Max when he'd been under Petrovich's tutelage hadn't benefited him. For a while he and Max were distant, going months without talking, even though they'd been free of Petrovich's control for a long while. The competition between them had always been fierce, with Max winning most times. Not measuring up had always been the chip on Jake's shoulder he could never dislodge.
When he joined The Alliance, Jennings had asked with a hopeful look in his eye about Max. When Jake said that Max had decided on a different path, the disappointment was evident in Jenning's eyes. His older brother's skill set had been legendary, with Jake perpetually coming in a distant second in everything from marksmanship, to lock picking, to something as simple as a foot race.
Jake brushed off the feelings of inadequacy. Thinking about past mistakes was the last thing he needed right now. Instead, he used his thumbprint to activate the alarm system, just in case she woke up and got any brilliant ideas about striking off on her own.
A little bit of sleep would help keep him sharp. He had the distinct feeling he was going to need it.
* * *
Tessa yawned and moved around in the soft bed. For a minute or two she fantasized she was safe and sound at home, and everything had been a bad dream. When the traffic noise from below filtered through the window, she realized she wasn't in her home in Alexandria anymore.
Outside it had started to turn dark. She stumbled out of the bed and into the adjoining bathroom. From the cultured marble floor, to the steam shower, to the vessel sink everything about the room spoke of wealth. Based on the location of the apartment alone, she knew his gig at The Alliance paid well.
Glancing around the room, she spotted her backpack on the dark wood dresser and walked over to retrieve her laptop. She spotted the Post-it Note affixed to the zipper indicating his Wi-Fi password, and couldn't help but smile. The guy anticipated well. She'd give him that. Not that she could ever trust him, but at least he was attending to her creature comforts.
But she needed to know more about him to help her make up her mind about what to do next. While she'd never trust him totally, she had to know if he was going to be an asset or a liability.
If anybody could find more information, it would be she. Most databases had vulnerabilities, and she intended to dig until her curiosity was satisfied. She needed to find out more about Jake Shaw before she even thought about sticking around.
After about an hour, she hadn't found a thing besides the simplest of information. His name and address, as well as those of his siblings. Nothing about where he gained a skill set that qualified him to work for The Alliance, only that he and his siblings—Maxim (Max) and Sabrina—had immigrated to the US about eight years ago.
Holy crap. She'd been so distracted thinking about Jake she forgot about the logical assumption that whoever was after her could be after Nick as well. It might be a tenuous connection, but if it had something to do with Afghanistan it would stand to reason he'd be in danger, too.
Her hands shook as she texted Nick. She tapped on the phone and anxiously waited for a reply. In Manhattan. How about if I come by? T.
Nothing.
She drew in a breath and tamped down the fear threatening to overtake her common sense. Knowing Nick, he might not be answering, choosing to ignore her. Last time they'd talked, he'd been pretty annoyed with her, so that was a possibility.
He didn't live far away. He'd be less likely to turn her down if he knew she was right in town. Assuming he wasn't dead.
She brushed down the thought as it surfaced. This was her problem, not his. But that didn't mean he wasn't touched by the same thing. Maybe she'd seen something she couldn't remember, but nobody knew she couldn't remember. Still, she knew something had happened. While the pieces didn't fit together yet, it lingered in the recesses of her mind. Her
When he joined The Alliance, Jennings had asked with a hopeful look in his eye about Max. When Jake said that Max had decided on a different path, the disappointment was evident in Jenning's eyes. His older brother's skill set had been legendary, with Jake perpetually coming in a distant second in everything from marksmanship, to lock picking, to something as simple as a foot race.
Jake brushed off the feelings of inadequacy. Thinking about past mistakes was the last thing he needed right now. Instead, he used his thumbprint to activate the alarm system, just in case she woke up and got any brilliant ideas about striking off on her own.
A little bit of sleep would help keep him sharp. He had the distinct feeling he was going to need it.
* * *
Tessa yawned and moved around in the soft bed. For a minute or two she fantasized she was safe and sound at home, and everything had been a bad dream. When the traffic noise from below filtered through the window, she realized she wasn't in her home in Alexandria anymore.
Outside it had started to turn dark. She stumbled out of the bed and into the adjoining bathroom. From the cultured marble floor, to the steam shower, to the vessel sink everything about the room spoke of wealth. Based on the location of the apartment alone, she knew his gig at The Alliance paid well.
Glancing around the room, she spotted her backpack on the dark wood dresser and walked over to retrieve her laptop. She spotted the Post-it Note affixed to the zipper indicating his Wi-Fi password, and couldn't help but smile. The guy anticipated well. She'd give him that. Not that she could ever trust him, but at least he was attending to her creature comforts.
But she needed to know more about him to help her make up her mind about what to do next. While she'd never trust him totally, she had to know if he was going to be an asset or a liability.
If anybody could find more information, it would be she. Most databases had vulnerabilities, and she intended to dig until her curiosity was satisfied. She needed to find out more about Jake Shaw before she even thought about sticking around.
After about an hour, she hadn't found a thing besides the simplest of information. His name and address, as well as those of his siblings. Nothing about where he gained a skill set that qualified him to work for The Alliance, only that he and his siblings—Maxim (Max) and Sabrina—had immigrated to the US about eight years ago.
Holy crap. She'd been so distracted thinking about Jake she forgot about the logical assumption that whoever was after her could be after Nick as well. It might be a tenuous connection, but if it had something to do with Afghanistan it would stand to reason he'd be in danger, too.
Her hands shook as she texted Nick. She tapped on the phone and anxiously waited for a reply. In Manhattan. How about if I come by? T.
Nothing.
She drew in a breath and tamped down the fear threatening to overtake her common sense. Knowing Nick, he might not be answering, choosing to ignore her. Last time they'd talked, he'd been pretty annoyed with her, so that was a possibility.
He didn't live far away. He'd be less likely to turn her down if he knew she was right in town. Assuming he wasn't dead.
She brushed down the thought as it surfaced. This was her problem, not his. But that didn't mean he wasn't touched by the same thing. Maybe she'd seen something she couldn't remember, but nobody knew she couldn't remember. Still, she knew something had happened. While the pieces didn't fit together yet, it lingered in the recesses of her mind. Her
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