Page 71 of Reckless

Jazz’s attention jerked back with a vengeance. But it was Xavier who growled, “What? Doyle is dead? How?”

“He died two days after we found Jazz. There was no obituary, nothing online. The only way I discovered it was one of my people found a two-line statement that the owner of Archie’s, a restaurant in the Loop, was now Ryan Doyle, the son of the late Kevin Doyle. I did a deep dive and found a death certificate. It had been altered, but I was able to root around till I found the original. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“He killed himself?” Jazz whispered to no one in particular. “But why?”

“Not sure,” Serena said, “but I also found a death certificate for his wife, who died of a brain aneurysm the week before.”

“Jazz,” Ash said, “Eve, Gideon, and I are headed to Chicago in a few hours. We’ll be meeting with Doyle’s son to see if he knows what his father’s intent was and why.”

“Aren’t we opening ourselves up—exposing Jazz even more by meeting with him?” Liam asked.

“We’re going in undercover as an investment group interested in buying into one of Ryan Doyle’s businesses. I want to get the lay of the land before we show any of our cards.”

Jazz tried to get her head wrapped around this new intel. All the time she’d been hating on the guy responsible for kidnapping and torturing her, he’d been dead. And though there were some clues about why he’d taken her, it was all too fuzzy and murky to see anything solid.

She sent a look to Xavier and wasn’t surprised to see his eyes were on her. Any other time, they’d be sitting together and discussing the findings and what they meant. Even though she could see love and warmth in his gaze, she still felt a huge disconnect from him that she didn’t know how to overcome. No matter which way she turned, confusion reigned.

“Damn,” Ash said softly.

“What’s wrong?” Serena said.

All eyes went to Ash, who was looking at something on his phone with a grim set to his mouth.

“Looks like we’re about to have company,” he said.

“Who?” Liam asked.

Ash stood and headed to the door, but before he walked out, he looked at Jazz. “Kate is on her way here. She said she has the answers you’re looking for. And it’s about damn time.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

His phone to his ear, Ash pushed the front door open and stomped down the steps. The minute his wife answered his call, he said, “Kate’s here.”

Jules’s heartfelt sigh told him she hadn’t known of Kate’s plans. Then she confirmed it with, “I haven’t talked to her in a couple of days, Ash. I didn’t know she was coming.”

He and Jules had been arguing about Kate for weeks. Nothing had been resolved. While his wife agreed that Kate keeping back intel that would greatly increase their chances of finding the people who’d taken Jazz was insanely wrong, she was torn. Kate was her mentor and friend, the godmother to their son. They had both trusted her with their lives. But while Ash had become skeptical of Kate’s loyalty over the last few months, Jules’s opinion of her friend had never wavered.

Against Jules’s wishes, Ash had barred Kate from Option Zero grounds. Before, she had enjoyed the freedom to come and go just like any other OZ employee. But now, she required an escort. He hadn’t told her, of course, and when she’d texted that she couldn’t get through the gate because her code wouldn’t work, he’d read between the lines of her terse statement. She was pissed.

Well, so was he. And until she came clean with everything, she would remain on his “watch list.”

He drove the two miles to the OZ entrance, a well-hidden drive that no one would see unless they were looking directly at it. Kate’s car was idling, and her face through the windshield clearly showed her temper. What he didn’t like was seeing the hurt in her eyes. Kate had been his friend for a long time, and she had done some remarkable work to make the world a safer place. But secrets within the OZ community could not be allowed. They’d learned the hard way that when things were hidden, everyone suffered for it.

Ash got out of his vehicle, walked to the gate pad, and keyed in an access number. When the gate went up, he gave her a stiff nod and returned to his car.

Just as he reached the parking lot, another notification came through. Another car had arrived at the gate, and this person had clearance. Jules was going to join them.

While they waited for Ash to return with Kate, it was all Xavier could do not to grab Jazz and run out the door. She had walked into the conference room earlier with all the confidence and cockiness he was used to seeing in her. And now, not half an hour into the meeting, she was looking pale and worn out.

Whatever Kate was bringing to the meeting was bound to have an even more devastating impact on her. He wanted to shut it down, but there was no way around it. She would resent his intrusion, and as much as he didn’t want her hurt, he agreed with her that she needed to know the truth. Whatever the hell it was.

The hard, set expression on Ash’s face when he’d walked out the door was a reflection of Xavier’s own ire. Kate hadn’t been invited to the meeting. She had, in fact, lost her security clearance to even come onto the property without an armed escort. That’s how pissed Ash was, and Xavier joined him in his feelings.

Unable to sit and wait without at least touching Jazz, Xavier stood and rolled his chair over to where she sat. She’d been doodling on the pad in front of her, but he knew her mind was running a thousand miles an hour.

“You okay?” he asked.

Without looking up, she said, “Oh yeah, peachy.”

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