Page 53 of Jack

His smile lit up his entire face, but she knew he was holding back and why.

“I know this has no promises of a happy ending, Jack, but I have to go and see her. She’s my sister and I have to hope and believe it will work out.”

“I would expect nothing less. If it were Will, I’d go in a heartbeat. I just don’t want to see you hurt.” His thumb stroked over her jaw, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the soothing touch and all the unsaid emotion behind it. “You mean a lot to me, Astrid. More than I ever thought possible.”

“I know, and I feel it too, which is why I need to find her so I can move on to the next phase of my life.”

Jack stood. “Let’s get dressed and go see the guys. I need to find the hole in my security that your sister so easily highlighted too.”

Astrid tugged the hem of Jack’s t-shirt she’d worn to bed down, thankful that she’d worn it and he’d opted for sweats and a tee too, or everyone could’ve been left red-faced.

Dressed in full tactical gear,including bulletproof clothing from head-to-toe, Astrid stood behind Jack as they came upon the warehouse where her sister had asked to meet her. Adeline hadn’t said to come alone, but Astrid had convinced Jack to make sure Liam, Waggs, Zack, and Dane stayed back a little so as not to spook Adeline. He’d drawn the line at her going in by herself and was coming with her, especially after the team had discussed it and decided it could be a trap.

While it was most likely Adeline waiting for them, as Lopez had her on camera entering the district at two am which was just after she’d left the note, the CCTV stopped after that.

He’d tapped into the feed from the shoe factory, which caught the edge of the warehouse they were watching and was monitoring it. Unfortunately, it left the other side blind, which was a problem because although she knew her sister, a lot could change in four years.

“Do you see any movement?” Jack was leading the op. Even though it was her sister, he’d taken over and she was fine with that. His situational awareness was more precise, and she was compromised by emotion which could lead to mistakes none of them could afford.

“I have one heat signature inside the warehouse, but it isn’t moving.”

“It’s time, Jack, we need to go.” Her fingers gripped his waist and the steady warmth of his body was comforting.

“On my count.”

Jack counted them in, and they were all moving. Zack, Dane and Liam went around the back and cleared that while she, Waggs, and Jack moved in from the front. It was quick and efficient with each man checking in as soon as a section was clear.

When they were all ready to go in, they did it as one to make sure no mistakes happened. The inside was dark with lots of storage containers and tall racks built on either side. Weapons out, Astrid and Jack methodically cleared each section before moving on. Her instinct had her desperate to run through to the office area where she knew the heat signature was, but sense, born of years of training with the CIA and more recently Zenobi, had her holding back and doing what was needed.

“Clear,”Zack called through the comms.

She caught sight of them as they converged on the office where there was no sign of movement or sound. Jack motioned for Zack, Dane, and Liam to stay back a little but indicated Waggs come with them and she knew what he was thinking. Her heart began to beat wildly with a sense of foreboding. Quickening her step, she felt Jack move in closer to her and Waggs flanked her left side as she’d seen them do many times with the Queen on this tour.

Stopping at the door they listened and with a nod from her, Jack breached the door. Her eyes searched frantically around the small room before landing on a crumpled body in the corner.

“No!” The pain in her chest squeezed tight as she ran, falling to her knees beside her sister.

Astrid felt horror fill her as she took in Adeline’s injuries. Her face was barely recognisable she was so beaten and she had a bullet wound in her side which was bleeding sluggishly. Reaching for her neck, she felt for a pulse and almost fainted with relief when she found a shallow, thready one beating beneath her fingertips.

Her eyes caught Jack’s. “I have a pulse.”

Her hands moved to cover the wound but were brushed out of the way by Waggs. “Let me see to her.”

The urgency in his voice clued her in to just how bad this was. She sat back on her knees and her hand trembled as she stroked her sister’s dark hair, not knowing where else to touch in case she caused her more pain.

Waggs poured a clotting agent into the bullet wound while he began to assess Adeline’s other injuries. He looked up at Jack. “We need a chopper if she’s going to have any chance at all.”

“On it.”

Astrid prayed harder than she ever had in her life as she watched the men who’d come to mean so much to her work to save her sister. They’d come too close to getting her back to lose her now.

“Come on, Bee, you can fight this. I know you can. I won’t let you die on me a second time.”

Astrid carried on talking while Waggs stabilised her, talking nonsense and begging her to fight. The sound of a helicopter overhead made her look up and into the worried eyes of the man she loved. A man who was doing everything in his power to make sure she didn’t lose her sister again. Neither one of them had said the words, but she knew she loved him and had a feeling—or maybe a hope—that he felt the same.

A gurney appeared along with two paramedics who moved Adeline as they fitted a line to get fluids and medications inside her. Waggs gave the two men everything he knew. As he cited the injuries he’d picked up on, Astrid felt the weight of the fight her sister had suffered almost take her legs from under her.

Jack was at her back, a strong arm banded around her waist holding her up. “We’re coming with her.”