The Rescuers Down Under: Jake Novels & Stories

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'll take this one. You can get the next, if you like." "That's a deal," he said, smiling. "Thank you, though." "You're welcome," Richard said, nodding and smiling genuinely. He turned and focused on Jake for a moment, but saw Richard give a thumbs up in Jessie's general direction from his peripheral vision. Covering his happiness to have made the grade with her dad, Dexter focused and listened to the conversation. After they finished, Jake insisted that everyone follow him somewhere, as he wanted to show them something special. Not really knowing what was happening, Jessie hopped in with Dexter and they followed the first two cars out to the lake.

Now I'm more lost than before. "You're new here, aren't you? Because no knowledgeable girl just walks into that place except she's ready to be ruined." I gulp down hard as he continues to stare at me without shifting his gaze even for a bit. "I'm Jake. My mum owns this place. We usually deliver chicken to the Lions den where I saw you earlier." I look at him, confused about what to say. "Thank you for saving me." He looks sideways at me, then turns fully in my direction. "What were you doing there anyway?"

My phone, charging on the nightstand, lit up with bars. Cole was spooned behind me, chest to my back, one big hand lazily stroking between my thighs like he couldn’t stop even half-asleep. I reached for the phone, heart thudding. I knew who’d be waiting. I dialed Jake. He answered on the first ring, voice cracking. “Jesus Christ, where the hell have you been? We’ve been losing our minds! Search and rescue…” “I’m okay,” I cut in softly, shifting back into Cole’s heat. His arm tightened, lips brushing my shoulder as he listened. “I sprained my ankle the first day. Got separated. A… guide found me. He’s been taking care of me.”

''Alpha Jake, these are my best trackers available and they are ready to help right away. ''Thank you Alpha Scott your kindness here tonight will not be forgotten!'' ''it's honestly no trouble at all, we are happy to help, I have a daughter and I can't imagine what you are going through!'' we all discuss more areas to search while we wait to hear off of Harvey and for our warriors and trackers to arrive.

He can’t believe she would make such a big decision without involving the rest of them. “I have a plan.” “Oh, she has a plan,” Jake mocks, and for a brief moment, he sheds the subdued, laid-back personality he has been portraying since his rescue, and his old personality peeked at the brunette beside him. “Are you mocking me?” Kendra looks at the younger man beside her, her expression humorous. She is not angry with his outburst because she expected it, but is happy to see his old self pierce through the melancholy exterior he has been wearing these past few weeks.

He wasn’t going back to bed either. “You’ve been getting updates?” she asked finally, her voice a little stronger after the shower. Trevor nodded, pulling on a hoodie. “Last we tracked them, they were in a silver Honda Civic. They crossed the border heading toward West Virginia.” Trixie’s heart twisted again. She nodded, numb. “How’s Jake?” Trevor’s expression darkened. “Exactly how you’d think.” Another nod. She didn’t need details. She could feel her own but Jake — Jake’s pain, his desperation. The mate bond would only make it harder, but Trevor could feel the edges of his grief through the pack link. It sat heavy in all of them.

That tiny pause almost cost both of us everything. On the ride to the station, he never let go of my hand, like I might vanish if he blinked. After my statement, the interrogation kicked off. The frat boys were a pathetic mess on the floor, crying for mercy. One finally cracked. "I don't wanna go to prison—I'll talk! It was a girl named Ms. Ackley. She paid us for this and... the last one!" The cop squinted. "The last one?" The guy gulped. "She made us fake that restaurant assault, pin it on the girl we just kidnapped. When it blew up in her face, she stiffed us. Said we had to do this instead. We didn't wanna—Officer, I swear!"

“Because Jake’s smart. He sent that message. He’s buying us time.” When the old Collins house came into view, the scene was already unfolding — agents in bulletproof vests, unmarked cars surrounding the perimeter. The faded blue siding looked ghostly under the flashing lights. Martinez met us outside. “Two people inside. One’s Jake. The other fits Victoria’s description.” “Are they hurt?” Maya asked. “Not that we can tell. They’re talking. She’s asking for immunity for her family in exchange for Jake’s release.” “Immunity?” Maya spat. “For human traffickers?”

Jake’s voice, urgent, from somewhere ahead. She hesitated. A trap? “Now!” Jake hissed, emerging from the shadows, his arm outstretched. She lunged toward him, but a guard’s roar cut through the night: “There!” **The Standoff** Jake yanked her behind the stone wall as bullets peppered the ground. “They’ve got drones,” he panted, thrusting a key into her hand. “Cottage basement—tunnels lead to the highway. Go!” “What about you?”

The climate in the room rises as hours count down to a critical moment of our assignment. Moving around the ill-organized table covered in maps and papers, the team gathers, standing in the midst of the preparations. Jake is looking straight at me, and although it is only for a few seconds, I can discern a shyness that does not often show itself. “How do you even manage it, Zea?” Jake’s voice is soft, his face intense. This is the question that was raised by the character: ’’Can I have fife being a mother and a killer at once?’’