Sighing, he turned and walked into the kitchen. On the table lay the tools he needed to get his own personal revenge on Group Nine.
He couldn't take all of them out, but he'd damage them as much as he could without compromising himself or any of his squad, and especially, Ava.
Six hours later, Jordan sat out on the Sound in a boat he'd rented from the local marina. He had a perfect view of the house, and thankfully, the weather remained beautiful, and the water calm.
As he pretended to fish, he decided he hated the sport. The boredom had him ready to stick a hook in his eye.
He'd been waiting for something to happen at the house for the past four hours. Longing to drive the boat back to the marina and leave the Northwest, he couldn't quite yet. He hadn't exacted his revenge.
The next team of Group Nine operatives should arrive at any time. Then, he'd put his plan into motion. If they didn't, he supposed he'd have to stay on the damn boat all night long until they made their appearance. Good thing he'd left the lights on in the house. If this little operation did move into the nighttime hours, he would need to be able to see when they arrived. Perhaps, he'd even have to take the boat to shore and hide out on the beach. He hoped not, as it would be a good idea for him to stay as far away from the house as possible.
A couple of hours later, he stared at the house and thought he saw movement, but then wondered if his eyes played tricks on him. He wiped a drop of sweat making its way down his cheek, glad that he'd opted for a boat with a tarp, or umbrella, or whatever the covering was called. He'd be fried alive without it.
He didn't know how much more time had passed, but the water stirred to his left. He gasped as a grey whale surfaced about twenty feet away from him.
Holy shit. That had been close.
A smaller whale popped up, and he realized he looked at a mom and calf. He recalled his whale-watching trip with Ava, and grinned. She'd been so excited that day, her elation almost childlike.
He stared at the magnificent animals until they swam out of sight, then turned back to the house. Certain he saw movement on the private beach, he scrambled for the binoculars.
Dusk had descended, which made it a bit difficult to see the shaded beach. He counted five men running up the stairs to the house, guns drawn. Assuming others had gone into the house from the front, he waited a few moments. He wanted to make sure that everyone stood inside.
Pulling out the cell phone from his pocket, he typed in the password, then the code. A low rumble hit his ears, and he picked up the binoculars. The house began to shake, as if a strong earthquake had hit. A few seconds later, it started collapsing in on itself. The first floor sank into the basement, the second floor became the first. When the implosion completed, he stared at nothing but a pile of rubble-a total decimation of the pretty house, but satisfaction rolled through him. No one inside could have survived. He would have preferred to use his own special method of dealing death, but blowing shit up felt really good and fulfilled his need for revenge.
He hauled up the anchor, pulled in his damn fishing rod, and turned the key. The boat roared to life, and he whistled as he drove it back to the marina.
39
Never in her life did Ava ever even think about taking a trip on a hundred-and-ten-foot yacht. Yet, here she stood on the hardwood deck of the bow, gazing at the dock in Saint Thomas while the light Caribbean breeze blew through her hair.
Other boats had also parked there, and a lot of people milled about. She studied each person carefully, looking for Jordan.
Rayna, Brody's significant other, came up beside her and leaned her elbows on the gleaming teak railing. "Still nothing?"
She shook her head. If things had gone as planned, Jordan should have arrived a while ago. Nerves twisted at her gut as she thought of all the things that could have gone wrong-Group Nine had captured him; he'd been caught in the explosion; the authorities had arrested him … she didn't know the details of the plan, only that he had been going to destroy the house with as many Group Nine members inside of it as he could.
"I'm sure he's fine, Ava."
Yes, she had to remain positive, so she grinned at her new friend. "He's just probably running late, as usual."
She'd taken an immediate liking to Rayna's sunny smile and sharp wit, and understood why Brody loved her so much.
"I'm going to go inside and help get dinner ready. If he shows tonight, we can go out to sea and anchor somewhere, probably Magens Bay."
Ava nodded absently, having no idea where the bay was, and right now, she didn't care to know the details.
She turned her gaze back at to the dock, looking for Jordan to stride over, his long legs carrying him with lethal confidence.
A few minutes later, she sighed, and was about to go inside when strong arms circled her and pulled her into a hard wall of chest. She leaned back and closed her eyes as Jordan's scent met her nose and he kissed her cheek.
"Hey there," he whispered as he nuzzled her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
As she faced him, she laced her hands around his neck. "Where did you come from?"
"I flew into one of the other islands and took a boat over here. I just boarded on the back. Probably a bit of overkill, but better to be safe than sorry."
He leaned down and kissed her, and it seemed as if everything in her world finally clicked back into place and felt right.
"Did everything go okay?" she asked as she realized the boat had begun to move.
He nodded.
It seemed strange not to feel any guilt for what her husband had done, but instead, relief flooded through her. Group Nine had taken so much from her, and from them, time being the most important thing. They'd never get that year back.
"Are you ready to start our new future together, Ava?"
Joe had said he'd be in touch soon when he had a secure location for them. At that point, they'd join his company. They were still working through the details on what to tell her family, but she had a feeling that everything would end up fine.
Her heart lit up with love for Jordan, and she smiled. "Yes. Let's do it."
He grinned and kissed her again. This time, she felt the passion he conveyed, and it sank into the very fibers of her soul.
"I love you, Ava," he whispered against her lips.
"I love you, too, Jordan."