Dash, p.5
Dash, page 5
By the time he headed for the showers, Nick was drenched in sweat and pissed that he would probably be able to fall into bed and sleep, but it was eight a.m., so there was no chance that was happening.
When he stepped out of the shower, Nick felt relatively normal again. His muscles ached, but from exercise this time. He didn’t want every twinge to remind him of Ax.
He needed to back out of the op. Sure, he wanted West Coast, but Ax had a monopoly on West Coast ops. Nick didn’t want to work with a team lead who went over his head without even addressing the situation with him. He needed to be able to trust his teammates.
Nick hadn’t said Jazz was drugged. It wasn’t like he’d compromised the op or anyone’s safety. All Lena knew was that Jazz had passed out. People drank too much all the time.
Ax wasn’t scheduled to debrief until this morning, so he would have had to call Wade to make him aware of whatever it was Lena had told him.
“Hey,” Mitch said as he caught up with Nick in the hallway.
“Hey.”
Nick was so not in the mood to chitchat, but Mitch seemed awkward. He was normally a confident guy, but he was stiffer than usual.
“I hope you’re not pissed at me,” Mitch said.
“Pissed? Why would I be pissed at you?”
Mitch shrugged. “I’m good at my job, but I’ve lost friends because of my honesty before.”
“Your honesty? Did you say something last night that I don’t remember?”
“No, but Wade and Sam didn’t seem happy that you told Miss Archer about Jazz.”
“Wait,” Nick stopped dead in the hall. “You’re the one who told Wade?”
“Well, yeah. In my debrief. I was worried she might infer Jazz had been drugged. I wanted to make sure Wade and Sam knew. She’s an innocent bystander. She shouldn’t know anything about our op, anything that might put her in danger. Honestly, Ax probably shouldn’t have brought her with him to the room.”
Nick could get behind that statement one hundred percent. In fact, Ax shouldn’t have brought her to the gala at all if she was his precious best friend’s younger sister. Then again, Jett had sent out a Mayday and demanded all team members respond.
“I’m not mad. I just would have appreciated a heads-up.”
“Oh, well, we can’t discuss anything before debrief.” Mitch said. “My goal wasn’t to throw you under the bus.”
Nick paused at the wording, since he’d said the exact same phrase when he’d thought it had been Ax who’d told Wade what he’d said.
“Debriefs happen like that for a reason,” Mitch continued, “so our memories are fresh and not affected by others.”
“I get that, but when we were out on the balcony, or later, after Ax and Lena were gone, you could have addressed it with me directly. I’m open to feedback. Then I could have been the one to tell Wade and Sam—or at least I would have realized it was worth mentioning.”
Nick rubbed his neck. He’d been blindsided when they’d asked him about it.
“It wasn’t like I was trying to hide it,” Nick said. “I would have at least mentioned it so it wouldn’t have appeared like I was trying to gloss over something I didn’t realize was a big deal. I would have felt like you had my back.”
“All right,” Mitch said with a nod. “I can do that. I don’t want you to think I’m grading you or trying to be team lead when it’s not my op. I try not to give opinions. Sam almost kicked my ass for my opinion on his behavior after the op in Spain with your brother.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Nick laughed. “I’m not pissed at you. I mean, it sucks that I got reamed after my first op—and a mini op at that —but I should have kept my mouth shut.”
“And I should have reminded you of the potential to put a civilian at risk, so you didn’t say anything else. So we’re cool?”
“Yeah, we’re cool.”
Mitch gave him a bright smile and a pat on the shoulder before heading off in a different direction.
Nick blew out a breath. He didn’t like the fact that he’d fucked up on his first op, but he really didn’t like the fact that he was a hypocrite. He’d been considering declining an op when he thought Ax had reported him. But when he’d realized it had been Mitch and listened to why Mitch had done it, he could understand.
If he searched hard enough, he would find that he’d been looking for a reason to back off ops that included Ax. He didn’t like being laughed at, and Ax always seemed to be doing just that.
Nick took the stairs instead of the elevator as he made his way to the second floor. He paused on the landing and wondered if coming to work for Mase’s company had been the right move.
He was worried about his dad, but he also couldn’t be without a job indefinitely. He hoped his father had some more time left. If he thought his dad was really going to die soon, he would have delayed getting a job. Dad seemed to be moving past each hiccup in his path.
Nick was really the only one their father had. Sure, Bray had forgiven him, but their relationship was strained at best. Mase responded to Nick’s emails, but he didn’t want to hear anything about their dad at all.
When he heard the door on the landing above him open and slam shut, Nick started making his way up to the second floor. He opened the door from the stairwell just as Bray stepped off the elevator.
“You get any sleep?” Nick asked.
“A few hours,” Bray said, but the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes told a different story. “You?”
Nick shrugged. He didn’t want to lie, but he also didn’t want to tell his brother he hadn’t slept a wink. Bray sighed and tugged Nick by the arm into one of the private work rooms.
“You look as bad as I feel,” Bray said when he shut the door.
“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” Nick admitted. “How’s Jazz? Have you seen him?”
“Yeah. Dee’s been hovering over him. She gave him some godawful drink this morning, but it seems like it might have helped. I’m not sure he remembers much about last night.”
“If he was coherent enough to hold back names, he probably remembers some of it.”
“That might have been his training kicking in. Max found a name.”
Nick closed his eyes against the memories of their brother begging Jazz for a name.
“Do you think Jazz is the reason Mase came out to Dad?” Nick asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Dad told me. He told me he asked Mase to stick to girls because he was bi, but I thought…”
“Great minds,” Bray said. “I wondered the same thing, if Mase had come out because he’d been in love with a guy. But I don’t think it could be Jazz. I think Jazz is a year or two younger than Mase, and Dee says he lived with her in Louisiana until he went off to college.”
Nick nodded. He hadn’t gotten friendly with Jazz’s grandmother, Dee, but all the other guys seemed to treat her like a surrogate grandma.
“How long do you think he’s been in love with him then?” Nick asked.
Bray shrugged. They both knew it was at least ten years. Nick couldn’t imagine pining after someone that long. He also couldn’t imagine choosing to work with someone when being around them hurt as much as being around Jazz obviously hurt Mase.
“What’s the name?” Nick asked.
“Martin Coleman. He’s an up-and-coming politician. He’s a congressman for Texas. His father is a senator from Texas.”
“Shit. No wonder Jazz kept his mouth shut. Charles Coleman?”
Bray nodded. The guy was a right-wing conservative who still called anal sex ‘sodomy’ and thought it should be a crime. He was trying to move the great state of Texas back into the 1950s, even as most other states were finally embracing the new millennium.
“What’s Mase gonna do?” Nick asked.
“Not sure. Max hasn’t told him yet. Mase wouldn’t leave Jazz’s side until he was better, but then…I think they had a fight or something and he left. He’s meeting with some of Kozak’s contacts. Seems his people have some connections in the nation’s capitol.”
Nick nodded.
“Don’t tell anyone about Coleman, okay? I only know because Max told Sam and me together. I mean it’s not officially part of an op, but you suggested getting Max involved and he came through.”
“Pretty damn quick.”
“Sometimes I’m scared of how smart he is,” Bray admitted.
“Good thing he’s on our side.”
“Yeah. Hopefully he’s smarter than whoever the other guys have in their pocket.”
Nick couldn’t imagine anyone smarter than Max, but he also would never have imagined one person who could do all that Max could.
Nick and Bray made their way out to the bullpen. Nick walked over to speak with Wade and get an update on the timeline. Wade informed him that he would be heading to San Francisco with Ax and Jett within seventy-two hours.
They were just wrapping things up when Max approached Wade’s desk. The poor kid looked awkward and unsure. He used to have that same look whenever he approached Bray. It was like he was gearing up to face rejection. Nick gave him an encouraging smile and a nod.
Nick had always wondered why Max hadn’t bitten the bullet and asked Bray out. Maybe he figured they were better as friends, but it seemed Max had a new crush.
Nick squashed the relief he felt that Max had set his sights on Wade. Max cleared his throat and Wade turned to see who was behind him.
“Max,” Wade said, “what can I do for you?”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not.” Nick said. “We were just wrapping up.”
Nick stood to leave as Max stuttered on.
“I, um, created a program to improve your video surveillance.”
“Already?” Wade asked.
“Yes. I also found Dakota Strickland.”
“Fuck. That was fast. Let me get Sam up here…and Jazz. I’ll see if Mase can maybe join by phone. We all want to know about Kota. We’ll want to see everything you found.”
“Okay. I can go get my laptop, but I also need to ask a question.”
“Shoot,” Wade said as he started typing out something on his phone, probably a text to Sam.
“Is it against company policy for teammates to have a”—Max stopped to clear his throat—“romantic relationship?”
Nick choked on his own spit and started coughing. Max moved around the desk and patted him on the back as he continued on his tirade.
“I wasn’t sure. I mean, I know that Bray and Sam are seeing each other, but that all started before Bray was technically part of the HC team. I didn’t know if it was kosher for”—Max paused and looked at Nick for a moment before continuing on—“well, for two teammates to start seeing each other.”
Nick was a sympathetic guy but he was no empath. That was more Bray’s style. Yet there he was, cringing because he was so embarrassed on Max’s behalf.
He was sure Max was going to ask Wade out and probably be shot down right in the middle of the bullpen. He wanted to stop his friend from getting hurt, so he reached out to touch Max’s arm, but stopped dead when he saw what he would have sworn was interest in Wade’s eyes. Wade cleared his throat.
“It’s not against company policy. We would want to know upfront because it might compromise a mission.”
“Of course,” Max agreed. “Thank you.”
Max turned and gave Nick a relieved smile. He patted Nick’s arm and turned to walk away. Nick and Wade both watched him go with open mouths. It seemed they’d both expected him to use the knowledge immediately.
They also snapped their mouths shut when Max approached Ax. Nick swallowed thickly and his gaze dropped just in time to see Wade’s nostrils flare.
Nick didn’t want to watch what happened next. His eyes lifted of their own accord just in time to see Ax laugh and nod.
“Fuck,” Wade whispered.
Nick could only grunt in agreement.
Chapter Eight
Ax
“Ax.” Max pulled him aside as soon as he made it to the bullpen.
“What’s up?”
“I…uh…I created this program to make the surveillance more efficient both in and around the building…”
“Wow. Already? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by anything you can do.”
“Thanks, but I saw something you might not want drawn to anyone’s attention. I would have given it to Nick, but Wade was right there.”
Ax looked over Max’s shoulder and saw that both Wade and Nick were watching them. They also both looked shell-shocked. Max had probably just awed them with his brilliance.
“Nick?” Ax asked. Why would he give something to him that was for Nick?
“Yeah.” Max cleared his throat. “In the gym, early this morning…”
Ax’s eyes widened as he realized what Max had seen.
“I honestly forgot about the cameras. Normally, I’d just brazen it out, but I really appreciate you keeping this under your hat. I’m not sure Nick would be okay with the brazen approach.”
“It’s not like he has anything to regret. It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Better than porn.”
Ax couldn’t hold back the laugh that burst out of him at Max’s comment. It was by far one of the hottest encounters he’d ever had.
“I deleted the footage from all the servers, but I put it on this drive in case…well, some people like to make movies or whatever. I didn’t know if you and Nick…”
“Fuck. You’re gonna kill me,” Ax groaned.
He would love to see the video, but no way was he going to watch it without Nick knowing it existed. He was a hundred percent sure that Nick would want any evidence of them together erased. Ax would never use it against Nick, but the memories of that morning were already in his spank bank for future use, even if Nick hated his guts.
Ax gave Max’s shoulder a squeeze and a nod as he thanked him. Max discreetly passed him the USB drive and walked away with a smile and a wave. As Ax approached Wade’s desk, both Wade and Nick frowned at him.
“Hey” Ax said. “I’m here for my debrief as scheduled.”
Wade looked at him for a long moment before finally nodding.
“Nick and I were just going over the timeline. Let’s get that nailed down. I’ll have Dee schedule your accommodations in San Francisco for arrival in forty-eight hours. You’ll be staying in a penthouse condo you just purchased under your alias in Nob Hill. There are five bedrooms, all with private baths, so it’ll be a cushy situation for the three of you heading out.”
Ax nodded. He’d stayed in some of the most expensive hotels in Europe and some of the shittiest motels in the US. He’d take luxury every day of the week if he had his choice.
“You good, Nick?” Wade asked.
Nick nodded but didn’t look at Ax. No surprise there. He turned on his heel and left.
“Let’s get to it,” Wade said as he stood and made his way to the war room.
Chase joined them to take notes and ask additional questions, since Sam and Jazz had both been on the op as well. They made their way through the debrief quickly and efficiently until the last question.
“Why did you feel it necessary to take Lenore up to the room?” Wade asked.
“It was a Mayday. No one was available to watch over her, and I didn’t want her telling Campbell any truths about herself. He doesn’t know her real first or last name. He doesn’t know where she lives or what she does. I needed to keep it that way.”
“It was a public place, Ax—”
“Do you know what type of ‘human capital’ he trades in?”
“Of course. He doesn’t seem to do a lot of business, but he makes a shitload on each ‘transaction’.”
“From what he was telling me, he caters to people’s tastes. If he thought Lena was what one of his clients was looking for, he’d risk a lot more to get her if she was worth a few million. He’s no snatch-and-grab op. I think he looks for people with specific traits. If I’d known that beforehand, I wouldn’t have brought Lena at all.”
Wade sighed. Ax tried not to be bothered by the disappointment in Wade’s eyes. It had really been his only option, and Wade had been the one to tell him to bring a beautiful woman.
“I get that it’s tough when we have to make accommodations. There was a Mayday, and you hustled upstairs. Knowing how many other operators were there, it might have been better to have put Lenore in an Uber and sent her home.”
Ax bit back the urge to say, “Yes, sir.” They weren’t in the military anymore and he would have wanted to wait there with Lena to make sure she got in the Uber and safely away from Campbell.
“I’ll try to consider all options next time,” Ax conceded.
With a nod, Wade signaled to Chase that they were done. There was a knock on the door. Chase went to answer it, and as he left the room, Sam and Jazz came in.
“Max already found Kota?” Sam asked.
“He ran up to get his laptop so he can show us everything he found.”
“You need anything else from me?” Ax asked.
Wade gave him a long, assessing look but shook his head. Ax stood and left the room just as Max was approaching. Ax gave him a wink as he passed by.
When he slipped his hand into his pocket, Ax fingered the USB. He should probably talk to Nick about the fact that they’d been caught on surveillance, even though they were now safe from everyone finding out and teasing them mercilessly.
When he didn’t see Nick in the bullpen, he decided to head up to the fourth floor and seek him out. He probably owed him an apology, but he admitted to himself he wouldn’t be able to choke out the words. When the elevator doors opened, Dee came walking down the hall.
“Mornin’, Cher,” she said.
“You spend all night taking care of your wayward grandson?”
“Wayward,” she chuckled. “Pauvre ti bête. He was sick as a dog.”
“He looked fine just now. Good thing you were here to take care of him.”
Dee gave him a nod of agreement.
“You look tired, Abuelita,” Ax said. “Let me take you down to your room.” He’d called her ‘grandma’ since he’d been working at HC and she treated all the boys like adopted grandsons, but Jazz would always be her heart.
