Jace’s Jewel Read online

  JACE’S JEWEL

  Heroes for Hire, Book 12

  Dale Mayer

  Books in This Series:

  Levi’s Legend: Heroes for Hire, Book 1

  Stone’s Surrender: Heroes for Hire, Book 2

  Merk’s Mistake: Heroes for Hire, Book 3

  Rhodes’s Reward: Heroes for Hire, Book 4

  Flynn’s Firecracker: Heroes for Hire, Book 5

  Logan’s Light: Heroes for Hire, Book 6

  Harrison’s Heart: Heroes for Hire, Book 7

  Saul’s Sweetheart: Heroes for Hire, Book 8

  Dakota’s Delight: Heroes for Hire, Book 9

  Michael’s Mercy: Heroes for Hire, Book 10

  Tyson’s Treasure: Heroes for Hire, Book 11

  Jace’s Jewel: Heroes for Hire, Book 12

  Rory’s Rose: Heroes for Hire, Book 13

  Heroes for Hire, Books 1–3

  Heroes for Hire, Books 4–6

  Heroes for Hire, Books 7–9

  Books in the SEALs of Honor Series:

  Mason: SEALs of Honor, Book 1

  Hawk: SEALs of Honor, Book 2

  Dane: SEALs of Honor, Book 3

  Swede: SEALs of Honor, Book 4

  Shadow: SEALs of Honor, Book 5

  Cooper: SEALs of Honor, Book 6

  Markus: SEALs of Honor, Book 7

  Evan: SEALs of Honor, Book 8

  Mason’s Wish: SEALs of Honor, Book 9

  Chase: SEALs of Honor, Book 10

  Brett: SEALs of Honor, Book 11

  Devlin: SEALs of Honor, Book 12

  Easton: SEALs of Honor, Book 13

  Ryder: SEALs of Honor, Book 14

  Macklin: SEALs of Honor, Book 15

  SEALs of Honor, Books 1–3

  SEALs of Honor, Books 4–6

  SEALs of Honor, Books 7–10

  SEALs of Honor, Books 11–13

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  About the Book

  Complimentary Download

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  Complimentary Download

  About the Author

  Also by Dale Mayer

  Copyright Page

  Back Cover

  When several members of a search and rescue team die in an accident, followed by several more team members who are murdered, Jace is ordered to sort it out.

  Working for a large insurance company had always been great for Emily, until she is handed several files all from the same family. Men she knew… intimately. Afraid there is too much going on in the background she contacts Legendary Securities for help.

  As the investigation develops, more bodies turn up, along with jealousy, greed and insurance payouts that just maybe shouldn’t have been paid.

  She pairs up with the sexy Jace as they delve into the twisted and personal cases and race to stop another murder from taking place right in front of them…

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  KILL OR BE KILLED

  Part of an elite SEAL team, Mason takes on the dangerous jobs no one else wants to do – or can do. When he’s on a mission, he’s focused and dedicated. When he’s not, he plays as hard as he fights.

  Until he meets a woman he can’t have but can’t forget. Software developer, Tesla lost her brother in combat and has no intention of getting close to someone else in the military. Determined to save other US soldiers from a similar fate, she’s created a program that could save lives. But other countries know about the program, and they won’t stop until they get it – and get her.

  Time is running out … For her … For him … For them …

  DOWNLOAD a complimentary copy of MASON? Just tell me where to send it!

  Chapter 1

  Jace Colley sat at the end of the long dining room table at the compound. It had taken him one week to adjust to being part of a large group again. He had regained that sense of brotherhood he’d had in the military. That sense of belonging to a bigger cause. When Michael, a good friend and teammate from his old unit, had called and told Jace about Levi, Jace had jumped at the chance. As had Tyson. Jace had done a few jobs for Levi, and each one confirmed Jace had made the right decision. Rory was dragging his feet, as were Liam and Brandon. But they’d come around eventually.

  Jace couldn’t believe how many lived and worked here. Levi had invested heavily in living accommodations.

  The first of the couples were moving into the finished apartments this coming weekend. Levi had rehabbed one of the buildings to accommodate his men. It was a great idea. And it certainly ensured people would remain with the company. Not that it was an issue as far as Jace could see. Loyalty shone from the men’s faces.

  Levi walked in, talking on his phone. “Terkel, I’m putting you on the monitor.”

  He reached for the remote below a large screen on the dining room wall as a man appeared in front of them. Jace studied the face and gave a slow smile. “What the hell, Terkel?”

  Terkel had been quiet, his gaze roaming the faces in front of him. When he saw Jace, his face cracked into a big smile. “Jace, what the hell, man. You found your way here, like a homing pigeon. Damn, you’re looking good.”

  “Well, I got out before I ended up in pieces,” Jace said with a smile. “What the hell are you doing with this lot?”

  “I’m always around,” Terkel said. “You never know when or where I’ll pop up. Besides Merk’s been part of this company since the beginning. I have to keep an eye out for my brother.”

  “Good thing, considering it’s a third eye,” Merk said with a grin. He leaned back in his seat, raising the front legs off the floor. “What’s with the haircut?”

  Terkel shook his head. Long dark-brown curls shifted in waves. “I’m heading undercover.”

  Merk sat forward, his chair legs coming down hard. “What the hell?”

  Terkel’s face hardened. “Don’t even try to talk me out of it. I can’t explain, as you well know. But I could be a free agent at the end of this,” he joked. “If you’re looking for new hires, I might be in a position to apply.”

  Levi’s voice was quiet but clear. “I always have room for you here, Terkel, but I know you. You’d want to have your own supersecret spy agency, working black ops missions off the books.”

  “Something that couldn’t happen of course,” Terkel said. “On the other hand, the brass is bubbling in my ear about a similar topic.”

  Merk shook his head. “I don’t like the sound of this.”

  “It doesn’t matter if you do or not, bro.” Terkel’s face cracked into a smile. “I’ll be fine. Besides, that’s not why I’m calling.”

  Levi snorted. “Of course not. What do you know?”

  “This is not through my military channels but through my underground network. TxSAR, the Austin Texas Search and Rescue team, was called in to help when Austin’s Blanco River flooded its banks. A bridge went down there on the rivers that feed into it. In the process, two of the TxSAR men were swept away in the floodwaters. Another two members died, not while on duty, but definitely due to foul play.”

  Jace studied Terkel’s face. “What happened to them?”

  “One death looks like a hit-and-run.”

  Several of the women at the table winced.

  Jace narrowed his gaze. “But?”

  “He was a
lready dead. It was made to look like the vehicle ran over him accidentally. Water is involved in the fourth case, but …”

  Levi leaned forward. “And why do you think any of it ties in?”

  Terkel gave an approving nod. “All I can tell you is they do. But what I can’t tell you is how. That’s for you guys to figure out.”

  Ice snorted. “Terkel, I love your sixth sense, or whatever you want to call it, but I need a little more than that to justify a team looking into these deaths.”

  His gaze shifted to Ice, and his face lit up. “Damn, you get better looking every time I see you.”

  “Time to get yourself a partner, Terkel,” Levi said jokingly.

  He shook his head. “Not yet. Timing is not quite right. But soon.”

  “If anyone of us had listened to that same line, none of us would’ve ended up with the partners we have,” Merk said. “I’d love to see you settled down, bro.”

  “It’s coming.” Terkel got a far-off look in his eye. “And faster than I had expected,” he admitted. “But it won’t be easy, and it won’t be sweet. She’s in trouble but doesn’t know it.”

  The room went silent.

  “Who?” Ice asked. “Who’s in trouble?”

  “I have no idea.” Terkel laughed. “Welcome to my world. However, that’s not today’s issue. She doesn’t show up for a few more months. And you guys will all be instrumental with helping her.” Terkel’s gaze sharpened. “Right now we have four TxSAR men dead, and I highly suspect there could be more – or if not stopped – will be more. Not all were in paid positions. Several were volunteers.”

  “I still need a reason or something that links them together to make it worthy of a full-scale investigation,” Ice said patiently. “And the TxSAR units have their own ways of investigating issues like this. They will bring in the police if need be.”

  He nodded. “All I can tell you is, they are from the same family.”

  Jace straightened. “They’re all brothers?”

  “They’re all cousins. And I’ll give you the heads-up. The TxSAR organization will call you any moment.”

  Ice shook her head. “Not likely. Again they have their own protocol in place within their system.”

  Terkel gave her a ghost of a smile. “Oh, Ice. You have so little faith.” And just like that, he hung up, and the screen went black.

  Ice turned toward Merk. “He gets a little weirder every day.”

  Merk chuckled. “He does indeed. But, as we well know, he’s special.”

  Jace said, “Four cousins?”

  Levi nodded. “Chances are he’s right.”

  Merk and Levi exchanged looks.

  “He usually is,” Merk said.

  “But it still doesn’t mean we have any right to step in.”

  The phone rang in Levi’s hand. He checked it, looked at Ice, then said, “Do you want to talk to TxSAR, or do I?”

  She glared at him, snatched the phone from his hand, and introduced herself. “How can I help you?” She put it on Speakerphone.

  “This is Conway Dunlap of TxSAR. I have a delicate situation here, and we could use some help.”

  She smothered a laugh but took the phone off Speaker and left the room.

  Under his breath Jace whispered, “Damn. I forgot how on the mark Terkel so often is.”

  Merk, at his side, leaned over. “You have no idea.”

  Over the compound’s loudspeaker boomed Stone’s voice. “Incoming.”

  Jace knew it would take a while to get used to that. To him, incoming still meant enemy attack. Here it meant company. But they didn’t get a ton of that for Stone to announce.

  “A lone female, late twenties, driving a Mercedes,” Stone continued. “And her marital status is single, based on a quick run of her plates and a glance at her social data. Better make sure Jace is around. He’s the only single male left among us.”

  “I’d like to stay that way too,” Jace said. “So now that we know she’s likely pretty and wealthy, do we make other guesstimates before she gets here?”

  Merk laughed. “It’ll be connected to TxSAR.”

  “Terk has been a busy boy lately,” Jace said.

  Logan walked in then from the garage. “My father is nothing if not busy too. He just called. He’s sending someone our way but wouldn’t go into details. This could be them arriving now.”

  Levi told him about Terkel’s phone call.

  “Interesting.” Logan walked over to the front door and stepped out, leaving the door open.

  Jace could hear voices, but he raised an eyebrow at the sound of the deep female voice. Smoky and sexy, it hit his libido with a hard bang. And that brought more of the same to mind.

  He watched as a tall willowy brunette walked in. Dressed in slacks and a light sleeveless top of sky blue, her stride said she had a purpose.

  Logan said, “This is Emily. Dad sent her.”

  Emily spoke up. “I’m Emily Leacock. I work for America Plus Life Insurance. I live and work in Austin. Gunner Redding suggested I contact your group.” She frowned as she stared at the sea of faces in front of her. “I’m looking for Levi.”

  Levi raised a hand. “I’m Levi. Ice will be here in a few moments.” He motioned at the empty chairs in front of her. “Take a seat.”

  “Does this have to do with the four dead TxSAR members?” Jace asked.

  Emily looked startled, but she quickly sat down. “I hadn’t heard there were four. I was looking into the death of the first two. We carried life insurance policies on both of them …”

  “But?” Jace asked when she hesitated as if she wanted to say more. “Is there a reason not to pay out?”

  She gave him a ghost of a smile. “That’s the question. I was closing the files when the third man died. And that’s when I became very suspicious. After checking further, I found the third man had the same amount of life insurance.”

  “Of course it’s way too simplistic to consider that all three have the same beneficiary.”

  She gave a clipped nod. “Exactly. They are all different.”

  Levi leaned forward. “How can we help?”

  “I need to know if they’re related, if these men were murdered. Or if they were suicides.”

  “Does it make a difference to the payout one way or the other?” Levi asked.

  “It depends on who ends up receiving the money at the end of the day. If they were accidental or murdered by another party, then the payouts are not an issue. If any of the beneficiaries have a hand in a person’s death, then, yes, it makes a huge difference. However, if it was suicide, then there is no payout. Hence the great lengths some people go to hide their actions so their loved ones receive the insurance monies.”

  Jace leaned forward, studying her face. “What else?”

  She looked startled for a moment but recovered quickly. With a glance around at the sea of faces, she locked onto Jace’s and asked, “Why does there have to be something else?”

  “Because of the fear I see in the back of your eyes. Something deeply unsettles you about this.”

  “Murder is an unsettling business.”

  Jace narrowed his gaze. “You’re hedging.”

  She gave him a flat stare, definitely trying to put him in his place and shut him up, but that wasn’t happening.

  He leaned back to open his body language and stop her from feeling quite so threatened. “Did you know the men?”

  She took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, and you’re right. That’s a huge issue for me.”

  “How well did you know them?” Merk asked.

  She turned her gaze on him, but still Jace could see the whisper of pain cross her face as she said, “Very well.”

  “All of them?” Jace asked incredulously. Again that stare of hers was turned in his direction, and he realized how his comment had come across. Still, to think she had an affair or a relationship with four cousins was a bit much. Or was it?

  “I was married to the first victim,” she sai
d. “Straight out of high school. We were divorced one year later. In the small community we were from, divorce was frowned upon. I headed for college. He went off and did his own thing. In college I had a relationship with the second victim. I didn’t know he was related to my ex-husband as they hadn’t lived in the same town at the time I was there. That relationship lasted about six months. A couple years later the third victim and I met at a party. He introduced himself as my ex-husband’s cousin. We were engaged until I found him in bed with another woman.” She shrugged. “I didn’t know anything about a fourth murder until I got here. So I’m really hoping it’s not somebody I know.”

  “I don’t have any names yet,” Levi stated. “But you’re extremely involved. Possibly in the center of it all.”

  She nodded. “It’s quite possible that I am,” she confessed. “And that’s terrifying. And that’s why I need someone independent to investigate these cases. I can’t appear to be biased in any way.”

  Silence descended on the group.

  “A large insurance settlement is involved in each case. This needs to be resolved. If nothing criminal is involved, that’s perfect. I’ll close all these files and write checks so people can get on with their lives and try to deal with the loss of a loved one. However, if something else is going on …”

  Jace heard the pain threading through her coming out in her voice and thought about the position she was in.

  She settled back. “I’m hoping you can help me.”

  “You shouldn’t be handling the cases at all,” Jace said bluntly. “Not if you know these men personally.”

  She nodded. “Normally I wouldn’t, but we’re crammed with claims right now from the two recent hurricanes, and we’re terribly short-staffed. So my boss is overseeing my work on this one. And, yes, he knows about my personal relationships with each.”

  Ice studied her for a long time.

  Jace knew both Levi and Ice would decide, but, when it came to assessing people—particularly women—well, that was all Ice’s specialty.

  Ice said, “We need more information. And why did Gunner send you to us?”