Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2) (8 page)

Chapter Nine

“I must admit, you and Connor have certainly prepared for any situation,” Emily said breathlessly, tossing her bag up and out of the square opening.  They’d walked at least a quarter of a mile, maybe more, in an underground tunnel to where a
decent sized pole barn was located.  Jax had pulled down the wooden ladder and allowed her to throw the backpack up, but made her stay behind as he ascended first.  “Is this even on your land?”

“No.”

Emily gritted her teeth at his one word answer as she followed behind him on his okay.  He’d been like that since yesterday morning, but she refused to let his attitude get to her.  There would be a time and place to restart their conversation, although she was positive he would try to evade it.  Right now she needed to let him concentrate on getting them out of here in one piece.  She had to wonder how much her head was worth and if they’d already been found.  Was the person just waiting for them to show their faces?

“Wait in the back until I check the vehicle over.”

“Yes, Sir,” Emily murmured to keep him from hearing, although she would have loved for him to hear the sarcasm dripping from her words.  She shuffled to the rear of the musty building and was glad that she wore a sweatshirt.  The temperature was still cool, especially for this time in the morning.  “You mentioned that your team was going to be following us to New York.  I take it we’re meeting up with them?”

“Connor’s out there now, waiting for us to exit.”  Jax
replaced the electronic device that he’d used to sweep the vehicle into a second bag that he seemed to have gotten out of thin air.  She needed to start paying attention.  “The rest of the team will be strategically placed along the routes we will be taking.”

Jax opened the passenger side door and
for the first time this morning made eye contact with her.  The old fashioned gesture reminded her of their past and she couldn’t bring herself to move.  She found herself wondering what their life would have been like had they met under different circumstances.  Would they be married by now?  Would he have wanted children?  They stood there for a few moments just staring at each other.  Emily would have given anything to know what he was thinking.

“We need to go.”

Emily leaned down and snatched up her bag, frustrated that he wouldn’t even give her an inch.  She really shouldn’t have expected anything else, but this distance between them was becoming more than she could handle.  Besides exposing the rest of her secrets, against Schultz’s order, what else could she do or say that would make this situation better?

“Truce?” Emily asked, slowly walking
past him.  She went even further, needing to feel some semblance of intimacy.  “I need you.”

Jax didn’t move, although his eyes lowered to her lips
as she filed past.  Again, she wanted to know what he was thinking, but knew he would play his cards close to his chest.  Was he remembering all the times she said she needed him during their lovemaking?  He’d probably call it out and out sex right now, but not once had he touched her that she felt it wasn’t in affection.

“Then do as I say,” Jax replied in a stern tone, reminding her far too much of those special nights they’d shared.  “Get
situated.  I want you to pay especially close attention to our surroundings.  If we pass a vehicle, I want you to know if you’ve seen their face before.  Regardless if a car or truck passes us…the same requirement applies.  If we stop for fuel, you’ll continue to scan the area.  Are we clear?”

“What makes you think I’m going to know who’s taken the contract out on me?” Emily asked, shoving her bag
in the back seat of the black SUV that was similar to what they’d driven before.  She grasped the small hand bar and hoisted herself up into the seat.  “It could be anyone.”

Jax didn’t immediately shut the door.  Instead, he stepped up until his knees hit the running board and brought his face close to hers.  Her inhalation immediately stopped, leaving her holding her breath after she’d already caught the scent of his soap. 

“You and I both know you’re privy to much more training and information than I’ve given you credit for,” Jax murmured, reaching up and tucking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.  It wasn’t in affection and she felt a coldness settle over her.  Had he figured out her secret?  “I’d like to live through this as well, so I’m telling you that if you see or think something that isn’t as it should be, announce it.”

Emily could only nod her head while biting her lip to keep from blurting out everything.  Schultz would have her head, but it
would eliminate Jax’s hostility.  She knew the possibility was nil, so ended up not saying anything.  He eventually stepped back, giving her breathing space and shut the door. 

  “Just get to New York and do what you have to do,” Emily told herself, watching him walk to the front doors of the shed and slowly cracking them open, taking care to keep his body shielded.  He must have been satisfied with what he saw, as he turned and walked to the driver’s side.  “Please let this work.”

Jax climbed into the vehicle and shoved the keys into the ignition.  He put the shift in drive, but didn’t pull forward.  Emily looked over to find him watching her.

“Connor should be in position when we get to the end of the drive.  As I said earlier, he’ll pull in behind at a distance, while the rest of the team are ahead of us.  This is your last chance to change your mind.”

Emily slowly shook her head, ignoring the look of disappointment that shadowed his face.  Now that she’d made up her mind to go public, her life would either be given back to her or force the hands of the people trying to kill her.  Either way, it had to be done.

“I’m ready.”

* * * *

Three hours had gone by when Jax decided to pull off and top the gas tank with fuel.  Using his blinker, he pulled the vehicle into the right hand lane behind a semi-tractor trailer.  Emily had been qui
et the majority of the time, with the exception of an occasional question regarding their route.  He could see that she needed to use the restroom from the way she was fidgeting in her seat, although she hadn’t said anything.

“We’ll pull off on the next exit,” Jax said, rolling his neck to ease the tension.  He hadn’t relaxed since they’d left the safe house, nor would he until they were out of sight.  “Wait until I’m done at the tanks and then I’ll walk you into the station to use the restroom.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Emily said, her voice hesitant, which immediately garnered his attention.  If it was one thing she hadn’t been since this entire thing started, it was uncertain.  He glanced her way and noticed that her arms had folded across her midsection.  “Do you have a spare weapon I could carry?  I saw you place some ammo within one of the packs.  Maybe a carry model that would be easy to conceal?”

“Since when do you know how to use a
handgun, let alone know the difference between a carry model and a full frame?”  Jax knew he needed to contact Connor, who was keeping pace with them, but was too curious to do so at this moment.  “Did you learn to shoot?”

“Yes,” Emily answered, shrugging her shoulder, “I did.  And I’m good at it, too.  I made su
re I was always armed, at least until Schultz made me leave everything with his men before we met with Mr. Crest.  He said it would be returned to me, but that obviously wasn’t the case considering you took me AWOL.”

“Did you think I would do anything else?” Jax asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No, I didn’t.”  Emily smiled for the first time since she’d returned and he found that it was like a punch to his gut.  He’d forgotten how her face lit up or how her blue eyes sparkled.  “You did exactly what I thought you’d do, which was very reassuring.”

“Glad something’s gone as planned,” Jax replied, trying to keep from smirking.  For that brief moment, he felt as if they were once again lovers exploring their way through the enjoyable aspects of life.  Seeing a sign for the next exit brought reality crashing down.  He’d address her carrying a weapon at a later date.  “I’m letting Connor know we’re pulling off.”

Had Jax been making a normal call, he would have used the vehicle’s automated mobile feature.  As it was, he would utilize the encrypted phone for the remainder of the trip.  Hitting a sequence of numbers, he was finally able to get the call to go through.

“Everything okay?”

Connor hadn’t bothered to say hello.  Jax looked in the rearview mirror, spotting a matching vehicle around ten car lengths behind.  The windows were tinted, as well as bullet proof, but that didn’t mean damage couldn’t be done.

“Yeah, we’re just stopping to fuel up.”

“You realize that the minute we hit the highway, we were probably tagged,” Connor said, reiterating what another voice just said.  “There’s only so much Taryn can pull off.”

“Who’s with you?”

“We’re broken up into three vehicles.  Kevin is with me, keeping tabs with Taryn.  She was able to tamper with all but one surveillance video.  Ethan and Lach are situated in front, although Kevin will have them slow down while we follow you off the ramp.”

“Speaking of Taryn, what did she have to say?” Jax asked, making sure the phone was pressed firmly against his ear.  He didn’t want Emily to be privy to what he was about to learn. 

“Emily Weiss came to be in existence around five years ago just before she became an administrator for the United Nations.”

“Isn’t that miraculous,” Jax replied, tightening his fingers on the steering wheel.  He obviously knew that now that Emily had confessed the other night, but had no doubt Taryn had siphoned through numerous databases to locate a woman by a different name.  “And beforehand?”

“Taryn back traced her to Grace Emily Weisslich, who seemed to have fallen off the earth right after she left college.”  It was nothing that Jax hadn’t known, but the time frame was certainly off.  “Get this.  Records have been sealed regarding the particulars having to do with one Grace Emily Weisslich.  The years between Grace disappearing and Emily appearing are what’s troubling.  Taryn’s not giving up.”

“
Interesting.”  Jax was well aware that Emily’s head swiveled in his direction, but that was just too bad.  “Sealed by whom?”

“That’s
part of what she’s working on.  I’ll be honest with you, Jax.  Emily’s flare of innocence back then had me fooled too.  Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“When we get there, I want to meet with you in person.  Have Kevin cover the restroom when I escort her in.  She’ll be wearing a pink ball cap over her hair so that the visor hides her face from
any security cameras that Taryn can’t get to.  Hopefully we’ll be at the tanks long enough for Kevin to tell her our location and she can get a hit on their surveillance feed.”  Jax continued when Connor tried to interrupt.  “I agree that we might have already been tagged, but why make it easy for them?”

“Fine,” Connor said, giving a resigned sigh.

Jax pulled the phone away from his ear before Connor added anything else to the conversation.  He knew his partner was concerned and making sure he had Jax’s back, but there were sometimes when things just had to maintain their course.  He laid the phone in the console between the seats.

“There’s a hat in the backseat.  Pull your hair up and tuck
it in inside the cap.”

“If we haven’t gotten out of the vehicle yet, no one would know I’m even in here.  So why is Connor saying we’ve already been made?”

“We’re talking about the United Nations, our government, our Secret Service, and a contractor who’s probably getting paid millions to serve your body up to the Secretary-General,” Jax said with a pointed look, stressing the facts.  “We have security cameras, drones, satellites…you name it, at the discretion of whoever has the power to use them.  Trust me, they probably know exactly where we are.  My job right now is just to keep you alive long enough to get this so-called evidence — that from my understanding is based on nothing — and presenting you in front of the camera at an international news agency.”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

Chapter Ten

“I want a weapon.”

Jax had finished filling the tank of the SUV and had gone around to her side.  He watched as
Emily tucked the last strand of her blonde hair into her cap.  Blonde didn’t suit her personality one bit, but it would definitely throw off someone to give him enough time to shoot to kill.  It was what he was trained to do and he was damn good at it.  Giving her a gun now would only complicate matters until he was sure she knew how to handle one, regardless of her confession of having been taught.

“You’ll get one when I say you’ll get one.”  Jax was standing inside the open door, shielding her the best that he could. 
There was no way he was going to arm her right now.  Emily was well covered and until he was certain she spoke the truth in regards to her weapon training, he felt more comfortable being the one equipped.  “Right now, I want you in and out as quickly as possible.  Kevin has already established the restroom is empty.”

“Fine,” Emily snapped, shifting her body in a way that caused Jax to back up.  She slipped down the side of the leather seat until her feet hit the ground.  Peering up at him, her dark lashes gave testament to what her natural color was.  Her blue eyes verified her irritation.  “But it
had better be soon.”

Jax bit back a reply, knowing it would only fuel another argument. 
If they were in any other situation than the one they were in now, he’d have her strapped onto the spanking bench at Masters with a black leather paddle in his hand for copping that attitude.  The image made him smile, but this wasn’t the time or place, so he shut the door and pressed the button on the key fob to initiate the locks.  Scanning the area to make sure it was clear, he kept her by his side until they were through the doors.  He then ushered her directly to the back, keeping her on his left side and out of view from the cashier as they passed the counter.  Kevin stood nearby looking at the drink selection.

“Go inside and lock the door,” Jax ordered, waiting for her to follow his instruction
s.  As she was about to close the door, he said, “Once you’re finished, stand by with Kevin and pick something to drink, along with some snacks.  We’ll stop for food later.”

With her nod of acceptance, Jax then waited for her to close the door.  Not wanting to waste any more time than necessary, Jax slipped into the men’s room and flipped the switch, essentially locking him and Connor inside.  Turning, he faced his partner.

“You want to tell me the truth about what happened two years ago?”  Connor was leaning against the opposite wall, his arms crossed and his jaw tightened.  “I get that you seem to think you are untouchable, but fuck, you can’t just go AWOL and put your life on the line for a woman you knew for one damned week, Jax.”

Jax mimicked his
friend’s stance, pressing his back against the tiled wall.  He laid his head back against the cold inlay and thought about lying.  He really did.  But then he knew he couldn’t.  This man was like his brother.  Connor knew him better than anyone.

“I knew then what had really happened,” Jax confessed, raising his head and running a hand through his hair.  “I helped fake her death and made sure she had enough tools at her disposal to remain hidden for the rest of her life.  She apparently didn’t
want it that way anymore.  And here we are.”

“I guess I don’t have to ask if she’s that important, but one week?” Connor rubbed his jaw, as if he were trying to understand Jax’s actions.

“At the time, I felt like she was a gift.”  Jax looked at him directly in the eye, needing him to understand why he’d made the decisions he had.  “Why do you think I fought you so hard when you wanted to throw in the towel with Lauren?  I told you time doesn’t matter, but now that two years have passed and I’m presented with a version of Emily that I don’t recognize…maybe time is relevant.”

S
ilence descended over the small enclosed room.  It even seemed to echo off the walls as his ears felt a vibration.  He told Connor the truth and they didn’t have time for the fillers that weren’t important.

“I’m not going to question why you didn’t ask for my help,” Connor said, shaking his head and getting on with the situation at hand.  “We can’t change the way things went down.  What I want to know is how you think it’s possible to get her to New York, find this so-called evidence, and
have her placed on national television when the people we are dealing with can see our every move.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Jax replied, about to bounce some ideas off of his partner.  He’d missed this lately.  “If Schultz had truly wanted her out of the way, it would have been easy to make her disappear.  Let’s go on the assumption he
is
on our side and wants her kept safe until he has a chance to get her in front of the Security Council.  With the Attorney General being dead, the only remaining target is Emily. Granted, Alekseev has access to surveillance, but he’s not going to want to draw attention to himself right now.”

“So you’re assuming the only one we have to worry about is this contractor
they’ve hired.”  Connor had a far away look in his eyes that he often got when he was contemplating something.  “Taryn said the chatter stopped, which could only mean that Alekseev or one of his henchmen have decided who to use.”

“I think we should continue on, let Emily play this the way she wants, and then hand her back over to Schultz.”  Jax tightened his fists as he got the last part of that sentence out.  He m
ight as well give Connor a heads up on what came after that as well.  “I told Crest I’m walking when this is done.”

Connor met his gaze and didn’t back down.  “I’m going to ignore that last part.  You should know by now that Crest makes decisions based on the information a
t hand.  Maybe if you’d been upfront about the choices you made, this would have turned out differently.  Shit, if you’d have come to me back then, we certainly wouldn’t be here now, would we?”

“I did what was best at the time.”

“For a woman who obviously isn’t telling you the truth.”  Connor pushed off the wall and stepped in front of the sink.  “This life we live, the credo that we live by, and the duty we serve to our country is what makes us who we are.  Truth is everything.  You think I don’t know that’s what made you get into the kink we like?  We practice the lifestyle because it gives us comfort in the fact that submissives need to be honest in their needs.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Jax practically spat out the words as he, too, pushed off the wall.  They were now face to face.  “Which is why when this is done, she’s Schultz’s problem.  As for Crest, I’ve paid my debts just as I’m sure the government will pay him for saving the life of an
innocent civilian
caught up in an international incident.”

“And me?  We have a partnership, Jax.  In the real estate that we bought, the club that
we purchased together, and the brotherhood that I rely on in my daily life.  Are you just going to go AWOL on me?”

“You have Lauren,” Jax replied, turning to the sink and placing his hands on the porcelain.  He hung his head, feeling plain old tired.  “I just need a break, Connor.”

“Fuck that.”  Jax looked up in the mirror to see Connor walk to the door and then turn around.  “The last two years have been a break for you.  You’re just now facing reality from the decisions that you made.  Fix them and let’s move on with our lives.”

Leave it to his partner not
to cut him any slack.  Jax sighed, wondering if Connor was right and he would feel differently when this was over.  He’d never been one to waver over decisions, but maybe he wasn’t in the right frame of mind.  His thoughts went to the club.

“I could run the club full time.”

“And be bored to tears during the day,” Connor said, his hand reaching for the doorknob.  “Face facts.  There is nothing else for men like us.  Now get your head out of your ass.  We have places to be.”

With that, Connor left the restroom.  Jax looked at himself in the mirror and almost didn’t recognize the man staring back.  The anger and resentment that shone through his eyes took him by surprise.  His partner was right.  It was time to get his shit together. 

* * * *

Emily opened the door a crack and peered out.  No one was waiting to use the facilities,
for which she was grateful.  Kevin was standing three steps away, still perusing the drink selections.  When she looked at his reflection in the showcase window, it was only then that she realized he was actually watching her.  The color of his grey eyes seemed to glow even in the reflection.

Opening the door wider, she stepped out.  Making her way to him, she stood by his side and pretended to be interested in the choices as well.  What she really wanted was coffee, but didn’t know if she should bring it up.  The dislike
he apparently felt staring at her right now had made its point.

“Is there a reason you don’t like me?” Emily asked softly, although no one was near them.

“I don’t dislike you,” Kevin said, his large frame moving forward and pulling open one of the glass doors.  He chose a bottle of water and stepped back, letting the panel close.  “At least not yet.”

“And that means?”

Emily was curious now.  He didn’t intimidate her, although his size alone would do that to many women.  There was something in his eyes that screamed compassion though.  Not that he had any for her, but she was relatively sure that was due to his friendship with Jax. 

“Jax has been known to bend the rules, but he’s never out and out broke them.”  Kevin turned to face her, causing her to do the same.  She had to tilt her neck to maintain contact with his penetrating gaze.  “Either you’re the best thing to ever happen to him or the worst.  I’m just reserving judgment.”

“That’s kind of you,” Emily replied sarcastically, although it made her feel a little better to know that Jax had surrounded himself with people who cared for him.  He’d shared his history with her and she knew that the death of his parents had left him shattered as a teenager.  The service and Connor had given him back what had been taken.  She was trying to do the same now, but couldn’t let on…at least not yet.  “A vehicle just pulled up.  Tinted windows.”

“I see it,” Kevin said, looking over her head.  She didn’t have to turn to know that another glass-paneled door reflected what was behind him.  She involuntarily jerked when he tossed the water bottle
past her.  “Connor, buy this for me along with a bag of chips.  I’ll check out the new customer and meet you in the vehicle.”

Kevin didn’t move like she thought he would, but instead waited for Connor to take his place.  She understood that he was shielding her, but did they really think that if this
were the man hired to kill her that one body would prevent that?  Emily had been so caught up trying to look around Connor to see what was taking place outside that it took her a moment to realize he was staring right at her.

“Connor, it’s good to see you again.”  Emily hadn’t meant for her greeting to sound so formal.  They’d met a few times back when she and Jax had been enjoying each other’s company, but then fate had given her a different path.  She knew how much he meant to Jax.  It was his opinion most of all that she coveted.  “Thank you for helping.”

Connor’s blue eyes were like ice as he looked her over with contempt.  A knot formed in her throat unexpectedly and she tried her best to swallow around it.  She knew exactly what he was going to say, but hearing the words still hurt.

“I’m doing my job.”

“I —”  Emily broke off before she declared her love for Jax.  Did she love him?  Did a week give a person a true insight into another?  Or did she only love what he represented?  Security.  She needed Connor to know that Jax was the only thing that had gotten her through these last two years.  “I’m doing this for Jax.”

“Don’t kid yourself.  You’re doing this for you.”  Connor looked over her head, obviously done with the conversation.  It took her a second to realize that Jax was standing behind her.  “Kevin’s given the all clear, so we’re good to go.”

“Do you want anything?” Jax asked, coming to stand beside her.

“Coffee.”

Emily looked up and saw a completely different man from the one she’d come into the convenience store with.  His hazel eyes seemed to have come to life and he flashed her that smile that had kept her warm at night in her dreams.  When he placed his hand on her lower back, she knew something had changed drastically in the last ten minutes.  Whatever it was seemed to be very misleading and she knew then that she was losing control of whatever thread she’d had left.