MERCILESS: An Option Zero Novel Read online

  They both declined dessert but asked for coffee. When their cups were filled with steaming liquid and Jules had taken her first careful sip, Ash knew he could no longer put it off. The pretense needed to end.

  “So tell me the story of Juliet Stone.”

  The smile she gave him would have fooled almost anyone. Ash wasn’t just anyone. He sat back and waited for the lies to begin.

  Though she had enjoyed the easygoing camaraderie, Jules couldn’t deny the relief of finally getting to the reason for their dinner meeting. She had been tense during their meal, anticipating when the questions would begin. Now that they had arrived, she settled herself down. She had lived this lie for over a decade; she knew it by heart.

  “I was born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee. I’m an only child. My parents owned a chain of dry cleaners. I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in art design.”

  “You didn’t want to join your father’s business?”

  She didn’t outwardly flinch but felt a tightening in her stomach muscles all the same. “No. That kind of business never interested me.”

  “So how does a woman with a degree in art design become a freelance security specialist?”

  He had already done his homework, and that was what she wanted and expected. Her profession was legitimate, and she had many clients he could talk with if he wanted references. Not everything was a lie, but the next few were necessary.

  “After graduation, a friend and I took a month to travel through Europe. We were at a nightclub and met some guys. I’d never considered myself naïve—I knew the signs to look for, but they fooled us both. Our drinks were spiked with something. I woke up in the trunk of a car. I had no idea where April was or where I was being taken.

  “I won’t go into detail about what happened, but I did manage to escape. April wasn’t so lucky. She was found in a ditch along the roadway just outside of Rome. She had severe allergies and always carried an EpiPen wherever she went. Whatever we were given, she was apparently allergic to it and died.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It was a hideous, tragic event that never should have happened. It changed my world, my entire way of thinking about things. I think, more than anything, I was angry. I had no training, no protection against the evils of the world.”

  “So you learned how to kick ass.”

  “In a manner of speaking.”

  “You didn’t consider law enforcement? Military?”

  “As I mentioned, following rules is not my strong point. My mom and dad knew that when I made up my mind, there was no changing it. They encouraged me to try the FBI. They had a couple of friends who’d worked for them at one time.”

  “Is that how you met Kate?”

  She grimaced and then gave a slight grin. “Yes and no. I went in for an interview, but halfway through, I got frustrated and ended it. The interviewer and I both agreed it just wasn’t going to work.

  “I was agitated…upset. Nothing was working out the way I’d hoped. I was distracted, not looking where I was going, and slammed full force into Kate as she was coming in the door I was exiting. I knocked her to the ground, and her coffee splattered all over both of us.”

  “Knowing Kate, you got an earful.”

  “And then some. But when she calmed down, she said something extraordinary that changed my whole life.”

  “What did she say?”

  “If you put that kind of energy into doing something worthwhile, you could change the world.”

  “That sounds like Kate.”

  “I told her once that if she ever got tired of chasing bad guys, she would do great as a fortune cookie writer.”

  “Bet that went over well.”

  “You know Kate. She gave me a witty, profane answer and a couple of insults, and we were good.”

  “So how did Kate help you?”

  The correct answer was she had saved her life and so much more, but Jules gave him what she could, which was still very much the truth. “She helped me refocus. To see purpose when there didn’t seem to be any.”

  “Your credentials are both surprising and impressive. How did you get so good, so fast?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but the waiter appeared at their table with their check. Explaining all the training she had gone through, the ups and downs she had endured was best shared in private.

  “Can we go somewhere less crowded and finish?”

  “Of course.”

  She watched as Ash took care of their bill, his expression unreadable. He likely already knew every single thing she had told him. Her story was as airtight as if she’d actually lived the life she had just described. Every ounce of it could be verified. If asked, she could produce a variety of people who would swear she was exactly who she said she was. Childhood friends, her second-grade teacher, even the first boy she’d ever kissed. There wasn’t a hole or even a slight wrinkle that could be questioned.

  No one ever need know that it was all a huge, elaborate lie.

  They ended up in a small nightclub a block from her hotel. Ash let Jules lead the way. She apparently had an agenda and her story mapped out well in advance. He would play it her way for now. Would she dig a hole with her lies that she couldn’t get out of, or did she have an exit strategy?

  It had crossed his mind that seduction was part of her agenda. Sex was often a prerequisite to getting information from a target. That would be no hardship. He wouldn’t give up any intel, but if she wanted to give it a try, he wouldn’t object.

  The instant they entered the popular nightclub, he reversed his opinion. This was not a place for the distraction of seduction. It was a place of avoidance. Did she think she was finished sharing for the night? If so, she was wrong.

  Without telling her why, Ash walked away from her and had a few words with the manager. Less than a minute later, they were ushered to a small private room in the back.

  Though she looked a little discombobulated, she rallied quickly and gave him a quick smile. The room was set up for a small private party, with just a few chairs and tables. The music was less loud here, too. At least he could hear himself think.

  They ordered drinks he suspected neither of them wanted. Their dinner conversation had been a prequel. Now he wanted it all. She would either lay it on the table for him, or he’d walk away. Yeah, he’d have some regrets. She was the most intriguing woman he’d met in years. Didn’t mean he was a fool.

  “It’s time to be straight with me, Jules. You’ve told me what you want me to know. Now, I’m ready to hear what I want to know.”

  The flare of confusion in her eyes was real. “I’m not sure what you mean. I’ve answered all of your questions, and I—”

  “Yes, you’ve given me answers to my questions. So we’ll start there. Tell me how a small-town girl from Tennessee became a hunter of serial killers.”

  Ah, there it was. For the first time, he knew he had truly stumped her. Oddly enough, he felt no triumph. What she did was damn dangerous and incredibly brave.

  “How did you come by that information?”

  At least she hadn’t tried to deny it…he had to give her that. “I think you underestimate OZ’s network of intel.”

  “I didn’t think so, but apparently I have. Only a handful of people, if that, know about my involvement. Mind telling me who gave you this information?”

  “Like I said, Jules, I have a good network.”

  She opened her mouth, most likely to ask another question, but Ash held up his hand. “Let’s cut to the chase. If you really want to work for OZ, answer the question.”

  She looked away for a mere second, and he prepared himself for another lie. When she turned back to him, he saw something different in her eyes. He knew that this time at least he was actually going to get the truth.

  “The first one was by sheer accident. I happened to be in Baton Rouge on a job.” She shrugged. “Attempted-bribery case. They wanted an independent investigator to sit in on an int
errogation. I was headed to the airport and stopped at a service station to fill up my car before returning it to the rental agency. I saw this guy inside the store eyeing two young women who had also stopped for gas. I didn’t like the way he was looking at them and thought I’d just walk over and have a talk with him. Just to see what he might say.”

  Saying her actions were stupid was probably not the best way to get her to keep talking, so he held back his words and gave a nod of encouragement.

  “The closer I got, the more skittish he seemed. There was no mistaking that he was hiding something. He turned away quickly, like he didn’t want me to see his face. That definitely caught my attention.

  “I read all sorts of newspapers and online reports. It’s a hobby of mine. So I knew about the murders. Four teenage girls in the area had disappeared over the past couple of years. Three of them had been found dead. One of them survived but could give very few details. Her description of the killer was vague, but she did remember one distinctive characteristic.”

  “What was that?”

  “He had a scar across his neck, as if he’d at one time been strangled with a garrote. When he turned away to avoid me, the collar of his shirt shifted, and I saw the scar.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I knew if I pulled out my phone and called someone, he’d see me and run. I had a choice to make. So I did take out my phone, but I walked around to the back of the building as if trying to get away from him. I took the chance that he would follow me to shut me up.”

  “And that’s what he did?”

  “Yes. He was middle-aged, not terribly fit. I was able to take him down with little effort.”

  He doubted it had been as easy as her explanation implied. Murderers didn’t give up easily, and serial killers knew how to kill. That was what they specialized in, after all. Still, he didn’t ask for details. He’d already determined that she was well trained and quite likely lethal.

  “Since I didn’t want the publicity that would come with catching him, I knocked him out and handcuffed him to a light pole. I used his phone to call the police and told them where he was.”

  “Why didn’t you want credit? It would have given your security business a boost.”

  “I don’t want that kind of boost.”

  “But you were found out anyway?”

  “Yes, but not for a while, and thanks to Kate’s connections, the ones who know agreed to keep it quiet. Or at least I thought they had.”

  “Don’t worry, your secret is safe. I’m surprised you didn’t ask if it was Kate who told me.”

  “Kate doesn’t divulge secrets.”

  “Very true. So based upon that experience, you decided you were good at finding serial killers?”

  “Not really…that was a lucky break. But I did decide to test the territory. I’ve only been involved in five cases.”

  “And apprehended three on your own.”

  She stared at him for a long moment and then nodded slowly. “You really do have connections.”

  “That shouldn’t surprise you.”

  “It doesn’t. I knew you did, but I’ve worked hard at keeping myself out of the limelight.”

  “That’s not going to change. If you don’t know already, I’m not big on getting attention either.”

  “Thank you. So what now?”

  “Not so fast. How’d it happen? Why this kind of career?”

  She seemed to sink into her chair as she sighed. “It’s simple, really. After I recovered from my ordeal in Europe, I knew I couldn’t go back to who I was before. I wasn’t the same person. And I swore I’d never be that helpless again. I’d had no training. No way to fight these people. Neither did April.

  “My parents indulged me—how could they not? They were so grateful to have me back safely. I told them I wanted to make sure it never happened to me again. So instead of pursuing a career in design, I devoted all of my time to becoming the type of fighter that would never be taken again.”

  “And you became some kind of avenging angel?”

  She gave a dry laugh. “Not exactly. I wanted to save lives, stop bad guys.”

  “But not through any kind of law enforcement agency. Those pesky rules again.”

  She just shrugged, smiled.

  “Kate was the one who gave you the idea to go out on your own?”

  “Yes.”

  “So why does someone with such a stellar reputation want to work for a secretive, off-the-books organization like OZ?”

  “I think you might be overstating my reputation.”

  “I don’t think so. According to my sources, besides helping apprehend serial killers, you have single-handedly saved the lives of schoolchildren, government officials, and average citizens.”

  “‘Single-handedly’ is definitely a stretch. I have a few trusted associates who have helped.”

  “So again, why do you want to work for OZ?”

  “Because I want to do more.”

  “And that’s the best answer you have?”

  “It’s the truth.”

  “You’re telling me you’ve been doing this for more than a half-dozen years. Answering to no one. Making your own decisions. Taking the jobs you want to take and being very successful at it. And now you suddenly want to work for someone else?”

  She looked down at her feet, and he knew the next thing that came out of her mouth would be a lie.

  When she raised her head, tears glistened in her eyes. “Did your research dig up any intel on Fran Johnson?”

  “No.”

  “That’s not a surprise. They want to keep it a secret. Pretend it never happened.”

  “And what is ‘it’?”

  “Fran was a key witness in a murder investigation involving a crime family in Pittsburgh. They knew there was a mole, possibly several moles, within the Justice Department. I was tasked with finding the mole.

  “I found him, but he turned out to be the mayor’s nephew. Fran was killed. I got the boot, and the department covered it up. Case dismissed for lack of evidence.”

  “And you think that wouldn’t have happened if OZ had been involved?”

  “I know it wouldn’t have happened. OZ is too powerful.”

  “I think you overestimate what we can do. We have a lot more enemies than allies.”

  “Maybe so, but you wouldn’t let them get away with it. You would have found a way to expose who they are and what they did.”

  Ash considered her story. It was easily verifiable, which meant there was some truth to her words. She was still holding back, though. He needed to make a decision. He didn’t have to know everything about the people he employed, but he damn well needed to trust them.

  Was Jules’s reticence a natural part of her private self, or was it something more? Kate’s endorsement went a long way in helping him decide. She was responsible for sending Jasmine McAlister to him. Jazz, as she liked to be called, was one of his most valuable operatives.

  Ash looked at Jules long and hard, and she withstood his scrutiny unflinchingly.

  “OZ has rules. Not a lot, but a few. We might be more lenient in some areas, but the rules we have are written in stone. Anyone who violates one is out on his or her ass.”

  “I’m not opposed to rules when they make sense.”

  That wasn’t a resounding agreement that she would follow the rules blindly, but he was okay with that. If she had indicated otherwise, they might have had a problem. He relied on his people to make good decisions and do what made sense. Micromanaging was not his way.

  “Most of my operatives live close to our home base. You got a problem moving?”

  “No. I live outside Flagstaff in an older two-story house I renovated. I live on the second floor, and my office is on the first. I should have no problem renting it out.”

  “OZ employees are expected to be on call 24/7. You could be gone for weeks or months at a time. No spouse or significant other that’s going to resent your absence?”

 
“No.”

  She didn’t elaborate, and he didn’t probe further. The intel he’d received had already confirmed that she had no current romantic relationships. In fact, from what he could tell, she didn’t date. Period.

  “You’ll have to go through a rigorous physical and psychological exam. Plus, a six-month probation period. One screw-up and you’re out. I don’t give second chances.”

  “Not a problem.”

  Before he committed, he had one more question he needed her to answer. If she denied the truth or brushed it off as nonsensical, he’d have his answer.

  “How are we going to handle this heat between us?”

  Chapter Eleven

  The question took Jules’s breath away. She had been doing so well, answering every question without any real hesitancy. Yes, the fact that he knew about her “extracurricular” work had been startling, but she’d rallied and thought she’d done quite well. But this? This was not something she’d anticipated.

  She couldn’t deny the attraction. That would be an obvious lie. Nor did she want to pretend it meant nothing, because in all honesty, it was one of the sweetest emotions she’d felt in years. Jules did the only thing she knew to do. She asked her own straightforward question.

  “Are you opposed to being involved with one of your operatives, or have you just never been attracted to one of them?”

  “I have many attractive employees, but not one of them has made me want to kiss every part of her.”

  Her heartbeat tripled, and heat flooded her body. This man and his blunt honesty were both unexpected and incredibly appealing.

  Before she could come up with a response, he added, “And before you tell me this kind of talk is out of line in an interview, I’ll tell you I know that. But not being forthright about things is not my way. Whatever your answer is, you need to know that up front.”

  “Your honesty is much appreciated. So what should we do?”

  “You have two choices. Work for me, and anything between us is off the table. Or don’t take the job, and we can have a short-term relationship.”