With their faces this close together she could see the bruises marring his tanned skin and gold flecks mingled with the brown in his eyes. A scar sat above his left eyebrow and another by his right ear. His chest rose and fell against hers. Her heart pounded like a drum.
The air charged around them and Darci realized she didn’t even know the name of the man holding her in his arms.
She found her voice. “I don’t know your name.”
“Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jack Taggart at your service, ma’am.”
Navy SEAL? That made perfect sense. “I’m very pleased to meet you, Mr. Taggart. I’m Darci O’Shea. The wedding singer.”
“Well, Miss O’Shea, I must say the pleasure is all mine.”
He said it with such sensual sweetness, Darci blushed. This man was charm on a stick and it did all kinds of fun things to her insides. She’d never met anyone quite like him. Even in the midst of danger he kept his sense of humor. She respected that and wished she could be more like him instead of being scared.
“Not exactly what you’d planned when you signed on for this gig, huh?”
“No, not at all. I love adventure, but this is a bit over the top for me.”
Jack shifted so she could get more comfortable against him and Darci didn’t complain. She liked being close to him. Felt safe.
“So where do you call home, Darci the wedding singer?”
“Boston, now. But, I grew up in Michigan. I have two sisters. How about you?”
“Coronado, California. No siblings. Tell me about your family.”
“Are you distracting me?”
“Unsuccessfully, apparently.”
Sweet. “Am I hurting you sitting like this?” Though she didn’t move away. She felt safe in his arms and for now she needed that. Reality would come crashing through the door soon enough.
In response, Jack pushed her head down on his shoulder and Darci relaxed against him. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this comfortable with a man. Like she’d known him forever.
“I feel wrung out.” She blinked the heaviness off her eyelids.
“It’s normal after an adrenaline rush. Your mind and body are crashing and need to recuperate from the stress they’ve suffered. It’s safe to sleep now, Darci. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Her eyes were already closed. “Promise?”
“You have my word.”
She barely heard his reply as she drifted into an exhausted sleep. She couldn’t be sure if she’d dreamed it or not, but she thought she felt Jack’s lips brush the crown of her head just before she entered never-never land.
****
Jack stared down at the woman nestled in his arms. Some of her dark hair had come out of its twist and long, silky tendrils fell over her shoulder. Long hair, his one weakness. He loved a woman with long hair and he bet he could sink his hands in Darci’s and never tire. He longed to pull the pin and let it tumble down her back, but resisted. Not the time. Maybe later when he had her back to safety, they could get to know each other on a more intimate level.
He usually kept his relationships short and impersonal, but something about Darci made him want to explore the more serious side of relationships. He wouldn’t mind traveling the high seas with her at his side, a first for him. He reserved his boat as his personal, private place in the world that no one could touch or influence.
He’d failed this woman twice and yet she looked at him with trust in her eyes. It humbled him enough to make him see this was no ordinary woman. She’d saved him from a real beating and he wouldn’t forget the bravery she’d shown. Worthy of a Purple Heart.
Jack rubbed a hand over his face. His own mother wouldn’t recognize him if she read his thoughts right now. He didn’t think about things like that. He liked his life. He could come and go as he pleased without a wife to worry about him when he was away on a dangerous mission for unknown lengths of time. He looked forward to his time alone on his boat after a long mission and had never wanted anyone to share that part of his life. So what made him consider inviting Darci along with him? It made no sense at all. Boggled the mind.
Or maybe he’d taken one too many blows to the head.
Pushing the troubling thoughts away, Jack scanned the room around him. A wine cellar without the wine. He guessed they used the house specifically for business. A place to bring hostages to get demands met. So what were the demands? What did Darci O’Shea have that they wanted?
Jack tipped his head back and closed his eyes. His aches and pains were making themselves known with a vengeance, but he’d worked through pain before. His top priority right now was to keep Darci safe and get them off this island. As long as he got them out of the house he could protect them. He’d spent plenty of time in jungles around the world and knew how to hide in one so no one would ever find them.
He needed a plan. He doubted it would be long before his blond friend came for them. She’d be furious her hostages had managed to escape. It would bring her wrath down on them and he wasn’t about to let her at Darci. Darci may be a strong woman but her heart was pure. There would be no contest. The Amazon would stomp her like a bug on the bottom of her stilettos.
Darci stirred. Jack shifted to tuck her more securely against his shoulder. Her hand dropped down to rest on his thigh. He stiffened. She needed his protection, not his lust.
Deciding it better if he put some distance between them, Jack started to unwind her arms from around him.
“Don’t leave me,” she pleaded. “Not yet.”
Jack knew he should find a way out but he didn’t. He stayed right there and held her. A fool’s move but it felt too damn good to give up. He settled back against the wall, listening to the muted sounds above them. At least two people moved around. He knew there were, at minimum, four guards on the premises.
“They’re going to be coming soon, aren’t they?” She asked in a sleepy voice against his neck.
Jack glanced down to see Darci’s eyes were still closed, her expression reluctant. She looked small and delicate, so he tightened his arm around her.
“I’m afraid so.” Though he hated to say it. He didn’t want it to be true.
“I know it doesn’t change anything, but I don’t want them to come.”
“Neither do I, sweetheart, but we aren’t going to let them win. Right?”
“Right.”
Jack put a finger under her chin and tilted her head back so he could look her in the eye. The brilliant color mesmerized him for a moment before he could speak.
“We’re going to get out of this. You have to believe that.”
“I know, and I do. I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed. Nothing like this has ever happened to me.”
She lifted her head so she could sit up beside him now, his arm still around her shoulder. Neither of them mentioned it and he didn’t remove it.
“You’ve done great so far. I haven’t ever seen anyone wield a broom like you did. That took a lot of courage.”
That earned him a sheepish smile. “I don’t know about that. In truth, I was terrified. I’ve never…” She shuddered.
Jack tightened his arm around her. Darci had been through more than any woman should ever have to and in his opinion she had handled herself well. He hated to think she’d have to do it again in order to get out of here. If he had his way, he’d tuck her safely away and leave her there until he’d dealt with their captors. Then he would whisk her off on his boat for some R&R his way.
“Jack?”
He heard the seriousness in her tone and glanced down at the swollen bruise on her cheek. Anger rose inside him. He wanted nothing more than to repay the guy who’d given it to her. A soft, delicate woman like Darci didn’t deserve such harsh treatment.
“Thank you.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “If you hadn’t come to the rescue I’d be here alone.”
“My pleasure.”
She shifted against him. “What are we going to do?”
“You�
�re going to get some sleep and let me take care of the rest.”
She yawned. “Only a few minutes. You wake me when you come up with a plan, okay? I want to do my part.”
“Deal.”
With a nod, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, leaving Jack to formulate a plan to get them out of there safely.
Chapter Three
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Jack rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He’d taken a ten-minute combat nap while Darci slept, and felt refreshed enough to come up with a plan.
“When the door opens I’m going to pretend to still be out. The next part is going to be up to you.” He steeled his gaze on hers. “You have to convince whoever comes through that door that you can’t find my pulse. You have to give them a reason to come over to me, and when they do, you are going to make a run for it. You run straight out of this place. Don’t you dare look back.”
Her eyes widened as his words sank in. She shook her head.
“No. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me. I won’t do it.”
“You don’t have a choice. They want something from you, not me. I have to get you out of here.”
“We have to get out of here. I’m not leaving here without you.”
****
Darci couldn’t do this.
No way she’d pull this off. She wasn’t a good liar or actress. How would she convince them Jack was dead? She certainly had no desire to go running into the jungle without him. What if they chained him to the ceiling again? Or worse, what if they killed him this time? She couldn’t leave him here alone, she just couldn’t. She wanted him by her side.
But maybe…
She looked down at the man lying motionless at her feet. She almost reached out a hand to touch his chest and see if he took a breath, but a key turned in the lock and Heath, along with three armed guards, walked in.
The sight of the blond nightmare sent her into action. She leaped to her feet and began frantically shouting.
“Do you know what they did? They killed him! I can’t find a pulse. Is this why you brought us here? To kill us?”
Heath hadn’t been expecting her tirade, nor did he expect her to walk up to him and poke him in the chest with her finger. His guards attempted to intercept but Heath held up a hand and they backed off. His blue gaze flickered between Jack and her, and his eyes narrowed.
“I won’t let you get away with this. Do you think you can kidnap us at will and then do as you please?”
Heath leaned over her, eyes blazing. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
Darci swallowed, but forged ahead. “Then wield your great power and do something about the man lying on the floor before you add murder to your list of crimes.”
Inside she shook like a leaf, ready to throw up all over his patent leather shoes, but outside Darci remained in control, playing the frantic prisoner. Not so far from the truth. If lives hadn’t been at stake she never would have found the courage to stand up to this man. The look in his eyes terrified her.
Heath glared at her for a few more seconds and she began to doubt he’d fall for her plan. All she needed was for the guards to move over by Jack…
Heath motioned to his guards and two of them went to crouch next to Jack.
“Jack! Now!”
She drove her knee into Heath’s groin and poked two fingers into his eyes before he could draw his weapon. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack spring to his feet, nimble as a panther, and take out the two guards before they knew what hit them. With a grunt of surprise the guards hit the ground as Jack attacked. The only sound they made. Darci stared at Jack in wonder. The man had mad Navy SEAL skills.
Jack lunged for her and grabbed her hand. He spun her around and slammed his fist into the guard’s jaw. He fell to the ground, out cold. Heath still rolled around holding himself and howling in agony. He glared at them as they passed and she cringed when Jack knocked him out too.
“Let’s go,” Jack growled, dragging her up the steps and toward the door. “Stay behind me and for Christssake don’t try anything like that again.”
Darci bit her tongue to prevent her angry retort. He should be thanking her for getting them both out of there in one piece.
Jack slowed when they reached the top of the stairs and Darci hung back as he leaned his head out the door. He ducked back in as a bullet splintered the wood where his nose had been. Her heart skipped three beats when she realized how close he had come to being shot. She tugged on his hand, wanting to pull him back inside the stairwell, but a noise behind her prevented her.
Another shot rang out and when she turned her head she saw Heath and his guards glaring at them from the bottom step.
Darci whimpered as fear curled down her spine. Now what?
“Jack?” She squeezed his hand.
He stared down at her through eyes she didn’t recognize. They were hard and calculating with no trace of the warmth and mischief shown earlier. She realized she looked at Jack Taggart, Navy SEAL.
****
One step forward, two steps back. On one hand, it annoyed him Darci didn’t follow his orders and on the other he was glad she hadn’t, because she didn’t have the training or reflexes to know when to expect a bullet. If she’d gone out first like he told her, she would be lying in a pool of blood instead of holding his hand in a death grip. The thought sent a cold shiver up his spine and he vowed not to let any harm come to her from this point on.
He needed a weapon. He had been too distracted to grab one off one of the guards. Stupid! He’d let this woman get to him and the mistakes he’d made almost got them killed. SEALs were trained not to be distracted or lose focus. Time to start thinking with the right head.
Jack knew who waited for them at the top of the stairs. The Amazon wouldn’t be happy with him or Darci, and judging by the furious expression on the man at the bottom of the stairs he wasn’t either.
The resemblance between the Amazon and the blond glaring up at them was uncanny and added to Jack’s unease. A brother and sister team? Not uncommon, but rare. He couldn’t decide which was the dominant personality; both seemed equally strong. One of them would show their flaw and he would know which to target in order to break the ring. History and experience showed that once he severed the head of the dragon, the rest would crumble.
“Jack?” Darci pressed against him. He could feel her trembling and wanted to comfort her, but three people appeared at the top of the stairs. The Amazon’s deadly gaze landed on Darci so he shifted slightly to protect her.
“You two have caused quite a bit of trouble for me,” the Amazon said, her eyes on Darci.
“Yeah, well, I’m just getting started.” Jack watched her eyes narrow into slits.
“You have a smart mouth,” she said. “I have a cure for that.”
He could only imagine what she had in mind, probably cut out his tongue with a nail file. Not going to happen. Beside him Darci stiffened and her grip intensified on his hand.
“Let me guess, something slow and painful?”
The Amazon smiled, calculating and feral. “Very, very slow, and the pain will make what we did to you earlier seem like a walk in the park.”
“Jack! Stop!” Darci pleaded. He couldn’t tell her his plan to keep the Amazon’s anger focused on him instead of her. He could handle whatever she dished out, but Darci would never survive it.
“What’s this? She speaks. And in your defense,” the Amazon said. “Does she belong to you, hero?”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” Darci snarled over his shoulder. “What do you want from us?”
Jack groaned inwardly. She was not helping.
“You have something I want,” the Amazon said.
“What?” Darci asked.
She motioned to the guards. Jack shielded Darci with his body as they were approached from in front and behind. He couldn’t fight all of them and still protect Darci, so they had no choice but to go along with them. Two of the guards grabbed him an
d Darci cried out, clutching at him as they jerked him away from her.
“No!”
One of the guards he’d knocked out slammed a fist into his midsection. Jack grunted and fought to catch his breath. Paybacks sucked.
“Stop hurting him.”
The brother bore down on Darci.
Jack lunged toward her as the guy backhanded her. The crack of his hand meeting her soft flesh echoed down the stairwell and Jack saw red. He ducked, lashed out a foot when the Amazon put a stop to it with one short order.
“Stop or she dies.”
The threat registered and Jack forced down the animal inside him. He went still, controlling the beast.
“Take them away.”
Jack’s eyes were trained on the tears swimming in Darci’s eyes. She cupped her cheek, glaring at the blond man who’d hit her. An angry red bump formed where he had struck her. The animal inside Jack reared its head again. He managed to keep it at bay, but barely. He was doing a poor job of protecting her.
When she looked at him, he saw regret and sadness in her eyes that almost severed the bare threads of his control. He never wanted to see that look again. She realized her mistake by not following the plan. Jack longed to pull her into his arms and comfort her. But he couldn’t do either as they jerked him backward through the door, away from Darci.
Unwilling to lose sight of her, he looked back over his shoulder to see her being led behind him. Their eyes met and Jack winked at her, pleased when she frowned and gave him a watery smile. Atta girl.
They were taken to a room similar to the one he’d been hung in, their hands secured to the arms of chairs, their ankles firmly tied, and rope circling their waists. Only the guards watched over them; the blond duo had yet to show.
He turned to look at Darci and saw fear shining in her eyes. He wanted to reach out, but couldn’t while bound.
“Relax.” He said in a low tone. “We don’t know what they want from us.”
“But what if they want money? I only have five hundred dollars in my savings account.”
A SEAL's Song Page 3
