Lost and Found (Masters & Mercenaries: The Forgotten #2)(92)

When they’d realized what Green was planning, they’d scattered. Erin and Theo had gotten the cabin, and along with Jax and River, had gone out to open it up. He and Ezra had gone to the Huisman building to collect Becca. Dante, Sasha, and Tucker had handed her over and then gotten in their own vehicles to throw off anyone who might be following them.

“Robert’s driving Ariel and Nina in, but they’re about an hour out. Tucker dumped his truck. Dante and Sasha have him. They should be here any minute.” Jax stood up, looking at Ezra. “You know we don’t have long. Green is going to figure out where we are and he’ll come after all of us. If it comes down to it…”

Ezra put a hand on Jax’s shoulder. “If it comes down to it, you take River and that big mutt of yours and you run. Go to Bliss. They’ll protect you.”

Jax took a deep breath. “Ezra, I don’t…”

The boss shook his head. “You owe your wife everything. I know these men are your brothers, but you made vows to River.”

Hadn’t he made vows to Becca? Not the legal kind, but his body had made a promise to hers. He’d made promises to her. He’d done it with kisses and caresses and words. He’d told her he would take care of her.

And he’d fucking done it. He’d ensured she didn’t end up in Levi Green’s hands. What else was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to forgive her for what she’d done?

“I’m not going anywhere,” a soft voice said.

Jax turned to where his wife stood, Buster sitting at her side. “You damn straight will if this goes to hell. I might have to stay. I might have to deal with the fallout of what McDonald made us do, but you will be safe in Bliss if I even get a hint that Green is on his way.”

River simply joined him. “I believe the words for better or worse were spoken. You’ll find I take those words seriously.” Her face fell as she looked at Becca. “Oh, what did you guys do to her? I told you putting Erin on her was a mistake. Can I go talk to her?”

Ezra shook his head. “Absolutely not. I’m not happy that Owen went in there. We have no idea how she’s going to react or how deeply she’s involved in this. Until we figure out her place and where that box is, I would prefer we keep her exposure to the team to a minimum.”

“She has to know Robert’s involved,” River pointed out. “And if you’re planning on questioning her and letting Ariel talk to her then she’s going to know Jax and I are involved, too. Or we just had a dinner party where we happened to invite the whole team investigating her.”

“She’s got a point,” Jax said.

Ezra cursed under his breath. “Fine. You can talk to her, but later. We need to ask her about the box, but first I would like to know why she mentioned the name Reasor and what she knows about him.”

“Damn it. Does Tucker know she mentioned that name?” Owen asked.

It was Tucker’s greatest fear, that he was the man mentioned in Hope McDonald’s private notes, the man named Reasor. The trouble was Reasor apparently had a nickname among McDonald’s less savory associates. He’d been called Dr. Razor because he cut so deep. Ever since the day a mercenary had called him that, Tucker had been dreading finding out anything about his past.

“I don’t know,” Ezra said. “He didn’t say a word when we picked her up, but then we had to move quickly. I assume we’ll discuss it when he gets here. Now, we have to go back in there and get her talking. So unless you want Dante or Sasha in here questioning her, it’s got to be you and me. Can you handle this?”

No. He wasn’t at all sure he could. He’d nearly broken down when she’d asked for him, and when she’d shuddered in his arms he’d felt her relief at seeing him. It had taken everything he had not to wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be okay. It had been easy to be cold until he’d seen her in Dante’s arms. He’d carried her out the back even as the police had walked in the front, and that fucker Green had been with them. They’d managed to get her out with mere moments to spare.

He’d taken her from Dante’s arms and held her in the back of the van Ezra had driven. All the long drive, he’d held her close and gone over all the reasons he should strap her in and stay away from her. She’d lied. At best she’d been quiet about a project that hurt people. At worst, she’d known exactly what she was doing.

It hadn’t mattered. He’d been the one to carry her into the cabin they’d found. He’d been the one to lay her down on the bed, and he’d sat there until he’d noticed she was starting to wake.

Now he was the one who couldn’t stop wanting to hold her.

“She needs some time.” He looked down at Jax’s screen. She was sitting with her back against the wall, tears streaming down her face, but there was a stubborn set to her jaw. She was weak but she wasn’t out. If he had to bet, he would say she was scared.

“We don’t have time. I think we need to be ready to move in forty-eight hours tops,” Ezra said. “If we decide she’s worth the risk, we’ll take her with us. If she can’t help us, we’ll leave her behind.”

“For Levi Green?” The thought sent a wave of anger through him. “I’m not allowing him to arrest her. We have no idea what he’ll do to her. Or rather we do. He’ll take her someplace where he doesn’t have to follow Geneva Convention rules.”