Mission: Her Justice

by Anna Hackett

This lethal, attractive, hard-eyed woman was Evan’s mother?

  Evan moved past him, but Jonah stuck an arm out and held her back.

  The older woman’s gaze narrowed. She had bright-blue eyes, which was the only marked difference between mother and daughter. She reached up and pulled off her knit cap, and red hair, probably helped out by a good hairdresser, spilled out around her shoulders.

  Nearby, Arlo watched her like he wasn’t sure what to make of her.

  “Are you going to keep my daughter from coming and hugging her mother, Director Grayson?”

  “I thought your mother was retired and living in Florida,” he said.

  “I have a lovely little condo by the beach,” the woman said.

  “She’s retired.” Evan paused. “From the CIA. Mom, this is Jonah and his team. Jonah, this is my mother, Raquel Fletcher.”

  Her mother’s smile was bright and welcoming. “It’s a pleasure.”

  There was another violent thud against the locked door.

  “Mom, let them out,” Evan snapped.

  “I’ll do it,” Arlo growled.

  Raquel shot him a look. “You do that, hunky.”

  Arlo shot her a stone-faced look in return.

  Evan untied Blair and Callie. “Sorry.” The women sat up, rubbing their wrists. Callie moved to free Brooks.

  Arlo opened the door, and the men of Team 52 rushed into the room. They stumbled to a stop, staring at where Evan’s mother was sitting on Kinsey’s desk, her long, black-clad legs crossed.

  “Everyone, this is my mom,” Evan said.

  “Mom?” Lachlan looked ready to fight a battalion.

  Smith glared at Evan’s mother. River just blinked and stared. Seth and Axel watched the woman like they’d just discovered a snake in their yard.

  Their looks bounced right off her.

  Evan went to the woman and hugged her. Jonah watched them carefully. He saw the way Raquel held her daughter tightly for a few, brief seconds.

  “I see they’re trusting you now?” Raquel said.

  “They were starting to, but this might set things back a bit,” Evan said.

  The woman cupped Evan’s cheek. “How’s your gunshot wound?”

  “Fine.” Evan leaned into her mother. “I told you not to come.”

  “I’ve always liked the desert, and I love a bit of blackjack.” Raquel eyed Arlo. “It’s better with a good, strapping man for company.”

  Arlo scowled, and Raquel grinned. Jonah saw it was a front. The woman had come to check on her daughter.

  “It’s…interesting to meet you, Mrs. Fletcher,” Jonah said.

  The woman snorted. “Especially when I see the way you look at my daughter.”

  Someone laughed and Jonah shot a look at his team.

  “So, bring me up to speed,” Raquel said.

  Arlo crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s classified.”

  Evan’s mom continued smiling. “I can help. I had a long and varied career with the CIA.”

  “Wait, you’re Raquel Fletcher?” Seth’s eyebrows went up. “You’re a legend.”

  “I’m a lot of things, gorgeous,” she purred, her gaze running down Seth’s body. “But legend works.”

  “Mom.” Evan’s voice was sharp.

  Raquel tossed her mane of hair back. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to help my daughter.” The woman’s face hardened, the seasoned agent showing through. “And Brennan is a rotten, traitorous snake. He needs to be taken down.”

  Jonah released a breath. “Fine. Arlo, please brief Mrs. Fletcher.”

  “Call me Raquel, please.”

  “Raquel,” Jonah said. “We’re going back to Area 52. We need to see how Ty and Nat are doing with studying the Horus artifact. Then we need a plan for surveilling Brennan.”

  The team got busy prepping, and giving Evan’s mom cautious, wary looks. Evan changed into cargo pants and a gray tank top. She caught Jonah’s arm. “I’m sorry…about my mom showing up like this.”

  “And subduing my entire covert, highly trained team single-handedly?”

  Evan winced. “I doubt they’ll let her catch them off guard again.”

  “She’s a welcome addition.”

  Evan smiled, and it lit up her face.

  “You look a lot like her,” he said.

  Evan’s smile widened. “She taught me everything I know. And she loves me, even when she annoys the hell out of me.”

  “You’re lucky to have her.”

  Evan tilted her head. “I read your dossier. I’m sorry you lost your mom, Jonah.”

  “She loved me, too, and taught me a lot, as well. I’m just sorry she never got to see me reach adulthood. And that I didn’t get the chance to look after her later in life.”

  Leaning in, Evan touched his arm. “I bet she’d be damn proud of you.”

  He entwined their fingers. Why was he so drawn to this woman? Why did he feel like she understood him so well?

  “At least you aren’t listed as a traitor to your country,” Evan said dryly.

  “Your mom knows that isn’t true.”

  “It still hurts.”

  Brennan was going down. He’d pay for what he’d done to her. Jonah would make sure of it. “We’ll clear your name, Evan. I promise.”

  She nodded.

  “Now, let’s get going. The sooner we get back to base, the sooner we can plan how to bring Brennan’s schemes to a halt.”

  Aboard the plane, Jonah settled into one of the roomy seats. Evan was chatting amiably with Callie, River, and Blair on the other side of the plane.

  Raquel sauntered aboard and winked at the stone-faced Arlo, before sitting across from Jonah.

  “So, you and my daughter.” The woman’s voice was a purr, but there was a glint in her eyes.

  “Is there a question in there?” he asked.

  “She can take good care of herself, my Evan.” Raquel leaned forward. “But for all her toughness, there is a strong, loyal, and surprisingly soft heart underneath.”

  Jonah met Raquel’s gaze. “I’ve no plans to hurt Evan.”

  Raquel was silent for a moment. “Not intentionally.” She cocked her head. “I actually think you’d put yourself on the line to keep her safe.” She tapped a nail on the arm of her chair. “But be warned, Director Grayson. If anything happens to her, I’ll come for you.”

  “Noted.”

  “Mom.” Evan dropped into the seat beside Jonah. “What are you grilling Jonah about?”

  “Oh, just making sure that if he hurts my daughter, he knows I can kill him in a hundred and four different ways.”

  “Funny.” Evan glanced at him. “She’s joking.”

  “No, she’s not.” He touched Evan’s thigh. “But I’m not planning to let you get hurt, so we’re good.”

  “Yeah, well, once Brennan knows we’re after him, he won’t play nice.”

  Jonah’s heart thumped against his chest. He knew she was telling the truth. But Brennan hurting Evan more than he already had was unacceptable.

  And Jonah Grayson was a man who let nothing get in his way.

  Chapter Nine

  Evan stepped through the jet’s door, a wash of desert air hitting her face.

  Team 52 was moving down the stairs ahead of her. Her mom was already on the tarmac, talking to Arlo, who did not look receptive at all.

  Hmm, the one man on the planet who didn’t fall at her mother’s feet.

  Jonah was behind Evan, and gently nudged her to walk down the steps. Thoughts of Brennan, the ARE, and the Shemsu-Hor swirled in her head.

  She felt a prickle on the back of her neck and she scanned the hangar ahead. There were several Air Force personnel in gray fatigues wandering around. Pallets and crates were stacked nearby, clearly incoming cargo. A truck was backing in with a large, black shipping container on the back of it. Everyone looked busy. Everything seemed normal. She glanced at Jonah. He looked relaxed, and lost in thought.

  At the bottom of the steps, he look
ed at her. “What?”

  Evan shrugged a shoulder. “I’m just tense. I feel like…I don’t know, just a heavy feeling.” An ugly sense of foreboding.

  His brows drew together. “I learned a long time ago to trust my instincts.”

  “Me too.”

  His lips curved into a frown. “Let’s get inside.”

  They strode behind the team. Suddenly, Brooks jerked to a stop, yanking out his tablet. Callie frowned at him.

  Evan’s sense of wrongness solidified into dread.

  “Brooks?” Jonah asked.

  The computer expert spun. “Everyone, down! Now!”

  Evan crouched, and a faint, buzzing whine caught her ears. She looked up and noticed a tiny, black spot in the sky.

  Wait, there was a whole group of them.

  “Drones!” Brooks yelled.

  The drones whizzed overhead, bullets hitting the tarmac all around them. Jonah slammed into Evan and they hit the pavement. The buzz of the drones intensified, and the barrage of gunfire was deafening.

  Jonah covered her with his big body, pinning her down. Protecting her.

  “Get off,” she snapped.

  “Stay down.”

  Bullets hit some stacked pallets nearby and one exploded, flames spiking into the sky.

  “Get inside,” Lachlan yelled.

  Evan lifted her head, and saw that the rest of the team was all prone, or crouched around her. Her mother was on one knee, scanning the sky.

  “Let’s move.” Jonah leaped up and grabbed Evan’s hand.

  They ran.

  Ahead, Evan saw her mom sprinting toward the hangar, Arlo’s stocky body powering beside her.

  Another rain of bullets hit.

  Evan swallowed a gasp and slammed into Jonah. She knocked him out of the way of the gunfire, and his arms wrapped around her, yanking her with him.

  She heard bullets ping off metal.

  “They’re firing on the jet,” Jonah bellowed. “Run!”

  Together, they picked up speed, sprinting fast.

  Behind them, the plane went up in flames. A fuel tank exploded, and the force of the explosion made her stumble. She only stayed on her feet because of Jonah.

  It was like Armageddon.

  Panting, they reached the hangar.

  “Mom!” Evan yelled.

  Raquel was still in the open. Arlo was beside her, gun in hand, firing on the attack drones. Raquel had a gun as well, firing beside him.

  “Mom, get inside!” Evan called out.

  She saw two sleek black drones circling around the pair.

  No. No.

  Suddenly, Arlo rammed into Raquel. He knocked Evan’s mom out of the way of the drone fire.

  Bullets slammed into Arlo’s chest, his body jerking.

  “No!” Jonah yelled.

  Arlo went down and Raquel crouched over him. She slid her arms beneath his armpits and slowly dragged him toward the hangar.

  “Stay inside,” Jonah yelled at Evan. Then he ran toward Arlo, Lachlan and Smith sprinting with him.

  For once, Evan couldn’t find the ice-cold calm she usually had in a situation like this. She heard the sound of rifle fire and spun.

  Blair, Callie, River, Axel, and Seth were firing on the drones. Each one held one of their sleek, futuristic weapons in their hands.

  One drone exploded, raining hot metal down on the tarmac. Another was clipped by a bullet, and wobbled. It veered crazily out across the desert and crashed.

  Lachlan, Smith, and Jonah ran into the hangar, carrying Arlo’s body between them. Raquel jogged beside them, firing behind her.

  Inside the hangar, alarms blared. Several armed guards carrying RPGs ran past them.

  “Over here.” Callie waved Jonah and the others over. They laid Arlo out on the concrete, and the older man groaned. His chest was covered in blood.

  “The idiot shoved me aside like I was a damsel in need of a rescue.” An annoyed Raquel crouched beside Arlo. “Idiot.”

  He grunted. “Should… Have let… You get shot.”

  “Don’t talk,” Callie snapped as she cut open Arlo’s shirt and vest. His muscled chest was covered in gray hair and blood. Raquel huffed out a breath and took his hand.

  Evan glanced at Jonah’s set face. He didn’t take his gaze off Arlo.

  “He’s taken several bullets.” Callie’s hands were a blur as she worked on the man. She yanked gauze and patches from her backpack.

  Around them, the team looked grim, holding their weapons close.

  Arlo coughed, blood on his lips. “I need—”

  “To be quiet, you old coot,” Raquel snapped.

  Arlo glared at her.

  Suddenly, Evan heard metal hit the concrete and roll. They all spun and she frowned. Something was rolling across the floor. She spotted the object and tensed.

  “Grenade!”

  The team all ducked for cover. Raquel and Callie threw themselves over Arlo. Jonah yanked Evan down behind some crates.

  Smoke filled the air.

  Another smoke grenade rolled toward them.

  “What the fuck?”

  She thought it was Axel cursing. The smoke intensified.

  The sound of gunfire echoed in the distance.

  “Brooks, has the warehouse been breached?” Jonah shouted.

  “Not according to my system.”

  Evan sucked in a breath. “Brennan is here.”

  “Let’s get to the elevator,” Lachlan ordered. “Axel, stay on Callie and Arlo.”

  Guns up, the rest of his team moved in behind him.

  They’d only taken two steps when gray-clad fighters appeared out of the smoke.

  Evan saw Lachlan kick one, and soon, all of Team 52, except for Callie and Axel, was engaged in the fight.

  Grunts, and thuds of knuckles on flesh filled the air. A man rushed at Evan and Jonah.

  Oh, no, not today.

  Evan dropped, then swiped out with her leg. She caught the man and he stumbled.

  Then Jonah was on him.

  Jonah might wear suits most of the time, but he fought hard, with a graceful power. His hits hammered into the man, then he kicked him to the floor.

  After another hard punch from Jonah’s fist, the man slumped.

  Another fighter emerged from the smoke.

  Channeling her anger, Evan launched into a roundhouse kick. The man’s head snapped back. With a grim smile, she elbowed him, then ducked under his arm and rammed a punch into his kidneys.

  He grunted in pain. She whirled, and with another punch and a kick, sent him sprawling on the floor.

  The smoke started to clear.

  “Okay?” Jonah asked.

  She nodded.

  “Clear,” Lachlan said.

  “Clear,” Smith responded.

  “Clear,” Blair said.

  Team 52 stood around, guns aimed at the unconscious or groggy fighters on the ground.

  Then Evan saw the elevator.

  Shit.

  The doors had been blown open, the metal bent and twisted.

  Curses filled the air all around her. Jonah stepped forward, staring at the doors, his eyes glittering.

  Jonah watched Arlo’s stretcher as it was carried towards the X8.

  Emotion boiled inside him, but he kept it contained.

  Arlo was one of Jonah’s people, and he’d been hurt. The man was like a friend, mentor, and grumpy uncle all rolled into one. He was someone Jonah cared about—and he was injured, cut down.

  “He’s stable for now.” Callie’s face was strained. “But he needs to be in the hospital.”

  For all his gruff, loner persona, they all cared about Arlo.

  “Go,” Jonah said. “Get him settled in the hospital, then I need you back here.”

  “He’ll need surgery.” Callie closed her eyes. “I hate the idea of him there alone—”

  Jonah’s jaw tightened. “I’d go…”

  “But we’re all needed here,” she finished.

  “I’l
l go with him.” Raquel stepped forward. “The man got injured protecting me.”

  Jonah eyed Evan’s mother. She could handle Arlo, and the possibility that anyone could come after Arlo as a way to get to Jonah and Team 52.

  “Can…look after myself,” a gruff voice said from the stretcher.

  The guards finished loading the stretcher into the jet and Jonah leaned in. “There are several bullets lodged in you.”

  Arlo’s face was pale, but his eyes still looked tough and sturdy. “Been shot before, Grayson.”

  “Well, so have I.” Raquel climbed into the aircraft. “Your heroics have earned you my undying gratitude, so you get me for company.”

  Arlo scowled.

  She patted his arm. “We can compare our battle scars later.”

  Arlo shot Jonah a pleading look that had a slightly panicked edge to it. Jonah just waved and closed the side door.

  Evan was waiting for him near the hangar, the wind making her red hair dance. “Are you all right?”

  He nodded.

  “Arlo seems tougher than steel,” she said.

  “He is.”

  She grabbed Jonah’s hand and squeezed.

  “This isn’t your fault, Evan.”

  She lifted her chin. “Feels like it.”

  “I’m putting the blame solely on Brennan.”

  “Jonah, we’re ready,” Lachlan called out.

  Lifting his head, he saw that the team were in harnesses, ready to rappel down the blown-out elevator shaft.

  Brooks stood nearby—his laptop and tablet set up on crates as a makeshift computer station. Around them, Air Force guards were on patrol.

  “Our bad guys pulled a Trojan horse,” Brooks said. “They were inside the shipping container that just arrived.”

  “Everything is scanned before it gets close to the base,” Jonah said, voice clipped.

  “Yeah, but these guys were smart. They had lead-lined compartments built into the container. They never showed up.”

  Jonah cursed.

  “Ty and Nat are locked in his lab,” Brooks said. “When the hostiles breached, they closed the safe room doors. The director’s office, the computer lab, and Ty’s lab all have reinforced, toughened-steel doors that slammed closed.”

  “They’re okay?” Jonah asked.

  Brooks nodded. “Fine, but mad as hell.”

  “Camera feed?”

  Brooks nodded again. “I’ve got it all. An Air Force guard helped them into the elevator. No idea if he was part of their team, or if they blackmailed or threatened him. But they killed him after he got them in.” An image popped up on the screen and Jonah saw the body at the base of the elevator. “They got in and breached the warehouse.”