“Jessica, when I say go you will lift your legs horizontally, all right? We need to hit the water perfectly to not get injured.”
“Yes, okay.”
“And be prepared to unhook yourself from me so we don’t get pulled underwater.”
She nodded even though he couldn’t see it and told herself this entire nightmare was about end. She looked into the distance and saw the first orange rays of the rising sun. It was breathtaking and very soothing.
“Get ready… Go!”
She lifted her legs like he said and they splashed down into the sea. Her hands found the D-rings and she hurriedly went to work unfastening them while the Dutchman kicked his legs so they stayed afloat. After 20 seconds they were apart. He instructed her to remove the parachute pack and they did so as the canopy began to sink next to them.
“It would be wonderful if we had a boat at this moment,” he said with jest.
“Oh, I did think about that!” She spun around and scanned the horizon. “There, it’s right there!”
She pointed to the yellow emergency raft which had inflated after hitting the ocean surface.
“Splendid.”
They swam the hundred yards through the light chop. Jessica would have complained about the distance any other day but right now, after all she had been through, it was almost relaxing. They climbed aboard and caught their breath. There would be time to plot their journey later.
“So, tell me how we got here, Jessica.”
“It was Vurnon,” she replied as she settled into his comforting arms.
She told him everything that had happened: getting knocked over the head, waking up in the air, Vurnon’s delusions of grandeur, fighting with him until he fell out of the aircraft. He asked a few questions but mostly let her speak uninterrupted.
“Thank you,” he whispered while stroking her cheek. “Hey, where is your necklace?”
“Didn’t make it.”
“I am sorry. Thank you again for your bravery. I did not deserve it. I do not deserve you.”
She shifted so she could look at him. She gazed into his arms and saw only his tortured soul. She wanted to save him, to abandon herself to his touch, and yet, despite feeling empowered like never before, she was afraid she wasn’t right for him. What he needed was a woman of the world, someone sophisticated who would be glamorous on his arm. She was none of these things.
She was prepared to kiss him one more time – one last time – when a horn broke the silence. They both turned toward the south and saw a boat speeding their way, slicing through the waves.
“It is a Coast Guard cutter!”
As the sun rose, the racing stripes of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard became clear. They waved out of custom but it was obvious the boat was coming for them. Jessica was sure that the crashing airplane had notified them.
The ship was impressive up close when it stopped next to the life raft. It was 135 feet long and painted an ugly shade of grey with a distinctive yellow stripe. Ryker and Jessica were taken aboard and immediately a medic looked them over.
“Well well…”
She turned toward the familiar voice. It was Samantha Tollefsrud and she was swaggering toward them on the deck. She had changed into a smart pantsuit and her hair was in a bun.
“You keep surprising me, don’t you?”
“It’s my mission in life.”
“That and destroying my career. I spent half the night on the phone denying that the CIA operates in Curaçao. It was a ballsy move to blow my cover like that. You must be proud of yourself.”
Jessica’s first instinct was to apologize, especially in light of her coming to her rescue. God knew how long they could have been stranded out in the ocean forever if the Coast Guard hadn’t shown up. But on second thought, that woman was a first-class bitch.
“I’m very proud,” she said, keeping her head high.
Tollefsrud grinned. “Good for you.”
“But… How did you know we were here? The plane crash?”
The CIA lady was about to reply when the pilothouse hatch opened and Daphne appeared. She was wearing navy coveralls and the cut on her face had been bandaged. When she spotted Jessica she ran to her.
“Oh my God, I’m so glad to see you! Are you all right?”
They both hugged each other for the longest time. Tollefsrud and Ryker stood side-by-side watching them.
“What happened?” Jessica asked. “How come you’re here?”
“After you went missing I went looking and I found your phone. The guy who took you, he emptied your pockets. I went through your call log and found the CIA woman, so I called her.”
“And how is Hubrecht?” she asked, this time turning toward Tollefsrud.
“He was taken to the hospital, he should be fine.”
She didn’t know it but that was what Jessica was waiting for to sigh in relief. It was finally over. No more shootouts, no more violence.
* * *
The cutter sailed into St. Anna Bay and docked at the Port of Willemstad. Jessica was exhausted from her ordeal and she barely spoke to anyone as they returned to Curaçao. Just knowing that Daphne, Hubrecht, and Ryker were safe made her feel at peace.
She was directed to the gangway and her redheaded friend looped her arm into hers as they walked off the Coast Guard vessel. They could barely stand up straight and essentially leaned on each other as they made their way to the dock.
“Look who’s here!” Daphne said.
Jessica raised her head and found Greg sitting on the hood of a police car, his ankles and arms crossed. He straightened up when they made eye contact.
“What is he doing here?”
“He was on your phone log as well. I called him after I called the CIA woman. He told me everything, about him coming here, about you and him.”
It was sweet of him to have stayed when he was supposed to fly out, Jessica thought. He was always finding new ways to surprise her. One moment he was being selfish and the next he displayed such kindness. They walked over to him.
“Are you all right?” he asked eagerly and with noticeable tenderness.
“Yeah, I’m fine, she’s fine, everybody’s fine.”
Relief flooded his face and he leapt forward, taking both women into his arms. After a moment, Daphne slithered out and let her two friends embrace. Jessica wanted to withdraw as well but there was no denying how comfortable it was in his arms given how tired she was.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” he drawled. “I was so worried. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you.”
After long seconds, she took a step back and turned around. Ryker was with Tollefsrud near the gangway. Also dressed in coveralls, he was staring at her with a forlorn expression. She went to him, almost jogging in spite of her fatigue. Tollefsrud gave them some space.
“Hey, why do you look so sad?”
“I will miss you.”
“What are you talking about, Ryker?” she asked with dread mounting within her.
“I must go away for some time. I have to debrief the authorities and because your CIA rescued us I must smuggle diamonds for them. I have to keep my word.”
“Yeah but…”
“That is not all. Simply because Baiz is dead, it does not mean there will not be retaliations. I cannot expose you to this, Jessica.”
“Ryker, don’t leave me! We can leave together!”
He exhaled and shook his head. “Do not be silly. You are a young woman with a bright future while I am nothing but a smuggler, a criminal. I am not the person you need in your life. Please, trust me on this. Besides, your friend over there seems perfectly capable of looking after you.”
She followed his eyes toward Greg who was staring back. “No, it’s not like that.”
“Perhaps it should be.”
Tollefsrud came to them and put her hand on the Dutchman’s forearm. “Come on, we need to go.”
“Take care of yourself, Jessica. I wish you the best of luck.”
/>
He touched her shoulder for a split second and then turned away. She had a thousand things to tell him but while her mouth hung open no sound came out. She couldn’t articulate how she felt and how she needed him.
Then the horrible notion that he had never cared about her occurred to her. That had to be it, whatever had happened between them was purely physical. She had been correct before, her worst fears were coming true: he didn’t think she was right for him.
She had fallen for him like a stupid cow.
She watched Ryker and the CIA officer get into a dark sedan where a man in a suit was waiting for them. They drove off. When she turned back Greg was right there by her side.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”
She wanted to explain to him that she didn’t want to go, that she wanted to stay in case the smuggler changed his mind, but again words wouldn’t come out. She barely felt Greg’s arm across her shoulders as he pulled her toward the police car waiting for them. Her gaze was locked on the Dutchman driving away.
And that was the last time she saw Ryker.
Chapter 34
THREE MONTHS LATER
Jessica squinted at the numbers on the screen. What was up with those variables? Did she make the wrong calculations? She pushed with her feet and her massively uncomfortable swivel chair was propelled three feet to the workstation next to hers. Not only was it littered with half a dozen open books and printouts but it had a setup she coveted: dual monitors.
Granted, it wasn’t exactly the stuff of NASA – hell, not even on par with the movie Swordfish – but everyone in the National Earthquake Information Center was jealous of it although the screens were mismatched and the computer still ran on Windows 98. She planted her feet on the ground, making the chair stop on a dime.
“Myles, can you give me the numbers from grid 29?” she shouted across the room.
“Which one?”
“Let’s start with the atmospheric pressure and take it from there.”
She was almost giddy and bobbed along the up-tempo beats of Anjulie’s Brand New Bitch blasted from the office stereo. She was on the heels of developing a new algorithm to predict earthquake. Of course, she was years away from anything concrete but everyone in the department was excited about the fresh perspective she had brought in the three short months she had been working here.
Myles, twice as old and half as ambitious, sent the figures to her workstation and she immediately began crunching numbers. She barely noticed when he walked over to her. The thing that made her turn her head was the annoying crunching sound he made wolfing down Fritos.
“How many bags of those do you eat a day?”
“They’re very nutritious, you know. Besides, how else am I gonna eat dinner with you driving the slave ship?”
“Dinner? What time is it?”
“After six.”
“Oh,” was all she said.
After the mess had been cleared up and she had been given her USGS job back, she had dived into her work. At first it was to prove herself, to prove that she belonged here, though it was impossible to deny she was also trying to find an outlet in order to forget Ryker. But now her work was everything. The research was yielding incredible data and the prospect of her being responsible for advancing science became like a drug.
“Look Myles, I’m gonna keep working on this. You can go home.”
“Really? Wow, I’m not even sure I know where I live anymore. I think I’ll have to Google my address.”
“You keep this up and I’ll make you stay.”
He winked at her while walking back to his desk. She wasn’t his boss by any definition but the truth was the other scientists were also enthusiastic about her work and helped out however they could.
“Goodnight, Jess.”
“Goodnight!”
She briefly looked through the window. It was dark and the lights were catching snowflakes falling faster and faster. That was the thing she hated the most about Colorado, one day you were in flip-flops and the next you were chasing after the snow-blower. It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet and it was snowing. Great.
She thought about Daphne who didn’t have this problem. She was now living in southern Arizona with her grandparents. She spoke to her every couple of days and she was getting better. She had found work as a sous-chef in an Italian restaurant. The situation had understandably shaken her and she was seeing a therapist. In fact, the last time they’d spoken she mentioned that she was considering seeing her therapist.
That was just like her and it made Jessica smile. That she was considering going back to her promiscuous ways was strangely a good sign. She was becoming her old self again and was confident that she would soon fall back on her feet. They promised each other that their next vacation would be spent in a very boring and quiet place.
She put her head down again and returned to her work. Could there be a correlation between atmospheric conditions and seismic activity? Could she devise a way to predict earthquakes? She punched in some numbers and decided she would order a pizza if she stayed past eight o’clock.
“Uh, Jess?”
She glanced up and Myles was back, a few melting snowflakes clinging to his parka.
“What is it? Did you forget something?”
“There’s a guy out here, says he wants to talk to you. He’s outside.”
“A guy? What guy? Unless he’s got balloons and is part of the Prize Patrol, tell him to come back tomorrow.”
“He didn’t say his name, he’s got a foreign accent. Seems classy.”
Her heart stopped at the mention of an accent. Logic dictated that the man was probably a parking attendant who had unfortunately scratched her car but she couldn’t help associate him with one particular person.
“I got it, Myles. Thanks!”
She stood up, ran to get her coat, and headed for the exit. A bitter wind slapped her across the face as she came out. Even though the National Earthquake Information Center was located on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines, the area was practically deserted. The weather was keeping everyone indoors.
She walked briskly to the curb where she spotted a black Cadillac SUV. A man in a trench coat and knit hat was standing next to it.
“Ryker?”
The man turned. It wasn’t Ryker at all. It was Hubrecht.
“Hello, Ms. Densley.”
“Hi, Hubrecht. I thought…”
“You thought I was him. Honestly, I don’t get that often.”
He laughed at his joke. If someone looked the complete opposite of Ryker it was definitely Hubrecht.
“Is he… Is he all right?”
“I won’t answer that. You can ask him yourself. Get in, please.”
Jessica forgot to breathe as she rounded the car. Was he really here? Was she about to see him again after all these months? Her eyes were drawn to the bumper where a white sticker conspicuously stood out. It read: Curaçao Skydiving 4ever!
She started giggling. Half of it was his sudden appreciation of bumper stickers and the other half was at the prospect of seeing him. She opened the rear door and her face fell. There was no one in the vehicle.
“Please, get in,” Hubrecht said as he got behind the wheel. “I will drive you.”
She thought briefly about her car that was still here, her work left finished. None of it mattered, not right now. There were more important things in sight. Hubrecht shifted into gear and they drove off the university campus.
“Where are we going?”
“It isn’t too far.”
“Don’t I need a blindfold or something?”
“Not anymore,” he replied with a chuckle.
She kept her eyes peeled as she looked at the scenery, trying to deduce where they were going. They headed southwest into the mountains, toward Evergreen, and before long the road was deserted. She hadn’t been in the Denver area for long and didn’t know it very well, but she could see that real estate prices were going up wi
th every quarter-mile they drove.
Hubrecht clicked a button and massive gates swung open. They went up a driveway lined with tall firs and pine trees and they finally came to a halt in front of a gigantic house. It was made of stone and built into the mountain with colossal windows taking up most of the facade.
“This way, please.”
She followed him out of the car and into the house. Snow had accumulated much more at this altitude and she stamped her feet like she did as a child coming in from playing outdoors in winter. Just as Hubrecht helped her out of her coat, she heard footsteps.
Chapter 35
Once more holding her breath, she stared ahead into the dusky house. Hubrecht nodded for her to go forward and she did. A second later, the door opened and closed again and the bodyguard was gone.
She continued going forward until she found herself in a great room with a cathedral ceiling. A cavernous fireplace the size of most dorm rooms was the focal point and a roaring fire cast shadows everywhere. There were exposed cedar beams and flagstone walls, leather couches, brass tables, and, most of all, panoramic windows opening on the city in the distance.
Even though she was awed by the decor, she still had the footsteps in mind. She glanced around, increasingly wondering if she had imagined the whole thing. Then she located the bar which made up the eastern portion of the room. It rivaled most luxury hotels in both size and attention to details.
Ryker was leaning back against the bar.
“Good evening, Jessica.”
Blood rushed to her head and her hands immediately became moist. Even though he was wearing dark pants and sport jacket over a dress shirt with open collar, he was just as she remembered. No, that wasn’t true. He looked better.
“You… You could have called,” she said in an attempt to regain a few shreds of dignity.
“And where would have been the fun in that?”
He pushed himself off the bar and slowly walked to her, stopping two feet away.
The Alpha's Touch Boxed Set (14 Book Bundle) Page 119
