Agent S5: Jaydan
Authors: Joni Hahn
Copyright © Joni Hahn December 2014
Cover Art by Najla Qamber Designs
Formatted by Author’s HQ
Kindle Edition
This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Marie Hall, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in the context of reviews.
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Table of Contents
To my Street Team, The D.I.R.E. Operatives
Thanks for your friendship and support. You guys make this all worthwhile.
Being the strongest man in the world, Jaydan Rose could smack talk with the best of them. Put him up against Olympic weightlifters and athletes around the world, and he had them beat, hands down.
However, mustering the strength to put up with Hope Powers for any length of time nearly had him crying uncle every time.
“Jaydan, can’t you wait until the meeting gets started at eight?”
Swallowing down the last bite of a cinnamon raisin bagel, he turned to face her. His week-old strength enhancement required him to eat a lot of carbohydrates, and the lavish continental breakfast in the Powers International conference room seemed special-ordered just for him.
Staring into her glittering, ice green eyes, he licked the crumbs from his thumb before picking up a blueberry muffin.
She blew out a breath of frustration.
“I’m a growing boy, Les. I need to eat.”
Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits. He’d tagged her with the nickname Hopeless and called her Les for short. She despised it.
That’s why he used it.
“Rose is going through some intense training and needs the carbohydrates.” His boss, Mitchell Jacobs, came to stand on the other side of Hope. “I encouraged him to eat.”
Her gaze traveled up his jeans-clad legs, past his rodeo belt buckle, to dart across his shoulders. He felt his body heat, the dense muscle hardening as if it were moving into acceleration mode.
“So, he’s been working out, Mitchell?” She cocked an eyebrow. “I thought he’d just put on a few pounds.”
Jaydan scowled at her.
I’ve got your pounds hanging, princess.
Mitchell’s rare grin chafed him. The D.I.R.E. Agency head honcho knew better than anyone that Jaydan’s muscles were ten times harder and denser than the fittest athlete, his metabolism…just insane.
As for Hope, she wore her hair up today, exposing her smooth, graceful neck. If he gave in to his urge to choke her, today would be an ideal day.
He flexed his bicep in front of her. “Feel that and tell me I’m out of shape.”
Swallowing hard, her gaze darted to his face before shooting to Mitchell. She gave his boss a small smile.
“Please help yourselves while I go check on my father.”
Disappointment filtered through Jaydan as his gaze followed her across the room. Today, rather than looking like a fashion magazine model or resident of the Playboy mansion, she wore a business suit of navy blue, her killer legs exposed from mid-thigh down, her long, platinum blonde hair tucked into a bun at the back of her head.
She had a swing in her backside that entranced, a sweet, innocent smile that hid the she-lion beneath. Although he’d only seen it once, on that fateful night of Dan Meeks’ fundraiser, her abundant cleavage still managed to make its way into his daydreams, despite how he felt about her.
Hopeless Powers drove him nuts.
“She wants Powers International to join forces with D.I.R.E.” Picking up a plate, Mitchell surveyed the array of food before him. “She wants to act as liaison.”
The last of Jaydan’s muffin fell to the floor and disintegrated into tiny pieces. D.I.R.E. stood for Defense, Intelligence and Reconnaissance Enforcement. It was the most elite, private security agency in the world. Its Science Division gave him and others like him scientifically-enhanced super powers. Nothing in that entire scenario included shopping, party planning or yoga.
However, Hope did claim to have visionary powers. Though he’d never witnessed them himself, Saint, his best friend and her half-brother, believed in her. Since the fellow D.I.R.E. agent was the most skeptical person Jaydan knew, there had to be some credence to her skills.
“You can’t possibly consider it.” Jaydan piled three bagels, a croissant, fruit salad and another blueberry muffin on his plate.
Pointing a pair of tongs at his pile of food, Mitchell nodded toward it. “You need to eat more. Once you’ve acclimated to your new system, you’ll know how many carbohydrates your body needs. Right now, you need to feed it and feed it well.” Turning to shake Luke’s hand, Mitchell spoke out of the side of his mouth. “And yes, it’s a serious consideration.”
Jaydan’s plate wobbled in his hand. Powers International and D.I.R.E.? With Hope as liaison?
No way in hell. None. Nada.
Nil
.
“Mitchell.” Luke grinned, before turning to Jaydan. “I’m glad we’re finally meeting together. I’m anxious to work with D.I.R.E. and do everything in my power to support my son. I think this DNA tracker could be a great asset to you.”
Ever since Luke had found out Riordan “Saint” St. James was his biological son, the billionaire wanted to be a part of his life in every way possible. But everyone knew Mitchell preferred the agency’s self-sufficiency and wouldn’t allow a partnership unless he had absolute faith he’d lose no control.
As head of the largest technology company in the world, Luke Powers got his way ninety-nine percent of the time. A partnership with the man would be rocky.
Mitchell’s tolerant tone relayed his skepticism. “That remains to be seen, Luke. I have to know my agents can depend on the equipment and personnel at their disposal.”
If Luke felt insulted at Mitchell’s barb, it didn’t show on his face. He invited them to take a seat at the conference table while he filled a plate with food.
“I want that as well, Mitchell. My son has chosen to work with you and I’ll support him in any way possible.”
With a quick glance at Jaydan, Hope lifted her chin and turned to Mitchell. “I think the tracker proved itself the night of Natalie’s kidnapping. Without it, Riordan may not have reached her in time.”
Powers International’s DNA tracker had proven instrumental in finding Hope’s soon–to-be sister-in-law that night. Without it, Riordan may not have made it in time to save her.
Hope said, “We were lucky Natalie’s DNA was on file in the international database. However, after I saw how important she was to my brother, I had already picked up her sample from the glass she used at the fundraiser. I wanted to have it on hand.”
Jaydan swallowed down a drink of orange juice. Les had been busy that night. Picking up DNA samples, meeting her newfound brother, hitting on Jaydan…
Mitchell sat back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. “How many people are registered in the database?”
“Billions,” Luke said, his voice confident, direct. “Each time a blood sample is drawn or a mouth is swabbed, not only is it tested for its intended medical purposes but it’s sent to WHO for DNA testing. The UN started the process years ago. You’ll find everyone from newborns to world leaders.”
“You won’t find my agents,” Mitchell said with a touch of arrogance. “I’ve had them removed.”
Frowning, Hope pulled up the tracker on her tablet, her diamond bracelets clinking together as she swiped across the screen. Typing in some information, she looked at Luke with a smile. “He’s right. D’Artagnan Naylor isn’t in here.” Her gaze went to Jaydan. “Neither is Rose.”
Jaydan couldn’t help but grin. That earned him a scowl from Luke. The man didn’t like being bested at his own meeting.
Powers thought he’d brought important information to the table when Mitchell had already been a step ahead of the game.
Luke’s voice held a sardonic edge. “Is there anything I
can
tell you about the tracker, or do you know all about that, too?”
Mitchell’s voice held its usual, commanding authority. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be here, Powers. I brought Rose along because he has a good knowledge of forensics. We’d like a demonstration of how it works to see if it can be beneficial to the agency.”
His unfinished degree in forensics had served Jaydan well in his work for Dar’s father, Robert Naylor. Going to school online had worked out well, leaving him plenty of time to get himself into trouble - his specialty.
At least, that’s what his stepfather had always told him while he beat him in the barn.
Jaydan nodded at the copper and gold armbands exposed below his rolled up sleeves. “It would also have to integrate with our technology. If that can’t happen, there’s no point in going any further.”
Straightening away from the table, Hope’s back stiffened, protruding her breasts. “Well, we won’t know that until we’re sure you’re interested, Jaydan. Mitchell keeps your technology under lock and key. Therefore, we have no idea if it will integrate or not.”
Elbow on his chair arm, Luke laid two fingers against his temple, his frustrated gaze going from Jaydan to Mitchell and back. “Give them a demonstration, Hope.”
Picking up a remote control on the table, Hope pressed two buttons. Heavy curtains slid over the conference room windows overlooking downtown San Diego and the Pacific Ocean beyond. On the opposite wall, a large, flat screen television illuminated. A screen with the Powers International logo appeared, with a handful of icons running down the left side of the screen. The conference room lights dimmed before Hope clicked on the icon titled DNA.
The husky tinge of her voice sounded amplified in the dark space. “The tracker utilizes our private satellite and runs on our internal operating system. I would assume D.I.R.E. has a similar set up.”
Mitchell’s eyes remained on the screen, offering no comment.
Jaydan grinned to himself. The man wasn’t giving an inch.
Hope sighed. “The application is very user-friendly. You can search for an individual by voice command or keypad. In the case of individuals with the same name, you can do an advanced search by location or estimated date of birth.”
Hope typed in Natalie Meeks’ name. A globe appeared on the screen, the continents outlined in white above the varied natural landscapes.
“The view you see is in real time. So, the varying degrees of the sun will always be evident somewhere on the globe. If it’s nighttime in one part of the world, it will appear dark on the tracker.”
The earth spun at a slow pace, swirls of clouds and patches of land evident amongst the large bodies of water. As the globe circled to show the United States, a yellow pinpoint of light shone around Los Angeles, before the screen zeroed in on a green light in northwestern New Mexico. A beep sounded in the room.
“The green light shows Natalie’s location at the artist’s colony in New Mexico.” She zoomed in on the light. “If you zoom in, you’ll receive exact coordinates for that point in time.”
Jaydan turned to her. “What was the yellow light north of here?”
Luke said, “It will also pick up family members, or someone with similar DNA, such as siblings. In this case, the yellow light would be Dan Meeks - ”
The globe turned again. All eyes shot to the screen.
“What happened?” Luke’s tone held a baffled sharpness.
“I’m not sure,” she said, surprise evident in the high pitch of her voice. “It started moving on its own.”
The screen zeroed in on the Pacific Ocean, just off Oahu. A green light appeared on the screen, a beep sounding in the dark room.
Hope zoomed in on the screen. The coordinates appeared, the description beneath them -
unknown
.
Jaydan hated to say it but no one else in the room would do it. “Is it a glitch?”
Hope shook her head as she zoomed out to encompass all three lights. “If it were a glitch, Natalie and Dan’s coordinates would be off.”
Mitchell’s deep voice spoke with authority. “Natalie did have a younger sister that was kidnapped and never found.”
Jaydan’s heart raced in his chest as silence hung heavy in the room. To find Natalie’s younger sister after all of these years would be incredible.
He’d like to be the one to bring her home to Natalie. That would make Riordan’s day. Maybe it would even make up for him not being there when Naylor shipped Riordan to that Mongolian prison three and a half years ago.
“Why didn’t her location appear the night of Natalie’s kidnapping?” Jaydan was in Hope’s SUV that night. He knew no other beeps sounded on the tracker.
Hope said, “She could’ve been underground, or in some type of structure constructed of heavy steel or concrete. As with any satellite signal, those materials are hard to penetrate.”
Jaydan clenched his fist on top of the table, his food forgotten. He couldn’t waste another day. He had to do this.
Jumping up from his chair, he looked down at his boss. “This one’s mine, Mitchell.”
Pulling up the lights, Luke said, “I have a plane you can use.”
Mitchell looked up at Jaydan. “You have a family obligation this weekend, Rose. Besides, your…“
“Enhancement?” Hope offered with an arched eyebrow.
Mitchell gave a succinct nod. “…enhancement is too fresh. I’d prefer to send someone else.”
Frustration tightened his body to rock hardness, energy rushing through his nervous system to power his muscles. Mitchell knew the circumstances behind Riordan’s kidnapping. When Jaydan learned Saint had been sent to Mongolia, he’d gone to Mitchell - Naylor’s enemy. Jaydan had worked for him as a double agent until they took down Naylor last fall.
“Dammit, Mitchell. You have to give this to me.”