Dixon

by Kris Michaels

  > Hard drive coding has a glitch

  >You've finally made progress?

  > Give me six months. Vista was damn good.

  "Vista?" Jason asked as every eye in the room swung to Jewell.

  She nodded. "I don't know what hard drives they have. I know we have Vista's originals, and the information we got off them was shit that could have taken us all down, but..."

  "What?" Jared asked before anyone else could.

  "Okay, this is just supposition, but what if the woman that Vista was tracking wasn't Jade? We made huge leaps of logic when we determined it was her. There was nothing at the undercover site that would lead us to believe the cult she was with was in bed with the Bratva."

  Jewell pulled a pencil out of her hair and chewed on it as her eyes flitted around the table. They finally landed on Jason. "I think we need to pull all the information out again and examine it to make sure we didn't make any errors."

  "How long have you been worrying about this?" Gabriel asked.

  Jewell's eyes flicked to him and then to Zane. "I just have this gut feeling that we missed something. I can shove it to the back of my mind most days, but it is something I keep spinning around." Jewell shrugged. "This last message was the most recent I found and it was time stamped three and a half months ago. So, if they are holding true to their timeline, we have about two months to go over everything before they have access to what we have."

  "Jared, add this to the mountain of questions we'll be asking our newest guest and see if Kowalski knows anything about this," Jason spoke to his brother as he glanced over at Jewell. "How many do you need to work this?"

  "Alonzo and probably two others. I just need to make sure we didn't miss something. We'd pretty much set out an answer and worked to that conclusion. We assumed it was one of us. What if it wasn't?"

  "Let's go with that assumption. Assume it wasn't Jade and work from there." Zane nodded his head. "Use a clean slate. That will reduce your stress and make it easier to find pieces that fit rather than forcing them."

  "All right. That's settled. Jewell, make it happen." Jason turned back to the rest of the group. "Jared, the woman?"

  "Ah yes, she's...pleasant." He chuckled and shook his head. "Like a rattlesnake. She has no citizenship in any country that we can find. Her fingerprints and DNA do not match anyone in known databases, and she'd rather kill us than talk to us. We've processed her, and we are letting her chill out before we start our sessions. I'll have to go to Kowalski or bring him back. I believe he's in Mossad's possession at the moment. He might cooperate more if we bring him back to the States."

  "No need, Jade and can I go to him. We wouldn't want Kowalski to get anything he wants." Nic offered, glancing up the table to Jason for approval. The ex-Guardian member who'd worked for the Bratva wasn't the most loved man on the planet.

  "Do it. I need to know what he knows about the hacker and what safeguards he had, if any." Jason glanced at Jewell again. "Get me a specific list of questions you want to be answered. I'll farm them out to Jared and Nic."

  "Roger that." Both Jewell and Zane answered at the same time.

  "Awww...fuck, that's cute," Jade sniggered, and Jewell threw a piece of chocolate at her.

  Jacob leaned forward and pulled the candy bag away from Jewell before he spoke, "Anyway, back to business. Dixon and Drake are out of circulation. Both are dead to the world, and both are okay with it. Chief and Taty are calling it quits, too. Adam has tapped out. It’s time to make the call and appoint the people we want at the top of Alpha team."

  Gabriel leaned forward. "It was one hell of a run, but I agree with the decisions of your team. They will continue to provide us with valuable support, but they are no longer the ones we need in the field. We have a system in place now that we didn't have when I pulled you in to run Alpha team. We have expanded, and we need to change our organizational structure again."

  He glanced at Jason. Well it was time, wasn't it? He nodded back at his mentor, boss, and friend. Gabriel continued, "We are going to take Stratus down. In order to do that we will need dedicated teams who focus on nothing but Stratus. Jacob, due to your experience with overseas operations I'm making you the lead on the teams dedicated to eradicating those bastards. I want ten of the best teams you can form. Use any Guardian from any branch, including Shadows if necessary. I want the best of the best."

  Jacob shook his head. "Okay, but I have about a million questions. First and foremost are these ten teams in addition to the twenty-six we are forming?"

  "Yes. We have enough seasoned team members that we can give most their own team. Training will have to be ramped up, and assignments will be held back until we know they are operationally ready, but Guardian will continue, full force in addition to going after Stratus. We will work all this restructuring over the course of the next couple of months. We're open for suggestions and input, but with the mandate from POTUS this morning, Guardian will be the lead in tracking down all things related to Stratus."

  Gabriel focused his attention on Jared. "When this gets set up, Nic will be taking your place on Dom Ops, along with Jade. He leveled a stare at Jade as he spoke. "Don't act surprised. You're damn good at this management shit, whether or not you'll admit it."

  Jade's eyes opened wide, and she nodded. Jason wanted to chuckle. It was the first time he'd seen his sister speechless.

  "Jared, you will work with Jacob. You will coordinate with all agencies and organizations needed to facilitate the teams, and you will be in charge of the interrogation of any witnesses or suspects. Pull your best from the field and bring them up to speed. You and Jacob will run the new branches of Guardian together."

  Jared slowly leaned back in his chair. "I, too, have many questions."

  "Noted. As I said before we will work them." Gabriel leaned back in his chair and smiled like a Cheshire cat. "I'll be in charge of both of you."

  Jason did laugh at the expressions on his family's faces before he spoke, "Which means I'll be left with the normal day-to-day Guardian operations. Thank fuck, because the pace has been killing me."

  "Anna approved this?" Jacob's question set off a round of laughter.

  "She was the one who suggested it. It seems my retirement wasn't very enjoyable for her." Gabriel laughed along with everyone else.

  Jason waited for the good-natured ribbing to fall to a natural end. "We have our mandates. Jared, information from Lady Rattlesnake is essential. I'd rather not use drugs, but..."

  Jared nodded. "Understood."

  "Jewell, you let me know the second you find anything that we've overlooked."

  "Will do." She moved to stand up.

  "Wait." He held out a hand stopping her. "I said if you find anything we've overlooked. If you find anything, this isn't on you or your section. We are a unit here. You and your team aren't the end all be all here. The buck stops with me. Not with you. Do you understand?" Jewell's eyes misted, and she blinked hard a couple times before she nodded. "Good. Now everyone get the hell out of here. My wife is craving rice crispy treats, and I have to go buy marshmallows." Jason stood, ending the meeting. He looked up and caught his brother's attention. "Jacob, a minute."

  He waited for everyone else to file out and closed the door behind them. "We've been tasked to support the Department of Homeland Security. Your contact's name is Silas Branson. If he ever calls, give him what he needs."

  Jacob sighed and nodded. "Roger that. Do I dare ask what the fuck is going on?"

  "I don't know, and honestly we have enough on our plate without worrying about what the DHS is doing. Just support the man when, or if, he calls. Got it?"

  "Noted." Jacob opened the door and waited for Jason to grab his tablet. "Marshmallows?"

  "Yeah. Didn't Tori have any weird cravings?" They headed down the hall toward Jason's office.

  "Oh, hell yeah. Fresh strawberries and dill pickles." Jacob slapped him on the shoulder. "The fun is just beginning, Daddy."

  Jason watched his younger b
rother stroll down the hall toward his office. So many things were changing. He glanced down at his tablet. Most of the changes were for the good of the organization. Others? Well, he'd fight those battles when they made it to that particular war zone.

  Chapter 26

  Moriah huddled inside the long down coat that Dixon had purchased for her at the local feed store. She snorted and shook her head. The. Local. Feed. Store. My God, she was in fucking Kansas, Toto. Check that. She was in South Dakota. One of those fly-over states. You flew over them. You didn't live in them. But here she was a week after her lover had been "killed", watching him ride across the frozen field. He and his brother had ridden out to the solar array to fix or modify something. Moriah was sure if she tried, she could remember what they were supposed to be doing, but about thirty seconds into the conversation between Dixon, Drake and Drake's woman, Jillian, her eyes had rolled into her brain, and she'd lost interest. So she'd wandered over to the Shadow facility and made herself a sandwich before she plopped her ass down in front of the massive television. Dixon had found her there a couple hours later. She smiled at the memory.

  "Sorry about that." He draped his arm behind her on the couch.

  She leaned into him. "What are you sorry about?" She aimed the remote at the television and muted the show she'd been watching.

  Dixon shrugged. "I shouldn't have ignored you."

  Moriah slid back against the couch cushion and narrowed her eyes at Dixon, laying an exaggerated squint on him. "Don't do that."

  His eyes flashed to her and he blinked. "Don't do what?"

  "Don't act like you need to babysit me. This is your life. I get it." She did understand that. In the last week she'd witnessed Dixon, Drake, and the man they called Chief, work through a mountain of administrative shit that had suddenly flooded them from Guardian Headquarters. Some sort of training ramp up. So be it. She'd find something to do. The place was fucking big enough, there had to be something she could do...right?

  Dixon twisted on the sofa. "No, this is our life. Both of ours." He took both of her hands in his. "You understand that, right? I want you here permanently." He cleared his throat and slid down to his knees from the couch. He moved so he was between her legs. "I want to ask you to marry me. I want to do this right, so it would help if I knew what your real name is." He dropped his eyes and shook his head. "I'd pictured wining and dining you, maybe a big romantic gesture." He threw his head back and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Fuck, I've been carrying this around since Jacob flew it in." He pushed his hand into his front pocket and pulled out something flashy and bright.

  Moriah sat up straight. Wait, what in the hell was happening here? "Holy fuck, you're actually proposing to me?"

  "Well, yeah, I was trying to, but I think I'm fu.... Umph."

  She pushed her lips against his, shutting him up. Damn the man could ruin a sure thing with all his fucking words. She pulled back and held up a finger. "First, shut up." His eyes widened, and he nodded. "Second, my name is Moriah and has been since I left that horrible place, but people here know me as Joy. I can deal with that name because you know that old saying, ‘Joy cometh in the morning’." She waggled her eyes at him.

  Dixon's shoulders moved as he tried to suppress the laughter that ripped through him. “I can guarantee that wasn't the intended meaning of that verse." He tried hard, she'd give him that, but his laughter almost obliterated his response.

  "Huh. Well, Joy is what you've called me. I'm happy with that name. The person I was before I joined Guardian is dead. Kinda like you and your brother." She stopped him when he started to speak by pressing two fingers against his mouth. "Third, I have conditions to this marriage gig."

  "Can I talk now?" The words came out from behind her fingers and held a heavy lisp but she understood them.

  "I don't know. I kinda like it when I do the talking." She drew a deep breath and gave a dramatic sigh. "If you must."

  "What are your conditions?" He lifted the ring to her left hand and pushed it onto the fingertip of her ring finger before he looked up at her.

  She refused to look at the ring. She wasn't going to get sucked into the fairy tale. Not yet. "Condition number one, I get to have a job. There has got to be something I can do around this place. I'm going to go batshit crazy and flip my wig if I don't find something to keep me busy, so you need to find me something."

  "You'll be in charge of training close-quarter fighting. We have a full slate of training for the next year, with only two weeks off in July and two weeks off for Christmas and the New Year." He held the ring in place with one hand and reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Five classes a week, plus you'll be the alternate for physical training when Drake and I have to go to Arizona to assist in the set-up of that complex."

  She glanced down at the paper. It was an official job offer, signed by Jacob King. Well hell, she could do that.

  "What other conditions do you have?" Dixon slid the ring up her finger to the first knuckle.

  "Condition number two, if we get married, we are having kids. Maybe not this year or even the year after that, but I want a family. A normal family where the mom and dad are home every night and there is dinner on the table, stories at bedtime and love. Lots of fucking love, because I only do permanent marriage-type shit, and it won't work if you don't love me enough."

  He leaned forward and dropped a tender kiss on her lips. "I love you so fucking much, and I'll give you a reason to fall deeper in love with me every day."

  He dropped for another kiss, but she moved, slipping away from him. She held up three fingers. "Hold on there, cowboy. Two more conditions."

  "Okaaay..."He stretched out the response.

  She could see the laughter in his eyes. Whatever, the next condition was a deal breaker. "I will never, ever, have to get on a horse. For any reason. Ever. That is nonnegotiable."

  His entire body shook with laughter, but she kept a straight face. "Horses are fucking huge and smelly, and I'm not going to ride one. Ever. Period. No matter what. Not happening."

  He leaned forward, his head resting on her shoulder as he laughed. Somewhere between the guffaws and bouts of uncontrollable laughter, she got a semblance of agreement. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in to her. "Fourth and final condition."

  He lifted away and swiped the heel of his hand at the tears that had formed while he was laughing like a fucking loon. "Anything."

  "Good. I need you to eventually achieve that ten, Quick Draw—so practice is a must.” She smiled at him and held up her hand to admire her ring. The diamond looked huge. She was sure it was some kind of super special cut because of the way it sparkled, but it could have been a rock he'd found outside, and she would have loved it just as much.

  "So let me see if I remember your conditions. In order for you to agree to marry me, you need a job, won't ride a horse, demand I love you and our kids forever and fuck your brains out—especially in the morning?"

  "Yeah, I don't think that was the order I said them, but that's the gist of the conditions. Wait! I have one more."

  "Really? What would that be?"

  "I don't want the big wedding thing. Justice of the Peace. You, me, Drake and Jillian and as soon as possible."

  "You have a deal."

  "Excellent. Then I suggest we start practicing on your ‘ten’."

  The men were talking and laughing as they approached, their horses content to walk side-by-side. She glanced to the right at the sound of snow crunching under boots and saw Jillian trudging through the snow.

  "Hey, Joy." Jillian leaned up against the boards of the corral fence where Moriah waited.

  She glanced over and smiled. She liked Jillian. The woman was a straight shooter and didn't have any of those backstabbing, bullshit tendencies that beautiful women in the city put out there. Hell, none of the women she'd met on the ranch seemed fake, which was hella refreshing. She tried to return to favor, but being herself was hard because sometimes she wasn't
too sure who that person was anymore. But here on the ranch, she was Joy and she liked that. She was happy with who she was becoming. She usually didn't play nice with other women. It was just the way things were, but hey, she liked not to have to pretend to enjoy someone's company.

  "Are we still going to Rapid tomorrow?" Jillian leaned against the top board and gazed over the fence. Of course, Joy was standing on the bottom board to do the same thing. Just about everyone on the ranch was taller than she was. Except Lizzy and Kadey. Those little girls were sweet and amazing, and Joy loved watching them play together. It reminded her of the good memories she had of her sister.

  "That's the plan." Joy glanced back to the men who were now identifiable. Dixon was riding the reddish-brown horse he usually rode, and Drake was riding one with color blotches all over it. Frank had told her Dixon's horse was a sorrel and Drake’s was a paint...and that was as much as she ever wanted to know about the animals.

  "Are you spending the night in the city?"

  Joy snorted. "City?"

  "Well, it’s as close to a city as South Dakota has." Jillian chuckled and then got quiet. "Do you like it here?" The question was softly spoken, almost as if Jillian wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

  Joy stepped down off the board and turned to face the other woman. "It is different here. I'm not exactly comfortable in my surroundings yet, but I do like the solitude. I think the people here are solid, and the things happening on the other side of that big ranch house are important. Mostly though, I am happy because I'm here with Dixon. What has happened to get us here is in the past, and now I'm free to love him." She shoved her hands in her pocket. "I never thought I'd have that."

  Jillian let out a lungful of air. "Oh, thank God!" She lurched forward.

  Joy jumped out of Jillian's reach and crouched low, ready to fight.

  "Whoa...okay, so now I don't need to ask what you did for Guardian, seems like you are one of the people Drake trains." Jillian laughed and held up her hands stepping back.