"Sitrep," Ashe commanded once they were all seated around the table in the war room.

"He's still not talking," Jax admitted grimly. It had been a week, and he still hadn't got a location on Vanderhorst or Char. "I think Hunter and Chaz are on to something with the brainwashing theory. The fucker keeps saying he can't talk about Van. I believe him."

"So how do we deprogram him?" Chaz wanted to know.

"Depends on how they programmed him," he replied.

"Has he given you any useful intel?" Reed demanded, and it was obvious that his patience was long gone.

"He talks while he's hallucinating, but it's mostly nonsense," Jax imparted. "He started screaming for someone he calls Arcane a couple of days ago. Begging him for help and proclaiming his love and loyalty."

"Arcane means mysterious or secret," Kenzi announced from the command center and they shifted their gazes to the TV screen on the wall where she was displayed via webcam. "I cross-referenced the name with Illuminati and had several hits. He's referred to as the heir or the crown prince."

"Which means he's at the top of the food chain," Hunter imparted.

"High enough that he might have had a hand in ordering the attacks on our women," Ashe bit out.

"If we can get to him, we'll have a powerful weapon to bring them down with," Chaz agreed.

"But to get to him, I have to break Von," Jax pointed out in frustration. "Don't go cracking open the champagne yet."

"The champagne," an unexpected voice said, and all eyes swung back to the TV screen. Kenzi turned and revealed Kira seated behind her. "Le vignoble des nobles."

"The nobles vineyard," the computer geekette translated. "What does it mean."

"Jaeger ordered champagne while we were at dinner with Char and Jean-Claude," she recalled with a frown of concentration. "He congratulated Jean on blending an exceptional vintage because… he owned the vineyard."

Kenzi whirled back around and the only sound to be heard was the rapid-fire rhythm of her fingers tapping on the keyboard. "It's located just outside of Remis, France and owned by… Arcane Enterprises."

"Fuck yeah," Chaz enthused.

Ashe commanded, "Hunter, get me…"

"I'm on it," Kenzie interrupted and kept on digging for all the intel she could find.

"Wheel's up at zero-five-hundred. We're gonna take that mofo down," Ashe informed the team.

Reed walked out of the room without a word, and a minute later they heard his voice in the command center. Every eye turned toward the TV, but the only thing they saw was Kenzi displayed on the monitor. "Thank you, Vixen," his voice said in a choked tone. "Until you came, I'd almost given up hope."

"Get her back Reed," they heard her voice urge tremulously. "Go get Char and bring her home."

"Yes, ma'am," he agreed, and they saw Kenzi's lavender eyes fill with tears. A look of grim determination covered her face before she cut the feed.

When the rest of the team filed out of the room, Jax pinned Hunter with a fierce look and demanded, "What the fuck was Kira doing in there listening?" Thank God they hadn't discussed anything that could have upset her. Like the gruesome shit he was doing to try to make Von talk.

His teammate raised both hands in surrender. "I'll let Kenz know visitors are off limits during meetings," he offered.

"Or we could go back to having you fill her in after the fact," Ashe opined, effectively reminding them that he'd forcefully rejected the idea of having the geekette sit in on the meetings from the beginning. Or that he and Kenzi were like two feral cats and persistently rubbed each other the wrong way.

"Dude, we settled this," Chaz scowled back at his partner. "Having Kenzi actively involved means real-time answers. No more having to regroup after she tracks down the intel."

"I still don't like it," the team leader growled as if they hadn't already gotten that message loud and clear. He turned that pissed off expression on Jax to demand, "You through interrogating the piece of shit?"

"Unless you want intel on something other than Van," he admitted and hoped they were through with the prick. If so, Jax had some serious pain lined up for the sadist before he ended him.

Ashe nodded his confirmation. "Get him patched up," he commanded and exchanged a look with Chaz. "We might need him if the vineyard doesn't pan out."

Before he could protest, Steel interjected with the one thing guaranteed to distract him, "Hunter found video files on Von's laptop. They show Kira being… tortured."

Jax's entire musculature system froze. The thought of anyone watching his woman go through that enraged him. Eyes blacker than the pits of hell fixed on his friend, and Hunter shook his head. "Once I figured out what it was I stopped the feed," he admitted. "No one's seen it. No one's going to. We just thought you should know."

Grateful for the other man's understanding, Jax nodded his head in acknowledgment. His throat was clogged with fury when he requested, "Send me the file. Then delete it."

"Blade, man, you're not gonna…" Chaz protested.

"I am," he inserted harshly.

"Jax, don't do this to yourself," Ashe insisted with genuine concern. "It won't change anything."

"That sick fuck went after Kira to hurt me. I have to know what she went through. What he did to her," he bit out. "How much she suffered because of me."

Chaz sighed in resignation and gave Hunter the nod. "Send it."

"Roger that," Hunter confirmed.

 

***

 

Later that night, Jax paced the sitting area of his suite. The file was downloaded onto his laptop and ready to cast to the TV. Now he just had to steel himself against whatever the video revealed. Easier said than done, but he finally managed to attain his detached, clinical mode and wiped sweaty palms down his thighs.

He parked his ass on the couch and hit play.

Less than two minutes in and it was all he could do to stop himself from killing Von right then. The bastard had Kira tied to the bed and was slicing her clothes off with the K-bar. His beautiful Vixen had tried so hard to be brave even though she had obviously been out of her fucking mind with terror.

As the minutes progressed, it became more and more excruciating to watch. Jax fought to keep his emotions separate. To focus on Von Osterman instead of Kira. Each act of violence became progressively brutal, his laughter increasingly mocking and filled with glee. The perverse bastard had actually begun to giggle like a child.

Then the taunting began.

And Jax's soul was eviscerated.

He discovered that Von had known he was in the parking garage that night and had threatened to kill him unless Kira did anything he asked. The mofo had wanted Jax to see her perform oral on him. And she'd done it. To save him. A sob of sheer agony ripped from his chest, and he couldn't seem to draw air into his lungs.

Because Kira had sacrificed herself for him.

His Vixen had willingly given herself to a fucking monster to protect him, the man who had let her think that she meant nothing to him. Jesus fucking God, why? What had possessed her to think that he was worth such an act of selflessness? Jax would have rather died than let one hair on her precious head be harmed.

He would have willingly given his life to prevent the nightmare that she had barely survived. He still would. He'd do anything, pay any price, to spare her from the traumatic experience. Kira had suffered unspeakable acts thinking that it was to save his sorry ass when it had all been part of Von's twisted mind game.

The sadist had continued to taunt her with threats to Jax's life, claiming that they held him prisoner in another room. That he was watching everything that happened, helpless to save her. Then came the ultimate betrayal. Von had pretended to be Jax while he raped her and in her drug-induced state, Kira had believed it was him.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Now he understood why she could barely look at him. Because she knew that he was to blame for everything that she had been through. That it was his fault that she had become the target of a sadist. Kira had to hate him. Jax hated himself more than she ever could. There was no way that he could ever make this up to her.

No way to atone for the pain and suffering she had endured. No way in hell that he could even consider begging her to forgive him. The only thing he could do was avenge her by subjecting Von to the same lack of mercy that she had been shown. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough.

Nothing would ever be enough.

 

***

 

Kira was sick of the infirmary. It had been six weeks since she'd been rescued and Jenna had given her a clean bill of health. The doctor told her that she could resume all normal activities, but at this point, she still wasn't sure what normal was. The bruising and fractures had healed, and physically she felt fine.

Even if her body would never be the same.

She had been told that a partial hysterectomy had been necessary and Kira had made peace with that. She'd never been the maternal type nor had a burning desire to have children, so she didn't see the loss of her uterus as a great tragedy. What did upset her was the fact that the decision had been taken from her.

Not that she blamed Jenna for performing the surgery. On the contrary, she was exceedingly grateful to her friend for saving her life. Jaeger was the one responsible, and she hated him with every fiber of her being. She also feared him so much that when she discovered he was on the island, she'd had a panic attack so severe that she had to be sedated.

Her body might have healed, but her mind was an entirely different matter. Sometimes she felt like it was a minefield. One wrong thought and her head would explode. She still wasn't sure what was real and what had been delusions. Macabre images flashed through her head at random, each one more gruesome and horrifying than the last.

Talking about it seemed to help even if there were some things too humiliating to discuss with Jax. Like how Jaeger had pretended that Jax was watching while he raped her. The way he had taunted her by saying that her lover was coming to save her. Or that she had begged for Jax to help her while she was being tortured.

No, there were some things that her former lover just didn't need to know.

Because she finally understood why he had behaved so out of character that night. Jenna had explained all about the Illuminati and how they had targeted the team's women. She had also admitted that Jax had intentionally pushed Kira away in an effort to protect her. Now that she'd been caught up in the organization's web, he felt responsible.

Kira didn't blame him at all. Jax wasn't the one who raped her. No matter what Jaeger had made her believe. The shame she felt for believing his lies made it difficult to look Jax in the eye. Those beautiful, all seeing blacker than night eyes. She was afraid that if he looked deep enough that he'd see straight into her soul where her shame resided.

Jaxon had become her bastion of strength.

The only time she felt safe was when she was with him. As evidenced by the panic attack she'd had when Jenna announced she was well enough to leave the infirmary. The thought of being alone completely paralyzed her with terror, which was why she had accepted Jax's offer to stay in the spare bedroom of his suite.

Kira was thankful that he had made the offer because there was no one else that she wanted to turn to in her weakest moments. Yeah, she was still in love with him, and nothing had ever felt as safe as his arms. And in spite of the way things had ended between them, there was no place she'd rather be.

Even if he didn't want her anymore.

 

***

 

"Father, you have to do something about Revenant," Arcane said angrily in lieu of a greeting.

"Do I?" The King drawled in chastisement for the presumption.

"Yes. He and his damned mercenaries have to be stopped," he insisted. "They destroyed my chateau, and I'm certain they've killed Deimos."

Chimera sighed wearily, not at all perturbed at the news. After all, the death of Arcane's perverse lover was no great loss. As far as he was concerned, his youngest son deserved to be rewarded for disposing of the abomination. "If you had obeyed my orders, this wouldn't have happened," he replied in a bored tone.

"I couldn't kill Charise," he whined like a petulant child. "I love her."

The older man rolled his eyes at the blatant lie. His oldest son was a sociopath and incapable of love. "Did you love the other woman, too?" He asked dryly.

"You know why I needed her alive," Arcane replied impatiently. "She was merely a test to prove that my future queen's indoctrination was complete. Deimos was supposed to dispose of her when her purpose was fulfilled, but she survived and disappeared."

That news served to foul his mood completely. "Then you find her and finish the job," he commanded. "And I have no intention of interfering with your brother's fun. If his little band of rebels can ferret out the Orgs weak links and dispose of them, then it saves me the trouble of doing it. This is your battle so fight it."

"But they're hunting me like an animal," he insisted anxiously. "What should I do?"

Chimera wondered where he had gone wrong with this son. Revenant was a warrior and would have known what to do without having to ask. Arcane was a spoiled brat who expected to have everything done for him. So he imparted a piece of sage advice. "Strike first, strike hard and show no mercy."

 

***

 

Kira joined Kenzi and the dogs for a walk on the beach. She felt more comfortable with the computer geek than anyone else. Jenna was still watching her as if she might break while the rest of the women were constantly asking if she was okay. She wasn't. May never be again. And she was tired of pretending like she would be.

Kenzi didn't ask stupid questions. Nor did she treat her like she was fragile. She just acted like everything was perfectly normal and Kira appreciated the hell out of that. She yearned for some semblance of normalcy. Craved it even. But how the hell could anything be remotely normal when her whole life had been turned upside down?

Hell, she didn't even have her own clothes. And even though she was in a tropical paradise, she felt completely out of place. Everyone had some sort of job to do. Something to occupy their time. She had nothing but time on her hands. Time in which the memories plagued her. And the nightmares never seemed to stop.

"You're an accountant, right?" Kenzi asked as she bent to scoop up a piece of driftwood from the sand.

"Um, yeah. Forensic," she admitted, surprised that the other woman had asked. Kenzi didn't do idle chit-chat, which was one of the reasons she felt so comfortable with her.

"I heard Chaz mention he needed someone to take over the books," she commented as she threw the stick further down the beach. The dogs took off in a race to see which one of them got to it first. Since they were both identical to Kira, she had no idea which one did. "Thought you might be interested."

The surprise must have shown on her face because Kenzi's expression became compassionate. "I've been through some shit, Kira. Not the same thing you did, but it was still the stuff that nightmares are made of," she imparted solemnly. "Staying busy kept me from going bonkers. Might help you as well."

"It would," she blurted out impulsively. "I need something to do."

"Talk to Chaz," the other woman suggested with a warm smile. "He'll probably get down on his knees and kiss your feet."

"That bad, huh?" She asked in amusement and could already feel excitement beginning to build at the possibility of having something to occupy her time. And if her guess was right, the accounts were going to be a complete mess. Awesome. She loved a challenge and right now that was exactly what she needed.

"The worst," she said with a conspiratorial wink as the dogs came running up to them. One of them held the prized stick in his mouth, and he nudged Kenzi's hand with his big head, wanting her to throw it. The geekette praised the dogs before she took the stick and held it up in the air to get their attention.

The one who hadn't retrieved the stick jumped straight up to try to claim it. Mid-jump, he yelped in pain as his massive body twisted and slammed into Kira. She staggered backward from the blow and wound up on her ass on the sand. One hundred and twenty pounds of solid muscle landed on top of her.

Her hands came up instinctively and grasped his upper body. The dog whimpered in pain as he lumbered to his feet. Her hands fell away covered in something warm and sticky. Blood. Her hands were covered in blood. Kira stared at it in disbelief before realization set in. The dog had been shot.

And if he hadn't jumped in front of her, she would have been!

Sheer terror filled her.

 

***

 

Bogie at twelve o'clock.

Every man on the team responded to Hunter's text message and hauled ass to the command center. By the time they got there, the drone was in the air. "Sitrep," Ashe barked as he entered the room.

"Fishing boat near the cove," the intelligence officer responded as he guided the drone out over the water. The attached camera was relaying the live footage to the big screen on the wall. The infra-red lens was picking up six bodies on board. Once it was close enough, he zoomed in on the men standing on deck.

And the high powered rifle that one of them held.

"Lock and load," Ashe growled. They had been through the drill repeatedly. Every man knew his position and could do it in their sleep. Then Hunter made an announcement that shot their well-formulated plan all to hell.

"Goddamnit," he bit out as he shot out of the chair and shoved the remote control into Rico's hands. "Kenz and Kira are on the beach."

"Man your positions. We'll secure the women," Ashe barked as he hauled ass out the door after Hunter and Jax.

 

***

 

Weapon in hand, heart in his throat, Jax raced for the beach. No way in hell was he letting anything else happen to Kira. She'd been through enough. More than any woman should ever have to endure. And it was all his fucking fault. Tearing ass across the pool deck, he hit the sand at top speed.

The women were in sight, the boat well within range. The mofo on board raised the rifle. Took aim. His soul screamed a denial that lodged in his throat. Everything started moving in slow motion. Including his fucking legs, it seemed. He saw the rifle recoil, knew it had fired. One of the dogs jumped up. Kira went down.

No, no, fucking no!

He skidded to a stop and hit his knees beside her, shielding her body with his. Ashe and Hunter beat feet past him, but Jax never even noticed. His sole focus was the woman staring in horror at her blood-soaked hands.

Jesus Christ, she'd been hit!

"Hold on, Vixen. Hold on," he choked out rawly as he scooped her into his arms. Jax made it to his feet and began to run back toward the resort; her body cradled protectively. He was screaming for Stilettos before he ever reached the building. She met him just inside the lobby, wide-eyed and anxious.

"Help her," Jax pleaded rawly. "Please, God, help her!"

Jenna snapped into doctor mode and grasped both of Kira's trembling blood covered hands, looking them over for visible signs of injury. "Where are you hurt, Kira?" She asked in a tone that demanded an answer.

"Not my blood," the woman in his arms said brokenly. "Not my blood."

After a cursory exam, Jenna met his wild-eyed gaze and said, "She's in shock, but unharmed."

Jax sank down into a chair when his knees gave out. Kira curled into him, seeking solace. He was more than willing to give it. He could have lost her.

Jesus God, he could have lost her!

 

***

 

Hunter and Ashe hit the beach right behind Jax. He saw Kira and Kenzi, the boat bobbing offshore in the distance. Too far away for a handgun, but well within rifle range. The fucker on board aimed the weapon at the women. He shouted a warning, but the wind whipped the words in the wrong direction.

A single shot rang out from overhead. Mace was in his sniper's nest. The gunman aboard the boat fired just as the bullet struck him in the chest. Smith jumped up, yelped, went down hard. Kira fell with him. Kenzi looked down at the pair in surprise.

"Smith!" Her horror filled cry carried on the breeze. She whirled around, stared out at sea. Pulled a Glock from the small of her back. "Die, mother fucker, die!" Kenzi yelled as she ran toward the water, firing non-stop.

Goddamn, she was magnificent.

Ashe surged forward, slammed into her from behind, propelling her down into the sand. Hunter took up a position between them and the water, firing his weapon even though he knew the boat was out of range. Making a target of himself to draw fire away from her. "Get her the fuck out of here," he demanded just before the sound of an RPG flew overhead.

BOOOM!

The boat exploded in a fiery inferno. He looked over to where Kenzi lay prone beneath Ashe, a grin of pure triumph on her face. Yeah, she was magnificent all right. A warrior to the core.

"Fucking hell," Ashe growled as he shot to his feet, grasped her hips and hauled Kenzi upright. "Get your ass to cover now."

Kenzi didn't waste time arguing. She hauled ass back to her injured dog and dropped to her knees beside him. Ashe shouted for her to get her ass back to the resort, but she either didn't hear him or didn't give a damn. Her only concern right then was her wounded pet. Hunter jogged over to her side.

"Smith," she choked as she ran her hand gently down his bloodstained side. Wes was standing guard over his brother, his intelligent brown eyes staring at the water as if searching for a threat.

Hunter scooped the injured Rottweiler into his arms. "It's not safe on the beach, sweetheart," he informed her. "And Jenna needs to look our boy over."

Kenzi followed him back to the resort without a word of complaint. Haven stood on a third-floor balcony staring out at the wreckage. The rocket launcher she held assured him that the assassin had taken the fuckers out. "Rock on, my sista!" Kenzi yelled in approval as she ran up onto the pool deck behind him.

Hunter laid Smith on the floor, and Jenna knelt over him. Wes began to whine and pace back and forth in front of them, confused, but still on guard. "Heel. Good boy," Kenzi praised as she rubbed his head soothingly before she knelt beside his brother. Smith lifted his head and dropped it into her lap.

"Is he okay?" She demanded anxiously of the doctor as she stroked his head gently. Blood had flowed all down his leg and torso from the gash on his shoulder.

"Just a flesh wound," Jenna assured her with a confident smile. "It looks like the bullet just grazed him. I'll clean it up and put a bandage on it. He'll be fine."

"He saved my life," Kira said hollowly, her dazed expression and unfocused eyes assured them that she was in shock. "They were trying to shoot me. Smith jumped between me and the bullet."

Kenzi and Jenna exchanged a look before the doctor slid her arm around Kira. "Why don't you help me get him patched up?" She suggested and received a nod of confirmation.

Ashe entered the lobby, his expression as fierce as anyone had ever seen it as he barked, "Are you women fucking insane?" He turned a malevolent glare on Haven Alexandrov, another new team member, as she descended the stairs to demand, "What the fuck were you doing with a rocket launcher in your room?"

"I like to be prepared," the Russian assassin said with a nonchalant shrug.

Shit was about to go sideways. He knew it. Hunter carried the dog down to the infirmary as quickly as possible and left him in Jenna's capable hands. He hauled ass back to the lobby before all hell could break loose. The raised voices assured him that he was too late. Ashe and Kenzi were already in a screaming match. Again.

"Control your woman before she gets herself killed," Ashe practically snarled when he entered the room.

"Control me?" Kenzi snarled right back at him.

Oh, fuck. He had to put the brakes on this clusterfuck before it got even worse. "Sweetheart, Smith is scared," he interjected, knowing that was the one thing that would get her to back down from this fight. Probably the only thing. "The boys need you." She gave Ashe a scathing look and rushed across the lobby toward the infirmary.

"Confiscate every goddamn weapon she has squirreled away," Ashe ordered in a seething tone.

Hunter was surprised at the command. "I taught her to shoot when we were teenagers, Ice. Kenz is an expert marksman," he commented.

"I don't give a fuck," he snapped. "She ran straight into battle without a thought for her own safety. I will not lose another woman to those fuckers." He raised a brow at the possessive tone, so Ashe clarified the statement. "She's under my command, which makes her safety my responsibility. And she will obey my orders."

Hunter laughed at that. "In case you haven't noticed, Kenz doesn't take orders," he pointed out. "And there's no way in hell she'll give up her weapons. She'd walk first."

Ashe fixed him with a cold, implacable stare and demanded, "Explain."

Fuck no. He wasn't going there. "Not my story to tell," he denied with a shake of his head. "She has to be able to protect herself. It's not negotiable."

Ashe blew out a heavy breath and ordered, "At least get the fucking grenades."

"Grenades?" Hunter exclaimed in shock.