For the first few weeks in captivity, I cried every day for David and the loss I feel. The last few weeks, I have been in survival mode, and nothing I do will bring David back. What did they tell his parents about his death? Did Vrennikov dispose of his body, so it was never found? My stepfather, Thomas, may not have even listed me as missing, or my father’s family would have turned over every rock until they found me. Did David’s parents question my disappearance after his death? There are so many questions bouncing around in my head that I’m not quite sure which direction to go in for my future. I think I will lie low until I have a better plan of action.
Chapter Three
Happenstance:
*coincidence. *a chance happening or event.
~Snake~
“Snake, do you think they’re going to make it?”
Jim is the first to voice what we all are thinking. Standing on the boat dock waiting with Case and Jim has my nerves on edge. Jim’s statement just makes me that much more nervous. It’s a long ass boat ride from Montauk, NY, to Boston Harbor and we haven’t heard from them since the emergency call came in to meet them in four hours. A lot can happen on the water in the dark, and all Jax has is his FBI partner to back him up. That’s not good odds. Not that I think Sav is incapable, but he doesn’t have any SEAL training, so that concerns me. “Yeah, Jax knows what he’s doing.”
I knew Jax was going undercover as a dominance trainer in a human trafficking organization. He called before he disappeared asking me to be on call and ready for anything. I never understood why he went into the FBI after we all retired; Lord knows he has plenty of money to live the high life without working. When he explained his need to be of service and help people, I understood because I have the same need. A man doesn’t just go from saving lives and taking out bad guys to sitting around with our thumb up our ass. I guess that is why I went into private security.
Jax and I are supposed to be flying to Costa Rica, and Case and Jim are going with Savage to take three of the women into protective custody. I am curious to find out why Jax is taking the fourth woman to Costa Rica instead of protective custody, but I’m sure he will tell me when he’s ready. I don’t always agree on Jax’s antics, but unless I think he’s putting an innocent’s life in danger, I will always have his back. He was our Seal team leader for eight years and my brother since day one. I might have even gone off the deep end a few times if it wasn’t for him.
“Two miles out,” Jim barks.
He hands me the binoculars and I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God my old commander won’t have my ass for sinking his boat. I didn’t tell him I was letting a rookie take it to Montauk, only that Jax needed it for undercover work. He was more than happy to oblige his golden boy; at the same time grumbling that he would report it stolen before we drug him down with us.
As the boat pulls in, Savage and Jax look a little worse for wear, but the unconscious bundle Jax is holding looks even worse. Holy shit! I hope they didn’t lose any of the women during the escape. I reach down to take his charge and he shakes his head no, shifts her around a little and holds out his hand for me to pull him up. Well, that’s new. I’ve never seen Jax react to a woman this way before; he’s almost possessive.
Sav steps down into the back and draws a blanket off of three women huddled together. The redhead is the first to stand, and when she looks my way her iridescent blue eyes lock on mine and go wide. She looks a little reluctant to hold out her hand but braves it anyway with fire in her eyes. The second our hands make contact a shock wave travels up my arm. She glances down at my hand that is still gripping hers and pulls away quickly. I wonder if she felt that too? I quickly help the other two women up and glance back to see the redhead already climbing into the SUV assisted by Case. Damn, I was hoping to get a better look. I hear Jims yes sir and no sir in the background, confirming that he is already on the phone with our old commander negotiating the return of his boat. I look at my truck to see Jax is already settled into the back seat still holding the unconscious woman. That is my cue to head to the airport. Case is the first to leave, driving away in seconds with the three women. Damn; all that in less than ten minutes. That is how it always is when you work with Navy Seals, in and out in less than ten; that was our team’s motto anyway.
The first half of our flight into Costa Rica is relatively quiet. When I glance back, I see Jax bent over Victoria speaking to her quietly. Well, quietly in an airplane is a relative term. Within a few minutes, he slides into the cockpit looking dejected.
“You lost her?”
“Yeah. Tori has been through some unimaginable shit and created her own panic room inside her head. I don’t know what she’s going to do once she knows I’ve taken her out of the country. God, Snake, I just couldn’t imagine placing her in protective custody with the others and leaving her safety in someone else’s hands.”
‘Why don’t you just try to be honest with her?”
“I will in my own time. You don’t understand how it was in The House. I couldn’t
