Hot SEALs: SEALed Fate (Kindle Worlds) (Deep Six Security #0) (7 page)

CHAPTER TEN

Two and a half days later, they were still driving, and Jaxson still hadn’t told her where they were going.  They’d stopped twice at hotels overnight, but only for a few hours before hitting the road again.  At both hotels, he’d gotten double beds too.  Since the night they’d made love at the condo, he hadn’t made any signals that he wanted to have sex with her again.  Fallon was confused and about to burst she was so frustrated. 

Maybe he hadn’t enjoyed it as much as she had.  Maybe she had repulsed him with her inexperience she felt sure he’d noticed from her responses to him.  Or maybe he’d simply accepted what she’d offered, her body as recompense for what happened in Cancun.  He sure seemed cold enough to her for that to be the case.  That made her feel dirty, as well as angry.

“Where are we going?” she demanded for the fifth time since they’d left Virginia. 

Fallon was tired of being a blind sheep and trusting this shepherd to lead her in the right direction.  It was time for her to get answers, decide what
she
wanted to do.

He huffed a breath.  “Colorado,” he replied tersely.  “We need to lose this car.  I put the tracking device back on it.”

“
What
?!?” she shouted, turning in the seat to stare at him.  Good,
Lord
—no wonder they had been traveling so long!  That was almost
cross-country
from Virginia!

He ground his jaw for a second, but didn’t reply.

“Why do we have to change cars?  Why didn’t you just lose the tracker?  Throw it in a ditch somewhere in Virginia?” Fallon demanded, wondering at this man’s intelligence.

“I can’t explain it right now, but you’re safe, Fallon.  You have nothing to worry about right at this minute.”

She’d never met a man more close-mouthed than this one.  She was in this car and her life was at stake too.  “I have men who want me dead, you won’t tell me a damned thing, but I have nothing to
worry
about?!?” she screeched, her voice raising an octave.

“The guys after you are back in Washington.  You’ll just have to trust me while I deal with this situation.  Those Arabs want me dead, and I’m going to oblige them.”

Fallon lost her breath as a wave of grief punched her in the sternum.  Had the stress of this whole situation driven Jaxson over the edge of his sanity?  She twisted in her seat to put her hand on his forearm, and it tensed. 

“I am not going to let you
kill
yourself—I
need
you, Jaxson.  When we stop, I’ll call someone to get you help—” 

Jaxson glanced over at her and his eyebrows were halfway up his forehead.  His lips wiggled then spread into a smile that socked her as hard as the grief had in her midsection.  Laughter rumbled at his lips when he looked back at the road. 

“Don’t worry.  I’m not going to do their job for them, babycakes.  I’m going to make them
think
the job is done.  That’ll get them off my back and buy me time to neutralize the threat against you.  Deep Six is handling the other issue.  I called Slade this morning and filled him in.”

Babycakes
.  The pet name Jaxson whispered in her ear so many times the night they’d had sex dredged up both heat that gathered at the top of her thighs and anger that burned in her heart. 

Come for me,
babycakes
.  Oh God,
yes
…suck me harder,
babycakes
. 

Yes, Fallon had finally gotten to try what she’d learned about in that book.  And yes, it had been good for both of them.  But since he’d evidently decided there would be no more of that, Fallon didn’t want to be reminded. 

“Don’t call me that,” she said, folding her arms over her chest as she sat back in her seat.

“Call you what?” he asked, glancing over at her with a frown.

“Babycakes.  I don’t like it.”

He snorted.  “Well you seemed to like it well enough—”  Jax stopped to glance at her again and the tension in his body, the regret in his eyes told Fallon he realized his mistake.  She also realized her own right at that minute.

“Exactly,” Fallon spat, folding her arms over her chest.  That one word rang between them, and Fallon hoped he would explain himself, assure her that he didn’t intend on being the asshole she was beginning to believe he was.  But Jax didn’t say a word.  He gripped the wheel tighter and they drove in absolute silence for at least the next hundred miles, until Fallon gave up and dozed off.

Jax watched Fallon turn away from him to face the door, snuggling her face into her hands and the sight ripped at his heart.  He knew she was confused and probably stinging, but he was doing what he needed to do to keep them safe.  Focusing on figuring out a way to stop the two-pronged attack they were under.  One prong headed by the professional hitman hired by the Prince or his brother to kill him, and the other led by the amateur clowns from the mob who’d made Swiss cheese of Fallon’s house. 

Jax’s conclusion, after thinking about the clowns, was that they were new members of that crime family trying to earn their stripes by taking Fallon out for the mob boss.  Amateurs who probably hadn’t even traced them as far as Virginia yet.  They weren’t skilled enough to find their target now that she was on the move and off the grid with Jax. 

Divide and conquer.  The GPS tracker on the underside of his car assured him the Arab hitmen knew exactly where to find him.  That’s why he wasn’t stopping long until he passed the car off to the Deep Six operatives that Hawk, their badass former Nightstalker pilot, was flying in from Texas to meet him in Colorado.  They were going to dispose of the car and use it as bait to catch the hitmen.  Slade and Logan wanted them alive so they could interrogate them.

  But Jax wasn’t going to explain all that to Fallon and worry her more, or buy himself more questions.  She was safe for now, and he was taking care of his problem. 

When he crossed into Colorado from Kansas, Jax was tempted to stop the car and kiss the ground, but he just kept focused on following the directions the British sexpot on his dashboard gave him, which would take him to his agreed upon rendezvous point with Hawk. 

He was thankful that Fallon slept through most of the two hours it took him to get there, only stirring when he finally turned into the driveway at the small general aviation airport.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, leaned forward to squint at the terminal building then looked at him.  “Are we there yet?”

Jax smiled, because she sounded like his little sister used to when they moved to a new base every few years when he was growing up.  “Yep, we’re here.”

“Why Colorado?” she asked grumpily, as she sat back in the seat.

“My mother lives here, and we’re borrowing her SUV so I have transportation,” he replied, and her eyes widened.

“Jesus, you couldn’t have rented a car?” Fallon asked, with an exaggerated eye roll that again reminded him of his sister.  “I’d have rented you one or let you use mine.”

“Yours is in the shop, remember?  Besides, the goons know what it looks like.  I need long-term transportation since my car will be history shortly.”

“You’re trashing your car?” she asked, her voice constricted.

“Yep, I have a feeling Deep Six’s explosives guy is going to have a ball with it.  The Arabs need to think I’m dead.”

“How far is your mother’s house from here?” Fallon asked impatiently, her lower lip sticking out.  What in the hell was wrong with him, thinking about how much Fallon Sharpe resembled his sister who he missed so damned bad it hurt.  It had been almost five years since he’d seen her.  About the same amount of time since he’d last seen his mother.  They talked about twice a year, but after this assignment was over, he was going to make a trip to St. Louis to see her.  Anna had to be out of college now, or close to it.  If she hadn’t changed her major again.

“She’s meeting us here,” he said, scanning the lot for her vehicle.  He found it at the farthest end of the lot, backed into the space. 

Driving a purple SUV that more resembled a min-van wouldn’t have been Jax’s choice by a long shot, but it was free and had four wheels.  According to his mom, she could drive the spare vehicle her new boyfriend had just sitting in his garage.  Must be nice, Jax thought, as he swung into a spot near the front door of the terminal. 

With a sigh, he pulled the keys from the ignition, but before he opened the door, he leaned forward to rub the dash and kiss the steering wheel of the car he’d put the first mile on six years ago when he drove it off the dealer’s lot.  Damn, he was going to miss her.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re crazy as a loon?” Fallon asked, as she jerked the door handle on her side.

“Frequently,” Jax replied with a laugh as he grabbed his GPS, wrapped the cord around it then opened his door to get out.  Shoving the front seat forward, he hefted his weapons bag out and put it on his shoulder.  Mentally he went over the contents of the glove box, trunk and scanned the back floorboard before he stepped back and shut the door.

A shrill squeal split the air, and Jax flinched, knowing exactly who produced it.  A flash of tall blonde hair was his only warning before his mother barreled into him, wrapping her arms around him so tight he had to struggle to lower his bag to the ground to hug her back.

“I’ve missed you so much, baby boy,” she said, her voice breaking. 

Jax’s eyes tracked to Fallon who stood on the sidewalk grinning.  Behind her stood two camo-clad guys he knew were Caleb and Levi from Deep Six.  Hawk pushed through the door to finish out the crew who stood there witnessing his humiliation.  Heat craped up his neck when Marjorie Thomas finally stepped back to pat his cheek.

“I swear you get more handsome every time I see you, Jaxson Oliver Thomas, but that isn’t often at all is it?  Only when you need something.”  Her eyes turned into shining sapphires with her tears ,and guilt washed through Jax at the truth in her words.

The last time he’d seen her had been right after his discharge when he’d gone to her house in Florida to have a nervous breakdown while he figured out what he was going to do with his life.  In those dark days, Marjorie had taken care of him, so she knew exactly how dark they’d been.  Once she heard Fallon’s name, she’d also knew the woman standing right behind her was responsible for that breakdown.  Jax wondered how his mom would react when he introduced them.  They might need every one of the men standing behind Fallon to protect her.

With a smile, his Mom turned and asked, “But I’ll forgive you since you finally brought a girl home to meet me.”  Jax’s heart sank to his toes as she walked to Fallon and held out her hand.  “I’m Jaxson’s mother, Marjorie, and who are you?”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Fallon took his mother’s hand and Jax gritted his teeth waiting for the explosion he knew was coming. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marjorie, I’m Fallon Sharpe.”

His mother’s back tensed and Jax knew she was winding up.  Running up to her, he leaned down by her ear.  “Not now, Momma.  I’ll explain later—everything is
fine. 
Please just get the keys for me,” he growled. It was touch and go for a minute as Jax waited for her body to relax.  Finally, she did and nodded, but he caught the hot glare she tossed at Fallon as she stormed by her to go inside the terminal.

“Is your mother okay?” Fallon asked, her gaze following her stiff back into the building.

“She’s
fine
,” Jax grated.  Everything was fine, would be fine, as long as he could get those keys and get the hell out of here quickly. 

Jax did not have time for female drama, right now they needed to get on the road.  But he had one more favor to ask of his mother before they left.  Now that she knew Fallon was with him, she may not even agree to it.

“We’ve got to get going, man,” Hawk said, stepping off the curb to extend his hand, and Jax was glad for the momentary reprieve as he shook it.  Levi and Caleb stepped down too to shake his hand then Hawk eyeballed him. 

“Logan said to give you a message.  When this is over, you’re coming back whether you like it or not.  That cluster fuck with the kid was not your fault, and he doesn’t blame you at all.  There’s something fishy going on there, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it.”

Relief washed through Jax that he had the option of going back to Deep Six.  He missed these guys, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was kind of missing Texas too.

“He’s back from his honeymoon?” Jax asked.

“No, who knows when he’ll be back, but at least they’re checking in every day now.  I mean really?  How much can one man
honeymoon
?”

Jax’s eyes glided past Hawk’s shoulder to Fallon’s mouth. 
A helluva lot with the right woman
.  Hawk glanced over his shoulder and his eyebrow lifted along with the corner of his mouth. 

“Lord help us, not you too.” Hawk groaned, patting Jax on the shoulder.  “Good luck with that buddy.  Thank goodness I’ve had my immunization against that affliction.”

“What?” Jax asked in confusion.

“Nothing—just give me your damned car keys so we can get out of here.  Levi is chomping at the bit to blow shit up, and I don’t want that to be my helo.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, Hawkins—the charges aren’t primed yet.  I’m not going to blow up your damned helicopter!” Levi shouted, and Jax smiled.

This is what he missed.  The back and forth teasing and the comradery that came from years of working together.  Jax had that with the guys at Deep Six, because he’d worked with them four years.  But truly?  He would have that too with his brothers at GAPS again soon.  They’d been together in hell for a lot longer than four years.  Once they had a few missions—
assignments
—together it would all work out.  But because he was a SEAL, Jax loved having a plan B, which was the option of rejoining Deep Six if that didn’t turn out to be the case.

“You gonna give us your keys, dude?” Hawk asked with frustration. 

Jax realized his friend was standing there with his palm out waiting, so he quickly found them in his pocket and handed the ring to Hawk.  “At least say a few words, before you turn Levi loose with his toys on her.”

“It’s a car, man, not a woman!” Levi said, snatching the keys from Hawk.  “Logan is sending you a check for it, so just get over it already.”  His eyes gleamed with excitement. “I promise I’m going to take
good
care of her, and make sure those thugs find what’s left of her, with that tracker.”

Jax had never been on a Deep Six assignment with Levi, and that was probably a good thing.  He seemed to enjoy his job just a little too much.

Hawk, Caleb and Levi went back inside the terminal and his mother came out.  Jax could tell from the way she walked, from her pinched lips, she was still upset at Fallon being here.  Fallon was keeping quiet where she leaned against the front window of the building smiling as she just watched the show.  That was probably smart on her part.

“Here are the keys, and I called Gary to come and pick me up,” she said with a quick glance at Fallon.  “I thought you might want to have dinner with us so you could meet him, but I’m sure you want to get rid of her.” Marjorie flicked her thumb over her shoulder, and Fallon’s brows crashed down over her eyes.

“Mom,
please
don’t,” Jax grated, with a glance at Fallon. “This is an assignment, and I need somewhere closer to Virginia to hide out for a week or two.  Do you still have your house in Florida?”

“Is
she
staying with you there?” Marjorie asked, and Jax threw up his hands.

“
Yes
, Fallon is staying there with me!  She
is
my assignment right now.”

Marjorie shook her head.  “You’re crazy as a loon sometimes, you know that?”

Jax’s eyes flew to Fallon and her lips curled up.  “So I’ve been told.  Can I crash at your house for a few weeks, or not?”

“The spare key is under the rock by the front porch,” she said gruffly.  “But your sister is there too trying to find a job.”

“Mom, I’ve told you a hundred times not to put your key—” Jax stopped as the second part of her statement registered.  “Anna’s moving back to Florida?” As far as he knew, his sister hated Florida, or had when they’d all lived there together.  That was a long time ago though, and things changed.

“No, she’s looking to move to the East Coast somewhere now that she has her degree.  I think she’s applying with the FBI or something.”

“What did she finally major in?” Jax asked, recounting in his mind how many times she’d changed majors that he knew of—at least four.  That’s why it had taken her so long to graduate.

“Criminal Justice and Forensics,” Marjorie said with a shiver.  “I can’t imagine that girl with a gun in her hand, or her hands on a dead body.”

“Me either,” Jax mumbled, having to force the words past the logjam of worry in his throat.  His sister was smart, but she wasn’t quick on her feet, or athletic.  Maybe the problem would solve itself when she tried to make it through the academy at Quanitco.

“You can catch up with her when you get there,” his mother said with a wave of her hand.  “But I better see your face in the next three months for a visit.  I want you to meet Gary, because I think he’s a keeper.”

“Yes ma’am,” Jax said, leaning down to kiss her cheek.  “We’re going now, and thanks again for the help.”

“You know I’ll always help you.  Just don’t make that the only time you call,” she said sternly, and that guilt sprouted again in his chest.  Jax nodded, picked up his weapons bag and walked up to grab Fallon’s arm, but he tensed at his mother’s words. 

“I don’t know what kind of trouble you’re in, or why my son is helping you despite what you’ve done to him, but I’d suggest you don’t hurt him again,
Ms.
Sharpe, or there will be hell to pay.  Unlike my daughter, I do know how to handle a gun.  Jaxson’s daddy made sure of it, God rest his soul.”

With a growl, Jaxson spun back to put his hands on his hips.  “Mom, you just threatened a
federal
judge.  I think you better check yourself before you’re the one in trouble.”

One of her blonde eyebrows lifted, and just like that cue signaling his mother’s displeasure always did, it caused a seed of fear to sprout in his stomach.  “And I think you better check yourself, young man. You’re speaking to your mother.  I don’t care if she’s the Queen of England.  I’m the one who had to paste those pieces back together after she finished with you last time, remember?  I’m not standing by to watch that happen again.”

Fallon surprised him when she stepped around him to stand in front of his mother.  “Mrs. Thomas, I’ve apologized to your son, but it sounds like I owe you one as well.  I was wrong to run my mouth to my father before I had all the facts, and he was wrong to push as hard as he did for Jaxson to be punished for something he didn’t do.  I understand now how devastating the consequences were to your son, and I’m truly sorry.”

Her words, the passion and remorse behind them, rang true and they soaked into his chest like a salve, making Jaxson feel a little lighter inside.  His mother looked surprised, and her mouth flapped a few times, but she didn’t say a word.  Fallon stuck her hand out to her, and his mother stared at it a second before she took it.  Their eyes met, and he watched something pass between the women, unspoken words, maybe forgiveness.

“Your son is a good man, an honorable one, and you should be proud of him,” Fallon said stepping back.

His mother looked at him, and her eyes filled. “I’m as proud as a mother can be.  His father would have been prouder.”

And with that Jaxson got choked up.  It was time to go. 

He grabbed Fallon’s arm.  “We’ve got to go,” he said tersely, as he dragged her toward the Grape Grocery Getter.  That’s what he’d dubbed it the first time he’d seen it when he visited his Mom in Florida.  He slid open the back door and tossed his bag inside then slammed it.

“Have I mentioned how sexy that growly voice of yours is?” Fallon asked with a throaty laugh that set every nerve in his body on fire. 

Jax stopped at the front door of the van, and Fallon grinned.  “
Oooh
—but definitely not as sexy as seeing a big bad Navy SEAL drive this van.  I’ll bet you can get at least sixty out of it if you lean forward.”  A giggle bubbled from her lips, as she looked at his scowl.  “You sure you don’t want me to get that rental car?”

“Just get in the damned van,” Jax growled as he grabbed the handle on the driver’s door. 

“There’s that growly voice again,” she said with a laugh.  “I think my panties just went up in flames.” Fallon put a finger by her mouth.  “Oh yeah, I’m not wearing any, so I guess that was something else burning.”

Probably Jax’s fucking underwear, because it looked like Fallon was pulling out the big guns now by flirting with him, and she’d made a direct hit.   This was going to be a long assignment.  The longest of his life, he thought, as he got behind the wheel and waited for her to walk around the van.