Page 30 of Reckless

“Please take Jasmine to her new location.”

No way in hell was she going anywhere with them. Being small and fast were two qualities that had gotten her out of many sticky situations. She feigned going left and then went right instead. All three men went to grab her, and she scooted around them and ran out the door.

Two long hallways, one on each side of the door, were her choices. Having no idea which way was the best, she took a right and zoomed down the hallway like her life depended upon it, knowing that it did.

Spotting a stairway, she put on the speed and raced to it. Halfway there, a bolt of electricity seared through her body, and she crashed to the floor. Her body spasming with agony from a taser, she glared up at the three men who stood over her. The one in the middle, the bastard responsible for all of this, was grinning down at her like a self-satisfied loon.

Before she could recover a semblance of control over her body, the other two men went to work on restraining her. One of them grabbed her wrists and zip-tied them together. She didn’t protest too much. She knew how to break zip ties. The other man did the same to her ankles. That was no cause for alarm either. She’d learned early how to get out of these kinds of bonds.

“You have your instructions.”

“Yes, sir,” one of the men said.

The bastard responsible for her current misery smiled down at her. “Now, Jasmine, when you are ready to admit who you are, we will have a more enlightening conversation. Until then, enjoy your new accommodations.”

Before she could respond, another bolt of lightning struck her, and all coherent thought disappeared beneath the scorching, electrified agony. Unable to maintain consciousness, Jazz had no choice but to let the darkness take her.

Hearing a familiar moaning, Jazz willed her eyes open. Memory came quicker this time, as did coherency. She moved slightly and was relieved to find that not only were her legs and hands free, she was also still wearing her clothes. That might seem insignificant, considering she was still a hostage, but she would take all the wins she could get.

Gingerly, she sat up, looked around, and released a shaky sigh. She was indeed in new accommodations, and they weren’t nearly as nice as the others had been. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she would say she was in a prison cell. But this small enclosure wasn’t as clean or as comfortable as what a prisoner might be given.

Getting to her knees, she was pleased that though her entire body was sore and weak, she had no nausea or headache. Another win. Yes, she knew she was stretching the optimism.

Standing, she looked around at the new location. The room was concrete, about eight by ten. In one corner, she spotted a bucket, which she assumed was to be her toilet. In the other corner was a blanket and small pillow. And on top of that pillow was a clear plastic bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. How nice that dental hygiene was important to the bastard.

Other than those things, the room was empty. However, she also noted a long, narrow drain on the other side of the room. She didn’t need to wonder what it was for. She looked up and saw stars and a midnight-dark sky through the open bars above.

Several years ago, before she’d met Kate and had her life turned around, she had worked at a dog kennel. Few legit businesses wanted to pay cash under the table, but she’d been a hard worker and agreed to less than minimum wage. The kennel’s owner hadn’t minded taking advantage of her circumstances, but that had been okay with her. The money had not only bought her food and the occasional cheap motel room, she’d been able to spend as much time as she wanted with the dogs and cats being housed there.

She’d never had a pet. Just before her parents were killed, they’d mentioned the possibility of a kitten or puppy as an early birthday present. She’d always been grateful they hadn’t had the opportunity to get her one, as that would have been one more loss and would have broken her heart even further.

Her job at the kennel had lasted only about four months, but it was one of the more pleasant experiences of her teenage years. Which was why she knew without a doubt that she was in a dog kennel run. Not the kennel itself, as she would have a roof over her head. This type of enclosure allowed dogs to get fresh air while still being penned.

There were no noises. No barking, no sounds whatsoever. And no animal smells, which told her this place was no longer in business. So, she was locked in an abandoned kennel, and as she shook the cage door, she knew without a doubt there was no way out.

Refusing to panic, she walked every inch of the small enclosure, looking for a weakness. She came to the gritty conclusion that the only way out was through the locked cage door. Even though bars made up the top of the cage, revealing the open sky, she didn’t have a way to climb up there. Even if she could, the bars were too close together to fit her body through them.

She was here until someone showed up to let her out.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Xavier took a long swallow of his now cold coffee, ignoring the churning of his gut telling him he’d had enough. Coffee didn’t usually faze him, but since he’d been living on it for the past couple of days, his stomach said, Enough.

The OZ team sat at the conference table on their private jet. It was a much smaller gathering than usual. Hawke was still in the hospital and would be there at least a week before he’d be allowed to go home. The biggest issue had been blood loss, but once his strength returned, the doctors anticipated a full recovery.

Liam would have been here, but Aubrey was now giving birth to their baby girl. Xavier had talked to him last night, and he’d been torn up because he couldn’t help out. Even though Liam would cut off his right hand if someone tried to pull him away from Aubrey and the birth of his child, Xavier knew he was conflicted. Liam loved Jazz, just like they all did.

Xavier mentally shook his head. No, that wasn’t the case, because while all the OZ team loved Jazz like family, Xavier knew his own feelings for her were different and stronger. Would he ever get the chance to tell her?

Shutting down those negative feelings, he glanced at the small group again. Sean was still MIA also, and from what Xavier knew, no one had any idea where the asshole was. As soon as they did, Xavier knew there would be several pissed-off OZ operatives on his doorstep, demanding an explanation.

“Okay,” Ash said, “let’s go over what we know.”

Giving a nod, Serena started, “Forensics pulled a half-dozen prints from Jazz’s room. We should be getting some matches soon. Also, they were able to get enough blood off the bathroom mirror for a DNA test.”

“Any intel on who might’ve take her or when?” Gideon asked.

“Maybe,” she said. Clicking something on her keyboard, she turned and pointed to a photo on a big screen on the wall. “This is from a pawnshop camera across the street from the motel. It doesn’t show the door to Jazz’s room, but I’ve reviewed all the footage for the last three days. Nothing strange happened except for this.”