Last week, while preparing to return home, her camp had been ambushed by what authorities were calling ‘local drug runners’. The theory was, they’d been looking for whatever drugs or cash the Americans may have had. The killing was just for fun.
Jake's teeth ground together painfully. What the hell was she thinking, going into a place as volatile as that? Sure, Madagascar had some beautiful parts, but it also had more than its share of problems.
From what had been reported, the number of illegal incidents always increased after the often-occurring hurricanes. The more damaging the storm, the higher the crime rate.
Jesus Christ. Didn’t anyone in the organization she’d been traveling with check this shit out?
Jake ran his hand over the scruff on his jaw. Damn it, she had no business going there. He then huffed out a breath and shook his head because, despite the danger, it was exactly the type of thing she would’ve done.
Olivia was an emergency room nurse at Dallas Regional. It was one of the largest and busiest hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and she was damn good at her job. Knowing there were hundreds, possibly thousands of people injured or displaced from the storm, and there was a chance she could do something to help? Hell yeah, she’d have wanted to go.
A sharp chuckle escaped from his throat. Even if Jake had tried to stop her, she’d have put up one hell of a fight. Like her brother, Olivia Bradshaw was stubborn to the core. If someone needed help and she could provide it, there would have been no stopping her. He sure as fuck still would’ve tried.
One corner of his mouth turned up sadly at the thought. As crazy as it sounded, he would have enjoyed the hell out of that fight. When she was happy, Olivia could light up a room. Angry Olivia? Sexy. As. Hell.
But she hadn't told him about the trip. Why didn’t she tell me?
His half-smile slipped as the question entered his thoughts. To be fair, depending on how far in advance she’d known about it, she may not have had the chance.
Homeland had sent Jake and his team across the globe to save some white-collar stiff, who’d been way too drunk—and too fucking stupid—to not know better than to wander off into hostile territory alone.
Naturally, the man was abducted and held for ransom. Jake’s team had gone in, rescued the guy, and brought him back home safely. During that same time, Jake had no idea his entire life had been ripped from his hands forever.
His ringtone blared, startling him. A clue to just how bad off he really was. Looking at his screen, he saw that it was Trevor Matthews, his close friend and second in command. He must have seen the news, too.
Trevor was the only other member of the team who’d actually met Olivia. Not wanting the dangers associated with his work to touch her, Jake had never intended for her to meet any member of R.I.S.C. Fate had other plans.
One afternoon, he and Trevor inadvertently found themselves at the same restaurant as Olivia. Pure coincidence, but once she’d spotted them, there’d been no avoiding her.
At her insistence, the trio ended up sharing a booth. Trevor and Olivia hit it off almost immediately. As with Jake, she didn’t know what Trev really did, but despite Jake’s efforts to keep her separated from that part of his life, the two had quickly become friends.
His phone rang again, but Jake ignored the call. Part of him felt guilty. Losing Olivia, especially in such a violent manner, would most likely dredge up some nasty shit from Trevor’s past. Jake just didn’t have it in him to console anyone else, right now.
The ringing stopped. It was quickly followed by a new voicemail notification and then, blessed silence. His respite didn’t last long, though.
Mac called next, and then Coop. It came as no surprise that his team was reaching out to him. The others may not have met Olivia, but they all knew about her.
They were aware that he, Olivia, and Mike had all grown up together, and she was like family to him. Jake made it clear from the start that, should something ever happen to him, she was to be taken care of and protected. He just happened to leave out the part about her being the love of his life.
When the ringing started back up again, Jake was ready to chuck the fucking phone across the room. He stopped himself mid-motion when he saw the caller’s name.
Derek West was the brains behind R.I.S.C. When it came to digging up intel, there wasn’t anything the man couldn’t find out. Maybe D can help.
Twisted wheels began to turn, and an idea formed. Ignoring the fact that it clearly stemmed from his grief-driven denial, Jake answered the call.
“Yeah.” Jake cringed at the sound of his gravelly voice.
“Boss, I just saw. Was it her? Was it really your Olivia they’re talking about?”
My Olivia. A sharp pain spread throughout his chest. Blinking quickly, it took him a minute to answer past the knot in his throat. “That’s what they’re saying.”
A rush of air passed through the phone. “Damn, man. I’m sorry. What can I do?” His southern drawl was thicker than normal, a telling sign of just how pissed off D was at hearing the news.
Jake knew the guy meant well, but Derek’s sympathy was like nails on a fucking chalkboard. Right now, it was the last thing he wanted to hear.
“I need you to pull up everything you can find on this. I need to know”—he drew in a steadying breath and cleared his throat—“I need confirmation that she’s really gone.”
There was a brief pause, and then, “It was her group, boss. I mean, from what they’re sayin’...I
