Merciless (Option Zero 1)

He sent her a grin as they got into his vehicle. “You a chocoholic, Stone?”

“Recovering. I’ve now gone half chocolate, half caramel.”

“There’s a difference?”

“If you have to ask, then there’s no hope for you to understand.”

“I’ll take your word for it. Other than your sugar overload, did you have a successful trip?”

“Yes. I got everything done that I needed to.”

“I got your reports in. You’ll be pleased to know that despite your chocolate addiction, you passed your physical with flying colors. You scored in the top twenty percent on your skill and endurance tests.”

She grimaced. “Just the top twenty?”

“If it helps, you’re competing against a couple of SEALs and an Army Ranger. I’d say that’s damn good.”

Looking more than a little pleased with herself, she nodded. “That definitely helps.”

He veered out onto the main highway. The small airport they used was only a few miles away. “Any difficulty with the tracker implant?”

She grimaced, revealing her distaste. “Yes and no.”

“Explain.”

“It was basically painless, but—”

“But you feel it’s an invasion of your privacy.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“Understandable, but it saves lives. Talk to Jazz about it sometime.”

“Did it come in handy when she was injured?”

“No. We were all there then.”

“Bad time?”

“Yeah. A real bad time.”

That had been one of OZ’s darkest days. Xavier had told him that sometimes at night, when demons pounded, he could still see Jazz flying off the cliff with that maniac holding on to her. That was no surprise. It had taken all of Ash’s strength to keep Xavier from following her over the edge.

That Jazz had survived was a miracle only God could grant. But she still hadn’t recovered. Not fully.

“It’s amazing what the human spirit can endure.”

He cut his eyes over to the woman beside him. What had she endured? She had told him a few things, but those were facts, not feelings. How had she handled the pain and the grief? Did she still struggle?

As if aware of his thoughts, she said in a rush, “Tell me about this op. A new one or ongoing?”

“Ongoing. One of our people, Liam Stryker, has been undercover at a sanctuary in Haleyville called the Brotherhood of Solace. It’s located about twenty miles from Wenatchee. Ever heard of it?”

“No.”

“Not much there, mostly wilderness. I spent a lot of time in Washington a few years back. Lots of desolate places like that. People get lost. Some never get found.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ash watched Jules stiffen at his words. Something was bothering her about this conversation. The tension in her body was palpable.