Jenna’s fury was radiating outwardly. Her hands fisted at the mere thought of Mason Hamilton, the head of the famous Hamilton-Knox Museum Foundation, issuing more deadly directives. When was it ever going to stop? Jenna already knew the answer. Until only one of us is left standing. Teresa had been right. Hamilton was absolutely committed to his deceitful little game. He would use and abuse anyone who stood between him and his precious treasure pieces. The treasure. Five small solid-gold animal figurines believed to be the lost treasure of the infamous pirate Blackbeard. Cursed from the start. Death comes to those who dare to hold all five pieces of tainted gold. The pirate curse was still leaving its mark after centuries of filtering down through the descendants of James Dunn, the cabin boy who dared to defy Blackbeard by stealing his precious cargo. Mason had killed for the treasure pieces over thirty years ago, and he was still on a murderous rage. He had to be stopped one way or another. Too many lives had been ruined already. Now Maria’s life was in Hamilton’s hands, or whoever he had hired. If Hamilton had enlisted The Closer once again, then Maria’s chance of survival was minimal. Maria needs me. I have to help her. Whatever it takes. Jenna could feel her arms tensing and her face getting hot. Going another round with Hamilton scared her to the core, but she had no choice. Hamilton wasn’t the only one focused on the game. After burning her image into Mason Hamilton’s eyes before her body went limp in his office, Jenna swore to herself she would make Hamilton pay for the atrocities he had committed. That seemed so long ago, but it had only been a few weeks. Strapped to a chair in Hamilton’s office, Jenna had been forced to endure excruciating knife maneuvers by Hamilton’s ruthless sidekick Hans Kliric, while Hamilton glared in contempt. Every cut brought immeasurable pain but also deep-rooted resolve. Hamilton had created his new worst enemy. Jenna felt a new level of defiant energy kicking in. “I swear to you, Damian, I’ll do whatever you need to get Maria back and take Hamilton down in the process. Anything.” “Jenna, please…don’t make that promise.” Chase spun Jenna around to face him. “Not this time.” Jenna held Chase at arms’ length. “Do you expect me to just sit back and let Hamilton toy around with Maria’s life? Once he finds out who she really is, he won’t hesitate to kill her.” “Or you if you step in his path. Think this through, Jenna,” Chase pleaded. Before Jenna could answer, Jonathan Knox stepped forward. “She’s tougher than you think, Garrett. Give her some credit.” Jonathan looked directly into Jenna’s eyes and felt an electric surge run up and down his body. He knew she felt it, too; her body was shifting nervously. Their common bond, unexplained and unpredictable, was getting more and more difficult to keep at bay. “Stay out of this, Knox.” Chase shot a piercing glance in Jonathan’s direction. Being in the same room with Knox was causing Chase major discomfort. Chase had never forgiven Knox for abandoning him at the FBI safe house when they both had planned to make their escape and rescue Jenna at the museum. Knox had taken matters into his own hands by stealing the FBI’s SUV, leaving Chase to deal with the two angry agents who knew at once they had been duped. “I want both of you to stay out of it.” Jenna stepped between the two men who were constantly causing her heart to waiver and her head to pound. “I’m fully capable of making up my own mind. As much as I appreciate your concern…back off.” Jonathan and Chase retreated, taking a few paces backwards. An impasse, Jenna Reed style. Tumi Carile stepped forward, instantly diffusing the anger circulating in the air. As Damian’s older brother, Tumi had the mystical ability to bring a calming allure to many tense situations. “Focus, please, on the task at hand - Maria’s rescue. Everyone must work together to bring her safely home. Cooperation, not contention, should fuel our efforts. Your thoughts, my brother?” “I have a theory,” Damian stated as the others stared back at him. “Theories are going to get our asses kicked. We need a plan,” Jenna blurted out, even to her own amazement. “You sound just like Maria,” Damian added with a small laugh. “She’s rubbing off on you. Not sure if that’s good or bad.” “Damian, I’m just following her lead.” “Then you should understand, Jenna, Maria wouldn’t want you to risk your life for her; I’m sure of it.” Jenna took a deep breath, then hit the speed-dial on her phone. She had made up her mind. It was time for action. “This is Jenna Reed calling for the Headmaster’s Office. I will not be returning for the fall semester. A…personal matter has arisen which requires my immediate attention. I’ll call back as soon as possible to discuss my curriculum transfer.” Resolved she had done the right thing to notify the Myers-Mill Academy, Jenna met the eyes of everyone in the room. “Ok, now I need to get back to Cape May and retrieve the treasure pieces. We can’t waste any more time. I don’t trust that son-of-a-bitch and anyone else he has on the payroll.” Jonathan coughed, drawing attention to himself. “Well, technically, I still work for Mason. You trust me, don’t you, Jenna?” Chase seethed, waiting on Jenna’s response. “No comment,” was all she could manage. “What’s our next step, Damian?” “Getting you back to the States under the radar. We have confirmation Hans Kliric was seen at the airport earlier today. It’s only a matter of time before he tracks you down. Hans isn’t as stupid as most people think. We shouldn’t underestimate him.”
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