by Cindy Dees
His answering grin was visible in the near total dark. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, darlin'. I'm only looking out for your comfort and welfare. You'll catch a chill if you stay in those wet clothes all night."
She subsided, only partially mollified.
He explained further. "I'm going to take mine off, too, if that makes you feel better. Our body heat will build up in here over the next few hours and will dry out our clothes some. It won't be like hanging them by a fire, of course. But we'll be reasonably dry and warm tonight, and our clothes will be mostly dry tomorrow morning when we put them back on."
She didn't see where all this excess body heat was going to come from, but she did as Tex requested. It was a royal pain peeling out of wet, cloying clothes with barely inches of room to maneuver. But with Tex's help and a lot of wriggling and squirming, she managed to get her clothes off.
By the time Tex had finished wrestling out of his clothes, her naked skin had dried and she did feel warmer. He gathered her close in his arms, and she snuggled against his steamy body. Given what he had to work with, she was impressed at how comfortable he'd managed to make her.
Then his mouth descended toward hers and he swept her away from their wet, cold bivouac in the jungle.
* * *
A gunshot tore apart the silence of the early morning. Tex froze as he'd been conditioned to by years of training, even though adrenaline screamed through his system.
Several more shots rang out and Kimberly lurched against his chest violently at each one. He held her tightly and rolled partially on top of her, using the weight of his body to hold her still. Abrupt movements like a person jumping at a noise could draw attention to their position.
"Good grief, what's happened?" she whispered frantically.
"Our girl's arrived," he murmured back. He'd know the unusual, singsong pitch of the RITA rifle anywhere.
"Now what?" Kimberly mumbled against his chest.
"Now we watch and wait for an opportunity to steal the rifle back."
"Sounds easy when you put it like that," she rumbled.
He grunted. "It'll be anything but easy, darlin'. Every bit of security these bozos have is going to be centered around that gun if they know what's smart."
Kimberly tensed against him.
"Good news is," he continued, "the bastards don't know we're here. We'll have the element of surprise working for us."
That was about the only advantage they'd have over the rebels, but he wasn't fool enough to mention that part to Kimberly. She was opposed to the idea of him snatching the rifle back already.
They watched a half dozen men spend all day firing the RITA rifle. Tex couldn't help wincing each time the gun jammed. And it did about every tenth shot. The clip the rebels were using didn't fit just right and it wasn't feeding the rounds cleanly into the firing chamber. Of course, he wasn't going to volunteer that information to the Gavronese.
In the early evening the snipers took a last few shots through the windows of the fake Oval Office, but finally the echoing blasts of gunfire ceased.
Dark approached gently and the verdant hues of the jungle softened to gray. Tex strained to watch where the rifle went. He tracked it as one of the snipers carried it across the compound to a fire and laid it on the ground beside his hip. The guy ate supper and chatted with his buddies, but Tex's gaze never left the bulky rifle.
The hour grew late and the night air grew cold. Colder than usual. His breath puffed in front of his face, threatening to obscure his view of RITA. He exhaled out the side of his mouth.
He grew vaguely aware of Kimberly's lips moving against his ear. With difficulty he focused on her words.
"You've got to have something to eat, or at least drink," she murmured.
Irritation swirled below the smooth surface of his concentration. She was right, but still the interruption bugged him. Absently he popped a handful of sour berries and drank a canteen of water.
There.
The sniper picked up the gun and walked toward the White House. What in the hell was the guy doing? Checking the targets inside the windows of the mock Oval Office one last time? Tex strained to keep the soldier in sight as he moved in the dark across the wide clearing.
The man disappeared into the White House.
Tex watched intently as several more men slowly made their way toward the white facade. There must be some rooms built into the backside of the structure. Given the chill of the night, they must be moving inside the solid rooms for extra warmth.
And RITA was in one of them. Along with a hefty phalanx of guards, some of whom were highly competent snipers, and one of whom wielded an unstoppable gun.
He rolled over on his back, stretching out the knots of having lain motionless for hours.
Kimberly's hands were there immediately, kneading out the kinks in his shoulders. The incongruity of getting a massage from a gorgeous blonde in the middle of a dangerous mission almost made him laugh out loud.
"There's nothing we can do about the gun tonight," she murmured. "Let's get some sleep."
"Sorry, no sleep tonight, darlin'."
"Why not?" she asked in alarm.
"Tonight we take the RITA back."
Chapter 17
"Tex, this is a bad idea. I thought so when you talked about it in hypothetical terms, and I know so now that I'm looking at a hundred soldiers who'll kill you on sight."
"Give it up, Kimberly," he rumbled to her. "I'm a specialist in covert insertions. That means I'm damn good at sneaking in and out of places undetected."
Specialist, schmecialist. What was it going to take to make him see the foolishness of his plan? She huffed in exasperation.
"Here's the drill," he barged on. "You stay here and I'll circle around the backside of the White House. I'll sneak inside, find the gun, and grab it. If I happen to find a radio, I'll snag it, too. Then, I'll back out, come get you here, and we'll leave the area."
"I don't think so," Kimberly blurted, irate.
He stared at her in apparent disbelief that she'd gainsay his brilliant plan.
"You expect me to lay here twiddling my thumbs while you go crawling around in the dark, injured, among a hundred rebels, looking for a needle in a haystack?"
"Pardon me," he snapped. "I forgot you're a highly trained military strategist. By all means, General Stanton, what did you have in mind?"
Her blood boiled and she glared daggers at him, but she managed not to raise her voice. "I'm going with you."
"I don't think so!" he parroted back at her.
"Why not?" she demanded. "You're hurt and alone. You could use another pair of eyes and ears. If nothing else, I'll watch your back. My father always says it's safer if someone else is watching your back for you."
"You'll watch nothing but the stars floating by. No way are you coming with me!"
"Why not?" she demanded for a second time.
"Because I don't need the distraction."
"I won't be a distraction."
"Ha!"
"Ha!"
They stared at each other until she thought her eyes would fall out of their sockets. He looked away first.
"Darlin'," he sighed. "Please don't fight me on this. It's too dangerous. I've fought too hard to keep you safe to go and get you killed now."
"I appreciate your concern, Tex, honest. But I'll be okay. And you need someone watching your back!"
"Concern? This isn't concern, Kimberly. This is flat-out, pedal-to-the metal, gut-wrenching terror I'm feeling. I don't want you in there with me."
She exhaled in frustration. "Tex. Did you volunteer for this mission?"
"Not exactly. I was shoved into a helicopter without a by-your-leave."
"Would you have volunteered for this mission if it had been offered to you?" she rephrased.
"In a second."
"Then why can't you extend the same opportunity to me? I'm volunteering for this mission."
He stared at her in shock. And stared at her some more. Finally
he managed to mumble, "Come again?"
"That's my White House standing out there, too. My president. I'm an American citizen, and it's my right to stand up for my country."
He literally choked in his shock and came up for air sputtering, "Since when? You're the original save-the-bunnies, give-peace-a-chance, flower child."
"That doesn't mean I don't believe in what my country stands for!"
"No, but it does mean you don't volunteer to go on special ops missions where blood's gonna spill and someone's probably going to die."
"Die?" she asked in dismay. "You expect to die?"
"Certainly not. But I damn well expect to have to slit a few throats before it's all said and done."
"Tex, no! There has to be another way!"
"Oh, I see. You're all hot and bothered to go with me as long as it's a stroll in the park! Don't want to get your hands dirty, do you?" he gibed.
"Of course not. I've never been a fan of violence." She sounded lame, even to her own ears. He was a Special Forces commando, for goodness' sake. What did she expect him to do if someone saw him?
"Like I said," he repeated dryly. "You'll stay here while I go get the gun."
"Like I said, not a chance. I'm going with you and that's that."
"Kimberly." His voice rumbled a warning deep in his chest.
"You can't stop me. I'll wait until you leave and then I'll follow you. It's too risky to tie me up or knock me out."
His scowl became an outright glare. His response was short and to the point. "No."
She crossed her arms casually. "Fine. Whatever you say. Go."
Narrow-eyed, he gazed at her suspiciously. "I'm not kidding. Stay here. It's too dangerous for you."
She nodded and watched him make his last preparations. He quickly disassembled the AK-47's firing mechanism and dried it off with a piece of her wool skirt. He put it all back together in a flash of quick fingers.
The last fires were doused and the last lights flickered out in the camp. A few guards strolled around, slow-moving shadows among the tents. Jungle sounds took over as the humans relinquished the night to them. Tex waited a full hour before he finally roused beside her.
Thank goodness. She didn't think she could take much more of this waiting. Especially with the heavy tension hanging between them.
She counted to a hundred after Tex left, then she eased backward on her belly, moving as stealthily as she could through the undergrowth. Her father might have cracked up, but he'd been a hell of a soldier in his day, and he said everyone needed someone at their back when bullets started to fly. She stood up behind the clump of bananas, took her bearings carefully and set off into the darkness.
The night wrapped around her like a velvet cloak, smothering her in its blinding folds. She froze at every little noise. For all she knew, the rebels had patrols out this far. Then there were the wild animals, the snakes—she shuddered and pushed that thought out of her head—and Tex. He'd probably kill her himself if he caught her following him.
A branch snapped off to her left.
She froze like Tex had taught her instead of dropping to the ground and cowering as was her first inclination. Whatever made the noise moved off behind her. She continued creeping forward, her heart racing.
What was she doing out here? She might be a trained predator in a congressional caucus chamber, but she had no business running around in a jungle by herself, in the dark, with armed men out there who'd kill her without hesitation. Except it was Tex's back without cover.
She walked until she thought she was past the clearing and then she turned left, heading back toward it. She approached slowly, peering ahead warily through the darkness. Someone moved. A man, moving left to right. She made out the shape of a rifle slung low by his hip. A rebel patrol.
She waited until he passed and eased forward, peering out into the clearing.
She was barely halfway around it!
If she didn't get cracking, Tex would already have fetched the gun and bump into her on his way back to get her. What if he missed her in the dark, and when he got back to where he'd left her, she was gone? He'd assume she'd headed for the road and would leave. She'd be all alone out here! That thought panicked her worse than all the snakes and soldiers in the whole jungle.
Tex. Focus on Tex. He needed her, whether he'd admit it or not.
She tore through the branches, shoving forward heedless of the scratches on her skin. She barely managed to stop herself in time when she abruptly stumbled across the clearing once more.
She crouched behind a bush and stared at the backside of the White House mock-up. It resembled a giant billboard with a crude, two-story, stucco structure nestled at its base. It looked like a decrepit, old apartment building that wouldn't have passed even the most rudimentary housing inspection.
Where was Tex?
He must already be inside. Should she follow him in and hope to find him creeping around among the sleeping soldiers? Her palms grew damp at even the thought of trying that by herself.
And then a movement caught her eye. She looked underneath the last ground-floor window on the right. She didn't see anything at first, but then a shadow separated itself from the blackness. It eased upward. Tex. He looked furtively over the window ledge into the room. He eased downward once more.
He must be looking for the RITA rifle.
He dropped to the ground and crawled quickly toward the left end of the building, where there was a doorless entrance. He must have already checked the other windows, for he passed them without pausing.
She looked all around and saw no other movement. Now was her chance. Crouching low, she moved forward. The second she cleared the jungle, Tex froze. And then he gestured at her with one hand. Sharply. He wanted her to join him. Pronto. And he wasn't happy.
In an awkward running crouch, she sprinted over to his position beside the building.
If looks could kill, she'd be dead a thousand times over from the glare he gave her when she squatted down beside him.
She raised her eyebrows and stared back belligerently. Their gazes clashed, warring silently.
Finally his glare faded to a scowl of resignation. She let out the breath she realized she'd been holding.
He gestured for her to follow him and to be quiet.
She needed no encouragement to stay right on Tex's heels as he eased forward and plastered himself beside the doorway. The AK-47 in front of him, he whipped around the corner, low, into the opening. He moved forward in a tiger prowl and disappeared.
Her pulse pounded until she felt light-headed. Now was a good moment for adrenaline. She let it flow through her veins, feeding on its restless energy. And then she stepped into the breach.
A hallway stretched straight to the far end of the building with rooms opening off it on both sides. The floor was dirty and littered with beer bottles, trash and cigarette butts. What idiot would smoke inside a firetrap like this? The same kind that would contemplate assassinating a president.
Tex's shadowed form paused beside the first room on the left. He gestured her to stay outside the door and keep a look out. She crouched down beside the doorway, in plain sight of anyone who happened to stick their head out a door. She was a sitting duck. This was beyond dangerous. It was nuts!
Her nerve failed her and her hands shook violently. She couldn't do it. She couldn't sit here and wait for someone to see her and kill her. An urge to run away as fast as she could nearly overwhelmed her. As she crouched beside that doorway, she regretted with every fiber of her being her big words about protecting Tex's back. What in the heck had she been thinking?
She hadn't been thinking. She'd been feeling. She'd gotten so caught up in her concern for Tex's safety that she'd let her panic drown her good judgment.
She'd been panicked over Tex's safety?
The truth hit her like a Mac truck right there in that dingy, dark hallway while she sweated for her life. She loved Tex Monroe. Enough to act like a complete idiot. Enough to pu
t her life at risk for him without a second thought.
A compelling need to tell him almost drove her to her feet right then and there. In fact her leg muscles had coiled to rise when something dark abruptly loomed beside her.
She jumped violently.
Tex's hand landed on her shoulder. She fought to control an overwhelming urge to pee in her pants out of sheer terror.
He moved on to the next doorway and gestured her again to stay outside and keep watch. They repeated the maneuver on the remaining rooms on the left. Since he'd already checked out the right-hand rooms through the windows, she wasn't surprised when he headed for the rickety stairs to the second level.
He placed his foot on the first step and eased his weight onto it ounce by excruciating ounce. He gestured her to do the same. By the third step, she was ready to scream with impatience. But Tex continued to move at the speed of a glacier, sliding inch by inch up those stairs. It took them upward of five minutes to traverse the dozen steps.
Tex cleared the last step and moved forward into the hallway, a duplicate of the one below. She put her weight on the last step and leapt up into the air as it squeaked loudly. Tex dropped to the floor and she dived down beside him. Her heart had to be pushing two hundred beats a minute. It all but choked her as it pounded frantically.
They waited for several minutes, but nobody came out to see what had made the noise. Gradually her pulse slowed to something less on the verge of a stroke.
Tex turned his head and put his lips on her ear. "Same as below. You watch."
She nodded her understanding and he pressed silently to his feet. Of course the question of the hour was, what in the world was she going to do if someone actually came out into the hall? It wasn't like she was going to shoot them with her index finger.
She followed him to the first door on the right. He zigzagged his way down the hall checking the rooms on both sides of the hallway as he went.
He'd been in the fourth room for just a few seconds when she heard a noise. Somebody was moving in the next room.
The doorknob turned. Oh, Lord. Somebody was coming out in the hallway. Did she dare dart into the room Tex was in? For all she knew, someone was sleeping in front of the door and she'd trip over him and wake someone up.
