Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2)

SINFUL RESURRECTION

CSA Case Files, Book Two

Copyright © 2013 Kennedy Layne

DEDICATION

Prologue

Crest heard the telltale vibration of his phone and remembered that he’d left it on the other nightstand.  Reaching carefully over the woman sleeping beside him, his fingers captured the familiar glass rectangle.  He settled back on the pillow, grateful that tonight’s blonde didn’t stir and pressed a button on top of his cell.  The screen lit up to reveal an incoming text alert.  He didn’t need to read it to know that the time had come to initiate a case that he wanted no involvement in, but unfor
tunately he needed the details.  Owing favors was part of the job, but that didn’t mean he had to relish the idea.

Easing the sheet off of his body, Crest leaned up on his elbow.  It was rare for someone to notice he had to enter eight digits into his phone keypad rather than four.  After inputting the correct sequence, he placed his right thumb in the square that appeared in the middle of the screen.  On the rare occasion someone did
remark, he simply commented that it was a new model. 

Crest carefully read the entire message and crafted his succinct reply.  He didn’t want his words to be misconstrued, so he kept his response as brief as possible.  That was something he’d learned as a junior staff noncommissioned officer, when his executive officer would email him another copy of the
Manual for Naval Letter Format
.  The damned thing had been so big it filled up his mailbox and prevented him from receiving any other mail.  The executive officer’s message had always accompanied a voluminous amount of corrections and a not so subtle reference to read the fucking thing.  Crest had learned early on that clear, concise messages tended to be terse but effective in conveying what his executive officer wanted to say.

This current situation was going to affect one of his team and he took that to heart, as he knew Jax Christensen would as well.  Crest ran through several scenarios as to how he could contain the situation and lessen the damage it would cause, but knew it was an exercise in futility.  The past, like the Phoenix, had a way of resurrecting itself.

“Leaving?”

Crest had just sat up, his feet touching the col
d hardwood floor of the bedroom when she’d spoken.  He held back a sigh, wishing he’d been able to find his clothes and leave before she had awakened.  They’d enjoyed a few cocktails and indulged in one of his favorite proclivities, which was displayed nicely on her slightly flushed curved bottom.  Both knew that this would go no further.

“Yes, I’ve got to
head out,” Crest replied softly as he reached down for his black gabardine dress pants.

After exchanging light conversation over drinks, she’d invited him back to her place.  She lived in an upscale apartment building within the city of Minneapolis.  It hadn’t been closer than his penthouse downtown, but it
did give him the luxury of leaving when the time came.  It had crossed his mind when he’d accepted her invitation that she looked nothing like Jessie, but he’d quickly discarded that thought.  Jessie was nothing more than his personal assistant — very young personal assistant — and he would do well to remember that.  He banished her image from his thoughts once more.  There was enough moonlight streaming in the window to afford him a view of the other articles of clothing that were strewn on the floor.  His shirt lay on top of her dress.

“What time is it?”

Gavin shot a quick look over his shoulder at the green neon display of the clock sitting on her bedside table.  If he remembered correctly, she’d mentioned that she was an attending physician and was working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital emergency room starting at seven in the morning. 

“It’s only four, so you have a while before you need to get up,” Crest said as he finished getting dressed.  The last two pieces of clothing he picked up were his Armani suit jacket and his Galco holster rig, which he swung over his shoulder before turning to face her.  “I enjoyed last night.”

“As did I.”  They hadn’t exchanged more than first names as there was no need and he was relieved to see that only gratitude and fondness shone in her green eyes.  She had turned slightly, making no pretense of covering herself with the sheet.  There was no need.  She was a beautiful woman and she knew it, although she didn’t need to use it to her advantage.  “Feel free to stop by anytime.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Crest replied, a small smile of appreciation on his lips. 

With a nod of gratitude, he turned and walked out of her bedroom.  The small lamp near the couch lit a path to the door.  He made his way down to the parking garage and bypassed the attendant to where his car waited in the guest parking slot, adjacent to one of the building security posts.  He heard last night’s game being rebroadcast on the radio from within and didn’t fail to notice the attentive pair of eyes that tracked him to his vehicle. 

Crest was thankful that spring was arriving, but that didn’t take away the hint of chill in the night air that stole its way into his clothes and clung to his skin at the precise moment.  The icy wind outside would be brutal.  Old habits died hard, so Crest took in his surroundings as he walked across the cold cement.  It didn’t surprise him to see Schultz Jessalyn leaning up against his vehicle.  

“I thought you might make an appearance,” Crest said, coming to a stop in front of his old friend.  Schultz was currently a Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor to the President of the United States.  He was far away from home, but the mission that he wanted Crest and his team to take was not.  He had to wonder how far this friendship extended.  “I guess it’s futile to ask how you located me.  My GPS
is
encrypted.”

Schultz laughed and extended his arm.  They shook hands and then Crest used the opportunity of silence to shrug into his shoulder holster and suit coat.  He continued to scan the area, knowing full well that Schultz would never arrive here on his own.  The question was how many agents were now in the immediate area.

“Don’t worry,” Schultz said with a smile, “they’re around.”

“I wouldn’t want you to scratch your knee on my watch, Schultzy,” Crest replied, using his friend’s old nickname.  “The President and his cronies might take issue with that.  Speaking of protection, where’s the witness?”

“Safe,” Schultz replied, the condensation of his one word drifting in the air and then disappearing.  He gave no outward appearance that the cold affected him in any way.  “We’ll make the transfer in five hours.  Your team checks out, but I am still concerned about Jax Christensen.  Do you think he’ll be a problem?”

“What about your witness?”

“No.  She only agreed to protection if it was under your firm and that of Mr. Christensen”

“Then you have your answer,” Crest said, crossing his arms and shifting his stance.  “Who will be accompanying you?”

“It will just be me and the witness.”  Schultz looked around, as if assuring himself that he had enough protection even though Crest knew of his background and was confident he could take on an opponent or two without additional support.  Lifting one side of his long black dress coat, Schultz pulled out a manila folder.  “This is everything we deemed necessary for your need to know with regards to her protection.  The Attorney General is in the process of verifying the evidence that our witness provided.”

Crest too
k the folder but didn’t glance at it.  He’d take his time before their nine o’clock morning meeting to ensure he had all of the facts pertaining to this mission.  There was one thing that bothered him about the scenario that Schultz was presenting.

“You mean this folder contains what I’m cleared to know, not necessarily the truth.”  Crest had made sure upon retirement that he kept certain clearances active.  It had only helped his firm.  The government contracts that his business was allotted paid him and his team a handsome salary.  The assignment that Schultz was giving him superseded most clearances due to the involvement of the United Nations.  “How do you know her?”

“I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about,” Schultz replied with a tilt of his head.

“Don’t bullshit me, Schultzy.”  Crest held up the folder.  “You told me that she has evidence that
Grigori Alekseev, the United Nation’s Secretary-General, has his finger in the sale of WMDs to mid-eastern countries.  You also revealed that the former Secretary-General was murdered, leaving pertinent facts out.  I’m assuming they’re tied together, but your information is scarce.  How is it that she knew she could go to you, let alone trust you?”

“Because I’m that kind of guy?” Schultz asked, raising an eyebrow.  With a small salute, he stepped away from the car.  “Review the file and have your men triple check the location you’ll be transporting our witness to.  And as I stated previously, trust no one that you wouldn’t trust with your life.”

Crest despised that gut feeling he got when things were about to become some half-assed cluster fuck.  He was feeling it now and didn’t like being kept in the dark.  His ‘need to know’ for compartmentalized information required advancing a notch or two and he knew just the person to make that happen.  Unfortunately, Crest didn’t hold all the power here and had no choice but to see this assignment through.  As much as he would like to prevent it, Jax was about to come face to face with his past.

Chapter One

Jax poured himself a steaming hot cup of coffee, leaving it black just the way he like
d it.  Doing the same for Kevin who looked like hell after a long night on the streets, Jax shoved the pot back onto the burner. Picking up the beverages, he made his way back to their cubicles and placed Kevin’s battered ceramic Vikings mug next to his keyboard.

“Any luck
finding the bastard?” Jax asked as he continued to walk to his desk on the other side of the partition.  The question regarding Kevin’s case was more out of courtesy than anything.  He didn’t feel up to chitchat this morning and wanted to avert Kevin from asking about Connor.  Jax was sick and tired of being reminded of how happy the new couple was, regardless of the fact that he’d had a helping hand in bringing the two together.  “Your perp has raped two victims, right?”

Kevin was one of the six
member team who worked for Crest Security Agency.  It used to be five before the new guy showed up.  Jax still wasn’t too sure of him, but then again, he was suspicious of any newcomer.  Lach Evans was too quiet, although he more than proved himself by putting it all on the line during their last big case. 

Each colleague had been hand picked by Gavin Crest himself.  Military backgrounds were a prerequisite, along with whatever-the-hell special trait Crest saw in each of them.  Jax didn’t really care as long as he was kept busy, it was legal, and money was deposited in his account every week.  Their cases ran from simple divorce investigations to complex international government contracts.  He was thankful he was about to catch a flight to Kandahar for an extradition case, needing the time away.  Kevin’s chair squeaked as he leaned back w
ith an audible sigh.  Hopefully that wasn’t a sign that this conversation would drag on.

“Yeah, two,” Kevin replied.  “I think he’s going to escalate though.  Call it a gut feeling.  This guy is truly a fucking scumbag.  I have Taryn running similar patterns through the computer in hopes that maybe we can finally get a trace on this
perp.  He started out with rape, but the second victim suffered from severe physical injuries.  If he’s just beginning it’ll be like finding a needle in a haystack, but something is telling me that he’s working his way up to murder.”

Jax took a drink of his coffee and then set it down beside the folder he wanted to review one more time before leaving the country.  He’d done the socializing bit, but now it was t
ime to get to work.  Thankfully Taryn joined in on the conversation, adding her opinion on the case and letting him off the hook to partake in any further words.  If Jax tilted back in his chair, he’d be able to see the fiery blonde at her computer workstation.  Hell, it was more like a console for NASA, multiple screens and all that jazz.  She was Crest’s resident IT guru, the only member their boss didn’t scrimp on when it came to the latest computer technology. 

“Have you heard from the lovebirds?” Taryn asked over the clicking of her keyboard keys.

Fuck.  Jax took off his favorite skullcap and ran a hand through his messed up hair.  Connor Ortega, the man who always had his back and claimed the title of best mate, had taken the love of his life, Lauren Bailey, to meet Connor’s father in Jersey.  Jax wished them nothing but happiness, but knowing they had what he could not was like a dagger to his side.  Why everyone had to keep bringing it up was beyond him. 

“I told him I’d cut off his nuts if he so much as called me or the office,” Jax replied, knowing he had to answer.  Taryn could be a pit bull when she sank her teeth into
a juicy steak.  For some reason Connor’s love life had her attention or maybe it was because he was the first one in the office to fall victim to a serious relationship.  It wouldn’t surprise any of them if an engagement announcement was on the horizon.  He needed to change the course of this conversation or he’d be here forever.  “Is Crest in yet?  I haven’t seen him or Jessie.”

“Jessie had a dentist appointment,” Ethan answered, coming around the corner.  The youngest member of the team, not counting Jessie, came bearing donuts.  The unspoken rule was that if you
were going to be late, arrive with donuts in hand or there would be hell to pay.  He set the box down on Connor’s desk, which was situated behind Jax as they shared a cubicle.  Jax finally conceded the last hour he had wasn’t going to be spent going over his assignment.  He’d have to do it on the plane.  “I don’t know about Crest.”

“I saw Crest come out of his office about thirty minutes ago to grab some coffee,” Taryn said.  She pushed up her black-rimmed glasses as she walked around Ethan and opened the box.  Her blonde spikey hair fit her buoyant personality.  “He’s here, although I saw Lach leaving around an hour ago.  Ethan, I can’t believe you didn’t get my butternut cream-filled donut with chopped nuts.  What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Stop whining, squid,” Ethan said, shoving a white bag in front of her.  The nickname had Jax cracking a smile, as squid was in reference to her Navy background.  She was the only one on the team whom Crest had recruited from that particular service.  “Or next time you’ll do without.”

“Like that’ll happen.”  Kevin shoved his way into the small square space.  He snatched up a jelly donut, not bothering with a napkin. 
He waved it toward Ethan.  “Squid’s got you wrapped around one of her tiny tentacles.”

“Fuck you,” Taryn replied, laughing.  She squeezed around Ethan, who was still standing in the doorway, and made her way back to
her cubicle.  “Ethan knows who’s got his back at the base.”

“That would be me,” Kevin mumbled around the food in his mouth.  “I can count three times where I’ve saved his ass on a mission.”

Jax waited for his space to clear before getting up and walking towards Crest’s office.  He really did love his team members, but there were times when he liked his space.  Now was one of those stints and he looked forward to going on assignment out of the country.  Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was a little after ten-thirty in the morning.  His flight was at one o’clock, so he’d check in with Crest and then hit the road.

Feeling his cell phone vibrate in the front pocket of his jeans, Jax removed it to see that it was Elle.  She was his new manager over at Masters, a club that he and Connor had bought
at a reasonable price when its previous owner had gone to jail for running a prostitution ring.  He’d taken over the reins early on, Connor being more of a silent partner. 

“Elle, everything okay?”

“Just wanted to check in with you before you left for your trip.” 

Elle was a tall, long-legged
, raven-haired beauty who deserved a break from a past that no woman should ever have had to experience.  Unfortunately her attractiveness had been the anchor that kept her in the trenches of the streets, as the crime element wouldn’t allow her a way out.  It was Kevin who gave her this opportunity and she’d grabbed it with both hands.  Jax had just gone along with it.

“Not much to say,” Jax replied, stepping into the conference room that was located on his left.  “You can reach Connor if anything goes wrong, but we hired you since we’re busy here at the agency.  You’re in charge.”

“Just the way I like it,” Elle quipped, then gave a light laugh.  She kept her cards close to her chest, not revealing much about what she was truly thinking or feeling.  It had quite a few of them worried, Kevin more so since he seemed to have taken a vested interest in her.  Jax noticed that she didn’t seem to appreciate Kevin’s attention.  “Have a safe trip.”

“Will do.” 

Jax disconnected the call and shoved his phone back in his front pocket.  Stepping back into the hallway, he walked a few steps down the hall.  Everyone knew that if Crest’s door was shut he was not to be disturbed.  Seeing as it was cracked, Jax didn’t hesitate to swing the heavy wood access open. 

That familiar fragrance was
like a hammer blow to his soul, instantly taking him back two years ago.  Images of
her
face appeared as if no time had passed, but Jax was well aware that he was in the present.  It was only upon looking in front of him did he see a woman standing before Crest’s desk.

“Jax —”

Crest’s voice faded as Jax’s chest tightened and he struggled to draw air.  It felt as if he were right back in New York City, the place where she’d been gunned down in a convenience store robbery.  One week was all they’d had before she’d been taken from him and he’d lived in hell ever since.  Seven days had changed his life forever, but held him back from actually living. 

Her hair was different
but the shape of her figure, the scent of her perfume, and the angle of her stance told him all he needed to know.  Emily Weiss was alive, well, and standing in front of him.  It didn’t take him but a few seconds to process everything.

“Get out.
” Jax ordered everyone else out of the room.  His hearing was finally finding its way back and he wanted the office cleared for what was about to take place.  It didn’t take a fucking genius to figure out that she’d returned to the land of the living.  But he deserved to know why.  “Now.”

He’d cataloged three people in the room.  Crest was behind his desk, Emily was standing in front of him, and one other person was to his right. 
Jax didn’t give the man a second glance.  He didn’t give a shit who the tight ass suit was.  He only cared about the woman standing in front of him.  Emily slowly turned and faced him, her blue eyes filled with regret and something else he couldn’t name.  Whatever it was couldn’t hold a candle to the rage that was simmering in his veins.  He changed his mind.  There was no reason fucking good enough for what she’d put him through, only to turn up two years later as if nothing had happened.

“Jax, you need to listen to me,” Crest said, coming into his line of vision.

Jax turned and within seconds had Crest shoved up against the wall with his forearm against his boss’s throat.  He was breathing hard, waiting for an excuse to be able to physically take out his frustration on another human being.  Finally clearing the haze from his eyes, it dawned on him that Crest had known all along who Emily was and what her connection was to Jax.  What else did Crest know?  He pulled his arm back, with every intention of getting retribution.

“Jax, please don’t.”

Emily’s voice cut through the miasma that had surrounded him.  He was trained better and knew that the slightest hesitation gave the other person the advantage, but it was too late.  Before Jax could blink Crest brought up his hands, breaking the hold.  Jax found himself up against the wall, Crest in total control.

“I’m going to release you and you’re going to listen, because Emily’s life depends on it.”  Crest’s voice never wavered, instead remaining calm and cool like his demeanor.  That caused Jax to feel even more rage, but he bottled it quickly, knowing Crest had the upper hand at the moment.  Jax relaxed his muscles, leaning his weight on the wall.  He could play this game with the best of them. 
Crest continued to speak.  “I know this looks bad, Jax, but she had good reason for what she did.”

“Just like you had good reason to keep it from me?” Jax asked, unable to keep all of his fury contained.
  He remained as still as Crest, relaxed in his hold, and waited until the man took a step back.  Jax wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, unable to believe this was really happening.  Disloyalty was something he couldn’t tolerate.  He thought Crest held the same morals, but apparently not.  “Nothing will ever make that right, Top.”

Jax had purposefully used the nickname that grunts used in reference to Master Sergeants in the Marines.  He wanted — no, needed — to drill into Crest what an
intimate betrayal this was.  He personally had never called Gavin Crest by the nickname that Connor seemed to use like a minion did to a god.  He understood his friend’s need to be grateful to Crest for giving them a chance to live their lives as a normal civilian, but Jax felt like he’d repaid his debt tenfold.  He did his job and he did it well.  No one could ask for more.

Connor had repeatedly said that Jax had changed on their last combat tour.
  Emily’s absence from his life had done that to him and made him realize what a person went through when people were ripped away.  Switching his gaze to the woman he would have laid his life down for made him understand that her death would have been easier to accept.  Her perfidy and deceit was just too much.

“Jax,
I didn’t know until a month ago,” Crest explained.  He took another step back, as if unsure how Jax would react, before slowly moving to stand in front of his desk.  He loosened his tie and then made sure his cuff links were still in place.  Jax couldn’t bring himself to look Emily in the eye and instead concentrated on Crest.  She disgusted him and the only way he was going to get through this was if he listened to what Crest had to say and then left for his flight out of the country.  He wanted to be anywhere but here.  Crest motioned to the other man.  “This is Schultz Jessalyn, Special Assistant to the National Security Advisor.”

Jax ignored the man who still stood on the other side of the room.  There was no need for introductions, regardless of this man’s position
.  He could be the fucking Pope and Jax wouldn’t have cared.  Not wanting to appear anything else but bored with this conversation, Jax stepped forward and crossed his arms.  The faster he dealt with this the sooner he could leave.