Chapter 5
Timber Ridge, Colorado – Safe House
Code Name: Raven
The slight vibration from the aircraft eased her nerves.
As she peered out the window, the blue sky greeted her.
Heights had never been a problem for Jade.
Open spaces and nighttime—that was another story.
Flying among the clouds gave her a peace she longed for on the ground.
One of her foster fathers during her early years had loved to fly and had tried to pass on the excitement to her.
But the loss of her mother at such a young age had turned her life upside down and sideways, trading a carefree childhood for fear.
“We’ll be landing soon.” Liam’s deep timbre jerked her from her musing.
“What are the plans? Dax said a safe house. I assume we’re going straight there.”
Liam nodded. “A friend’s ranch near Timber Ridge, Colorado.
A small town west of Colorado Springs. We’ve used the place before.
He has secure computers waiting for us. Gut reaction, our mission to find the contractor’s daughter and your abduction are tied together.
Some way, somehow. You and Rafe can start combing through emails, mission logs, and buried reports. See if you can find evidence.”
Relieved she’d have work to focus on instead of her fears, she puffed out a breath. “Good. Because whoever knew where I’d be… they didn’t guess. They had access to my schedule. But I don’t know how. Like I said before, I only told one person where I was going.”
“Which is why I want to read those threat emails you told us about. See if whoever sent those is linked to what happened in the jungle.”
Rafe folded his arms in the seat across from Liam. “Once we figure out who’s responsible for hurting you, I want to dig into those black-market GPS codes Echo got tangled in.”
Jade’s stomach tightened. “I should have pushed harder on that.”
“No. That wasn’t your fault. You tried to inform the higher-ups.” Dax’s eyes widened. “Wait. A connection to Echo Team? Am I the only slow one here?”
“Yes.” “Bro, you just now figuring that out?” “Duh.” The men commented on top of each other.
Jade laughed at the team’s banter. She missed having these guys in her ear.
“Oh, stuff it.” Dax shook his head. “The contractor’s daughter. Were we ever told which contractor?”
Liam’s brow furrowed, and he scratched the scruff on his jaw. “No. Special Agent Scott said he received a request from up the chain that a defense contractor’s daughter was in trouble and hired us to go retrieve her.” He used air quotes around the word retrieve.
“Could it be a reference to the same contractor involved with Echo Team?” Dax asked.
The cabin got quiet. The hum of the engines was the only sound that broke the silence.
Jade mulled over the information. “When Scott asked you to find the woman, how did you know who to search for?”
“Agent Scott sent me a photo and the location of Bahía Sombra, Mexico.”
“What did this woman look like?” Jade flipped through her memory like an old Rolodex. Even with her vast knowledge of defense contractors, the sheer number of people precluded her from narrowing down the possibilities.
Liam pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He tapped through what she assumed were photos. “Here. This is the lady we were sent to find.” Before he turned his phone to show her, he stared at the image.
“Liam?”
“Sorry. It didn’t dawn on me with all the crazy of your rescue, but she looks a lot like you.” He handed her the phone.
She studied the picture. “If you could see me under all this dirt, this woman could be my twin.”
“We’d never met in person, so had no idea of the similarities.” Liam shook his head.
Dax took the phone. His gaze bounced between the screen and her and scowled. “Liam, this woman doesn’t just look like Raven. It is Raven. We were sent to find her.”
Liam grabbed his phone back and stared at it. “So, we were supposed to discover her location? To what end?”
“And let’s not forget that they called us off after we changed our search to the jungle.”
“They knew,” Jade whispered. “This was about me the entire time.”
Rafe sighed. “It appears that way.”
The plane dipped into descent, startling her. She glanced out the window.
A farm road snaked through fields between the hills with no clear open space for a plane. She trusted Charlie Five—Xander, but where did he plan to put the aircraft down?
At the last second, a long strip of road stretched across the ground. Enough for the Cessna Citation to land. To anyone driving past, it was just another service lane.
Several minutes later, the wheels touched down with a squeal of rubber. The jet rolled into a massive barn disguised as an equipment shed. Xander turned the plane facing out. Probably ready for a quick takeoff, if needed.
“Rafe, motion sensors and gear. Boone, Dax, secure the site. I have Raven. Xander will shut down and prep the plane in case of emergency.” When the engines whined to a stop, Liam unbuckled and stood. “Go.”
Charlie Team flowed out of the plane with the intensity she recognized from missions.
Boone and Dax swept wide, rifles trained on the tree line.
Rafe opened the luggage compartment and withdrew a duffel bag.
He acquired one of three four-wheelers, then took off toward the fence line and began planting what Jade assumed were small motion sensors on the posts.
Xander exited down the steps and went about prepping the plane for a last-minute flight if needed.
Liam’s palm brushed Jade’s back as he guided her toward the farmhouse. Too fascinated by watching the team in action, she didn’t ask questions, just moved where Liam guided her.
Inside the ranch house, Jade breathed for what felt like the first time in days.
The solid walls around her and the faint scent of lemon furniture polish comforted her.
Her gaze roamed the interior. Brown leather couches.
Warm taupe walls. Masculine vibes, but vacation cabin cozy—if you ignored the blackout curtains and reinforced locks.
“Kitchen’s stocked, if you’re hungry.” Liam had grabbed her small suitcase and backpack from the plane. He placed them next to a door near the living room. “This will be your room. One of us will always be on duty out here.”
“Thank you.” She wandered in and lowered onto the recliner.
She would’ve taken a seat on the couch, but her body required two armrests for support.
“I’m going to need to power down in a bit.
The whole fiasco is catching up with me.
” She rolled her eyes. Good heavens, Jade.
Tell the man you’re a computer geek without telling him you’re a computer geek.
Liam smirked as if reading her mind. “Rafe will finish with the perimeter sensors soon. After that, we’ll get the computers set up and secure. You’ll have full access here. No Bureau servers, no interference.”
Jade nodded, fighting to keep her eyes open.
“Why don’t you get a shower and wash the jungle off, then power down.” He grinned at his choice of words that mimicked hers.
“That sounds wonderful. Assuming I can move. You should have said that before I sat down.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Liam helped her to stand. “The team will be in and out. We’ll pair up and take turns patrolling the ranch. You’re safe. Go rest, so you’re recharged and ready to do a deep dive into the data.”
Jade’s eyes met his. The warmth in his gaze almost buckled her knees. “I don’t know how to thank you, Liam.”
“Not necessary. If we had realized the picture was of you, we would’ve moved mountains to get to you. You’re one of us, Raven. Never doubt that.”
Tears flooded her eyes. No one had ever accepted her for who she was. “I…um…” The first tear fell, followed by a hundred more.
Liam wrapped her in his arms and tucked her under his chin, cocooning her in his strong arms, giving her strength to get through the upcoming days.
Eventually, she stopped crying.
“Feel better?” He pulled back enough to see her face.
She nodded. If she said more, the sobs would begin again.
Liam cupped her cheek and peered into her eyes. “I’m here for you, Raven.”
Jade leaned into his touch. Gah! This man. He made her feel normal and safe. It probably wouldn’t last—at least the normal part, but she’d live in the moment. Because she knew one thing for certain, whoever had her abducted wouldn’t stop until she was back in his possession.
Timber Ridge, Colorado – Safe House
Thursday – 1800 Hours
Call Sign: Charlie One
Liam stared at the closed bedroom door. The shower had stopped, and silence filled the house.
He hoped that Raven had fallen asleep. The woman had endured an unbelievable event and conditions in that hut.
The safety of the house didn’t concern him.
He trusted his men to secure the area. As Charlie One, he’d made an executive decision.
His job—keep Raven safe while the team took care of the rest.
Liam had all but forgotten the comm in his ear. His men had heard everything. “Charlie Team, SITREP.”
“Secure.” The group acknowledged one by one.
“We’re golden, but can we talk about the fact that Raven just said your name like it was dipped in honey?” Dax teased.
Boone chuckled. “I caught that, too. Man, she’s got you wrapped tighter than det cord.”
“Easy, boys. He’s our fearless leader. Don’t embarrass him too much.” Rafe’s amused tone had Liam shaking his head.
“Too late.” He could hear Xander’s grin.
“Knock it off. I don’t even know her real name.” These men had followed him through horrible missions, and he trusted each one with his life, but being the focus of their amusement wasn’t on his wish list.
“Doesn’t matter. You know her,” Boone offered.
“Boss, you realize we’ve been listening to you two for years. Half the time, we couldn’t decide if you were going to kill each other or elope.” Xander belly laughed.
“Copy. Out.” Liam muttered, but his jaw twitched, fighting a smile.