Warlords MC: Book 3 – Jack : Chapter 3

He’d finally made it to his room after Deuce came back. He would hold watch until Jack woke up.

Jack had laid down and gone right into a deep sleep, since he had been awake for more than 35 hours straight.

Some hours alter…A scream rent the air.

Jack bolted upright from the bed and grabbed his piece. He was out the door in his boxer and looking around the hall in thirty seconds flat.

The scream came again. It was coming from Jade’s room.

Deuce showed up in the hallway his weapon in his hand as well.

The brothers looked at each other.

Jack went over and turned the knob, opening the door. He raised his gun up and looked around the room as the early morning sun slanted in through the curtains.

Jade was sitting up and holding a screaming Annabelle, trying to hush her. “Its okay, Belle. It’s okay.”

“Mommy!” Annabelle screamed. “Mommy, wake up!”

Jade patted her back as she held her, her saddened gaze swung up to Jack. “S-she was there.”

Jack shook his head and turned to Deuce then stepped back and shut the door.

“Wow, poor kid,” Deuce commented.

Jack agreed. He hadn’t known that the little girl had been there when her mother was murdered. Jade had her hands full for sure. All he could think of to do was to leave them alone.

Now, he was wide awake. He went to his room and got his jeans along with a shirt and his boots on. Leaving his room, he headed the kitchen.

Deuce had been waiting out in the hall then he followed him.

Jack took out coffee and put it in the filter basket then added water. Hitting the on button, he turned around to look at Deuce. He’d known the man had been staring a damn hole in his back. “What?”

Deuce shrugged. “This debriefing looks like it is not going to be easy.”

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. Deuce always had some observation to share that would probably annoy him. “And why do you say that?”

“Duh!” Deuce stepped over to the cabinet to get down a cup. “The woman knows more than we think I’ll wager. Plus, she seems scary smart and acts like… Well, I don’t know but it isn’t natural somehow. And the little girl…” His voice faded away.

Jack got himself a mug. “I’m not debriefing her.”

“Well, maybe you should?” Deuce suggested. “Seems the kid saw a lot and probably heard a lot.”

“No.” Jack shook his head.

“No?”

“You heard me.” He poured himself some coffee. “The kid is a witness to a murder, but it looks like she has blocked that out. I am not doing it. I am not qualified.”

“M-hmm.”

Jack turned to stare at him. “M-hmm? M-hmm what?”

“I get an odd feeling here.”

Jack sighed and took a sip of his coffee. God knows what Deuce would say. One never knew. “And that is?”

“Like something ain’t quite right with that Jade. Yeah, she is protective of the kid, but we don’t know what all Jade might know.”

“Well then, it is time you found out, don’t ya think?”

The men both turned to stare at Jade as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

She came in. “I will be ready to plead the fifth but first…Oh good, coffee. A better aroma I cannot dream of.” She got a mug out of the cabinet.

The two brothers simply watched her as she moved over, got milk out of the fridge, and poured that into the cup.

“Is the girl okay?” Deuce asked.

Jade paused as she looked through another cabinet and grabbed sugar. “As okay as she can be.”

“Well, I am puzzled.” Jack sipped some more coffee, glad that he was finally awake enough to even think.

“About?” Jade raised her mug to her lips.

Jack stared at those lips. He wondered what they felt like what they tasted—

“Hello?” Deuce called to him after a full minute went by.

Jack blinked.

“You were saying?” Deuce raised a brow at him then he smirked.

Jack glared at him and shifted his gaze to Jade. “She asked if her mom was coming here.”

Jade nodded. “She apparently doesn’t remember it.” She sighed. “Often, the mind will entirely darken a memory. Get rid of it or block it. If it is too much to take.”

“Yeah,” Deuce commented. “We know this much. We’ve seen it.”

Jack and Jade looked over at him.

He shrugged.

Jack turned to Jade. “But I see you are not that way.”

“No.. .I remember every fucking minute of it.” Jade then took a deep breath and set her mug down. “I’m ready when you are.”

Jack stared at her. “For what?”

“The debriefing?” She titled her head at him.

“Yeah, sorry. Not awake yet and I didn’t think you would be so…”

Jade stared at him. “So? So what?”

“Eager to give your statement.”

Deuce chuckled.

Jack glared over at him.

Deuce shook his head. “Well, if you both are good, I’m gonna get some shuteye. I’m on guard duty later.” He strolled away.

Jack watched him leave and turned back to her. “Let me get my laptop and set it up.”

She nodded. “I’m going to look for some cereal.”

He went out and down the hall to his room. He paused by Jade’s door to peek in. Jade must have left the door open a bit so she would hear her if she needed Jade.

Annabelle seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He did feel a pang in his chest for her. To see your mom murdered, then to try to wake your mom up thinking she was just sleeping. It was horrible enough to block out.

He went on to his room and grabbed all of what he would need for a deposition. He headed back.

Jade sat in the living room.

He smiled. “Thought you were going to have some cereal?”

She gazed up at him from the couch. “Umm, no. that is going to be for Belle. I figured your um… friend would be sleeping when she woke up so no pancakes.”

“Oh…” Jack set his stuff down on the coffee table, opened his laptop and powered it up then tapped the enter key, pulling up his program to record. “He’s actually my brother.”

“Oh, really? Well, that explains it.”

He glanced over at her. “Explains what?”

“The way he teases you.”

He smiled.” Yeah, we all do that.”

“All?” she asked.

He nodded as he keyed up the program.

“All the men that were at the estate?” she asked. “They are your brothers?”

“Yeah, there are five of us.”

“And you all work together?”

He nodded. “Ace is the leader. But we all have our specialty.”

“How does a group of brothers end up working for the CIA?”

His head rose up. “Who said we were with the CIA?”

She shrugged. “No one has to say it…The safehouse, the copter all of it.”

Jack studied her. “How would you know anything about the CIA?”

Jade stared back. “I have consulted for them before. On a few cases.”

“They usually have their own profilers with masters in Psych.” He raised a brow at her.

She fiddled with her coffee cup.

Jack suddenly stood up. “You’re CIA?”

Jade slowly looked up. “I’m afraid so.”

Jack was stunned to say the least as he slowly sat down. “Well, fuck me.”

She choked on her coffee sip and then laughed nervously.

He looked over at her.

She was swiping her lip with a napkin and not looking at him at all.

“Ok… Just hold up here.” He tapped the keys on his laptop then turned video on.

The screen lit up with a face on it. A face that looked really pissed off. “What the fuck you want at 7 am Jack?” Ace grumbled.

“Well, seems our witness?”

Ace nodded.

“Is CIA.”

Ace blinked. “What?”

Jack nodded “She just confirmed it.”

“Well, fuck a duck.”

“My reaction too,” Jack said.

A loud roaring suddenly sounded from outside and it got louder as it drew closer.

Jack got up and went over to the window. What he saw did not immediately register.

“Jack! What the fuck is it?” Came Ace’s voice from the laptop.

“That would be my team,” Jade stated.

Jack looked from outside to her.

“What the fuck?” Ace yelled.