jaden cared about in his personal life died. This was work. She was his mission. He’d promised to help her. He would find a way to uphold his vow.

  But how far had he gone down the road? How long could she hold on? Would she still be breathing when he found her again?

  Damn.

  Everything to the left of the road looked exactly the same.

  The image of her curled up, helpless, locked in his mind, causing his spirit to rally. He focused, venturing a guess and leaning the reins toward the left-hand side of the road while shifting his weight. The horse cut left at a sign for Daybreak Beach.

  Once on the sand, he slowed the horse to a walk and scanned the shoreline. Visibility was low. Sand was everywhere — in his eyes, hair, inside his mouth.

  “Lauren.” The word bounced back in his face.

  The wind was thick. His throat cracked from desert-like dryness. His lips blistered.

  He swung his right leg behind him and slid down the side of the horse. Wrapping the reins around his wrist, he nearly dragged the hefty animal toward the water.

  Then, he spotted a lump on the sand. Could be debris. He moved closer.

  The lump was Lauren, half buried in sand.

  Not allowing himself a moment to stress, he moved to her side and dropped down on all fours.

  Her eyes blinked open, panicked. “Where’d —”

  “I’m here,” he said soothingly. He didn’t want her to waste valuable energy trying to talk.

  She managed a slight nod. “I’m okay. Just. Need. Rest.”

  “Shhh.”

  Winds gusted, nearly knocking Jaden over. The horse shuffled its feet, flared its nostrils, and then shifted around so his hindquarters faced the wind.

  “We have to go. Now. I’m going to pick you up.”

  Lightning bounced off the water. Not a second later, thunder cracked. The horse broke into a full run. With his hand trapped, Jaden tightened his grip, resolved to being dragged across the beach. He brought his left hand up and tried to free his right.

  The reins were tangled and wrapped too tightly, cutting off the blood flow through his wrist.

  If the horse didn’t slow down Jaden would surely be killed once they hit the road.

  Where would that leave Lauren? Why was her welfare his first concern when faced with his own mortality?

  As the horse crossed the wall of palm trees, for some unknown reason, the animal stopped. Jaden didn’t question the stroke of luck as he pulled to his feet with a grunt. He tied the reins to the tree, deciding it’d be safer to bring Lauren to the horse.

  Pain rifled through him when he moved. He tried to lift his arm over his head but couldn’t move it more than a few inches. His shoulder must have been pulled out of socket. No time to pop it back in. He rubbed his sore spot as he sprinted back toward Lauren.

  She was already on her feet struggling against the wind, trying to move away from the sea. Exactly as he had feared. Instead of worrying about herself, she’d try to save him. She’d already risked her own life trying to help him. No one had ever had Jaden’s back before. His need to protect her grew in direct proportion to his respect for her. Right now she couldn’t afford to expend any more energy. Her body had been pushed to the brink as it was.

  “Thank God you’re all right,” she said, her golden eyes wide.

  “You’re still weak, sweetheart.” He scooped her off her feet. He bit down the pain and ran toward the animal. He put her down a few moments later beside the horse and then helped her into the saddle. “Ever ride before?”

  “Nope.”

  Jaden secured the reins, and then jumped onto the horse’s back behind Lauren. He wrapped his good arm around her waist and squeezed his heels.

  They weren’t far from food. Shelter. If his calculations were correct, they were on the east side of the island. A safe house was close by. Gregory should be waiting. There, she would find a place to rest and he could regroup.

  Navigating down the road, careful to avoid flying debris, Jaden was sure they’d come across someone along the way, but there was no one. The storm had everyone battening down the hatches.

  Or worse, evacuating.

  The gnawing ache in his shoulder threatened to blind him, but at least the pain kept him feeling. He was alive. And his heart was awakened.

  Chapter Five

  The winds picked up speed again, forcing pelting rain and sand into Lauren’s face. The combination blistered the skin on her cheeks. Tears began to fall, mixed with the salty taste of rain, before finding their way to chapped, stinging lips. Hope blew away with Mother Nature’s pounding fury. Every part of her body ached worse than if she’d been dropped a hundred feet into a wall of water.

  It was cold. She was soaked and hungry. Jaden’s thick, muscled arms encircled her waist, pulling her back flat against his chest. His warmth blanketed her shivering frame.

  Aside from her muscle aches, she’d never been this in need of rest before.

  Pushing on, a single thought bounced around in her mind, none of this scared her as much as the thought of being here without Jaden. She needed him. The notion shocked her.

  Lauren hadn’t needed anyone since her childhood when Max was there for her.

  The sight of a large building slammed her attention back to the present.

  “Look there. Do you see it?” Was it real or a figment of her delusional mind? She couldn’t be sure.

  Jaden’s arms tightened around her waist. “Hold on.”

  The horse galloped faster. A building came into focus. Beachside condos. Good. There’d be people there. Warmth. Shelter. Food. Water. Help.

  Lauren prayed they’d reach the condos before the darkness tugging at her mind won out. She felt herself fading, wanting to crumple over from exhaustion. Hundred-pound weights seemed to bear down on all her limbs. She managed to dig deep inside and find the courage to push a little further. Max needed her.

  Jaden guided the horse to the nearest door, jumped down, and tied off the reins to a sign that read: Seascape.

  “This is a temporary safe house. I need to make sure it’ll be safe. Wait here.” he barked. A beat later, he banged on the door.

  No one answered, and she had no plans to hang around out there like a sitting duck in a tidal wave. “I don’t think so.”

  Lauren dismounted. Her legs gave out, and she landed hard on the pavement. She scrambled to her feet as Jaden rounded the corner where the building faced the sea and a wall of windows would be the standard issue to take advantage of the endless water views.

  Lauren ran to the second door and banged. The sound bounced around her, unable to cut through the harsh wind. Her arms burned. It was taking all her strength to go this far.

  “Help!” She pounded on the door, repeating the word, and then twisted the knob. Locked. The door was locked, and there was no sound except for the howling wind. Come on. Somebody.

  Turning to scan the small parking lot, it took only a second to register there were no cars. That sent a lead fireball swirling down her throat. Maybe Jaden was having better luck on the other side.

  Gale force winds slammed her back a step as she rounded the corner.

  Shimmying onto a balcony, she tried the first slider. Nothing. She pressed her face to the glass. Easy enough to see right through the living room and kitchenette straight to the back door. Typical island getaway.

  No Jaden. Or anyone else for that matter.

  Lights were left on, though, and cabinets were open. It looked as if the place had been abandoned in a hurry.

  That couldn’t be good.

  Moving onto the next balcony, she pressed her face against the glass. Being met with a similar scene caused her stomach to drop.

  This time, the slider opened when she tried i
t.

  “Jaden?”

  He didn’t respond, but she shouted again anyway as she ran through checking each room, slamming doors in her path.

  She easily located the bedrooms, and both unveiled similar scenes. Drawers half open with clothes littering the space — draped across open doors, fanned out on the floor.

  Where was Jaden?

  The wind howled as it shook the windows. Violent seas outside raged against anything in their path. It was getting harder and harder to move her legs.

  The back door blasted open. Lauren jumped. Jaden. Thank God.

  “I went outside to check on you. I thought I told you to stay put.” His angry voice cracked. His face, red and chaffed, was lined with worry and fatigue.

  Stay put?

  “I’m a little tired of being told what to do.” She stomped past him, but was halted quickly by the strong hand on her arm.

  “Look, I wasn’t saying —”

  “What?” she snapped. “First you rescue me, and then you accuse me of being one of them. Now you want to tell me where to stand and what to do?”

  “There’s no need for hysterics,” he said.

  It wasn’t fair to take out all her frustration on him. She owed him. “Sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying. My life was normal last week and suddenly I’m being chased against these horrible men. In a hurricane. While dodging bullets. I’m not used to dealing with this. My world is simple, uncomplicated. I own my own shop, which was doing pretty well until I mortgaged the hell out of it to save my brother, who will most likely die anyway.”

  Jaden’s lips clamped shut. Exhaustion deepened the lines around his eyes. “You’ve been brave today. For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.”

  Now she really felt bad for snapping at him. “Thanks,” was all she could manage to say.

  “We’re set up next door. We’ll be safe for now.”

  She followed him to the condo.

  A man who looked to be in his early twenties was there, setting up a machine the size of a small dishwasher.

  “This is Gregory,” Jaden said.

  Lauren introduced herself. Gregory couldn’t be more than twenty-five. His light hair and eyes, and serious but eager expression made her think he might be new at this undercover operation thing. His military cut told her he had experience. She pointed to the hunk of metal in the middle of the dining room. “What is that?”

  “A generator,” Gregory said. “This place belongs to my cousin. It’s not ideal, but it’s all we have to work with right now. If this storm gets as bad as they say, we’ll lose power.”

  A radio squawked and beeped with weather warnings.

  Jaden moved to the kitchen where he dug around until he found a large salad bowl. He filled it with water, and then fought the winds outside to bring it to the horse.

  After removing the bridle, Jaden held up the bowl for him to drink. Lauren followed, but didn’t say anything as she smoothed her hand down the sorrel’s neck.

  Then Jaden smacked his hindquarters and shooed him away.

  Jaden pulled Lauren safely back inside. Looking like almost all the strength had drained out of him, he moved to the kitchen. “We’ll be okay here for a while,” he said.

  Exhaustion was wearing Lauren’s nerves thin, Lightheaded and hungry, she moved to the couch and crumbled onto it.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired before,” she said, wanting clean clothes and a shower, but too tired to make a move for either.

  Filling a glass with tap water, Jaden quickly drained the contents before refilling it.

  A few moments later, he was by her side, looking strained, tired. His face was red from windburn. “Can you sit up?” he asked.

  She eased up enough to notice his expression that said he might explode from the pain movement caused him. Not that he’d admit it. She doubted he’d let anyone get close enough to see anything beyond the external. His face was a study in fortitude. His expression gave away nothing of what he truly thought. He was a professional. A soldier. This was his job.

  He held out his palm with two tablets on it. “Pain reliever. This should help.”

  Lauren propped herself up on one elbow, then tossed the pills in her mouth.

  “You’re lips are purple. You’re cold. You need to get out of those wet clothes.”

  “I’m dry, just cold.”

  He disappeared, returning a moment later with a blanket, which he used to wrap her body, carefully tucking in the sides. “How’s that? Better?”

  As he eased back onto the edge of the couch, she smiled. “Much. Thanks. That goes for everything you’ve done for me today. I wouldn’t be alive if not for you. God only knows where I would’ve ended up.” A shudder ran through her. “I certainly wouldn’t be here.”

  Lauren’s eyelids were heavy weights, adrenaline having faded from her body, and with it, her ability to fight exhaustion. A yawn rolled up and out.

  They’d made it to shelter.

  Jaden said they’d be safe. No reason to doubt him.

  “You hear from Gunner’s crew?” Jaden shouted toward the empty hall.

  “Not since this morning.”

  “They didn’t show at the beach.”

  “Got a tip about an asset’s location. Haven’t heard from him since.” Gregory appeared, holding a gun and a cell phone out to Jaden. “This storm has been upgraded, sir. As of now, we should be safe. Might get orders to evacuate though.”

  Jaden took the weapon and cell, nodding his acknowledgment. “How long?”

  “Spotters think we have an hour, maybe more before the big stuff hits. Cell coverage is unreliable. A tower is most likely down.”

  “Who knows we’re here?”

  “Other than headquarters? No one. I called in your location while you were outside. I’m waiting for clearance or extraction orders.”

  “Max was kidnapped.”

  “By who?” Gregory’s eyes shifted from Lauren to Jaden.

  Jaden’s shoulders rolled. “My guess? Menendez’s guys. My asset brought money to the beach to buy him back. Get the word out.”

  Gregory excused himself and disappeared down the hall.

  Lauren glanced out the wall of windows. It looked as if someone were standing above, just out of sight, pouring buckets of water down that ran sideways and cut across. She couldn’t see past the panes.

  “Lie down with me,” she said, patting the couch.

  A strong arm wrapped around her waist, shifting her enough that when she settled back down she found herself nestled against a solid but surprisingly soft chest. His breath heated the nape of her neck.

  Chapter Six

  A loud crack shocked Jaden awake. He rubbed his eyes, trying to orient himself. The condo. He’d fallen asleep? No way.

  He needed to get his bearings.

  Gregory had said he called in their arrival. That meant headquarters and anyone else monitoring the networks knew. Since the cartel pinned his location on the boat, they might have been able to tap into other communications. The storm would slow them down. But he had to consider the possibility they’d upgraded their technology. The news that Gunner had been diverted before disappearing sat hard on his chest.

  An unsettled feeling crept over him. How long had he been out?

  His watch said not more than twenty minutes. Still. It wasn’t like Jaden to let his guard down around an asset.

  No matter that protecting Lauren felt completely different from any other mission he’d been on. The others had been work. This was personal. There was something warm and comforting about her, drawing him toward her. He found himself wanting to know more than he could find in a manila folder … like where she grew up and what she did on Friday nights. Where the hell did that come from?

  He mentally slapped himself. Distraction could get them both killed.

  They were safe for now. He tried reaching Gunner again. Nothing. Wasn’t like him to go off the grid like that. Damn. Jaden hoped like hell he was all rig
ht.

  His body ached, but not as much as before.

  Lauren was snuggled up to him, her face against his chest. There was a slight pout to her lips, and his body instantly reacted to her. He was growing hard nestled this close.

  This was not the time for rogue hormones.

  Besides, he had enough rest to think clearly. His second thought? Bryce. The third operative to be killed in a month.

  At first blush, Jaden had figured the situation blew up back at the beach because he’d been spotted. If that were true, shouldn’t Jaden be dead and not his buddy? Unless Bryce accidently stepped in the way of a bullet marked for Jaden. Guilt knifed his chest. If Bryce was killed because of Jaden’s actions, he’d never forgive himself. You don’t know that for sure. Stick to the facts.

  Lauren had brought serious cash to the beach.

  The cartel had shown up ready and armed to stage war. Brought serious metal, AR-15s, and enough ammo to wipe out a small island. Why?

  Why did they risk trying to kidnap Lauren so publicly? Did she give them a choice? She was smart. She would’ve insisted on being out in the open.

  Still, why not take the money and run? She weighed all of a hundred and twenty pounds. They could have easily taken the damn overnight bag and disappeared.

  Or, had kidnapping her been the plan all along? Which made even less sense. Why would they want her in the first place? There was no family money to extort.

  When he really thought about it, why bring a five-man team to take down an amateur? Then again, his agency had been putting quite a bit of heat on the cartels, especially since Tim.

  There had to be more to the story. With South Americans involved, he’d be willing to bet on it. No one else was going to die on his watch. Keeping Lauren safe until this ordeal was over became his number one priority.

  She’s an asset. He told himself that was the only reason he cared and not because she stirred feelings inside he didn’t want to acknowledge. Couldn’t acknowledge. If he acknowledged those, she’d be dead too. Jaden had no plans to tempt fate again.

  Nursing his sore shoulder, Jaden slipped off the couch and moved to the window as rain pounded the pane. Thunder cracked overhead sounding like it was literally ripping the earth in two. If he were lucky, this would be the worst of the storm, but luck wasn’t something experience had taught him to depend on.