“Hey!” She scowled at him. “You know it pisses me off when you steal my coffee.”
“And you know the doctor said to cut down on your caffeine intake.”
“Got to stop taking you to those doctor visits,” she muttered, scowling at the bottle of water.
“I could get some caffeine-free coffee?” Ella offered quietly, surprising Curt. She usually never spoke unless she was asked a direct question.
“No point, I don’t drink it for the taste. Thanks, Ella.”
She looked over at Curt’s coffee longingly for a moment. “Give me some,” she whispered to him.
“No way.” He drew the cup out of her reach. “I’ve already pissed the big guy off today. Besides, if the doctor said no caffeine, then you know you’re not getting any.”
“Traitor.” She sighed, then a wicked glint came over her eyes.
Uh-oh.
“Oh, I feel a little ill.” She rubbed her stomach.
Hunter stood abruptly, his chair crashing into the wall. If this kept up they were going to have dents in the walls. “What is it? Is it the baby?”
She sniffed then placed her hand over her mouth. “It’s the coffee. The smell. Oh, I think the doctor was right. I shouldn’t have caffeine. I shouldn’t even smell it.”
“Really? You expect him to fall for that?” Curt asked, taking a sip.
“Take all the coffee out,” Hunter barked.
Cady turned and smirked at him. “You were saying?”
“You are such a brat.”
“If I can’t have it then I don’t see why I should suffer through watching the rest of you drinking it.”
“You okay, baby?” Hunter walked over and rubbed her back.
“Oh, she’s fine. It’s the rest of us who are suffering,” Curt said. “What she needs is a good spanking.”
“I agree.”
What surprised him was that it was Cady that spoke not Hunter. She gave Hunter a look.
“We’re at work,” Hunter barked then stood and moved back to the head of the table. “Come on, Andrews, we don’t have all fucking day.”
Curt half-turned to look down at Cady, who stared at Hunter with a look of hunger. “He’s worried about something happening to you. It’s totally understandable.”
Hunter’s loud voice barking out demands covered their conversation.
“Yeah. This is a control freak’s worst nightmare.” Cady ran her hand over her stomach. “He doesn’t like feeling helpless. Knowing he can’t take over, that he can’t do this for me; it kills him. He’s worried something will go wrong with the birth, that he’ll mess up at being a dad.”
“He’ll be a great dad.”
“I know, just wish he believed it.”
“A bit overprotective, of course,” he added. “Poor girl probably won’t go on a date until she’s thirty.”
“Thirty? I was thinking fifty.”
They grinned at each other.
“I’m still going to get you back for taking away my coffee.”
She winked.
Travis cleared his throat, and they all looked over at him. “All right, let’s start.”
“Finally,” Hunter growled, tapping his fingers against the desk.
Travis and Jace ignored him.
Travis turned to look at him, and Curt just knew. “This is about the op we ran to rescue Jenna Jasons.”
His heart beat faster, nerves on edge. He sat forward. “What about it?”
Travis met his gaze. “You know the family, right?”
Curt nodded. “You know I was married to her cousin, Amelia.”
“How well do you know her dad?”
“David Jasons? He knew my dad. They served together in the marines. David got out after one tour and went to work for his father. My Dad stayed in. They kept in touch.”
Even though they came from very different backgrounds, the two men had gotten along. Curt’s father came from a poor family. He’d entered the marines at sixteen because he’d had seven younger siblings, and his parents were dirt poor. He’d found he liked being a marine. David Jasons had come from a wealthy family. He’d become a marine because it was a tradition. Like a rite of passage or some such shit.
“That’s how I met Amelia. Why? What’s he got to do with any of this?”
“He’s been dealing in arms trading.”
“What?” Curt couldn’t have been more surprised if they’d told him he liked to dress up as a creepy clown and scare young children. “That can’t be right. He wouldn’t.”
“According to the feds, it is. They’re planning on executing a warrant to search his business and home in a few hours.”
Curt stood. “Well, why the fuck didn’t you say so?” He had to get over there, Jenna would need him. “Jenna will need help, I—”
Cady reached up and grabbed his hand. “Jenna’s not there, Curt.”
“What? What do you mean, she’s not there? Where is she?”
She’d moved out? He knew things hadn’t been great for her living under her parents roof but he thought she would have . . . would have what? Told him she was leaving? Given him her new address? He hadn’t spoken to her since that night he’d pushed her away. Pushed? Hell. He’d given her an almighty shove. Told her neither of them could ever be what the other one needed. What a lie that was.
He knew he could never be what she deserved. But damned if he didn’t dream about that kiss every night, waking up with a hard-on. He barely slept. When he wasn’t working he was at the gym or the club trying to rid himself of the memory of her soft lips pressed against him, the feel of her body, her sweet, strawberry scent surrounding him.
“She moved away a few months ago.”
“Away?” He didn’t like the way she said that. “Away where?”
“Small town in Texas. Has a funny name. I’d need to look back through my texts from her.”
Cady was getting texts from her? He’d received nothing.
And you expected anything else, idiot?
“Haven,” Lacey said quietly. “The town is called Haven.”
“Haven? Really?” Travis asked.
“You know it?” Curt snapped.
“I’ve been there before when I was working a case,” Travis replied quietly.
“Why did no one tell me any of this?”
Cady looked up at him. “Why would we? If she’d wanted you to know, she would have told you.”
Fuck. She was right. She obviously hadn’t wanted him to know.
“But she still needs support. It’s only been eight months. What about her therapy?”
“There’s an amazing therapist I referred her to who works with clients via Skype,” Lacey told him. “She has a job at the local medical center. She’s doing well, Curt.”
Without me.
He sat, feeling stunned, and realized there was some part of him that thought she would need him. That thought she would come to him again. Ask him for help.
He was such a fool. Of course, she didn’t need him. Jenna was strong. She was a survivor. She’d be fine without him.
Damn that was a blow to his ego.
“If I can continue.” Travis said, staring at him. Was that a hint of sympathy in his gaze?
“What evidence is there against her father?” Curt asked. “How do you know about all of this?”
“I know one of the lead investigators on his case. He called me to give me a heads up.”
“Why? You’ve got nothing to do with Jenna,” Curt said suspiciously.
Travis sat back then looked over at Jace, who was leaning against the wall. “Nothing about Jenna’s kidnapping felt right to me. It seemed obvious she was targeted for a ransom demand, but why kill everyone else in the village?”
“Because that’s what extremists do. They terrorize. They act without conscience,” Josh said.
“Yes, exactly. So why was this done so methodically? So coldly. They just went through and shot everyone. They didn’t burn the village, steal anythi
ng, or rape the women. I’ve got some photos.” He stared over at Lacey then Cady. “Lacey, out.”
His cousin sighed. “You’re not my boss, Travis.”
“You don’t need to see this.”
“I’ve seen bad shit before.”
“So have I.” Cady sent Hunter a look. “Don’t even think about it.”
He pointed a finger at her. “You get upset, you’re out of here.”
Travis snorted. “Seems getting into a relationship makes pussies out of Doms ’round here.”
Hunter leaned forward. “Funny how you can’t seem to find a woman to stick around more than five seconds.”
Travis just shook his head.
“Can we get on with it?” Gray asked.
Travis brought up the photos.
Curt had seen some of them before, others were new. “How come I haven’t seen some of these?”
Travis’s jaw tightened. “The local police held some back. Had to get a friend to grease some palms.”
“You have a friend?” Hunter asked. “That’s a surprise.”
“See that?” Travis ignored Hunter as he zoomed in on the hand of one of the doctors. A female. Jenna’s friend who’d been executed beside her.
His temper stirred as he thought of everything these bastards had put her through. Jenna should never have been there. She should have been safely at home, working, hanging out with friends, her biggest problem being what to wear out on Saturday night.
“Is that a gold bracelet?” he asked. “Weren’t they all told to leave jewelry at home?”
“According to her husband, this was an anniversary gift he gave her before she left. She meant to take it off and forgot. But wouldn’t extremists that were after cash loot the bodies?”
“But they thought they were getting millions from Jenna’s father,” Lacey pointed out. “They probably didn’t care about the small things.”
Travis nodded. “It’s a possibility. But that money could have taken a while to organize. Things like jewelry and the technology some of the doctors had could’ve been sold for fast cash. There were laptops, iPads, cash. None of it was touched.”
Curt frowned. He hadn’t really thought about any of that. His only thought had been to get to Jenna.
“For a band of extremists, they were well-organized and well-trained. They shot to kill. They didn’t stray from getting their target, Jenna. And they were in and out quickly. We were damn lucky we got that intel about where she was being held. If those villagers hadn’t heard the shots on their way back from a neighboring village and hidden there would be no witnesses.”
“So why are you bringing this all up now?” he asked.
“And why didn’t you tell us you were still looking into it?” Hunter added.
“I wasn’t. Not really. I sent out a few inquiries. That feeling in my gut just wouldn’t die. But I didn’t think anything would come of it. Until a friend who works for the feds contacted me to ask what I knew about David Jasons. I told him what I knew. He said they had suspicions that Jasons wasn’t on the up and up, although he didn’t tell me what they suspected him of until today. Still, it was enough for me to send a contact I have in Sudan to talk to the local police to see if they knew anything we didn’t. He came back with these photos.”
“I always wondered how they knew about Jenna,” Josh mused. “I mean, how did they know who she was? Who her father was? Someone had to have given them that info.”
Curt remembered the guy Jenna recalled who’d spoken such clear English. The leader maybe? She’d thought he’d sounded British. Could he have been?
“Me too.” Travis nodded. “And then my FBI friend tells me that they suspect David Jasons of supplying weapons to terrorists.”
“I just can’t believe it. He was a marine.” Not that marines couldn’t do shit like this. But he’d liked him. He’d always seemed like a good guy.
“A lot of evidence says he did. However, the feds are after bigger fish than Jasons. If he co-operates and gives them what he wants, they’ll go easier on him.”
“Poor Jenna,” Cady whispered. “She loves her dad. She’s going to be devastated.”
“There’s going to be a lot of outcry over this,” Gray added. “Jenna’s dad’s company will suffer. He employs a lot of people. There are a lot of shareholders.”
Travis looked grim. “Exactly. Which is the other reason I’m bringing this to you. Jenna and her mother could become targets for people’s anger and fear over this.”
Like hell. He’d . . . what? He hadn’t even known that she’d moved out of her parent’s place. His hands clenched into fists beneath the table.
“So, what’s the connection between Jenna being kidnapped and her dad’s dealings in arms trading?” Hunter asked.
“Not certain yet, but I’m working on it. Going to call in a few favors.”
“Why?” Curt asked bluntly.
Travis just stared at him.
“Why are you doing this? Why do you care?”
“Because I don’t like when innocents get hurt,” Travis replied calmly, but Curt saw the cold, hard look in his eyes. “They shot up a whole village, killed children, murdered adults, and then kidnapped and beat up a terrified woman. And because my gut burns.”
“There’s a doctor a few blocks down. Pretty sure you can get something to help you with that,” Hunter told him.
That coldness dropped away slightly. “Can they prescribe something to get your head out of your ass?”
“I really don’t think Dallas is big enough to house both your egos.” Cady looked from one to the other.
“What do you need while you’re here?” Gray asked.
“Talking to Jenna would be a good start. I need to figure out if she’s remembered something more.”
Curt tapped his fingers against the table. Should he tell them what she’d remembered? He met Lacey’s gaze across the table. She knew. But she wouldn’t say. Jenna had told her in confidence. He wasn’t held by the same confidence. But he would do whatever would keep her safest.
He trusted his team with this information. Question was, did he trust Travis and Jace? They’d helped rescue her. They’d risked themselves to free her. And they were Lacey’s cousins. And they had come to them with this information when they didn’t have to.
“There’s one thing she remembered that was strange. She heard someone speak after she was beaten. In English.”
“Accent?” Travis asked.
“Not a local accent. She thought if anything he sounded slightly British.”
Did a look of excitement cross their faces? Travis leaned forward. “Did she see him?”
Even if she had, he wouldn’t admit it now. Not after seeing their reaction. Now he was starting to wonder if he’d made the right decision telling them.
“What is it?” Hunter asked. “You obviously have some idea who this guy is.”
“The Brit,” Travis asked.
“The Brit?” Gray repeated. “You don’t mean the guy on the FBI’s most wanted list?”
“And Interpol’s,” Jace added. “Everyone wants this guy.”
“Only no one knows what he looks like. Anyone that did hasn’t lived to tell the tale.”
“Genius name he’s got,” Hunter muttered.
“You’re sure she didn’t see him?” Travis asked Curt.
There was an odd note to his voice. Was this the real reason he was here? Because of this guy? After all, he barely even knew Jenna so why did this warrant more than a phone call with a friendly heads up?
He shook his head. “They all wore bandanas over their lower faces.”
“Fuck. Probably just as well. If she’d seen The Brit then she’d be in a world of danger and she’s already got enough problems.”
Travis and Jace shared a look. Definitely something more going on there.
Curt looked over at Gray, who was staring at Travis and Jace thoughtfully.
“So, you guys going to tell us why you’re really here
or are we going to find out at the end after some big clusterfuck that could have been avoided if you’d been upfront?” Hunter barked.
That was Hunter. Always to the point.
Travis snorted. “Don’t beat around the bush, man.”
“You know me better than that.”
Travis sighed. “I do. Look, I can’t tell you much—”
“Course you can’t. That would be too fucking easy.”
Travis gave Hunter a look. “But we’re interested in getting our hands on The Brit.”
“You want to get hold of a guy on both Interpol and the FBI’s most wanted list?” Gray asked quietly. “And you don’t expect us to ask questions?”
Travis turned to look at him. “We didn’t have to bring this stuff to you.”
“Would have been a real jerk thing to do,” Hunter drawled.
Travis glared at him. “But I probably would have called you anyway because the little I saw of Jenna, I liked. She’s a fighter. And I don’t want to see any harm come her way.”
“But why would this guy have something to do with Jenna’s kidnapping?” Lacey asked.
“The Brit supplies weapons to terrorist groups across the Middle East and Africa. His reach is far. If you have enough cash, he can get it. He’s suspected of supplying arms to the group that bombed the US Embassy in Chad. It’s entirely possible that he’s the person that David Jasons was sending these weapons to. If Jasons crossed him, and that’s the reason Jenna was kidnapped, then he could have a hell of a lot more problems than just the feds and the ATF breathing down his neck. The Brit is dangerous and he’s ruthless.”
“So, you think Jenna’s father was sending weapons to this guy, but then something went wrong and, he took Jenna as revenge?” Cady asked. “That’s a big guess based on her remembering that one of her kidnappers spoke English. It could be anybody.”
“Oh, I don’t think they’re just guessing,” Hunter said slowly. “I think they knew all along that Jasons was involved with The Brit.”
Travis tensed then nodded. “The FBI think he’s associated with him. But they don’t know for sure that Jenna’s kidnapping had anything to do with The Brit.”
“But it’s likely it had something to do with her dad,” Gray said quietly. “If he’s guilty, that is.”
Jesus, that was going to kill her.
To Save Sir (Doms of Decadence Book 7) Page 7
