“Do you think she’s right? About the child being alive?”
“No.” Jaxon’s face turned hard and his bitter eyes darkened at the thought of a child he’d never had the chance to know. “Why would a DaCosta spare the life of my son? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“None of this makes sense,” Julian answered darkly. “I think it’s safe to assume that things are not what they seem.”
Jaxon shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes trained ahead, on Libby’s frail frame. “Yeah, Cracker and the rest of the team are fairly certain this is not going to go as easy as we’d like. This will not be an operation without consequence.” A harsh smile flickered across his handsome face as he turned once more to his brother. “But then, what would the fun be in that?”
Julian shook his head as Jaxon’s smile widened, and answered wryly, “Indeed.”
Silence fell between the entire group then, and they hiked for just over an hour more before Declan led them to a clearing where his contact had managed to set up a half decent base of operations.
There were four tents in all. One housed equipment and weapons, and the other three were for sleeping. The plan was to get some much needed rest and then leave early in the morning. Hopefully, they’d reach the compound by early evening and attack under the cover of darkness.
Jaxon watched as Ana stowed her gear in the nearest tent, followed by Declan. Cracker and Jagger claimed the second one. Libby stood looking more then a little lost, and he quickly moved toward her, but she turned before he could reach her and disappeared into the remaining tent.
He continued to the larger tent, which held their cache of weapons and a whole host of goodies. Julian was already deep in conversation with Declan’s man, and after introducing himself, Jaxon requested the satellite images they’d managed to pull.
Considering the amount of cloud cover he’d observed on the flight over, he was relieved to note that the images were clear, and he quickly made mental notes.
It wasn’t a large compound, but there were ten buildings scattered about, and from the looks of the pictures, a fair amount of commandos. He continued to study them, his mind focused and sharp, when a tingle up his
spine stopped him cold.
He sensed Libby’s presence before she stepped through the tent flaps. Her female scent was enticing hung heavy in the air, drifting lazily through his nasal cavity and making his mouth water with need. His reaction was instant and hard. It slammed into his gut with red hot spikes of desire, and he nearly dropped the pictures.
His head whipped around and he pinned her with his black eyes. Her violet eyes had darkened, and they ignored him as she focused on the photos that he held. Her breathing was ragged, coming in short staccato bursts, but she managed to keep a professional air as she came toward him.
“Let me see those.”
The words slipped from between her lips, and the commanding tone surprised him enough that he let her take the satellite photos from him. Her long, graceful fingers avoided his touch as she did so.
Her hair hung down past her shoulders, the flaxen strands curling wildly from the heat. It was all Jaxon could do to keep reaching for her and burying his nose deep in the soft waves.
He couldn’t take his eyes from her, and watched as her pale cheeks flushed. Every cell in his body ached for her, and he knew it would not lessen in time. His body had recently tasted her sweetness, and it remembered every detail of their wild coupling two nights ago. He mentally groaned, unable to stop the images of her as she rode his cock, so full of passion atop his body. She’d successfully slithered into the one corner of his heart he’d left vulnerable, and stolen it out from under him.
Again.
He was screwed. There was no other way around it.
She bit her bottom lip as she studied the pictures, and he knew how hard it was for her to be here.
Libby was hurting, and he desperately wanted to comfort her.
Without realizing he’d moved, Jaxon took a step toward her, but stopped as she whispered, avoiding his eyes, “Don’t. I need to be strong right now and I will fall to pieces if you touch me.”
Anguish sliced through him at her words. Reluctantly, he drew back, respecting her wishes. Turning away from her, he noticed that both Julian and Declan’s man Bart had left them in privacy.
He cleared his throat. “Where do the DaCostas hang when they’re at the compound?”
Libby edged her way to the table just to his right. She was so close he could see the rash of goose bumps that covered her flesh. She drew in a shaky breath, and when she spoke, her voice was strong.
“This large building here is the main gathering place in the compound.” He watched as she pointed to the largest of the buildings at one end. “It’s where their offices are located and it’s also where they like to eat and drink.”
“These here,” her fingers trailed along several smaller shelters that lined the eastern side, “are the sleeping quarters for their men. Some are shifters, some aren’t.” She turned to Jaxon, her lips pursed into a tight line. “But they’re all dangerous.”
Half of the buildings were hidden beneath the jungle canopy, but as Jaxon stepped closer for a better look, he was able to make them out.
He pointed to two buildings located on the southern perimeter. They were secluded from the rest, which seemed odd. “What are these ones used for?”