by Debra
Salty.
Juliet had grown up in Virginia and vacationed at the Chesapeake Bay her whole life. And her mother, a high school science teacher, had always used every opportunity to teach her children—even during vacations.
The Bay was a unique water source, an estuary. It started with fresh water north of Baltimore, but by the time it got south of Annapolis—where they were now—the water was brackish, becoming more and more salty.
In this storm, anybody could’ve made a watery mess in the elevator. But only someone who had just come out of the Bay would’ve made a saltwater mess.
Omega agents were on this ship.
For the first time since she’d come on board, Juliet had a sense of hope. She needed to be ready, and prayed that Omega had sent a good agent. She wished Sawyer and Cameron weren’t injured and that Dylan wasn’t retired. Her brothers were the best the agency had to offer. But of course, right now Juliet would take even a rookie straight out of Quantico.
The Ukrainian didn’t notice anything suspicious. As the elevator doors opened, he grabbed Juliet’s arm again and pressed the knife against her ribs. They walked this way down to Juliet’s room. She didn’t have a key and just reached for the doorknob.
“Glad you guys had the good sense to leave the door unlocked,” she said, just a hair too loudly. Wherever the Omega agent was, she wanted to make herself as noticeable as possible, without making the Ukrainian aware of that, of course.
Her captor shoved her into the room. “Why do you waste time? Perhaps you want to be a widow and allow my partner to viciously kill your husband? Maybe I’ll just sit here and let the minutes count down.”
“No.” Juliet shook her head. “No, please.”
“Then where is this hidden safe you mentioned?”
“I lied. There is no hidden safe.”
The Ukrainian stepped toward her, his nostrils flaring, his skin mottled. “Then I hope you enjoy pain, and that your husband does, as well. You will suffer mightily before you die.”
“No, I have the codes. They’re right here, look.” Juliet walked over to her pillow and retrieved the drive from the case. She tossed it to the Ukrainian. He inspected it, then looked back at her.
“Good, now you do not need to suffer. But unfortunately, you still need to die.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Ukrainian came barreling toward Juliet, knife extended. She grabbed the pillow off the bed—it wouldn’t help much, but at least it was something—and shifted her weight sideways as the large, beefy man came at her. She used the pillow to help push the Ukrainian to the side, using his own momentum against him. He stumbled, but didn’t fall all the way to the floor.
Juliet knew this would be her only chance for escape. She ran toward the door, but the Ukrainian was too quick. He grabbed her ankle and yanked, pulling her down. She tried to kick him off, but he was stronger. He reached over to grab his knife and Juliet knew this was the end.
She opened her mouth to scream, not knowing if it would be heard in this storm, but she had to try. The sound hadn’t even left her mouth when the door slammed open and a figure dressed from head to toe in black neoprene flew through the air, tackling the Ukrainian. Juliet backed away, out of reach of the knife.
She couldn’t see his face, but knew the Omega agent was here.
The Ukrainian was determined to kill this new arrival. The agent, on the other hand, at first used nonlethal blows, but when it became obvious they weren’t going to work, the man’s stance altered.
Juliet could see the change, recognize the training. The Ukrainian didn’t know it yet, but he was a dead man. And this Omega agent? He definitely wasn’t a rookie.
It was over in a matter of moments. The Ukrainian came at his attacker, knife aimed at his heart. The agent twisted and stepped out of the way, flipping his foot out and tripping him. Then he straightened quickly and knocked the other man forward with his elbow. The Ukrainian couldn’t recover his balance.
He fell to the floor, landing with his own knife in his chest, dead just seconds later.
The agent whipped his hood off and ran to Juliet. Shock pooled through her.
“Dylan?”
What was her oldest brother doing here? He wasn’t even an active agent anymore, for heaven’s sake. Not that you could tell that from the fight that had just occurred.
Dylan put his face next to Juliet’s and spoke almost silently. “Is this room under surveillance?”
She shook her head. “Not in here. It’s been dismantled.”
He pulled her into a hug. “Jules, are you all right? Where’s Evan? You’ve got a load of bruises on your face. Are you hurt?”
“What are you doing here, Dylan?”
He gently framed her face with his hands. “Juliet, are you hurt?” he repeated.
“No, I’m fine. I’m fine. Just some bruises. But I have to get back to Evan. That guy’s partner—” she pointed to the body lying on the ground “—has instructions to kill Evan if we’re not back in about five minutes.”
“I’ll help you with the other guy.”
“Dylan, why are you here?”
“When Cam and Sawyer told me about the yacht and all the changes yesterday, I flew in to headquarters to see if there was anything I could do. When we got your message, both Sawyer and Cam wanted to be the ones who came here, but neither were up to the physical aspect of getting on board.”
“Didn’t Omega have anyone else to send?”
“Of course they did, but we weren’t sure what condition you would be in. Everyone thought it would be best if a family member met you, in case there was...trauma.”
Juliet quickly hugged him. “I’m fine, Dylan. Trauma-free. Although I was probably about to get myself killed by that guy. Thank you, by the way. You may not be an Omega agent anymore, but nobody would’ve known it from what I just saw.”
He bent and kissed her on the forehead. “You look great, little sis, um, except for the massive bruising and swelling.”
Juliet rolled the eye that wasn’t swollen shut. “Thanks.”
“No, I mean you seem together. Prepared. In charge. You look better than I’ve seen you look in eighteen months.”
“I’m doing better, Dylan. I really am. Evan was right, I just needed something to force me to get back in the game.”
“Karcz being right, now there’s a first.” Dylan winked at her. “Let’s go get him.”
She opened the door, but when she heard voices down the hall, immediately closed it again. “People are out there, Dylan.”
She handed him the hard drive with the codes. “Here, you take this, find your other Omega guy and move out. I’ll get Cady and his security people to help me with the other Ukrainian and Evan.”
“Are you sure? I hate to send you to Cady for anything.”
“No, it will be fine. Vince will be furious that the Ukrainians tried this right under his nose. I’ll tell him I killed this guy. It will work.”
“Okay. Be safe, sis. See you soon.” Dylan kissed her forehead, then pulled his neoprene mask back over his face. Juliet opened the door and headed toward the voices she heard, while her brother made his way in the other direction. Halfway down the hall, she turned to check Dylan’s progress, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Omega had lost a brilliant agent the day they had lost Dylan Branson. But Juliet knew he had his reasons for quitting.
Knowing he was clear, she started screaming her head off.
“Help! I need help!” Forcing hysteria wasn’t difficult.
Juliet was sure she looked a sight—bruised, bleeding, screaming, in her T-shirt and torn yoga pants. It didn’t take long for everyone to find her. Security, guests, even Vince and Christopher Cady were soon in the hallway, despite the late hour.
Juliet grabbed the biggest guy in the corridor, pretty sure he had to be part of the security team, and started dragging him toward the galley.
The fifteen minutes was almost up and she was afraid the other
Ukrainian might already be torturing Evan with his knife, even if he hadn’t killed him.
“The Ukrainians are trying to kill us. One has my husband in the galley.” Juliet tried to make the words as clear as possible, but her mouth felt like mush from the punches she’d taken. The security guy had drawn his weapon, so evidently he understood the gist of what she was saying. Another security person was attempting crowd control, trying to get everyone to return to their assigned cabins.
Juliet left them behind, running down the hall toward the elevator. The ride down the three levels seemed to go on forever. She didn’t waste time talking to the guard. The moment the door slipped open just enough for her to fit, she was through. The guard was right on her heels.
Juliet barreled through the galley door, instantly taking stock of the situation. Evan was alive, but the Ukrainian stood in front of him, knife raised. Juliet didn’t hesitate, didn’t take even a moment to consider her own safety, just threw herself at the thug before he could figure out what was going on and harm Evan.
She took him to the ground, where they landed side by side, legs entangled. Juliet steeled herself against the pain of the collision, but found it difficult to see straight. The big man was quick to shake off the effects of the fall, and before she knew it, his knife was raised and coming toward her.
Evan yelled her name and she prepared to block the knife.
Until a shot was fired and the Ukrainian fell backward, a bullet hole in his forehead.
Juliet pulled her legs out from under the dead man’s and looked over at the galley door. She expected to see the guard with a raised weapon, but instead it was Christopher Cady who had shot the Ukrainian. The gun was still in his hand, his arm still raised.
Juliet didn’t care who had killed the other man. She was just glad to be alive and that Evan was, too.
She got up and stumbled over to him.
“Damn it, woman, are you all right? What the hell were you doing, tackling him like that?” Evan looked like hell. Half his shirt was bright red with blood from his shoulder.
“Are you okay?” She wasn’t sure if she should apply pressure to the wounds, or if that would just cause him more pain without really helping him. “Somebody cut him loose.”
One of the guards immediately sliced the plastic ties that bound him to the chair. Evan wrapped his arms around Juliet, pulling her into his lap. “Where’s the other psycho?” he whispered in her ear.
“Dead. In our room. Long story.”
“And the codes?”
“Safe in the place they need to be. In good hands. Even longer story.”
Evan raised his eyebrow at that, but said nothing. Juliet was sure that, like her, he was just glad something had gone right in this whole brouhaha.
Vince Cady made his way over, followed by his son. The older man looked aghast. “Lisa, Bob, I cannot believe this has happened while you were under my protection. My men are already investigating. It looks like the Ukrainians went to great lengths to circumvent our security measures.”
Juliet noticed Cady didn’t mention having the rooms bugged, only “security measures.”
“Yeah, well, the other member of that merry little gang is dead in our cabin. Thanks to the storm, he tripped and fell on his own knife.”
“Yes, he has already been found. And I am quite proud of Christopher, that he did not hesitate to do what needed to be done.”
Juliet looked over at the dead Ukrainian. She was glad Christopher hadn’t hesitated, either, or it might’ve been her lying there. “Thank you,” she offered. Christopher still gave her the creeps, but in this case she owed him her thanks. She smiled and held out her hand.
He took it, but instead of shaking it, brought it to his lips. Juliet barely contained her shudder. She withdrew her hand as politely as possible.
Evan’s arms tightened around her.
“Bob needs medical attention. Those psychos stabbed him in the shoulder,” Juliet stated.
Vince nodded. “We have a medical professional on staff. I will have someone escort you both. You have injuries, too, Lisa.” The older man grimaced as he glanced at her face. She must look pretty bad.
Vince and Christopher both left to confer with the security team, anger clear in both men’s stance and tone. Vince Cady might be a criminal, but his sense of honor had been contravened, his own sanctuary violated.
Heads would roll that something like this could happen without the security team’s awareness.
Juliet looked over to the doorway and found Heath Morel standing there, staring at her, malice evident in his expression. He turned and left before she could respond. Not that she’d know what to say or do.
“Are you okay?” Evan whispered, now that they were relatively alone. He obviously hadn’t seen Morel, and Juliet didn’t mention him. “How did you take down that Ukrainian? What the hell happened?”
“Dylan happened,” Juliet murmured back.
“Dylan? Here on the ship? Now?”
“Well, hopefully not anymore. I gave him the drive. Omega sent him, since they didn’t know what shape I’d be in. Didn’t want to send a stranger.”
“Then that poor Ukrainian bastard didn’t have a chance.”
Juliet sighed and shook her head. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Are you sure you’re okay, baby?” Evan stroked her bruised face, grimacing.
“Surprisingly, yes.” Juliet shrugged. “Battered face notwithstanding. You were right. I can handle more than I give myself credit for.”
“See? You should listen to me more often.”
Juliet brushed Evan’s hair away from his forehead with gentle fingers. “You’re worried about me? You’re the one who got stabbed.”
He kissed her gently on her bruised, swollen lips. “It’s only a flesh wound. But if my arm falls off be sure to pick it up for me, okay?”
Juliet could see sweat still beading on Evan’s forehead. She knew he must be in pain. But that he would worry about her and make jokes to help her feel more comfortable even now...
God, how she loved him.
Her eyes flew back to his and she drew in a startled breath. Where had the thought of love come from? After her rape, she had figured that love wouldn’t be in the cards for her, that she would never again be comfortable enough with a man to be close.
But here she was, sitting on the lap of the man she trusted most in the world, as comfortable as she could ever dream of being. They were both wounded, exhausted and surrounded by criminals, but Juliet felt safe.
So maybe love wasn’t such a crazy idea, after all.
“What? What is that look? You look like you’ve just had a breakthrough in quantum physics or something.” Evan smiled, shaking his head.
“Yeah, something like that.” This wasn’t the place for declarations of love. But she did lean in and kiss him tenderly. “You’re a pretty good husband, Mr. Sinclair.”
Evan’s smile got even brighter. “Well, you’re a pretty good wife, Mrs. Sinclair.”
They probably would’ve stayed there awhile, just holding on to each other, if the staff member hadn’t come to lead them to the medical attention they needed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Evan watched the distant port of Annapolis come into view. It would take only an hour or two now before they docked and were able to disembark. He was ready to get off this yacht.
He glanced at Juliet, who sat in an overstuffed love seat enjoying the late afternoon sunshine. Her eyes were closed and her battered face turned up toward the sun, which had chased away all traces of the storm. The sight of her wounded face brought back many unpleasant memories for Evan, but Juliet seemed to be doing fine.
More than fine, if her slight smile gave any hint.
Truly, she had handled the entire situation with the Ukrainians like a champ. She may have been out of the game for the past eighteen months, but no one would have known that last night. Evan could still feel the terror that had washed over him when that bastar
d had taken her out of the galley to go get the codes.
Not knowing what the Ukrainian was doing to Juliet—whether he would kill her as soon as he had what he wanted—had been much worse than the pain in Evan’s shoulder. And then to see her come flying back through the galley like some professional wrestler, tackling a guy twice her size? Yeah, she’d saved Evan’s life, but she’d also taken ten years off it as he’d watched, helpless, as the second Ukrainian raised that knife at her.
So thank God for Christopher Cady and his good aim. That was a sentence Evan never thought he’d say.
Vince Cady, although thrilled with his son’s actions, was truly appalled at what had happened. He’d moved Evan and Juliet into a huge cabin for the little of the night that was left and had apologized profusely. Multiple times.
In the end, Evan had no doubt this incident would strengthen their relationship with the miscreant. It was always good when a criminal owed you a favor. Vince was less likely to be suspicious of them in the future when he remembered what they had gone through under his watch.
Cady would eventually be arrested for his crimes, but first he would inadvertently provide Omega all sorts of intel about his criminal network. Evan would see to that.
But most of all, everything had become crystal clear to Evan last night. He was not going to live without Juliet any longer. Life was too short, too fragile. And he’d loved her too damn long to be without her anymore. Whatever it took to convince her of that, he would do it. He’d made the mistake of giving her space for too long.
He wouldn’t be making it again.
“You doing okay over there?” Juliet asked him from her chair. “How’s the shoulder?”
The yacht’s medic had stitched him up and given him a tetanus shot and some painkillers. It didn’t seem as though any permanent damage had been done, especially since Evan had full range of motion. But the doctor had suggested he get himself completely checked out once they reached shore. None of Juliet’s bruises and swelling would have any permanent effects, either, he predicted.
