Jenna fought against the drugs that had slowed time and the entire world around her. It all seemed like something straight out of a nightmare, and for a moment she closed her eyes, praying she’d wake up in Isaac’s arms, being soothed while he told her it was just a dream. That she was safe. But when she reopened her eyes, she knew it was only too real. And she had to act fast if she was going to save Ari.
Isaac motioned desperately for his men to get into the best position to take out Jesus and his men the moment they got a clear shot. He could see Jenna struggling against the effects of whatever drug her bitch of a mother had given her at the restaurant. This was all his goddamn fault. None of it had seemed right from the very first, and worse, he’d allowed Jenna out of his sight, believing that nothing could happen to her in the small confines of the bathroom with him standing right outside. Damn him for not being more observant. For not insisting on taking care of Jenna himself. He’d let her and every single member of his team down and he’d never forgive himself.
The bastard had done his homework on DSS and he’d taken out the biggest long-distance threat to him at the very first opportunity. Ari.
Isaac watched, even as his men grimly reported in that no clear shot was available and they couldn’t simply start picking off Jesus’s men, because then Jenna would die.
Jenna straightened in Jesus’s hold and shot him a look of pure hatred. It was a look that told Isaac she was about to act and he silently pleaded with her not to incite the man’s anger even more. They just needed to buy more time. Just one slip-up and they’d take the son of a bitch out and lay waste to every single one of his men.
“Let me heal her,” Jenna said coldly.
Jesus laughed. “You’re in no position to be making demands. I’ll kill every last one of them and not give a shit.”
“Then you’ll lose what you most want. Me,” she said, shrugging indifferently, as if she didn’t care one way or another.
He actually looked confused for a moment and then laughed again, though this time it sounded nervous and not at all confident.
“I don’t lose. Ever,” he said, grabbing her arm and shaking her like a rag doll. “Especially when I’ve had to work this hard to get what I want.”
Both Zeke and Dex had to hold Isaac back when he went crazy, trying to get to Jenna.
“You’ll get her killed,” Dex hissed. “Hold it together until we are able to make our play.”
Isaac hated that they were right, but he hated even more having to see that bastard’s hands on her.
Jenna stared coldly at Jesus until his eyes narrowed in question. Her voice was soft but full of promise as she spoke loudly and clearly so that everyone could hear.
“Nothing you’ll ever do to me will make me perform for you. I’ll let every single person you bring me to heal die, and that includes you,” she spat.
“You say that now, but you’ll be singing a different tune when I’m finished with you,” he said menacingly.
She didn’t react to his threat and continued to stare at him unflinchingly, her voice and demeanor calm.
“The beatings, the torture, the brainwashing, every single thing they did to me while I was their prisoner worked because I didn’t know any different. I had no knowledge of the outside world, and I knew I had to endure and play their game until I could one day escape.
“If Ari and her baby, Isaac and all the others die, then I have nothing to live for anyway. You’ll have taken every single thing that matters most—the only things that matter to me in this screwed-up world—so it doesn’t matter what you do to me. I’ll never give in,” she vowed, her voice so cold and defiant that the drug lord seemed genuinely flustered.
And it froze Isaac to the bones, because he knew she meant every single word of her threat. He knew she would defy Jesus until her very last breath. Never in his life had he been this terrified. So unsure of himself and utterly helpless to save the woman he adored beyond measure.
“Then what do you propose?” Jesus asked, arching one eyebrow at Jenna.
“An exchange,” she said softly. “You let me heal Ari and you let everyone go without further incident. In exchange, I’ll go with you and do whatever you want. You’ll always have leverage over me because I’ll do anything to keep them alive, to keep Isaac alive.”
“God damn it, no, Jenna!” Isaac shouted hoarsely. “You aren’t going anywhere with that son of a bitch!”
Her gaze found Isaac across the distance and instantly her eyes filled with love, so much love. “It’s my choice to make, and I choose to save Ari and her baby and the rest of you. You are all the very best part of my life, and knowing that you’re all alive and well will be all I ever need. I can survive anything as long as I know you’re all safe.”
Then her gaze turned back to the drug lord and her eyes narrowed in warning. “Don’t ever think of double-crossing me, because if at any time I even think you’ve broken your word, I’ll let you or anyone else die without a single regret, even if it means my own death.”
There was grudging respect in the drug lord’s eyes but also a smugness, as if he believed he still held the upper hand. He was a fool. Jenna was being absolutely honest in that she felt she had nothing to lose if everything was taken from her. Isaac knew because if he lost her, no force on earth would ever stop him from seeking vengeance, even if it cost him his own life. Because without her, he had no life. No reason for living. None of the reasons he’d worked and been so passionate about his job at DSS would sustain him if he lost the one person who mattered most to him. Just as Beau, who was kneeling brokenly over Ari, would never survive the loss of his wife and child. As much as he hated Jenna bargaining with the devil over being able to heal Ari and give her and her child a chance, he knew that in Beau’s place he would beg, give anything, make any promise even to the devil himself to ensure that his wife and child survived.
Finally the drug lord nodded his head. “All right. We have an agreement. You may heal the woman, but not fully,” he said, his tone a warning. “I’ll not have her well enough to use her powers against me, and I’m well aware of her abilities, so don’t try to fool me by downplaying them.”
Isaac glanced at Caleb, shooting him a warning stare. It was obvious Jesus had studied up on DSS and knew of Ari’s power, but he hadn’t even looked in Ramie’s direction or mentioned her name. As their gazes locked, Caleb nodded his understanding and pushed Ramie back, obscuring her from view as he slowly retreated while attentions were focused on Jenna and Ari.
Yes, Ari was likely the most powerful weapon in their arsenal, but only as it pertained to brute force. Ramie was every bit as powerful and every bit as valuable a weapon and if, God forbid, this went like Jenna wanted and they weren’t able to stop Jesus from taking Jenna with him and escaping, they’d need Ramie to locate her.
Jenna looked in Gracie’s direction to where she was solidly behind Zack, who acted as a barrier between her and danger, risking his body for hers.