Jacqueline’s Quest

by TL Reeve

  “You need to get your asses out of there now!” Noah hollered. “Move it. Grab your targets and get the fuck out. That’s an order.”

  “What’s wrong?” Murray asked.

  “They’ve got explosives. They’re going to take the building down.”

  “Isn’t that too much attention?” AJ shouted.

  “Not if you already have a narrative set,” Noah said. “Shit. Asher, you seeing this?”

  "Yep, eye in the sky is right above you," Asher answered. "ETA for the team is two minutes. They're being updated as we speak."

  “I’m on it,” Santiago said, running toward the gapping opening where the doors once stood. “Keep them off my ass, will you?”

  “Roger that,” Miguel said. “I’m right on your six.”

  "Split up," Murray said. "Our priority is the targets. Use lethal when needed, otherwise, walk away."

  “Roger that,” Thomas said.

  “Roger that,” AJ added. Her breath came in harsh pants when she rejoined them. Her makeup was a mess. Grime and grit covered her face and arms. The pretty red dress Thomas bought her was ripped and torn covered in blood and dirt from the explosions.

  “Keep your shoes on. It’s a bitch to run in heels, but it’s better than fucking your feet up.”

  She nodded. “I will.”

  “Everyone, if you find one of the targets call it out,” Thomas yelled. “The meter’s running and we’re almost out of time.”

  “Why do I feel like we’re in a Die Hard movie?” Murray grunted. “You know, it's one of the better Christmas movies ever made.”

  Thomas shook his head. “It’s not a fucking Christmas movie. Focus, please.”

  Murray chuckled. “It’s totally a Christmas movie.”

  “Special Forces is here,” Noah said. “Target has been neutralized.”

  Thomas let out a breath. “Roger that. Don’t let your guards down though. We don’t know who is friendly or foe in here. And someone get me some fucking light.”

  “Working on it,” Duncan said.

  Murray didn't care about anyone else. His focus was on Hannah and finding her. Yet, through all the chaos, he didn't know where to begin. The area was a mess. Even in the darkness, the faint light from the outside illuminated the space, showing just how bad it was for them. Bodies lay strewn about. The exit to the left had been a cluster of stacked bodies, each one falling on the next as they'd been shot. The coppery smell of blood mixed with gunpowder and sulfur clung to the air, making it almost impossible to breathe. He'd seen some shit in his lifetime, but this... This didn't even compare to Colombia. In his estimates, this was worse.

  He got to his feet, trying to figure out were in all the mass carnage his sister could be, but he was blind. Until they got some light, it would be impossible for them to find anything. He stepped toward the group, glad that at least Jaqueline was safe in a room until he could get her out. It gave him time to concentrate on his sister. Though, he also knew Jaqueline would be pissed off she couldn’t stay and fight.

  “Scotty’s glasses!” AJ held them in her hand. “I’ve got his glasses.”

  “Where’s my fucking lights?” Thomas hollered.

  “Here,” Duncan answered, throwing a switch.

  The lights came on and the scene of destruction became clear. More than three-quarters of the people who'd been having fun only minutes ago were dead now. Their features were twisted in pain and fear. It shouldn't have bothered Murray because of who they were, but again, they weren't judge and jury, their mission was to shut the place down, not kill anyone. He glanced around the area, taking in devastation and shook his head. There was nothing left. Nothing at all. The club was a shell of the formal pristineness. It seemed as though every breath he took the building creaked. If they didn’t hurry up, he feared the upper floors would come down on them.

  AJ gasped. “Blood.”

  They followed the trail around the side, Thomas taking the lead. There they were. Who, Murray couldn’t say for sure, since they were covered in dirt and blood, but they were alive. Murray’s heart pounded as Thomas knelt beside them. “Hannah? Christian? My name is Thomas, I’m with the FBI. I’m here with your brother, Murray and your sister, Jaqueline to rescue you.”

  A woman peered up at him. Her cheeks were smeared with blood and dirt. A boy beside her poked his head up as well. Both were frightened out of their minds and he couldn’t blame them, so was he. Hannah. Relief flooded Murray. She was okay, if not a little battered and bruised. He wanted to reach out and grab her, though he feared he might scare her more than anything. It was, after all, a traumatic situation.

  “AJ?” Hannah murmured. “Is there an AJ?”

  “Here,” AJ answered. “I’m right here. Is... Is Scotty with you?”

  The woman nodded. “He’s been shot.”

  AJ whimpered. “How bad?”

  “Calf,” Hannah answered. “I-I tied it off and put pressure on it. He-he passed out.”

  “Noah, get me a medic and an ambulance. Looks like we’re going to a hospital,” Thomas said.

  “On it,” Noah answered. “How bad?”

  “Not sure, but Scotty’s had the shit beat out of him too, so the primary injury could be causing additional issues with the secondary wound.” Thomas hurried to the other side of the stage.

  “Understood,” Noah replied. “Standby.”

  Thomas smiled Hannah. “You must be Hannah. Your brother has missed you.”

  A sob broke loose from her as she launched herself into Thomas’ arms. Her jagged cries ripped at Murray’s heart. He needed to get to her, however, his feet kept him planted where he was. He forced his feet to move, not wanting to waste another second, though worried how she’d react to him. When he first saw him, she’d been so docile and quiet, now, with the worst of it over, he feared she might be angry with him. Illogical as it might seem, she could also blame him for not finding her sooner. Or, she might hate him. Either way, he also knew he couldn’t stand the thought of not holding her one more time.

  “Hey now,” Thomas said. “You’re safe. You’re all safe now. Murray, you want to come see your sister?”

  “Already here, fucker. Let her go.” Murray nudged Thomas with his leg.

  Thomas eased back and Hannah pushed herself onto the stage then stood, surprising all of them. She wobbled on her legs as though she wasn’t used to walking. The last thing the doctors told them was that she’d never be able to use her legs again, seeing her standing and taking those first tentative steps in front of Murray... He lost the ability to breathe. She put her arms out to balance herself and when she was ready, she launched herself into his arms.

  “I told you, I’d always come for you, brat.” Murray held Hannah close, not wanting to let her go. “Fuck, look at you. You’re not a teenager anymore.”

  Hannah gave a watery laugh. “I can’t believe you’re here. Is this a dream?”

  “If it is,” Murray said, “I never want to wake up.”

  “Christian?” Jaqueline hedged, her voice a little reedy. She too had been covered in blood a looked a little worse for wear. Murray narrowed his eyes. So much for her being safe through all this. “Mijo?”

  The boy lifted his head and Jaqueline shouted in surprise and excitement. The boy held his hand out to her, and she picked him up off the floor. Like a doting mother or big sister, Jaqueline touched him everywhere while speaking softly to him in Spanish. The boy nodded a few times. Then he began to sign.

  "I taught him SSL," Hannah said. "Spanish Sign Language. I thought it would be easy for him to learn. I... I can teach you too if you want?"

  Jaqueline bit her bottom lip and dashed away a few tears. "Yes. Please." She held her brother's face between her hands. "I missed you, Christian. I missed you." The boy wrapped his arms around her, holding her close while she cried.

  AJ sat on the floor next to Scotty. His head was on her lap as she ran her fingers through his red, matted hair. The guy was out of it. If the amount of blood
on the floor was any indication, it had been due to blood loss. Thomas went to her then, kneeling beside her. “You heard Noah, he has a medic on the way.”

  She nodded. “I can’t believe how close we came to almost losing him—twice.”

  “Me too. However, we didn’t. He’s right here. A bit worse for wear, but we got him back.” Thomas pushed a lock her of hair behind her ear. “And, we’re not letting him out of our sight for a long time.”

  “Yeah.” Her bottom lip trembled. “He’s grounded.”

  Thomas chuckled. "Both of you are. I think I lost ten years worrying about both of you."

  She tried to laugh except she began to cry instead. Thomas wrapped her in his embrace, and she pressed her cheek to his chest as she wept. Murray glanced down at his sister who clung to him. She trembled in his arms. The shock was setting in. He gave her a reassuring squeeze then smiled. He had so much to say to her, but words failed him. At the moment none of it mattered. Maybe tomorrow or the next day they could talk about everything, but for now, he'd been content to hold her.

  When the group of medics stormed into the broken building, he pulled her aside, giving them room to work. Thomas whispered to AJ while pulling her back to his chest. The lead medic cut open the pant leg covered in blood, revealing the affected area of Scotty's injury. A flesh wound. The bullet it appeared, went through and through. The tension bled from Murray. He glanced over at Jaqueline who'd stepped closer to him.

  “You okay?” Murray cocked a brow.

  She nodded. “Better now.”

  “You’re covered in blood.” He lifted his chin toward her dress.

  “Yeah.” She cut her gaze to Christian and Murray understood.

  “Later then.” He started for the opening in the building, following the medics carrying Scotty.

  “We’re going with them,” Thomas said to Murray.

  “We’re following with these two. We’ll meet you there.” Murray clapped Thomas on the shoulder. “The paperwork for this shit, amirite?”

  Thomas snorted. “Fucking paperwork.” He loosened his tie as he looped his arm around AJ’s shoulder. “They don’t pay me enough.”

  “Anyone see where Luca went?” Jaqueline said.

  “I thought he was with you guys,” AJ answered.

  “Not us,” Murray replied. “The fucker is like a ghost.”

  “Or he knew what was about to happen and he got the hell out of Dodge,” AJ muttered.

  “Or, he’s around here trying to help everyone,” Murray stated.

  “No, he’d get the hell out of here to keep up pretenses for the cartels. Can’t be seen talking to the good guys or in the fallout from something like this,” Thomas reminded them.

  "You've got a point." Murray stepped out of the crumbling shell of the club with the remainder of their team along with Christian and Hannah. "What a fucking night."

  And, it wasn’t even close to being over for any of them.

  "Get in," Noah hollered as he pulled up in a blacked-out SUV. "I'll get you to the hospital where they're taking Scotty. Seems Rae knows people."

  "Guess an in-house doctor has some perks after all," Murray teased getting into the back of the vehicle with Christian, Hannah, and Jaqueline.

  “Fucker,” Asher grumbled through the comms. “Everyone present and accounted for?”

  “We are,” Noah said when AJ and Thomas got in up front. “We’re following the ambulance now.”

  “Good. Report in when you have an update.”

  “Roger that,” Noah answered before pulling out his earpiece.

  Jaqueline glanced out the window as they drove away from the club. Blood covered her dress and hands. She needed a shower. Needed to get that asshole’s stench off her body. Murray wrapped his arm around her when a shiver ran down her spine at the memory of what she’d done to survive back there.

  Staying away had been the hardest part of the mission. Not being able to keep her hands on Christian or Hannah destroyed her as she sat in the room, alone, while everyone fought. Jaqueline understood why Santiago had done it, he meant it as protection, in the long run though, it pissed her off. Worse, when she tried to open the door, it was locked. Every explosion that rocked the building, sent another anxious thread through her. What if, when she was let out, everyone had been killed? What then? How could she live with herself if they sacrificed everything and she did nothing? Jaqueline blew out a breath as she sat on the chaise lounge. She was going to kill Murray when they got out of there. He probably put Santiago up to it. Keep her safe while he protected his sister. But, what about her brother? Who would protect him?

  Then the lock turned, and she thought she’d been set free.

  No. Instead, One of Raul’s men pushed into the room. He licked his lips as he stared at her. There was a war going on out there and here this guy was, looking as though he’d won the prize for the night. Dread pooled in her stomach.

  You’re mine, bitch. His words still echoed through her head as they drove farther away from the club.

  The cool kiss of her knife against her thigh had been the only thing keeping her from freaking out and succumbing to the fear in those first moments. Instead, Jaqueline relied on her training to bolster her. She pasted on a smile, leaning back, drawing him in. Close combat was her strength. However, he stayed put. The man pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at her. Jaqueline closed her eyes. Those few seconds were now a blur to her. She'd been sure he'd kill her outright. He didn't though, he toyed with her. Kept her on edge. It rankled her nerves. Pissed her off and in those scant seconds, it gave her the opening she needed to grab the blade. If he wasn't going to come to her, she'd go to him. She waited for the opening. When he let his guard down, looking away from her when his radio popped, she attacked.

  Jaqueline kicked the gun from his hand then crouched into a fighting position. While with the Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales, she'd learned different fighting techniques and on her own, she learned some mixed martial arts. The man might have a height and weight advantage on her, but she had the speed and training he didn't. When he snarled and charged at her, she used his weight to throw him off balance, pushing him face-first into the wall.

  “Hey...” Murray tipped her chin up. “Are you okay?”

  Jaqueline nodded. “Yes.”

  “You going to tell me whose blood is all over you?” Concern filled Murray’s gaze.

  She shook her head. “Not now. Not here.” She slid her gaze toward her brother.

  “I understand. While they’re getting checked out, we’ll talk.” Murray pressed his lips to her temple.

  Sure, they’d talk. She closed her eyes and fell back into the memory of what she’d done to get free. The man lashed out, landed a shot to her stomach and she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath. She wheezed; her lungs paralyzed from the lack of air. Spots danced in front of her eyes as she tried to will herself to take in the oxygen she desperately needed. She groaned on the first inhale and wobbled when she tried to stand.

  “Puta.”

  She ran the back of her hand across her mouth and chuckled. The dark sound surprised her. With each breath she took she grew stronger. She motioned for the man to step forward and they began again. She knew she should have pulled the knife at the first chance she got, but some deep need to enact some kind of revenge for her brother kept her from pulling it and killing the man she'd currently been knocking around.

  With a roundhouse kick, the asshole went down to his knees. Blood poured from his mouth and the cut under his eye. Around her, the room had been thrashed as they fought. The furniture in the room lay in splinters or tipped over, because of their vicious attacks. Her breath came in heavy pants. Her hair fell in tangles around her face and her muscles burned from the exertion. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. She missed this since she retired to take care of Christian.

  The building trembled around them with another explosion and she saw her opening. Jaqueline slipped the knife from her holder an
d palmed it against the side of her forearm. The room rocked again, and the lights went out. The only thing illuminating the space was a small red emergency exit sign. The red light spilled over them. She launched herself at the man who stood a few feet from her and plunged the knife into his chest at the same time he fired his gun.

  For a second, she thought she’d been hit. She assessed herself, waiting for the burning, ripping pain of a bullet piercing her flesh. It didn’t come. The man fell to the ground with her on top of him. He coughed. Blood poured from his mouth and the wound. His eyes were wide as he gurgled on his bodily fluids. Jaqueline stumbled backward when he leveled the gun at her again.

  His hand trembled.

  He swayed, trying to get to his knees. The grunt from the impact of a bullet striking his back sent more spittle flying. His finger was still on the trigger. She’d been struck dumb standing there. She tried to force her legs to move but she couldn’t. Her gaze was locked on her opponent. The gun fell from his hand and in slow motion he slumped forward, driving the knife deeper into his chest. Jaqueline grabbed his gun and headed out the door. Not sure who’d shot him or if she cared at the moment.

  She was free.

  The noise from the fighting assailed her as she ran down the hall to the main area of the club. The crack of shots being fired halted her forward progression. When they stopped, she continued, ready to jump into the fray of it. However, as she stepped into the main area, silence greeted her. Several bodies littered the area. Gun powder, sulfur and a sundry of other smells permeated the air.

  “Hey,” Murray whispered, shaking her shoulder, “we’re here.”

  She blinked several times, pushing back the dark memories. “Huh?” The hospital came into focus. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” He helped her out of the SUV. “Everyone is already inside.”

  “Sorry,” she apologized again. “I guess I’m a little more rattled than I thought.”

  “Shit, I think I’m rattled too.” Murray wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side. “I also feel naked right now.”

  She snorted. “I bet.”