Agent S5: Jaydan (14 page)

He cursed again, breathing heavy. “Mitchell.”

Mitchell’s voice carried over his armband. “Rose, your armband’s on yellow. Stand down.”

“Matheson’s guards have Hope in a chopper headed for his island. I’m going to fuel up and head back.”

“Roger that. Call me once you’re up in the air.”

Signing off, Jaydan stumbled on his feet. Blood ran down his arm in a river of crimson. “I need to get to the plane.”

Gunner said, “Hell, you can’t fly. You’re losing too much blood.”

Turning on the pale blue light of his armband, Jaydan held it up to his shoulder. Pointing it at the truck grill, he saw the bullet had gone through his shoulder and into the truck.

He’d be fine.

Shoving them out of the way, he stormed to the house. He heard them follow into the bedroom. He shoved his belongings into his duffle bag with jerky movements.

“What the hell’s going on, Jaydan?”  Austin said from the doorway.  “Or, more importantly, what the hell are you?”

He could feel the energy start to ebb, the pain already teasing him. Add a bullet wound on top of it and… this one would be a bitch.

“Hope and I just freed a woman from her kidnapper. His guards just took Hope. I’m going to find her, find him-“ Wincing, he clutched at his shoulder. “- and then I’m going to kill him.”

Grabbing Hope’s bag, her scent engulfed him like a dust storm, billowing around him. Pain seared his chest like a bayonet, sharp and clean. Just a few minutes ago, they’d lay there, sated and happy, looking at pictures. He’d never been more content in his life.

“I’ll go with you.” Austin unraveled the tie at his neck.

Jaydan gave a
whatever
bark of laughter. “No, Austin. I work alone.”

He said, “I thought you worked with Hope.”

Swallowing hard, Jaydan shook his head. The only time she’d worked with him and he’d lost her.

Zipping up her bag, he picked up his duffle and headed out the door. The three men followed.

Shoving open the front door, he swayed when he hit the top porch step. Gunner caught him. He shrugged him off.

Taking another step, Jaydan’s head whirled.  He would’ve fallen face first in the gravel if Gunner hadn’t caught him again. He could feel the darkness looming.

“You can’t fly, you stubborn ass,” Austin growled.

Hell. As much as he hated to admit it, Austin was right. He’d never stay awake long enough to make the flight. And, to wait until he woke from his recovery would give Cyrus hours to do God knows what to Hope.

Shit. He didn’t have a choice.

He had to ask Booker.

“Booker,” he said, nearly doubling over, trying to fend off the pain. “I’ll freaking pay you to fly me. Whatever the cost.”

Gunner and Austin stared at the old man with round eyes, his mother coming up beside him with Issy. The bastard stared down his nose at Jaydan, arms crossed over his chest.

Shit.  Why would he think Booker would help him after all he’d done to the family?

Shrugging out of Gunner’s grip, Jaydan stumbled to the truck.  “Forget it. I’ll –“

Everything went black.

***

“We have Miss Powers.”

Hope squeezed her eyes shut, cuffed hands in her lap. The helicopter flew over the dark countryside like a ship into a black hole, with no apparent destination in sight. She sat in the back beside Zeke, the guard from the luau sitting in front beside the pilot. They wore black, their faces painted to match, their demeanor all business.

Besides the whir of the blades, they sat in silence, its presence seeming to amplify her dark isolation even more.  Only Jaydan’s scent on his shirt kept her grounded.

While a part of her worried about his gunshot, she also knew nothing that insignificant would bring down Jaydan Rose.

She refused to think about her vision.

“Any sign of Keegan?” Cyrus said over the speakers.

“No, sir.”

Cyrus’ growl of rage boomed in the chopper’s cabin like lightning crackling across a turbulent sky. The guards appeared unaffected by his outburst, their reaction… absent.

“Would you like me to make her talk?” Zeke turned to Hope, his gaze passive and professional.

Her heart shot to warp speed, her vulnerability jumping to the forefront of her mind like an overplayed actor. She was alone with three men that had been created to protect Cyrus Matheson’s interests.

She and Jaydan had stolen his greatest asset.

“No, I want healthy cultures from her. Once we have them, we’ll make her talk.”

Zeke turned away from her. “Yes, sir.”

Her hands shook in the handcuffs. They planned to take her to his laboratory and take anything that involved her genetic code. He planned to recreate some version of her like he had Zeke from Riordan.

He also wouldn’t let her go when he was done.  Would he send her to Mongolia, too?

“What of Jaydan Rose?” Cyrus said.

“I shot him but it won’t slow him down,” Zeke said. “You were right, sir, he’s been enhanced with extraordinary strength.” Zeke turned to look out the opposite window and lowered his voice. “He’ll come for her.”

Taking a deep breath, Hope welcomed the confidence that filled her. Damn right, he’ll come for her. She knew Jaydan wouldn’t stop until he got her back to safety.  What frightened her was… at what cost?

The sound of a ringing phone woke Jaydan. Frowning, he willed it away, his muscles sore and crooning him back to sleep. When it persisted, he yawned before rubbing a hand down his face. Blinking open his eyes, he spotted Booker sitting beside him in the pilot’s chair of the D.I.R.E jet.  He shot up in his seat. 

Checking the gauges, he saw they were an hour out from Oahu. He’d been asleep for hours. He’d pushed his body too far, trying to pull down that chopper. It had cost him hours of time – maybe, even Hope.

“Thanks, Booker. I owe you.”  He spoke between his teeth, the words like shards of glass on his tongue.

Booker’s gaze traveled over his form before he nodded.

Glancing down, Jaydan still wore jeans and boots, his chest bare. His shoulder had been wrapped with bandages, the pain virtually nonexistent.  Reaching for Hope’s bag on the floor beside his seat, he searched for her smartphone. It rang in his hand.

Luke.

Jaydan blew out a breath.  He had to man up, had to tell Luke he failed. His daughter was in the hands of the same madman that had kept Keegan Meeks hidden for over twenty years.

And, it was all his fault.

“Luke.”

“Rose? The tracker shows Hope headed back to Hawaii. What’s going on?”

Squeezing his eyes tight, he sucked it up and forged ahead. “Cyrus Matheson has her. He’s taking her back to Hawaii and holding her there until I bring back Keegan. I’m about an hour behind them.”

Deathly silence met his announcement, Luke’s breath coming in harsh pants over the line. “What… the
hell
did you just say?
You let that madman take my daughter
?”

Taking a deep breath, Jaydan let the harsh words wash over him like a thousand bee stings. He’d f’d up. He’d let a twisted psycho take the woman he loved more than anything in the world.

“His men started a fire at my family’s ranch. Once we had it put out, I went back to her and found her gone.”

Booker glanced over at him, his brows slashed at angry angles.

Curse words spewed over the line like loud static, abrasive and infuriating. “What the hell kind of D.I.R.E. agent are you?”

Luke spoke so loud Jaydan knew Booker could hear him in the tight space. He gritted his teeth against the harsh dressing-down.

“First you let down my son, now you lose my daughter?”

Wincing, Jaydan turned away from Booker, his stomach knotting in a tight fist.

Exactly
.

He’d let down Riordan, and now he’d lost Hope. He didn’t deserve the enhancement he’d received, didn’t deserve Riordan’s friendship. He sure as hell didn’t deserve Hope.

Booker had been right from the get go.

He’d get to Hawaii and get her out. He’d deliver her to Luke safe and sound if it killed him.

“You’re right, Luke. As far as agents go, I blow.”

He didn’t hesitate.  “You’re damned right about that.”

Jaydan gritted his teeth against the truth that gnawed away at his insides. He had to ignore it and focus on the best course of action to rescue Hope. 

“Well, you know, Luke? I’m all you freaking have at this point.” He disconnected, the self-hatred and anger surging energy through his system.

The intensity wasn’t there. He hadn’t taken in carbs in several hours. He’d expended a lot of energy putting out the fire, pulling down the chopper and… making love with Hope.

He needed to eat.

“Who the hell was that?” Booker looked over at him, his bushy brows drawn.

He hadn’t noticed how much Booker aged until he stared at him now. He looked like he’d aged twenty years instead of the twelve since he’d left home.

“Hope’s father. Maybe you’ve heard of him –“ Jaydan made a self-deprecating laugh. “Luke Powers?”

Rising, Jaydan went to one of the cupboards just outside of the cockpit. One carbohydrate bar.

It would have to do.

Booker followed his movements as he sat down. “You did all you could, Jaydan.”

Holding out his hands, Jaydan’s voice came out harsher than he’d wanted. “Okay, now you’re just freaking me out.” Looking over at his stepfather, he said, “First, you’re flying me to Hawaii and now you’re defending me? You know better than anyone I have a gift for screwing up.”

“Yes, you do,” Booker said, with an adamant nod. “But, not in this case.”

With an uncertain laugh, Jaydan shook his head. That was probably the closest he’d ever come to a compliment from Booker. After all, home is where the
hurt
is, right?

“Okay, since we’re being forced to sit together for another forty-five minutes,” Jaydan said, “I have to know.”

Frowning, Booker stared out the windshield. “Know what?”

He glared at his stepfather.  “Why the hell you beat me all the time?”

Booker sputtered a bark of incredulous laughter. “You deserved it. Every time I turned around you were getting into trouble.”

“And Gunn and Austin didn’t?”

Booker shook his head, his cheeks glowing pink. “They did, but not like you. You’re just like your father.”

Jaydan considered that the highest compliment. He figured that would take him out of the running for Cyrus’ program.

“Thank you.” His voice held a note of sardonic pride. “I guess my brother’s weren’t lucky enough to inherit his strongest traits.”

“They aren’t his sons,” Booker said, with vehement assurance. “They’re
mine
.”

Shock reverberated through Jaydan like sound waves, crushing him in deafening denial. His mother never would’ve cheated on his father. She loved him.

“
You lie
.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Booker shook his head. “Ask your mother. She’ll tell you. She and your father were never married. They only lived together.”

Pressure built in Jaydan’s chest, suffocating him. Jumping up, he stormed into the airplane cabin.

Could it be true? That the family life he remembered was all a lie? That the life he’d regretted leaving had never been real in the first place?

He ran a hand over the microchip in his hair. Was it that simple? That the only reason he’d been beaten was because he wasn’t Booker’s son?

Blinding rage sizzled through him like a lighted fuse. If he killed Booker in mid air, he could dump the body in the ocean.

“Rose.” Mitchell’s voice came over Jaydan’s armband.

He stopped mid-pace. “Yeah. Let me guess - Powers called you.”

Mitchell’s voice held a condescending tone. “Powers can bite me. He’s the last of my worries. I’ve got Riordan headed your way. What’s your ETA?”

Checking his armband, Jaydan said, “Forty-five minutes.”

“Roger that. He’ll meet you at the hangar. At this point, I just want to get Hope out of there. We’ll go in tomorrow and do clean up.”

Jaydan knew he should respond but he didn’t want to promise something he couldn’t keep. If he had the opportunity to destroy Cyrus’ laboratory, he’d take it.

“I didn’t get a
roger
from you, Rose. That was an order.”

Jaydan chose to plead the fifth.

Mitchell released a loud sigh. “Hell, you didn’t listen to a word I said about her, did you?”

His boss could’ve warned him away from Hope twenty-four/seven and it would’ve done no good. The damage had been done the night they met.

“What words would that be, sir?”

“The words that would’ve saved you from Luke Powers’ wrath. Dammit. I’ve advised every one of my agents against getting involved with a woman – especially the daughter of one of the richest men in the world.” He mumbled a curse. “None of you freaking listen.”

Jaydan did try. He’d resisted Hope Powers for months.

A trip alone proved too powerful for either of them.

“I won’t stop until she’s safe.”

“I’d expect nothing less, Rose.”

“Understood,” Jaydan said. “See you on the flipside.”

***

Zeke shoved her along a dark, dank hallway, their steps echoing off the tile floor. It was just as she’d seen in her remote view.

The stark white walls were built of large, concrete blocks, the trim a dark, gunmetal gray. The set-in ceiling tiles were standard issue, the single bulb light fixtures functional at best.

Struggling to keep up with his swift steps, Hope stumbled, her sandal slapping against the tile with a resounding whack.

Zeke frowned down at her. “Keep up.”

Was he serious?  “Why would I want to do that?”

He whipped around to glare at her. “You have a smart mouth about you. Cyrus will want to remove that from your code.”

“Like he removed the smarts from Riordan’s code when he made you?” 

Dang it, she really needed a filter.

His clasp on her arm tightened, shooting pain into her shoulder. She bit off the wince that threatened, unwilling to let him know he’d hurt her. The pain kept her grounded in reality, grounded in her self-assigned mission to stall until Jaydan got there.

Cyrus wouldn’t hurt her until he acquired her cultures. She had to avoid that at all costs.

They turned a corner. A large, steel door loomed at the end of the deserted corridor. It looked a lot like a bank vault, with a combination lock and large, spindle wheel handle.

“You could never come close to being a replica of Riordan.”

Zeke spoke between gritted teeth. “I’m not a replica. I’m a human being just like you.”

Surprise sifted through her. She’d hit a nerve. “No, you’re a clone. You were made in a laboratory. A puzzle created by Cyrus to suit his needs.”

“I owe Cyrus everything.” His statement sounded automatic, as though it had been rehearsed.

She gave a sarcastic bark of laughter. “Sounds like he brainwashed you, too.”

Stopping in his tracks, Zeke turned on her with wild, round eyes and snarling lips. Her heart pounded against her struggling lungs. She’d pushed him too far.

“I’m here because I choose to be here.”

“Really?” she said. “Why, when there’s an entire world out there to see?”

“I see your world in Honolulu, on television, and tonight in Texas. I see aggression, bitterness, and discord. Why would I want that?”

Lifting her chin, she said, “I see charity, laughter and love. Tonight in Texas, I saw family and celebration at the wedding of two people in love. I want that, even if the aggression and discord come with it.”

Turning her toward the doors again, he mumbled. “You are a fool.”

“Then, tell me – are you happy here, Zeke? Is it heaven on earth for you? Or, is it that Cyrus overloaded you with cowardice?”

His impatient growl echoed in the vacant corridor.

She shrugged in his grasp. “I’ve never met a clone before.  I have questions.”

Stopping again, he yelled in her face. “
I am not a clone
.”

“You look and sound exactly like my brother,” she said, in a raised voice.  “That didn’t happen by coincidence.”

“I look like me,” he growled. “No one else.” He steered her toward the doors again.

Stumbling again, she righted herself.  “If you’re not a clone, how did you get here? Who are your parents?”

For the third time, he stopped. He turned to her, his eyes wide with… questions. “My parents?”

Taken aback, she swallowed.  “Yes, the people that created you. A man and a woman.”

“My key donors were Luke Powers and Ann Crawford.”

Riordan’s parents.

He gave her a knowing smile. “I think that makes us half siblings.”

                                                                                    ***

“If you think you’re leaving me behind, you’re sadly mistaken.”

Booker stood at the entrance of the cave where Dylan had lived until a few days ago.  The night sky held a million stars, the ocean breeze cool as it wafted into the cave.

Jaydan could see the island in the distance, his gut knotted with pangs of guilt, his anger prodding him with rushed movements.   “You’re freaking crazy, Booker.”

Riordan nodded toward the old man as he slipped into his Kevlar-lined, stainless steel chainmail.  “Let him drive the boat, Rose.  He can pull up to shore while we’ve got them occupied.”

Jaydan stared at the old man as he pulled on a D.I.R.E. wetsuit over his chainmail.  Yes, Booker had served in the Air Force for twenty years, but he’d been a freaking pilot.  Not on the front lines.

“Hell.”  Tossing him a Glock and a box of bullets, Jaydan went back to work.

Booker gave him an all-business nod before loading the gun.

“When is Keegan supposed to call?” Jaydan shoved a knife in the strap at his ankle.

Standing with his palms facing each other, Riordan repelled and attracted his knife back and forth before flipping it in the air.  Catching it in one hand, he shoved it in the strap at his ankle.