Page 52 of Jacqueline's Quest

He grinned. “I thought we should have the truth on the table.”

“Well, sometimes holding back the truth for about an hour is a good thing.” She laughed, burying her face in his chest. “You are a filthy man.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment.” He stepped back and held his hand out. “Let’s get to the library so we can get this shit going.”

Jaqueline took his hand as they strode from the room. It wasn't the perfect scenario to be walking into a mission, but it had to work. After his little conversation with Jaqueline, he could say he felt marginally better. The fear creeping in around the edges faded as did the anxious thread running through him. He could think a little clearer too. Having Jaqueline there, someone who was going through the same thing as him helped too. Best of all, though he'd always known with R.O.O.T. he was never alone, with Jaqueline, he could feel it. She had his back and he had hers too.

“We’re meeting in the Library,” AJ said as she popped out of her room. “Noah’s waiting.”

He spotted Noah the minute he stepped into the room. He wore the standard R.O.O.T apparel, which included green camo tactical pants, olive green shirt and black laced up boots. If they were on a night mission, his face would be completely blacked out by paint, so when he took up his position, no one would be able to see him. During the day his paint matched the terrain of the area.

For this mission, once Murray changed, he'd be wearing the low slung leather pants and no shirt. The last time he put them on, he swore his dick would bust through the front. However, Jaqueline appreciated them. She gave him sideways glances the whole time they'd been watching the scene unfold with Master Arrington. When he glanced down to see what had snared her attention, he noticed the base of his dick peeked out over the leather straps holding them together. It was good to know she appreciated his body as much as he loved hers. But, the pants did have its drawbacks. There was no place for him to hide any weapons. Perhaps, while he'd been lost in his thoughts and worries about the situation they were going into, it had occurred to him several times, he'd be unarmed. If shit went sideways fast, he'd be a sitting duck. Yes, he trusted his team. No matter what happened, they'd have his back. Nevertheless, it'd been another point of vulnerability for him.

Thankfully, Jaqueline would be wearing was black, skintight sheath dress, which showed off her amazing tits. It was a mix of a Domme and goth girl and clung to her like a second skin.

Luca had brought a buyer to the house and taken not only Jaqueline's measurements but also AJ's. When she tried it on, he’d lost his mind. It was also then they learned the dresses weren't normal. They had a layer of lightweight Kevlar sewn into the dress, making it bulletproof where it covered her. The woman also handed her two sheaths. They'd wrap around her thighs to conceal several small weapons.

It made him hard just think about it.

Thomas closed the door behind him as they stepped further into space. The first thing he noticed above everything, was the fact Luca wasn't with them. After their little session in the playroom, he saw the man in a different light. He understood Luca's reaction to what he'd seen, and he also didn't want to discredit AJ's fears either. He couldn't imagine the abuse she suffered through her life, and seeing Luca fly into a blind rage, must have been frightening. Shit, he'd feel the same way she did, if it was him.

“Hey, glad you’re here now,” Noah said in greeting.

“Mateo stay back in Virginia?” AJ stood next to Thomas. The awkwardness Murray had seen between AJ and Thomas abated since the other morning. They were a bit more in sync with each other. The underline tension would be there until they could have an open and frank conversation between all three of them. He had faith in them. They’d figure it out.

“He’s keeping an eye on Bex,” Noah replied. “With this case, we have to keep her protected right now.”

“What happened?” Thomas stepped forward. Anger vibrated off of him.

“I’d thought we’d have more time,” Murray said. “Shit.” It wasn’t that he’d forgotten about the girl, he hadn’t. They’d been caught up in their mission, checking in with Asher consisted of updating him on how things were there, not hey by the way... Even though he should have said something. If Mateo was watching the girl, and God forbid anything happened to Noah’s husband, they’d all be up shit creek without a paddle.

“Bex is in a considerable amount of danger,” Noah said. “Which is why I’m here a little early. We had a situation the other day. Mateo had a man arrested for snooping around the school. Turns out, he’s part of the Los Trios Cartel out of Los Trios, Mexico.”

We’re fucked.It couldn't be a coincidence Luca brought them the information about the new cartel sniffing around Raul's daughter. If he had to guess, they were testing to see how close they could get to the girl before one of Raul's men either beat the shit out of them or worse, killed them in cold blood. The fact the man had been close enough Mateo could call the police and have him arrested didn't say much for Raul's men. The whole situation didn't sit well with Murray. They were missing pieces of the puzzle.

“I’ve never dealt with them,” Jaqueline replied. “We did receive information about them working with FLDS in Mexico as well.”

Murray glanced at AJ, her eyes flicked from Noah to Thomas to him then to Jaqueline. Her little mind was churning, he could see it. She was taking the blame onto herself when it was all of their faults. When Thomas took her hand, she settled down. Yeah, she might not acknowledge it yet, but she was his.

Stop thinking about stupid shit and focus. Bex’s life is on the line.

“They’re new from the information we’re gathering.” Noah handed each of them a small file. “Look, R.O.O.T isn’t in the business of keeping track of cartels. However, since this shit with the Aguila Cartel got dumped on our doorstep, we’re sinking deeper into the world day by day.”

“Tex brought me up to speed about your cases before Murray arrived,” Jaqueline said. “Sounds like you were on the shit end of an introduction to the cartel business.”

Noah snorted. “You can say that. R.O.O.T polices black-ops organizations for the US Government and, not to pat myself or Murray on the back, we’re good at it. Just so happens we have insider connections and can take on different kinds of jobs as needed, like this case. However, in this situation, the breadcrumbs of our original case led us in this direction.”

“What is the status of Bex?” AJ asked.

“A bit banged up. Asher is working on a fix for her as we speak. Mateo is the default leader.”

She laughed. “I’m sure he’s excited.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “The man is going to drive me crazy before all of this is over. He’s determined to protect her.”

“What kind of run-in did she have to cause the guy to be arrested?”

From what he learned the other night from Luca and what he gleaned off the current conversation, Bex wasn't a kid who'd been treated very well. To know her father didn't have any compunctions when it came to disfiguring his daughter, well, it appeared AJ and Mateo were the biggest ones willing to protect her. It also meant making sure whatever happened at the club, they caught Raul and ended his reign of terror. It also meant they wouldn't be done with any of it until Los Trios was taken care of as well.

---