Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2) (27 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three

They’d arrived in several vehicles and waited to enter on Taryn’s signal.  She’d brought a remote system that connected through the station’s security surveillance video feed, continually monitoring Ryland.  He’d moved several times, knowing exactly when to turn his head from the cameras.  It was only when two overlapped that his features were caught on film.

Jax had no doubt that Ryland knew each and every one of them, from their physical appearance to their favorite fucking color.  He thought that he had the advantage, but Ryland would be surprised at how much they knew regarding his career and past as well.  Take for instance Ryland’s connection with the bombs from specific hits
.  He’d used the same bomb maker before switching to his preferred method of using a FN FAL 7.62mm assault rifle with a Leupold Mark 4 scope.  No one was perfect.

Jax was wearing a light black jacket to cover his weapon so as not to alarm the passengers.  As he and Connor entered through the doors, he immediately went to the left while his partner blended in with crowd on the right.  Smiling at an elderly woman passing by, he continued through the rows of seats.  The last information that Taryn had provided them before leaving the vehicles was that Ryland was located directly in the center of the station.  Crest
and Taryn were coming in from the opposite direction.  Lach and Kevin were to enter through the employee doors, while Ethan remained outside with his scope at the ready.  

Catching sight of Kevin and the signal that all was clear so far, he continued through the throngs of people.  An announcement came over the loud speaker, broadcasting the boarding of the next train.  Jax glanced up at the red digital clock, seeing that they had o
ne hour before Ryland’s departure.  Within two minutes, he spotted their target.

The loud chatter of the station dimmed as blood rushed through Jax’s ears.  As if in slow motion, the people milling about kept crossing his line of sight, their hands gesturing in conversation as if nothing extraordinary was about to happen.  Their worlds were carrying on with laughter and animation, while his only focus was the man sitting in the middle of the row, reading a
newspaper.  He’d be lucky to have such enjoyments where Jax intended for him to spend the rest of his God-given days. 

Crest had gotten permission for his agency to use government identification cards for just this reason.
  Not wanting to alarm the other passengers, Jax held up a finger to his lips and lifted the right side of his jacket so that they could see his ID.  The rows of chairs were back to back and Jax needed the one facing him to clear out.  The last thing they needed was another civilian hurt in attempting to apprehend this son of a bitch.

Connor must have crossed back over Jax’s way, for he was standing to Jax’s right side.  Quickly scanning the area, he saw that Kevin and
Lach had each taken up positions farther down each corridor.  Crest and Taryn were approaching from a connecting hallway directly in front of Ryland.  The man had positioned himself well, but not good enough.  Jax focused on Ryland’s fingers and saw the slight tightening of the paper, indicating his awareness like that of prey. 

Not losing this chance, Jax
withdrew his weapon and had it against the back of Ryland’s skull before the man could twitch.  Jax knew that Connor would have his back and continue to clear the area while he focused on his one and only target.  His partner was also aware that Jax was the one who needed to be the first to speak.

“Don’t move
an inch.”  Jax held his weapon steady, making sure the barrel rested snugged against his target’s head.  He ignored the gasps from the crowd.  “It’s over, Ryland.”

“I must say, this is quite a surprise.”

Jax compressed his lips, hating the smug way Ryland said those words.  The way he spoke gave the indication that he was from money, which was surprising.  The wealth he made from his contracts couldn’t instill that type of condescension.  A person was born into it.  The man thought he was above all this.  A piece of the unsolved puzzle fell into place.  It still wasn’t enough information.

“Let me guess,” Jax said, seeing that Crest was now almost upon them. 
He also spotted security guards out of his peripheral vision running towards them.  Kevin and Lach would take care of them, making certain they stayed out of the way.  “That’s two in one day.  Did you think Emily would go back into the house?  Did you want to end this contract on a more personal note?”

The way Ryland’s shoulders tensed for a fraction of a second told Jax he’d been right.  He’d thought about it while the team had driven to the station and the only possible conclusion for Ryland not taking Emily out while he had her in his sights was that he wanted to make a personal statement to Crest and the agency.  Crest had been right in the fact that Ryland would have bided his time longer, but he’d have returned to make his claim. 

“I admit that your Emily is quite special.  She certainly made this an entertaining adventure.  Enjoy her.”

Jax could hear the unspoken words
while you can
and resisted the urge to butt his weapon against the back of Ryland’s head.  It was as if he still thought there was a way out of this.  Jax refused to let doubt creep into his thoughts. 

Crest had timed it well and was
now standing in front of Ryland, studying him like one would a bug under a microscope.  Jax kept his weapon pressed against Ryland’s head, unwilling to give him an inch of freedom.

“It’s been a long time, Ryland.” 

Crest didn’t waver in his stance and kept his arms by his sides.  It gave him easier access to his weapon.  At this point, there was no need to have it drawn and risk upsetting an already distressed crowd.

“Crest, I must say, you’re becoming a thorn in my side.” 

Ryland slowly folded the newspaper and set it next to him on the empty seat.  Jax didn’t like his nonchalant attitude, but trusted the team to keep their eyes peeled for another player in the mix.  It wasn’t like Ryland was getting out of this himself.  He wasn’t that good.

“I think it best we discuss the rest of this in private.
”

“You and I know that’s not going to happen.”  Ryland casually glanced around, taking in the scenery.  As his eyes came to rest on Taryn a few feet away, stillness overcame him in a way that engulfed the atmosphere with uneasiness.  Jax didn’t hesitate to tighten his finger on the trigger.
  “I’m not the type of person to be kept behind bars.”

“Then you should have picked a different career.”

Jax took a moment to look at Taryn.  She’d lost color in her face upon Ryland’s observation, but that didn’t appear to affect her sense of duty.  Her hand was resting inside her jacket, ready to draw if necessary.  It wasn’t lost on him that the picture Taryn had of Yvette was positively linked to Ryland.  His slight reaction to Taryn’s likeness to the dead woman was apparent, although he wondered why Ryland didn’t make the connection during his research.  Another piece of the puzzle fit, but still not enough to unravel the entire picture. 

“I
t appears that we’re at a standoff.”  Ryland kept his hands on the armrests, but that didn’t give Jax any respite.  “You and I both know how this is going to end.  You can simply tell your team to let me go or I take you out before they succeed in doing the same to me.  See, I’m prepared to die, although hadn’t thought it would happen in this manner.  Are you ready to die, Crest?”

“You’re lying,” Taryn said, her voice carrying
across the distance.  Jax could see Crest tense, not liking that such a well-trained agent was veering off course.  What the hell was she doing?  “You have unfinished business, Ryland.  You’re not concerned that Yvette Capre died, but you want to find out who killed her.”

Fuck.  Was she trying to antagonize him?  Jax readied himself for what he had to do.  This man was being taken into custody, regardless if he was dead or alive.

“Taryn Emmeline Sisal.”  Ryland’s fingers twisted underneath the arms of his seat, indicating that Taryn’s words had got to him. “It’s not in my nature to worry, but I must admit, you have me intrigued.  And now the question that begs to be answered is why Crest would go to such lengths he has to wipe out your photo on every agency database in existence.”

Jax wanted badly to look at Crest to see if that were true, but now wasn’t the time.  He
remained focused on his sights, waiting for any indication that Ryland was going to make a move.

“No one is dying here today,” Crest responded,
cutting off their exchange.  There was a surety in his voice that superseded anything Ryland had said.  “Government officials are meeting us to place you under arrest.  You’ll be tried for the murders of several high-ranking officials.  So I’ll make this simple.  Slowly open your jacket with the thumb and forefinger of each hand.  Move slow enough for Jax to count the hairs on each of your hands.”

“I do feel sadness that you and I will not get to continue our conversation, Taryn.”  Ryland shifted ever so slightly.  “
Unfortunately, fate deals us our hands and we must accept it.”

In that moment, Jax knew the inevitable was about to happen.  Ryland was going to make a move on Crest, taking both their lives. 
There was no way this fucker was getting off so easy.  Right when Ryland shifted his body to launch himself at Crest, Jax was left with no other choice and brought his weapon up, slamming it hard at the base of Ryland’s skull.  The blow was hard enough knock him unconscious.  His body fell to the side from the impact.

The team moved in, although Taryn remained a few feet away.  She had to know a lecture from Crest was unavoidable.  Jax hadn’t like her fascination with Ryland from the start and this only confirmed that she’d let it get out of hand.  The question was why? 

“Secure him,” Crest said, reaching into his suit jacket for his phone.  “I’ll contact Schultz.  He can take it from here.”

Kevin stepped in front of Crest and leaned down to frisk Ryland.  Pulling a
Walter PPK from the shoulder holster, Kevin held it up for Jax.  He seized the handgun and only then realized there was a slight tremor in his hands.  This could have gone down a dozen ways, but the relief traveling through his blood stream was proof that they got the son of a bitch.  A hand slapped Jax’s back and he knew Connor had come to stand by him as they watched Kevin use a very thick double zip tie cuff to secure Ryland’s hands.

“Call Emily.”  Connor’s fingers tightened on Jax’s shoulders before releasing him.  “Let her know it’s over.”

“Is it?”  Jax could feel the solid ball of uncertainty fill his chest cavity.  With Emily in his life, and that of their child, would he ever feel they were safe enough?  “This man has more contacts than we know about.  He’ll be kept in a federal prison, but those walls have leaks.  You know it and I know it.”

“For the time being, we’ll take what we can get,” Connor said, his voice flat and accepting of what this life that they’d chosen gave them.  “I’d rather be on the front lines, doing something to secure our families, than I would have my head buried in the sand.”

“Aren’t we the ones responsible for bringing this to our doorsteps?”

“Don’t kid yourself.  This shit would f
ind us no matter where we went.”     

Connor stepped away, walking around to where he was needed.  Jax agreed that this was where they needed to be.  Whether it was a local case or an international one, it was their duty to follow through in maintaining the peace.  He wouldn’t change who he was, but he would see to it that additional safety protocols were put into place. 

Jax looked over at Crest, who was talking into the phone, and their eyes connected.  He nodded his head at a job well done and that did get Jax to smirk.  It wasn’t the ideal way to take down one of the most elite assassins.  It certainly lacked finesse, but he’d take the tag anyway he could get it. 

He distanced himself so that he could speak with Emily in private.  God only knew how long it would be before he saw
her, especially with Schultz and his team coming in.  They were going to want SITREPS, with every T crossed and I dotted.  He fucking hated that part, but when Emily’s hopeful voice sang across his speaker, it more than made up for it.

“We did it.”

* * * *

Jax lifted his hand to wave goodnight to Connor as they both let themselves into their own half of the house.  A quick look across the street where Chuck’s body had been recovered weighed heavily on his mind.  The entire team had stopped by
his residence to speak with the man’s wife.  He knew that condolences weren’t enough, but Crest would see to it that all the details of his funeral were taken care of and then some.  Unfortunately, it would never make up for the loss of her husband.

“Are you okay?”

Emily’s voice traveled through the air like an anchor and he shut the door, wishing it was just as easy to lock out the memories of those hurt by their need to survive.  Turning, she stood there with her halo of brunette hair and warm blue eyes to welcome him home. 

“I am now.” 

“I’m thinking maybe after J.J. is born, I should come work with you.  This waiting is for the birds.”

“Not on your fucking life, little spy.  You finally convinced me being a teacher was a safe occupation.  Let’s just stick with that.”