Jason (Kings of Guardian #4) (14 page)

Jason exited his vehicle and strode through the blackness of night toward the entry control point of the disaster that once was Faith’s trailer. A cop stepped into his path and held up his hand. Like the man had a chance of stopping him from getting to his family. Jason flipped his credentials to the man in a preemptive strike. He was trying desperately to hold his temper at bay. His body literally shook in suppressed rage. He had to hold Faith and Reece in his arms, to make sure they were okay. The stench of the fire and the charred remains of her trailer only intensified his overwhelming need to get to them. Jason grabbed his badge after the cop handed it back and ducked through the crime scene tape that blocked access to the charred remains of Faith’s trailer.

The patrol officer who watched the entry control point moved in front of him.
Oh, hell no
. The man had no idea the tempest that Jason was trying to control. With the last of his restraint he tried to warn the officer. “Listen, I know you think you’re doing your job, but you need to get the fuck out of my way.”

“Hey, this is a federal crime scene! The FBI is in control. You can’t go in there without permission,” the young, green, and apparently stupid Garden City cop shouted before he ran toward Jason. His biggest mistake? He didn’t listen to the warning. He got between Jason and his family. Wrong fucking move.

“I’m sorry, sir, you can’t…”

Jason laid the kid out in two seconds, disarmed him and whispered in his ear. “Son, that smoldering piece of metal is my fiancée’s trailer. Right now what you need to do is go find your supervisor and tell him you just tried to block the CEO of Guardian Security from getting to his fiancée and his boy.” Jason lifted off the man, pulled him up off the ground and without a word headed toward Helena’s trailer. The distinct sound of a hammer being pulled back froze his stride.

Jason stopped and slowly cocked his head without turning around. He saw Elliot Sawyer, Lima Team’s leader, step out of the shadows at the front of Helena’s trailer. The man’s voice rang out loud and clear, “Arch Angel’s in jeopardy.”

He turned to eye the Garden City police officer who held his service revolver in a determined two-handed grip. Never before had Jason felt the need to use sublime power conveyed with the position he’d inherited from Gabriel. His appointment to the helm of the company placed him under established protection protocols. The anomalies of today not counted, he was almost untouchable. His family would be protected and the five seasoned warriors that ghosted the perimeter of the crime scene would neutralize any threat, foreign or domestic, that posed a risk to him.

“Officer, lower your weapon and the five M-4s currently targeting your heart will stand down. You’ve seen my credentials, the men who are guarding this trailer have obviously been cleared by the FBI. They recognize me and work for me. I’m not going anywhere. Make the calls you need to make.”

Jason blinked as his men’s laser sights lit up the night putting a punctuation mark on his comments. The older officer’s hand slowly rose and the hammer eased back softly. “Radio for your supervisor. Have him report to that trailer. The FBI will debrief him. And officer?”

“Sir?” The older man gulped dramatically. “Thank you, for your service.” Jason turned and headed toward his team leader.

Elliot stepped further into the pool of light the streetlight cast on the cement drive leading toward Helena’s trailer.

“The area is secure, sir. She’s inside with the residents of this home. Alpha and Bravo have confirmed you have vetted the families. The husband’s been allowed to keep his weapon. The woman had a handgun. For our safety, we took it until the husband was released off shift.”

Jason chuckled and put a hand on the team leader’s shoulder. “Thank you.” He didn’t have the words to express what the men’s protection of his family meant.

“We’ve got your back, Jace. I only stepped in because I didn’t want to do the paperwork you killing that stupid cop would have caused.”

“I might not have killed him, Elliot. Trying to turn a new leaf and all that shit.”

“Right. And you weren’t the man who singlehandedly handed that SEAL team their asses during the last large force exercise.”

“A lot has happened since then.”

“Yeah, you’ve moved up the food chain by about forty steps.”

“Lost my edge.”

“Yeah? And I have some swampland in Arizona to sell you. Fuck, Jace, my cousin was with you in theater when all that shit went down. Said you were the best skipper he’d served under, and that tough son of a bitch doesn’t give endorsements easily.”

Jason glanced at Elliot and nodded because words were inadequate… once again.

“He’s here! Momma, he’s here!” The screen door swung open as the boy and his dog raced out of the trailer.

Jason scooped Reece up as he launched off the top step of the porch. The little boy grabbed Jason’s neck and buried his head against his shoulder. “All my toys are blowed up! I cried. I was scared but Momma said you were coming to get us. I want to go back to your house. Nothing bad can get us at your house, right?” Reece’s tears shredded him. He rubbed his boy’s back and held him tightly as the child clung to him.

“I promise to keep you safe, Reece. I promise.” Jason kissed the little boy’s temple and glanced up. Faith stood at the top of the stairs. He held out his arm and she raced down the stairs.

“Jason.”

Her soft sob gutted him. He folded her into his arms. Her trembling body pressed against him while he held Reece in his arms. This—this was what he’d been missing for as long as he could remember. A person, two actually, who loved him unconditionally.

“Shh… princess, it’s alright. Come on, we’re heading home.” He started to turn back to his convoy of vehicles and the security he brought with him.

“Wait, what about Helena and Cal? Are they in danger?” Faith glanced back at the trailer.

“We have two teams of local-based FBI who are taking them to a safe house tonight.” Elliot’s reply came from the shadows.

“Thank you. Let’s go. If there is any question about their safety, we will either relocate them or bring Cal on and make him a member of Guardian. He has some of the background we require. But right now, I need to get you out of here and back home where I can make sure you’re safe.”

Faith nodded and waved at Helena and Cal, who stood in the doorway. A disturbance near his vehicle stopped his turn and movement away from the trailer. Elliot stepped in front of Jason and his family. The team members formed an immediate circle around them. “Ready when you are, sir. We have orders from Alpha to escort you back to D.C. and make sure your family is secure.”

“Then lead the way, Lima.”

***

Reece’s body jerked in his sleep. Jason still held him. Every time he moved, the little guy whimpered in his sleep. He held Faith close and she leaned against her head against his chest with her eyes shut.

“Where were you when I called?” Her words were soft so she wouldn’t wake Reece.

He shifted, his mind swirling with the swarm of actions that needed to be taken, the directives he needed to issue and the resources he needed to move to thwart this threat. “I was attempting an emergency landing at Dulles. We believed our plane could have been compromised.”

“Compromised?”

“The ground crew that services the jet we use were found dead in the hangar after we took off. It was assumed that the plane had been tampered with. We landed successfully, though.”

Faith lifted away from him, her eyes huge as she stared at him. “Oh my God!” Reece shifted in his hold. Faith slapped her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. He watched as she paled and began to shake her head back and forth.

“You took my phone call when you didn’t know… you could have died?” Her rasped question carried to Lima team. They shifted uncomfortably or pretended they didn’t hear.

“Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“This is not funny!” Faith hissed out.

“I never said it was.” He pulled her back toward him and kissed the top of her head.

“What is happening? Are we going to be okay?” Faith’s whisper lingered on the air.

“We don’t know what is going on yet, but you’re safe.” He answered honestly.

“I’m scared.” Her hand lifted to wipe away a tear.

“I know. I’ve got you.” He kissed her hair again.

“We’re going home?” He loved the sound of that word and the hope in her voice when she said it. Home.

“We are. I’ll have to go into work tomorrow. Gabriel’s wife was run off the road. Her security team got her out of the situation before anything could happen. We’ve put a safety net on everyone in key positions and their families. As a precaution, Christian is on lockdown at the house, too. He’ll stay in the main house with us until we can be sure he isn’t in jeopardy.”

“Okay.” Faith snuggled closer and put her hand over his as he held Reece. “He asked me today if I thought it was okay for him to call you Daddy.”

He smiled and ran his thumb over the top of her hand. “He called me that when you were on the phone.”

“Did he?” Faith lifted her head off his chest and smiled up at him, her huge chocolate brown eyes dark pools of emotion.

“He did. I’m honored to have him call me his daddy, and I promise I will do everything I can to help you raise him to be a good man.”

“If he turns out anything like you, I’ll be the happiest mom in the world.” Faith leaned up for a kiss and he obliged but kept it abbreviated because of the audience.

The plane’s altitude changed, drawing Jason’s eyes to the landscape. They were about twenty minutes out from landing. A motorcade would be waiting. With the plane sequestered in a secure area, the risk of transferring from the aircraft to the vehicle was minimal, unless there was someone out there with a sniper rifle.

Jason glanced over at Elliot and nodded toward the cabinet that held the protective armor. The team leader lifted from the soft leather chair and started the task of handing out the Kevlar. He dropped two vests beside Jason and then focused his attention on his team. The men smelled like they’d been in the field for weeks and looked just as rough, but Jason was damn glad to have the warriors on his six. The plane banked and descended. Jason had Faith put on her vest and then moved the sleeping child to her arms before he donned his own. When the plane taxied to the secure hangar, they were ready. He waited until the team deployed and gave him the all-clear before he led Faith off the aircraft. He was one hell of a big target, and he made damn sure if anyone was going to get hit, it would be him.

“Is he sleeping?” Faith came out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath sheet. Her long brown hair was towel dried and hung against her shoulders. Jason took a deep breath and made it a point to thank God once again that she was in his life.

“Yeah. He and Christian are holed up in the bedroom at the end of the hall. Chris volunteered to sleep in the same room with him in case Reece woke up afraid. Chris seemed to think we needed a couple hours to ourselves.”

“He’s a smart man. Right now I do need some time with you. I need you to hold me, to make me forget, to help me stop being afraid.” Her towel dropped as she walked toward him. The sensuous curves of her body and the swell of her breasts called to him. Caught in her magic, he was powerless to do anything but love her.

His gaze traveled over her. Just the thought that she could have been killed filled him with a cold emptiness that he hadn’t felt since his father had died. Under his hands, her warm, sweet-smelling skin forced him back to the present. She hadn’t been injured. She was safe, and he’d make sure nobody would ever have the opportunity to hurt her again. The necessary meetings were scheduled. The security was in place. The intelligence gathering was in full force… but those thoughts were for another time. Tonight he needed his woman as much as she needed him.

He pulled her into him and held her tight, the overwhelming desire to be inside her stronger than his self-discipline. He’d nearly lost her, lost his family before they could even begin. Her luscious body formed to his chest. His hands traveled to her waist and then the curve of her ass. Faith moaned into his mouth and the last lingering sense of control snapped. Not only for him but for her, too. Their kiss became primal. His hands roved her bare skin as her hands fought his clothing. Her impatient sound registered long enough for him to pull his button-down over his head and toe off his shoes. Her hand unfastened his belt and his slacks and boxers hit the ground.

Sweet Jesus! Faith dropped to her knees and enveloped half of his dick in her hot, soft mouth. He grabbed her damp hair and held her head. His thighs shook as he controlled the urge to ram his cock deep in her throat. He wouldn’t do that to her. Couldn’t, but damn it, she was pushing his boundaries. Her tongue swirled over the head of his dick. She mixed the soft caresses with moments of intense suction, bringing him almost to the point of pain before she deep-throated him again.

He carefully pulled her away and looked down at those beautiful brown eyes filled with desire. He needed to be in her when he came, but first things first. He bent down and lifted her off her knees, carrying her to the bed. He pushed her into the middle and lay down between her legs, his mouth salivating for a taste of her sweet juices. He shouldered open her legs. He grasped both of her hands, interlaced her fingers with his, and lowered to take what he wanted.

He blew on her heated center and watched gooseflesh rise on her skin. Her hips lifted, undulating with need, and he used their joined hands to hold her hips down as he took his first lingering taste. His tongue split her folds and lapped at her clit. Her immediate jolt and startled gasp drove his desire higher. His world centered on her and he feasted. Her muffled cries exacerbated his raging need to make her come from his mouth’s assault.

Her body tightened, clenched and then released. She trembled against his tongue and her hands pulled at his hair, demanding he cease the assault. He kissed his way from his sweet repast to the seam of her thigh and hip. His kissed each side before he traveled north. He detoured to the beautiful swell of her breasts on the way to her mouth. Jason chuckled when her hands held him against her hardened nipple. He obliged her need and worried both peaks with his tongue, teeth and lips until she released her hold.

He claimed her lips. The passion and raw instinctual need for each other became an overwhelming force. He lifted her leg and pushed the head of his weeping cock into her. She was perfect, hot, soft and gripping. As her body demanded, his responded.

“More. Jason, please… I need you harder. Please.” Her words floated on their shared breath. Lifting off her, he settled on his knees and pulled her hips toward him. Her legs splayed open over his thighs. He couldn’t resist running his hands over her body laid so seductively in front of him.

“Jason…” Faith pleaded.

“Are you sure, baby?” He could hurt her. That was a fact. He had accidently hurt a lover years ago. He’d never let himself go since.

“Take me. Take me hard. Make me yours. I won’t break. I want it. I want you.” Faith grabbed his hand and sucked two fingers into her mouth, swirling them with her tongue. His vision faded as he fell over her. He slid his hands under her back, grabbed her shoulders and thrust. Her whispered “yes” was all it took. Animal instinct and a need so real it became a living beast echoed throughout every fiber of his body. The bed groaned, or fuck… it could have been him… who knew?

He kept his eyes on his woman. Her flushed face and parted lips were the beautiful canvas he couldn’t stop admiring. Their combined sweat-slicked bodies slid together in urgent collisions. Each time he slammed home into the body of the woman he loved, her whimpered encouragement drove him to go harder, deeper and faster, the way she demanded. Lost in the sensation of uninhibited sex, he was shocked by her clutching climax. Her body’s tight grip pushed him over and his hips stuttered against his will. The pool of electricity at the base of his spine erupted through his cock and his vision whited out.

The realization he was crushing Faith came seconds, or perhaps minutes, later. Her shallow pants registered, and he pushed off her. He pulled her into his side and smoothed her hair away from her face.

“I love you, Superman,” she said as she snuggled into his chest.

“I love you, too.” Superman? He wasn’t today. He’d failed to keep her safe. Granted he hadn’t been warned of any threat, but that wasn’t the point. The point was he needed to find out what in the hell was going on and take steps to eradicate any threat to his loved ones. His hand continued to stroke through her hair of its own accord. The repeated touch soothed the thoughts that slammed back into his mind.

“Stop it, Jason. I can sense where your mind is going. You weren’t responsible for my trailer blowing up. When you found out what happened, you made sure we were safe until you could come for us. You are my hero. You always will be.” Faith’s fingers threaded through the hair on his chest.

He chuffed a lungful of air and kissed the top of her head. She somehow always knew what he was thinking. “I’ll never allow you to be in that position again.”

“I know. You’ll protect us. I could never doubt that.”

“You do realize that the two weeks’ notice you wanted to give isn’t going to happen, right?” He smiled at the small giggle his comment elicited.

“Yeah. I’ll send Max an email and explain.”

Jason drew a deep breath before he spoke again. “I am going to assign a full-time security detail to you and Reece. You are far too valuable to me to leave anything to chance.”

“I can live with that.” Faith yawned and sank deeper against him. Her body relaxed and her breath evened. He kissed the top of her head again and stared at the darkened ceiling. Who had the reach to coordinate an attack on the CEOs of Guardian and their loved ones? He closed his eyes. Far too many to count.