Hunted (COBRA Securities Book 12)

by Velvet Vaughn

  With the little energy he had left, he kissed her long and slow and deep. Her lips were soft and responsive and her inner muscles twitched, causing him to groan. He needed to pull out, get rid of the condom before it leaked. And he would, in a minute…or five.

  “Oh, my God,” she breathed, breaking the kiss. “I’ve never…it’s never…that was incredible.”

  He smiled at the look of wonder on her beautiful face. He caressed her cheek with his palm and stared into her eyes as he slowly lowered her to the ground. She whimpered when he gently eased from her body. It was all he could do to keep from ripping off the condom, jerking on a fresh one and then sliding back into her welcoming heat. His body wanted that more than anything, but he wasn’t a complete Neanderthal. He possessed a little restraint. Very little, actually, but just enough. Instead of ravishing her again, he picked up the bar of soap and scrubbed her, lingering over the good parts. This was almost as fulfilling. Her lithe, tone body was made to be worshipped. Her feminine muscles were well-shaped and defined, but so damn sexy. He turned her around and the view was just as good from this side. He palmed her heart-shaped buttocks, kneading the tight muscles. Then he dropped to his knees, urged her around again and tasted her, because he thought he might die if he didn’t. She gripped his head and cried out. She’d been on the edge because it didn’t take long before she was coming apart.

  She took the soap from him and returned the favor, running her hands all over his body and he was painfully hard again. He’d been half-mast since separating from her, but now he was in danger of passing out from loss of blood to his head. Keeping eye contact, Harlow stroked her fingers over him and his eyes crossed. Then she dropped to her knees. He wasn’t sure what happened next except that it was the most incredible pleasure he’d ever known, and he was pretty sure his head had blown clear off his body. Sensations he’d never felt before coursed through his body.

  He urged her to her feet and kissed her deeply. He was afraid he’d just become addicted to Harlow Duquesne. She’d ruined him for any other woman…not that he could imagine ever wanting another woman again in this lifetime.

  Reaching for the bottle of shampoo, he scrubbed her hair, she scrubbed his, and through it all, they laughed and talked and were both amazed the hot water held out.

  He’d come twice in the matter of minutes and yet he was ready to go again. She did this to him. She inspired him.

  Finally, he shut off the taps and grabbed fluffy beige towels from a shelf. After they dried their hair and bodies, she let out a squeal when he swept her up and carried her to the bedroom. He placed her on top of the comforter and proceeded to make love to her again, slower this time.

  #

  Harlow lifted her head from Sawyer’s chest where it landed when she collapsed after the last round. “Sawyer, do you hear that?”

  If she meant the Hallelujah chorus, then yes, he did hear it playing in his head. It was lyrical and hypnotic and matched the euphoria he felt.

  “Sawyer! Wipe that silly grin off your face and listen.”

  “Oh, you’re serious?” He cocked an ear and detected the sound immediately. “Let me up for a second.”

  Harlow grumbled but rolled off and plopped to her back. He leaned down and scooped Duke up and settled him on the bed.

  “That was you, Duke? You were talking! Did you hear that, Sawyer? He was talking to us.”

  More like whining, but whatever. “Way to go, little dude.”

  Duke accepted their praise with aloofness. Then he climbed on Sawyer’s chest, spun in a couple of circles and plopped down.

  “Uh, little dude? This isn’t going to work.” He planned on ravishing Harlow several more times before they had to leave. He thought that once he had her, the urgency would lessen, but if anything, it had strengthened to epic proportions. He not only craved her, he needed her.

  “Leave him,” Harlow chastised. “It’s his safe spot.”

  “But—”

  “Aren’t you worn out? Four times?”

  “Five, but who’s counting. Babe, you inspire me.”

  “You’re insatiable.”

  “With you? Absolutely.”

  He loved the way her eyes sparkled when a blush crept into her cheeks. He loved the way her hair brushed against his arm like silk. He loved that after all they’d just done to each other, she was trying to cover herself with one of the blankets he’d found in a closet.

  He loved her.

  Duke yelped when Sawyer suddenly shot up from the bed. He caught the dog before he tumbled to the ground.

  “Sawyer? What’s wrong?”

  Oh, nothing. I just realized that I love you. “Uh, leg cramp.”

  My God, he hadn’t just had sex with Harlow. He’d made love to her.

  Chapter Twenty

  Harlow tucked the last of the pins into the wig and adjusted the fit. She’d already reinserted the contacts after thoroughly washing off the grit, thanks to the occupant’s contact solution. Sawyer had touched base with his office and they agreed to keep this from her grandmother unless necessary. If she knew Harlow was in the middle of a drug war, she would send the entire United States Military to retrieve her. As it was, too many lives were being lost to the senseless violence. She didn’t want to be responsible for any others.

  His office had contacted Zoe as soon as Sawyer had found her, so her sister knew she was with him and wouldn’t worry too much. She didn’t want Zoe to know how tenuous the situation was, so she held off on calling her until they were truly out of danger.

  He’d also touched base with Grant and Wyatt, who reported that an international security team had arrived and taken possession of the Sarin gas. They’d set a trap so that when the people came to pick it up, they were detained and were now being questioned.

  Thanks to the continued availability of electricity, they were able to wash their clothes, the towels and blankets they’d used, and Duke. He wasn’t too happy about the cleaning, but he accepted the ministrations with aplomb.

  Personally, she was overjoyed to be clean from her head to her toes. They’d each taken one more shower before donning their freshly-laundered clothes. Tempting as it was, they’d bathed separately this time. She’d never been a sex addict before, but Sawyer was turning her into one. After five times, and his massive width and girth, she should be sore…and she was…but it was a pleasant kind of ache.

  She was terribly afraid she was becoming addicted to him. It wasn’t just the sex, though it was spectacular. It was his mind and his humor and his strength. His integrity. His honor. How he cared for Duke. How he cared for her. She knew no one was perfect, but she’d yet to find anything about Sawyer that she didn’t like…maybe a little too much. He had no flaws. She could so easily fall in love with him.

  If she was being completely honest with herself, and she always tried to be, she knew she already had. Maybe it had been the moment she met him weeks ago when he’d been her rock when she needed one. Or maybe it was when he threw himself over her to protect her from falling dregs after one of the many explosions they’d encountered. It could have been when she caught him rubbing Duke’s belly and crooning to him when he didn’t know she’d been looking. Or maybe it was a combination of everything. When she’d drifted asleep earlier after the fifth time they made love, she dreamed that they were sitting on a swing on a wrap-around porch in the early evening while crickets chirped merrily and a light breeze gently stirred their hair and tinkered a set of bamboo windchimes. The strange part had been that when she looked down at their clasped hands, they were wrinkled and aged. She hadn’t dreamed of now, but the future. She dreamed of them growing old together.

  She wished they could stay in this apartment a little longer. She’d been happier the last few hours than she had been in forever. Being with Sawyer and Duke in the cozy space was a slice of Heaven. She blocked out the images of the young boy wearing the suicide vest and the bodies of the innocent lining the streets and of her friend being who knows where. It
was the only way she could get through the day.

  “Ready?”

  With a sad sigh, Harlow nodded. Sawyer brushed a kiss against her lips and then settled Duke into his newly-washed harness. They’d repacked supplies into their packs from the pantry. They’d found bottles of water and non-perishable items that were easily transportable. Sawyer left a stack of bills to pay for the convenience of the apartment. She just hoped that the owner was able to return and hadn’t been caught in the crossfire.

  “Got your vest on?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wish we knew if these buildings connected,” Sawyer said as they descended the stairs. “It’d be safer to go from building to building instead of outside again.”

  They’d checked the streets several times through the day and night and they saw troops pass occasionally, but none stayed and it was deserted now.

  They left the building through the back, the opposite of how they’d entered in case they’d posted someone to watch the entrance. They needn’t have worried. The streets were empty.

  Though it was eerie with no one around, it made the trip a quick one. They ate up the distance, energized from the huge meal they’d cooked together in the apartment and the vigorous exercise in the form of spectacular sex. The trip had been so easy, it lulled her into a false sense of security.

  The bridge that crossed the La Grande river glowed brightly on the horizon. Harlow locked onto it like a lodestone. If they could cross the river, they could get lost in the trees and would be safe…at least from human predators. She didn’t even want to consider what lurked in the jungle.

  “Uh, Harlow, we have a problem.”

  Sawyer’s tone had her head jerking up. “What’s the problem?”

  “See all those lights on the bridge?”

  “Yes.” She’d noticed it as soon as it came into view.

  “Those are armed guards.”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, a loud explosion sounded. Even though it was a mile away, Sawyer covered her with his body.

  “Sawyer?”

  “Yeah?”

  “That was the bridge, wasn’t it?”

  “’Fraid so.”

  That wasn’t good. “Is there another bridge, maybe one down river?”

  “Not for miles.”

  #

  Sawyer should have known it wouldn’t be so easy as that they walked across the pedestrian bridge adjacent to the one for cars. It was the only road into the city from the jungle and if he was guessing, the area where most of the drugs were grown. If that was the case, maybe it wasn’t safer on that side of the river after all. Still, they needed to go that direction to rendezvous with his team. Now that the bridge was gone, they didn’t have a choice. There would be no way for Grant and Wyatt to get to them now. They had to go to them.

  “Why would Dominar blow the bridge? Doesn’t that hurt them, too?”

  “I don’t think it was Dominar.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Did you get look at the boy before he detonated the bomb?”

  She cringed and he hated making her remember. “Yes.”

  “Did you see what he was wearing?”

  “You mean besides the suicide vest?” She closed her eyes. “He wore a bandanna around his neck. It was blue with a skull and crossbones.”

  “That’s the symbol for Victor11, Dominar’s cartel rival.”

  “Oh my, God. A turf war?”

  “Yeah.” He glanced up at the sound of gunfire. The fighting was ramping up.

  “How are we going to get across the river?”

  “How strong a swimmer are you?”

  “Pretty strong, but aren’t there like piranha in there?”

  “We’ll have to swim fast.”

  Harlow gaped at him. “What? Please tell me you’re kidding.”

  He guided her further downstream, away from the fighting. They needed to be out of sight of the troops on the bridge. “We’ll find a boat.”

  “Good idea.”

  They came upon a shack that had several fiberglass hulls propped against the side.

  “Are we taking the kayak?”

  “Canoe.”

  “What’s the difference?”

  “Mostly the paddle. A kayak uses a double-bladed paddle, while a canoe only has one.”

  “Good to know,” she said as they drug the boat to the edge of the water and a small dock that had seen better days.

  “Be careful,” he warned. A few of the boards had rotted through. He handed her a life jacket and she slipped it on. He maneuvered his on, leaving the straps unlatched because of Duke. “Get in first and I’ll hand you the packs.”

  She climbed in carefully, making sure to steady the boat before she took a seat. He handed her one backpack and then the other. She expertly distributed the weight. Then he held on to the post as he eased inside, balancing when the boat rocked. Once he took a seat, he lifted Duke out of his sling and handed him to Harlow. “I’ll paddle.”

  Using the end of the oar, he pushed away from the bank and they glided into the water. Frogs croaked and the smell of fish was strong. The river was wide at this point…wider than if they’d been able to cross the bridge. The city of La Grande was relatively flat, so the current was weak with no stream gradient. The steeper the gradient, the more gravity worked to pull the water down, increasing the flow.

  They were completely in the open now. He didn’t like being this exposed, but the darkness added to the stealth of their journey. They’d almost made it to the other side when the water beside their boat pinged.

  “Please tell me that was a jumping fish.”

  “Get down!” Sawyer paddled as hard as he could. The voices on the bank they just left were loud and angry, but thankfully, their firepower lacked the range to cross the distance. Where before he cursed the width, now he praised it.

  As soon as they were close to the other side, he jumped into the knee-deep water and yanked the canoe to shore. Harlow scrambled out with Duke and he grabbed their packs. The men on the other side couldn’t reach them with firepower, but they were launching another boat in the water. They might’ve alerted their friends on the bridge, too.

  Grabbing Harlow’s hand, they raced into the belly of the jungle.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Harlow was getting tired of people shooting at them. She was getting tired of running. She was getting tired, period. Sawyer had set a rapid clip and she was doing her best to keep up with him, but the terrain was rocky and precarious. As much as she loved to exercise, she thought she was in great shape. But Sawyer was like a machine. She didn’t think he ever tired. He even made love like a warrior, ready to go to battle again right after the last one. In her admittedly limited experience, men needed time to regroup and reload. Not Sawyer.

  A branch slapped her in the face and she refocused on their journey. The jungle was overgrown with brush and she didn’t want to think of the critters that might be lying in wait for a nice, juicy snack. She felt eyes on her and knew there were creatures in the trees, following their progress.

  Sawyer had reclaimed Duke and they were leading. Though the view of his muscular backside was nice, she was about to cry uncle. Thankfully, Sawyer slowed down.

  “Thank good…oh, my God!” Sawyer had grabbed her arm and tugged her in front of him. The lake that stretched before them was magical as dawn broke, bathing the area in a reddish glow. Surrounded by trees, large boulders and a waterfall at one end, it was prettier than any postcard she’d seen. Coslos was known for it’s incredible beauty and now she understood why.

  “We can rest in that cut in the rock,” he said, pointing up. That meant they had to do a little rock climbing. Normally, she wouldn’t hesitate, but after hours of running through the forest with no break, she was exhausted.

  Thankfully, they’d found a way to climb the rocks that didn’t involve crampons or harnesses or rope since they didn’t have any of those items handy. Unless someone came from above them,
the spot offered the perfect vantage point to see anyone coming into the valley and it offered them protection with a world-class view.

  The cut was a small indent, not particularly wide or deep, which was probably a good thing or animals might’ve taken up residence. Sawyer cleared the space to be sure and then they stashed their gear inside. He rolled a couple of boulders to provide additional camouflage and she felt safe. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable place she’d rested, but after having hiked all night, she wasn’t complaining.

  They each downed a bottle of water, as did Duke, and they consumed energy bars. She wanted to strip off her clothes and take a dip in the water, but the risk of someone finding them when naked was terrifying.

  Sawyer gathered materials and constructed a primitive roof to keep the sun from baking them once it rose in the sky. Duke dogged his footsteps everywhere he went. He kept up a running commentary with the dog and if she didn’t know better, she’d think Duke understood every word he spoke. He glanced up and caught her watching him and a look of chagrin crossed his face. Her heart fell even more in love with him.

  Once the two males settled down, Sawyer beside her and Duke on her lap for a change, she rested her head on Sawyer’s shoulder. Talking was unnecessary as they took in the incredible scenery in front of them. It was idyllic. She broke the silence by asking, “What’s our next move?” Would they ever get out of this country?

  “I need to get our bearings and then find a way to get Grant and Wyatt here to pick us up.”

  “I need to try to call Carmen again.” God, she prayed her friend was okay. If she was being held, tortured, Harlow didn’t think she could live with herself. She’d practically browbeat her into coming and now she could be suffering.

  Sawyer punched in the number and handed it to her. Her eyes widened and hope fluttered in her chest. “It’s ringing.”

  The line picked up, but no one spoke. She tried a tentative, “Hello?”

  There was a gasp. “Harlow? Oh my God, is that you?”