“And that includes me?”
Why the hell wouldn’t she let it drop? Why was she forcing the issue, prodding him until he was bound to hurt her? “Yeah, princess, that includes you.”
Emotion clogged her throat. Tears glistened in her eyes. She willed herself not to cry in front of him. She’d been an idiot to think their interlude earlier this afternoon had meant as much to him as it had to her. He had as much as told her so afterward.
We both needed release, but this way, you’ll still have your virginity intact.
Quinn might be a womanizer, but he was a womanizer with honor. He didn’t seduce silly, young virgins who threw themselves at him. He had given her pleasure and allowed her to give him release without technically compromising her. How damn noble of him! His conscience was clear. He’d left her virginity intact for some other man.
Their conversation came to an abrupt halt and neither spoke for many miles in their journey. Finally, Victoria broke the silence.
“I can row for a while if you’d like,” she said.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m fine. You’re doing enough by keeping watch.”
By late afternoon Victoria’s stomach growled. She wished she’d eaten something when they’d stopped for their baths. But she hadn’t been hungry for food then, only for Quinn.
“There are some oranges in the backpack,” Quinn told her.
She rubbed her belly. “I am starving. Thanks.”
Just as she reached for the backpack, Quinn stiffened his spine and stopped rowing. With her hand hovering over the knapsack, she gazed over at Quinn.
“What’s wrong?”
“Listen,” he said. “Do you hear that?”
She sat quietly, then heard what he did. “Sounds like a—oh, God, Quinn, it sounds like a waterfall.”
“If it is and it’s a steep drop, then that means we won’t be going any farther in this boat.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re docking the boat on shore first,” he said. “Then we’ll make our way downstream until we reach the falls. If the drop isn’t too bad, we’ll come back and take the boat. If it is too dangerous to try, then we’ll have to travel the rest of the way on foot.”
“Oh, great! Back to the jungle.”
“No more jungle. We’re probably less than twenty miles from Gurabo.”
“That close!”
“Yeah, that close,” he said. “But remember twenty miles on foot is a long trek. By boat we could still be there by tonight. If we’re forced to stay on land, then we’ll have to camp somewhere again tonight.”
“A difference of less than twelve hours shouldn’t matter, but it could, couldn’t it?”
Quinn rowed the boat toward shore. “You are a fast learner.”
They had no choice but to leave the boat behind as they headed off in search of the waterfall. Something told Victoria that they’d never see that little boat again.
Her instincts were proven right when they rounded the next bend and came face-to-face with the monster of all waterfalls. She and Quinn exchanged defeated looks. They knew when something was hopeless, and any chance of surviving a trip over those falls was slim to none.
“Looks like we’ll be traveling the rest of the way on foot,” she said, resigned to spending another night on Santo Bonisto. A night of temptation alone with Quinn.
Keeping to the trail along the river, they made good progress for several miles, then the trail disappeared, forcing them to make their way inland in search of a road.
The sun rested low in the western sky. Quinn checked his wristwatch. Nearly seven o’clock. They might make a few more miles before he’d have to find a place for them to camp. If he were alone, he would risk traveling on through the night, but Victoria couldn’t stay on her feet that many hours. Besides, you never knew what you might run into in the dark.
In the distance, thunder rumbled. Victoria glanced up at the clear blue sky and thought it odd that it was thundering on such a clear day. Quinn halted, listening to the faraway roar.
He grabbed her arm. “Do you hear that?”
“The thunder?”
“It’s not thunder,” he said. “It’s artillery fire.”
“What?”
“I didn’t think we’d run into a battle this close to Gurabo. Damn! General Xavier has already made his push toward the capital. No one expected him to get this far so quickly.”
“Can’t we just go around—”
He closed his hands over her shoulders. His heated stare demanded her complete attention. “Listen. Can’t you hear it? The battle is coming closer to us. That means the Nationalists have the rebels on the run and they could very well retreat right into us, no matter how hard we try to avoid them. We have no way of knowing how many rebel troops are in the area. They could have all inland entrances into Gurabo blocked. Trying to go on to the capital city right now would be like signing our death warrants.”
She placed her hands on his chest. “What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to find ourselves a damn good hiding place and wait it out,” he told her. “If President Juarez’s troops have the rebels on the run, they could push them back for miles and maybe clear up the roads.”
“Where can we hide? If the rebels are headed this way, how can we escape them?”
“I’m not sure we can,” he said. “But we’re going to give it our best shot.”
“What—what do you mean?”
“The truth is there’s a good chance that wherever we hide, we’re going to be caught in the middle between the rebels and the Nationalists. But we can’t just stay here and let it happen.”
“This is bad. I mean, really bad. We could die, couldn’t we?”
She realized that while he was trying to be honest with her, he was also trying to soften the blow, to give her hope where possibly there was none.
“Don’t give up on me, princess. I’ve gotten myself through worse than this before and if there’s any way to keep you safe, I will.”
Victoria wrapped her arms around Quinn’s waist and laid her head on his chest. “I know you will.”
Capturing her face between his hands, he positioned her for his kiss. Their lips met and mated with frenzied urgency. Then as quickly as he’d claimed her mouth, he released her.
“About three miles back, we passed what I think might have been some small, shallow caves. If we can make it back there, and if the caves are large enough, we can hide in them. It’s our best bet.”
The rumble of war grew closer and closer. They couldn’t move forward. Their only choice was retreat.
“Let’s go find those caves,” Victoria said.
“That’s my girl!”
Quinn set a grueling pace, but the ever-increasing sounds of battle drove them on, back along the route that had brought them so close to their destination.
Odd thoughts flashed through Victoria’s mind as she struggled to keep up with Quinn. Thoughts of living and loving and dying. Occasionally Quinn slowed enough to allow her to catch her breath and in those moments was when she knew, with the utmost certainty, that if she had to die there, she knew of no better way than at Quinn McCoy’s side—his good partner to the very end.
Nine
They searched the series of cave openings, trying unsuccessfully to find one large enough for the two of them to enter. Then Quinn discovered an entrance almost overgrown with vines and small shrubs. After crawling inside, they found a low cavern with damp, moss-covered walls near the entryway, which opened up to over seven feet in height and stayed at that level for a good ten or twelve feet within the interior. Farther back, the cave ceiling dropped dramatically to crawl spaces again, through which Quinn saw chambered grottoes of various sizes, apparently leading nowhere.
“Looks like this is as good as it gets,” he told her, then dumped his backpack and laid the rifle on the cave floor.
Eerily gloomy and dank, the enclosure felt like a tomb to Victoria. But f
or now, it was a safe tomb, she reminded herself. “It’s awfully dark in here.”
“Once the sun sets and we lose what little light that comes in through the entrance, it’ll be pitch-black,” he told her.
She shivered at the thought of being trapped in the darkness, with no moon or stars overhead. “Wish we could build a fire for the light and the heat. It’s chilly.” She rubbed her palms up and down her upper arms.
“That’s because these caves lead down to subterranean caverns. I’d say we’re below sea level here and that if we could go farther down, we’d reach an underground spring that leads out to the ocean.”
“Well, that’s always an option, I suppose.” She laughed. “We could swim out to the ocean and then back to shore near Gurabo.”
“Actually, if we could reach the levels below, it might be worth a shot. But short of blasting our way through, I don’t think we can do anything but go out the way we came in.”
“Do you mean we really could swim out to sea from an underground stream?”
“It’s been done.”
The limited illumination created murky shadows and painted the corners of the cavern black. In about an hour, after the sun set, utter darkness would claim the cave. Quinn opened the backpack, then rummaged around inside until his hand encountered a cylinder. He lifted it from beneath the other items. “Voilà!” He held up the flashlight.
“You’ve had a flashlight all along,” she accused, knocking him over and crawling on top of him as she reached for the flashlight.
He tumbled her over onto her back before she had a chance to grab the flashlight, then grasped both of her hands in one of his and trapped them above her head. Pointing the beam of light at her face, he waited for her to stop wriggling beneath him.
“You’d better be a good girl, if you want me to share.”
“I’ll be good.” Giggling, she lay perfectly still.
“If you get scared in the night, you can use this—” he released her hands, then gave her the flashlight, curling her fingers around it “—but be careful that you don’t point the light toward the cave entrance.”
She set the flashlight down on its face, directly at her side, then lifted her arms and draped them around Quinn’s neck. “What other secrets are you hiding in that backpack of yours?”
Gazing down into her teasing eyes, Quinn smiled. “Whatever I have is yours, princess. Flashlight, handgun, ammunition, beef jerky, nuts, oranges—”
She placed her hand over his mouth to silence him. “I’m sorry about my rifle. If I’d been paying attention to where I was going, I might not have ended up waist-deep in quicksand and I’d still have the M-1. We’re probably going to need it, aren’t we?”
Easing her hand from his mouth, he gripped her arm. He stroked his thumb back and forth across the pulse point on the underside of her wrist. “Our situation isn’t hopeless.”
She heaved a resigned sigh. “But our chances aren’t good, are they?”
He considered lying to her, but dismissed the idea. Victoria deserved to know the truth. “No, honey, our chances aren’t good.”
“Then right now—the next few hours—could be the rest of our lives.”
“Yeah. Maybe. Anything can happen, but the odds are definitely against us. We can’t stay holed up in this cave for long. Sooner or later, we’re going to have to emerge and find out what’s waiting for us out there.” He inclined his head toward the cave entrance.
“If the rebels are waiting for us, please, don’t let them take me. Don’t let them—”
Quinn lifted her into his arms, then raised her up with him until she was sitting in his lap. After draping her in his embrace, he feathered kisses along her right temple and cheek.
“Could be the government forces who find us,” he said. “Let’s hold on to that thought. Okay?”
“Okay.” She snuggled into his body, seeking warmth and comfort. “Quinn?”
“Huh?” Absently he stroked her back as he held her.
“Want to exchange stories about our childhoods or discuss our jobs or—”
“Trying to find something to pass the time while we wait it out?” he asked.
“If I don’t get my mind off the lousy odds of our leaving Santo Bonisto alive, I think I’ll go crazy.”
“I was born poor and unwanted in Houston, Texas,” he said, just the slightest hint of humor in his voice. “My mother died when I wasn’t much more than a baby and my old man was a world-class loser, who pretty much left me to fend for myself. I got in one scrap after another and just barely managed to keep out of juvenile detention before I turned eighteen. I worked two jobs to put myself through college and then I got lucky. I joined the navy and they taught me how to fly an airplane. Then after my stint in the navy—”
She kissed him! His caressing hand on her back stilled. He looked deeply into her eyes and wasn’t sure exactly what he saw. Was it pity? Passion? Love? Or a mixture of the three?
“What was the kiss for?” he asked. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I’ve made out all right, despite my humble beginnings.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you,” she told him. “The kiss was to thank you.”
“Thank me for what?”
“For being you.”
He stared at her quizzically. “You’re confusing me.”
“You know how scared I am…actually I’m terrified. So to try to get my mind off my fears, you started relating your life story. My bet is that you don’t usually like to talk about yourself.” She kissed him again—a soft, quick brush of her lips against his. “Did anyone ever tell you how wonderful you are?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “A few women have told me, but only after I’d made love to them.”
She socked him playfully in the stomach. “You’re still doing it—aren’t you?—joking around so I won’t think about our predicament.”
“I wasn’t joking about how grateful those women were after I—”
She kissed him a third time, but didn’t end the kiss quickly. Instead she used her tongue to tease his lips. When he moaned, she slipped her tongue inside and explored.
Quinn responded, damning himself the moment he allowed his instincts to take charge. If he had pushed her away that very moment, he might have saved himself. But how could a man think straight when his arms were filled with a woman he badly wanted?
When he reached between them and cupped her breast, she broke the kiss, gulped in air and then said, “I want to be one of those women who tells you how wonderful you are after you’ve made love to her.”
“Ah, honey, you don’t play fair.” He released her breast, then ran his hand down her rib cage and to her slender waist. “There’s nothing I want more than to make love to you, but—”
“No buts,” she interrupted. “Not now. Whatever reasons you had for not becoming my lover, aren’t important anymore, are they? There’s every chance that we may not be alive this time tomorrow.”
He wanted to contradict her, to promise her that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. But he refused to lie to her—now or ever. Gripping her waist, he pulled her up against him. “Are you sure about this?” His gaze caught and locked with hers. “You want me to make love to you?”
She saw the hunger in his eyes. He wanted her as much as she wanted him, but still he was giving her a chance to change her mind. Deep down inside the bad boy mercenary beat the heart of a gentleman.
“I’m sure that I don’t want to die a virgin,” she told him. “I’m sure that under any circumstances I’d want you to be my first lover, but especially now, with things the way they are. And I’m even more sure that I’m very much in love with you.”
Her powerful declaration knocked him off center. He knew she wanted him and understood her desire to experience lovemaking before dying. But he hadn’t expected her to say that she loved him. Maybe after they’d had sex, but not before. A lot of women felt the need to validate sex by telling themselves it was love.
“How can you be in love with me? You hardly know me.”
She slid her slender arm around his neck, but didn’t break eye contact with him. “Maybe it was love at first sight. There is such a thing, you know.”
Quinn chuckled. “I don’t buy that explanation. Hate at first sight, maybe. Don’t forget that you admitted to me that you didn’t like me.”
“You said you didn’t like me, either, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t fall in love at first sight. They say that love and hate are just flip sides of the same coin.”
He eased her arm from around his neck. “Whoa there, princess. When did I get included in this falling-in-love deal?”
“Are you saying you don’t love me?”
The look in her eyes pierced his gut like a sharp knife. Her expression was part plea and part dare. “I want you,” he said.
“And?” she prompted, obviously expecting more.
“Okay. I admit that I’ve never felt about any woman the way I feel about you.” He caressed her cheek. “I’ve never known anyone like you. You’re different. Special.” When she continued staring at him, apparently still not satisfied with his explanation, he continued. “I care about you. You’ve become more than an assignment to me. If giving up the half million your father’s paying me would save your life, I’d give it up in a heartbeat.”
Seemingly satisfied with his final admission, she smiled sweetly, then rose to her feet. “I’d like for us to make love while I can still at least see your silhouette.” She began unbuttoning her blouse.
Quinn shucked off his boots and socks. There was no reason why he shouldn’t take her up on what she was offering. After all, there was every possibility that they weren’t going to get out of this alive. While watching Victoria remove her clothes, he divested himself of his shirt, pants, and finally his cotton briefs. By the time he had removed the last stitch, his sex was already erect. Just a couple of minutes thinking about Victoria was all it took to have him primed and ready.
They stood facing each other, their naked bodies outlined by the fading twilight outside the cave.
“I want to look at you. And touch you,” she said. “All of you.”
In the Arms of a Hero Page 13
