Page 76 of Reckless

Pushing her hair back with her fingers, Kate blew out a heavy, weary-filled sigh. “I imagine for the same reasons they used to justify killing her parents and giving her to Arthur Kelly to hold for them.”

“Because she’s Byrne’s daughter? He had that much influence?”

“Yes. As far as crime families go, he was the king in Chicago.”

“So they want to use her for what—some kind of archaic arranged marriage to unite the mob?”

Before Kate could answer, Serena said in the grimmest voice he’d ever heard from her, “I don’t think that’s the biggest reason.”

“What do you mean?” Xavier asked.

“Come look.”

Striding over to where she was, he stopped beside her and looked down at her laptop screen. His heart stopped, and his gut roiled. No wonder they wanted her. Jazz was in just as much danger as she had been before. In the grand scheme of things, the fact that Kevin Doyle was dead meant nothing. A dozen more just like him were likely plotting how to get their hands on Jazz.

And she had no idea.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The phone in her hand was going to break if she didn’t stop gripping it so tightly. Nerves weren’t usually a big issue for her. When you’d seen and done things that would make most people cringe, you learned to let adrenaline steel your resolve to get the job done. She told herself to do that this time, but for the life of her, she was having trouble following through with the norm. With just one push of a key, she would hear Brody on the other end of the line. Something she’d longed for with all her heart for over a decade was within her grasp, and she was hesitating. How insane was that?

Her impatience with herself at an all-time high, Jazz let loose a low growl and punched the key that would connect her with Brody.

The instant the call was answered, her throat closed up. He didn’t say anything, but she knew he was there.

Swallowing hard, she rasped out, “Brody?”

“Hey, Little Mighty.” Though the voice sounded gravelly and slightly husky, she had no trouble recognizing it as her brother’s.

Dropping into a chair behind her, she whispered, “It’s really you?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Jazz.”

“I can’t believe I’m talking to you. It’s been so long.”

“I know, Jazzy. I’m sorry. I’m so damn sorry.”

“I waited for you, and then I had to leave. I knew there was no way you’d be able to find me, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You did the right thing, Jazz. It was months before I could get back to the apartment. If you hadn’t left, they would have found you.”

“Where have you been all this time? What are you involved in? Why did you kill Franco Bass? Do you work for the Wren Project?”

“That’s a lot of questions, and I don’t have a lot of time. I can’t stay on the phone too long. Just know that I’m so proud of you, Jazz. You’ve become a force to be reckoned with. But be careful, because those bastards are still looking for you. And even though Kate Walker has done a lot of good things, don’t trust her. She’s hiding things, and I can’t tell whose side she’s on.”

“But, Brody, I want to see you. I?—”

“No, Jazz. You go live your life. Do your thing, Little Mighty. Just know I love you, and Mom and Pop would be so damn proud of you. I know I am.”

Before she could say another word, the call ended, and he was gone. Angry that he’d just hung up, she immediately called back, but an automated voice came on the line to say the number didn’t exist.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, just staring at the phone and trying to will it to ring. She told herself she should be happy. Her beloved brother was alive, and while she still had so many questions, just being able to talk to him had been a gift she’d never expected.

He wanted her to let him go—to live her life and forget about him. That wasn’t going to happen. Someway, somehow, she would find him. He was her beloved big brother, and no matter what he was involved with, or what he’d done, she would never give up on him.

“Jazz?”

She looked up into Xavier’s concerned eyes, and everything hit at once. Sobs tore through her chest, and an awful sound erupted from her mouth. Before she could take another breath, Xavier was pulling her into his arms. Burying her face against his neck, Jazz let go of years of grief, fear, and loneliness. Not since she was ten years old and was told that her mother and stepfather were dead had she felt this broken. Almost two decades of sorrow had finally spewed over, and she could no longer contain it.