Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2) (3 page)

“Neurotoxin.  From the information I’ve been given, the General Assembly kept that information under wraps from the public.  Why cause a panic?
  They ended up keeping the investigation internal and turned it over to the Security Council.”  Crest paused to take a drink of his coffee.  Jax could see him wince in the reflection of the window as he swallowed the bitter muck.  “As for Emily, she managed to get the evidence she had on Alekseev’s weapons distribution out of the building and contact Schultz.  Her death was staged and concealed for two years.  They are trying to build a case with the evidence she’d discovered.”

“So she’s been working with Schultz for two years?” Jax asked, wording his question carefully. 

“From my understanding, the Attorney General’s office actually.  It’s taken this long to verify the information.  Now it’s just a matter of gathering the Security Council to hear the evidence.”

“Why come out of hiding?”

“Someone discovered she didn’t perish in that convenience store robbery.”  Crest threw the folder down on the table.  “Schultz wanted to move Emily once again, but she refused.  Emily wants you to protect her — and only you.  It was convenient that I’m in debt to Schultz over something that happened long ago.  He got two for one.  Schultz wants her safeguarded until the hearing takes place.”

“
If the two are connected, one would assume that Grigori Alekseev murdered the man he replaced.”  Something was not quite setting right with the story being told.  He turned to face Crest.  “For power?”

“I’m not privy to that information,” Crest replied, placing his coffee cup on the table.  “From observing Schultz and piecing together the informatio
n he’s giving us, I would agree with you.  I don’t have that kind of clearance and Schultz hasn’t shared with me the information that Emily has in her possession.”

“Bullshit.”  Jax stared at Crest until the man shrugged.
  “You have clearance.”

“
Not for this, but I’m working on it.”  Crest slipped his hands in his pockets in his usual manner.  “I want answers just as badly as you do.  Despite the loathing I see in your eyes and whatever disgusting thoughts you’re thinking of me, you know that I have your best interests in mind.  This team is my family…and that includes you.”

Jax looked away and finally turned back toward the window.  He hadn’t expected Crest to stoop to the family speech.  His boss knew all too well that Jax’s parents had died in an automobile accident right after his entrance into boot camp.  Connor had become his brother and Jax would have followed that man anywhere, even into this madness that Crest termed a
family
.  But there was only so much a man could take and since Connor was off with the love of his life, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to find himself a new place to belong.

“What evidence did she find?” Jax asked, disregarding Crest’s attempt at making this intimate brotherhood connection.
  He also didn’t buy for a minute that Crest wasn’t privy to what evidence Emily had in her possession.   

“Classified,
” Crest said, reiterating his stance and not backing down.

“I find it hard to believe that a man like Jessalyn would let his
cousin
dictate to him how he should go about protecting a witness with regards to national security, especially one that is family.”  Jax shifted and then closed the distance to the table.  Picking up the folder, he leafed through the pages.  It was all formality, with nothing substantial although there was a picture of Emily when she’d had her natural hair color.  It shifted something inside of him, but he quickly put it back in place.  “All right.  Those are the facts that Jessalyn wants us to know…what Emily wants us to know.  What’s the truth and what’s your plan?”

“As I said, I’m still working
on the first part,” Crest replied, running his hand through his hair.  “Look, everything I know will be on the table for you to see.  Emily wanted you to protect her, but I also owe Schultz a favor from my time in the service.  He called on that when I tried to dig further into this, asking that I trust him.”

“Do you?” Jax asked, keeping a hold of the folder. 

He would take the file with him and read it later.  Although the information was superficial, it would still provide the holes he needed in order to question Emily later.  Now that he’d given himself some time, his thought process was turning just a little.  Jax would still walk away when this was over, but he deserved to know what made her choose to run instead of allowing him to protect her like he was about to do.  What had changed her mind? 

“I’d like to think I can trust him,” Crest replied vaguely, not truly answering the question but giving Jax the response he needed.  He reluctantly admitted that maybe they were more alike than he originally thought.  “His intentions are good, but my responsibility is to my team.  I have a few calls into some old contacts and I’m in the process of verifying information myself.  The team is at your disposal, as usual.”

“Jessalyn is just going to hand her over?” Jax asked, raising an eyebrow.  He found that unlikely.  “Two years of building a case against the illegal sale of WMDs, with a possible link to an assassination, and they’re giving us carte blanche with their witness?  He’s as close to the President’s National Security Advisor as one could get, for fuck’s sake.  This makes absolutely no sense.”

“Agreed.  Which is why Lach is not going on that government contract.  As of two hours ago, I’ve put things in motion to have the entire team surrounding you every second of the day while Schultz and his secret service teams think that you are on your own.  Let’s face it.  I’m sure once Emily gave your name to Schultz, his men have tagged everything you own with listening and GPS devices.”

“Which means since you’re talking so openly, you’ve already had the office scanned,” Jax said, nodding his head in approval.

“Of course,” Crest replied, shrugging his shoulders.  “It’s done routinely, but this is the only time that we’ve actually discovered anything.  Not as many as I would have anticipated though.  I suspect there might be some additional burst transmitters we won’t find without specialized detection equipment.  For now, assume they have tagged everything electronic you own, as well as voice and video in your house and car.  I tend to stay away from cases such as these, but I didn’t have a choice on this one.”

“So not only will we be surrounded by CSA,” Jax said, tactics and strategies running through his mind, “but the Secret Service will know our every move.  Kind of making protection a moot point, don’t you think?  I don’t understand why Schultz would bring us in at this juncture, regardless of Emily’s demands.  He can protect Emily better than we can.  Which means they need to have a scapegoat for when she’s eliminated.  They’ll be held harmless while we get the blame.”

“Normally, I would agree with you.”  Crest averted his eyes to the window.  “But I refuse to believe that Schultz would do that unless I’m given evidence to the contrary.”

“Then you feel Jessalyn has lost control of this and really does want her protected,” Jax said, wondering if maybe Emily hadn’t lied about the family relation, but quickly banished that thought. 

If Schultz Jessalyn were her cousin, she would have let that slip two years ago.  Emily had folded her arms when she said it and he knew from before that it was her tell when it came to being untruthful.  Maybe if Jax had been able to see her that
fatal
afternoon, he would have known something was wrong, but he wasn’t going to play the
what-if
game. 

“Yes, but he also wants to keep his fingers in the pie.”

Jax nodded, accepting the opinion in good faith.  He could never fault Crest on doing his job.  He was the best there was in his field, especially after hand picking the team, which is why the government still used them for specific contracts.  If he was right, then Jax had no doubt Crest had a handle on this situation and was using every resource at his disposal to ensure the safety of their witness as well as the team.  Jax had to wonder exactly what information Crest would turn up.  There were some things that weren’t meant to be found.

“Have you set up a safe house?” Jax asked, ready to get this thing in motion.  The sooner this was over, the sooner he’d have his life back.  Maybe now that he had closure, he could finally move on.  “Or are we hopping?”

“Safe house.  I have several we can use for this, however, I think it would be best to remain in one location unless forced to move.  See Taryn for the information.  First, I’m escorting Schultz down to the lobby while Jessie and Emily exchange clothes.  They seem to have the same body structure and I think we can pull off a switch with whoever might be watching.  You’ll be using Jessie as a decoy later this evening.”

“If Jessalyn is keeping tabs on this, as you say, he’ll have feeds into the security cameras in the garage,” Jax said, trying to think of every scenario and blockade they might run into.  “And along every route of the highway.”

“Taryn is taking care of that as we speak.”  Crest walked around the table and then stopped before opening the door.  “Jax, emotion has to be set aside for this if we are to keep Emily Weiss from being assassinated.  Don’t let anger and old wounds get in the way of doing your job.”

“I’ll always do my duty, Crest,” Jax said, staying where he was.  He needed a minute alone before his life was dragged through the gutter once again.  “But know that this doesn’t change anything.  Once this mission is said and done, you’ll have my resignation on your desk.”

Chapter Three

“This isn’t going to work,” Emily said for the third time in the last ten minutes. 

She and Jessie had exchanged clothes, but instead of leaving the office, lunch and dinner had been ordered in and they’d kept her secluded in the conference room.  By the time dusk had fallen, Emily was antsy.  She knew the longer they waited to transfer her to a safe house, the riskier the relocation became.

Finally the CSA team members put a plan into motion.  Now Emily was being shuffled down the hallway to where the elevators were located.  She glanced up at the security camera in the corner. 

“Jax, are you listening to me?  There are things that I haven’t told you yet that affect how this is going to play out.  Schultz isn’t going to just allow you to hide me somewhere without his knowledge, regardless of how he’s making this look.”

“When I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it.”

Emily grit her teeth at the disgust that lay underneath his tone.  She knew he was furious and hurt.  She also understood that it would take time for him to come to terms with why she had to do what she did, but that didn’t mean his rejection hadn’t stung.  

Jax and a man named Ethan had exchanged jackets, although what seemed to cause a bit of angst was the skullcap Ethan had finagled out of Jax’s fist.  It was now safely fitted over Ethan’s dark brown hair.  The tallest of the three men was walking ahead of them and Emily recalled that he had a Scottish name, Lach.  Flanking her from behind was Kevin, who seemed to have taken Jax’s lead in hostility.  Every time she looked over her shoulder, he was staring at her with gray eyes that cut like a laser.

“When we hit the garage, keep your head low and your eyes downcast.”  Jax stopped behind Lach as the button for the elevator was pressed.  “It’s not underground, so there will be access for anyone wanting to take a shot at you.  There will be three SUVs lined up in a row and waiting on the third floor, facing outward.  You are to immediately enter the one on the left, using the back door on the right side to keep you protected from the open area.  Do as I say and we’ll get you to the safe house alive.” 

“Don’t I always?” Emily said, unable to keep the sarcastic barb to herself. 

The others would have no clue what she was talking about, but Jax would.  And the more she could remind him of their past, the better she stood in gaining his forgiveness.  She’d done what she did to protect him.  What could she say to get him to understand that?  Her reference to following his orders in the bedroom didn’t fall short, as she saw his shoulders tighten even more.  She would have thought that impossible, considering the tension radiating off of his body. 

Kevin coughed behind her and when Ethan’s head whipped around, Emily felt her face flush slightly as she was fairly convinced now that they did know what she was talking about.  Fortunately, the doors to the elevator swooshed open and the men shuffled the women in first, with the exception of Lach. He veered off to the metal access door to the stairs.  Her embarrassment eased as disbelief took hold once more.  They really thought they could out maneuver the Secret Service.  It was almost laughable, had it not been her life on the line.

“I have a better idea,” Emily stated, trying to get Jax to see reason.  He was standing in front of her and she found herself wishing he wasn’t wearing a jacket so that she could find comfort in his heat.  Two years was a long time to be running in fear. 
If she could just insinuate a little bit of sanity into this ludicrous strategy, maybe she’d get the chance to be in his arms again.  “Schultz —”

“Emily, you asked for me.”  Jax hadn’t bothered to turn around as he spoke.  “Feel free to call
your cousin
and tell him you want another agency to protect you.  If not, then let me do my job.”

Emily could feel her blood start to boil.  Yes, she had wanted Jax…had always wanted Jax, but that didn’t negate the fact that she had a right to voice her opinion.  She was starting to realize she might have overestimated his relief that she was back in his life.  Yes, Emily had seen that particular emotion within those hazel eyes of his, but anger had wiped it out almost instantaneously.  Her fatigued and anticipative heart had hoped for a much more memorable and treasured reunion than what reality had given her.  Emily had forgotten how stubborn Jax could be, but the faded memories were starting to return in waves.

“Doors are about to open.  Jessie, follow Ethan’s lead.”  Jax reached into his jacket and pulled out his weapon.  The doors slid open and everyone filed out.  Sure enough, three large black SUVs were situated not six feet from them.  “Back door, Emily.”

She quickly did a
s instructed and within seconds was ensconced in the back of the vehicle.  Sure enough, dusk had fallen and the only lighting afforded to her was that of the artificial rays coming from the ceiling in the garage.  Jax took the front passenger seat, while Kevin opened the door to the driver’s side and buckled in.  Emily looked to her right and saw that the middle SUV remained still as their vehicle and that of Jessie’s, with Ethan driving, pulled out.  She wondered why the third vehicle, but decided now wasn’t the time to ask. 

“I’ll keep an eye on Elle while you’re dealing with this.”  Kevin drove the vehicle smoothly down the ramp.  “I don’t like how she still keeps herself involved with the girls on the street.”

“She’s a grown a woman.”

“No offense, but so is the woman sitting in the back seat of this vehicle, but that didn’t stop her from getting her ass in trouble.”  Kevin looked both ways as he pulled out in traffic.  “Do you want me to call Connor?”

“Yes,” Jax replied, ignoring the barb about her.  Emily bristled but chose to remain quiet.  It wasn’t as if she’d asked for this to happen to her.  She tilted her head so she could see what Jax was doing.  He was paying close attention to the side mirror of the passenger door.  She turned in her seat, seeing Ethan and Jessie going in the opposite direction.  Jax’s voice had her turning back around.  “I’m going to need him.”

“Sounds like you have other plans than what’s on Crest’s agenda,” Kevin said, although somewhat nonchalantly.  “Anything you want to share?”

“Nope,” Jax responded.  “I just want you to follow through with my instructions.”

That was the end of the conversation, although the tension in the vehicle had reached high levels.  Something was about to take place and Emily knew she’d have to go along with it. 
She’d been flushed out and placed back in danger.  She had no doubt that Jax would go to the ends of the earth to keep her alive.  Unfortunately, when he found out the whole truth, Emily wasn’t so sure she could continue to count on that.  Where had Lach gone with the third SUV?  Ten minutes later, they were on the highway.

“I’m not trying to tell you boys how to do your job,” Emily said, looking up through the window at the streetlights that had security cameras imbedded inside of them, “but I’m relatively sure the highway isn’t the best way to travel right now.”

“Did she just call us boys?” Kevin asked, finally a little humor lightening his voice. 

“This is it,” Jax said in a short tone, ignoring both of their comments.  “Emily, do not get out until I open your door.”

Emily’s eyes met Kevin’s in the rearview mirror and she knew her face showed her confusion.  Jax had something planned.  Was Kevin in on it?

Seeing as it was just her, without any belongings, following Jax’s orders wouldn’t be hard.  Schultz was to see that she got her clothes at a later date, although she had no doubt there would be GPS devices inside the bags.  She also knew that Crest, Jax, and the rest of the team would be well aware of that as well. 

The SUV drove under the bridge at the same time another pulled out.  Kevin slammed on the brakes and shut off the headlights.  Somehow, Lach had beaten them to the punch and was now taking their position.  Emily had noticed earlier that all three license plates were the same and fully understood why, although she wasn’t sure this tactic would work.  How did they plan on leaving this position without being detected?  They didn’t seem too concerned about the surveillance cameras watching their every move.

“As I said, contact Connor.  He’ll know how to reach me,” Jax said to Kevin before opening his door and getti
ng out of the vehicle.  Quickly he ushered her out of the vehicle and then led her up the steep incline of the abutment, situating her between a crawlspace of the girder.  Much to her surprise, two backpacks awaited them.  “Emily, put the lighter pack on your back.  We’ll be walking out of here in sixty seconds.”

Emily did as instructed, watching as Jax maneuvered back down the incline to speak with Kevin once more. 
It looked like he was going against Crest’s original proposal to take her to a designated safe house.  Whatever was being said, he’d waited until now, when she was out of earshot.  Not liking being kept in the dark, she knew that right now she didn’t have a choice. Sure enough, Jax had returned under the minute he’d given her and swung his pack over a shoulder.

“We’re on our own.  Follow my lead and stay close.”

* * * *

Jax followed the walk up to the small porch, Emily trailing behind him.
  They’d finally made it to a location that was a couple hours north of the city.  Far enough away to establish safety yet close enough to keep tabs on the situation.  Crest had to have figured out by now that he’d taken Emily and run.  The team was in the clear, as Crest had specifically told them to follow Jax’s lead.  They’d followed orders as directed.  The problem at the moment was that he was on his own.

After leaving the overpass, Jax had guided Emily along a secondary road until they came upon a vehicle that
one of Kevin’s informants had stashed for him earlier in the day.  He drove aimlessly until he felt it was safe enough to stop and check the vehicle for trackers.  Satisfied that Kevin’s man had done his job, Jax finally drove Emily to a safe house that only he and Connor knew about.  He’d deal with the fallout from Crest at some point, but it was the only way he knew to keep Emily alive.

Jax didn’t like working this kind of operation without Connor.  He felt exposed without his partner and friend, but knew at the moment this was the best option.  Connor would know how to touch base when he entered the picture.  Looking around the area for holes in the security, Jax was pleased to see that the cameras covered every square inch of the property.  It would have to do.

Emily had remained quiet since they’d set out on their own, for which he was grateful.  Jax hadn’t been ready to deal with her alone, especially while he was concentrating on his job to keep her safe.  Now that they had arrived at their destination the gloves were about to come off, but he felt ready for the fight ahead.  He waited until they were safely established inside to have his say, although not giving her a chance to get acquainted with the small house.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jax
growled, spinning on his heel as he tossed his bag on the floor.  She had yet to even drop her backpack.  “The reason I helped you stage your death in the first place was for you to have a life.  Do you have any idea the fucking hell I went through to give you that?”

“I had no choice, Jax!  I —”

“Bullshit,” Jax barked, taking a step closer to her.  “I gave you the ability to have a choice.  You had a new name, a new start and money to keep you that way.  Now I find out that you went to a government official?  Do you want to get yourself killed?”

“Jax, I know who murdered Amato Bianchi.
  It was never just about Alekseev selling WMDs.”  Emily’s bag slid to the floor and she leaned herself up against the dim yellow wall in the foyer.  “It took me a while to put the pieces together, but when I realized who executed Bianchi’s murder, I couldn’t —”

“You
had
a fucking choice, Emily,” Jax yelled, needing to get that through her head.  He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and then shrugged out of Ethan’s black coat, tossing it onto his bag.  “You could have called me when you changed your mind about hiding.  I gave you specific instructions on how to reach me should you ever run into trouble.  Instead, you go and get yourself into the middle of some goddamned bureaucratic shit storm that —”

“I needed to protect you,” Emily exclaimed, her hands closing into fists.  “You’d already risked your life by helping me disappear.”

“Protect me?” Jax couldn’t believe what she was spouting.  He spun and took a few steps away from her, needing to keep his distance before he did something stupid.  He wanted to touch her, hold her…fuck her until she understood how hard it had been for him to walk away without her.  He turned back to face her.  “Do you realize what I just did?  I went against the man who gave me a life after you.  I obviously didn’t realize it at the time, or I wouldn’t have helped you like I did.  I guarantee you that Crest knew I would take the steps that I did, but it’s still a betrayal to him and my team.  You didn’t protect me, Emily.  You’ve just stripped me of everything that kept me sane for the last two years.”

“Please, Jax,” Emily whispered, her plea cutting into his heart as if she’d just slit it with a fresh razorblade, “please, just hold me.  That’s all want.”

Jax’s anger, fear, and desperation seemed to dissipate into thin air upon hearing the same old longings in her voice.  He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, delaying the inevitable.  He knew he would do as she asked, but was very conscious of the consequences.