Jacqueline’s Quest Read online

  Jacqueline’s Quest (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

  Project ROOT Book 4

  TL Reeve & Michele Ryan

  Contents

  Foreword

  Untitled

  Untitled

  Untitled

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by TL Reeve & Michele Ryan

  More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books

  Books by Susan Stoker

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  © 2020 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Cover art and design K Designs ©2020

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Special Forces: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!

  If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.

  I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!

  READ ON!

  Xoxo

  Susan Stoker

  About the book

  When Murray Jacobs’, resident hacker for R.O.O.T, parents died in a horribly tragic accident, he became the guardian to his little sister. He did everything he could to protect, especially after a rare sickness took her ability to use her legs.

  Then, one day, she disappeared.

  Jaqueline “Rainbow” Herrera, ex Mexican Special Forces better known as Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales, came home after her parents died to care for her brother Christian who is autistic. When he goes missing, she willingly re-enters the underground world of the Mexican Cartels—more specifically the Nieto Cartel and the Emporio de Monstruo.

  Hannah and Christian’s lives are in the balance as the auction begins.

  Murray and Jaqueline must place bids in order to save their siblings to keep up appearances. However, when the cartel finds out they’re not who they say they are, will Murray and Jaqueline be running out of time?

  Disclaimer

  The story within these pages is completely fictional but the concepts of BDSM are real. If you do choose to participate in the BDSM lifestyle, please research it carefully and take all precautions to protect yourself. Fiction is based on real life, but real life is not based on fiction. Remember—Safe, Sane, and Consensual!

  Note from Us

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome back to R.O.O.T.! If you read Exploiting AJ, you know the treats you are in store for with Jaqueline and Murray. Again, this book was written with the utmost respect and with as much research as we could do without it becoming more info than story.

  Jaqueline and Murray are our matching couple. Both are military. Both have known hard times, and both are searching for their siblings. However, the difference between the two is how they’re about to approach the problem. (he, he) Murray is definitely our Alpha asshole. He’s stubborn to a T, but everything he does is to save his sister, even if it compromises himself. The same can be said for Jaqueline as well. Only, she is down for heading into situations without a second thought to her safety. Which, fyi, drives Murray insane.

  Anyway, we hope you enjoy the book. Remember there is some tough subject matter in this story. This book does overlap with Exploiting AJ so some scenes will be the same only done from Murray or Jaqueline’s point of view.

  Next up after this, is Schoell’s book. We’re going back to Colombia for another interesting story. I think you’re going to enjoy this Southern boy’s charm and enjoy his partner(s)... Maybe. *wink*

  Until next time, keep reading!

  TL and Michele

  Please note; there will be scenes that mention rape, and depict dubcon, edging, torture, and physical violence.

  Glossary of Names

  Asher Rainer – Commander of R.O.O.T. Has been with the division since its inception. Works closely with his uncle, Senator Jackson McNamara.

  Jake O’Malley – Second in Command, often referred to as 2IC. Best friend of Asher and a moody bastard on a good day. (On leave pending reinstatement)

  Noah Hanover – Team’s sniper who has a smart mouth and is very hyper. A lethal combination for a man who can kill you from a great distance, and you’re not even aware you’re about to die. (New Second in Command)

  Drew Callahan – Team’s Communication/Linguistics expert. Former SEAL who’s determined to do his job and do it correctly.

  Alex Schoell – Former Army EOD expert who is now the team’s weapons expert. His favorite weapon of choice: AK-47. The other team members wonder if he sleeps with the damn thing.

  Murray Jacob – Resident hacker and computer expert. Mostly stays at base providing support.

  Senator Jackson McNamara – Asher’s uncle, Senator, and Chairman of the Council which overseas R.O.O.T.

  Brigadier General Blackwell – One of Asher’s superiors. During normal circumstances, Asher deals with the General the most.

  Dr. Rae Mackenzie – A doctor working for Doctors Without Borders. A pediatrician who specializes in infectious and autoimmune diseases.

  Joseph Franks – Medic, relatively new to Barclay. He has a wife named Sydney, a daughter named Gabby, and a son, Rhett.

  Mateo Aquino – History Teacher and husband of Noah Hannover.

  Thomas Kaine – FBI Agent in charge of the Aquila Cartel case. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  Duncan Frazier – FBI Agent in charge of the Aquila Cartel case. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  AJ “Two Hands” Hoover – Analyst/Hacker and ASL interpreter for Scotty. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  Scotty “Ears” Reisner – Hacker extraordinaire. Joins the team in Extracting Mateo.

  Jaqueline “Rainbow” Herrera – Ex Mexican Special Forces (Cuerpo de Fuerzas Especiales). She cares for her Autistic brother, Christian, on her parents Ranch.

  Miguel Ángel – Federales. Helps Noah coordinate the takedown of member from the Nieto Cartel and also serves as backup for Thomas’ team when they infiltrate Emporio de Monstruo. (Emporium of Monsters)

  Santiago Velasquez – Undercover within the Nieto Cartel. He is the right hand man to the leader of the cartel. Before the assignment, he was used to infiltrate gangs and destroy them from the inside. As a former member of the La Rasa Gang located in East L.A. he rose within the ranks quickly.
But after a near death experience and an opportunity to change he took it. Now, he uses his rap sheet to his benefit while working for the FBI.

  Luca Trapani – Has several names. He works for the CIA and is based out of the Mexico City Station, which is also located inside the US Embassy. Most of his undercover cases are in the sex trade division.

  Prologue

  Somewhere outside of Juarez, Mexico, three weeks ago...

  Murray Jacobs drove down the rutted dirt road. He’d left the main road over an hour ago to take the most direct way to his destination. Getting through the border crossing had been a breeze, with Tex's help, of course. Being stopped with all of his equipment in the back of his vehicle would have been hard to explain, even with his credentials.

  Going into another country to run an op no one was aware of, except for Tex and Asher had consequences if he got caught. He could end up in a Federales prison for the rest of his life. Not something he intended, especially if he found his sister Hannah, like Tex, told him he would.

  Ten years ago, she’d disappeared from their home in Newport, Virginia. She’d just started her junior year of high school after being stuck in the hospital with Acute flaccid myelitis, most commonly known as AMF. For Hannah, it affected her legs, rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors assured Murray she’d recover eventually, but as the days and weeks became months without any change, he and Hannah realized this would be their new normal.

  Their relationship wasn’t the typical brother/sister pairing. He was already ten years old when his parents announced they were having another baby. From the conversations he overheard as a child, Hannah had been considered an “oops” baby. At the time, he didn’t understand it, now he did. His parents were older, in their mid-thirties when they had Murray. With Hannah, his mother had different types of age-related complications. It'd been touch and go there for a while, and in the beginning, he’d hated Hannah.

  Then, their parents died in a tragic vacation accident. The sightseeing boat they’d been on, capsized off the coast of Belize, killing everyone on board. Murray had just turned eighteen. Hannah was the only thing left in his life. After their funeral, he promised to take care of her, no matter how annoying or demanding she was. Blood meant everything to him, too bad it took a tragedy for him to see it.

  Somehow, when he joined the military after finishing high school, he’d finagled a way for both of them to stick together. At the time, he thought it was the best way for him to continue to be Hannah’s guardian while also making money. Yes, their parents set up life insurance policies in their names and had a will, but money would eventually run out. He wouldn’t allow either of them to flounder if he could help it.

  Together, after basic, they traveled to Germany then Japan, before returning home to Virginia. Those few years had been invaluable for his sister. She learned about different cultures and countries while also picking up two different languages, German and Japanese.

  Like him, she excelled at school. She'd been placed in all honors courses and was on track to graduate at the top of her class. He’d been so proud of her after everything she’d been through.

  So, when she disappeared, his whole world came crumbling down around him.

  He hadn’t even known about R.O.O.T or what they did until the leader—Asher found him while he’d been at the police department speaking with a detective. Murray had irreplaceable skills himself. He had an eidetic memory. He could remember things with just a cursory glance. It made becoming a hacker pretty easy, and the military put it to use more times than he could count.

  The offer of joining Asher, using his connections to try to find Hannah, had been the bait he needed at the time. When he stepped into the police department that day, it’d already been over the ninety hours the FBI determined a lost child/person could be found alive. He’d been desperate. So, he took Asher’s deal and hit the ground running.

  For the next ten years, he'd been with Asher, all of his free time had been used to search for his sister. He’d all but given up, until now. When Tex called him, it surprised him. He hadn’t talked to the guy since one of R.O.O.T’s missions went awry, and Asher brought Tex in for help. Hearing his voice and getting the coordinates for where to meet Jaq, because there was a blip about his sister... Fuck, he didn’t hesitate jumping into his vehicle and taking off.

  The shantytown of Juarez grew closer as he crested the hill. He glanced at the clock on his dash; 0700 hours. The early morning sun tracked higher into the sky, chasing away the pinks and purples of dawn. A heat burst baked the desert sands, causing a haze to glimmer across the road in front of him. Shit, today is going to be another hot one. Murray grabbed the bottle of water beside him and took a drink. The Mexican desert wasn’t somewhere he wanted to be without being hydrated.

  As the rutted road changed back to asphalt, he glanced at his GPS. He had about forty miles to go. Since he’d left Virginia, he thought about all the things he’d say to Hannah once he found her. She’d be twenty-six now—if Tex’s intel was correct. He’d missed so much of her life and her likewise. He wondered if she missed him. If she thought he gave up on her. If she knew he searched every day for her. He’d thought about bringing every birthday card he bought her, for every year she’d been gone. Then chided himself for being stupid.

  Already, he'd begun the process of having a safe home set up for her, so she could recover and take the steps she'd need to reintroduce herself to society. With Asher's help and Tex's, he hoped to make everything as smooth as possible for her. Until then, he had to focus on the road in front of him.

  As his turn off approached, he slowed and made the left-hand turn. Each mile ticking by sent another pulse of nervous energy through him. For everything he’d try to prepare for, he also held the thread of fear in the back of his mind. Hannah might be dead. The information could be wrong. The pessimistic outlook kept him grounded. It allowed him to not feel excited. He wouldn’t set himself up for failure.

  Murray bounced off the paved road back onto the dirt as the distance between himself and his new partner narrowed. Cactus and yucca plants surrounded him. The scent of dry sage and rain filtered through his truck, settling him marginally. But, it was the glare off of a windshield in the distance, which had him slowing as he drew near. There, sitting across the road, was a pickup and a person standing outside of it.

  He came to a stop a few feet from the vehicle and shut off his truck. The directions on his GPS led him to this point, but the niggle of being on alert kept him from automatically jumping out. When the person standing across from him didn't move, Murray popped the door hesitantly and stepped out.

  The woman stared at him but didn't move. Her mirrored aviators reflected his image at him. He placed his hand behind his back, palming the 9mm he'd holstered there, just in case. No way he'd allow her to get the slip on him.

  In the last fifteen years, the cartels and the drug trade had taken over the country. Murders were on the rise, and corruption ran rampant through the police and federal officials. Anyone who fought back ended up dead. Murray didn’t have a death wish. He wouldn’t fuck with the hierarchy as long as he got his sister back or found some clue as to what happened to her.

  “You Murray Jacobs?” The woman’s accented voice surprised him.

  “Yeah. Who are you?” he asked, still holding onto his weapon.

  “I’m Jaq. Your partner.” She approached him. Her hand extended in greeting. “Tex said you’d be a bit...suspicious.”

  He snorted. “Tex is perceptive.” He shook her hand in greeting. “Jaq short for something?”

  She grinned. “Jaqueline Herrera, but most people call me ‘Rainbow.’”

  Murray tilted his head. “‘Rainbow?’”

  She laughed. “On account of my sparkling personality.” She removed her hat and a tumble of dark, rainbow-colored locks tumbled down her back. “And the hair.”

  He laughed. “I like it.”

  “Thanks. If you want to follow me,
we’ll get you settled, and I’ll fill you in on what’s going on.”

  Murray nodded. “Sounds great. Lead the way.”

  Jaq jumped back into her pickup then led the way down the trailhead they'd been on. Murray followed close behind, not wanting the dirt to obscure his line of sight. He didn’t know how long they’d been driving before they came upon a clearing with a small ranchero home. Behind it, at least forty head of cattle.

  A working ranch, interesting. He pulled in beside Jaq and parked. When he stepped out, a medium-sized Australian Shepherd ran toward him from the front porch. The grey and black brindled pup shook with excitement while he stared up at Murray as though they were going to become good friends.

  “That’s Bebito,” Jaq said. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

  “Is this all yours?” Murray surveyed the land surrounding them. It was a great piece of land. Securing it had to have been a challenge, though. There were too many access points and not enough security for his tastes.

  “My family’s,” she answered. “I inherited it.”

  “How do you keep it—?”

  “Secure?” She laughed. “You’ll see.” She waved him inside.

  Murray followed her into the house and stopped. The place was amazing. The walls were covered in paintings along with family portraits, if Murray had to guess, came from the turn of the century or earlier. To the right, was a bookcase filled with books, some were leather-bound Spanish texts, others were paperback romance novels. Murray grinned, seemed Jaq's hair wasn't the only eclectic thing in her life.