by Maya Banks
was the set of her jaw, how her lips were pressed together and the determined way she stared back at him unflinchingly.
“Fuck,” he muttered. “I don’t like this, baby. I swore on my life to love and protect you always, to never let evil touch you and to bust my ass every single day to make you happy. Whatever the fuck is about to come on the news completely negates every one of those promises because if it wasn’t bad, and if it wasn’t going to upset you, then Shadow wouldn’t have indicated that you shouldn’t be present.”
She scowled in response. “Oh, let’s see. Not letting me decide for myself whether I want to watch a news program is not going to make me happy. Me being here surrounded by men who make professional wrestlers look like wimps more than covers my safety and protection. And unless you plan to tell me you don’t love me anymore because I didn’t act like a good little girl and meekly walk into the other room, I fail to see how any of your promises are at risk unless you decide to go through with the first and fourth items on my list.”
“Now you’re just pissing me off,” Isaac said in a near bellow. “Of course I love you, damn it. And of course you’re safe here.”
She lifted one eyebrow as she waited for him to address the first issue.
Dane strode into the kitchen. “We’re out of time, so do what you’re going to do but make it fast,” he snapped.
Jenna narrowed her eyes as she marched past Isaac as if daring him to stop her. And he was tempted. He was so tempted to make good on his threat to tie her to his bed. It would certainly make keeping the rest of his promises a hell of a lot easier. His lips curled upward into a snarl, baring his teeth when Jenna followed Shadow into the living room and took a seat on the floor next to him, the two sitting cross-legged directly in front of the TV.
“What do you think it is?” she asked Shadow nervously. “What did they say before the break?” She struggled a moment, her lips pursed in concentration, clearly puzzled. “Commercial break. That’s what you called it, wasn’t it? What is that?”
Oh hell no. If she needed information, reassurance, someone to hold her if the newscast upset or frightened her, it sure as fuck wasn’t going to be Shadow. Isaac moved pointedly between Jenna and Shadow, wedging his large body into the small space, unapologetically bumping into Shadow until Shadow gave him a disgusted look and moved over several inches.
“Let’s just see what the news anchor says,” Shadow said soothingly. “I’ll explain a commercial break to you later.”
Dane held up his hand for silence as the news anchor sat at her desk with a screen to the right of her shoulder showing images of flashing lights, dozens of ambulances, police vehicles and fire trucks.
As soon as the images began rolling, Jenna stiffened, her body going so rigid that the strain was evident in her face and eyes. Eyes that became haunted and so apprehensive that Isaac wanted to smash the fucking television to make it stop. The others cast Jenna worried glances and Shadow leaned forward, eyeing her sharply around Isaac.
It took everything Isaac had to focus on what the reporter was saying when all he wanted to do was shield Jenna from further distress, but the images meant something to Jenna, so they needed all the information the news could provide.
“We have a breaking development on a story we brought you earlier. What was first believed to have been a mass suicide in a compound in an isolated area north of Houston by a previously unknown and highly secretive cult has now been determined to have been a gruesome mass homicide,” the anchor said in a somber voice.
Isaac swore long and hard, and he wasn’t the only one. Tensions skyrocketed in the room and everyone’s eyes were glued to the television, where grisly details were being reported as calmly as if they were the weather report.
Jenna turned away from the TV, covering her entire face with her hands. She rocked back and forth, sounds of acute distress escaping her lips despite her having covered her mouth in an effort to prevent any sound from escaping. She shook uncontrollably and Isaac knew she was on the verge of shattering.
He exchanged helpless looks with Shadow and then glanced up at Dane, who was staring at Jenna with compassion and also fury over all she’d suffered. They all knew what this meant. What they didn’t know is whether Jenna had put it together yet or if she was just reacting to the reminder of the horror her life had been for two decades.
“Give me a minute with Jenna,” Isaac said in a low voice. “I’m going to take her into the bedroom and try to get her to rest.” He gave Dane a meaningful look. “Do what needs to be done while I take care of her.”
“There is a bottle of sedatives in the kitchen cabinet,” Dane offered. “We keep all our safe houses stocked with stuff the women might need in case they ever have to go into hiding. The sedatives are Tori’s. She still has anxiety attacks and she rarely sleeps worth a damn because her dreams frighten her.”
He rubbed his hand over his face, his eyes stormy with rage. “She has nightmares of the past and of all that bastard did to her and she has dreams of the future, of what is to be. Both are very hard on her and sometimes taking a sedative is the only way she’s able to sleep.”
Isaac nodded. “Thanks,” he said quietly. Then he looked to Shadow. “Can you get me one of the pills while I take Jenna to the bedroom? Bring something for her to drink so she can take the medicine.”
Shadow rose without hesitation and Isaac turned back to Jenna, who had shut out everything around her as she struggled with the many demons that haunted her. With all the tenderness he was capable of, he lifted Jenna’s curled-up body and cradled her against his heart. He squeezed her to let her know she was safe, that he was with her and that he’d never leave her. Then he pressed a gentle kiss to her hair, nuzzling the silky tresses as he slowly walked to their bedroom.
He laid her down on the bed and immediately climbed in beside her, pulling her into his arms. She shoved her face in his neck, her body shaking. Her pulse was a frantic staccato, and heated moisture fell onto his neck and slithered downward to disappear beneath the collar of his shirt.
“Don’t cry, baby. Not for them. They aren’t worth your tears. I don’t want you to ever have a reason to cry again.”
She gripped him harder for a moment, pressing her face and lips more firmly against his neck before she released her hold on him and slowly eased her head back so she could look up at him.
She was prevented from speaking when a quiet knock sounded at the door and Isaac called for Shadow to come in. He carried a glass of water in one hand and his other was curled around something, trapping it in his grasp.
He handed the glass to Isaac and then opened his palm to reveal the small peach-colored pill. “I need you to take this, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?”
“What is it?” she asked cautiously.
Isaac caressed her cheek with his free hand. “It’s just something to help you relax and it will ease the panic and anxiety. Most important, it will help you sleep, and you need to get some rest. I’ve kept you up the last three days and I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
She flushed, looking so adorable that Isaac wanted to spread her out and kiss and lick every inch of skin that was now a delectable shade of pink.
But then her expression became troubled and she lifted sorrow-filled eyes to both Isaac and Shadow. “But what about what happened? What does it all mean? Who would do something so horrible?”
“We’ll talk about it after you wake up from your nap,” Isaac said soothingly, stroking through her hair with his hand. “Right now I need you to rest. Will you do that for me? I won’t withhold any information from you. I promise.”
She eyed the pill Shadow was now holding just in front of her lips, waiting for her to open her mouth to take it, and hesitated.
“I’d never give you anything that would hurt you,” Shadow said, sincerity ringing in his voice. “You have my word, Jenna. I’ll protect you from anything or anyone harming you. I’m not the enemy.”
She grimaced and
looked ashamed. “I’m sorry, Shadow. I didn’t mean for you to think I doubted you. I just feel as though I have absolutely no control over any aspect of my life and I was afraid the medicine would make me feel even more helpless.”
Shadow grinned. “Kinda hard to feel helpless when you’re sound asleep, angel face. Now open up so Isaac can give you something to wash it down with.”
She took the pill and immediately made a face, lunging for the glass in Isaac’s hand. She swallowed hard and then shuddered. Then she sent Shadow an accusing look. “You were trying to kill me! That tasted awful!”
Shadow laughed and then gave Isaac a chin lift before ruffling Jenna’s hair affectionately. Without another word, he left the room and Isaac gathered her in his arms once more, determined to stay with her until the medicine took effect and she fell into a deep and hopefully dreamless sleep.
“I wasn’t upset that the elders were killed,” Jenna said, suddenly interrupting the quiet that had fallen over the room. “I know it’s wrong, but they’re pure evil and they deserved what they got.”
“What upset you then, baby?”
Tears glistened in her eyes. “They killed everyone. Even the children. And the women. Many of the cult members weren’t evil. They were just misguided and brainwashed. They thought they were doing God’s will. They didn’t deserve to die just because they believed the wrong people.”
Isaac nodded, tucking her head against his chest so he could rest his chin atop her head.
“I know it may not seem like it now, but honey, soon this will be all over and once it is, I’m making you mine legally, and then I’ll go to work making you so happy that one day you’ll look back at all that happened and it won’t be so bright in your memory.”
She yawned and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her legs around his. “You have no idea how much I want that, Isaac. But I’m afraid to dream. I’m afraid to hope. Before, I didn’t have anything to look forward to, dream about or that gave me hope, so it didn’t really matter what happened. But now there’s so much I want, and I couldn’t bear it if it was all taken away after I had the chance to experience it even for a short time.”
“With love, miracles happen, and you were already a miracle, so I’m liking our odds. Don’t count us out before we ever get to start on our journey together. I swear to you that if you’ll trust me with your heart and your happiness, you’ll enjoy every minute of the ride.”
TWENTY
ISAAC eased himself from the bed, having waited until Jenna succumbed fully to the sedative, and he leaned down to press his lips to her brow, closing his eyes, his heart aching over what he knew lay ahead. She’d endured enough hurt and sorrow for a lifetime, and it frustrated him that he couldn’t just make it all go away for her instantaneously. Before it was all over with, she would suffer still more emotional duress, but he’d give his life to prevent her from enduring more physical pain. He fervently prayed that violence never touched her again, though he knew he couldn’t make that kind of guarantee. The only promise he could make was that he’d protect her as fiercely as he’d ever protected anyone and he knew his men would do the same. Their determination matched his own, and it was there to see in their eyes and their demeanor.
He quietly made his exit, softly closing the door behind him, and then strode to the living room, his mind already shifting gears to the next obstacle to keeping Jenna glued to his side for the rest of their lives.
“Sitrep,” Isaac said, not wasting any time in getting to the heart of the matter.
Dane turned to him with a grim expression, his jaw tight and his eyes blazing with anger and worry. And that made Isaac that much more uneasy because Dane didn’t get worried about much. Only when it came to the people closest to him, the men who worked under him, did he lose his characteristic unflappable calm.
It had been almost too painful to look at him when Lizzie had fallen off the radar and they’d learned she’d gone vigilante in order to spare the lives of the only people she cared deeply about: Dane and the men she worked with at DSS and the women, Tori, Ramie, Ari and Gracie. And when he’d knelt next to her while Sterling held her nearly lifeless body as blood ran like a river from the horrendous gunshot wound to her chest, it had been the first time Isaac had ever seen him in such an emotional state, battling tears and grief when the medics arrived and she’d flatlined.
Nearly losing Lizzie had changed him on a fundamental level. Though he was still cool and rarely rattled over any situation, he was more protective of all the people who worked under him and doubly so of the women who had such close ties to men who worked for DSS.
Where before he gave much latitude and adopted a hands-off approach when it came to missions he wasn’t leading, now he kept his thumb on the pulse of every single mission that came DSS’s way. He sat in on every meeting regardless of whether he was working that particular assignment and he checked in regularly with whoever was lead, always ensuring his men had every resource available to them possible.
And if he even thought there was any danger to any one of his teams, he didn’t hesitate to insert himself and work side by side with every agent, but he didn’t try to take over and assume leadership. Dane simply didn’t have an ego, and it was one of the things Isaac liked most about working under him. His only priority was getting the job done quickly and efficiently without any DSS agent getting hurt or killed.
“I called Caleb, Beau and Zack first,” Dane said tersely. “I explained what happened and that we’re ninety-nine percent sure this was a calculated strike planned before Jenna even escaped. That after the prearranged exchange, the bastard buying her ordered every single person who had any knowledge of her existence to be terminated. It makes sense. Jenna’s been with the cult nearly her entire life and no one outside the cult would have any way of knowing anything about her, so there would be no one to question her disappearance. The drug kingpin would have what he was desperate to possess with no fear of anyone ever causing an uproar over her vanishing. She simply wouldn’t exist, much like she hasn’t existed for the last two decades.”
“But our interference changed everything and completely fucked up the asshole’s plan,” Knight growled. “Especially after we went in to retrieve Jenna and stole her back right under his nose. Now he has to contend with us and he knows that if he’s ever successful in getting Jenna back, we’ll hunt him relentlessly, and he can’t afford to add another enemy to his long list of people who’d like to cut him into little pieces and make him fish food.”
“Exactly,” Dane said. “Which means he’ll come at us with everything he has and he’ll move fast, because he can’t take the chance of the knowledge of Jenna’s existence going beyond our organization.”
“Fuck,” Isaac said, fury coiling and boiling through his veins. “God damn it. She’s had enough! How much more does she have to suffer? How much longer does she have to live in constant fear? She’s going to want to bolt the minute she realizes that we’re that fucking drug dealer’s next target and I’ve got to convince her that it wouldn’t make a damn difference now. Whether she’s gone or not, they’re going to try to take every last one of us out because of what we know.”
“Caleb, Beau and Zack are going to lock down the women and spread out to different locations so they don’t present a single target. Tori will be with Caleb and Ramie. I’m going to call in a few favors because I don’t want them alone, but we need every single DSS agent on Jenna’s detail, so I’m going to arrange for protection for them,” Dane said.
“What about Lizzie?” Isaac asked in concern.
“I’ve given Sterling the rundown and while Lizzie won’t be happy she’s in lockdown too, they’re moving to an undisclosed location. Sterling has enough manpower to give them adequate protection.”
Isaac exhaled in relief. He knew Lizzie was going to be pissed because she was a damn good agent and in any other circumstance, he’d be glad for her to have his back. But she still wasn’t one hundred percent recovered from her b
rush with death. She’d been through her own hell and the last thing she needed was to be right back in the line of fire. Not that Sterling would ever allow it. Lizzie’s husband was one of the few men who didn’t back down from her and had no problem going toe to toe with her when it came to her safety. Her being at risk was never going to be an argument she won with Sterling. The man was every bit as hot-headed, stubborn and rigid as Lizzie could be, especially when it came to anything having to do with his wife being in harm’s way. Sterling wasn’t above cuffing her to his wrist, a chair or his bed, because he’d unapologetically done it before.
“So what do we do in the meantime?” Isaac asked, noting every one of his teammates come to attention and focus intently on Dane. They obviously wanted to know every bit as badly as he did. They all hated just sitting around with their thumbs up their asses, waiting for the enemy to come to them.
That wasn’t who or what they were. It wasn’t the way they operated. Ever. They took the fight to their opponent. They called the shots. They decided when, how and where and they always opted for the element of surprise. It had certainly served them well enough in the past.
“We keep Jenna safe. We watch our sixes at all times. I don’t want anyone going anywhere alone. No easy targets. If they want us, they’re going to have to take us all on,” Dane said.
“So we sit tight, stay here and play house and pretend we aren’t being hunted and that those bastards won’t try to get their hands on Jenna again,” Isaac said bitterly.
The others didn’t look any happier with Dane’s edict. Dane gripped his nape with one hand, rubbing and squeezing, his agitation evident.
“If you think I like this any more than any of you, you’re fucking wrong,” he snapped. “Our primary objective is to keep an innocent woman from the hands of a goddamn monster. A man who ordered the slaughter of over one hundred people, including babies, children and women. Staying here is the very best thing we can do for the time being, until we know more about them than they do about us. If we show ourselves in public then we betray Jenna, when we’ve sworn to her that we’ll do anything we can to make sure she’s never subjected to that butcher’s brutality. Does it suck? Hell yeah. It turns my fucking stomach to stand down and hide like some fucking coward and send them the message that we’re afraid of them.”
Dane grew even more furious, his face reddening in rage.
“We aren’t afraid of inept dickheads who get off on making an innocent woman suffer. What we are is smarter. While they’re running out in broad daylight and in public, we’re lying low and waiting for them to fuck up and make a mistake, and that’s when we nail their asses to the wall. And you know what? Let them think we’re afraid. It will only make them that much more confident and bolder and since they’re already stupid as fuck, they’ll screw up. We just have to be patient and not be the ones to fuck up first.”
“Gotta say, boss man, that’s twisted yet very righteous logic,” Dex said.
Zeke nodded, and then one by the one the others did as well until only Shadow and Isaac remained still.
“You’re right. It sucks,” Isaac bit out. “But I won’t risk Jenna in any way and if that means holing up here for however long it takes until they fuck up, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Shadow merely nodded, remaining silent, though his eyes burned with anger and frustration.
“Who are you putting on the women?” Brent asked, speaking up for the first time. “They’ve been through enough fear, pain and horror. This doesn’t need to touch them in any way.” His eyes burned with the memories of all the women who’d come to mean so much to all of DSS, not just their husbands, who had suffered but survived. He was angry, and yet there was clear worry reflected in his expression.
“They’re strong, no doubt,” he continued. “But even the toughest nut will crack under repeated trauma. I don’t like Caleb having both Ramie and Tori to look after. His attention absolutely can’t be divided, and neither woman deserves to be the one who gets the short end of the stick. Tori wouldn’t . . .” He inhaled sharply. “I don’t think she’d survive it again,” he said quietly.
Dane’s face was a mask of cold fury, his entire body tense, his jaw bulging with the strain of clenching his teeth so tightly. “I’m taking over Tori’s protection. I don’t have a wife, no choice to be made if the worst happens. Isaac will take the lead here and all of you will remain for his backup and above all, Jenna’s protection. When I said that Tori was with Caleb and Ramie, I meant, but didn’t state at the time, that it was a temporary situation until I can get as much protection in place for Ramie, Ari and Gracie as possible. But Tori will be with me and Sterling has enough manpower that he can spare the muscle to add to my protection of Tori. No one knows where I’ll be taking her. It’s one of the few secrets I have from Caleb and Beau, but it wasn’t meant to be a safe house until now. Given the fact that no one, not even a single DSS member, knows its location, it’s the obvious choice. Sterling’s men are going ahead to more heavily fortify the place and then they’ll take position so they completely surround the facility, and should anyone make it past them, I have an impenetrable safe room with a meticulously stocked arsenal at my disposal. No one will get to Tori on my watch.”
Isaac frowned. “If this place is impenetrable and so heavily fortified, then why not bring Jenna there?”
Shadow spoke up before Dane. “Because it would require moving Jenna and she would be easily recognized by Jaysus or any of his army of men. Plus they’re expecting us to do just that. To move her to some badass safe house where all of us accompany her. It’s exactly what they want because then they’ll have the chance not only to take out the majority of our manpower, but also to grab Jenna at the same time. The very last thing we need to be right now is predictable. We have to be able to guess what they’re expecting and then do the opposite.”
It pissed Isaac off that he was so emotionally fucked in the head that he couldn’t think straight and that Shadow had to explain something to him that he damn well knew. He wasn’t some wet-behind-the-ears rookie, grasping at straws, but this wasn’t just any mission. He wasn’t protecting someone because he’d been hired to do it and could detach himself and objectively assess any potential threat. He was terrified out of his mind of losing Jenna. Of a sadistic drug lord getting his hands on Jenna and making her suffer things he couldn’t even think about without losing the very thin grasp he had on his sanity and completely losing his shit.
Dane nodded. “That’s precisely our objective. This place is stocked with enough food and supplies for six months. If this goes on too long, Jenna is going to go stir crazy and she’s going to want her freedom. After being a prisoner her entire life, I don’t blame her one bit, but you’re all going to have to keep her busy and distracted no matter how you have to do it because we can’t afford even one slip-up. Eyes are to be on her at all times in case she gets it in her head to sacrifice herself for all of us again,” he growled, his displeasure obvious that she’d done it once already.
“How are you going to get out of here without compromising our location?” Knight asked Dane.
Dane’s lips turned up into a faint smile. “I never use a safe house that doesn’t have more than one exit. I won’t be seen and I damn sure won’t be tagged leaving the building. You just worry about your jobs and let me worry about getting Tori into protective custody without hitting anyone’s radar.”
Isaac stepped in front of Dane and stared him directly in the eye, not even attempting to hide the turmoil he knew to be present in his gaze.
“She’s my life, Dane. I’ll never be able to thank you—any of you—enough for this. She did more than heal a gunshot wound to my chest. She changed me. Brought me into the light when I was drowning in so much darkness, desolation and guilt from mistakes made what was seemingly a lifetime ago now.”
“Then I have her to thank,” Dane said, his tone gravely serious. “You have nothing to thank me for. I owe her for bringing you back.�
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“Does Tori know what’s going on?” Capshaw asked quietly.
The four newest recruits were glancing between the more senior members of DSS, clear question and confusion in their eyes. They hadn’t been working for DSS when Tori was kidnapped and brutalized. None of them had. DSS had been formed in the wake of her abduction. It was Caleb’s vow never to leave his family insufficiently protected again. But those who’d hired on from the beginning, and then after Caleb damn near lost Ramie when he’d vowed to hire even more, and only
