A hand clamped around her ankle, dragging her to the ground. Kicking wildly, she fought to escape. Stronger than her, he held her easily. Twisting, Darci searched for a stick or something she could use for a weapon. Her captor had other ideas.
He released her foot, but he didn’t let her go. She barely managed a crawl before he swept her up and threw her over his shoulder. One of his hands clamped on her waist and the other around her thighs, holding secure. He sprinted across the sand away from her safe hideaway and Darci felt her head swim. Little black dots swam in her vision. Her stomach roiled. Closing her eyes, she willed her stomach to settle down. She would fight when she could stand again.
She felt herself being lifted, suspended in the air, before he deposited her onto something soft. The ground beneath her rolled along with her stomach.
“Find something to hold onto, sweetheart, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Jack!
Darci opened her eyes and stared at the familiar broad shoulders. Relief washed over her and tears welled in her eyes. How could she not have known?
Relieved, she grabbed onto the side of the sleek boat as Jack backed them out onto the water. He didn’t have to worry about her holding on. This boat sat too close to the water for her taste. She liked big boats with big sides that didn’t feel like a boat. Ships, that’s what she liked. Big, smooth, felt like home. This was a piece of fiberglass with a motor. Not so good.
“Jack,” she said over the roar of the motor.
“Yeah?”
He turned the boat around.
“I’m sorry.”
He cast a grin over his shoulder. “I like a little wildcat in my diet, keeps me young.”
Darci laughed. What was she going to do with this man? He didn’t hold grudges and he rolled with the punches, always coming out on top. And boy was she happy that he was driving the boat and not one of the bad guys.
The boat leaped forward, pressing Darci into her seat as the front lifted out of the water. She held on for dear life and closed her eyes. She couldn’t watch because at this speed they were bound to get in trouble.
Two seconds later she opened them, feeling sick. She had a death grip on the edge of the boat and gritted her teeth every time they bounced over a wave.
She looked at Jack. The muscles in his shoulders and back bunched and rolled beneath his dress shirt as he maneuvered the boat with apt hands. Fearless and strong, he’d made good on his promise. He’d gotten her off the island.
A bubble of happiness welled up in her throat as the truth hit her. They’d made it off the island. They were both safe.
“We’ve got company,” Jack yelled.
Not what she wanted to hear. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a bigger boat closing in on them. Bigger and probably faster.
“Darci, I’m going to need your help.”
That meant she’d have to let go. She liked it right here.
The boat did the jig now, bouncing off the top of the water. Bounce, jolt, bounce, jolt. Torture on the body. Her hair flew wildly around her face and the wind stung her cheeks.
“Come here, Darci.”
He called her Darci, not sweetheart or honey or babe. Not good. It meant things had gotten serious. She didn’t like serious. She’d had enough of serious.
Finding strength, she pried her fingers off the edge of the boat and rose shakily to her knees. The jolt and bounce of the boat tossed her sideways and she landed hard on her rear. Scowling, she pushed to her feet and this time held onto a seat as she made her way to Jack’s side.
The windshield had been demolished. Only the jagged edge remained, so the wind hit him full force.
“What happened to the windshield?” she shouted over the wind.
“Bullet.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Drive while I hold them off.”
Darci looked at the steering wheel and Jack’s strong hands gripping it. He wanted her to drive? She’d never driven a boat before. And what exactly did ‘hold them off’ mean?
“Jack…”
Something whizzed past her ear. Jack threw an arm around her shoulder and covered her with his body.
“Both hands on the wheel, keep this heading,” Jack instructed in her ear as he placed both of her hands on the wheel.
Another bullet whined past their heads.
“Got it?” Jack asked, already moving away.
Darci nodded, feeling his hands slip away and control being placed into hers. She could do this. Just another new experience in this perilous journey. Something to write home about. No, scratch that. She could never tell her family what she’d been through. They would never let her out of their sight again. No need to worry them with details.
Bracing her feet, she took over the driving while Jack reached past her legs and pulled out the gun he’d been carrying on the island. He moved away from her then, holding the weapon like he meant business.
A bullet shattered what remained of the windshield. With a scream and a jerk of the wheel, Darci wondered if leaving the island had been such a good idea after all.
Chapter Six
Jack returned fire. His back to Darci, he sensed her cringe with every shot. The report from a semiautomatic weapon was loud and powerful, especially to someone not used to it.
The boat behind them closed the distance. He could see two shooters on the deck. They fired another round and he ducked, shooting back. Their bullets hit the boat, lodging in the fiberglass.
“Darci, stay down,” he shouted, not liking her out in the open. It made her an easy target.
“I’m trying,” she yelled back as another bullet ripped through the boat. “They’re terrible shots.”
Jack pulled back inside the boat and put his weapon down. He moved to Darci’s side and nudged her out of the way, taking the wheel from her white-knuckled hands.
“What’re you doing?” she asked when he had taken the wheel. “Why did you stop shooting? They’re still shooting at us.”
“They aren’t aiming at us.” He jerked the wheel right then left.
Darci quickly grabbed something to hold onto and ducked as another bullet whizzed by. “What are they shooting at then?”
“The motor,” Jack said grimly. Their only hope now was to evade bullets. If one hit the motor, it would blow and that would be the end of them. They didn’t have far to go. Once they reached more populated islands they’d be safe.
“The motor?” she shouted. “Won’t that…” Her eyes widened. “Oh, no. What are we going to do?”
“You’re going to stay down. I’m going to do a little E and E,” he said, nudging her toward the driver’s seat next to his leg. He wanted her by his side, away from the back of the boat and the bullets.
She sat down, looking stunned. Jack wanted to comfort her, but closed off the emotion. He couldn’t afford distractions right now. Darci would handle this the same as she’d handled everything else so far: with strength and grit. She was a far cry from a weeping lily and he had every intention of returning her safely home to the family she talked about with such warm affection.
“What’s E and E?”
Turning the wheel so they skidded sideways then back again, he said, “Escape and Evasion. It’s a tactical maneuver—get down!”
Darci dropped her head between her knees on command and Jack sliced left, narrowly missing a bullet as it zinged past, right where Darci’s head had been. Jack cursed a blue streak and swerved right.
“You okay?” he asked, spotting a chain of islands in the distance. Almost there.
Darci lifted a pale face and frightened eyes. “I’m good, just a little shaken up. Don’t they know the motor is in the back of the boat?”
Jack grinned. Gotta like her spunk.
This time she didn’t sit up, just stayed ducked low. His maneuvers were working; the bullets were missing the motor. A couple pierced the hull, but otherwise they were good.
“Jack, I see islands. And boats,” Dar
ci cried, tugging on his leg. “We’re going to make it!”
Looking ahead, Jack saw they were close to civilization. That was the good news. The bad: they were taking on water and losing speed. They weren’t going to make it to his boat.
Heading toward the marina, he checked behind them to see their friends were giving up the chase and turning around. They obviously didn’t know this boat had taken on water. Finally, something in their favor.
“Where are you going?” Darci squeezed his leg. “My villa’s right over there. You can see it from here. On that island right there. Jack!”
He hated to do this to her but he had to get back to his sailboat. The bad guys may have turned around but they were going to be back and in full force. They had to be prepared for that. The only place Jack would be prepared was on his boat.
They were slowing down now and only about halfway there. The motor sputtered. Wouldn’t be long before they had to ditch. They’d be swimming the last mile.
“Jack. We’re slowing down. This isn’t good, is it?”
Jack met her eyes as the motor coughed and died. The boat coasted to a stop and started to sink.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but we’re going to have to swim to my boat.”
Her eyes widened and filled with horror. She shook her head slowly back and forth. “No.”
“Darling, we’re taking on water and in two minutes this boat is going to be on the bottom of the ocean. We don’t have any choice.” He gripped her shoulders.
“You don’t understand.”
“I do understand, but I know what kind of woman you are, and I know you can do this. I’m going to be right by your side and I’m a great swimmer.” He grinned. “You’re looking at the captain of the swim team and four time state champion.”
“You were captain of the swim team?” Her gaze strayed to the water.
“My mom’s the coach,” he admitted.
“She taught you everything you know?”
Jack smiled. “Yeah, and then some. She was an Olympic swimmer back in the day.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” She bit her lip. “You’ll be right by my side? The entire way?”
“Promise. I can cross my heart if you wish. Scout’s honor.”
“You were a Boy Scout?”
“No, but I always wanted to be.”
That earned a grin. “Okay, Jack, you win. It isn’t like I have a choice. But just so you know, I’m not a very good swimmer. My mom made me learn as a kid but I never got over my fear enough to become proficient.”
“All I need is you in the water, babe. Ready?”
She took a deep breath and nodded, her hand slipping into his with a tight grip. “Ready.”
With a reassuring squeeze, Jack pulled her over the edge into the water.
****
Cool water engulfed her and for a moment Darci couldn’t move. She sank, lifeless, toward the bottom of the ocean. Old fears surfaced when her feet didn’t touch the bottom and her lungs started to burn. The water a thick, heavy blanket, suffocated her. Her arms floated outward as the weight of the water pushed her downward.
Then an arm circled her waist and towed her upward. Helpless to assist, she laid limp until they broke the surface. Darci drew in a deep breath and coughed, managing to get her arms and legs working so she could tread water.
“See? Piece of cake.” Jack held her by the waist. His hair stuck up in little wet spikes and water clung to his lashes. Darci looked into his warm, chocolate brown eyes and knew she’d be fine. He wouldn’t let her drown.
“I can’t believe I’m actually in the water and still breathing.” She rested a hand on his shoulder. Muscle flexed beneath her grip.
She lifted her eyes to meet his, her breath hitching when she saw his were now the color of dark chocolate and the gold flecks were more prominent. His arm tightened around her waist and floated her until she lay flush against him with all that hard muscle pressed intimately against her. It felt so good Darci moaned.
“Jack…” she murmured, wanting him to kiss her. She’d never wanted anything more than to be kissed by those firm, sensual lips. His hands felt like fire against her bare skin and the water surrounding them only made it more sensual. Just as Jack lowered his head, something brushed against her foot.
Darci screamed. “Something just touched my leg.” She pulled her legs up and tried to tread water at the same time. “Are there sharks this close to the islands?”
“I doubt it. Probably fish. Come on, we better get moving.”
Darci looked at him, then at the water. She didn’t like this one bit and the faster they got to his boat the better.
“You got it.” She dove ahead, swimming to beat the band. She didn’t know what lurked down there and she didn’t want to find out.
Jack fell in beside her, pacing her. His strokes were more fluid than hers. She tried to copy his movements, but he was stronger and more experienced so she stuck with what she knew and kept going.
It didn’t take her long to get tired. The muscles in her legs and arms started burning and she struggled to keep up. Jack seemed unaffected by the exertion. Finally, she had to stop. Her strokes slowed until she dog paddled.
“I need a break,” she said when Jack raise an eyebrow at her, treading water beside her. He didn’t even look winded.
She scowled. “Why aren’t you tired? You’re like a machine. We haven’t slept at all since this whole thing started. I’m exhausted.”
Jack brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I didn’t expect you to swim the entire mile without stopping.”
“Mile? We have to swim a mile?” she all but shrieked. “How far have we gone?”
“About an eighth of the way.”
She groaned. “Oh, man, I’m such a wuss. Well, break’s over. Let’s swim, tough guy.”
Jack grinned and let her set the pace. He helped her perfect her stroke, taking her mind off her exhaustion, and soon she swam alongside him with more speed and agility than before. He made her forget they’d just escaped bad guys with guns and jumped off a sinking boat and they were swimming a whole mile to his boat.
It didn’t take her mind off how close Jack had come to kissing her. Her toes curled at the mere thought of it. Heck, if he promised to kiss her senseless when he got her to the boat she’d win the world record in swimming. She knew this attraction was crazy. He lived on the west coast and she on the east. Once this ended they would go their separate ways, but that didn’t stop her from wanting him.
“There she is. The sailboat on the last dock with the white sails and American flag,” Jack said after they had swam for what seemed an eternity. Darci wanted to drop. Her arms ached when she tried to lift them. She looked up and saw a long, narrow boat with billowing white sails anchored in the semi-busy marina, bobbing gently on the water. Mostly there were yachts and speedboats, so the sails stood out.
To Darci it looked to be miles away. “I don’t think I can make it,” she said, slowing to a dog paddle. “My body isn’t conditioned to this kind of work out.”
“Turn on your back and let me help you,” Jack said, slipping an arm around her chest. She did as he asked and allowed him to tow her the rest of the way. He had the strength of ten men and didn’t seem bothered by her added weight. She, on the other hand, appreciated the rest. Jack managed to swim with only one arm and she drifted, kicking the best she could to help out. She marveled at the smooth, sleek muscle moving against her. Definitely the most erotic thing she’d ever experienced. Sweet mercy, she must really be tired. Jack was doing all the work battered and wounded, and all her thoughts were on how good it felt to have him rubbing against her.
****
“This is it.” Jack floated alongside the boat. “How about a shower, meal and a soft bed? Not necessarily in that order.”
Darci almost drooled. That sounded better than sex. Well, almost. But since sex wasn’t on the list she figured she better take him up on the rest.
“That so
unds perfect, but shouldn’t we head back to the wedding party? Let them know we’re alive?”
Jack shook his head. “Too dangerous. I don’t want to bring any more threat to Renee and Paul’s family or guests. Or attention. This team missed their score because of my interference. I can’t risk them trying again.”
“So you think the twins will come after us?”
“Yes. You have something they want. Besides, we can identify them by name and face. That’s reason to—” He must have noticed the blood leach from her face because he cut off mid-sentence. “Let me worry about the authorities and the danger. You just shower and relax. I’ll take care of the rest.”
How could she not love this man? “Point me in the right direction.”
“Up the ladder, babe, and it’s all yours.”
Darci grinned and reached for the ladder with renewed energy. Jack gave her a boost and she climbed onto the shiny wooden deck of the sailboat.
“Follow me,” Jack said and led her across the deck to a set of stairs that led below.
Darci let out a gasp when she stepped into a spacious room that looked like home. The wood flooring and walls were gorgeous. An L-shaped booth with a table and lots of modern day appliances sat in a small kitchen. All in all it had a cozy atmosphere that made her want to settle in, and oddly enough, sail the high seas. It had everything she needed and she didn’t even like boats.
“This is all yours?” Awe crept into her voice. “It’s great. I never knew boats could be so…wow, it’s like home.”
“You haven’t even seen the best part yet. What would you like first? Shower or meal?”
Darci smiled at him. “Are you cooking?”
“You bet.”
“Then I’ll take a shower while you cook. Which way do I go?”
“Head is the door to your right.”
“Head?”
Jack grinned. “Bathroom.”
“Ah, sailor code. Got it. Anything else I should know?”
“The kitchen is called a galley and the bedrooms are staterooms. Now you can be my first mate.”
Darci smiled. “I’d like that. Give me ten minutes.”
“Take your time, there’s plenty of water.”
A SEAL's Song Page 7
