Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2) (5 page)

“We’ve been over this, sweetheart,” Beatrice replied.  She could picture her aunt shaking her head in bewilderment at how senseless Emily was being.  “I should have gotten an Oscar for the performance I put on in the gallery when the police came in with the news of your death.  Thank God you gave me fair warning, or it would have been real.”

“I’m dealing with professionals, Aunt Beatrice,” Emily said, suddenly feeling a stress headache discharge sharp twinges in her temples.  “They’d wait until the smoke cleared and then confirm the slightest contact we may have had.”

“But you’re smarter than them, my dear.”

Emily sighed, reaching up and removing the hair tie, hoping it would relieve the pressure in her head.  Turning, she went to throw the small ring on the comforter when she realized the door was open.  Jax stood there with his arms crossed over the long-sleeved black T-shirt he wore, his brown leather shoulder holster firmly secured across his back, giving him easy access to his weapon.  Her stomach sank as her heart rate accelerated, causing the throbbing in her temples to magnify.  The expression on his face said it all and now she was about to face the consequences.

Chapter Five

“I need to go now,” Emily replied into the phone, keeping up the pretense that everything was all right.  Jax knew that she’d expected him to stay in the monitor room the rest of the morning, but it was obvious she’d forgotten a lot about him in the past two years.  “Please consider my request.  It makes it easier on me.  I love you, Aunt Beatrice.”

Jax held out his hand, waiting for her to cross the room and give him the cell phone.  He would now have to destroy it, leaving them only two more phones for emergency contact.  Having limited resources was bad enough, but the fact that she’d foolishly wasted one of them on a phone call that might potentially get her aunt killed was almost laughable, if the situation wasn’t so dire. 

“It’s not what you think,” Emily said, closing the distance between them. 

She was smart enough to drop the phone into his hand, for even Jax didn’t know if he’d grab her and flip her over his knee for the punishment she deserved.  He would do well to remember that she’d been lying to him all along and that he truly didn’t know who this woman was standing in front of him.  She also wasn’t his now.

“So I’m wrong in assuming that you went through my bag, stole a cell phone, and then snuck upstairs to call a family relative,” Jax said mockingly, nodding his head as if he was in total agreement.  He held up the phone in one hand. 
Her face flushed in what seemed like anger, but it wasn’t her right.  It was his.  “A relative I had no idea you had, although that’s not so surprising, is it?  Just out of curiosity…are you trying to get us fucking killed?”

“You and I both know these people will go after my —”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Jax said, flashing a smile that he knew didn’t quite meet his eyes.  He leaned up against the doorframe, crossing his black boots.  “Exactly
whom
are we speaking about?”

Emily sucked in a deep breath, but
she seemed to know that this wasn’t the time to continue the stalling of pertinent information.  Releasing the air from her lungs, she backed up and sat on the bed.  Her hair bounced with her, draping across her shoulders.  He really liked her as a brunette, but that was something easily changed had he wanted her to.  He didn’t.

“
Grigori Alekseev, the one who had Amato assassinated, has someone from the Security Council on his payroll.”  Emily looked up at him, her blue eyes scrutinizing him.  Jax wasn’t sure why, but decided to stay silent in hopes she’d continue.  It worked.  “His name is Vadim Batkin.  I met him once and there wasn’t an ounce of humanity left in that man’s soul.  The evidence I gave to Schultz is enough to send Batkin and Alekseev back to their country, where I’m sure the FSB will take them into custody to never be heard from again.”

Jax waited and when she just sat there, looking up at him with not-so-innocent eyes and wasn’t forthcoming with any more information, he knew he’d have to lead her to where he wanted this to go.  It would have helped had he had some direction, but when had things
ever been easy with Emily?  It was obvious she wasn’t willing to give him too much information and he could only blame Jessalyn.  She hadn’t been like this before…had she?

“So you expect me to believe this evidence inadvertently landed on your desk and you put two and two together, instantly jumping to this miraculous d
iscovery that the new Secretary-General murdered the former one?  And that he didn’t act alone?”  Jax shook his head when she remained silent and now knew he had no choice but to take a different route in obtaining the information he needed.  The sooner this was over, the sooner they could both get on with their lives.  She’d certainly wasted enough of his life.  “Grab your jacket.  You can help me set up some additional perimeter alarms around the house.”

Jax pushed off the doorframe and then proceeded down the stairs.  He had no doubt that she’d follow, probably to see if he was really going to destroy the cell phone.  He snagged his backpack off of the floor as he walked through the sparse living room, through the kitchen, and into the monitor room.  One swift glance told him everything was still safeguarded.  Tossing his bag on
to the chair, he quickly took apart the phone and destroyed the SIM card by simply snapping it in half.

“How have you been keeping in touch with your aunt?” Jax asked, knowing she would be right behind him.

“You told me how to do it,” Emily replied.  When he looked over his shoulder, he found that she was already dressed to go outside.  Jessie’s jacket fit her perfectly.  She held gloves in her hand.  “Take something that would seem absolutely normal and use it as a way to share messages.  Around every other month, I would send a piece of artwork to her address from various galleries around New York.”

“And you stashed your messages on the inside of the frame,” Jax said, finishing her description of an old tradecraft technique.  He threw the remains of the cell phone device into the trash.  “Well done.  You did listen to me after all…at least some of it.”

Jax adjusted his shoulder holster and then shrugged into Ethan’s jacket.  They were relatively the same size.  He automatically reached inside the right pocket for his skullcap, realizing too late that he didn’t have it.  Damn, he missed that thing.  Crossing in front of her, he grabbed what he needed and then maneuvered past Emily, making certain they didn’t touch.  He then opened the back door located in the kitchen.  As long as he could keep his head on straight until Connor came into the picture to help alleviate the situation, Jax had a chance of getting out of this situation with his sanity intact…his heart had been lost and damaged a long time ago.

“Stay close.”

* * * *

Emily warily watched Jax as they strolled along the edge of the forest seemingly looking over the area, but she was relatively sure he was waiting for her to speak.  She wasn’t sure what he wanted her to say, but she wasn’t about to apologize for calling her aunt.  It was only a matter of time before this situation escalated and she needed Aunt Beatrice to be safely shielded somewhere else when it did.
  Schultz should have had her in protective custody the minute he knew that Emily’s cover had been blown.

Due to the sun being behind clouds, the chill in the air seemed concentrated.  Even though she wore form-fitting wool gloves, Emily shoved her hands into the pockets of Jessie’s jacket for added protection.  Jax wasn’t sporting anything on his hands, but even if he had the proper attire, the small square devices in his hands would have prevented him from wearing them.

“If you didn’t leave New York, what did you do with your time?” Jax asked, still walking beside her but focused on the edge of the property, which seemed to carry on for several acres.  He spoke very nonchalantly, as if they were talking about the weather.  She tried to figure out what angle he was working, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.  “Trying to prove someone guilty of murder is harder when you don’t have access to the information you need.”

Emily sighed and curved her mouth into a half smile.  She’d go with his line of questioning and alter her answers as needed.  At least Jax wasn’t coming at her w
ith both guns loaded.  This way she could formulate her responses without giving too much away.  Schultz had given her fair warning of what could happen to Jax should he find out the truth.

“After I decided that it would be better for me to stay and prove what I knew to be true, I called Schultz back and he was able to give me some names of people who had admittance in specific areas.”  Emily looked up at the leaves that were starting to fill out the branches on the trees.  The birds flew overhead, presumably either look
ing for places to nest over the spring and summer or for food.  She was well aware of predators and the lengths they would go to in order to consume their prey.  “Piece by piece, I basically built a case for the Attorney General.”

“I see two issues with what you just said,” Jax replied, although not in a combative voice.  

He didn’t even bother to look her way when he said it, but left her where she was to walk a few steps away and place one of the devices against a tree trunk covered in vines.  He then stood up and walked back toward her.  Instead of continuing the direction they had being going, he cut across the perimeter. 

“And what are those?” Emily asked
, referring to the issues he spoke of.  She fell into step beside him. 

“One, why would he give you those names?  Jessalyn has the ability to launch a full-scale investigation on the piece of paper you found, which quite honestly isn’t evidence that a murder was committed.”  Jax looked back over his shoulder, causing her to do the same.  Emily wasn’t sure what he was searching for, but she found herself wanting a weapon of her own.  Schultz had made her enter the CSA offices without one, but she’d gotten used to having it nearby.  “By the way, don’t think I’m letting go the fact that you withheld this information when I assisted you to fake your death.  If I remember correctly, you said you had solid evidence.  But that’s my bad for not confirming and blindly trusting you.”

“It all links together, Jax,” Emily said, trying to stress the importance on the information.  “Were you aware that my apartment in New York had been ransacked or the fact that my vehicle has been missing since that day?  They wanted to find the papers that I took with me.”

“No, I wasn’t aware of that,” Jax said, for the first time turning his face toward her.  The brown flecks
of his eyes seemed to turn to gold as he showed the first signs of life since coming outside.  “Maybe it had something to do with the fact that after I made sure you were set up for the rest of your life, my ass went to Iraq for my second combat tour.  Let’s face facts.  You’re withholding something vital regarding this evidence and Schultz’s part in it.  Like I said, he wouldn’t allow a civilian to investigate the Secretary-General.  You’ll eventually tell me.  You’ll have to when your life is really on the line.”

Emily could see this was going to get them nowhere, unless she told him the entire truth.  She wasn’t ready to do that
and in an odd way he seemed to accept that.  It would only further push him away, when all she wanted to do was mend this rift between them.

“What about you?”  Emily wanted the peace back that she felt upon walking outside.  Whether it was deception or not, Jax had rid himself of the tension within his muscles.  It made her feel as if she didn’t need to be on the defensive.  “What did you do after you got back from Iraq?”

“Connor and I flew into Palm Springs en route to Twentynine Palms and stayed there for a few weeks.  I debated on trying to track you down, but knew it would be better to let things lie.”  They had almost reached the other side of the large area when he stopped and looked back over his shoulder once more.  That was when she realized he was going to place the other small device horizontally across from the other one.  Sure enough, he walked over to where some brush was and positioned the electronic device to his satisfaction.  “It was a couple months later that Crest asked us to join his firm.”

“I’m surprised you took him up on it,” Emily said, falling into step with him as he continued farther away from the house.  The sun peeked through the clouds for a brief moment, but Emily took full advantage of it by tilting her head and enjoying the heat on her face.  “I pictured you staying in until retirement.”

“Things changed after my second tour…I’d changed.”  Jax didn’t need to elaborate and Emily opened her eyes to see him watching her.  She tried to put a name to the emotion she saw within them, but it stayed just out of her grasp.  Before she could say anything, he continued.  “Connor was tired and wanted a change.  Crest’s offer was hard to turn down, particularly when we knew he was keeping his fingers in the government contracts.  We are able to do what we’re trained to do, yet have the civilian life we desired.  It was a win-win for everyone involved.”

“You said Connor needed a change, but what about you?”

“Connor’s the only family I have left.  I wasn’t about to lose that.”

Jax quickened his pace
as if he’d revealed too much.  But he hadn’t.  In the week that they’d had, they’d used every moment and shared intimate details about their lives.  Sometimes she swore the only reason she’d lasted this long in hiding were the memories that he’d shared with her.  Along with the hope for a future that he now seemed unwilling to renew with her.  They’d had a lot in common.  Emily was well aware that he’d lost his parents before entering the service and that he thought of Connor like a brother.  He valued loyalty above all else.  She knew that and was now terrified that her actions had pushed him too far away.

“What is the second issue you have with what I’ve told you?” Emily asked, taking the conversation back to the beginning.  If she could erase one doubt or question h
e had for her one at a time, then maybe there was still a chance to get back what they had.  “You said there were two.”

“It’s the Attorney General’s place to investigate your claims.”  Jax stopped walking and faced her.  It was the first time that he really just looked at her and it caused her breath to hitch.  The intensity that was in his gaze seemed to consume her and she would have given anything for him to take her back to the house and make love to her for the rest of the afternoon, but she knew that wouldn’t happen.  She’d lost his trust, but the question was, could she regain it?  His hand slowly lifted and he laid his warm palm against her cold cheek.  “You’re a civilian who got caught up in something way bigger than all of us, Emily.  This is partly my fault.  I should have insisted you take this to the highest authority and had them place you in witness protection while they investigated.  Instead, I allowed our fear to cloud my judgment and went along with faking your death.”