Page 68 of Broken
10
JACQUELINE’S NEW DIGS
Prescott
Once aboard his private jet, Prescott buckled Ethan into his seat while Jacqueline strapped herself in across from him. For the moment, his motley crew was appeased. He would take any win, no matter how small.
Jacqueline had agreed to work with him in exchange for a permanent case of blue balls. At the moment, it felt like a small price to pay to hunt down a cold-blooded killer, but he knew the ultimate challenge would be seeing her naked and writhing beneath him.
While hewantedto breathe a sigh of relief, he couldn’t. He needed to have an excruciatingly painful conversation with his three-year-old nephew. He was tasked with taking out the ALPHA Killer while partnering with someone who couldn’t stand him. Not the best working situation. To top that, she would need protection. If Z had insisted she fly back with four Secret Service agents, the job of keeping her safe fell to him.
He locked eyes with her, and his determination skyrocketed. He had no idea how he’d juggle all of this, along with his responsibilities at Armstrong, but he would.
Ethan slipped his thumb into his mouth, then stared up at him. “I’m sleepy.”
It was one in the morning, east coast time, so Prescott wasn’t surprised. “Close your eyes, bud. When we land, we’ll be back home.”
Ethan’s sleepy smile tugged at Prescott’s heart. He was grateful Ethan had been so good during their whirlwind day. Prescott removed two blankets from the overhead bin. After covering Ethan, he offered the second one to Jack.
She took it and draped it over her shapely legs.
The copilot made her way into the cabin, explained that they were waiting to taxi. Once the flight got underway, the cabin lights would dim.
“Please stay buckled when seated,” she said, before returning to the cockpit.
Shortly after, the plane taxied out, then glided down the runway, gaining speed, until the bird lifted effortlessly into the air.
A few minutes into the flight, Prescott regarded his young companion. For the first time in his life, he understood the phrase “sleeping like a baby”, and he exhaled an audible sigh.
Ethan was slumped over, so Prescott reclined him. Rather than sit back down, he moved across the aisle, so he and Jack could talk quietly.
In truth, he wanted to be close to her. The need to be near her hadn’t let up from the second he entered her apartment building.
When he peered in her direction, her beauty soothed his demons, but her furrowed brow a constant reminder she couldn’t stand him. He wasn’t fazed. Anger and hate were strong motivators. He needed her to do her job, so he could do his. It was that simple, except for the one-sided sex. That’s where things got messy.
Before they’d headed to the airport, she showered. Her just-washed scent, mixed with her own sweet fragrance, wafted in his direction. She was looking super-hot in a white shirt and tight, black jeans, her wild mane framing her beautiful face.
“Thank you for working with me,” he began.
She nodded, once.
“What do you know about this case?” he asked.
“Z told me that Addison and your sister had been shot, but that Addison and Hawk were the targets. Then, he mentioned something about his elite team.”
Prescott had to confide in her. Breaking protocol was something he’d never done, but if he wanted her to start trusting him, he had to take that first step.
“Years ago, Z and another man created a top-secret organization. Basically, trained assassins who would eliminate the worst offenders. Serial rapists, serial killers, child molesters whose DNA linked them to multiple crimes. They either got off on a technicality or they escaped prison. The organization is called ALPHA.”
“Are you in it?”
“No,” he replied.
“What’s your connection?”
“After I got fired from HRT, I was wrecked over the epic fail in Winchester and without a job. Working for the Bureau had been a dream of mine since I was a kid. Not long after that, I was contacted by Z who asked me to join ALPHA.”
“But you didn’t.”
