Administrative Control (Immortal Ops) (2 page)

“There is so much of it,” replied Jinx, sounding as tired as she felt.

She touched one of the file folders, her thoughts going to the I-Ops and PSI once more. Jinx felt a little bad for them. For each victory they achieved, there were hundreds more nutjobs out there hell-bent on world domination and human annihilation. That was always the way of it, since the dawn of time.

She knew.

She’d been around to see more than her fair share of them. A high number of said nutjobs even crossed the threshold of her establishments over the centuries, seeking the comforts her people provided. Funny how her kind was sought after in some respects and shunned in others. Over her lifetime she and her people held many names.

Too many to count.

They’d been labeled everything from harlots to whores. It didn’t matter what brand was placed upon them, what they did never changed.

They gave others pleasure.

They fulfilled sexual fantasies.

They were supernaturals who required sex and sexual energy to live. Most had succubus or incubus blood in them. Some had Fae and others pixie. And others were hodgepodges of various lines of supernaturals who also needed sexual stimulation. All were willing participants and were screened before joining her team. They had to be mentally prepared for what the life would bring as well as physically ready. It would do no good if clients went home unhappy and unfulfilled.

“Thank you for gathering this,” Jinx said. “When he asked for our help, I didn’t know it would open this can of worms.”

Aneta offered a soft smile. “We did it because
he
asked, Jinx.”

When Jinx had received a call from Asher, asking if she could keep her ear to the ground on any information regarding a second I-Ops team, she had thought it would be easy enough. That nothing much would cross their paths at her club, but that she would do as he asked because it was Asher and she owed him. Long ago he’d done something she knew he regretted but in the end he’d helped her get away, start anew and turn her life around. He made her independent.
 

When she’d said yes to helping him, she’d had no idea what they would uncover.

“He trusted you enough to ask you to do this,” said Aneta. “And you know as well as I do that no matter what he asked, you’d make sure it was done.”

Jinx blushed. She would. Asher had that sort of sway over her, though she’d never been sure why.

Aneta had been with Jinx so long that Jinx was hard pressed to remember the exact number of years. They’d been through much together. A bond of complete trust lay between them.

Aneta had gathered so much information that it was actually difficult to take it all in. This new material was a game changer. And Jinx wasn’t sure it was going to change anything for the best or not. She doubted it would help anything whatsoever.

Only time would tell.

Jinx just knew this intel was something others would kill for and kill to keep from coming out. She’d been around powerful people all her life and knew the lengths they’d go to in order to remain in control of their authority.

While her scars were no longer visible on the outside, she bore plenty within. They told the tale of what those who were corrupt would do to those they thought a threat or weaker than them—to those they assumed they could own and command.

It was also why she’d always leaned towards helping those who helped others.

Good guys.

Though they were few and far between.

It was dangerous to possess the material, but that didn’t scare her enough to shred it. Aneta had put herself on the line to gather it and Jinx would make damn sure it found its way to the right hands.

Aneta knew of Jinx’s past. Of the horrors she’d endured at the hands of Fabianus—a sick bastard who had his height of glory during the Roman Empire. Colonel Asher Brooks had played a hand in her coming to belong to Fabianus and in her ultimate release from his clutches. She suspected he had a lot to do with Fabianus’s downfall as well, though he’d never said as much. In truth, after the Fabianus incident Asher had said very little to her for nearly one hundred years. That had long since passed, thankfully.

When Aneta learned Asher was in need of information, she’d artfully managed to get her client to spill the beans and provide her access to the intel Jinx now had.

Jinx picked up her phone and considered dialing a man she knew would drop everything and come. She knew when he’d asked for help that he’d been simply fishing for possible leads. This wouldn’t be what he expected either.

He was a good man. A man who liked to stay hidden from others. A man who controlled an awful lot in the supernatural community, but who managed to keep most from knowing who he was.

One of the men behind the curtains.

She dialed and waited with bated breath for the line to connect. Each ring tightened her chest more and more. She was about to hang up when a deep voice on the other end came through.
 

“Jinx,” he said, the timbre of his voice moving her, the tiniest hints of an accent showing. It was barely there, but Jinx knew the man’s history so she knew to listen for it. She possessed a similar accent that she too had worked hard to cover over the centuries.

“Brooks,” she returned.

He gave a ragged sighed. “Asher. Call me Asher. I’ve told you that already at least a hundred times.”

She smiled against the phone. He had always insisted she call him by his first name, something she knew others weren’t permitted to do. “I have intel on what you asked me to keep an ear open for.”

He was quiet. “That was fast.”

She nodded. “My people have a way of gathering information that others don’t.”

He laughed softly. “I’d say so.”

“Asher, this isn’t anything you’ll want me to send to you. I think you should be given this in person.”

“Shit. Its that bad?”

“Yes,” she said in a hushed tone.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice deep and entirely too masculine and sexy.

Jinx wasn’t all right, so there was no use lying to him. She’d upset Helmuth by helping the Ops teams, and word had reached her that soon enough Helmuth would retaliate. “I don’t think it’s wise I come there. Not with everything that has been going on out here. I need to stay in Seattle, close to my people right now. How soon can you come?”

“I can be there within the hour,” he returned.

Confused, she cocked her head to one side. “Asher, the flight here from Virginia is longer than that. I realize you have a great deal of pull and I know what you’re capable of, but even you need more time than an hour to reach me.”

“I’m in Seattle,” he replied, surprising her. “I’m down at the pier near the warehouse.”

She knew exactly where he spoke of, as only days prior it had been the site of one of Helmuth’s many underground fight clubs. Though this one had ended in more bloodshed than anyone had ever thought possible. She’d heard about the mess down there and knew full well the I-Ops and PSI hadn’t caused it all. “Be careful down there, Asher. Helmuth is up to something.”

“I’ll be fine,” he returned. That was his way. Overconfident. “I’m worried about you.”

“I’m good,” she managed, but it was shaky at best. Lying to him was something she couldn’t ever seem to do with ease. If her informant was right, Helmuth’s men would pay her a visit before the night was out. It was for the best if Asher wasn’t around. The last time he had helped her out of a bad situation there had been a lot of dead bodies, an inquiry, several years on the run and he’d not spoken to her for nearly a century following. That was some thousands years plus ago. Still, she doubted the man had changed much from old. If she could head off the problems with Helmuth on her own, that would be for the best. “I just need to talk to you. Take your time there. How about we meet tomorrow? Will you still be in town then?”

“I will,” he said softly. “But I could come tonight.”

“No,” she said, a little faster than she should. “Not tonight. Tomorrow. I’ll see you then.”

She needed to get the remainder of her people out of the club for the rest of the night. She’d already sent away her male employees, including her private security staff, and most of her female employees—though some had refused to leave, as if they too knew what was coming and didn’t want her facing it alone.

The minute she hung up the phone, her office door burst open. A scream ripped free from her as men poured in, some dragging her girls along with them, each looking like they were there to cause problems.

Right away she recognized Jasper, one of Helmuth’s men, and unease settled over her. Jasper was far from stable and she knew of Helmuth’s issues in the past with controlling the man.

She eyed the phone, wondering if she’d done the right thing in keeping Asher away. He didn’t need to get mixed up in this mess she’d gotten herself into any more than he already was. Drawing him into this wasn’t going to make that right. It would only make it worse.
 

It was better this way.

At least that was what she tried to tell herself as Jasper seized hold of her and pulled her from her office, down the hall and into the main club area.

“Bitch, you’ve been a bad, bad girl,” he hissed.

Chapter Two

Colonel Asher Brooks stood in the shadows near the old warehouse on the pier. He tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket and patted it gently. He smiled despite himself. He lived for any moment he could speak with Jinx. The redheaded vixen held him enthralled when, in truth, she’d never used her succubus powers on him. He was powerful enough to have sensed it. No. Her lure was natural and his obsession with her was anything but. Asher had no intention of waiting until morning to see her. He’d pay her a visit as soon as he wrapped up matters on the dock.

Salty sea air and the odor of fish did not mask the smell of death that still coated the area. The warehouse had played host to an underground paranormal fighting ring backed by Walter Helmuth—a bigwig who controlled most of the paranormal underground in the Seattle area. Helmuth was a bottom feeder who had made it big. The man had been causing problems steadily for months.
 

As point person for the I-Ops team members, Asher was required to step in when called for, and the massive amount of bloodshed on the pier meant his presence was certainly called for. He already had the higher-ups breathing down his neck about it all, trying to say his men and the PSI boys were out of control and needed to be leashed.

To that, Asher had responded with a giant
fuck you
.

Lukian Vlakhusha, the captain of the I-Ops team, ran a hand through his shoulder-length dark brown, wavy hair and let out a long breath as he took in the scene around him.

“Eadan and Duke did this?” he asked, disbelief in his voice.

Eadan Daly, another I-Ops team member, stepped forward, shaking his head. “Not all of this. We did our fair share of damage, don’t get me wrong. But not to this extent. Nowhere near this.”

“You sure your
faerie dust
didn’t go bad and make everyone go nuts?” Roi Majors asked of Eadan as he pulled another t-shirt on. This made his third.

Asher gave him a questioning look.

Roi shrugged as if he wore three shirts daily. “Seattle is fucking cold.”

“You’re a shifter and your core body temperature runs hot. How can you possibly be cold?” asked Lukian, voicing what the others were thinking.

“Apparently, I need a thicker winter coat.” Roi flashed a wide smile, letting hair sprout up and over his forearms. Hair coated his face suddenly as well. He looked like a deranged teddy bear in his current state. “And no one told me to pack a jacket or even a long-sleeved shirt.”

“Seattle is northern. It’s colder the more north you go,” said Asher.

“Geography isn’t his strong suit,” mocked Eadan from the sidelines. His attention went to Roi. “How about I sprinkle some of my
faerie dust
on you, dickhead?”

“Don’t make me cut your hair,” snapped Roi, motioning to Eadan’s long blond hair.

“Do it. It just grows back by the next morning,” returned Eadan. He blew Roi a kiss and then gave him the finger when Roi growled at him.

“If pretty boy taunts me one more time, I’m gonna eat him,” warned Roi.

Taking the I-Ops anywhere was a lot like taking a preschool on a field trip. Though Asher thought the preschoolers would probably listen better.

Lukian nudged Asher. “They’ll be at it for hours. What have we learned about what went down here?”

Asher motioned to Eadan. “He was held captive here on a docked cargo ship. Duke was en route to help but was given a bogus location. Let the record state Duke is still pissed he had to fly as much as he did. He’s not a fan.”

“He doesn’t like anything,” murmured Eadan from his spot before he shoved Roi.

Growling, Lukian stared around, his eyes shifting to a brighter blue. “Do we know who steered Duke wrong? And do we know who the hell tipped off Helmuth and his men that Eadan would even be in this area to start with?”

“Rogues in PSI is my best guess,” responded Asher. Paranormal Security and Intelligence Agency had been hit with the same problems the I-Ops side of things had—traitors. Rumors had been spreading that more than one I-Ops team existed and Asher had his suspicions there was even more the higher-ups were keeping from them all. That was why he’d enlisted Jinx’s help. She had a way of getting information that others simply did not.

“Shit.” Lukian lowered his gaze. “Not another Parker.”

Benjamin Parker was the man Roi had replaced on the I-Ops team. They’d thought him dead and gone and had even mourned his passing. When he’d surfaced out of the blue and off his damn rocker, they’d realized he had gone rogue, letting his hurt and anger over having been a test subject loose on the men he’d once called brothers. His revenge and rage cost Lance, a team member, his life. He nearly cost Lukian’s mate’s life as well.

Having a traitor in your ranks wasn’t taken lightly.
 

“I’m guessing there is more than one,” Asher said. “And I think Parker isn’t our only blast from the past either.”