Vigilante Assassin: An Action Thriller (Jake Wolfe Book 2) Read online

  The file also said that one time, in a black ops battle far from home, Jake had killed a gang of terrorists known for beheading women who refused to be sex slaves. The terrorist cell couldn’t be eliminated with a drone strike, because the young female hostages could have become collateral damage. Jake, who’d gone by the code name Troubleshooter, had gone in alone on a semi-authorized mission to hunt down those men in the middle of the night and take them out. Every terrorist in that group died that night, and the hostages survived and were now living in another country under new identities. A psychiatric evaluation in Jake’s file said that he still had recurring violent nightmares about it, and he couldn’t sleep through the night, but he’d do it again if there was no other option.

  Levi said, “Jake, I won’t mention the shotgun shells to Dylan. There’s no need to worry him or anybody else.”

  “Agreed, and Sarah doesn’t need to know about it either.”

  “I understand that you’ve faced some difficult challenges in life. I want to be upfront with you and tell you that I’ve accessed your Marine Corps records, and your top-secret CIA and JSOC missions files.”

  Jake glared at Levi and his gun hand twitched. “Is that why you’re here? Do you think you can talk me into killing people for the CIA again? If so, you’re wrong.”

  “No, I’m not here on their behalf.”

  “Why, then? You could’ve sent an employee to look at the door lock, but you came in person.”

  “I wanted to meet you. Dylan speaks highly of you.”

  “Why are you looking into my records? How do you have the necessary clearances to even do it if you’re retired?”

  “I was thinking of offering you a job at my security company, so I pulled a few strings and did a deep background check on you. I apologize if you feel I’ve invaded your privacy. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is anger a former government assassin.”

  Jake’s eyes darkened. “Be careful when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  Cody barked several times as he noticed a change in Jake’s body language and tone of voice. He moved closer to Levi and pulled his lips back, snarling.

  Jake commanded, “No, Cody. This man is not a threat.”

  Cody’s eyes never left Levi.

  Jake said, “Cody, go to the grass and do your business.” He pointed up the dock at the grassy area.

  Military working dogs are trained to go on command, in case they need to ride in a truck or helicopter. Cody gave a final look at Levi that said I’m warning you in every language on the planet, no matter what living being gave the warning—but he obeyed the order.

  Once Cody was trotting up the dock, Jake pointed his finger at Levi. “If you’re going to visit this boat, please be careful what you say in front of Cody. That dog has a fiercely independent spirit and a lingering touch of trauma. He’s been through hell and back, and he’s barely under my control. Don’t provoke him by raising your voice, or talking about war, unless you want him to eff you up.”

  “I’m sorry. I won’t bring this up again, but I know that Duke, your war dog, died. And Stuart, Cody’s handler died too. But I’m glad you adopted Cody. That’s good for both of you.”

  At the mention of Duke and Stuart, every muscle in Jake’s body tensed, and his hands became fists. A shadow passed across his face. He took a deep breath and let it out.

  Levi saw this and held his hands out. “I’m on your side, Jake.”

  Jake shook his head. “Those are polite words, but look me in the eye and tell me you understand that Cody is trained to proactively fight a threatening man like you to protect his handler.”

  Levi looked at Cody as the dog trotted toward the grass. He then met Jake’s eyes. “I understand. I’ll be very careful around him.”

  “If you’d drawn your pistol, Cody would’ve disarmed you by biting your wrist. Then, when you fought him in panic, he might have ripped your throat out.”

  “I’m glad I held perfectly still.”

  “He’s a good dog, but both of his handlers died and he’s very protective of me.”

  “Understood.”

  Chapter 5

  Lauren called the security company. The receptionist went into a canned pitch that she’d no doubt spouted a thousand times before. “We offer a wide variety of security services and—”

  “Tell your boss I want all of your services—everything—right now,” Lauren said.

  “We have all kinds of options, ma’am: home security, personal security, child protection, bodyguards, armored vehicles with professional drivers, background checks on employees, surveillance cameras—”

  “Send every available person to my house immediately. I don’t care how much it costs. Charge the fees to my American Express Black Card.”

  “Uhm … I don’t know if we can do that, this is somewhat irregular. You’ll have to talk to my boss. He might be able to reroute some assets to make it happen as soon as possible.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Paula.”

  “Listen to me, Paula. If you get this done in the next fifteen minutes, I’ll personally give you a bonus of five thousand dollars cash, delivered to you this morning by courier.”

  “Oh my gosh.”

  “And if you don’t get it done, I’ll see to it that you lose your job and never get another one in this city for the rest of your life. Do you understand me?”

  There was a long pause. “Well, then I guess I’ll try to get it done. And I promise that when I get your cash bonus I’ll spend it wisely.”

  “Good plan, Paula. Call me back in ten minutes to give me a progress report.”

  Lauren ended the call. If she had a crisis, everybody else had a crisis too.

  She went into the dining room and checked on her kids while they were eating breakfast.

  “Where’s Daddy?” Chrissy asked.

  Lauren felt a knot in her stomach as she lied to her first born child. “Daddy had to go into work early today so he could help a family buy a house.”

  Chrissy gazed at her mother with the frank appraisal of a child. She paused to think about it, then nodded her head, innocently believing the lie—for now.

  Lauren walked back into the kitchen. Sophie, her maid, arrived and started cleaning up the skillets from breakfast, giving her boss a long look as she did so. “Are you okay, Mrs. Stephens?”

  Lauren spilled her feelings to Sophie. “I’m torn between wanting the children to have a normal life and wanting to keep them safe inside my house twenty-four hours a day under my constant watch.”

  Sophie nodded as she dried a plate and put it away. “You feel the same way as every other mother.”

  “Do you think I’m overreacting?”

  “I don’t know. I’d be going crazy right now, but I’m a serious helicopter parent.”

  “Do you think I should send the kids off to school, like always?”

  “Do what you need to do, but the school is a safe and familiar place for them. It’s part of their normal daily routine. And there’s a police officer at the school for safety.”

  She heaved a huge sigh. “Thank you, Sophie, I can always count on you.”

  Sophie nodded and went out of the room. In the hallway, she looked over her shoulder and then tapped on her phone and sent a text message.

  She’s sending the kids to school.

  Chapter 6

  Jake led Levi to the sliding door on the aft of the Far Niente.

  Levi studied the hardware. “This is a top-quality lock in perfect working condition. There’s not a scratch on it. Whoever opened it without a key must have used a high quality locksmith’s tool.”

  “He was an assassin, sent here to kill me,” Jake said.

  Levi raised his eyebrows. He pulled a chrome tool out of his pocket. It looked like a small flashlight with a lock pick sticking out one end. “This is a Kronos electric pick gun. Go inside and lock the door, please.”

  Jake locked him out. Levi eased the pic
k into the door lock’s keyhole, and pressed a button. The pick gun vibrated quietly and opened the lock in a few seconds.

  “My team will install a lock that’s preferred by people in law enforcement,” Levi said.

  “Thanks,” Jake said, and came back out the door and onto the deck.

  Levi’s phone buzzed. He answered it and asked a few questions, looking more concerned as he asked each one. He ended the call. “I have a situation and need to go. My company just got a crisis call from a woman in Pacific Heights.”

  Jake took a business card out of his wallet and used a pen to cross out his former work number and email, leaving just his personal contact info. He handed the card to Levi. “Here’s my number. Get back to me and we’ll set up a time for the lock.”

  Cody returned to the boat from the dog area. Jake poured him a bowl of dry dog food which Cody began to devour, the dog tags on his collar jingling against the metal bowl as he ate.

  Levi glanced at Jake’s card. “Does this mean you no longer work at the TV station as a photojournalist?”

  “Yeah, I got fired from my photography job. It happens to me a lot, but that’s okay. I can go back to doing freelance work. Maybe I’ll sail up and down the coast on photo assignments.”

  “If you’ve got some free time right now, would you like to come along with me and assist with this situation in Pacific Heights? A family is in trouble. They could use some help from you and your dog. It’ll give you a chance to see what we do.”

  “A family? How can Cody and I help them?”

  “My client’s husband went missing. When she called the police they told her to file a missing persons report and said they’d investigate as soon as they could.”

  Jake nodded. “The police are busy with violent crimes.”

  “Right, and she wants results immediately.”

  “So, were you hired as protection? Or to find her husband?”

  “Both—she and her husband are wealthy and well known. There are business fortunes and reputations at stake. She also wants to protect her kids from the media.”

  Jake nodded in understanding. “The media might be a problem. I could make a few phone calls to my contacts at my former employer. Ask them to lay off.”

  “Mostly I was hoping you and your dog could search the house and grounds.”

  “We could do that, but past experience has taught me I should never volunteer for anything.” Jake thought about the time he’d volunteered to help the CIA kill high-value targets.

  “Understood. I read the psychology tests results in your file. Your empathy scores are off the charts. That’s why you’re a good dog handler—but that’s also why you’ve volunteered for things you should have avoided.”

  “Now that you’ve invaded my privacy, be aware that the only time I’ll volunteer is if Cody and I are needed to do search and rescue work—missing kids, lost hikers, natural disasters.”

  “This would be similar—a missing family member. But I’m willing to pay you for your time, so you wouldn’t be a volunteer.”

  “Cody isn’t for hire. If we helped you, would he be in any kind of danger?”

  “None that I’m aware of. When you were a photojournalist, did you learn a lot about video equipment?”

  “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  Levi looked at one of Jake’s security cameras, mounted on the boat. “I’m wondering if you could check the home alarm system’s video and tell me if anything looks suspicious or has been tampered with.”

  “I could, but how would this kind of arrangement work? I don’t want to go back to having a job and a boss if I can avoid it.”

  “I’d only be hiring you for one day. I’ll pay you double whatever the TV station was paying you.”

  “Lucky for you, they weren’t paying much.”

  “Okay then, I’ll pay you the same as my highest paid and most valuable employee. She’s very good and I pay her accordingly, but I have a feeling you and Cody are worth it.”

  “Fair enough, but I’ll work with you, not for you. I’ll be an independent contractor, providing a service to your company for a fee. I can walk away at any time.”

  “We can treat it that way between you and me, but my team operates under my private security employer’s license. Didn’t I see in your file that you’re licensed?”

  “Yes, as part of my celebrity photography work, I got licensed to do private security and act as a bodyguard. But I can’t do any private investigator work. That takes five years.”

  “Then you’re good to go. I just need you to sign an employment form so you’re covered under our insurance.”

  “That works, but we’ll have to ride with you because my Jeep is in the shop.”

  “No problem. Later today, I can loan you a company car if you want one.”

  “I should probably wear shoes, right?”

  “At least,” Levi said. “Everybody on my team wears a suit or a sport coat and slacks.”

  “That’s another reason I’m not on your team. I won’t be following your dress code. Wait here and I’ll be back in a minute. Keep in mind, you’re being recorded on video, and my dog doesn’t like you very much.”

  Cody growled at Levi and stood between him and the sliding door.

  Jake headed into the boat and down the hallway to the master stateroom, where Sarah was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on her rubber-soled work shoes. Jake wished he could spend the morning with her. She thought of herself as plain looking, but he disagreed. She wore black slacks and a white blouse that accented her shape, horn-rimmed glasses, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of the way while she practiced veterinary medicine. Her purse was on the bed next to her, a book sticking out. Women who wore glasses and read books were Jake’s kryptonite. In his opinion, Sarah was beautiful and hot, without even trying to be.

  Sarah stood and grabbed her purse, glancing at him as she did so. She started to say something, but stopped.

  They’d only met a month ago, but their relationship was moving fast—maybe too fast.

  Sarah’s phone buzzed with a text. “My assistant, Madison, will be here in a few minutes. I asked her to pick me up.”

  “All right. Cody and I are going to assist Levi on a security job in Pacific Heights. A family there needs our help.”

  Sarah sighed. “Jake, why are you always taking risks for other people?”

  “It’s probably nothing risky. The wife just needs a SAR dog to find her missing husband.”

  “If the husband is missing, he might have been kidnapped or murdered. You have no idea how dangerous it could be, for you or Cody.”

  “I know you’re stressed about Cody, but I’ll protect him and take good care of him, I promise.”

  “I want to believe you, but you’re often reckless, and Cody is so loyal he’d follow you into hell and fight the devil.”

  “We’ll be fine; don’t worry.”

  “But why you, Jake? Why do you have to be the one who does this kind of thing?”

  Jake struggled with his answer for a moment. He felt conflicted, wanting peace and quiet, but unable to turn his back when a family was in danger. “Because it’s the right thing to do. As the Irish philosopher Edmund Burke said, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. I believe in being a good man, Sarah. I can’t stand by and do nothing. If I did, my life would feel meaningless.”

  Chapter 7

  Instead of leaving, Sarah crossed her arms and waited while Jake changed clothes. She noted the controlled, deliberate, and dangerous way his animal-like body moved. His muscular chest and back were covered with all kinds of scars. It was like a map of battle, pain and survival. He was six feet of solid muscle, with dark wavy hair, “devil-may-care” brown eyes and a jaded smile. He had a thing for nerdy girls who were kind to animals. He’d asked her out the first time they’d met, when she was giving first aid to Cody. She felt a strong attraction to him too, and she loved Cody, but Jake seem
ed to be a magnet for trouble.

  Before he put on a fresh shirt, she noticed a bite mark on his shoulder. Her face flushed as she realized she must have done that to him in bed last night. That surprised her because she’d never sunk her teeth into a boyfriend before. What was it about this guy? He wasn’t celebrity handsome but he had a confident, dangerous way about him that made her heart beat faster. That scared her a little bit.

  He grabbed a pistol and holster, plus two extra mags of ammo, then picked up his KA-BAR knife. It had a black blade, etched with gold letters that said Operation Enduring Freedom. It looked like it had been through hell and back. He shoved it into a small-of-the-back SOB sheath, and attached it horizontally to his belt behind his waist with velcro loops. There was no way that thing could be legal to carry around. Next, he pulled up his pant leg, and strapped a small pistol and holster to his ankle.

  Sarah took a deep breath and let it out. She wasn’t sure what to feel as Jake stood before her in his jeans and boots, black t-shirt and leather jacket. He looked like a rock star who could kill terrorists, and she knew he had done so in his past. In her opinion he was a man with a good heart, but a lot of flaws. Most of the time he was a strong, in-control person who could handle himself in any situation. Yet he was still young and hot-headed, overprotective of women to a fault, and he had zero tolerance for cruelty to children and pets. Sometimes he could lose his temper and do things that were reckless, dangerous, and illegal.

  He was rebellious, had a smart mouth and no patience for bureaucrats. Years ago a bureaucratic mistake had left him alone on foot in the desert, while hunted by terrorists who had a bounty on his head. Yet deep down, he also had a sensitive side. She’d caught a glimpse of that in the way he took care of his dog.

  Sarah had given up on meeting Mister Right—the perfect man who didn’t exist. She had to admit that she wasn’t perfect either. It made her happy to have met a hot alpha male who found her attractive. Jake knew what he wanted, and he went after it. Right now he wanted her. She wanted him too, but he was always in some kind of danger, and she wasn’t sure if she could learn to live with constantly worrying about Jake and Cody. Especially Cody. It was a decision she’d have to make soon because she was falling for him.