Page 28 of Fatal Thrill
“You didn’t think to tell me thissooner?”
“I don’t work international theft, J. This is the first I knew aboutit.”
Jaya’s fingers dug into the cushions. “Internationaltheft?”
“He’s implicated in several thefts of valuable jewelry in Ireland and the UK. The pieces were later sold on the black market. Interpol also wants him forquestioning.”
“Holy crap. I knew he’d done some bad things,but…”
Jon was suddenly next to her, a hand on her shoulder. “We need to concentrate on Finn right now. I’ll call Beatrice and have her get the jetready.”
They had a jet? Jaya rubbed her forehead. “We’re going toIreland?”
“I’m going. I’ll coordinate a team and we’ll find your brother. Like I told you before, this is what I do. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll keep you posted every step of the way. You can stay with Shelby. She’ll keep yousafe.”
A shot of determination flooded her legs and she straightened, turning loose of the cushions. “You’re not going anywhere withoutme.”
“Jaya, it’s not safe,” Shelby said before Jon could respond. “Whoever these people are, they mean business. They just set your van onfire.”
“And thank God no one was hurt, but if they, or anyone else thinks that threatening me is a good idea, they better think again. Honestly, I don’t believe these people are all that smart, but I’m going to get my brother back, and then, if at all possible, hunt down my father and get rid of that damn cross once and forall.”
How she was doing to do that, she had no idea. If she found her dad and the cross, she just might turn both over to theFeds.
Jon opened his mouth and Jaya held up hand. “Don’t even try to talk me out of this. I’m serious. If you’re going to Ireland to look for Finn, then I sure as hell amtoo.”
He closed his mouth, sealing his lips in an exaggerated gesture, just like Shelby had doneearlier.
Colton came blowing in the door. He stopped, took in everyone’s expression, and seeing the determination in Jaya’s stance and the fire in her eyes, he rocked back on his heels. “What’s goingon?”
“Well, lad.” Jon set his cup on the breakfast bar and affected an Irish accent. “Looks like we be headin’ toIreland.”
Jon was flyingJaya to Ireland, just not the way he’dplanned.
She wavered between Miss Confident and totally blown out, as if her world had gotten a lot smaller and meaner in the past few hours. It had, and there was no way aroundit.
Colton was in the pilot seat, Morris “Moe” Bouchard his co-pilot. As the plane banked over the Atlantic, heading north, Jon made sure Jaya’s seatbelt was tight. His ballbuster was once again withdrawn. Her face had grown paler since leaving his apartment and the earlier nap had done nothing to fix the dark circles under her eyes. Rory—pretending to be Jaya—had sent a reply to the kidnapper, asking again where to bring the cross once she found it in order to exchange it for Finn. The only reply had been ‘your boyfriend knows,’ which made absolutely no sense to Jon unless the kidnapper assumed he would trace thetext.
Which was possible. If the kidnappers knew Jaya was connected to him and Rock Star—god only knew how they’d discovered him—they had probably assumed Jon could track themdown.
Damnright.
Lightening flashed outside the window and the plane dipped, thanks to turbulence. North Atlantic storms this time of year were plentiful and Ireland was five hours ahead of DC, so they’d be arriving in thedark.
Jaya was lights-out within an hour over the ocean and Jon was glad. The plane’s electric bucket seats would lean nearly flat and he gently adjusted Jaya so she was reclined. Shelby must have shared the same sentiment about Jaya’s need for rest, keeping the files she’d brought on Sean O’Sullivan to herself for the timebeing.
The Bureau’s files didn’t interest Jon. Beatrice could get her hands on far more accurate information from a variety of sources. His first concern was locating Finn. Jon had no doubt that his boss had at least two or three people in Kinvarra who could give him the information he needed to start hissearch.
The only reason he’d agreed to bring Shelby was for moral support. Jon wasn’t sure how to comfort Jaya or reassure her. She was usually a spitfire—seeing her reticent and guarded threw him off. He held her hand, her slender fingers cool to the touch, and rubbed his thumb in her palm. As the plane dipped again, she moaned in hersleep.
He tightened his grip and rubbed a finger across a crease in her brow. Once her soft, even breathing resumed, he relaxed. Motioning for Shelby to grab the blanket he’d laid on the opposite chair, he carefully released Jaya’s hand and tucked it aroundher.
An hour later, he’d mentally run through his plan at least a hundred times. They’d left one storm behind only to encounteranother.
Shelby caught his eye. “I’m worried about her,” she said softly, cocking her chin atJaya.
He eased the blanket a little higher around Jaya’s shoulders. “She’ll be all right. I’ll make sure ofit.”
“It’s not just this mess with Finn and her dad. She looks…rundown. Sick,even.”
