The Pawn (Shattered Series Book 1) (31 page)

Finally, he spoke again. “But, you’re not.”

“
Of course, I’m not
,” Clint stated matter-of-factly. “But, you with all your boasting of being unfeeling, it’s the furthest thing from the truth.
You are human
. And I’m willing to bet that day and night, you’re tormented by what happened back then. How many sleepless nights have you had? Realizing that you’re a failure and that your bitch is dead because of you? And what about the ‘thing’ that’s too horrible for you to mention? Yes, it’s more than blatantly obvious that you’d struggle with that failure as well.” His laugh was cruel and short. “Too bad they didn’t get the opportunity to do the same to that pretty little girl of yours. What’s her name---oh yeah, Meghan…Just the thought of tasting that sweet innocence is enough to make me get hard---”

The violent growl left Jarrod as he bolted from the chair and sent it careening into the corner. He rushed across the room. Though the assassin was weighty, the chair nearly toppled over as he rammed into him with brute force.

Moving with an agility that was both swift and frightening, he moved to the back of the chair. Only the anger served him as he locked his arm against the man’s thick neck. “Don’t you ever fucking say anything like that about my daughter, you filthy son-of-a-bitch!”

Any control that he’d had, he lost it in that very moment. Bearing his weight against the floor, he tightened his hold and increased the pressure against the man’s throat. Through the red haze, he faced the fury, and nothing else breached past the swirling colors. At the edges of his conscience, the present and past collided, and he fed the naked rage that lapped within him.

In the background, he heard the man’s chortled gasps, but it did little to hasten his actions. Guided by nothing but pure instincts, Jarrod stared down at the assassin with cold intent. “Fuck you...fuck Addison,” he muttered coldly, detached. “All of you---I’m going to send you straight to hell where you belong.”

Grunting, eyes bulging, the assassin fought to breathe.

With a loud crash, the door flew open and slammed against the wall, ushering in a concerned wide-eyed Javier. Upon seeing them, he released a string of burning expletives. “Shit! Jarrod, don’t!” Javier shouted, rushing to them, and struggled to pull him off the assassin. “Let him go, damn it! He’s not worth it!”

But, he was too far gone…

And the past collided with the present---

Like a shutter, the events played before him, and the stir of a thousand echoes rushed within his conscience. “
No
,” he whispered, anguished, and the scalding tears burned his eyes. “
No
.”

Yet, the horrible memories prevailed…

“Jarrod, please. I can’t leave you…I can’t…please. I love you---”

“Shhh,” he whispered, cradling her close, and couldn’t see past the burning tears. “Just hold on, a little longer. Please…”

Eyes off-centered, Caitlyn looked at him with a dazed expression. “Meghan,” she gasped, shuddering with pain. “Did they hurt her? Please, tell me they didn’t. W-where’s my sweet baby girl? And Colin, he was up there with me.” She grasped his shirt weakly. “At first, I could hear him, but then, then…”

Incredibly weakened, Caitlyn sagged against him, and nearly went unconscious. But, she forced her eyes open. “Where is he? Our son---”

           The burning tears burned his vision.

           No words ventured past the pain.

          How could he dare utter the awful truth?

          Staring down into her badly bruised face, he hugged her closer. “Shhh, just rest…save your strength.”

“Promise me that you’ll take care of our babies,” she whispered, grasping the front of his ripped, bloody shirt. “Promise me that you will.”

He struggled to find the words.

His pent-up tears broke free, and his large body shook violently.

          Again, the truth was too damaging, and in the dark moment, didn’t she deserve solace?

“I promise…I promise…” he whispered.

As the pain seared through her again, she stiffened against him. Then, she held his gaze. “Say that you’ll love me and only me.”

“I love you,” he said hoarsely. “Always.”

Giving a painful gasp, she shuddered against him. Finally, she went limp in his arms. Eyes wide open, she stared at him lifelessly.

Like a vicious roar, the echoes stirred. But, somewhere, at the dark cresses of his mind, he heard Javier’s frantic voice.

“Damn it, Jarrod! Let him go!” Javier shouted. “Shit! I hate to go there. But, you’ll thank me for this later.”

As the hard blow landed against his face, Jarrod came back to the present. Stunned, dazed, he staggered across the room and fought to catch his bearings. Finally, the shadows took shape, and he found himself facing a belligerent Javier.

“Focus on this the right way! Think of what you stand to lose!” Javier shouted, collaring him, and looked him squarely in the eye. “I know the bastard stinks like shit, because he is pure shit! But, you’re better than this, Sabatino. Don’t let them win, and if you kill him, they will!”

“Listen to your lover,” Clint breathed between ragged, short breaths. “Aren’t you already shackled with enough guilt? No need to add my death to your sick dying conscience---”

“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted, shoving against Javier hard, but he was unable to breach against his physical hold. “I’m going to finish what I started--!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Javier urged, gripping his shoulders with a firm hold. “Calm down---you got this, man. He’s trying you, right now, and seeing how far he can push you. Don’t play into his hands. Don’t let him make you lose your cool. That’s what the bastard wants. Don’t give him the satisfaction. Now,” he said, breathing fast because of the strength it took to hold him back. “I’m going to let you go. But, I want you to concentrate on the good things---Olivia and Meghan. They’re in your corner. They always have been. They always will be.” Eyeing him close, Javier released him and backed away. “Think on that.”

But, weren’t they the very things he was fighting for, he raged inwardly, breathing hard and staggered away from him. And if he didn’t protect them, would he lose them like he’d lost---

Releasing a violent curse, Jarrod charged blindingly to the far side of the room. As he faced the wall, he braced shaky hands against it and fought the war raging inside him. “Fuck that son-of-bitch!” he yelled, breathing fast, and punched the wall hard. Over and over, he pounded it, ignoring the jagged splinters cutting into his flesh. “Hasn’t Addison taken enough from me already? He can’t win. Not this time!”

Shaking violently, taking a shuddering breath, he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm. Through the confused haze, he felt Javier’s presence as he stepped behind him. When his friend laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, he flinched, but still Javier didn’t pull away.

And for a moment, he just stood there, facing the wall, and struggled against the great sense of loss that’d enveloped him for years.

A tense second later, composed, he turned to face Javier and blew a hard breath. “I’m alright.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Moving past Javier, he crossed the room again, stopping before the assassin. “The only thing this piece of garbage needs is a padded cell. By his own admission, he’s committed a series of crimes here already, and with a murder rap abroad as well as this kill-for-hire plot, the SOB will never see daylight.”

“If we can get enough proof against him, I’m betting on a life sentence or worse. We need to contact Marc and see what more information we can get on him. More than likely he has a rap sheet a mile long,” Javier said, stopping at his right, and passed the assassin a cold smile. “Just more fire to make an iron-clad case.”

“A hot trail that connects him to Addison is vital. We have to find substantial evidence through other sources and outlets if we’re going to put him and his organization out of commission. We’re not giving up. We’re going to end his reign of terror once and for all---”

The click of the handgun stopped him cold. “Afraid that’s not going to happen, good men. Unfortunately, the end is near for the both of you. Don’t worry. You’ll have a proper burial with plastic cellophane wrap and a dirt grave. We’ll even strew a few of your body parts as mementos for the hungry vultures,” Tomas said, pressing the barrel of the gun between his shoulder blades. “Like they say, payback’s a bitch.”

Chapter 16

          
9:30 pm.

The hour wasn’t extremely late, Olivia mulled, but couldn’t dispel her concern.

But, it’d been hours since Jarrod and Javier had departed, and they hadn’t mentioned that they’d be gone this long.
Not that Jarrod said anything at all
, she reminded herself, biting her lip. And she’d be lying to herself if she’d said that she hadn’t noticed their tension. To top that off, he wasn’t returning any of her calls or texts which was so unlike him.

Finally, giving up all pretenses, she tossed the magazine onto the glass table and left the sofa. Following the sound of Meghan’s and Maria’s laughter, she trailed in that direction.

When she happened upon the girly-styled bedroom, she stopped in the doorway. Sitting on the floor in a perfect circle, Luna, Maria, and Meghan sang a sweet lullaby with both Spanish and English lyrics. From the doorway, hearing the words of prayer, she felt the fresh sting of tears.

Not breaking from the song, Luna looked away from the girls and met her gaze. The bright tears glistened in her brown eyes, and even she couldn’t disguise her worry. But, it was apparent that Luna fought to hide her troubled thoughts from the girls.

And that was best, she agreed silently, taking in the girl’s innocent cheery faces. The darkness had no right to steal their joy.

“Join us?” Luna asked, extending a hand. “We’ll teach you the words.”

“Yes,” she nodded, struggling to compose herself, and moved from the door. “It sounds beautiful, and I’d like to learn it.”

When she reached them, she grabbed Luna’s hand before sinking to the floor, and they both drew strength from the other. In time, she was singing along with them, and with all hope, their prayers would be answered, she prayed silently.

Thirty minutes later, they were tucking the girls into bed. Adorned in pink and frilly princess-styled bedding, the canopy beds sat adjacent to each other. On her right, Luna was already speaking softly to Maria and readying her for bed. Again, the mother and daughter were a beautiful wholesome sight with their identical features, and their mutual love and adoration filled the room.

Turning her attention from them, she smiled down at Meghan. “Night-night time, you little munchkin.”

“That’s what I am, isn’t it?” Meghan giggled, slapping her tiny hands over her mouth. “Especially after all those cookies I had.”

“That’s our little secret, remember?” she teased, tapping Meghan’s nose playfully. “You know how your father feels about sweets after dark.”

The girl looked at her shyly. “But, today’s special.”

“Of course, today’s special, silly. Everyday with you is always so,” she smiled, brushing a gentle hand along the child’s cheek. “I cherish every moment that we have together.”

“But, it’s not just special,” Meghan whispered, and huge tears pooled in her eyes. “
But, really special…and---and..
.”

At the sight of the child’s tears, her eyes filled with them, too. “Hey, sweetie, what is it? Why the long face and tears?” she prodded gently.

Meghan closed a tiny hand around hers. “Will you lay down with me, just for a moment? Please, Livvy,” the little girl pleaded.

At some point, Luna had left the room, and surprisingly, Maria was already fast asleep.

“Of course, I will,” she agreed.

Wiggling, Meghan scooted over as she climbed on and lay beside her. Propping up on her elbow, she faced the child. To her chagrin, Meghan’s little lips quivered as her tears spilled over.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” she asked, speaking low as to not awaken Maria, and placed a comforting hand on her small shoulder. “Remember our pact---we can tell each other anything and everything.”

“I’m trying not to, but I’m worried about Daddy,” she sniffed, wiping a hand across her wet face. “He’s never ever late. And he always tells me that he loves me and gives me a kiss before I go to bed. But, he’s not here.”

She batted back tears.

What exactly could she say without lying?

How could she possibly reveal the sick feeling that something awful had happened?

In the last moments, especially, a strange feeling had exuded through her and unexplainable pain resonated, she realized.

“He and Uncle Javier had to take care of a few things, and they’ll be back soon. I promise,” she hedged cautiously, being careful with her words, and forced herself to meet her gaze. “Listen to me. No one and I mean no one is more important to your father than you. Always keep that truth close to your heart, okay?”

“Okay,” Meghan said, lips quivering. “My Daddy always fills my heart, and I love him more than this big whole world.” Snuggling closer to her, the child looked at her shyly. “I have to tell you something, Livvy, and it’s important.”

She smiled at her. “And what’s that?”

“Today’s special because I figured out something big on my own--all by myself. It’s this. I want you to be my new mommy, and I want to be your little girl,” Meghan sobbed quietly. “I want you to stay with me and Daddy forever. I love you, Livvy.”

Lips trembling, she couldn’t hold back the tears. “I love you, too, sweetheart, and I love your father very, very much. And I promise you that I’m not going anywhere. We will be a family.
We are a family
.”

Overcome with emotions, the child clung to her, and together, they held on.

Several moments later, after Meghan had fallen asleep, she was treading along the hallway that led to the living area. Upon reaching it, she found a despondent Luna sitting on the sofa with a lost expression on her face.

“Where are they? Did Javier mention where they’d gone?” she asked, not able to hide the panic in her voice. “They’ve been gone for hours.”

“No, I don’t know where they are,” Luna said, numbly, raising tear-filled eyes to hers. “Javier only said that they’d be gone for a couple of hours. I’ve called him several times and he hasn’t answered. And I’ve even contacted some of our closest friends here. No one has seen them.”

“I’ve called Jarrod, too, at least a dozen times,” she whispered, gripping the front of her shirt with a trembling hand. “He hasn’t picked up either. That’s not like him at all.”

Nearly staggering, she crossed the room.

“Something’s wrong,” Olivia whispered, dropping to the floor before her. As she grabbed Luna’s hand in hers, the pent-up tears broke free. “
I can feel it
. I know you can, too.”

Along with them, the echoing silence embraced the same truth.

***

The smells and sounds of the cagey jungle…

They were as potent as ever.

And the cold hard ground was filled with slithering creatures of all sorts.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Jarrod awakened with a hard jolt. Wincing, he absorbed the throbbing pain at the back of his skull. To say that it hurt like hell was an understatement, he thought, sucking in a hard breath.               Not only that, the tightly coiled rope around his wrists was cutting red welts into his flesh and burned like fire. Not to mention his bound ankles.

Just how much time had elapsed since they’d been dumped like yesterday’s garbage in the jungle and propped against the huge trees?

He shot a fast gaze around.

Just where were their captors?

Cursing under his breath, grunting hard, he strained against the binds, and through a bloody swollen, badly cracked eye, he made out Javier’s slumped figure a few feet away. But, he’d had yet to come to.

Mustering all his strength, he strained against the ropes again, but it was to no avail. They were deeper in the jungle and miles away now, he realized, sending a scattered look around. Of course, it was all to the effect of making their murders untraceable, and in these deep jungles, it was far manageable.

It was called Dead Man’s Hill for a reason, he noted without humor. But, he sure in hell didn’t plan on dying.

Not just yet…

The darkness bathed the jungle, but the moon was their ally as it shone some light within it. Shadows and obscured shapes, strangely grotesque, danced across the mossy floor. They loomed at different angles, slashing along and from the huge jungle trees.

As the birds cried out overhead, he looked up.

In a huge black mass, they circled together before scattering in a streamlined formation towards a new destiny. As they did, the jungle leaves shuddered, sending a flurry of them to the ground. Like green gems, they peppered him, falling across his bloody, soiled clothing.

Ignoring the throbbing pain at his temples, he fought to remember their last moments. There’d been a struggle in the cabin. But, the captors had managed to gain the upper hand.

For miles, at gunpoint, they’d been led like sick, wounded dogs into the thicket of green, lush vegetation. Again, taking advantage of another opportunity, he and Javier had put up a fight, only with it leading them to this moment.

From across the way, Javier groaned as he stirred, and then, jerking against the tree, he became alert.

“Hey, you alright?” Jarrod breathed, sucking in a deep breath.

Even in the darkness, Javier’s wince was visible. “Yeah, and you?”

“Never been better,” he said roughly. “And we, my friend, are going to have to pit those two son-of-bitches against each other if we want to live. It’s our last shot.”

“Where in the hell are they?” Javier asked, looking around. “They can’t be that far.”

As if on cue, they heard rising voices in the distance, and already it seemed that the captors were heavily embroiled in an argument.

“They’re not far off,” he warned, sending a sharp gaze to his left, and while he couldn’t make out anything, it was clear that they weren’t within earshot.

He bit back a violent curse. “We walked right into their trap.”

“And we’re about to set the deadly trap now,” Javier said in turn, shifting on the ground. “Keep your eyes and ears open. When you spot them, get my attention.”

“I hope that you have a plan because at the moment, I don’t have one,” he muttered, frowning as Javier wiggled closer to the tree. “What are you doing?”

“The son-of-a-bitches were so eager to jump that they didn’t bother to check my back pocket. My dear friend, Thompson is going to come to our rescue.”

“Thompson?” he asked, and the relief surged through him. “You mean the marksman pocket knife that you’ve been carrying around since your naval combat days?”

“The one and the only,” Javier bragged, squinting in the darkness, and obviously, he’d located the weapon since a wide grin split across his face. “Yes! I’ve got it. I’m about to prove that all those years of secret military combat weren’t for naught.”

“If there were ever a time to prove it, it’s now,” he muttered, straightening against the tree. “Our very lives depend on it.”

The voices edged closer.

“Well, speak of the devils. Here they come,” he said lowly, spying their approaching figures, a short distance away. “While you and Thompson work your magic, I’ll distract them. Unfortunately, at the moment, all I have to offer is sharp wit and cunning edginess.”

“Often times, those very attributes are deadlier than any blow,” Javier whispered fast, edging closer to the tree, and thankfully, the darkness masked his quiet movements. “Play them up, Sabatino. We have to make it out of here alive.”

“Don’t worry. Only two people are going to make it out of these jungles.
But, it won’t be them
.”

The wide bushes parted as the captors pushed through, and stopped amid the small clearing.

“Well, well, well. It seems that our pigeons have awakened,” Clint smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes, and positioned the pistol close to his body. “Are you boys up to more fun?”

Standing at the captor’s left side, Tomas snickered before sparing a glance at Javier. Then, crossing the space, he moved to him before kicking his shin. “Nothing more than a begging fool, now are you, Javier? Guess it’ll be up to me to deliver the sad news to Luna. Old girl is about to become a grieving widow.”

“You’ll regret this,” Javier vowed, staring up at Tomas. “I swear on my life that you will.”

“With a threat like that I’ll have to offer her more than my condolences,” Tomas winked. “Not to mention being a surrogate father to sweet Maria---”

“I’ll see you in hell first,” Javier vowed.

Across the way, he gave Javier a silent warning.

Relax…

With a deep chuckle, Clint hauled Tomas away. “Now, now, don’t taunt him in his last hours. Maybe he does deserve a little reprieve. He’s not as much as a wise-ass like his partner here, right?” Clint muttered, swinging a sharp look at him. “As for
you
…You deserve nothing, especially after your antics in the cabin.”

“Oh, are you meaning the part where I almost killed you?” Jarrod warned, his voice deadly and low. “I should’ve finished the job then.”