“I’ve waited for this,” he said softly in her ear as his fingers inched farther up her thigh.
Darci inched away.
Shouting erupted behind her, a chair scraped across the floor and the flashlights went out, plunging them into darkness. Seizing the opportunity, she lashed out. Her palm connected with Heath’s face and she dug her nails in, hearing him shout in pain. He backhanded her and even in the darkness the blow connected to her jaw with enough power to send her tumbling backward off the bed.
Somewhere behind her she heard grunts and heavy thuds as something hit the floor next to her back. She rolled, bumping into the nightstand.
“Dammit, where are you?” Heath growled from above her, still on the bed. “Keep an eye on hi—”
His sentence cut off abruptly and Darci heard a struggle above her. The bed slammed against the wall and she curled up in a ball.
“Darci, run!”
Jack’s voice. On the bed. Not in the chair. She didn’t hesitate. She jumped to her feet and ran for the door. Well, she couldn’t run in the darkness, but she tried. She bumped into the foot of the bed, stumbled over a body, and felt along the wall for the door. When she found it she ran out, hollering for the bodyguard for help, but as soon as she entered the hallway she saw him lying on the floor in a pool of blood. A flash registered briefly before pain exploded in her head and her world crashed around her.
****
“Looks like you’ve managed to single handedly capture an international criminal,” FBI Special Agent Win Bekett said to Jack as he handed him a cup of black coffee. “We’ve been tracking this ring since last year.”
Jack wasn’t concerned with the FBI’s investigation. He wanted Darci’s location from the man they held in the cell down the hall. He’d taken down and secured Heath and his goons in the hotel room, using the darkness as cover, and expected to find Darci with the cop bodyguard. He’d never thought for a moment she’d disappear.
He’d found the cop dead and by time he got down to the lobby, she’d been gone. No one had seen her. Which meant someone had been waiting in the hallway and he’d screwed up. His only thought had been to get her out of the room safely. All he’d done was send her into danger. Now he was here in the police station sipping coffee and getting thanks from the FBI.
“Look.” Jack stared at the dark-haired man with unusual teal colored eyes and neatly trimmed hair gone spiky from where he’d run his hands through it repeatedly. He’d shed his dark suit jacket, rolled up the sleeves of his no-longer-crisp white shirt and loosened his dark tie so it hung like a noose. “The storm has settled and Darci is out there with that psycho’s other half. Eva will kill her if I don’t find her.”
Bekett nodded and handed Jack an ice pack for his eye. “We never suspected a brother/sister team. Probably why we couldn’t catch them,” he said with a shake of his head.
“I could use any help available in the search.” Jack tossed the pack on the table.
“The authorities down here are busy dealing with the storm. Let me see what I can do.”
Jack nodded, feeling edgy. He could go it alone, but didn’t want to take any chances where Darci was concerned. He’d already put her in danger and he wouldn’t do it again by going off half-cocked. He’d take one or two FBI agents over nothing. He preferred his team, but they were in Coronado. Special Agent Bekett seemed like a man who got things done. He didn’t come across as a stereotypical G-man, black suits and black attitude. Instead he appeared down to earth and impressionable.
Bekett walked to the door with deceptive grace. Beneath the laid-back, easygoing exterior laid a man of steel, Jack would bet his life on it.
“We’ll get her back,” Bekett said with absolute certainty before leaving the room.
The door opened a few minutes later and Jack stopped pacing. Bekett strolled in, his lips drawn into a thin line. He handed Jack the weapons they’d confiscated when he arrived, and dumped an armload on the table.
“Good news. I had a heart-to-heart with the brother. He was surprisingly chatty about where his sister is holding your girlfriend.”
They exchanged glances and Bekett continued. “The not so good news? My partner was checking on a lead and got stranded in this damn storm so he’s holed up twenty minutes away. The police are spread thin trying to evacuate residents in the path of the storm and get everything boarded up. The captain and I go way back, so he’s given me a bit of leeway on this case. Looks like it’s you and me. You okay with that, Navy?”
Jack grinned and tucked a 9mm in his waistband. “My commander keeps telling me I need to learn to play nice with you G-men. May as well start now.”
A crooked grin lit up Bekett’s tanned face as he locked and loaded his own weapon. He looked like a kid in a candy store and Jack had to smile. Jack could relate. He always got a little pumped before a mission. Adrenaline could be quite a rush.
“Maybe your boss should have coffee with my boss.” He tossed Jack a Kevlar vest. “You gonna be okay with those wounds?”
SEALs were trained to function under compromised circumstances. “I’m good.” He slipped into the vest. “Just get me out of here.”
“Done.”
They finished loading up with weapons and ammo and left the station through the back door with Jack putting faith in a G-man to have his back.
Chapter Twelve
“How much did you give her? She isn’t waking up.”
Not true. Darci just couldn’t seem to open her eyes or move her extremities. They felt leaden.
She remembered Jack telling her to run. Then everything went blank. Except for the pain her captors were inflicting. She’d been conscious for the first couple of blows, but wished she hadn’t.
“I gave her enough to knock her out until we got her here.” Eva. She’d know that voice anywhere.
Where was Jack? Better yet, where was she? Tied to a chair and unable to move. At their mercy. Not so good. Especially since Eva threw the punches.
“Then I guess she needs a little incentive to stop playing games.”
The witch backhanded her and snapped her head to the side.
Darci forced her heavy eyelids open and squinted at the light coming from a bulb hanging from the ceiling. “I’m awake,” she muttered, wishing the fog would leave her brain so she could think.
Looking around, she saw some kind of warehouse. Deserted, except for some old, rusty benches and a few boxes. A couple men with guns walked the perimeter, but other than that she didn’t see anyone except Eva. She could hear the storm raging outside the thin metal walls.
“No more games.” Eva gripped her chin. “You and your lover have caused a lot of trouble for me.”
Point for them. Darci wisely kept the comment to herself. The Amazon looked edgy.
Eva bent so she could meet Darci’s gaze, her eyes feral. “When loverboy comes to your rescue I’m going to kill you in front of him. Then slice his throat.”
Hope fluttered through her chest. Jack survived. Thank heaven. She still had a chance to get out of this. Jack would come for her. She knew it and so did Eva.
“You set a trap for him.” She hated this woman and her brother.
“Figured that out, did you? How’s it feel knowing you’re the bait that will bring your lover to his death?”
“It hasn’t worked yet, has it?”
Eva’s eyes narrowed and she straightened. “I liked you better when you were out. Don’t push me.”
Darci took the warning to heart. Antagonizing this woman: not a good idea. She needed to stay alive until Jack arrived.
She just hoped he hurried.
****
Win Bekett was a machine. The agent’s stamina and skills impressed Jack. If he didn’t know better, he’d think Bekett had been on the teams at some point. They were soaked to the skin, covered in mud and trekking through the jungle toward an abandoned warehouse in a damn tropical storm.
“What’s Win short for?” he asked as they trudged up
a steep hill.
Win tossed a wry grin over his shoulder. “That’s the million dollar question.” He disappeared over the top of the hill.
Jack shook his head. Obviously not going to tell him. So what was the mystery? Win could only be short for a few names: Winston, Winslow, Winfield? All of which were horrendous and probably why he preferred Win.
“Are all you G-men this vague?”
“Yeah, we take a special class. Hold on.”
Jack stopped, listened and looked but saw and heard nothing except blowing wind. “What is it?”
“Thought I heard something.” They moved onward. “Should be over the next hill. You sure the sister has Darci?”
“I’d stake my life on it.”
“You may be doing just that. I’m assuming she’s worth it?”
“Yeah, she’s worth it.”
Bekett nodded. “Then let’s go get her.”
****
Ouch! That hurt. Why did this woman like to hit her in the face? She could feel the swelling and could only imagine what she looked like. Probably like Jack.
Okay, Jack, now would be a good time to save the day.
And there he was. The front door burst open and Jack filled it, gun in hand and wearing a murderous expression. Eva spun around as Jack took out the two guards walking the perimeter.
“Ah, the hero is here at last.” Eva knelt behind her.
“What are you doing?”
The ropes binding her wrists were removed, but before she could react Eva had an arm around her neck and lifted her to her feet.
Another man had come in behind Jack, and started trussing up the two guards. Darci didn’t recognize him. Tall and lean with spiky black hair, a white dress shirt and slacks, he didn’t look like a cop. Then again, she wouldn’t know the difference. He wore the same black vest as Jack and had a gun in each hand.
“Secure?” Jack asked the man, who nodded.
“Put your weapons down or I blow her head off.” Eva drew their attention to where she had a gun held to Darci’s temple.
Jack tossed his weapon aside and nodded at the other man, who pursed his lips and did the same. Guns clattered across the floor as Jack took slow steps toward them.
No. She didn’t want him to come any closer. Eva had a twitchy trigger finger.
“Let her go, Eva. This is Special Agent Bekett from the FBI. He has your brother in custody and he’s ready to cut a deal.”
“Stop right there.” Eva tightened her grip on Darci’s neck. “I don’t cut deals with the FBI.”
“Then let Darci go and take me.”
Darci glared at Jack. He wasn’t helping. Blondie held the only gun in the room.
“I have what I want.”
“You can’t kill us all, Eva, so you may as well let her go.”
“Wrong,” Eva said and Darci panicked, ready for her to pull the trigger.
Things happened in slow motion. Darci drove her foot into Eva’s shin at the same time more of Eva’s goons burst through the door. She saw Jack and the FBI agent both reach behind their backs and pull out weapons as bullets rained through the warehouse.
Something slammed into her temple and at first she thought she’d been shot. She heard a click, but the gun didn’t go off. Stunned, she threw an elbow back, connecting with Eva’s stomach, and heard the woman grunt. She retaliated with a punch to Darci’s kidney. That hurt.
Her self-defense training kicked in and Darci got the upper hand. The Amazon’s spike heels served as a hindrance as Darci knocked her off balance and sent her stumbling backward. She used the opportunity to run for Jack, who returned fire.
“Darci, get down!” Jack yelled as he and the FBI agent secured the guards. Darci dropped to the floor and covered her head as the bullets slowed and eventually stopped.
She lifted her head in time to see Jack rise to his feet simultaneously with Eva. She should have taken Eva’s weapon away. Why hadn’t she taken it? Too late for regrets.
Eva pointed her gun at Jack’s head. Darci screamed a warning. Jack spun around. Eva pulled the trigger. The shot echoed through the warehouse.
The FBI agent leaped, blocking Jack with his body and flying backward when the bullet ripped through his shoulder.
Darci saw blood and everything went black.
Chapter Thirteen
Boston, two months later
As the lights dimmed in the little Irish pub—the same pub where she and her band had gotten their start—Darci took her place on stage. Her heart felt heavy and light at the same time with the prospect of going her own way and becoming a songwriter like she’d always dreamed.
The pub was unusually quiet for this time of the night, all eyes trained on her as Brian tapped out a light beat on his drums. Darci raised the mic at the same time Jess began playing the uilleann pipes in a haunting melody certain to bring tears to the audience’s eyes. As Kit and Gil chimed in with guitars, she began to sing, her emotion seeping into the words.
The melody consumed Darci. She soon lost herself in the words, no longer feeling the sadness of the break-up of her band or the loss of the man she loved. She’d written their song when she returned to Boston and her band was playing it tonight for the first time as their final set. She only hoped she could get through it without bursting into tears.
She and Jack had gone their separate ways, just as she’d known they would, known they had to, but it didn’t make it any easier. She’d fallen in love with Jack in that tropical paradise and leaving him had been the hardest thing she’d ever done.
She’d gone straight home after her return to the States. To her parents’ house and then to visit her sisters, spilling her tale about a band of thieves and a brave, handsome Navy SEAL who saved her life and stole her heart. Then she’d returned to Boston to discover Kit was getting married. Brian had been offered a once in a lifetime chance to be a drummer for a popular rock band. She wouldn’t hold them back. They would have stayed if she’d asked, but she couldn’t do that. So, they were playing their final gig and planned to make it a good one. She’d never let her broken heart get in the way of a performance.
The song ended and the crowd burst into shouts and clapping that brought a smile to her lips. The first time she’d smiled in two months. She’d cried herself to sleep every night since her return and hadn’t been able to put on her favorite bras and panties without bursting into tears, but it felt good to be here. These were her people, her fans, family and friends.
As she looked out she saw her parents and two sisters sitting in the audience, smiling and lending their support. They were here for her, putting their lives on hold to be with her on this important night and Darci felt her heart swell. She realized now her luck to have such a caring family and her adventure in the Caribbean had helped her see that. It had changed her life. Changed her. And she would never forget it.
The band broke into the next song, one that her mother loved the most. A slow ballad that always made her cry.
“This one’s for you, Mum,” Darci said.
A tear slipped down her mother’s cheek. She’d cried when Darci came home, holding Darci tight while she told her what she’d been through.
So much of her life had been spent wandering, never sitting still long enough to enjoy the family she had. She spent so much of her time wondering what waited over the next horizon, that she missed the comforts of simply being home. She’d never given it much thought before and she owed her newfound view on life to the experience in the Caribbean. It had taught her life was too fragile. She would never take her family for granted again.
She still longed for adventure. Probably always would, but her needs were changing. She no longer searched the globe for what was missing in her life. She’d found it in Jack and she wasn’t fool enough to believe she’d find it again.
But he’d returned to California and she to Boston. She rolled with the changes in her life, even if it did leave her feeling a little out of sorts. Her band had been her life for
so long, she didn’t know how to live without them. They satisfied her wanderlust. Without them, she felt a little lost.
She tried not to think about it too much, because it scared her. That life was all she knew. So where did that leave her? She loved a man who’d already forgotten about her, and she had no idea how to get over that.
Pushing the painful thoughts out of her mind, she focused on her music and her audience. A sad night for all. O’Malley’s pub was a beginning and an end for the band. She owed it to her audience to make it the best show ever.
****
Jack slipped unnoticed into a chair in the back corner of the very crowded Irish pub. Lucky he found somewhere to sit, considering the place was packed like a can of sardines. It didn’t take him long to figure out why.
His eyes were drawn to the stage, a small platform in the center of the pub, where the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen sang like an angel straight from Heaven. He couldn’t name all the instruments being played, but he knew the woman singing the haunting melody, her voice filling the room and wrapping around him.
Entranced, he watched her close her eyes and sway gently to the beat of the drum. Her hair fell in dark waves to her waist. Seeing her here, like this, would haunt him the rest of his days. She belonged on stage. The crowd loved her and when he glanced around he saw tears falling down many cheeks. All eyes were glued to her as she drew them into the melody.
The song ended. She blew a kiss to the audience, then briefly touched the Celtic necklace hanging around her neck. Cheering shook the rafters and Jack found himself clapping along with the rest of them. She was amazing. Sexy, beautiful and talented.
He’d come straight off the plane to O’Malley’s, prepared to offer her the adventure of a lifetime, but seeing her here, like this, in her element… Maybe he’d been wrong in thinking to ask her to leave. Clearly, this was where she belonged.
The band immediately broke into another song, this one more upbeat, yet still as haunting. The music seemed to touch a deep part of his soul, the part he kept hidden, and draw it out. But Jack wasn’t interested in the music; he wanted the singer. He couldn’t ask her to leave this life, it wouldn’t be fair, and no matter how he felt about her he would never intentionally hurt her. He’d been a fool for thinking she would give up everything for him. Now he saw how much she would be giving up.
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