The Seven: A Taste for Jazz: Book 3 of The Seven series (10 page)

"How about a peaceful future?"

"A what?"

"You heard me. Now when and where can we meet?"

"I'll get back to you."

He ended the call and looked at Barnette. "You're right about one thing. She never gives up."

"The bitch is a fuckin' psycho," Barnette grumbled.

"Amen." Conner fell silent for a few minutes, and then cut his eyes at Barnette. "I meant what I said. I've got money. A lot of it. And I can make you a rich man. Rich enough that you can start a new life, a new identity and never have to look over your shoulder."

Barnette studied him for a long time. "How much money we talkin' 'bout?"

"Two million. Cash."

"Five."

Conner cocked his head to one side as if considering it. "It's doable."

"Show me the money and I'll consider it."

Conner grinned. "For that we'd need to make a stop at the nearest Bank of America."

Barnette checked the time on the dashboard clock. "Got a while before banks open. Keep driving."

Conner nodded. Greed just might get him what he needed to turn Barnette so that when they reached Mindleton Conner didn't have to be concerned with Barnette trying to shoot him. Now if he could just figure out what the heck Jazz meant when she said it was time to cut a deal?

Chapter Ten

Everything is in place.  In the next few minutes, people may die.  Hopefully that won't be the case, but you can't predict what will happen in this kind of situation.  Normally, preserving life is a top priority for me.  I'll shoot to wound if there's any option.

Today?  Today I'm in that mode I haven't allowed myself to be in since I left the service.  Today I'll kill anyone who threatens Conner.  I am getting him out safe and God help anyone who gets in my way.

And then?  Then I'll face his wrath when he discovers what I've done.  He may hate me. May turn his back on me.  Can I live with that?  I guess I'll find out.  If it comes to that.

Jazz was parked outside the towering edifice of glass and metal when the Jaguar stopped in front of the building. The day had been one of unexpected developments. Two hours earlier Conner and Barnette had entered a Bank of America in D. C., and Conner had transferred five million dollars into an account in Barnette's name in the Cayman Islands.

Everyone assumed he was buying Barnette off. But when he'd continued toward the destination with Barnette, the team had been confused. What was he up to?

Severin was equally confused but assured her that he'd have people in place before Conner stepped into the building. He asked if she had any clue what Conner was doing.

Jazz had no idea, but assured him she'd do everything she could to protect him. She was not at all sure her plan stood a chance of working but she'd run out of options so now all she could do was proceed as planned.

Now it was almost time to set the plan in motion. She watched Conner and Barnette enter the building, waited exactly two minutes then spoke into her comm unit. "I'm going in."

She got out of the SUV, straightened the black coat to make sure her guns weren't visible and entered the building.

*****

Conner and Barnette were greeted by a woman in the reception area of Mindleton's office.

"Who're you? Where's Annette?"

"She had to leave. I'm her replacement."

"Tell him Barnette's here."

She nodded and picked up her phone, punched a button and then spoke into the receiver. "Mr Barnette is here to see you, sir."

When she hung up, she gestured toward the door. When Rock walked passed her she gave him a nod. He found that strange, but dismissed it. They entered Mindleton's office and the secretary closed the door behind them.

Fred Mindleton looked up at them. "Well, well, Dr. Burns. And I believe you said it would be a cold day in hell before you stepped foot in my office again."

"I hear it's snowing in Florida," Conner replied. "Plans have changed, Fred. Your buddy Barnette is working for me now."

"Oh?" Mindleton's eyebrows rose.

Conner looked over his shoulder to find Barnette's gun leveled at him. "Guess this means the deal is off. Do I get my money back?"

"What money?" Barnette grinned.

Conner turned his back on Barnette, focusing on Mindleton. "Whatever you want, the answer is no."

"Oh, I don't think so. You see, that little deposit you made into Barnette's account will be what puts you behind bars. Seems that you, smart fellow that you are, hacked into my company computers and diverted five million dollars of my money into your own account over the last two years. When Barnette uncovered what you'd done, you tried to buy him off. Only he did the honorable thing and brought you here to me so I could turn you in to the authorities."

"That bird won't fly."

"Oh it'll fly, all right. I've got enough power and influence to make sure of it. Not to mention bank transactions and computer records both here and on your computers in Florida.

"And I've got an ace in the hole. I can pin you with treason. Seems that not only have you been stealing from me, but you've been in cahoots with the Seven."

That put Conner on alert. Did Mindleton know he was Seven? "Pardon?"

Mindleton grinned. "No grass grows under my feet boy. I know which way the wind blows, and despite the trouble between the Seven and the government, there are some of the Seven who wield damn big guns. Like Asha Iltani."

"Iltani?" Now here was news Augustus and the others would be interested in.

"None other than the fucking Queen of the Vampires, boy. Seems she's got a hard on for you. So, I've got two choices here. See you rot in jail, or turn you over to her and let her do whatever the fuck she wants to do with you. After I get what I want, of course."

Conner could feel his body tighten, his fingers flex the way they did before he fought. He wanted to drive his fist into Mindleton's face hard enough to punch through his head. But now wasn't the time for anger. He had to get it under control and think his way out of this mess.

"What exactly is it you want?"

"Everything. Your research, your—"

A thud from beyond the door had them all turning to look. The door flew open to reveal Jazz, weapon in each hand and an evil smile on her face.

"You twitch you're dead," she said to Barnette. "Toss the gun."

He lowered the weapon as if to lay it on the ground then reversed his move, squeezing the trigger. His shot went wild as he stumbled, screaming from the two shots from Jazz that found their marks in each of his kneecaps. He raised his gun again and a third bullet found its mark in his shoulder.

Barnette fell back, moaning in agony. "Get his gun," Jazz ordered Conner.

Instead of picking it up, Conner kicked it under the sofa. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Royally fucking up," Mindleton said calmly." As we speak my security is closing down this building and converging on us. In two minutes you'll either surrender or die. You choose, Miss...?"

"Boudreaux. And that's not gonna happen. Gentlemen, is the building secure?"

She smiled and marched over to Mindleton. "Stand up."

"I beg your pardon but I do not take orders—"

A bullet passed close enough to his head for him to feel the heat and yet he didn't move. "On the floor, hands behind your head. Now!"

Mindleton stood and smiled. Jazz involuntarily took a step back at the sight of the fangs in his mouth. He laughed. "Go ahead. Fire. You can't kill me."

She cut a look at Conner to see him watching with a scowl on his face. "Step away from him, Jazz."

Jazz kept both guns trained on Mindleton. She might not be able to kill him, but she could pump enough lead in him to slow him down. "I said on the floor."

Mindleton laughed and flew into motion. Before she could fire, Conner was between them, his hand wrapped around Mindleton's neck. "You might want to do as the lady requests."

"You - can't -kill—" Mindleton's words ceased at the pressure from Conner's grip.

"Kill you? I don't want you dead. I have some friends who are going to want to talk to you."

Jazz watched in astonishment as Conner snapped Mindleton's neck. He let the body fall to the floor.

"Is he dead?" Jazz looked at Mindleton.

"No. You have handcuffs?"

She hurried to dig out wrist restraints, two sets, and hand them to Conner. "Are you sure he's not dead?"

"No. He's Vampire." Once Mindleton was secured, he rose to face Jazz. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Trying to save your ass. Conner, listen to me. This thing you're working on. It's big. Big enough that guys like Mindleton aren't going to stop coming after you to get it."

"They can try."

"And they can succeed."

"I'd never give them—"

"You won't have to. Conner, please. Once you reach a certain point in the research there are others who can step in and finish it. You know that. And when that happens you're expendable. It's time to cut a deal."

"With who?"

She pulled the agreement from her pocket and unfolded it." Uncle Sam."

"You have got to be kidding? Jazz, they're as likely to bury the research as any for-profit corporation. If you consider the ties government has to—"

"I know the story. But we've got to trust someone."

"And you trust whoever had this typed up?"

"I trust them." She gestured behind him.

Conner turned to see five men who had entered silently into the room. "Who're they?"

"Let's just say they work for Uncle Sam. Like I used to. I trust them, Conner. Aside from you, they're the only people I do trust, and they helped me broker a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"Read the paper."

Conner read the document then looked up at her in disbelief. "Do you realize what it means if we sign this?"

"Yeah, I do."

"And you're willing to—"

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

She walked up close to him, looking into his eyes. "Because I love you, Conner. And I'll do anything to make sure you're safe. Nothing else matters. This is it for me."

He stared at her a long time, so long that an expression of anxiety came on her face. "Conner?"

"For you." He walked around her to Mindleton's desk, snatched up a pen and scribbled his name. "Who do I give this to?" he asked as he turned to face everyone.

"I'll take it" Adam crossed the room to him to take the paper from his hand. He folded it and put it in his pocket then extended his hand to Conner. "You made the right decision, Dr. Burns." Adam cut his eyes at Jazz. "On more than one level. You're a lucky man."

Conner stared at him for a moment then took his hand. "I think I'm going to want to hear details on how all this came about."

Adam smiled and released his hand. "You've plenty of time for that. Now, if you'll please come with us. We have transport waiting for you and Jazz."

"What about them?" Conner gestured toward the two unconscious men on the floor.

"Don't worry. They'll be attended to."

Conner looked at Jazz. "Our - my people need to question Mindleton. He's a Vampire, Jazz and not one we knew about and that means—"

"Call Severin."

"Why?"

"I've already talked with him."

Conner pulled out his phone and made the call. "He said to speak with the secretary."

"Say what?"

"Come on."

They went into the reception area. The secretary was standing beside her desk. "I'm supposed to—"

"Yeah, I'm on it." She gave him a smile, displaying elegant fangs.

Conner chuckled and Jazz looked from him to the woman in confusion. "Someone want to tell me what's so amusing?"

"Your boys are about to forget the deal you made."

"Excuse me?"

"She's going to charm them. Change their memories."

He looked at the female vampire. "They can't remember Jazz either, and we'll need to know who they made the deal with and have someone make contact."

"Understood."

"Then we're done here." He turned his attention to at Jazz. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"Then how do you feel about taking a little trip. I'd like to take you home."

"To Florida?"

"No, home. Where my people are."

She grinned and gave his hand a squeeze. "I say let's get it on, stud. New adventures await."

Chapter Eleven

Jazz leaned on the rail and took in a deep breath, savoring the cool crisp air. Conner's home in Colorado was magnificent. Perched on the side of a mountain, the view was spectacular.

It was interesting seeing him in this environment. When they'd arrived he was met by more than two dozen people, all of whom were clearly devoted to him. He'd introduced each one with a fondness in his voice that told her the devotion ran both ways.

They were his family, so to speak. Shifters who lived in the territory he commanded. Conner was smart enough that he'd covered his tracks. The thousands of acres he owned could not be linked back to him directly.

No one had felt that it would be smart for him to stay in Florida. Mindleton might be sweating in a Federal prison, being questioned about all manner of illegal dealings, but Asha Iltani was still out there and she was bound to be unhappy at her plans being foiled.

The Seven leadership had been meeting here, at Conner's compound for the last three days. In that time, Jazz had seen little of Conner, but had gotten to known Layla, Augustus' wife.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Jazz turned at the sound of Conner's voice. "You done?"

He shook his head. "Just taking a break."

"Making progress?"

He shrugged. "Some. Your advice was well-founded, by the way. Giving my research to the government of this country earned us a lot of good will. There's a team of scientists going over it now and quite a bit of excitement. Seems the incumbent president would love to be able to use this as part of his re-election campaign. Free yourself from the evils of big oil and make the planet a cleaner and healthier place for you and all your descendants."

Jazz smiled. "Well, you gotta expect someone to capitalize on it but if it moves the project forward then it's a good thing."

"Yeah, it is."

"And it frees you up to work on your portal project."

"Which is more urgent than we realized."

"Oh?"

"You remember being told about Gabriel and the people who crossed over with him?"

"Yeah, at ... wait, I have it ... Ellie and Eldric Whitestone's place in Florida. There's a portal there."

"Yes. Well, Severin established a link with Nevaeh and while the link is not always stable, he is able to get information on what is happening there."

"And I take it things are not too good back on the homestead?"

"Not at all. The Dark and Light refuse to come to détente, each wanting superiority over the other. Gabriel claimed his rightful place as leader of his people and is doing all he can to sue for peace but it is not easy.

"To make matters worse, there is instability in the star system. Specifically, the sun."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It is dying."

"Okay, but it takes a really long time for a sun to die, right?"

"Normally, but in this case no. For lack of a better term, it has been poisoned."

"Poisoned? Is that possible?"

"By current technology and understanding, no. But according to Severin, the threat is from a race of beings from another galaxy. They are known as the Nyx."

"The Nicks? Sounds like a sports team."

"Far from it. They've sent envoys to the home world. Surrender and the sun will be saved. Refuse and die."

Jazz leaned back against the railing. "Well it just gets better and better doesn't it?"

"Seems that way."

"So?"

"So what?"

"So what are you going to do?"

"What am I going to do?"

"Yeah. If anyone can fix it, it's you."

Conner shook his head. "I'm afraid this one is too big for me, Jazz."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Right now I'm going to shift and run."

"Shift?"

"Yep."

"Into what?"

"A lion."

"A lion?"

"A mountain lion."

"Because?"

"Because I like to run the mountains as a lion, to climb and jump and look out over the valley and hear what we can't hear in human form."

She looked at him for a few moments. She'd never seen him shift and was curious about how it worked. "Can I watch?"

He shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"Okay, but before you do, one more question. What are you going to do after you run?"

Conner took her in his arms. "Come home and make love to you until the sun rises then sleep in your arms, my fierce warrioress."

"Hmmm, I like the sound of that."

"The fierce part?"

"No, the make love and sleep in my arms."

"Then maybe while I'm gone you'd think about making it permanent. I've made a truly groundbreaking discovery, Jazz."

"Oh?"

"Oh yeah."

"And what might that be?"

"I've developed a real taste for Jazz. I think it might even be an addiction."

She chuckled. "I already told you that I won't leave you Conner."

"You told Stanzia."

"And you. It's not about what Stanzia asked me to do. It's about me wanting to be with you. I love you Conner."

"And I love you." The kiss he gave her was tender but filled with the promise of passion. When it ended, he stepped back and smiled.

She watched in amazement as he changed. Only second passed and where there was a man, was now a glorious mountain lion. It approached, gave her hand a lick and then turn and bounded across the deck and over the rail.

Jazz followed to the rail and watched as the lion raced over the land, sure of foot and at one with the land. She smiled and watched until he disappeared from sight.

It wasn't so long ago she thought she knew the path of her life. Now everything had changed. She'd found real purpose and more than that, she'd found love.

She didn't have a clue what the future would bring, but that didn't matter. She had Conner and he was, and always would be, her Rock.