Page 40 of Jack

“Find her.” He pointed at Lopez and stalked from the room. He’d forgotten this part of the woman he was involved with. The reckless, wild side that drove him crazy, even while it drew him to her in a way that was hard to understand.

He made it to the lobby of the hotel, the lift opening into a grand entrance, yet he saw none of it. He didn’t know where to start because she hadn’t fucking shared her plans with him. His strides were long and determined as he made it to the door and looked up and down the street lined with paparazzi.

He felt a presence beside him and turned to see Reid walking alongside him.

Lopez’s voice came over the comms. “I have her and Bebe leaving the hotel via the side and going towards town.”

Jack was already walking in that direction and trying and failing to keep his calm. When he found her, they were going to be having words about her keeping shit from him. Secrets were what got him into this mess in the first place, and he had no place in his life for any more. Then he was going to make it clear how much she meant to him by fucking her until she had no energy left in her body to go off on a wild goose chase.

“Okay, go right at the end of this street and follow it to the end. She and Bebe just went into a bar.”

Jack broke into a jog as their surroundings got dicier by the second. He could feel eyes on him and Reid and none of them were friendly. What was she thinking coming here without protection? Reid kept pace beside him, and if it wasn’t for the fact they both looked mean as fuck, God knew what would’ve happened.

He saw the sign for a strip joint but no other building. “Lopez, is this the place?”

“Yes.”

He turned to Reid. “Watch your back in there.”

Jack ducked his head as he went through the door into the dark, dingy room with neon lights around the door. Stairs led down to a large open space with a stage near the front where a young woman was dancing in a barely-there bikini. A few men watched and tried to touch, but a burly bouncer kept watch and stopped any attempts they made.

To his left was a bar where a few patrons sat and was lit by the same neon lights. His eyes skimmed over the room, looking for the one person who could rattle him more than any other. His gaze stopped on two dark heads in the corner of the room. The lighting made it hard to see them as they wore dark clothes, but he’d know the tilt of those shoulders anywhere.

With a single-minded focus, he stalked towards them. His hand landed on the back of Astrid’s neck as Bebe’s eyes in front of him went wide.

“Hello, firefly. I didn’t realise we had a date planned tonight.” He sat down beside Astrid, who to her credit looked contrite, a high flush on her cheeks, her full lips open in surprise. Reid sat beside Bebe, making it seem as if this was a normal evening.

His hand banded around her waist as he pulled her close, his lips feathering over her ear as she shivered in what he knew wasn’t fear but hunger for him. “What the fuck is going on?”

Astrid turned slightly as if she was nuzzling his neck. “I got a lead on Adeline.”

His body stiffened, and he knew he had to let her have this. They would definitely talk about the how, but now he was there, and she was somewhat safe, he felt his calm return, and his heart beat return to normal. “We’re gonna talk about this later.”

Her fingers speared through his hair, and she ran her lips over his ear, making him want to take her to the ground and make her scream his name as she came apart under his hands and mouth. “I would expect nothing else, but for now, you’re probably scaring off my contact so can you go do your fretting from the bar?”

“I do not fret.”

“Totally fretting.” She kissed him then, stealing his reason, and he pulled away, not wanting his focus split when it came to her safety.

“Reid, let’s get a drink.” Jack stood, and he and Reid walked to the bar where they ordered a beer and sat so they could both watch the room and the exits. They waited for an hour until Bebe went stiff, her shoulders losing their relaxed pose as she looked at her phone.

Jack went to stand as Astrid dropped her head in silent defeat before straightening. That was his girl, the one who didn’t let anything beat her, who took the blow and got back up and it was fucking irresistible.

They walked to him, and she didn’t need to say anything for him to know that something bad had happened. A wrinkle of guilt swept over him, but he shut it down, he didn’t care about anything but her safety.

“Our contact is dead.”

He cupped the back of her head. “I’m sorry.”

Her arm tucked into his, she burrowed closer, the hair of her wig whispering over his cheek and he missed the blonde that was so vibrant and alive. “Let’s get back to the hotel before anyone sees us.”

They walked quickly back to the hotel, going in through the side and avoiding the photographers camped at the front. The four of them took the lift up to the fifth floor and exited.

“I’m sorry, Astrid. I thought this guy would come through.”

Astrid let him go and moved to Bebe, gripping her upper arms. “This isn’t on you, and I love you for helping me.” The two women hugged, and he waited as Reid went back towards the room they were using as a base, to no doubt update the rest of the team.

“I need to find out what happened to him. He didn’t deserve to die for helping us, plus I need to figure out how he was made.”

“My men will help you with that, and reach out to Will. He can help you.”

Bebe looked at him and nodded. “Thank you.”

“But for God’s sake, update your boss first. I don’t want her breathing down my neck accusing me of trying to steal her team members again.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I should probably check in too.”

Astrid wouldn’t meet his eyes now. It was as if she finally realised there’d be repercussions for her actions, but he had no intention of causing a scene. The Royal Suite was four rooms away from where they were, and Blake and Dane stood outside the door watching them quietly.

“That can wait. We need to talk.” He gripped her upper arm and steered her towards the room he was using, pushing her inside before closing and locking the door. With a deep breath, he turned to find her standing in the middle of the room, her back to the bed, her foot-tapping, her arms crossed.

“You can’t push me around, Jack. I’m not scared of you.”

“Oh, you should be, but not because I would ever lay a finger on you in anger, firefly, but because by the time I next leave this room, you’ll be so exhausted from the pleasure I give you that standing long enough to get into more trouble won’t be an issue.”