Jump Start (Texas Hotzone 1)

The roar of engines sounded as a plane took off. “No!” Jennifer yelled, gaping at the sky.

Bobby turned to the sky as the second took off, silently cursing.

Frantically, Jennifer repeated, “We have to do something!”

Bobby framed her face with his hands. “Baby, I am. Trust me. This is what I do. I deal with danger all the time. But I need to know you are safe. That man you heard talking—he’s mixed up with some dangerous people.” He pulled the car keys from his pocket and put them in her hand. “Get in the car and lock the doors. Hell. Get in the car and drive away from here.”

Rocky rushed up on them, already talking. “We got a problem,” he said. “The guy I fired tonight, the one who most likely made that call to B.J., he’s in the office ‘helping’ Shari, and I can’t tell Shari he’s dangerous. Not without putting her at risk.” He narrowed his gaze on Bobby. “Exactly who are you and what resources do you have at your disposal?”

Bobby answered cautiously, aware of Jennifer standing with them. He grabbed the Army phone he was carrying. “Special Forces, and I do have resources. I’ll have Gavin dealt with. But right now, at this very moment, considering the time we have to act…we need up in the air. You got a plane and a pilot?”

“I got both,” Rocky said. “What do you have in mind?”

“Once those divers jump, our chances of saving them are next to zero. We need to be in the air, signaling them any damn way we can manage.”

“What are we waiting for?” Rocky asked.

Bobby grabbed Jennifer’s hand, even as he punched a preprogrammed number on the phone. He wasn’t about to leave her on the ground where he couldn’t protect her.

13

JENNIFER’S MIND WAS REELING as Bobby tugged her along with him and entered a huge warehouse where a small puddle jumper of a plane sat in wait. A man lingered by the wing, talking on his cell phone.

“We’re going up, Chris,” Rocky shouted, heading toward the passenger’s entrance of the aircraft with Bobby and Jennifer in his wake. “Get ready to rev up that engine.”

Chris shoved off the plane, ending his call. “What the—?”

“Do it!” Rocky shouted. “I need to be in the air in a flash, and beside the Bluejay.” He eyed Bobby, Jennifer by his side. “That’s the plane B.J. is in. It’s a gamble, but with two planes in the air, B.J. makes the Bluejay the most likely to be the one with the bad chute.” He eyed his watch. “They do twelve minutes of air maneuvers. We have roughly seven minutes to stop those jumpers, and that’s if B.J. doesn’t convince them to jump early.”

Bobby gave a quick nod and asked Rocky several questions about B.J. and Gavin, before he yanked out a cell phone and dialed. Then, “I have a Charlie Foxtrot, I repeat, an effed-up situation getting worse. Two confirmed members of the cartel, both armed and dangerous, both ex-Special Forces, in active aggressive action with several hundred civilians on-site.” He went on to explain Gavin’s and B.J.’s positions and confirmed Rocky as cleared of suspicion.

Jennifer was gaping; Bobby knew about whatever it was that was going on here. He not only knew, he was on duty. He wasn’t here for her, or for the wedding. He was here for his job.

He ended his call and gave Rocky a sharp nod. “We’re set,” he assured him.

Jennifer felt sick to her stomach and she turned toward the exit, ready to get away from Bobby. She was determined to go help Shari—somehow, someway—and then get the heck out of here, and out of Bobby’s life, once and for all. She couldn’t believe what a fool she’d been to believe Bobby had come back for her. Because deep down, as much as she hadn’t been willing to admit it, that was what she’d thought, that was what she hoped.

“Go, Chris!” Rocky yelled. “Get us up beside the Bluejay, and do it now!”

Suddenly, Jennifer was lifted off the ground. She yelped in surprise, But there was no stopping the forward movement of her body; Bobby was behind her, his strong arms and body maneuvering her into the plane.

In protest, Jennifer whirled around to confront him, but the engine roared to life and swallowed her words before they were spoken. Bobby maneuvered her toward the wall and started to strap her with a parachute.

“Bobby, no!” she said, shouting to be heard. “I’m not jumping out of this plane.”

He dropped to one knee in front of her, putting some sort of harness around her leg. “Good,” he called out. “I don’t want you to. But if for any reason, you have to, this chute will auto-deploy at the right altitude. I’ll be nearby to make sure you’re safe.”