Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2) (2 page)

“I have a flight to catch,” Jax said, keeping his tone even.  He thought about quitting, handing in his resignation right here and now, but the assignment that would take him around the world and away from the duplicity that was filling up this room sounded even better.  “Don’t worry, Crest.  I’ll do my job.”

“Jessie is on her way in,” Crest said, as if Jax hadn’t spoken.  His dark green eyes zeroed in on Jax. “She’s going to change your flight information over to Lach.  He’s taking the overseas assignment.  I need you here.  Emily needs you here.”

Jax ground his teeth together to prevent himself from saying they could all go fuck themselves, but something held him back.  Even though it felt like he was roasting his entire body over excruciatingly hot flames, he forced himself to really look at Emily.  She’d dyed her dark brown hair to
a light blonde, although she had left the length that he used to love to play with and still dreamed about.  She was slightly thinner than he remembered, but he could find no sympathy that she might have stressed over the choices that she’d made.  Her athletic build was still there, although slightly less obvious.  There were shadows underneath her blue eyes and her skin had taken on a pale pallor, yet still he could feel their enduring connection.  A mental barrier shifted into place, blocking out any emotion that may have lingered.  Emily had no idea the hell she was putting him through but he immediately had closure that he hadn’t before.  She was deader to him now more than ever.  That switch was thrown.

“She made her choice.”  Jax turned on the heel of his boot and walked to the door.  He changed his mind on quitting.  “You’ll have my resignation on your desk by the end of the day.”

Chapter Two

“Don’t you fucking walk out that door, Jax Christensen.” 

Emily was exhausted, disgusted, and downright fed-up with life.  Worse, the man she loved more than anything was walking out without hearing the reason she’d returned to the land of the living.  He needed to understand that it was for her protection, as well as his, and that of thousands of innocent people.  She’d done what her country had asked of her, only to end up being targeted for murder.  Jax had been everything to her — still was really, and there was no way in hell she was allowing him to leave her to fend for herself.  She’d protected him for two years
, not that he knew that.  Now it was his turn to protect her.

His lean, muscular body stopped in midstride.  His shoulders were tense.  As he stood stock still, she was sure he was questioning if he’d heard her right.  The last time they were together, Jax had given her an interesting introduction to the lifestyle in which he’d indulged.  What she remembered distinctly was that although she might have surrendered her mind and body to him in the bedroom, day-to-day reality was something entirely different.  She was about to remind him of that.

“Gentlemen, would you please excuse us for a moment?”

“Emily —” Schultz started to try to reason with her, but she cut him off with a look.  She’d called him a gentleman to keep things formal, but if she had to use the personal knowledge she was privy to in order to get her way, she would.  He was also well aware of that.  “Fine.  We’ll be out in the hallway.  Just to point out, you’ve been out in the open for far too long.  They need to get you to a safe house immediately.”

“I’m aware of that,” Emily replied, her attention back on Jax.  He needed a haircut, although he still looked as handsome as when she’d first set eyes on him.  The long sleeved black turtleneck didn’t cover up the contour of his upper body and the jeans only emphasized his thick legs and tight ass.  She wasn’t dead yet and she needed his help to keep her that way.  “I need to speak with Jax privately first though.  Please.”

Jax was still far enough away from the door that the two men could easily slip past him, although Mr. Crest paused long enough to murmur something to Jax.  Emily didn’t catch the words, but whatever was said didn’t appear to affect Jax at all.  Once the door clicked shut, it seemed to bottle up the tension until she was afraid the air would combust.  Her hands started to perspire and she ran her palms down the sides of her jeans.  She’d asked for this moment, but she wasn’t prepared for it.

“Jax —”

“There is nothing you can say to me that will make what you did right,” Jax said in a low voice, not bothering to turn around.

Emily would have felt better had he yelled and screamed at her.  She wanted him to face her and relieve himself of all the anger and hurt he felt, not shut down and walk away.  A slight twinge of panic swept over her at knowing this was her one and only shot at making him understand.  She mentally tried to put everything into words and nothing she came up with was good enough.  All at once, she realized what an epic failure this could be.

“Maybe not,” Emily replied, trying to explain things anyway.
It wasn’t in her to give up. “But I still chose to protect you.  I would do it again.”

Jax took a step toward the door and terror shot through her that she’d never see him again. 
She instinctively moved forward as if she could physically stop him, but brought herself up short.  Emily knew she had to start talking, hoping against hope that he’d stay until she told her story, although there was a slight issue with the fact that the office was probably bugged.  Schultz covered his own ass and he had the means to do it.  Jax had to know that, too, and she prayed he would take her lead and read between the lines. 

“I worked for the United Nations in their administration offices.  You know that.  I was nothing more than a paper-pusher.  The day before you were to fly out for your last combat tour, we were supposed to spend it together.  Remember?
”  When his head turned a little more, Emily knew he was following along.  “I stopped by the offices first to finish up some paperwork.  I came across something that I shouldn’t have seen.  When I put two and two together, I wasn’t sure who I should go to.”

“Really?” Jax asked, his tone mocking.  At least her words had gotten a reaction.  He didn’t turn his body, but did shift his head to the side.  His chiseled jaw seemed set in stone.  “And what would that be?”

“You’re going to find out soon enough, but I found evidence that the Secretary-General, Grigori Alekseev, was selling WMDs to other countries,” Emily said, rushing her words together, although grateful that he was taking her hint.  She had no doubt they were being listened to by Schultz’s men.  “By the time I had figured out what the papers were in my hand, two men had appeared at my desk that I had never seen before.  I knew if they were able to get me away from the grounds, my life would be over.  So I started talking to another administrative assistant and told her I needed help in the ladies room.  One near miss after another and I was barely able to get out of the building without being followed.  That’s when I called Schultz.”

Emily realized her mistake a little too late and closed her eyes, berating herself.  She chalked it up to exhaustion.  There were things that he couldn’t know for his own safety.  Schultz had made that perfectly clear.  She couldn’t change the course this incident had taken.  When she raised her lashes, Jax had turned around to face her.  The brown flecks of his hazel eyes seemed to shine brightly in knowledge that she wasn’t being as truthful as she let on.

“A lowly administrative assistant has someone that high up in government on speed dial?”  Jax took a step closer, his hands fisted at his side.  He studied her in a manner similar to how he studied her during their first chance meeting.  It was disconcerting.  “It seems to me that you knew exactly who you would turn to.  Which part of this fucking charade do you expect me to buy?”

“He’s my cousin, Jax,” Emily said, the lie now coming more easily to her.  After being on the run, she’d become accustomed to being deceitful in order to stay alive.  “Why do you think he’s taken such a vested interest in me?  I wasn’t sure how high up the chain this information went and was cautious about telling him but I knew I didn’t have a choice.  Within hours, he’d instructed me on how to set up a scenario where they thought I had died.  It was the only way.”

“The only way?”  Jax stared at her as if she were a stranger.  Emily felt the two halves of her heart being wrenched apart, but swore to mend what she’d damaged.  “You stood back, letting your
cousin
help you stage your death, with no regard to how it would affect me.  And now, after all this time, you’re standing here without even an apology falling from those beautiful fucking lips that I once kissed?”

“Would you accept an apology?” Emily asked, already knowing what his answer would be. 

“Fuck no.”  Jax closed the distance between them with one step.  Emily stopped breathing, waiting for his touch.  She would give anything to have him hold her and tell her everything was going to be all right.  “You’ve sat back for two years, knowing I thought you were dead and not giving a damn.  You can rot in hell, Emily Weiss.”

* * * *

Jax made it out of the office and down the hallway before Crest stood in his way, holding up a folder.  Shouldering past him, Jax made his way to his cubicle not bothering to look at Taryn, Kevin, and Ethan.  Lach had chosen that moment to appear and none too soon.  Jax snatched the packet of information that was on his desk regarding the overseas assignment and shoved it against the man’s chest.

“Here’s your new assignment.”  Jax released the file, not caring if Lach had a hold of it, and then turned for his jacket and skullcap.  The rest was just shit that could be boxed up and thrown out.  “Crest, I’m sure you’ll take a verbal resignation.”

“No.  I won’t.  You’re not going anywhere,” Crest replied, putting a finger into the knot of his already loosened tie and pulled some more.  He seemed to be setting in for a long conversation that Jax wanted no part of.  He held up the folder in the other hand.  “I can guarantee you this — if you walk out that door, Emily will refuse our protection.  You are the only one she trusts besides Schultz.  If you bail on her, I have no doubt in my mind that the people after her will succeed in their task of eliminating her after an extended period of interrogation to determine their exposure.  I understand how hard this is for you, but do you want her actual torture and death on your conscience?”

It took every ounce of strength
he possessed not to destroy everything in sight, including the man speaking.  Crest had no concept of the hell Jax had gone through or the agony that he was in now.  It felt as if the air was compressing his chest to the point of suffocation and the anguish coursing through his veins seared his heart until he wanted to scream.  In the end, he just threw his head back and laughed.  So this was what insanity felt like. 

“Good morning,” Jessie called out, unaware that she was walking into the pits of hell.  Crest’s personal assistant smiled brightly, revealing her newly cleaned and obviously whitened teeth.  The longhaired brunette with vibrant green eyes came to stand next to Lach, although she paused
long enough to give her boss a onceover.  Crest didn’t notice and if he did, ignored it.  She handed Lach a piece of paper.  “This is your boarding pass.  At last check, the plane is scheduled to leave on time.  Um, did I interrupt something?”

“No,” Jax said, knowing that Crest was right about one thing.  He couldn’t live with himself if something happened to Emily when he could have prevented it, but he was damn sure going to be the one to walk away when this was over.  She didn’t get to hav
e that pleasure twice.  Turning so that his back was to them, he closed his eyes to try and maintain some semblance of composure.  He threw his jacket and skullcap back down on his chair.  “Crest, you get your way for now.  Let’s go over this in the conference room.”

Jax left his desk, ignoring the curious and concerned stares from his teammates.  He stopped at only one desk and that was Taryn’s.  She would be able to access what he needed.

“I want everything you can find on Emily Weiss,” Jax murmured.  He’d leaned down and spoke close to her ear, making certain that no one overheard their conversation.  “From the moment she was born to the minute she walked into our offices this morning, I want each minute of her life chronologically categorized.  The file I’m about to be given by her benefactors will be overly brief and to
their
point.  I also need this to stay off the grid.  So work your magic.”

“Got it,” Taryn replied softly.

Jax knew that he was asking Taryn a lot by trying to keep her cyber fingerprints away from the people involved on such a federal level.  But after his morning, he didn’t trust anyone.  Hell, since the moment of Emily’s
death
, he hadn’t had a lot of faith in humanity in general.  He had no doubt that Taryn could get her hands on the information he needed.  He did have to extend a little trust her way in that regard.  Wasn’t that a bitch?

He walked down the hallway and veered into the conference room.  A glance at Crest’s office showed the door closed and he knew that Jessalyn and Emily were still cooped up.  They could stew in there, because he wasn’t taking this case until he’d been properly briefed.

“Close the door,” Crest said from his position across the heavy oak table.  He had yet to take a seat.  “It’s important you know that I wasn’t aware of any of this until four weeks ago.  And I wasn’t about to give one of my team members hope over something as tenuous as this unless I had verified the information myself.”

“Just give me the folder.”

Jax didn’t want to waste words or time.  What did Crest want?  Admiration for the way he’d handled things?  They both knew that nothing would ever make what happened acceptable.  At the end of this case, Jax would walk. 

“I’ll give you a verbal SITREP first,” Crest replied, not backing down.  His words also indicating that the file contained nothing more than what Schultz Jessalyn wanted them to know.  Jax wasn’t surprised.  He walked around the table to the small metal stand in the back.  Someone had made coffee in the conference room and left it on the burner.  He had no idea how long it’d been sitting here, but he didn’t give a shit.  He needed to keep busy while Crest gave the situation report.  “I’ll take a cup while you’re at it.”

Jax didn’t reply, he just poured two Styrofoam cups full of the dark sludge.  Ethan had made the coffee; of that there was no doubt.  The man could burn water. Since he’d arrived late in the office this morning that meant this shit had been sitting overnight. Once the pot was back in place, he turned and placed Crest’s cup on the table.  Let him come and get it, Jax thought.  He wasn’t wasting the effort handing it to him.

“Facts first.  Emily Weiss was an administrative assistant at the United Nations.  She came ac
ross evidence that the Secretary-General, Grigori Alekseev, was dabbling in WMDs.  It’s also come to my attention that the
former
Secretary-General was murdered.  The two are obviously related and I’m assuming that whatever evidence Emily found connects the two.  Both she and Schultz are being vague in relation to that information.”

“I’m aware of Amato Bianchi
having died, but assassinated?  Do we know how?”  Jax walked to the far wall and looked out the window that faced the train tracks located in the warehouse district.  He knew the former Secretary-General by name due to a previous mission.  He’d been a good man.