Chapter 19

Jordan came to consciousness slowly, his head feeling as though it had just been run over by a bulldozer. His limbs were still heavy, as if they had cement flowing through them instead of blood, and he could have sworn someone had jammed a dirty gym sock in his mouth.

Opening his eyes, he glanced around the room. Concrete walls and floor greeted him. As he tried to sit up, it registered that he had been tied down.

A bit of panic surged through him, but then he realized that if Joe Smith had wanted him dead, he’d never have woken up.

He recognized the man sitting in the chair in the corner and shoveling food in his mouth as if he had been starved—the guy from the Four Season. What had he said his name was? Brody.

That damn feeling of familiarity came over him as he recalled the name, then his anger flowed as he remembered all the details of his capture. He hadn’t been right in his head since landing in this city, and that had led to him being caught. He should have given up the assignment.

What did his future hold, now?

No matter what came his way, he would get out of this mess alive and in one piece, and that meant even if he had to kill every last person involved in his capture.

Brody met his gaze. “How’re you doing, Jordan? You hungry?”

He shook his head.

“I bet you’re thirsty, though.”

That could very well be the understatement of the year, and he moved his tongue around his dry mouth and over his cracked lips.

Brody stood and came over to him holding a red, plastic glass of water with a straw sticking out the top. “Here’s the deal, man. I’m going to give you a drink. If you so much as do anything but say thank you, I’m going to hit you. Got it?”

He didn’t have the strength to try to overpower Brody at this point, so it would be best to rest, drink and eat, then get a plan together.

“Yes.”

Brody brought the cup over and Jordan lifted his head. Wrapping his mouth around the straw, he sipped greedily. Damn, the cool water tasted so good, he almost moaned out loud.

“I know you don’t remember this, but you and I used to be pretty good friends. We served together in the marines. You remember Lucas, right? The guy who smacked you around at the hotel? He served with us. We were all pretty tight, on and off duty. Lots of barbeques, bars, bowling alleys, and laughs.”

He heard the words, but the water tasted so good, he really didn’t pay much attention to them.

“Well, Joe will be coming down in a minute to talk to you.”

He slipped the straw from Jordan’s mouth and returned to his chair.

Laying his head back, Jordan pulled on his restraints, but they didn’t budge. At some point when his strength returned, the right time and place for an escape would show itself.

He lifted his head when he heard the door open. Joe wheeled himself in, followed by the man named Lucas, and a big black man he recognized as the guy from Pioneer Square.

How cozy. As hindsight was always twenty-twenty, he could see now he definitely should have excused himself from the assignment. All the players fell into place. The black guy and that blonde woman had been casing him, while the other two had been the muscle for the takedown. Jesus. He’d always thought himself smarter than this.

The fact of the matter had been that the blonde and the black guy weren’t even good at their jobs. It had almost been as if they’d wanted him to see them, which didn’t make any sense. Why monitor someone in plain sight?

His gaze slid over to Joe, who smiled at him.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Callahan. As I’m sure you remember, my name’s Joe Smith.”

Of course he remembered. He’d only spent four days planning the guy’s death.

Joe studied him for a long moment, then finally spoke. “Gentlemen, could you please release Mr. Callahan? Brody, bring over that chair and let’s have him sit up for a bit.”

Lucas glared at him, while Brody withdrew a gun from the back of his waistband. If only he had the strength, this could have been his chance to get the hell out of dodge.

As his restraints were loosened and he became free, he sat up in bed, threw his legs over the side, and massaged his wrists. He stared at the floor, as he didn’t want them to see how dizzy the simple movement had made him.

Finally, he looked over at Joe again.

“Please, Mr. Callahan. Come sit down. However, be aware that there are four guns in this room, and none of us are above using them.”

He got to his feet, wishing his legs were sturdier. He slowly walked over to the chair, all eyes in the room on him. He sat down, and Brody moved to his back and Lucas stood behind Joe. The black guy leaned up against the wall, his finger on the trigger of his gun.

Joe slipped his piece out of his coat pocket and laid it on his lap, the barrel facing Jordan.

These men hadn’t threatened him, so he didn’t feel any fear. He understood they simply wanted to make sure he played by their rules, and for now, he would.

“Mr. Callahan, I’m going to tell you a little story about yourself. I’m going to assume you’ll find it difficult to believe, but in the end of all this, I hope that you’ll see it as your truth, your history.”

Curiosity brewed within him. No, he didn’t remember anything before the accident, but Group Nine had filled him in on the details—only child, both parents dead, no marriage, no kids, and a member of one of the most clandestine parts of the government.

“Currently, you work for Group Nine. That wasn’t always the case.”

He stared at Joe, keeping his features impassive.

“You, and all of these men in this room, were in the military. The marines, to be exact. They were part of your unit, the Recon Division. You were sent to Guatemala to gather intelligence on a drug cartel. There, you were in a terrible accident, an explosion.”

Despite his calm, his heart ticked up a beat. He’d been told that he’d been in an explosion in Afghanistan, not Guatemala, carrying out orders from Group Nine.

Joe eyed him carefully over the rim of his glasses. Jordan wasn’t sure what reaction he looked for, but whatever it was, he wouldn’t find it in him. His face would remain as smooth as a glassy lake on a calm day.

When Joe didn’t get a response, he continued. “The explosion seems to have left your whole unit with supernatural abilities.”

Okay, he couldn’t hold back on that one, and he burst out laughing.

A moment later when he glanced around the room, he saw that no one else had found that funny.

“I know it sounds as if I’ve lost my mind, but you can count on me to only tell you the truth. Brody has an intricate relationship with sea. Lucas sees people die before they actually do. Garrett can turn into a bear. You’ll meet Zachary and Ruben soon, and they each have their own gifts, as well.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. What a load of crap. This guy was fucking crazy. Glancing over at Lucas, he grinned. “Have you seen yourself dying yet? If not, I’m sure you will soon, because when I get the chance, I’m going to kill you all.”

“Mind your manners, Jordan,” Brody growled as he smacked his head from behind.

Lucas glared at him, but said nothing.

Joe tilted his head, then continued. “I’m still trying to determine if you were given a special ability, or if the memory loss is how the explosion affected you.”

He gazed back at Joe, his smile now gone. He wouldn’t even try to compete with the guy’s special kind of lunacy.

The room stood dead quiet for a few moments, making Joe’s voice all the louder when he finally did speak.

“Well, in a little while, Ava will be coming in to see you. I’m sure you remember her—the attractive blonde woman. I understand that you’re a very efficient killer, Jordan, but I’m assuming you still have some decency. Therefore, let me make this clear … If you so much as look at her the wrong way, I will take out your kneecap, and feel good about doing it.”

Jordan said nothing. Instead, he imagined standing behind Joe and pulling a trigger, then watching the guy’s brain spatter all over the floor.

“You are to treat that lady with nothing but respect. She loved you before the accident, and she loved you when she thought you were dead. The past year has been absolute hell for her, and I won’t allow you to make it worse. I understand that you can’t possibly comprehend the pain you and Group Nine have caused this woman, but I won’t allow her to be damaged any further. We will also restrain your hands so that you don’t find the urge to try to escape. I’m sure she wouldn’t enjoy watching me put a bullet in your knee, if necessary. Am I making myself clear?”

He furrowed his brow. Joe obviously thought this woman would be significant to him. Perhaps they had the wrong man.

But even that didn’t make any sense. His reaction to her had been visceral, something he couldn’t control. And frankly, he had to admit, a small part of him looked forward to seeing her sky blue eyes once again.

“Yes.”

The word escaped him without any thought. He knew in his soul he’d never hurt that woman, although he didn’t understand why.

However, the rest of them were fair game.