Jen's Journey Read online

  Micah just held her for several minutes until she’d settled down and when she leaned back and looked up into his eyes, the love shining from them touched her soul. “I’m sorry I panicked. Where is Jax?”

  “He’s making some calls, seems Miss Jen has likely found herself in a pickle again.” Gracie froze and waited for him to continue. She hadn’t gotten to spend a lot of time with Jen, but she’d been drawn to her and if given the opportunity, they’d be great friends. Thinking Jen had gotten herself in the thick of things again sent shivers through Gracie. Micah stood with her still cradled in his arms as if she weighed nothing at all. “Well, now that you seem to be a little steadier, let’s get you inside. A nice warm bath for you while Jax and I tie up a few loose ends and then I do believe we’ll tie you up and see where that leads us. What do you say?”

  She giggled and pressed her lips against his neck, “That sounds perfect...Master.”

  Chapter One

  Jen sat on the cold stone floor beneath the embassy and fumed. Fucking ass wads. I paid a lot of money for this outfit and sitting on this moldy floor is not helpful. And what the hell is their issue with me anyway? It had been obvious from the time the embassy had been stormed the men had known exactly who she was. Even though she had refused to acknowledge their repeated inquiries. In her opinion if they were too dimwitted to read the State Department identification card clipped to the lanyard around her neck, then they could go jump. It had been difficult to pretend she didn’t understand Spanish, but for once her finely honed skills as a ditsy blonde had paid off.

  As a teenager, Jen had always struggled to fit in because she’d been shuttled between the various accelerated programs in different schools and had rarely been with anyone her own age. Her Mensa level IQ hadn’t been discovered until her freshman year of high school, after that her social circle had essentially dwindled to her instructors and her foster mother. The stab of pain that went through her heart whenever she thought about Millie Sinclair almost made her double over. Being moved into Millie’s home had been the biggest blessing Jen could have ever asked for. And when the sweet woman had died suddenly a couple of months before Jen turned eighteen, the only thing that had kept her from being turned over to yet another state agency had been Bill and Carol McDonald’s intervention.

  Jen had been hired as a liaison of sorts for their daughter, Elza. The freshman girl had been struggling to adapt to college life because she was deaf and just negotiating the administrative system alone was difficult when none of the college staff signed. She and Elza shared an advisor and the young professor knew Jen was proficient in American Sign Language so it had been an easy match. What had been a surprise to everyone was what a godsend that pairing would turn into.

  Elza was one of the sweetest people Jen had ever met and they’d bonded almost from the first moment they met. And even though her parents were wealthy beyond Jen’s comprehension, Elza had never been a diva or difficult to work with. The first time Jen had visited the McDonald Mansion outside of Austin she’d been so nervous she’d nearly turned around and headed back down the long drive to the iron-gated entrance without even slowing down. Elza had bounded down the enormous front staircase, her smile as wide as Jen had ever seen, her hands signing so fast Jen hadn’t even been able to keep up with her enthusiastic friend.

  Pulling her legs up so she could rest her head on her arms, Jen turned her face from the men who sat staring at her from across the room. They’d released a few of the hostages when several had pointed out they were actually locals who didn’t deserve to be caught up in whatever issues the intruders had with the American staff. Jen had been scheduled to leave La Paz first thing in the morning and now the decision to stay an extra day and help the Ambassador with his special project seemed a little too coincidental for her liking. If that twiddle-dicked midget sold me out I swear I’ll kick his ass, tie him up in some of those fancy-assed knots the McCall brothers used on me, and drop his worthless self into Lake Titicaca. Jen snorted to herself, how fitting that a dweeb should land in a body of water named after words Americans associated with boobs and crap.

  Jen had taken an instant dislike to Christian Felps, but her job with the State Department had been to assess the people the weasel had been negotiating with, not the man her boss had sent to run the embassy. She’d done her best to avoid being alone with him after she’d had to fend off numerous sexual advances, but he’d seemed to have a way of catching her anytime she was by herself in the compound. The fact she’d been within minutes of leaving for her hotel when his office had been stormed seemed an odd turn of events, but it was downright unnerving that he hadn’t been taken hostage. Everyone knew that an ambassador held more negotiating power than a lowly linguist did. And it wasn’t difficult to see she was actually the focus of most of the attention.

  Knowing the news of the takeover would likely have already made its way to the McDonalds caused her heart to squeeze tight. Bill and Carol McDonald had been so supportive over the years, they’d practically adopted her, and the thought that she’d once again be causing them worry made her heartsick. After the fiasco in Costa Rica and then her unforgiveable behavior at their son’s wedding, Jen worried they might finally wash their hands of her for good.

  Jen had wondered a thousand times over the past seven months why she’d been so set on a course of self-destruction the night of Jax, Gracie, and Micah’s wedding, and the only thing she’d ever been able to deduce was that she’d just simply been bat shit crazy. After the whole debacle in Costa Rica, and her foolishness on the way back to Texas, she’d been completely unprepared for the feelings that had exploded inside her heart when Sam and Sage McCall had walked into the ballroom after the ceremony. When she’d casually asked Elza several weeks earlier which of her brother’s teammates would be attending the ceremony, her insightful friend had looked at her with sad brown eyes and had shaken her head. Elza had explained the McCall brothers were out of the country and weren’t supposed to be home for several months, so Jen hadn’t had time to shore up her emotional defenses in preparation for their appearance.

  Holy Henry and Hannah she’d made such a fool of herself that night. Even now she could barely wrap her mind around everything that had happened. Sneaking into the hotel’s bar for a few Jello-O shooters with her sorority sisters had seemed like a great way to numb her mind, but things had quickly spiraled out of control. Dancing on the marble-topped bar had been a straight-up Coyote Ugly moment up until she’d fallen off backwards and landed in Sam McCall’s waiting arms.

  Remembering how heartsick she’d felt when she’d seen the frustration in Jax’s eyes and the disappointment in Carol’s was nearly her undoing. The salty taste of a teardrop tracked the seam of her lips before running down her arm. Jen buried her face in her arms and tried to refocus her thoughts away from the guilt and humiliation of that night. Damn and double damn. I hate to cry.

  *****

  Sam McDonald was surprised to see an urgent message on his Sat phone from Kyle West when they landed in La Paz. It was short but had taken his breath away. Passing it over to his brother, he watched Sage’s eyes go wide just before he growled, “I’m gonna beat her ass.” Yeah, Sam could totally relate. Detouring to the customer service desk to retrieve the package Jax had said was waiting for them, Sam’s mind was full throttle ahead as he considered all the ramifications of what he’d just learned.

  The screen on the phone dimmed as Sam stared at the words ‘J Keating one of your snatch and grabs - Pkg at Cust Srvs’ until they faded completely from his view. How on earth had the woman who had shaken both he and his brother to their very cores manage to get herself into another mess? The first time his fingers had touched her arm in the hallway of her hotel in Costa Rica he’d felt an arc of electricity move through him, and he had barely been able to think of anything but the little blonde whose mind was even quicker than her sharp tongue, though not by much.

  A man didn’t have to talk to Jen Keating long before her b
rilliance was glaringly obvious. Sam wasn’t sure he’d ever met anyone who could process information on so many levels at the same time. As a sexual Dominant, he had already known just how difficult it was for women like that to ever silence their minds. The noise inside their heads was often deafening and usually drained them until nothing but exhaustion remained. He’d talked to many professional women who were also submissives and they’d assured him the escape they found in submission had saved their sanity more than once.

  Sam hadn’t fully understood until three years ago when he’d spoken with the owner of a club in Houston and his submissive. CeCe was a widely successful surgeon, she had started a surgical center that was one of the best known in the entire world, and a sexual slave to her Dom husband the minute she walked out of her clinic. Sam and Sage had known Cameron Barnes for years because their parents had been friends since the boys had all been in diapers, so Sam had asked Cam for permission to speak freely with CeCe during dinner one evening.

  Cam had summoned the naked buxom beauty from her position at his feet and settled her on his lap, he’d instructed her that she was free of her regular protocols with guests until he rescinded the order. He’d cautioned her that even though she was to be candid, she should also be respectful in her answers. Sam had seen her blush making him wonder what had happened in the past that had made Cam bring that fact to her attention. Hell, the woman was one of the best trained subs he’d ever met, he couldn’t imagine she’d ever given Cam a moment’s trouble, but maybe…

  His friend had merely smiled and said, “I can see it written all over your face, my friend. And yes, even my lovely pet misbehaves occasionally, and even though I believe her comments to the abusive Dom she gave a thorough tongue lashing a few months ago were completely justified and spot-on, the fact was she was intolerably rude. She was punished for her presentation of the facts, not the facts themselves. And I’m guessing the punishment isn’t something she is likely to forget anytime soon, nor do I believe it’s an issue we’ll need to revisit in the foreseeable future.”

  Sam didn’t even want to think about what Cam had come up with as a punishment for his lovely slave because the man was an evil genius who lived for chances to design new ways to push a subs boundaries. They’d spent the next hour listening as CeCe had explained exactly what it was like inside her head when she was in professional mode and how her submission to Cam was the only peace she’d ever known. Sam had never considered intelligence a curse until CeCe had explained it, unfortunately, it doesn’t come with an on-off switch so quieting the thoughts was a constant challenge. When she hadn’t been convinced he and Sage were comprehending, she’d asked Cam’s permission to do a quick demo and he’d agreed.

  For several minutes they’d watched as Cam’s naked slave had moved around their penthouse gathering anything that would make noise. She’d carefully tuned each device to a different channel and then asked them to step into the middle of the room. When they’d joined her, CeCe had handed them a puzzle and a pencil and asked them to complete it as quickly as possible and then she’d turned the volume up until he’d worried their various art pieces were going to tumble to the polished marble floors. It had taken both he and Sage almost ten minutes to complete the relatively simple puzzle, and even though they were highly trained SEALs they had both found it nearly impossible to function with so much distraction.

  When CeCe had explained that what they’d experienced was what her life was like outside of her life with her Master, Sam and Sage had both marveled at how she functioned day in and day out. Now, thinking about Jen and what Jax had told them about how incredibly bright she was, he had to wonder if it hadn’t been that “white noise” as CeCe had termed it, which was haunting her. The tiny tornado seemed to be on a path set to self-detonate in the near future and when they pulled her sweet ass out of the fire this time, he fully intended to light it right up again the minute he and Sage got her alone.

  *****

  Sage had looked at Sam’s phone and fought to keep from grinding his teeth to dust. How does she do it? How in bloody hell does a woman as smart as Jen Keating keep landing herself in the thick of things? Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, who’s going to pull her back from the fucking edge after we leave the team? The thought of another operative being sent out to rescue her in the future sent his blood into a rolling boil.

  The woman had gotten to both he and Sam in a huge way after they’d agreed to help former teammate, Jax McDonald, out when he’d sent out an SOS requesting help getting a family friend out of Costa Rica. The family friend turned out to be a ball of fire who had incinerated both he and Sam. They’d rescued her just as she’d been accosted in the hallway outside her hotel room and then she’d come apart at the seams when they’d insisted she only pack the barest of essentials so they could get her out of the building before the jokers they’d knocked out were MIA long enough to attract attention. The fact she’d taken the term “barest essentials” quite literally and begun throwing in lacy bras and see-thru thongs had sent enough blood to his cock he’d actually been lightheaded for a few seconds.

  Sam had been the one to point out to her that her backpack, jeans, jacket, shoes, and computer were probably more important than her Victoria’s Secret stash. Sage smiled to himself as he remembered the look on her face when he’d raked the entire contents of the bathroom counter into her bag in one swift swipe. Hell, for a few seconds he’d thought her head was going to start spinning around on her slender shoulders. Her squeaked question, “What the fuck was that about?” had gotten her a swat to her ass from Sam. When she’d spun on him, Sam had quickly pulled her tight into his arms trapping her against his much larger frame.

  Sage had leaned down, pressed his lips against her ear, and commanded, “Stop. Now. We know you are trained in self-defense, but we are as well and we’re a lot bigger than you are, sweet cheeks, and a hell of a lot meaner. Now get your sweet ass in gear so we can clear out.” Her reaction to his command and Sam’s restraint had been mesmerizing, the woman was a born submissive, even though convincing her would probably be hair-raising torture. God, I love the sassy ones.

  The memory of her, naked between them in the bedroom on board the McDonalds' private jet, would be etched in his memory until his dying breath. The silky softness of her skin brushing against him had made every cell in his body sit up and sing the Halleluiah Chorus. Sage had circled her nipples with his tongue until they’d been tight little berries ripe for picking. When he’d tightened his teeth around them, just enough to make her squeak, her legs had instinctively widened and Sam had been right there waiting. Watching his brother bury his face in her waxed pussy had been pure eroticism, but her uninhibited reactions were what tested every bit of his control.

  Seeing her blonde hair fanned out over the dark pillow as she arched off the bed had awakened a part of Sage’s soul he hadn’t even known existed until that moment. Hell, he’d been sexually active since he’d been a teenager and he’d never reacted to a woman the way he had to Jen. There was just a purity and goodness about her that seemed to radiate from the depth of her soul, and there hadn’t been a doubt in his mind that with Jen Keating, the woman you saw was exactly who she was.

  Now they were a part of a small team being sent in to pull the little tigress out of the fire once again. Going in to a hostile situation had inherent dangers, but stepping into a room where one of the victims knew the rescuer personally brought a plethora of new concerns. Sam was their lead on this mission, so technically it was his call if they stood down and let the others enter first, but Sage didn’t doubt for a single moment that wasn’t going to happen. There was no way either he or Sam would let another man rescue the woman who had worked herself under their skin a year ago. Damn it to hell, why can’t I get her out of my head?

  Sage had been captivated from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. She’d swung out of the hotel’s revolving glass door into the sunshine in her strappy sandals and sundress, and Sage’s heart had ne
arly stopped beating. Seeing the sun sparkle off her long blonde hair and the dewy moisture making her tanned skin glow had shaken him. He’d known Jax’s younger sister had been assigned a student mentor when she’d been in college and he’d known the entire McDonald family had essentially adopted her, but he’d never actually seen Jen Keating until that moment. And holy fucking hell what a moment it had been.

  Sam’s voice jarred his thoughts back to the moment at hand, “Hey, you gonna be able to keep your head out of the clouds long enough to get this done?”

  “Fuck you. Has the plan changed?”

  “No. ETA is ten. Look at this map again; I want it executed perfectly. Don’t let her derail you, and we both know she is more than capable. Hell, the woman would distract a eunuch.” Sam’s voice was a near growl and that got the attention of the other guys sitting in the back of the junker delivery truck they were using as transport. The only way they would get near the embassy was if their vehicle looked like it was bringing the supplies demanded by the goons holding the hostages. Their orders were to go in clean and out as clean as possible. The powers that be had gone impossibly soft if anyone asked either he or Sam, and that had been one of the things that tipped the scales for them to resign their commissions. And isn’t it a laugh riot that our final mission is to rescue the other reason.

  Chapter Two

  Jen was exhausted and starving, and that had always been an almost certain recipe for disaster for her. Either state could send her into orbit, but the combination made her pissy on a good day and was threatening to make her downright homicidal today. She had listened to the two thugs standing guard on the other side of the room as they’d debated how long it was going to be until their dinner arrived until she’d been ready to snatch them both bald. They didn’t seem at all concerned about the three people they still held captive. The other two women looked like they were barely eighteen and Jen wondered why the Ambassador had been willing to hire women that young when common sense alone should have indicated the potential political fallout could be devastating. Hell’s bells had everybody forgotten about Monica Lewinsky? Jesus, talk about a lesson for every politician on the planet. The young White House intern who had nearly brought down an American Presidency single handedly and had made fools of all the “doubters” because she’d been wily enough to save the evidence of her tryst with the good Pres. Well, single handed isn’t quite right, I’m pretty sure her mouth was involved in that one as well.