by TL Reeve
“I aim to please,” he whispered, holding her close. “Good morning.”
She relaxed in his embrace. “Morning. How much longer do you think we can stay like this?”
Murray glanced at the clock and smirked. “We have time still. Would you like to go for round two?”
“And if I did?” Jaqueline nuzzled his neck before nipping the sensitive skin. “Can you get it back up?”
The corner of his mouth kicked upward. “Definitely.”
“Prove it.”
Darkness surrounded them as they stepped off the plane. The abandoned airstrip didn’t make sense to Jaqueline. Why were they out in the middle of nowhere? She glanced at Murray who stepped forward when Asher met them. Beside him was Noah and another man who didn’t appear to be a member of the team, and one other who eyed her suspiciously. She took Christian’s hand and walked down the ramp with him and Bebito while AJ and Thomas helped ease Scotty out of the plane. Hannah took a few tentative steps before using the cane someone had given her at the hospital to make the trek the rest of the way out of the plane easier for her. Since they picked up Christian and Hannah at the hospital, Murray’s sister had been walking more. The doctors didn’t know how to explain it, other than sometimes movement came back and sometimes it doesn’t. Hannah happened to be one of the rare ones, even though it’d been ten years.
“Welcome to Virginia Beach,” Asher said then glanced at Hannah. “Welcome back home.”
The woman smiled. “Good to be back.” One of the crewmen from the plane brought Hannah’s wheelchair to her and she sat with a sigh. “Who knew learning to walk again could take a lot out of you.”
“We have some of the most state of the art rehabilitation equipment in the base. We also have a doctor on staff along with a medic. You are more than welcome to use it,” Asher replied. “Though I have a feeling you’re going to want to be topside more often than not.”
"The fresh air is amazing to breathe," Hannah agreed. "However, I will take you up on the offer."
“We’ll get you with Rae then. I’m sure you’ll be besties before the end of the week.” Asher smirked. “Damned woman is getting her wish.”
“Rae giving you shit again?” Murray asked.
"Oh, you have no idea. The woman is making her clique. So far, it's her, Sydney, and Mateo. With Hannah and I'm guessing AJ and Jaqueline, well..." Asher rolled his eyes.
Murray laughed. “You got what you wanted, right?”
Jaqueline tilted her head. “What did he want?”
“A family,” Murray said. “Asher built this place for all of us. For our families.”
She still didn’t understand. “I’m not seeing it.”
Asher motioned them forward. “I’ll show you.”
He brought them over to a door then pointed to the pad off to the side. “Place your hand there, please.”
She glanced back at Murray who nodded. "O-okay." She did as Asher said and waited. The screen lit up as it scanned her palm. Her name along with a basic rundown of who she was, ran vertically across the screen before beeping. A lock disengaged then a second as the doors opened one at a time. "Aye dios mio."
Christian came up beside her and pointed to it then signed, cool. Vamos.
She motioned for Christian to enter first. “Andele.” He glanced back at her and grinned before following Asher into the annex room of sorts.
Beside her, Murray explained everything to Hannah. “Don’t worry, there’s an elevator and when you’re ready, we’ll find a new home. I promise.”
Hannah waved Murray off. “I think I want to see where my big brother spent most of his time. Then I want to go home. A night in any bed other than the one Raul gave me, would be magical.” She sighed as she rolled through the door.
Jaqueline stared after her family. It was crazy to think of them as her family, but they were. Ever since her parents passed away, there’d been a hole in her heart she couldn’t fill no matter how much she tried. Now, with Murray, Hannah, and Christian by her side, she could begin to heal.
Murray slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” she murmured. “So, this place huh?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Interesting. Not your ranch though.”
No, it’d never be her ranch, but after everything they’d been through a change of scenery wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would give Christian a chance to heal and experience new things. It also gave her and Murray time to explore their relationship as well—not that they couldn’t in Mexico, but this was different. They didn’t have to be on their toes the whole time. “It’s okay. I can sleep in a little bit now.”
He chuckled. “I doubt it.”
“Me too.” The doors closed on the elevator and they descended into the base. “So where are we going first?”
“Hospital wing,” Asher said. “We should give Scotty a few more days of healing before he gets back to work.”
“He says he’s fine,” AJ replied.
“When Rae says he is,” Asher stated. “We don’t push ourselves around here. Take the time to heal.” He turned then. “All of you.”
Once they had everyone situated in the hospital wing, Murray, Jaqueline, AJ, and Thomas entered C&C. Inside the soundproof conference room sat Duncan Frazier and Noah Hanover. Jaqueline took a seat beside Murray while AJ and Thomas sat together as well. The screen along the west wall came on, and Luca joined them, surprising Jaqueline and AJ.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” Asher said, taking a seat. “We have a rogue member of our team and we need to ferret them out before someone gets killed.”
Luca nodded. “I have been doing a little digging as well. Unfortunately, everything has gone quiet. The last I heard was the information I gave you about Bexley.”
It wasn’t right. Sure, Raul was trying to protect himself and the cartel, especially after the raid and the subsequent attack, but in all the years she’d known about the Nieto Cartel and their dealings, Raul had never disappeared like this. “Do you think someone took him?”
Luca shook his head. “Pueblo or Los Trios would kill him faster than they would take him.”
“I agree,” Thomas added. “He’s gone to ground. Duncan and I can put out a few feelers and see what we can come up with. Raul does have property all over.”
“Unless Los Trios and Pueblos have him,” Jaqueline said. “They might lay a trap for Bexley.”
Murray frowned. “Why though? After everything her father has done to her, don’t you think she’d be happy he’d be gone?”
True. If she was in Bex’s shoes, she would have been happy to see her father rot. However, blood was thicker than water and if Raul manipulated her the right way, she might come running, believing her father could be redeemed after all. “She’s a kid. Eighteen, sure, but her father is her father and—”
“Blood is thicker than water. Be damned the consequences.” Asher frowned.
“It would be plausible for him to come back to Virginia, right?” AJ asked. “Bex is here after all, wouldn’t it be fitting if he showed up?”
“More so if Los Trios and Pueblo are trying to lay a trap,” Murray agreed.
Noah frowned. "Raul would never come on his own. If he even suspects Los Trios or Pueblo, he'll stay away. Not because Bex means anything to him, but due to her knowledge of the cartel. She is a vital piece to his puzzle. I'd suspect he'd kill her before he'd allow her to be captured.”
“I agree with Noah. The knowledge she carries with her... It’s the end of the Cartel or what was left of it anyway. Raul is in the wind and Bex, well, she’s on her own.” Luca shrugged.
“So, how do you trap a rat?” Duncan murmured.
“We have to use Bex,” Murray said. “She has a tail on her already. We know Los Trios and Pueblo have tried to take her, why don’t we put her out there again and snatch all of them at one time?”
“Absolutely not!” AJ shook her head. “She is a child first and foremost. Second, she is
scared, alone, broken, and unloved. Pushing her out into the light will cause one of two things. They’ll kill her or she’ll kill herself. I won’t have her kidnapping or her death on my conscience.”
“She won’t be alone,” Noah said.
"Ah, you're here." Asher ushered two people into the conference room, shutting down Noah and AJ's bickering. "Everyone, this is Mateo Aquino and Jamie Escobar, they'll be joining you on your next assignment." He pinned Thomas and AJ with a glare. "I know Thomas is going back to the FBI due to his caseload, but you AJ along with Scotty, are getting an upgrade."
The girl blinked, the confusion filling her features was enduring and sweet. “Upgrade?”
Asher grinned. “To Commander.”
“What now?” AJ stared at Asher in disbelief.
Murray sat back and laughed. “Good job kid. The only one of us ever offered the position was Noah and the asshole refused.”
“Because we only follow Asher’s command. I don’t want a team of my own. I have enough shit to deal with,” Noah muttered.
“Too fucking bad. You’re getting your own team for this next mission.”
The door opened once more and another man who’d been with Asher when they stepped off the plane, sauntered in. He had a smoothness to him and had been too quiet for her liking. He nodded to everyone then glanced at Asher. “I’m ready.”
“Good,” Asher said. “Luca, this is Schoell. He’ll be joining you in El Paso tomorrow. Make sure he’s allowed into the club.”
Luca nodded. “I’ll have everything prepared.”
“I’m so confused,” AJ grumbled. “What’s going on here?”
“You and Scotty will be leading the new team of recruits who will be working with Bexley. Mateo, Noah, and Jamie will be their mentors, but you and Scotty will be the leaders of their team and this particular mission.”
The girl sat back and blew out a breath. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Asher replied. “We’ll walk you through it. As for the rest of you, I expect your reports on my desk by tomorrow evening. I know you’re all tired and hurting after what went down, but we still have a target on the loose. The mission isn’t complete until all of the pieces are put together.”
After Asher dismissed them, Jaqueline went to Murray’s side. She was exhausted, yet her mind continued to churn. The idea of Raul being out there somewhere, able to strike at a moment’s notice, left her edgy. Add in the fact she lost everything she loved and owned, and well, she couldn’t seem to string two thoughts together, much less anything else.
Murray wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her to his side. “We should grab some dinner.”
“We should,” she agreed.
“Then we can sleep here for tonight,” he added. “Tomorrow, I want to go home with my family.”
She glanced up at him. “With your family?”
He grinned, bending to her for a kiss. "Yep. It's big enough for all of us right now, but we can find something else later. You know, in case we want kids someday." He’d explain the base later though.
She jolted in his embrace. “Kids? Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. Unless you don’t want them, of course. Your life since your parents died hasn’t been the easiest. Neither has mine, so I would underst—”
“I do,” she whispered. “Three. Two boys and a girl.”
Murray’s features brightened with excitement and happiness. “Same.”
“Okay.” She nodded.
“Okay,” he repeated. “Maybe I’ll retire after all.”
Jaqueline laughed. “You? Retire? Yeah, I’m thinking that’ll never happen.”
Murray smirked. “I guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong, mi cielito.”
“I guess you will.”
He pulled her into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. “I love you.”
A thrill ran down her spine as his blue eyes swirled with intention. “I love you too, esclavo.”
Murray growled. “Is the Madam wanting to play?”
She bit her bottom lip and batted her eyes. “Maybe.”
Murray groaned. “Fuck, you’re perfect. Let’s go home.”
Epilogue
Two days ago...
“There you are.” Asher motioned for Alex Schoell to enter his office. For the last several weeks, shit had been turned upside down in R.O.O.T between the trials for Lincoln and Mateo being kidnapped to the shit in Mexico with Murray and his sister, they hadn’t had a minute to breathe. The only upside, Schoell had plenty of downtime. However, it all came to an end when Asher called him. It was his turn to take on a mission.
“Traffic sucks here,” Alex grumbled.
“You should stay at the base more often then.” Asher shrugged.
"Yeah, not happening. I hate to say it, but women and kids running around here, rubs me wrong." He'd noticed it a couple of weeks ago. Jealousy had gripped his gut and wouldn't let go. He hated it, but he'd sacrificed as much as anyone on the team, and yet everything he wanted had been stripped from him.
It sucked.
“Yeah, well, you’re getting your wish. I have a job for you. You’re going back to Colombia.” Asher handed him the file. “Looks like Lincoln left some unfinished business down there.”
Alex paged through the report and frowned. “The assassination attempt?”
Asher nodded. “There were leads all of you found. It appears through a little more digging—”
“You mean your uncle?” He smirked, teasing Asher. Since they’d found out about their commander’s lineage, they’d given him as much shit as possible, to even the field.
“Look asshole...”
He held up his hands. “Sorry, habit.”
“How about I beat the habit out of you?” Asher cocked a brow. When Alex didn’t say anything, the leader of R.O.O.T continued. “As I was saying, the information we have is that Lincoln had several vested interests in Colombia. It wasn’t just the cocoa fields or the Aguila Cartel he’d been after, but the Uranium 243 had been the other honey pot the bastard was after.”
“Son of a bitch was stingy,” Alex muttered.
“He’d been getting away with taking what he saw for almost thirty years, why not expand his operation?” Asher had a point. From the minute they started digging into Lincoln, the dirtier the man became. What he’d done to Calvin and others seemed like child’s play in the grand scheme of things.
“So, what do you need?”
“I believe there is still an existing contract out on the President of Colombia. I also believe, even though Lincoln is sitting in solitary confinement, he’s still running his day to day dealings by a proxy. If I’m correct, Lincoln’s lackies will be going after that Uranium mine in Colombia. He’ll sell it to the highest bidder as well. If he does, we’re fucked. I need you to use your connections and find out who the fucking hitman or hitmen could be and eliminate them.”
"Can't the government stop him stateside?" Alex closed the file. "Wouldn't it be easier?"
“Had this been anyone else, I think Homeland would have already arrested the person working with Lincoln, but I don’t think he’s stateside.”
Now it made sense. When they were in Colombia the second time, they'd been preventing Calvin and his brothers from blowing up a Barclay building. Since they didn't investigate the rest of the building, and only grabbed the boxes of paperwork they could find, Alex had a feeling whoever was working with Lincoln could still be using the building as a base of operation. Maybe they should have blown up the building after all. It appears it would have been for the best after all. Because whoever was helping the good senator was back in there finishing the job.
“When do I leave?”
“I need you to get with your people. You have three days. You'll be meeting up with them at Absolution. I'll also put you in contact with Luca and both of you can work out all the details. Now, if you excuse me, I need to go back to high school, f
or an impromptu meeting. Keep me posted on this."
Alex nodded. “Roger that.”
One week later...
Alex Schoell saddled up to the bar in Absolution and raised his hand, to get the bartender’s attention. The job seemed perfect for him. He had the connections to bring anyone down and over the years, Asher had used it to his benefit, more often than not. But, he also wasn’t a one-trick pony either. As the team’s EOD officer, he’d been trained to build, dismantle and set off any type of bomb or IED—Improvised Explosive Device. It also made him the most dangerous member of the team, with the exception being Noah. That bastard took pride in picking people off over a mile away.
Today, though, Alex was looking for someone in particular. A woman. Not just any woman though. This one, Maggie Jones aka Lady Absinthe aka Bloody Dawn, was ruthless. She took the jobs no one else wanted—wet work more specifically. She had no loyalties. And, the reason he'd come to Absolution. If Maggie knew it was Alex who'd put out the ad for a hit on the dark web, she'd never show up.
They had a history.
A long history.
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
“Beer, import,” Alex muttered, his southern drawl so thick even he didn’t recognize himself.
“We’ve got a new draft from Belgium,” the guy said.
“Sure, it’ll do,” Alex replied.
“Bottle or glass?”
He clenched his jaw. “Bottle.”
The fine hairs on the back of his neck had been standing on end since the moment he entered the establishment. The idea of Luca being a part of this kind of place kept Alex’s stomach in knots. The place was littered with criminals. Everything from drug runners to murderers. Mob leaders and heads of cartels. It made his trigger finger itchy.
Like you have room to talk. How many people have you killed? He shook the thought off. He’d done in the military, during war times. Permission doesn’t make it right. You belong here. Grabbing the bottle when the bartender placed it in front of him, Alex took a long pull of the bitter drink. He grimaced at the coriander bite on the back end of the beverage as it slid down his throat. One is more than enough for this shit.
