Page 19 of Fatal Thrill
Jon handed Beatrice Jaya’s phone. “I’m guessing from this video, Jaya’s dad found it, or at least someone thinks he did. The kidnappers want it in exchange forFinn.”
Beatrice watched the video, her eyes scanning it carefully. A couple times, she paused, backed it up, and watched certain frames again. Handing the phone to Jon, she sat back in the chair and rocked. “Do you have the last known whereabouts of your father andbrother?”
Jaya shook herhead.
“Any idea where they might have beensearching?”
“Mostly likelyIreland.”
“What about your mom?” Colton asked. “Do you think the kidnapper sent her the video? Would she know where tolook?”
That was one blessing in all of this—her mom couldn’t know about Finn. “She doesn’t have a cell phone, and her Alzheimer’s has gotten to the point she wouldn’t remember anything Dad told her, anyway. She’s living in a homenow.”
“Sorry.” Jaya felt Colton’s hand on her shoulder, a reassuring—and completely unusual—gesture from him. “I didn’trealize.”
This time Jaya just nodded, batting back the warm liquid burning hereyes.
Beatrice grabbed a tablet from a desk drawer, tapped the screen, and set it on the desk, facing Jaya. “Our services don’t come cheap, but we get the job done, and because of your relationship to Jon, I’ll give you the friends-and-family discount. If you agree to hire us, I’ll need full disclosure about your father, brother, and any buried familysecrets.”
God, her brain really was fried. “I’m sorry, services? I don’t know who kidnapped my brother, but I don’t need a bodyguard. Obviously, they believe I’m their only hope to find my father and the cross. They’re not going to hurt or kidnap me. I have to talk to Shelby. See if the FBI canhelp.”
“About that…” Jon took the tablet and handed it to her. “We’re not just a bodyguardservice.”
Jaya rubbed her temples. What was he talking about? “You’renot?”
“We do other things. Help people who need specializedservices.”
She sat straighter. Had he been holding out on her? “What kind of specializedservices?”
Jon’s dark eyes were serious but still confident. “Stuff like this. I track people, Bells shoots them. Hunter does…well, everything else. We have some pretty damn good skills that go far beyond the bodyguardset.”
“They can help you,” Savanna insisted. “Trust me, Iknow.”
“No offense to Shelby, but if you go to the Feds,” Jon continued, “they’ll halfheartedly look in to it and move at the speed of a snail. The kidnapper only gave you seventy-two hours. You need us, Shadow Force International, with all of our technology andexpertise.”
“Shadow ForceInternational?”
“I’ll get Rory tracking where the text originated and Sean and Finn were last seen,” Beatrice said. “We’ll have boots on the ground beforenoon.”
“I’ll cover the fee,” Savanna said, “in exchange for your weddingservices.”
“Wait.” Jaya stood, her legs now buzzing with agitation, like she had to get up and move. Her gaze went from Jon to Beatrice, to all the others in the room, before it came back to the woman behind the desk. “This really isn’t just a bodyguardservice?”
“Jeez, Jaya.” Colton grunted. “Since when are you so damn slow on the uptake? We’re a paramilitary group of former SEALs with all the toys who still know a thing or two about kicking ass. Yeah, we do private security, but the heart of the organization goes well beyond that. We’ll save Finn, find your dad, and figure out the cross shit. You onboard orwhat?”
Fiery annoyance burned in her chest. “Excuse me for needing a moment to fully comprehend that my”—she waved a hand in Jon’s direction—“boyfriend was lying to me, and for wrapping my head around the fact that my brother has beenkidnapped.”
“I didn’t lie,” Jon said, frowning. “I’m a bodyguard too. Rock Star is a legitbusiness.”
Parker slid into the melee and picked up Jaya’s phone from the desk. “I’ll take this to Rory and bring him up to speed.” She quietlyexited.
Beatrice scrolled through the text on the tablet’s screen. “Sign here,” she said, pointing to a blankline.
Jaya wondered if the whole world had gone crazy, or if it was just her. “I’d really like to talk toShelby—”
Colton interrupted. “I’ll bring Shelby up to speed, but Jon’s right. You need to move fast and the Bureau is a red-tape nightmare. Your case will end up behind half a dozen others. Just sign the fucking contract so we can go findFinn.”
One thing Jaya hated above all else was being bullied. “Back the hell off, Bells. I need to think and your attitude is making me seered.”
