Chapter Forty-Five

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Francine, Wisconsin

J azz took a long sip of her icy drink and sighed her contentment. This had been the girliest day she’d ever spent. After breakfast, Serena had suggested they walk to the empty cottage they’d visited before. She had assumed they were going to the bunker below the house to discuss Serena’s progress on finding Lazarus. She couldn’t have been more wrong.

The instant the door opened, she had been greeted with a light floral fragrance, soft music, and three smiling women. What had followed was nothing short of amazing. She’d had her hair cut and styled, a massage from one of Serena’s cousins, a massage therapist in Appleton, and a facial and makeover by one of Serena’s sisters-in-law, a cosmetologist. After the women left, she and Serena had snacked on tacos her mother sent over. They were now painting their nails and sipping the most delicious margaritas she’d ever tasted.

After more than two weeks of doing nothing more strenuous than long walks in the nearby woods and setting the table for dinner, Jazz was feeling stronger and healthier than she had in a long while.

A part of her felt guilty for taking it easy when her other OZ teammates were working their butts off trying to find out if anyone other than Kevin Doyle was after her. As odd as it seemed that she could be worth a hundred million dollars to someone, the chances that Doyle had been the only one who wanted to grab her were slim.

Each night before she went to sleep and in the morning right after she woke, she and Xavier would talk. Most of their chatter revolved around all the various activities she was experiencing on the farm. He’d told her that hearing about them was the highlight of his day, so she went out of her way to describe each event in the most entertaining way possible. To her ears, there was no more beautiful sound than Xavier’s laughter.

She felt like it had been a lifetime since she’d seen him, felt his arms around her, kissed him. She missed him like she would miss an appendage. He was an intrinsic part of her, heart and soul.

Her time here had to end at some point. As much as she was enjoying the peace and simplicity, she couldn’t stay here forever. She had a life to get back to, a job she loved, and a man she adored.

As if Serena knew exactly what she was thinking, she said, “So what’s going on with you and Xavier?”

Knowing her face was already a little flushed from the margarita she’d consumed, Jazz felt the heat hit her like a flame. And if that weren’t enough, the instant Serena saw her color rise, she gave a shout of gleeful laughter. “I knew it! You guys finally admitted how you feel about each other!”

“You knew?”

“Of course I knew. Everyone knew. We’ve just been waiting for you two to finally figure it out.”

“Did Xavier know?”

“How you felt? No. You both were so clueless. ” She grinned and added, “It was adorable.”

Shaking her head, Jazz laughed at Xavier being called adorable. He was many things, but being adorable wasn’t one of them. Gorgeous, sexy, rugged, and manly. And mine.

A rush of emotion followed that thought. She had loved him for so long, and apparently he’d had feelings for her for a long time, too. And now that they had admitted it to each other, they couldn’t be together because of this insanity.

“I so want this to be over,” she muttered.

“I know,” Serena said softly. “And it will be. You just have to be patient.”

Jazz grimaced. Patience wasn’t one of her strongest traits.

“Have you thought about the money you’ve inherited?”

“Not really. It’s blood money. There’s no telling how many people died or were tortured to get it. I don’t want anything to do with it.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t agree?”

Serena gave a delicate shrug. “It’s your choice, of course. I was just thinking how cool it would be to use it to do the opposite of what it was intended for.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the people trying to get it obviously have evil intentions. But you could use it for good. Think about all the charities out there and the children and animals you could help.”

She had been so angry after learning why she had been abducted, she hadn’t even considered what opportunities that much money would allow her. Having been homeless herself, the very thought of being able to aid others, especially children and animals, gave her goose bumps. Her mind boggled at the good that could be done.

“Thank you, Serena. I never even considered that.”

“I know some people who could help when you’re ready.”

Jazz let that settle within her. When this was over and if it was true that she would inherit this money, then she would definitely use it only for good. Using it for herself would go against everything she believed in—material possessions meant very little to her.

Taking another sip of her margarita, Jazz asked, “When are you going to tell Ash about Lazarus?”

Serena looked up from painting her toenails. “Soon. He knows I’m working on an angle. And it’s not like I know exactly who the guy is or where he lives. I’m narrowing it down for sure, but I want to give him something concrete. If I tell him now, it’s just going to frustrate him more.”

Serena’s phone pinged, but Jazz barely noticed the sound anymore, as the woman’s phone seemed to ping 24/7 with intel from various sources all over the world. It amazed Jazz how her friend could keep up with everything and stay sane.

This time when Serena read the message, a look of delight spread across her face.

“What’s that smile for?” Jazz asked.

“Aunt Jackie is getting another goat.”

Out of all Serena’s relatives, Aunt Jackie was one of Jazz’s favorites. The woman had a delightful sense of humor and a way of looking at the world that was both unique and hilarious.

A knock on the front door surprised them. Since they had decided to spend the night here, they weren’t expecting anyone.

“Would you mind getting that?” Serena asked. “My nails are still wet.”

“Sure thing.” Pulling herself up from the floor, Jazz took one last sip of her drink and then made her way to the door. Since she rarely drank alcohol, two margaritas would have to be her limit, as she was feeling a little loopy. Not bothering to look out the peephole, since their caller could be only a member of Serena’s family, she opened the door with a big smile on her face.

“Now that’s what I call a welcoming smile.”

“Xavier!” Her heart soaring, she leaped into his arms.

As his arms closed around her, Xavier felt himself settle with a serenity and peace he’d never known. She was here, she was healthy, and she was his. Two long, agonizing weeks without holding her had been all he could handle.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jazz whispered against his neck.

Squeezing her tight, he muttered, “Not nearly as much as I missed you, baby.”

Pulling her head back, she looked up at him and gave the brightest, most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. “I can’t believe you’re here. Did Serena know?”

“Of course she knew,” Serena said from a few feet away. “And now she’s going to leave you two alone.”

“Thank you, Serena,” Xavier said.

“Wait.” Jazz dropped her arms from around Xavier’s neck and turned to face Serena. “Was that text really from Aunt Jackie?”

“No. It was Xavier, letting me know he was out front. But Aunt Jackie really is getting a new goat. You can meet him tomorrow.”

With a wink, she scooted past them out the door, leaving them alone.

The instant the door shut, Xavier pulled Jazz back into his arms and gave her the kiss he’d been dreaming about since the last time he’d kissed her. Her lips were even sweeter than he remembered, and it took all his control not to devour her there on the spot.

Instead, he lowered her feet to the ground and loosened his hold, wanting to get a full assessment of how she looked. The healthy glow of her skin and the brightness in her eyes said it all. His Jazz was healthy once again.

“Come on in,” she said as she took his hand. “Have you eaten? We had tacos and margaritas. I think there’s some left.”

Following her into the kitchen, he breathed in the spicy scent of tacos and felt his stomach rumble. “That sounds good. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”

Delight danced in her eyes. “Sit down, and I’ll fix you some. Serena’s mom made them, and they’re spectacular.”

She chatted as she moved around the kitchen, reheating the meal. “Any news? Any new clues?”

“Yes, and yes.”

She stopped in the middle of stirring the taco meat. “Really? What?”

“I had a visit from your brother.”

She rushed over to him. “You saw Brody? How is he? What did he say?”

Since she didn’t appear to realize she was animatedly waving a spoon around, he grabbed her hand to keep taco meat from flying. “I didn’t actually see him.”

“What do you mean?”

He explained the encounter and told her word for word what her brother had said. Keeping anything from Jazz was out of the question. Secrets were no longer part of their relationship.

A frown furrowing her brow, she returned to preparing the tacos. The pensive look in her eyes concerned him.

“What’s wrong?”

She shook her head as she placed the taco fixings before him. “I just wish I could talk to him. The two-minute conversation we had wasn’t nearly enough.”

Downing half a taco in one bite, Xavier took a moment to savor the delightful flavor before he said, “Your brother is definitely not one for words.”

She dropped into a chair across from him and sighed. “Even when he was younger, he wasn’t a big talker. I made up for it, though. Papa Mac used to say that the McAlister men let their size do their talking for them.”

It lifted his heart to envision a young, energetic Jazz chatting away with her family. And he could definitely see where Brody McAlister’s size would send a message to anyone without him having to use words.

“He loves you.” Xavier hadn’t thought he’d ever say that about her brother, but it was obvious. While he might not approve of the way the man had handled things, he would no longer deny that Brody did care about his sister.

“Of course he does.”

She said it so simply, so assuredly, his heart practically jumped from his chest. The fact that she’d never lost faith in her brother, even after all this time and what she’d been through, was a testament to the character of Jazz McAlister. She was loyalty, strength, and bravery wrapped up in a beautiful, delightful package.

And showing that she was also still a keen-eyed OZ operative, she continued, “So what’s the deal on this Sullivan guy he told you about? Is he after me, too?”

“Hard to say. He’s Doyle’s former brother-in-law, so the possibility of his involvement is strong, but his digital footprint is almost nonexistent. He’s either completely innocent, or he’s very, very good at covering his tracks.”

“But Brody obviously thinks he’s dirty.”

“He does, and that’s why we’re focusing on him.” He took her hand and said, “I couldn’t stay away from you any longer, though. I’ve missed you so damn much.”

When he tugged on her hand, she stood and walked around the table to him. Sitting on his lap, she cuddled against him and whispered, “I can’t believe you’re really here. This seems like a dream come true.”

Xavier drew in a breath. This wasn’t how he’d planned it at all, but he could no longer hold himself back.

“I love you, Jazz. You know that, right?”

Lifting her head, she gazed into his eyes and said softly, “I do. And I love you, too.”

Withdrawing a small box that had been burning a hole in his pocket all the way here, he handed it to her as he asked gruffly, “Then would you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?”

She froze in his arms, and the shocked expression on her face sent terror throughout Xavier’s body. Had he jumped the gun and scared her off? He should have waited, given her a chance to talk about where she wanted to go with their relationship. Maybe his idea of love wasn’t hers. They should have talked about it before he’d thrown the question out there.

Swallowing past a rapidly developing lump of dread in his throat, he rasped, “Jazz, you don’t?—”

Tears gleaming in her eyes, she stopped his stumbling words with her fingertips to his mouth. “Xavier Quinn, there is nothing I would love more than to be your wife.”