Katie Reus - Targeted

“Did that bastard hurt you in any other way?” There was a sharp bite to his question.

Still not trusting herself to speak, she shook her head.

“We’ll take care of your wound later. I hate bringing you with me, but we’ve got to go after them now, Sophie.”

She nodded again. If she started talking, she feared she’d open the floodgates and would never stop crying. And God help her, she refused to let Jack see how much he’d affected her. How he’d basically flayed her insides.

• • •

Sophie was safe and with him. The reality went a long way in letting Jack focus and do his damn job.

His woman was safe.

That was the only thing that mattered. She was quiet and possibly in shock, but she was alive. He kept saying the words over and over, but they did nothing to still the beast raging inside him. That bastard Chadwick would eventually pay.

But first Jack had to catch him. He ran through their options in his head. He needed to upload the information he had to Wesley and he really needed to track Vargas and Chadwick. As a car whizzed past them, he grabbed the small computer case and handed it to Sophie. “Just stay behind me.”

With her injured arm he didn’t like giving her anything to hold, but he needed both hands free. He made his way across the gravelly area until they stood on the edge of the highway. Despite the cooler weather and the ocean breeze, the heat from the black asphalt reflected off the road, warming his entire body.

Glancing in both directions, he said a silent prayer that someone would come along. As if on cue, a green Jeep came barreling across from the other side. No doubt coming from Key West. Jack put one foot out and waved frantically, hoping the driver would slow. As soon as the driver crossed the bridge to their side, he went past them, but slowed and did a U-turn before pulling off a few yards away.

A college-aged guy wearing board shorts and flip-flops got out and walked toward them. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah, my wife hurt her arm and our SUV broke down. We’re just trying to get to Marathon.” Jack hated lying to a Good Samaritan, but there was no other choice.

“I’m heading back to the mainland, but I can get you to an auto shop or something.”

Jack withdrew his weapon and pointed it at him. “Step away from the vehicle.”

The man eyed him warily but took a few steps in the opposite direction. “Are you serious, man? You robbing me?”

“You’ll be compensated. Do you have a phone?”

With his eyes on the gun, the guy nodded and reached into his pocket. “Here, man, take whatever you want.” He tossed it to Jack.

Without turning, Jack called out to Sophie. “Soph, get in the vehicle.” He could hear her moving around behind him and when she slid into the passenger seat, he walked the few feet to the driver’s side and got in.

The road was clear in both directions, so he flipped a quick turn and headed in the direction Chadwick had gone. It was odd they were heading toward the Keys instead of the mainland, but he guessed Chadwick and Vargas had already worked something out. Which meant they were leaving either by private plane or boat very soon. Though it was more likely by boat since Jack knew without even asking that Wesley had grounded all flights in the area—if not the entire state. It was protocol.

He risked a glance at Sophie, who’d been quiet. She was safe. It was pathetic but he kept looking at her, needing to reassure himself of it. “Sophie, honey, check the back and see if there’s a first aid kit.”

“I’m fine,” she croaked out.

Frowning, he looked at her again, but she turned her face away from him to stare out the window. “Sophie, you can tell me if he hurt you in some other way. . . .” His gut twisted as scenarios ran through his head. He’d gut Chadwick if he’d touched Sophie. The guy would never see the inside of a prison cell.

A light sheen of tears glistened in her eyes when she looked back, but she shook her head. “He just cut my arm. I’m fine.” Her voice was tight.

He wanted to pull over and comfort her. Pull her into his arms and make sure she understood she’d never be in danger again as long he was alive. “This nightmare is almost over, Soph. Soon you’ll be able to go back to your life.” When she didn’t respond, he frowned but decided to let it go. She’d been handed a lot of shit the past couple of days. If she needed to decompress in silence, he’d let her. “Can you turn on the computer?”

When she nodded he reached into his pocket and handed her a wireless USB connector. “Once it’s on, connect to the Internet.”

As she started pulling out the computer, he punched Wesley’s number into the stolen phone.

“Yeah?” Wesley barked into the phone.

“It’s me.”

“Where the hell are you and what the hell is going on? All of our GPS trackers have been disabled.”

“Did you get my text?”

“Yeah, Chadwick’s the mole and you’ve put a tracking device on Vargas. Does that about cover it?”

“More or less. Did you figure out which tracker I used?”

His boss snorted. “Yeah, we’re following him now.”

“Where’s he headed?”

“Straight down U.S. 1. Looks like he’s moving through Islamorada now.”

“Have you got him on satellite?”

“No, there’s a problem with the signal. For all we know, Chadwick did something to our system.”

It was highly possible. “I’m going after them. Have you sent another team?”

“They’re preparing to fly out as we speak. . . . How’s Sophie?”

“Shaken up, but she’ll be okay.” She had to be. If she decided that everything that had happened was too much to handle and she wanted nothing to do with him— hell no . Jack wouldn’t think like that.

“Was breaking Vargas out worth your career?”

He glanced at Sophie, who was staring intently at the computer screen. “Yes.”

“You might get jail time.”

“I know.”

Wesley swore loudly. “I can’t believe you did this, Jack. What the hell were you thinking ?”

He was thinking Sophie was the only damn thing that mattered to him. That if he lost her he might as well put a fucking bullet in his head. He’d seen and waded through so much shit the past few years, and while some of it was hard to deal with, losing Sophie—he simply couldn’t do it again. It would be like ripping his own heart out of his chest. As they crossed one of the minibridges, Jack slowed down and pulled into a local gas station. “Hold on, Wesley.” He turned his attention to Sophie. “Can you drive?”

Again she nodded. He wanted to ask her what else was going on, but couldn’t afford to waste the time. If Vargas got away, it was more than likely Jack would go to jail. He knew Wesley would try to pull some strings, but Jack had understood the risk when he made the choice. Even so, he wanted a shot at a life with her.

They quickly switched seats. While Sophie drove, Jack pulled up the files from Chadwick and started e-mailing them to his boss. “Wesley, I’m sending you everything on the computer he gave me. From the looks of it, if these dates and names are real, we’ve got a jump on a few big hits.”

“You better pray this information is good.”

“Believe me, I am—”

“Wait, looks like they’re turning onto Coco Plum Drive. . . . Okay, we’ve got the satellite up. Hold on.”

Jack moved the phone away from his mouth. “Once we cross into Marathon, look for Coco Plum Drive. It’ll be on your left.”

“I know where it is. It leads to the city beach,” Sophie said without looking at him.

Her flat, almost monotone voice sent off alarm bells.

“You there, Jack?” Wesley’s voice came over the line.