Forever Alexa (Book Four In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series) (35 page)

He whirled her back around. “I didn’t hear you out because there was no reason to continue with the conversation. This is
dangerous
, Alex.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “Goddamn, I’m so fucking pissed I don’t even know what to do with myself. Of all the stupid things…”

Her shoulders snapped straight. “I’m not stupid.”

“No, you’re not. That’s why I can’t figure this out.”

“Why is this so hard to comprehend? Why can’t you see that I have to do this for Abby? Of all people—”

“I do understand, Alex. No one gets you better than I do, but I get
them
too.”

With her own temper straining, she began to pace. “You act as if I’ve walked into this blindly. I’ve done my research. I’ve done nothing
but
research.”

“Yeah, well so have they. They know who you are.”

“No.” He was trying to scare her.

“Yes.” He pulled her back in front of him and held her shoulders. “They know your face. You’ve been on the news. You were their
ransom
target, for Christ’s sake. If they make that connection and realize you’re trying to bring them down… I don’t even want to think about what they’ll do to you.”

She yanked away from him. “That’s what the wig is for. I look nothing like the Alexa Harris they know—nothing like Abby.”

“You’re counting on a wig to save your life?” He pressed a hand to his forehead. “You were safe here. You and Olivia were
safe
.”

The words ‘were safe’ made her instantly ill. “We still are, right?”

“Hell if I know.” He threw his hand out to the sides. “Why couldn’t you leave it alone?”

“They can’t find me,” she said frantically, reassuring herself, since Jack wouldn’t. “I’ve used a fake name. I set up a dummy e-mail account on Yahoo. I’ve covered my tracks.”

“And how long do you think it took Ethan to figure you out? Tucker recognized you immediately.”

She was starting to see. “But—”

“You better start praying they don’t have someone even half as brilliant as Ethan checking in to you. Fucking-A.” He seethed as he started toward her computer. “We need to close your accounts. Now.”

“No.” She rushed up to block his way. “We can’t. I have a date.”

“What?” He stopped dead and stared at her. “You what?”

“One of the men contacted me. I’m positive he’s a trafficker—Steve-O. He asked me to dinner.”

“Did you hear what I just
said
?”

“Yes.” Even after everything, she couldn’t let this go. “How can you ask me to walk away? You and I both know this could be the beginning of the end. There has to be a way to make this work. ”

“Forget it. We’re finished with this.” He skirted around her, and she clung to his arm, terrified he would erase her only chance at getting Abby back.

Tucker knocked on the doorframe. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to you both.”

“What?” Jack snarled.

“Ethan just called.”

“Give me a minute. I’m busy.” He yanked up the laptop.

“Clear your schedule. This is important.”

Jackson dropped the laptop to his side, and Alexa struggled not to give in to her need to grab hold and play tug of war over the computer.

“Ethan linked an account to Margret.”

“Good. We can talk about that in a minute. Let me take care of this first.” He held the computer up again.

“Jack. Don’t you dare.” She made a grab for it, and he pivoted. “Jack,” she warned.

“The person who reeled Margret in has been talking to Alexa too.”

Alexa’s gaze flew to Tucker’s. “Steve-O. Is it Steve-O?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it. I
knew
it. He and I have a date.”

“When?” Tucker stepped further into the room.

“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far. I was just about to read his reply when Jack barged in.”

“What does it say?” Tucker asked Jack.

Jackson held Tucker’s stare for a moment, then looked at the screen. “It says ‘How about Bayside Café—Friday night, seven o’ clock? We can walk to the park after and take those pictures.’”

“I have to do this.” She glanced from Jack to Tucker with a growing sense of urgency while the two men looked at each other. “We have to make this happen. He’s the lure.”

Tucker nodded but said nothing.

“He knows where Abby is. He knows where my sister is. What do I need to do?”

“Agree to meet him,” Tucker said, and Jack swore.

That was the green light she’d been waiting for. She reached for the computer. “Give me my laptop.”

“No.” He held it out of reach.

She swallowed as she looked into distant, angry eyes—so much like the night he dumped her. “I’m sorry it has to be this way, Jack. I wish there was another way, but I’ll do this with or without your support. I need to help Abby.” Grabbing hold of her laptop, she yanked it free of his grip. She held his gaze a moment, then turned to Tucker and sat. “What—what should I say?”

“Give him the okay, then I’ll call Canon.”

She glanced at Jack once more, but he was no longer facing her and Tucker. He had moved to the window, staring out at the water. “I’m sorry, Jack,” she said again. Then she turned to her screen and typed.

Sounds great. How will I find you?

— Jenny

“How’s that?” she asked Tucker.

“Good.”

She pressed ‘send’ and glanced at Jack’s rigid stance. Had they fought their way back only to lose again?

Her laptop beeped with a new message.

I’ll find you, Beautiful.

— S

She shuddered as she read Steve-O’s last response. “I guess it’s all set. I can’t believe this is really happening.”

“I need to call Canon and set up a meeting with the taskforce. Forty-eight hours is cutting it close.”

“Yes, of course. Whatever it takes. My sister’s life is depending on this.”

“What about your life?” Jack exploded, making Alexa jump. “The cops are going to wire you, Alex. Do you have half a clue what will happen if they figure out you’re tapped? We’re calling this off.”

“No. That isn’t an option. I won’t get caught and I won’t let them hurt me.”

“Like you didn’t let them hurt Abby?”

She flinched from the verbal blow, and tears instantly flooded her eyes. Was this what was left between them—harsh words and resentment? “I know I let my sister down. I’m doing what I can to fix that now. Tucker, if you can, let me know how we should proceed. I’m going down to make dinner.” She stood and swiped at the tears trailing down her cheeks despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.

“Alex, wait a minute.”

Ignoring Jack, she closed the door behind her.

“Yeah, well, nothing’s coming to mind.”

“Give me a minute to think.”

“A minute’s about all we’ve got. Forty-eight hours isn’t much time.”

Jackson struggled to push past the fear and find another solution. The stirrings of dread grew stronger as each new idea brought him back to Alex as their only option. “I don’t want her here anymore. We should head back to LA.”

Tucker held his gaze, his eyes full of understanding. “You can cross that off the list. She’s going to do this. You and I both know we can’t stop her. The Feds will use her. This could be their big break, especially after we present them with all the evidence Ethan’s dug up.”

Jackson sat back on the arm of the couch as it sunk in that this was really happening.

“The way I see it, we have one option, and that’s to get in on the sting from the beginning, or else they’ll push us out. We both know we’re at their mercy if that happens. If we establish ourselves as her personal security, they’ll have to work with us more than they would otherwise.”

“That’s true.” What else could he say?

“I’ll call Ethan and get the ball rolling before we contact Canon.”

He didn’t want to think about this. For every step he and Tucker took, the taskforce and traffickers would be five steps ahead. “I need to talk to Alex.” He had hurt her. They had hurt each other, but he couldn’t stand knowing he made her cry.

“Come get the release forms before you do.” Tucker opened the door and left the room.

Alexa grabbed another leaf of romaine and tore it from the heart, then tossed it into the large, wooden bowl. She picked up the same pieces she’d already shredded and ripped them some more, paying little attention to her dinner preparations. God, she’d made a mess of things. Her lower lip wobbled, and she sniffed. A tear tracked down her cheek, and she swiped it away with her forearm.

She should be celebrating, not crying. Her plan worked. She had a date. In less than forty-eight hours, the authorities would know who Steve-O was and would be one step closer to bringing Abby home—a
real
step closer. But she’d hurt Jack to make that happen. She shuddered out a deep sigh. Why did she have to lose to win?

Alexa grabbed more garden-fresh lettuce from the basket and absently ran the head under the cold spray. This whole situation was so complicated. By helping Abby, she was risking Jack. And Livy. Could the organization really trace her to Kent Island? A hot rush of fear buckled her knees as she thought of her beautiful little girl trapped in the clutches of sex traffickers. Margret’s abduction had taken place less than thirty minutes from here—too close. Would she watch another member of her family be yanked into the back of a van? She leaned forward and rested her head on the solid wooden cupboard, trying to steady her stuttering heart. Why did she have to choose between the people she loved most?

“Alex.” Fingers brushed her shoulder, and she whirled.

“Sorry.” Jack dropped his hand. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She swiped at her damp cheeks. “You didn’t. I’m fine.”

Seconds passed in silence while Jack held her gaze. What should she say? Unable to bear the scrutiny of his stare, she turned to the cutting board and began to chop the head of lettuce with an unsteady hand, but soon set the knife down, afraid she might cut herself.

“Alex—”

“I didn’t want to—” They spoke at the same time, and she turned. “I didn’t want to lie to you, Jack. I hated lying.”

“But not enough not to do it.”

“If there had been another way…”

He shook his head, dismissing her. “It’s over. We’ve both done things, said things we regret.”

She nodded, reading between the lines perfectly. He’d accepted the situation, but he wouldn’t forget. Where did that leave them?

He held out a small stack of papers.

Frowning, she took them. “What’s this?”

“A legal agreement.”

She stared down at the bold black and red insignia of Ethan Cooke Security’s letterhead. “I don’t understand.”

“By signing those, you’ll be consenting to formal close protection services for yourself and Olivia. Tucker and I will be your bodyguards of record for the remainder of our stay in Maryland.”

“Bodyguards? Is that—is that necessary? I can’t afford—”

“Canon’s going to be pissed when he finds out we’ve been holding back on him. He’ll want to whisk you and Olivia off to a safe house until the conclusion of the sting. I’m not leaving my daughter’s safety in someone else’s hands.”

“A safe house?” The gravity of the situation was becoming more apparent. What had she gotten them tangled up in?

“Once we bring Canon and the taskforce in on this, you’ll be considered a State’s witness if this somehow links to the ring. Testifying on behalf of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement is federal.”

“I don’t want to testify. I just want my sister back.”

He shrugged. “Arrests could be made from the information gathered while you’re wired. It all goes together.”

She leaned against the counter, attempting to take everything in. “I don’t—I don’t…”

“You’ll be offered witness protection by the United States Marshal’s service. We’re going to make sure that isn’t necessary. Their priority will be keeping tabs on you. They won’t want anything happening to their prize witness.”

He had to know she was terrified—for herself, for their daughter—but he didn’t seem to care. There was no compassion while he spoke; Jack laid it out matter-of-factly. “Is this payback, Jack? Is this your attempt at scaring me?”

“Nope. Just telling you how it is. Having top-notch bodyguards from a world renowned firm will keep Canon off your back and guarantee he’ll stay cooperative instead of shutting me and Tucker out—at least logistically.”

“I want you to take Livy to LA.”

“Fill out the papers.” He spoke to her as if they were strangers.

“Why are you being like this?”

“I’m not being like anything. Risks were taken, now there are consequences. This is the way you wanted it.”

She stared at the aloof man who claimed to understand her better than anyone. Did he realize he was ripping her heart in half with his cold indifference? “I never
wanted
any of this. I have to do this for Abby.”