The others agreed. Anything was better than that.
“All right then. Are we all in agreement that this is the best plan?”
They grumbled about it, but eventually, they all agreed it was best for everyone involved. They couldn’t risk being detected and taken back to prison. And they couldn’t risk being in a populated area and losing control of themselves, possibly causing an infectious outbreak.
As much as they wanted to return to their loved ones, that option had disappeared the moment they’d become infected with a seemingly incurable virus.
“Everyone, pick your teams. We’ll draw to see who goes first and who stays last to get rid of the boat.”
Lucas and Dante looked at Zach. “We want to stay with you, Zach. Unless you object.”
They’d been with him almost from the beginning of their careers. They were some of his best men. He trusted them.
Zach nodded. “I want y’all watching my back. We’ve been through enough together.”
Lucas smiled and Dante relaxed. Lucas straightened his mouth, looking serious. “What are we going to do about the girl?”
“I can’t see leaving her with the boat. She’d never make it back home,” Zach said. “And I sure as hell don’t want to risk infecting her.
“But if we don’t take her with us, they could get a hold of her. Who knows what would happen then,” Lucas said.
“I guess she comes with us. Better the devil you know.”
“I’ll watch her,” Dante volunteered.
Zach snorted. “I’ve seen you around her. You can’t handle yourself.”
“Speak for yourself,” Dante said.
“We’ll put Lucas down there. He should be able to handle it.”
***
Jasmine was too old for this shit. She should have known better than to try and smuggle anything into the country, even for altruistic reasons. She cursed herself a moron, a fool, but as much as she berated herself, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was a prisoner on her own boat.
Outside the room, she could hear the sounds of the men thumping around going through every room of the boat. She supposed they were looking for supplies. She just hoped none of them came inside to mess with her.
They hadn’t hurt her yet, but that didn’t mean that they wouldn’t. American accents didn’t mean they hadn’t been imprisoned without a good reason. Just because she thought American soldiers went to prison inside the United States for crimes didn’t mean that was the case.
She wasn’t entirely familiar with the legal system.
If she’d been caught smuggling cancer drugs in, she probably would have, knowing her luck.
“How you doing?” a masculine voice pulled her out of thoughts.
She jerked her head up, staring at the man leaning against the door.
She nodded in answer, instead of speaking.
“I’m Lucas Mathews. Sergeant asked me to come check on you. You need anything to eat? I brought you a bottle of water. I figured it’d been a while since you had anything.”
He offered the bottle to her and she accepted it, twisting off the cap and swigging half the bottle. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she’d been. Maybe that accounted for half her exhaustion—and uncertainty the other half.
“Serge … he’s Zach, right?” she asked, feeling her heart quicken its pace. There was something about the wildness in his eyes that stirred something deep within her. She liked to think it was fear and not anticipation, but the dangerous attitude he had was the kind that made most women swoon with lust.
Jasmine wanted to think she was better than that, better than allowing her pussy to lead her around by the nose. She was a strong person and had weathered a lot in recent years.
“Yeah. That’s Zach. I guess old habits die hard. We’re not exactly military anymore.” Lucas came inside and sat down, relaxing his back against the couch while she watched him.
He’d found a t-shirt that stretched across his chest like a second skin, revealing every inch of bulky muscle. He was thicker than Zachary, but no less appealing. His hair looked like it’d been shaved at one time, but had been allowed to grow out for a few months until feathery locks hung over his forehead and ears. His delineated jaw was covered in stubble, giving him a rough, animalistic look. And his hazel eyes had a tired look to them.
That he seemed friendly and easy going still wasn’t enough to make her trust him. She didn’t trust any of them. Especially since she didn’t know the truth. She sure as hell wouldn’t let any of them know why she was really out here!
“How long have y’all worked together?”
He scrubbed a hand through his beard stubble, looking up and thinking. “Hmm. We’ve signed up for two tours together. I suppose that puts him in the service going on twelve years and me and Dante eight under him.”
“Wow. That’s hard to believe. Y’all don’t look that old.”
He laughed. “You’d be surprised. We’ve been around a while.”
“I bet you have,” she said.
“Hoohah, baby! We know how to work hard, fight hard, and play hard, if you know what I mean. So what’s your name?”
She chuckled, despite herself. Something about him made her smile. He didn’t seem as menacing or dangerous as the others. She could almost be comfortable around him. And it was nice not being ogled like a piece of prime steak. “It’s Jasmine. Jasmine Roberts. Some people call me Jas.”
“Jasmine. I like it. It suits you.”
“Sometimes I wondered if my mama was a fan of Disney movies.”
He laughed. “I forgot about that. So why you really out here? You shouldn’t be in a place like this.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing him. “Why don’t you tell me why y’all are here?”
“I probably shouldn’t. Never know how Zach would react to that. He prolly wouldn’t like it.”
Jasmine sighed. Much as she wanted to know more, she wasn’t getting any more info any time soon—that much was obvious. She debated for a while whether to tell him why she was really here, and decided, finally that she didn’t have any incriminating evidence on her since she hadn’t made the pickup. Perhaps the truth would open him up a bit and reveal something about their motives.
“I came here to get cancer drugs for an organization that provides aid to low income families. I lost my mother and brother to cancer, so it’s a cause that’s close to my heart. I thought if I could help just one person, it’d be worth the risk of being caught. I didn’t expect to be caught by y’all, that’s for sure.”
He looked at her a long moment, as if measuring what she’d said. “That the truth?”
It actually felt good to get that off her chest. “Yeah. Why would I lie about it?”
He shrugged. “It’s just you’ve been hiding it since we got on board. I didn’t think you’d tell me so easily.”
“Eh. Why not. I don’t have anything illegal on me to hide, and something tells me what y’all have going on is a lot bigger than anything I was even thinking about doing.”
“Well, I have to say I was sure glad to see your boat waiting so purty out for us in the water. We thought for sure that they was going to catch us and lock us away again. We hadn’t seen outside our cells in…I don’t know how long. What’s today?”
“It’s the fifteenth of May.”
“Jesus H. Christ. We’ve been in there going on four months. That sounds about right.”
“Lucas. Shut your damn mouth.”
Jasmine looked at the door and saw Zach filling the space. The easiness of the conversation immediately dissipated with his aggressive stance.
Lucas got to his feet, looking guilty and resentful. “You didn’t tell me we couldn’t talk.”
Jasmine’s stomach knotted at the look Zach gave her. There was an intensity in his eyes that set her nerves on edge. She had the uncomfortable feeling, whenever he was around, that she was Jessica Rabbit staring up at the big bad wolf.
“Hungry?” he practically g
rowled, indicating them both.
“Hell yeah,” Lucas said.
“Go find something to eat then. You?” he said, turning back to her and eyeing her up and down.
It didn’t matter what she had on. He had the ability to make her feel like she didn’t have on enough. Surely they couldn’t be that fucking horny and desperate?
Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. He wasn’t the only one who could be hard. “I could eat.”
At his urging, she stood and walked to the main cabin. The heat of his hand at her waist urged her to move faster until she got to the cabin and saw the small space filled with the other two men.
She immediately moved to sit beside Lucas and across from Dante. Dante had dark, chocolate skin and light brown eyes that seemed to stare a hole through her shirt to her chest. He made her feel as hunted as Zach. As far as she was concerned, Lucas was probably the safer one to be around at the moment.
“We’ve got ravioli and spaghetti,” Dante said.
“I’ll take whatever. It doesn’t matter to me,” Jasmine said, watching as he set a plate of raviolis down in front of her.
“Grab everyone something to drink,” Zach said.
Behind her, she heard the rattle of bottles and realized Dante had grabbed the beer. It wasn’t enough to get them all drunk. Probably not even buzzed, considering the size of them all. There was barely enough room at the table for everyone to sit, let alone not touch elbows when they ate.
“I’ll have some more water,” she said, taking a bottle from him when he offered it.
Zach and Lucas popped open a beer and each took a swig. Zach eyed her. “You don’t drink beer?”
“Sometimes. I’m on a diet right now.”
He snorted. “You don’t have an ounce of fat to lose. Why you need to diet? For your boyfriend?”
“I don’t have a boyfriend. Besides, my butt is big,” Jasmine said, picking at her food and feeling heated looks from all around her. She did not welcome the attention they were giving her.
“You look good to me, baby,” Dante said. “A big butt is sexy on a woman.”
“I wouldn’t exactly call your ass fat,” Zach said.
“Looks about right to me,” Lucas agreed.
She rolled her eyes, choking on her food. “Thanks. I appreciate everyone giving me their opinion.”
“See there. You’re scaring her. She can’t eat for choking,” Lucas said, shooting a bird at Dante.
The comment and hand motion made her snort water. She coughed and sputtered.
“Y’all cut it out,” Zach said, remaining serious and straight-laced.
“Damn, girl, it musta been a while since you eat if you cain’t do no better than that,” Dante said, nudging Lucas in the side and showing off his teeth.
Lucas grinned at them both.
Actually, she found she wasn’t scared at all. Something about their playful banter put her at ease. They acted like regular men with a little food and beer in them. They must have been driven to dire straits to act the way they had before, but none of them had ever threatened her with bodily harm. She was just a little uneasy at all their attention.
Relaxed as they were now, it definitely didn’t bother her in the slightest.
It was also impossible to ignore the fact that the three of them found her attractive. She’d never been hit on by so many men at one time, but thought it was the fact that she was the only woman around that put her at an advantage.
They were good looking, she hated to admit. Dante had the leanness of a model, with smoky eyes and a chiseled jaw and full lips that had probably seen plenty of kissing.
Zach was broader in chest and shoulder, obviously older than them with the lines etched across his forehead and crinkling the corners of his mouth and eyes. He had a sternness to his features that was unlike the others, and she found it infinitely appealing.
The contrast of their personalities was definite. Zach was the somber one. Lucas the calm laid back soldier, and Dante was very much a player.
She’d had a couple boyfriends, but never any quite so attractive to her and certainly not at the peak of fitness like these three.
She highly doubted any of them ever had trouble getting a woman into bed.
“Are you all Southerners?” she asked, realizing the similarities of accent to her own. To be honest, she hadn’t paid it much attention until now, which just went to show that they had to be Southern born like she was.
The men exchanged looks. “There’s a lot of us Marines that are. Dante and Lucas are from Georgia. I hail from South Carolina,” Zach said.
“I thought I heard it in y’all’s voices.”
“Yeah. You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy,” Lucas said, grinning like a jack ass.
She couldn’t help returning the smile and wondered briefly where her sanity had gone. Surely she was smart enough not to melt in a puddle at a handsome face—or three.
After a few minutes, when everyone had finished, Zach pulled out a map and pointed to a spot on it. “We’ve drawn straws and will be the first to leave the boat. You’ll be coming with us until we can find a safe place to leave you. Unless you want stay on the boat with the other men…?”
Jasmine paled at that. She tried not to look at the others. She’d thought at some point that they’d abandon her with the ship. She hadn’t expected to go along for the ride. “Why can’t you all just leave me with the ship and go at once?”
“That’s not part of the plan. Besides, would you want to be here alone when military comes to pick you up? And they’ll find this boat eventually. Or be stranded with no fuel to get back home? Do you speak any Spanish?”
“No,” she said, wishing she did.
Zach grunted. “If they catch you, they could keep you until you tell them where we’re at, and that’s not something we’re willing to take a chance on. No, it’ll be better all the way around if you just come with us on the first wave.”
She looked at the men, feeling her stomach drop.
“We’ll protect you. We won’t let anyone hurt you,” Lucas said.
“And you’ll let me go when you have the first chance?” she said, wanting to trust them.
Zach nodded. “We don’t like this anymore than you do. Like it or not, we’re all stuck together until we can find a safe place away from harm.”
“But what about a passport? I don’t have any way to prove I’m an American.”
“We’ll just say it was stolen from you by pirates and your boat taken. Happens all the time. We’ll find a US Embassy further in the coast and you’ll be home free.”
She swallowed, seeing them watch her. “I guess I don’t really have any choice, do I?”
Chapter Four
Dante and Lucas piled out of the cabin, leaving Jasmine alone with Zach. She stood to go to the rear of the boat but he caught her arm, stopping her.
“Do you believe me,” Zach said, watching her intently. “No one is going to hurt you. I promise. We’re not going to allow you to get hurt. We’re doing this for what’s best for you.”
Jasmine nodded shakily, feeling tense all over when he finally let her go. She walked back to her cabin, curling up on a bunk under the blanket.
She didn’t want to think about what was going to happen to her. She could almost trust them. There was sincerity to these men that she couldn’t fathom or deny. She didn’t know if it was because everything about the way they moved and spoke pointed to their honesty, or the fact that they were being hunted and it elicited pity from her.
Jasmine had always had a thing for helping strays in need.
Like it or not, she had to trust they wouldn’t go back on their word. The aggressiveness she had to contribute to the situation, and barely escaping with their lives from military boats bound and determined to hunt and shoot them down in the water.
It had been hellacious luck she’d been in their path. They’d probably all be dead right now if s
he hadn’t been, and that didn’t set well with her either.
She hated killing, for whatever reason. Innocent or not.
Something about them made her feel like they’d been persecuted without fair trial. She’d always heard nefarious goings-on happened in Cuba. At least, that’s what the conspiracy theorists had led her to believe.
She wouldn’t know anything for certain until and unless they decided to clue her in. And with them planning on dumping her off in the first safe spot, she rather thought she probably would never know what was really going on.
Sleep wouldn’t come. She knew she was in for a helluva ride when they got to the first drop off point. It didn’t matter that she knew she needed rest. Insomnia plagued her, keeping her awake with troubling thoughts.
The swaying of the boat moving through water finally lulled her into a fitful sleep. It wasn’t until an indeterminate time had passed that she was awakened by a male voice at her door.
“We’re here,” he said.
Jasmine opened bleary eyes, rubbing the sleep from them as she sat up in the bunk.
The boat felt still, and she realized they must have stopped their forward momentum.
Lucas walked into the room. “We have to go,” he said, touching her shoulder.
Instant, crippling fear cramped her belly. She nodded and rose stiffly, following him out of the room to the deck.
When she reached the deck, she saw they’d already seemed to have made one drop off they hadn’t told her about. She’d thought they would be the first to go, but it looked like they were in the second wave.
Zach and Dante stood by the side of the boat, watching her. The other men stood at the wheel, waiting for them to jump ship.
“How are we going to do this?” she asked, looking out into the utter blackness that surrounded the boat on all sides.
The sea, lapping around the sides of the boat, looked like ink. The small sliver of moon in the sky did absolutely nothing to illuminate their surroundings. She had only their word that they’d arrived at their destination. As far as she could see, there was nothing but water and more water.
Fear pervaded her every nerve. She’d never been a great swimmer. She had no interest in attempting to swim the distance to land, however far it might be. Especially since she couldn’t see it.
Savage Hunger (Project Nemesis) Page 4
