<b>Chapter </b><b>48 </b>
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??))
Jade nced at herptop screen as the encrypted message shed. Her lips curved into a slight smile as she decoded his message.
“Back in the States. Need to meet. Where are you?<b>” </b>
She typed back quickly: “Heading to Venezu tomorrow. Business to attend to.”
41
His response came almost instantly: “Venezu? Dangerous territory. Especially after what you did to the Transcendent Military Alliance headquarters.”
Jade paused, fingers hovering over the keyboard. He was right, of course. In her previous life, she’d blown half their headquarters to kingdome with ten pounds of C4. Not exactly something they’d forget, even if they didn’t know who she was now.
“I’ll be careful. Always am,” she typed. “Meet me there.”
She closed theptop, satisfied. Dawn was just breaking when she finished packing her light blue backpack.
By 6 AM, Jade had slipped out of the house unnoticed.
Linda knocked on Jade’s door around 9 AM, bncing a tray of breakfast. “Jade? Sweetheart?” Her voice was honey–sweet, nothing like her usual bitter tone. “I made you pancakes. You can sleep in, but don’t forget to eat something.”
From down the hall, Emily watched with disgust.
“She’s not going to suddenly love you just because you’re bringing her breakfast,” Emily muttered as Linda ced the tray outside Jade’s door.
Linda shot her a warning re, “Hush. This is how normal families treat each other.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Since when are we normal?<b>” </b>
By noon<b>, </b>the house was filled with Frank’s brothers and their wives. They’d arrived bearing gifts-
<b>10:12 </b>Wed, <b>Sep </b>17
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expensive watches, designer clothing items, and even a newptop. All for Jade, apparently.
Patrick Morgan seemed particrly anxious. “She’s still sleeping?” he asked for the fifth time, checking his watch. “I really need to speak with her.”
“Let her rest,” Linda said, ying the protective mother. “She’s been studying so hard.”
Frank nodded. “She’ll be up soon<b>, </b>I’m sure.<b>” </b>
41
They waited in the living room, making awkward small talk while constantly ncing toward Jade’s
bedroom door. Nobody dared knock or disturb her, not after witnessing what happened at the golf
club.
At two o’clock, Patrick’s phone rang<b>. </b>His face fell as he listened. “What do you mean<b>, </b>canceled? We’ve had that contract for three years!” He stepped outside to continue the conversation, returning minutester looking pale.
“Everything okay?” Frank asked.
“The Williams construction contract,” Patrick said numbly. “They just canceled it. No exnation.”
The room fell silent. That contract had been Patrick’srgest source of ie.
Max came home from school around three, looking bewildered at the gathering. “What’s everyone doing here?”
“We’re waiting to see Jade,” Joe, Frank’s second brother, exined. “Is sheing downstairs soon?”
Max looked confused. “Jade? She left this morning.”
The collective shock was palpable.
“Left?” Linda’s voice cracked. “What do you mean, left<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“She said she had business out of town,” Max replied, grabbing a soda from the fridge. “She would not interested in your gifts. You can take them back.”
Patrick sank into a chair, his face ashen. “She’s gone? But… mypany… my contracts…”
Nancy squeezed his hand. “What are we going to do? Joe works for yourpany too. If you lose your contracts…”
<b>10:12 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Sep </b>17
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41
Venezu greeted Jade with humid air and the distant sound of gunfire. She checked into a modestly upscale hotel in Caracas, far enough from tourist areas to avoid attention but safe enough for her first night. As darkness fell, the sporadic pop–pop–pop <b>of </b>gunfire became more frequent. From her window, she could see people hurrying to get indoors, shops closing early, and police vehicles patrolling with increasing frequency.
The metallic smell of gunpowder drifted through her open window. She inhaled deeply<b>, </b>feeling a familiar rush. This was the world she knew best–chaotic, dangerous<b>, </b>unpredictable. For the first
time since her rebirth, Jade felt truly at home.
The next morning, she checked out and traveled deeper into the country. Her destination was a small town near the alleged location of a Transcendent Military Alliance training facility. The Latino
taxi driver looked at her like she was insane when she told him where she wanted to go.
“Double the fare,” she offered.
His eyes narrowed, but he nodded. “Your funeral, se?orita.”
The hotel she checked into was significantly worse than the first–peeling paint, questionable
plumbing, and armed guards at the entrance. Perfect. As she approached the front desk, Jade noticed
a group of men checking in ahead of her. Their military–precise movements and vignt scanning of exits marked them as professionals.
“We need four rooms,” said their leader, a brown–haired American with steely gray eyes. “Ground floor if possible.”
She recognized him immediately. Ryan. One of her top lieutenants in her previous life. He didn’t
seem to recognize her now–not surprising given herplete physical transformation.
“Fucking waste of timeing here,” one of hispanions muttered. “The old boss is dead. Has to
be.”
“You don’t know that,” Ryan snapped. “Nobody found a body.”
‘It’s been over a year, Ryan,” the man continued. “If she was alive, we’d know.”
Ryan shook his head. “I’m going to La Corona in ten days. I’ll win first ce and take leadership. That’s the n.”
<b>10:12 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Sep </b>17
A tall ck man–Xavier<b>–</b>scoffed. “You? First ce? Dream on.”
“You want to challenge me for it?” Ryan stepped toward him.
Xavier spat on the floor and walked away.
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Jade watched this exchange with a mixture of amusement and nostalgia. So her former team was struggling without her. Interesting that they still held out hope she might be alive. Even more interesting that they were entering La Corona–the fightingpetition that determined leadership in certain mercenary circles.
Ryan suddenly turned, catching her gaze. Jade didn’t look away. Instead, she smiled slightly, enjoying the flicker of confusion on his face. Something about her seemed familiar to him, but he couldn’t ce it.
Later that night, she stood at her window, looking toward the distant lights of what she knew was a Transcendent Military Alliance headquarters. Thest time she’d been there, she’d reduced half of it to smoking rubble. Perhaps that’s why her former team was struggling–the chaos she’d left in her wake had disrupted their operations and contracts.
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<b>10:12 </b><b>Wed</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>17