Sam had changed his mind.
Sometime since she’d fallen into an exhausted sleep after their climax in bed early that morning, Sam had decided he didn’t want a relationship. No doubt thinking it was too risky. But if he felt it put his life in danger, then there was no way she’d argue with him. Just the thought of something happening to him helped her to understand his wishes. She refused to be a pawn, something someone could use to gain the upper hand on him.
Hell no.
She could never live with herself if she’d knowingly put the man she loved at risk. And yes, she did love Sam. There was no sense in denying it anymore.
Her feelings for Sam had always been strong. They hadn’t changed over the past five years, except, to maybe grow stronger. Blame it on her youth, or the fact she hadn’t had too many boyfriends to help her realize her feelings for Sam were different. But, she knew now, and would do her best to support his decision. Remain a SEAL. Join GAPS, his friend’s security business. Or become a Knight. Whatever that decision may be.
A loud knock on the door caused her to jump. Had Sam forgotten his key? Glancing at the clock as she rushed to answer, she noted it was half-passed eleven. Only two and a half hours to go before Koslov and Rojas met with that associate, and she and Sam could free Nikki from the Colombian’s grasp.
A bright spot in the day.
Despite feeling as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest with a piece of jagged glass, Lisa was determined not to show it, especially to Sam. She knew the man cared about her, or he wouldn’t have had such a struggle trying to decide what to do about her.
Bringing a smile to her lips, she opened the door, expecting to see the brooding SEAL. Instead, a slimy bastard met her gaze.
“Good morning, Mrs. de Ganis,” Rojas said, knowing grin creeping across his face. “Or should I call you Ms. Knight?”
Chapter 10
A heaviness settled over Sam as he sat in Excalibur’s room, drinking coffee with her and the commander while they discussed the day’s upcoming events. He wasn’t surprised his boss had blessed off on his suggestion to leave Galahad out of the lineup. Between the three of them, there was no reason they couldn’t accomplish their missions.
“Did you discuss this with Galahad?” Excalibur asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“There’s no need,” Merlin agreed.
“Men.” She rolled her eyes and tssked.
“Merlin? Sir? Commander?” Percy’s voice echoed from the monitor and through the room, growing louder and more frantic with each name.
“Yes, Percy. I’m here,” Merlin assured, moving to stand in front of the computer on the wet bar. “What is it?”
“It’s Galahad. Lisa, sir.”
Sam’s heart lodged in his throat as he sucked in a breath.
“What about her?”
“She’s gone.”
He shot to the bar. “What do you mean, gone?”
“Where’d she go?” the commander barked at his side.
“They took her, sir.”
“Who took her? Where?”
“Rojas, and I-I don’t know,” Percy stammered. “All I know is she got in a car with Nikki, Rojas, and several of his henchmen. Koslov and his merry men followed.”
Son of a bitch! The urge to hit something, someone—Rojas—was so strong Sam’s whole body shook.
“Where’d they go?” Commander Knight’s voice boomed through the room. “I want eyes on them. Now dammit!”
“I don’t have eyes, yet.” Percy flinched on the screen. “But I do have ears. One of the girls has a com link with them. And a tracker. I’ve got a signal loud and clear.”
“For now.” Excalibur leaned against the wall, her expression dour.
Merlin grumbled. “Once Rojas does his sweep, and we know he will, that tracker will be discovered and disabled.”
Shit. He shouldn’t have left. Sam began to pace. Why the hell had he left?
“Here’s the feed from the hallway on her floor,” Percy said as a video of Lisa leaving the room with Rojas flashed on the screen, along with the Glock the Colombian pointed at her.
Her father cursed as he whipped out his phone, presumably to call Homeland.
“I wonder where they’re going? It’s too early for the meeting,” Excalibur said, glancing at her phone. “That’s not for another two hours…unless…”
“Unless what?” he asked, echoing the commander.
“Unless it has all been a ruse, a lie to throw us off.” The woman scratched her temple, looking off into the distance.
Merlin frowned. “Ah, hell. Then when is it? Or is the meeting all a lie?”
“No, no, that wouldn’t make sense,” Percy said. “Why meet with Rojas and accept the good faith money I’ve tracked to his account if he didn’t plan to follow through with business.”
“I agree,” Sam said. A spark of hope eased the panic from his brain, allowing him to think. “There’s definitely a meeting. And it could still be at two, just not at the resort as we’d assumed.”
“True, if they’d gotten into a car, that could mean they’d allowed for travel time.” The commander snapped his fingers. “Percy, show me all points accessible within a two hour range by car.”
A second later, a map filled the computer screen with a shit ton of red dots. “Ah hell, that’s too many. We need to narrow it down,” he growled, scrubbing a hand over his face before gripping the bar. “Any luck with the tracker? Is it still on?”
“Yes, and it corresponds with this marker,” Percy said, highlighting one of the red dots in yellow. “That’s our girl.”
Damn.
“Send all this to our phones,” the commander ordered the tech. “We need to move. Now. They’re heading for the marina.”
The heart lodged in Sam’s throat for the past five minutes just nosedived into his shoes. “If they get out to open sea…”
“I know.” Merlin’s mouth was grim as his gaze. “Let’s not let that happen.” The cell phone in the man’s hand began to ring. Cursing, he grumbled something about Homeland, then muted the phone.
“I’m sorry, sir,” he said, facing his boss—the father of the woman he loved. “I shouldn’t have left the room. I was trying to distance your daughter from this mission, and instead, I left her unprotected.”
The commander stepped close, his gaze dark, but direct. “Make no mistake, son. My daughter is far from unprotected.”
“Yes, she can take care of herself,” Excalibur spoke up.
His chest tightened as images of Lisa trying to wrestle the gun from Rojas shot through his mind, along with the ones from his nightmare. He clenched his jaw until it cracked.
“I’m serious, Bors.” Commander Knight cupped his shoulder. “Everything will be okay. We just need a location and we’re good to go.”
His chin lifted. “What about the associate, sir?”
“To hell with him.”
A smile actually twitched Sam’s lips. “Yes, sir.”
“Ah, Merlin…” Percy’s voice filled the room. “We lost the signal.”
Shit.
He let Lisa down. His boss down. Nikki down.
Sam didn’t think he could’ve screwed up the mission any more than he already had, and that was not a comforting thought.
“No, wait, it’s back on, and…”
Merlin stilled. “And what?”
“It’s…moving out to sea, sir.”
The boss nodded. “Send it all to our phones, Percy. Now that we have a location, it’s game on, again. We’ll track them while keeping our distance.”
“Shit,” Excalibur cursed, then kicked a bar stool, sending it flying across the room to crash into a wall.
Instead of a stark reprimand to the agent, his boss shocked the shit out of him when he sent her an apologetic stare, instead. “Sorry, Brooke. Looks like you’ll have to hold off on practicing your pin-cushion techniques for another time. But, we are going to break out the bird.”
>
A smile crossed the woman’s lips. “Big bird?”
“Yes.”
She closed the laptop, dropped it in a case, then lifted the bag off the bar. “Let’s go get you two ready to crash the party.”
Feeling slightly better that they knew Lisa and Nikki’s location, Sam took small comfort in the fact they still had eyes on the women. He wasn’t with them. He couldn’t protect them from land. Disgust soured his gut as he followed Excalibur and Merlin out the door. But, with it sounding like there was a jump and dunk in his immediate future, he was grateful he didn’t have to stand by and watch another agency take action.
He had a new appreciation for the hell his buddies Jon and Rick had gone through during the bank hostage situation involving their loved ones. Thank God his boss answered to no one and had the ability to run his own ops…because nothing was going to stop Sam from getting to Lisa.
Lisa sat on a cushioned bar stool next to a grim-faced Nikki as the huge yacht lurched from the dock. She talked panic from her brain and worked to formulate a plan in her head. The tracking device she’d helped Percy create to look like an ordinary button was hopefully proving to be effective. She’d sewn the small device onto her light sweater and had switched it back on after Rojas’ henchman patted her down and swept her with a wand. With luck, it transmitted loud and clear, and the Knights would be on their way to finish the mission.
When Rojas had showed up at her door a half-hour ago, gun in hand, Lisa had two choices. Stay and fight, or go and try to complete the job. Since Nikki had opted to stay the extra nights with the creep, she couldn’t allow that sacrifice to be in vain, so she’d gone quietly with plan B in mind.
She just hoped it wasn’t a mistake. So far, there was no sign of any associate. Just Rojas and his men, and Koslov and his goons.
“Why don’t you pretty ladies have a drink while we wait to take care of business?” The Colombian smiled, his gaze turning slightly malicious as he stared at her. “You sure are a pretty one, Ms. Knight. But don’t fret, I promise I won’t lay a hand on you. I’m a happily married man,” he said, yanking Nikki from her chair to crush her close and kiss her.
It had taken all of Lisa’s will not to move. Or throw up at the very real reality that the bastard was married to her friend. A technicality her father would soon rectify. Clenching her jaw, she averted her gaze from them, and the snickering Russian, and fought the urge to strike.
There were way too many grinning men with guns in the salon. Six, with another six scattered who knew where throughout the yacht. But, damn, she was beginning to regret her initial decision not to take the monster out at the resort.
The Colombian released Nikki and waited until she sat back down, before his attention returned to her once more. “As you can see, my wife keeps me satisfied, so you do not have to worry about me touching you, niña. Of course, the same can’t be said for my friend here.” He nodded to Koslov.
The Russian ran his gaze down her body then back up, apparently not in the least upset with her choice of white jeans, navy blouse, and of course, gray sweater.
The bastard’s laugh was drowned out by the Russian’s.
She could do this. She just had to hang on and not hurt anyone until the Knights showed up.
But as the Russian stepped close and ran his hand down her face, she had trouble remembering her plan.
“I have wanted to taste this one long time,” he said, before adopting Rojas’ yank and kiss move.
He tasted of cigars and vodka, and about three seconds in, she was ready to puke. She’d prepared herself to endure the assault, but when Nikki jumped off her chair and grabbed Koslov’s arm, someone backhanded her friend in the face.
A shot rang out, blasting the hell out of her ears.
Koslov drew back, gun in hand, glancing at the scene. As Nikki fell to the floor from the momentum of the smack, the Russian goon who’d hit her friend landed in a pool of blood at Lisa’s feet.
Rojas holstered his Glock back under his white suit coat and nodded at the Russian. “I apologize, old friend, but no one touches my wife and lives.” He helped Nikki to her feet, and gently dabbed at the bloody cut to her temple caused by the dead Russian’s ring.
Yeah, that one is all kinds of messed up. Lisa’s throat heated and eyes burned. God, this had to end today.
“Well, if you ladies will have a seat at the table here, I believe our business associate has arrived.” Rojas nodded toward the sound of a motor from an approaching boat.
Lisa’s mind worked feverishly to assess her options. With the arrival of their main target, she and Nikki could finally act. Right now, there was a total of eight men in the room, that left four each for her and Nikki to take out…if they were able to get a weapon from one of the men. When the newcomer showed up, there would no doubt be more goons added to the mix. More men. More room for error.
Not their best option.
Damn. She wished she knew if the Knights were coming. Maybe her tracker wasn’t working.
The Colombian stood smiling in the doorway. “You, my wife, will help to translate…and you will help, my dear or Koslov will put a bullet in your pretty friend’s head.”
“Dah, but such a waste.” The Russian laughed, pulling her in for another kiss. This time, she bit down on the bastard’s lip. He let out a howl, then slapped her so hard the sound reverberated around the room while the motion sent her to the floor.
Her teeth rattled and face stung, and she could taste blood, but had no idea if it was his or hers. Holding his gaze, she refused to flinch despite the pain radiating down her jaw.
“She is a feisty one.” Rojas chuckled. “Didn’t I tell you she would be?”
“Dah.” The Russian wiped his bloody mouth on his sleeve and nodded, gaze cold and dark. “Much more fun to break.”
The Colombian chuckled again, and it mixed with that of the rest of the men, sending a shiver down her spine.
“True, but for now, we shall secure your future in Russia. Then, you can celebrate with your prize.”
“Like hell.”
Lisa’s heart stopped for a beat. She knew that voice.
Sam.
Chapter 11
A second later, a flash of black appeared milliseconds before Rojas fell unconscious on the floor, sedative dart sticking out of his throat. Lisa blinked Sam into focus. He stood in the doorway, a Kimber now in each hand, facing off against Koslov, two Russians, and four Colombians.
Make that three.
Two.
One.
Bodies hit the floor before the men had a chance to draw their weapons. Gunfire on the deck outside echoed the same in the salon. Lisa lunged for the closest man, taking him down at the knees. His Glock slid across the floor. She quickly rolled, using him as a shield while the goons began to open fire. Nikki grabbed the discarded gun off the floor and took out the two remaining Colombians. Sam aimed his guns at Koslov. “Drop your weapon.”
She rolled out from under the dead body and slowly rose to her feet, her gaze shifting between the two men squaring off.
The Russian’s dark scowl twisted his face as he repeated Sam’s earlier words, “Like hell.”
Her heart stopped beating as she watched Koslov lift his gun at Sam as if in slow motion.
The SEAL was too quick for the Russian. Sam shot Koslov twice in the head, and the man fell dead on the floor next to the one Rojas had killed for touching Nikki.
She wanted to run to Sam, but refrained, noting by the hard set of his jaw and shoulders that he was in SEAL mode with a job to do. He bent over and frisk each body, gathering the weapons and setting them in a pile on the bar. Her gaze devoured him, reassuring her heart that he was indeed okay.
“Are you all right, Lisa?” Nikki asked, setting her gun on the bar before turning to face her. “I’m so sorry you were hurt.”
“Me? God, Nikki, I’m fine,” she reassured, not doing such a great job of holding her tears at bay as she stepped to her friend and pulled h
er close. “I’m so, so sorry. We had no idea where you were. No idea.” Tears spilled down her face as her friend held on tight.
“It’s okay. I’m okay, but I need to know Cage is all right.” Panic crept into Nikki’s voice as she finally showed emotion for the first time, as if a veil had been lifted. “Rojas said he’d kill him if I tried to escape. And if he thought you were here to help me, God, he might have sent his men after Cage.”
Lisa honestly had no idea if the man had, or what to even say to calm her friend down. And when Nikki’s gaze rested on the gun she’d just set on the bar, then shifted to the unconscious monster, part of her wanted to look the other way. But she couldn’t, and needn’t have worried, because her friend turned back to face her. “I need to get word to him.”
“He’s fine, Lieutenant,” her father said, stepping into the salon.
He must have been the one clearing the deck while Sam had cleared the salon. Both men were wet, more than likely dropped out of range to swim in underneath surveillance.
“I hired GAPS to send two former SEALs you may remember, Rick Mann and Jon Rudnick, to head down to Florida to make sure.”
Nikki visibly sighed. “Thank you, sir. Thank you so much.” Then she collapsed.
Lisa reached out and grabbed her friend, guiding them backward to the nearby couch where they sank down onto the cushions as Nikki began to shake. She tightened her hold around the thin shoulders and held her while Merlin gave orders for the men to finish securing the vessel.
A few minutes later, Nikki’s shaking subsided and Lisa loosened her hold. It was over. Her friend was safe. Sam was safe. Her father was safe.
He straightened, then strode to her, pulling her in for a tight hug. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she replied, hugging him back. “Please tell me you got the associate zip-tied out on the deck.”
Her father’s chuckle rumbled through her.
“Yes. He’s unconscious and attached to a bar. All wrapped up in a neat package for Homeland whose ETA is”—he stopped to draw back and glance at his watch—“two minutes.”
Hot SEALs: Knight's SEAL (Kindle Worlds) (Dangerous Curves Series Book 1) Page 9
