by Dale Mayer
“Good,” Diesel said, “you need it too.”
“Just seems like everything’s a bit disjointed,” she noted.
“And we’re not done yet,” he said.
“Too bad,” she said. “But, if we’re confined on this ship, and we can’t move around, then maybe that’s just for the best.”
“They don’t want anybody to be seen. They’ve done a big favor for us,” he explained, “and we don’t want to put them in any danger by somebody who might happen to be looking for us.”
“I get it,” she said, “believe me I do.”
“Good,” he said. “Come on then.” And they went down a hallway and on to their quarters.
As they walked in, she sat down on the bed with a thunk. Diesel came in with her and sat down beside her. She looked at him in surprise. “Are you staying here with me?”
“One of us always will be,” he said. “Jerricho’s sleeping right now, so I’m here.”
“Wow,” she said, “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“We want to make sure that nothing else happens.”
“I get that, but I thought we’d be safe here.”
“You are,” he said. “Stretch out and sleep.”
“Right,” she said, looking a little confused.
“We’re only here for a little while,” he said. “We’re meeting up with somebody else. When we do, we’ll be moving on.”
“Right,” she said, “so basically just roll over and crash. No nightclothes. No …?”
He immediately shook his head. “No, just in case we have to move fast.”
“Well, that tells me where we’re at relationship-wise, so fair warning right there,” she said, with a sigh. But obediently she rolled over onto her side, pulled her pillow under her head, and asked, “Do you have an ETA for when we’ll hit home?”
“Two to three days,” he said.
“Still that long?”
“Remember. It’s all about safety and security, not about speed.”
“Got it,” she said. She closed her eyes, and, just as she went under, Diesel spoke.
“By the way, how’s that neck?”
“Nonexistent,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “It’s totally fine.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m sorry we had to do it.”
“I’m not,” she said, her eyes popping open. “I’m just grateful that you found it.”
“Me too,” he said. And, at that, he sat back and let her sleep. As soon as she was out, he pulled out his laptop and immediately signed into the Mavericks chat window and registered with Shane where they were and how far they had made it. Jerricho’s sleeping, and I’m on first watch.
Shane immediately typed back, Any danger?
No.
Good. Get some sleep.
Can’t. On watch.
You should be good for a bit, Shane came back.
Yeah, my nerves won’t settle, he snapped. I’ll stay awake.
Good, then work out the rest of your plan.
Already done, he wrote a trifle smugly.
At that, he signed off and researched a little more on her family and the company she worked for. It wasn’t the company’s full-time responsibility to keep her safe per se, but it did bring up some interesting questions about their manipulating media in order to keep investors involved. And, of course, anybody looking at hiring after something like this would keep a watch on the company. And still the kidnapping could have been completely random.
But now that they had found that tracker on Eva, Diesel was definitely a little worried. They had gotten free and clear, and the tracker couldn’t possibly make it out to where they were, so he wasn’t sure what was still bugging him. He also didn’t know how long that tracker had been in there, and that was a concern too. But it was just one of many.
Unable to rest, he found articles on her father and read them avidly and about the lake he fished at and an interview. And then switched to her file on her mother and her brother and any other family members. But it was pretty scant information. Finally he closed his laptop, leaned his head back, and just dozed.
Every slightest movement had his eyes popping open to check to make sure all was well. But absolutely nothing was wrong, and, for that, he was grateful. By the time the four hours were up, he was ready to snooze. As he stood and opened the door, Jerricho walked toward him. “It’s all clear,” Diesel said.
“Good,” Jerricho said. “Why don’t you stay in there and sleep? I’ll sit out here in one of the other rooms, with the door open, just to make sure we don’t get any unexpected visitors.”
Diesel nodded. “I can’t see it happening,” he said, “but …”
“But,” Jerricho said, “we can’t let down our guard, just in case.”
With that, Diesel curled up beside Eva and fell asleep.
Chapter 13
Eva woke up the next day to a repeat of the previous day. They went on another ship, met another ship, switched over, met another ship, switched over. And by the time she woke up two mornings later, she looked over at Diesel, who at this point was just sleeping beside her and holding her in his arms anytime they were alone. She smiled, reached up, stroked his cheek, and asked, “Did you get any sleep?”
Diesel just grunted.
She chuckled, got up, and said, “I’ll have a shower.”
“Do that,” he said. “We land in an hour.”
She stopped, turned, and looked at him. “Seriously?”
“Yes.”
She gave a crow of delight and raced into the shower. By the time she was done, out, and dressed, she noticed that her clothes from the previous day were hung on the doorknob. “I didn’t even question why you told me to strip down last night,” she said. “I was so tired.”
“I just wanted to make sure we got clean clothes,” he said, sitting up, giving her a nice view of his chest. “I’ll hop into the shower myself. Then we have breakfast and will see where the lay of the land is.”
“Well, once I gave up worrying about it,” she said, “I have to admit that this has been quite an adventure.”
“And that’s a good way to look at it too,” he said, with a smile. “Just don’t forget that, you know, theoretically danger is still all around us.”
“And that’s so hard to believe,” she said. “I mean, it just seems so surreal.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t change it though.”
She nodded and watched as he walked into the bathroom, very naked, and smiled because he was just such a prime male. She deliberately turned her back as his heavily muscled cheeks walked past her. At the bathroom, he asked, “Are you okay?”
She snorted. “I’m fine,” she said.
He looked at her with an odd glint in his eye.
She just laughed and said, “Go. Have your shower.”
He shrugged and headed into the bathroom, and, when he came back out again, he had only a towel wrapped around him. She deliberately turned her gaze away and walked to stare out at the ocean. From what she saw, it was nothing but water and blue sky and just this faint line where the two met. “It’s hard to believe just how vast the ocean is,” she murmured.
“It is, indeed,” he said. She heard him getting dressed behind her. And by the time the silence finally fell again, she sensed him coming closer. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her back against him, kissed the top of her head, and said, “You okay?”
She nodded. “Absolutely,” she said.
“You just seem different this morning.”
She gave a smothered laugh, turned to look up at him, and, with a cheeky grin, said, “Let’s just say that, if we were in any other scenario, when waking up to that beautiful male beside me, who then headed for the shower totally naked and got dressed behind me, I would not have allowed you to do so much without participation on my part.”
His eyebrows shot up, and he grinned. “Well, that’s good to know,” he said.
“Ha!” she said. “You already knew.”
“No, not really,” he said. “I was deliberately not letting my mind roam in that direction.”
“Right, because of where we’re at,” she said, with a heavy sigh.
“Yes,” he admitted, “but it’s just not the right thing to be focused on right now.”
“I know, but I don’t have the same discipline, and, when I woke up this morning …” she said, waggling her eyebrows.
He grinned, put a hand on either side of her face, tugged her closer, and gave her a kiss. “Later,” he promised.
“Promises, promises,” she said, with an airy wave of her hand.
He burst out laughing and said, “Come on. It’s time to go.”
“Breakfast?”
“We’re having a light breakfast, and then we should see the harbor.” With that, she raced to the door. He shook his head and said, “Let’s make sure that you’re ready and packed up to go.”
As she looked around, she realized how little she had with her. There was nothing to pack up. They only had one bag between them.
And then he held out his hand and said, “Let’s go.” As they walked out, he said, “We’re eating on deck today.”
“You mean, I’ll actually get to be outside for once?” she asked. “It’s been really hard being on these beautiful yachts and not allowed to go outside.”
“The whole idea of keeping you hidden is to keep you hidden,” he murmured.
“I got it,” she said. “Doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a terrible shame, and I didn’t want to get back outside and enjoy the experience.”
“You ever been on one of these before?”
“No,” she cried out, “and that’s why it’s such a shame. So many experiences right now that I would love to really enjoy, but because I’m hiding away …” And she just shrugged and said, “But it is what it is, and hopefully it’ll be over soon.”
“That’s the attitude,” he said. He reached out, snagged her arm, and said, “Come on. Let’s go.” And they raced up the stairs.
As she came out on the deck, she stopped and gasped because the harbor was right up ahead of them. “Land!”
“It is,” he said, “but we’re still probably a good forty minutes out.”
He motioned at the table, where Jerricho sat. He smiled at them and said, “Don’t you two look refreshed.”
“I feel much better,” she said, “and just even sitting outside is huge.”
He nodded. “It’s so hard to stay inside when the world around you is looking so much more promising and inviting.”
“Exactly,” she said. “And I really do get why. It’s just sad that I don’t have a chance to spend some time here and to enjoy it and to be a tourist for a change.”
“You can always come back,” he said.
“I probably couldn’t even begin to afford a holiday like this,” she said, with a laugh. “These are superyachts.”
“They are, and very few of them are commissioned for the type of work that we needed them to do,” he said. “It’s patriots all the way, and we appreciate their assistance in this matter.”
“Absolutely,” she said, “and, for that reason alone, I understand not overstaying our welcome.”
“Well, the family is actually on board right now,” he said, “and they are on the far side, keeping to themselves, but the yacht is actually big enough that we don’t have to cross each other.”
“Well, it’s much appreciated,” she said warmly. Just then their breakfast was served, and she laughed to see eggs and sausage and pancakes. “This makes me think I won’t eat again for a while,” she said, with a sidelong look at him.
“And we might not,” he said, “so eat while there’s food.”
Nobody needed to tell her twice. She tucked in until she was full. She pushed back her plate and said, “Wow, that was really good. Not only is it a gorgeous place and a gorgeous view, but the food is excellent too.”
“Glad you enjoyed it,” he murmured. “And as you can see, we’re coming up to the docks.”
She looked and got up and walked to the railing, as the beautiful yacht came up against what could have been a private pier. “So we just walk off?”
“Did you have a better idea?”
“No, but we’ve gone from one clandestine method to another,” she said. “I just can’t imagine that I get to go free and clear now.”
“And you’d be right,” Diesel said, with a chuckle.
She sighed. “Where are we going next then?”
“Into that car up there.” He pointed to a black car that pulled up at the top of the wharf. With the three of them together, they headed toward the vehicle.
“Do you keep track of whether anybody is watching us? Or do we still think that any danger’s associated with me?”
“No way to know,” he said, “so we’re not taking any chances, until we get you home.”
“And yet that in itself is an oxymoron because that’s where I was taken from,” she murmured.
“I know,” he said, “but we will figure it out.”
“Right.”
At that, he walked up the last few ramp-like inclines and opened the back seat to help her in. The driver popped the trunk, and Diesel put their bags in the back, and then he hopped in beside her. Jerricho hopped into the front passenger seat. And just like that, they drove away.
She studied the man whose face she saw in the mirror but only part of it. She’d never seen him before. The driver didn’t look at her directly. He was dressed in a black suit, and she had absolutely no idea who he was. She sighed, as she looked over at Diesel. “Now where?”
“We’re flying out tonight,” he said calmly.
“Good,” she said in delight. “Hopefully home?”
“Yep,” he said, “and I know it’s been quite the trip so far, but I thank you for your patience.”
She sighed. “It sounds incredibly immature of me to even complain,” she said. “I mean, let’s be obvious. You’ve done a lot to … everything you’ve done has been to keep me safe, so I’m just glad we’re finally going home.”
And, at that, they were driven to a small hotel, and, when they went inside, she thought they’d be in another hotel room. Instead it looked more like a boardroom. She looked around in surprise. “So …”
And Diesel just laughed and said, “We’re here until our flights.”
“Okay,” she said. “In that case, what will we do here?”
“We’ll do nothing,” he said.
She groaned, buried her head in her hands, and said, “I’m so tired of doing nothing.”
“What would you like to do?”
She perked up. “Shop?”
“Nope,” he said.
She groaned. “How about … be a tourist and go sightseeing?”
“No,” he said.
She groaned. “Read a book? Watch TV?”
“Absolutely. Anything inside that doesn’t require leaving.”
She sighed. “Fine then.” And she headed to the TV and she turned it on.
“Eva’s handling it pretty well,” Jerricho said beside him.
Diesel looked up, saw Eva sitting before the TV on the far side, and nodded. “Like anybody in her position, she just wants it over with.”
“And, of course, this is hardly a romantic way to spend time together.”
At that, Diesel rolled his eyes. “Quit harping on the romance,” he said. “This is all about real life.”
“Romance is real life too,” she called out over the TV.
He groaned. “You aren’t part of this conversation.”
“Maybe I should be,” she said, looking back and flashing him that bright grin that he was starting to really enjoy.
“Not really,” he said.
She shrugged. “You can’t hold all the conversations yourself, you know?” she said. “That’s just being greedy.”
“What more do you want to talk about, then?” he asked in surprise.
“Nothing,” sh
e said. “I just …” And then she stopped and said, “Well, I just really want to go home.”
“Got it,” he said. “We’ll get you there soon enough.” He added, “And I know it doesn’t feel like we’re doing anything fast because we’re deliberately not trying to do the speedy route, but I want to make sure that you get home safe.”
“Got it.” She kicked her feet up, turned her attention back to the television.
He looked over at Jerricho. “Any concerns?”
“No,” he said slowly, “but still something’s just niggling in the back of my mind.”
“Me too,” Diesel said. “I just don’t know how or why. I think we’ll be fine to head out of here and to go to Wisconsin. We got several flights to make that trip. But she’s right. She wasn’t kidnapped from the lab. Yet the lab was using their marketing efforts to build up the lab’s visibility to bring in investment money.”
“It’s quite possible that they overstated their findings,” Jerricho said.
“Well, we’ve certainly seen stock manipulation happen time and time again,” he said. “This wouldn’t be any different.”
“No. Do you think they had anything to do with it?”
“I hope not, for her sake,” Diesel said slowly. “It has crossed my mind, but I haven’t been able to find anything.”
“Me either,” he said. “And, if they did, then what?” Jerricho asked.
“Then she’s not safe even back at work,” he said, his tone low so she couldn’t hear him. “And that in itself is even more upsetting because, after all this, you’d like to think that we’re taking her back to where she’s safe and sound, but is she?” Diesel looked over at Eva and called out, “What would your boss be doing right now?”
“My boss?” Eva said. “He’d be in his office, probably talking to investors, talking to the shareholders, fielding questions from the other techs. Why?”
“I don’t know. I just wonder if he had anything to do with this.”
“I don’t think so. He’s a people guy. I don’t think he’s somebody who thinks that far ahead of what could happen if somebody stole his scientist. Did he ask for donations because of my research contributions? I guess it’s possible. Or maybe the shareholders donated money? I don’t know.” She turned to face them better, and she said, “Since this started, I wondered because I do know that I’ve seen them exaggerate some of our findings to get more public interest, and that’s frowned upon in the scientific world. So I don’t really know what’s going on there. I just can’t imagine that he thought that this would really be a good answer. Generally I would have said he was somebody with heart.”
