Jake shot out of his chair and slapped his hands down onto the table, locking his arms at the elbows. He let his anger towards the agent fly.
“Fuck you! You really think that reverse psychology bullshit is going to work on me?Jesus, man. How long have we known each other?”
“Long enough for me to know I’m right. That woman means a hell of a lot more to you than just a friend, or you wouldn’t have risked everything the way you did to extract revenge on those assholes. Well, guess what, McQueen?” The agent leaned forward again. “I’ve just handed you your golden fucking opportunity.”
He waved his hand out over the mess of papers and pictures. “I’m giving you and your team full access to the men who caused your girl so much pain and grief. This time, with full, government backing.”
When Jake didn’t respond, the Homeland agent stood, pointing at the pictures. “These bastards are the sole reason Olivia was taken, Jake. They’re responsible for her being beaten and nearly sold. Had that happened, she would’ve been assaulted, over and over again. Then, when her buyer finally got tired of her, he’d have either traded her off for someone else, or put a bullet in her brain.”
Jake swallowed back vomit, his body battling against the images Ryker’s words created in his mind while the other man kept on.
“What do you think they’ll do when they find out she’s still alive? Sick fucks like these will probably see her as a hot commodity. After all, she’s the one that got away.”
The agent paused, the edge in his voice softening slightly. “Look, Jake. I know you don’t want to leave her, but these men have long fucking arms that reach clear across the globe. Now, if they were smart, they wouldn’t even think about coming after your girl again. Especially not on U.S. soil. The question is, are you really willing to risk Olivia’s life on the intelligence of a bunch of lowlife scumbags?” Ryker stopped there because he knew his words had begun to resonate.
Jake looked back down at the scattered photos. He started to reach for one when he realized his entire body was shaking from the murderous rage he felt toward Cetro and these four men.
Fury vibrated through him as he thought of the pain and suffering Olivia had been forced to endure, and from the irrational hatred he currently felt for the man now standing across from him. Because, Ryker was right. About goddamn all of it.
These guys could come after Liv again, either to sell her for even more money than before, or to make her pay. If their disgusting operation gets shut down—which it will—those left standing will ultimately blame Olivia for their demise.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Jake closed his eyes, sighing with resolve. He hated this. Fuckinghatedit. But Ryker—the bastard—was right. No way in hell would Jake trust anyone else to do what needed to be done to protect his woman.
Which meant he was leaving tonight. Leavingher.Yeah, it was to ensure her safety, but it still fucking sucked.
Jake opened his eyes and straightened his shoulders.
“When do we leave?”
“The plane is fueled up and ready to go. Your team has already been debriefed. They’re waiting for you at our private airstrip. I’m sending two of my best agents with you, since you’re down two.”
“We’re leavingnow? What about Liv—” Jake turned around, only to find the room where Olivia had been questioned dark and empty.
Sonofabitch.He’d been so focused—first, on reading the intel in the file, then with his conversation with Ryker—that he hadn’t noticed she’d been moved. His head swung back around.
“Where is she?” Jake demanded.
Ryker slowly walked around the table toward Jake. In his calm, government agent stature, he said, “She’s being transported to an isolated location.”
Panic quickly made its way through Jake’s veins. Christ, with all the intense emotions hitting him lately, it was a wonder he could still stand upright.
“Isolated location? What the hell are you talking about?”
Ryker put his hands palms-up and spoke calmly. “She’s perfectly safe, Jake. She’s with Mansfield and Brunor. They’re taking her to get cleaned up and prepped for her public statement.”
Jake’s team had worked the two agents on a couple of previous ops. They were solid, but still—
“A press conference?Seriously?” Jake took a large step forward, getting right into the other man’s face. “She’s only been back a few hours, and you expect her to go on goddamn television and spill her guts about what happened? Jesus Christ, Jason...are you really that fucking heartless, or just plain stupid?”
To Ryker’s credit, he didn’t so much as break a sweat.
“Look, Jake. This is big. For weeks, she’s been thought dead by the entire world. Her death, along with the others’, made national headlines. Every nationally syndicated news station played their stories practically on loop. Her face has been seen by millions. It’s the face of a dead woman. Did you really think she could just fall right back into her old life and pick up where she left off?”
“Of course not,” Jake scoffed. “I just didn’t expect you to splash her face all over the fucking news two seconds after we came back.” He turned away to keep himself from punching Ryker’s smug face. “Fuck!” He fisted the back of his neck, staring at the empty room once more.
The other man continued talking to Jake’s back. “First of all, it’s not a press conference. Her statement will be recorded. Second, by doing it this way, we get to controlhowshe’s brought back. We control the place and what’s said. Do you honestly think some random person recognizing her on the street and causing a scene would be better for her?”
