Her Rogue Alpha (X-Ops Book 5) (25 page)

He wasn’t going to think about that. Right then, he was simply going to hold on to Layla and enjoy being with the woman he loved while doing the job he loved.

* * *

“You ready to do this?” Landon asked Ivy as he pulled the SUV up in front of Thorn’s mansion.

It was late at night—or early in the morning, depending on your definition of that kind of thing—but she had no doubt Thorn would still be awake since they’d called him about an hour ago and said they’d be dropping by with his stolen property.

Frasier opened the door before they could ring the bell. Thorn was waiting in the foyer, a frown on his face. He barely glanced at the diamond when she handed it over. Mostly because he was too busy glaring at them.

“Why the hell didn’t you call when you figured out who stole it?” he demanded. “I thought I was quite clear that I wanted Frasier to handle the actual recovery?”

“You were,” Landon said. “But to be truthful, we didn’t know for sure the guy we were going to see tonight was the thief.”

“We knew we were never going to find out who stole your diamond working with Hayes, and since the bodies of known thieves kept turning up, we did our own digging,” Ivy added, elaborating on the story that she, Landon, and John had come up with. “We looked for other people who had the requisite skills but who’d been excluded from the detective’s suspect pool for some reason.”

“We came up with a couple people and went to talk to one of them—Daniel Abbott—down at his warehousing business near the Navy Yard tonight,” Landon said. “Twenty years ago, Abbott was picked up and questioned in connection with nearly a dozen jewelry heists, but nothing ever stuck to him, even though the detective on the case back then was sure he was the guy.”

“Wait a minute,” Thorn said, holding up his hand. “Are you trying to tell me that it was some washed-up thief who broke into my home and stole my property? What, did he just decide to come out of retirement because his mutual funds had taken a beating in the market?”

When he put it that way, it did sound a little crazy. Ivy prayed that Kendra and Evan had done a flawless job on Abbott’s fake background because she had no doubt Thorn was going to dig into the poor guy’s former life with a microscope. In reality, Daniel Abbott was a marine salvage dealer who’d been unfortunate enough to pass away the previous night from a heart attack in his shop down near Washington Navy Yard. Other than the fact that the man had absolutely no family and very few friends, there was nothing remarkable about him. Which is why Kendra had selected him as their thief.

Ivy hated the idea of messing with a dead man’s life by giving him a police record, making it look like he’d been involved with a string of unsolved burglaries in DC nearly twenty years ago, and creating a fake history that was going to live on forever. But it was either destroy one man’s past or accept that Dreya Clark probably wouldn’t have a future. It simply had to be done.

“We knew it was a long shot, which is why we didn’t bother to call you or Frasier,” Ivy admitted. “It wasn’t until we got to the warehouse that we figured out Abbott was the guy. We caught him right in the middle of getting ready to leave the country with your diamond.”

“Where the hell is he?” Frasier growled. “You better not have turned him over to the cops before Mr. Thorn gets to speak to him.”

“It never got that far,” Landon said. “We found out the hard way that Abbott had been planning to blow up the warehouse so it would look like he was dead. After we cornered the man, he tried to use the bomb he’d rigged to get away from us and ended up collapsing half the building on his own head.”

Thorn’s eyes widened. “Are you talking about the building that burned to the ground down by the Anacostia River earlier?”

Ivy nodded.

“How’d you get the diamond back?” Thorn asked.

“That was all Ivy,” Landon said. “She ran into the building while it was still falling down and got Abbott’s backpack before the fire took it. If it weren’t for her, you never would have gotten your diamond back.”

Thorn regarded her thoughtfully, as if wondering whether this was all too good to be true.

“We barely got out before the cops and firefighters showed up,” Ivy added, trying to make it seem as if running into a burning building to retrieve a diamond had been no big deal.

“Did you find anything else in the backpack?” Thorn asked.

Ivy just knew Thorn was going to ask that. She made a show of looking at Landon with the proper amount of confusion. “You mean besides the diamond?”

“Yes. Besides the diamond.”

Standing next to Thorn, Frasier eyed them suspiciously.

“The pack was mostly full of clothes,” Landon said. “There was a black lockbox of some kind too, but it was badly damaged in the explosion. We pried it open some and found what looked like silver rocks in it. Ivy and I figured they were uncut stones of some kind from another job the guy had done. We thought we’d take them back to the DCO so they could figure out what kind of gems they are and who they belong to.”

“The box belongs to me,” Thorn said sharply. “Where is it?”

Landon frowned. “You never mentioned any other stones. If you had, it might have helped us find Abbott earlier.”

Thorn’s mouth tightened. “I was mostly concerned with the diamond and wanted you focused on that. Now, if you have the rest of my property, I’d like to have it back.”

Landon exchanged looks with Ivy. “It’s outside in the SUV. I’ll go get it.”

Thorn nodded to Frasier, indicating he should go, too.

While Landon went outside with Frasier, Ivy chatted with Thorn about Abbott and how they had tracked down the man. She kept all her answers vague, knowing that Thorn would verify every word she said later.

Landon came back a few moments later, Frasier in tow. “I wish you’d mentioned the thief had taken something else besides the diamond. We might have been able to get this thing back undamaged if we had known about it.”

Frasier walked over to Thorn and opened the outside pocket of the pack, showing the contents to his boss. Thorn glanced inside, then looked at her and Landon. Ivy held her breath. This was the moment of truth. If Lisa and Karl had done a poor job with their fake hard drive, Thorn would know it, despite how smashed up it was. Then who knew what the hell he’d do?

“I owe you two a very special thanks,” Thorn said. “The fact that you recovered my property is of far more importance to me than the damage to it. I have a certain reputation to uphold, and by getting these articles back, that reputation is still well intact, even if the man who took them is dead.”

She and Landon stayed for a few more minutes before Frasier showed them out. Landon didn’t say anything until they’d climbed in the SUV and he’d started the engine. “I think that actually worked.”

Ivy didn’t answer. She was too busy looking in the side mirror at Thorn and Frasier standing on the front porch watching them drive away. Something about the look on Thorn’s face suddenly had her feeling like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” she said.

Layla felt like a zombie as she and Jayson walked into the main DCO building. They’d been going nonstop for nearly thirty-six hours, since leaving Zolnerov’s estate, and she was exhausted. She only prayed they wouldn’t have to go through a full mission debriefing because she’d probably fall asleep in the middle of it. All she wanted to do was check in with Kendra, deal with the minimal amount of paperwork necessary, then fall into bed and sleep for twelve hours straight with Jayson at her side.

If they didn’t run into John, of course. Their boss likely knew exactly what she’d done by now and he was going to be pissed. She should probably go see him and do some damage control before he came looking for her, but trying to talk to him when she was this tired was plain stupid. She’d end up doing more harm than good.

She glanced over at Jayson. He looked even more exhausted than she did. That wasn’t surprising. He’d been busting his butt for the last few days, and after getting into a close-quarters struggle with Powell, then taking care of all the loose ends over in Ukraine, it was all finally catching up to him.

After getting away from Zolnerov’s place, she and Jayson had slipped back into Donetsk to bring all the girls back to their respective families as well as to get Mikhail some much needed medical attention. No one wanted to take him to a hospital since that would have led to too many questions, but the two bullet wounds weren’t anything that could be handled with a few bandages and some hydrogen peroxide. The reality was, the kid had needed surgery.

Amazingly, Victor had managed to find someone willing to operate on Mikhail right in the middle of his quaint, little living room. Larissa had planted herself firmly at Mikhail’s side during the surgery and refused to move. Neither of her grandparents had been pleased with that, but it had quickly become obvious that no one told the young woman what to do. And when the doctor stated that Mikhail would need to stay flat on his back for at least two weeks, Larissa had announced the recovering teen would be staying on Victor’s living room couch the entire time, and that she would be the one watching over him. Victor hadn’t even tried to change her mind. Layla was glad. Mikhail was a good kid.

By the time she and Jayson had finally gotten out of the Russian-held territory with Dylan, Anya, and Olek, it had been midnight the next day. Getting the diplomat’s son and his Ukrainian friends back to their families after that had been simple.

She and Jayson just reached Kendra’s office when the woman came running out and almost mowed them over.

“Whoa!” Jayson said, catching Kendra before she lost her balance. “Where are you off to so fast?”

“The lab,” Kendra said, quickly getting her feet back under her and hurrying down the hallway, leaving them both staring after her.

Layla exchanged looks with Jayson before they followed.

“What’s wrong?” Layla asked when they caught up to her.

Kendra didn’t answer as she pushed open the double doors and started down the sidewalk.

“Did someone get hurt?” Jayson asked.

Kendra shook her head. “No one got hurt, not yet anyway. Zarina just called to tell me that Dick found another test subject for his hybrid serum. The same doctors who injected Jayson are there right now.”

Oh no.

“Who is it?” Jayson demanded. “Did Zarina give them the same antidote she gave me?”

Kendra did a double take, clearly surprised Jayson knew about the antidote. “It’s Moore. And no, Zarina didn’t give him the antidote. She hasn’t even been able to make any more yet. It took months to make the batch she gave you. Plus, Dick’s doctors tossed her out of the lab the moment they showed up. She didn’t even have a chance to warn Moore about what he was getting into.”

Layla frowned. Why the hell would Moore want to take the hybrid serum? He hated shifters and hybrids alike.

When they got to the medical building, Zarina was standing outside in the hallway, one of the DCO security guards keeping her out of the out of the lab. Layla didn’t recognize the guy, but whoever he was, he definitely didn’t look happy about what was going on inside.

“We have to get in there,” Jayson told the man. “Moore is going to die if we don’t.”

A muscle worked in the guy’s jaw, but he shook his head. “I can’t let you in. The deputy director said that no one goes in there.”

Jayson’s eyes narrowed, and Layla knew he was half a second away from physically moving the guy from his post when a gut-wrenching cry of agony came from inside the lab. It climbed higher in pitch before becoming a savage, pain-filled growl.

Cursing, Jayson grabbed the security guard by the front of his uniform and tossed him aside, then rushed into the lab. The guard followed them in, no doubt so he could throw them out, but the sight that met their eyes stopped all of them in their tracks.

Three doctors were restraining a struggling Moore while Dick slowly backed away from the table. His eyes widened as Moore bucked and thrashed like he was being electrocuted. Moore’s eyes were glowing dark red and blood was running out of his mouth from the gashes he’d inflicted on himself with his fangs. Stunted and misshapen claws reached out to tear savagely at the doctors. They weren’t going to be able to control him for long.

Layla was right. A moment later, Moore punched one of the men in the chest, knocking him halfway across the room. Jayson and the security guard raced over to help the remaining two doctors restrain Moore while Zarina hurried over to do what she could to save Moore’s life.

Even though Layla was no doctor, she knew it was too late. Before the end, the poor man was shaking so hard that it was all Jayson and the guard could do just to keep Moore from falling off the exam table. He yowled, in such horrible pain that Layla simply couldn’t watch anymore. It reminded her too much of what could have happened to Jayson.

Knowing there was nothing she could do to help and refusing to just stand there and watch the man die, Layla spun around and hurried out of the room.

She was leaning against the wall outside the lab when Dick came out a few minutes later. His face was pale and his hands were shaking.

“I hadn’t realized that Jayson was back,” the deputy director said. “Or that you’d been with him. I can’t say I’m surprised. I knew there was nothing that could keep you two apart for very long.”

While Layla seriously wasn’t ready for this conversation, she couldn’t imagine having a better opening to talk to Dick about whether he was going to get in the way of her and Jayson being partners.

“No, there isn’t anything that can keep us apart—not as a couple anyway,” she said. “But you can certainly get in the way of our partnership. I suppose the question is, are you going to?”

Dick considered that. “I mentioned the possibility of you and Jayson being partners when I talked to him, but I didn’t really give it much thought after that.”

“Perhaps it’s time you do.”

He regarded her thoughtfully. “There are several factors that could make your partnership difficult, not the least of which is the fact that Jayson and Powell are technically a team right now.”

“That isn’t an issue,” she said.

The deputy director opened his mouth, no doubt to ask what she meant by that, but Layla cut him off, saying “We don’t have long to discuss this, so I’m going to get to the point. Jayson needs to stay in the field, and I need to be his partner. If you make that happen, I’m prepared to consider it a favor that I’d be obligated to return.”

Dick’s eyes turned almost predatory at the mention of her owing him something. Layla’s stomach began to flutter like she just swallowed a bucket of butterflies. He probably would have said something to make her regret her decision, but Jayson came out of the lab, interrupting them. He glared at Dick like he wanted to kill the man.

Jayson might not have had any noticeable shifter or hybrid skills, but he moved damn fast regardless. One second, he was ten feet away; the next, he was slamming the deputy director against the wall and lifting him off his feet by the lapels of his suit jacket.

“You killed Moore,” Jayson ground out. “You might as well have filled that syringe with cyanide and killed him on purpose.”

Dick turned pale. “That was never my intent, I swear to you. After the success of the serum we gave you, the doctors were sure we were on the right path. All they did was increase the potency of the serum a small amount to improve overall performance.”

Layla placed a hand on Jayson’s shoulder before he did something he regretted. Jaw tense, he slowly let the man slide down the wall until his feet were on the floor. He didn’t let him go, though.

“The success of the serum you gave me?” He snorted. “The serum wasn’t a success. In fact, it was a complete and total failure.”

Layla tensed. If Jayson admitted that Zarina had given him an antidote to counteract the serum, the Russian doctor would be fired within hours, no matter what John did to try to keep her.

“My body rejected the serum,” Jayson said scathingly. “But you couldn’t even wait to find that out. You just ran out and tested the next man willing to be your guinea pig, didn’t you?”

Dick started to open his mouth, but Jayson closed it with his glare. “I’m nothing more now than the man I was before, and anything I accomplished on the mission in Donetsk was due to Layla’s help and my own abilities.”

Dick’s eyes darted to her before going back to Jayson. “Layla was just mentioning that you two make a good team and that the DCO should keep you together.”

Jayson glanced at her, clearly hating the idea of her talking to Dick about the subject of their partnership without him. He’d hate it even more if he knew she’d essentially sold her soul for him—again.

“Yes, we are a good team,” Jayson agreed. “But we’re both ready to walk away from the DCO if you think for a second about splitting us up.”

Dick gazed at him for a second but then nodded. “Of course you’ll remain a team. That’s the promise I made you when all this started.”

Jayson eyed the deputy director suspiciously. “You’re not going to try to get in the way of that?”

Dick shook his head. “Of course not. Beyond the promise I gave you, there’s also the simple matter of the respect I have for you and all that you’ve overcome. The fact that you were able to successfully complete the mission I sent you and Powell on without any hybrid abilities only convinces me more than ever that you’re one of the most amazing men I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. I’m thrilled for you and Layla, and would never want to get in the way of all that you’re sure to accomplish for the DCO and your country.”

Layla thought she was going to be sick. This guy was good, she’d give him that. He practically had her believing his crap.

Jayson let the deputy director go and would have turned away, but Dick stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“I know you probably won’t believe this, but I was hoping only for the best for Moore,” Dick said. “For all the outward show of disdain he had for shifters and hybrids, I think the man was simply jealous of the abilities he could never have. When he came to me and asked to take the serum, I couldn’t say no. No more than I could when I thought it was what you most needed. I was trying to help him the same way I was trying to help you.”

Dick gave Jayson’s shoulder a squeeze and headed back to the lab. At the door, he stopped and turned to look at them. “By the way, where’s Powell?”

Jayson’s eyes were cold. “Powell no longer works for the DCO.”

Dick considered that for a moment, his gaze going back and forth between her and Jayson. Finally he nodded and walked into the lab, leaving her and Jayson alone.

“You ready to get out of here?” he asked.

Layla nodded, praying to God she hadn’t done something incredibly stupid by making a deal with Dick. But she’d done what she had to do.

“I’m more than ready,” she said. “But only after Zarina checks you out and makes sure you’re okay.”

It took a while for Zarina to come out of the lab and into the hallway, and by that time, John had shown up along with Ivy and Landon. While everyone was glad that she and Jayson had returned safe and sound, what had happened to Moore put a damper on the reunion.

As Layla suspected, John was pissed at her for disobeying orders. While he was happy she and Jayson made a good team, he let both of them know that he had no use for two agents who couldn’t be trusted to follow his orders. Properly chastised, she and Jayson promised to be the model of trustworthiness from now on.

“Do you want something to eat?” she asked Jayson when they walked into her apartment an hour later.

“As long as it’s something simple and fast,” Jayson said, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. “I’m too tired to cook something or even get takeout.”

She agreed entirely. All she wanted was to climb into bed with him and sleep for a week—with a few breaks for lovemaking in between of course.

Layla couldn’t help but notice the bandage around his forearm as he hugged her. She didn’t mention the vials of blood Zarina had taken because she knew he didn’t want to talk about the tests the Russian doctor had run. The results of the blood workup that would tell him how much shifter DNA he had in his body after taking the serum were sealed inside a yellow envelope in her purse, but Jayson didn’t want to look at those either.

“I already know what I am and what I’m not,” he’d said before they left the DCO complex. “I don’t need to see a blood test to tell me anything. I’m your partner now. That’s all that matters to me.”

She grabbed a box of Ritz crackers and a brick of cheddar cheese while Jayson poured two glasses of milk. As they sat at the kitchen island, she realized she was going to have to get a lot more guy food. On the way over, they’d already decided that Jayson would move in here with her. Not only would that mean going to bed with him every night and waking up beside him every morning, but also the money they would save on not paying for two apartments could go toward their first vacation to Hawaii.

Layla was still daydreaming of lying out on beautiful white sand beaches when Jayson wrapped up the block of cheddar.