by Pamela Clare
They were on radar now, but he didn’t point that out.
As long as the boat maintained a natural movement, the radar couldn’t pick up something suspicious like having all the running lights off. “You worry a lot for someone who risked her neck to get to this point.”
“Everything in my homeland is dangerous, but nothing is as frightening as the unknown.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, but her last words were, “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”
Where had he heard that before?
He had a sudden urge to pull her over next to him and wrap his arm around her to keep her warm. Safe.
But suspicion worked overtime in his mind when he was on a mission. Like reminding him that Jin could be a plant from the DPRK sent to find everyone involved in this extraction.
She could also be an innocent woman fighting to survive.
This business turned him into more of a cynic every day and the longer he vacillated on the matter of Jin, the more it would drive him crazy. Just the fact that she was a scientist raised his walls against anything she said. Okay, even if she only worked in a lab doing research, that still pushed all his buttons because of the fiasco with Allie.
But Jin had no one in her corner, not even those two physicists she’d risked her life to help.
If what she’d said to this point was true.
Tanner needed his head unscrewed and rethreaded back on.
Allowing a crack in the walls he’d built after Allie had wrecked his mind could also allow a repeat of what he’d gone through for a not-so-innocent scientist.
She’d used him then walked away.
He’d thought he loved her. Clearly he had no idea what love was and no reason to ever make that mistake again. He was happy to qualify for Bachelors Anonymous forever.
Nope. He was not going to make the mistake of letting his emotions take over his decision making again, and definitely not here where he’d be putting his men and the mission at risk.
Besides, he had another female to worry about. Martina was trapped in Mexico, and his mother and sister were sick with worry.
He needed a club to slam upside his head to stop the chatter going on inside. Jin wasn’t a threat at the moment. Until she was, he’d do what he could to help her, and then he’d never see her again. Simple enough.
Tanner chewed on that for a few minutes until a fat raindrop hit his exposed cheek.
He looked up and, yep, clouds were ganging up to pound rain bullets at them and lightning raced across the sky in the distance. A heavy storm was bearing down on them, just as Dingo had predicted.
Jin hadn’t stirred. She’d get wet again.
Tanner moved his hand to touch her arm, but paused when Nick slowed the engines.
Tanner stood and looked over at the cockpit where Har stood behind the wheel with Nick overseeing.
When had that happened? Pang had also come up from the cabin and sat in the copilot chair, shoulders hunched and surly glower in place. Nothing new there.
Tanner stepped up next to Nick. “What’s up?”
Nick ran a hand over his face. “We’re coming up to the Nampho Dam. I think we should let Har drive the boat through the locks. I’ll turn on the running lights, but the locks are going to be lit up like Christmas. I’ll be too obvious at the wheel.”
Rain started coming down harder.
Tanner looked around and saw the silver emergency blanket Blade had given Har earlier. It was shoved up on the dash. He took it and walked to the back, planning to give it to Jin, but when he bent down to hand it to her, he realized she was asleep. He wrapped the blanket around and over her like a tent, tucking it under her feet and shoulders.
Back at the cockpit, Dingo had stepped up from the cabin with the Sat phone in his hand. He said, “Home base is working on a rendezvous.”
Rain slapped the water. Bad weather moving in and a hundred miles of water or land to cross. Neither option looked promising right now.
Tanner pointed a thumb at Har’s back and asked Nick, “Can he do it?”
“Sure. The locks are made wide enough for ships.”
But what if Har panicked and made a mistake? That dam would be crawling with security.
Blade jumped down from where he’d come around from the bow. He swiped water off his face and held binoculars in his other hand. “Two trawlers are waiting for a ship to pass through the locks. If we’re going with those fishing boats, we need to get up in line.”
Har turned to everyone. He had a white-knuckle grip on the wheel and his eyes were wracked with fear.
Oh, sure, he could do this.
The storm wouldn’t get a chance to sink them, because they wouldn’t make it through those locks.
Chapter Twelve
“I can do this,” Har said, nodding hard in Tanner’s direction.
Tanner looked through the rain-sloshed windshield where bright lights from the dam blurred. He’d never have expected Har to be the one to man up on this trip, but the guy did look determined. Har said, “Please.”
Maybe he figured the fastest way to get off this boat was by helping. Tanner said, “Okay, you’re driving us through the locks.”
Pang made a noise of disgust and Tanner fantasized giving him a knuckle sandwich to bite down on.
Nick told Har, “Hit the running lights.”
Har nodded and swung around to the dash, mumbling to himself as he flipped switches. His narrow shoulders held more confidence than Tanner had seen until now. Red and green lights lit on the right and left tip of the bow. Then white stern lights popped on.
Tanner eyed their captain and told Nick, “Har needs to dress the part. Good thing we stripped those two guards.”
Nick grinned. “Found something better.”
“What’s that?”
He reached down under Pang’s feet, because the surly physicist had done nothing but sit in the passenger seat like a toad on a log the whole time. When Nick stood up, he had a rain poncho he threw over Har’s narrow shoulders. Then he stuck a cap on Har that Tanner and Nick had taken off the guards they’d locked in the truck before heisting the boat.
Har grinned.
Damn, but Tanner was starting to like the guy.
Dingo suggested to Pang that he would be safer below in the cabin.
Pang looked insulted. “No. Stinks in there.”
Nick went down in the cabin and came back out with another poncho and hat that he tossed at Pang. “Then put this on, don’t look up at any of the security at the dam and act like you’re helping your captain.”
Pang had probably been mouthy back in the lab, but he had enough sense not to pop off at Nick. He pulled on the poncho.
Dingo scrunched down between Har and the side of the cockpit, hidden in a black hole of darkness. Blade took up a mirror position in the opposite corner between Pang and the cabin wall.
Nick stood next to Har, talking him through how this would work and explaining that he intended to stand just inside the cabin where Har could talk to him.
Rain started coming down in sheets.
Thunder rumbled, but the lightning that flickered was still off to the north for now. With any luck, they’d be heading south soon.
Tanner looked around and realized Jin was still under her blanket tent.
Why wasn’t she up here annoying him by now?
He crossed the deck to where she huddled. The silver blanket shielded her upper body from the downpour, but her pants had to be soaked from the water on the deck. She hadn’t said a word.
In fact, that little silver lump was hardly moving.
He let his rifle hang and scooped her up.
Jin muttered an irritated sound.
She’d been sleeping all the way through that? No one could sleep through a downpour and getting soaked from the bottom up unless she was at the point of bone-weary exhaustion. He’d been there before and knew that when your body was ready to shut down it would pull the plug.
He carried
her to the cockpit and navigated his way down the two steps into the cabin ahead of Nick, who ducked inside then turned his back to Tanner and started coaching Har.
Jeezus on a pogo stick. This place did reek to high heaven.
Rain beat against the roof.
The engines powered up gradually this time and the boat moved forward.
Tanner shuffled his feet to adjust his weight and maintain his balance. He should put Jin down, but she’d hate that.
And why do you care?
He shouldn’t. But there was no telling when those bunks had been cleaned or what turbo-germs were living there. He’d take her back up top once they were through the locks.
As they neared the locks, Tanner bent forward to bring his head down over where he held Jin until he could reach with one of his hands to flip up his monocular.
When he straightened, he sensed a change and looked down at her.
Her eyes opened all soft and dreamy. In that moment, when her hackles were down and her face held a tender sweetness, she was so damn pretty. More than pretty.
She raised her gaze to his.
He expected her to tense up and bite his head off for handling her, but those eyes were unshielded for once. Exhaustion had sapped her energy. Lights from the dam sifted through the portholes on each side and kissed her cheek. She surprised him by taking a slow breath and lifting her fingers to touch his scruffy jaw.
She said, “You did not leave me?”
The sweet, just-woke-up gruffness in her voice jerked Big John out of his slumber. Hearing a woman’s sleepy voice was a favorite of Tanner’s and did not belong on this op. He clamped down his straying thoughts and considered what she’d said.
Why did she think he’d leave her?
In that unguarded moment, she’d spoken with surprise that she had not been abandoned. How often had that happened to her? He quipped, “Where would I leave you?”
She yawned and even that was adorable. “Somewhere along the river. That is why I sat next to you.”
He was confused. “You sat next to me because you thought I’d toss you off?”
“No. Because I hoped you would not.”
Letting her continue to wonder if she was going to be left behind any minute was nothing short of mental torture. He knew he wasn’t going to boot her in the middle of nowhere. “I’ll take you to the US with us.”
Hope flared so brightly in her eyes he wished he’d told her sooner. She asked, “How can I be sure?”
“I give you my word, and I never give it unless I intend to keep it.”
“I believe you. You know nothing about me. Why would you help me?”
He muttered, “Temporary insanity. Don’t press your luck.”
“Thank you.” Two simple words that were tossed around a million times every day across the world, but coming from Jin they carried the power of something more.
He had the feeling she rarely had a valid reason to utter appreciation for anything.
While they were on the run, Tanner would do everything in his power to keep her safe, but he’d have no say over what would happen to her once they hit US soil. He expected more questions, but she studied his face and gave a nod of acceptance then blinked and stretched, waking up more.
She looked around. “Where are we?”
He ducked his head to look out the portholes. Rain came down between the boat and the water-stained walls of the lock as Har guided them through at low throttle. “Har has us almost through the dam, then we’ll head out to sea.”
She grabbed an arm around Tanner’s neck and jerked herself up into a sitting position, stretching to look past his shoulders. “Har? He will get us killed.”
“Shh. We’ve got him covered. He’s doing just fine so far and one of my team is coaching him, but any sound might spook him.”
She swung her face to Tanner’s.
Those lips were smooth and full. Kissable. What would they feel like on his? Not that he’d ever know, but yes he wanted to and right now. Her tongue peeked out and swiped her upper lip.
Don’t do that, darlin’. A man could only take so much.
They passed through the locks, safe and sound.
Nick’s low voice kept assuring Har he should have his captain’s license.
Tanner lost track of what Nick was saying. Lost track of everything except staring at Jin, who moved forward a tiny bit.
It wouldn’t take much for her lips to touch his.
The boat lifted slightly with a wave and rolled forward.
Tanner adjusted his feet to hold his balance, but Jin hugged her arm tighter and bam, they were kissing. Her hand palmed his face. She kept up a soft pressure on his mouth. He kissed her back.
What man wouldn’t? She kissed him as if this was her first time and she wanted to find out all she could in one kiss. He felt the tug from her kiss all the way to his groin. Big John was knockin’ at the front door, but Tanner ignored the discomfort. He knew this would end too soon and didn’t want to give up something that felt so sweet and untainted.
Then it was over as quickly as it started.
She pulled back, staring at him and breathing like she’d been swimming the last mile.
He was just as winded. His senses squawked at him. What the hell was he thinking?
Wait a minute.
Why had she kissed him?
Whatever the reason, it left as quickly as it had come. She went from warm and accommodating to tense. “You can put me down, cowboy.”
“And miss another chance to be kissed?” The devil in his brain had taken over. That was the only possible explanation for him even admitting what had just happened. “Why did you?”
The steady rumble of the boat engines filled the silence until she finally said, “Temporary insanity.”
As if to distract him from what had just happened, she warned, “We will be out in the sea where they watch on radar. If someone from my country contacts us by radio and we do not answer, they will attack and shoot bombs at us.”
That wasn’t exactly how naval bombardment functioned out here, but the result would be the same so he didn’t try to explain the dynamics of sea warfare.
She touched his chin, pulling his eyes to her. “I can stand.”
He knew that, but holding her had been a calm moment in the middle of this madness. Just feeling a woman against his body rattled things in his head that shouldn’t be disturbed.
Lowering her feet to the floor as darkness once again shrouded the cabin, he told her, “I know it smells in here, but it’s safer. And the fewer people out on the deck the better right now.”
“I understand.” She opened her stance and squared her shoulders, so light on her feet she had no problem keeping her balance. “I am impressed, cowboy.”
After all the flack she’d given him, getting a compliment out of nowhere pulled a smile from him. “Oh, yeah? Liked that kiss, did you?”
“I was talking about your strategy. I did not think you would make it this far in the patrol boat.”
“So you did like the kiss.”
She rolled her eyes.
He smiled, not wanting to let on that he’d had concerns up to this point and still harbored a few more. They weren’t in the clear yet by any means, but she was right. This had gone better than he’d thought when Nick had rubbed his hands together at the idea of snagging a patrol boat.
Tanner said, “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”
“Perhaps you were born under the right stars and were rewarded with ability and luck.”
Nick shouted, “Hold on!” That was the only notice anyone got before he shoved the controls forward again.
Tanner threw a hand up to grab a cabinet when the boat lurched ahead and plowed into a wave.
Jin flailed an arm and slammed into his chest hard enough to knock the breath out of her.
Tanner caught his arm around her. “Are you okay?”
She grabbed a handful of his vest and, this time, lifted her ch
in. The entire movement happened in seconds. She was all up in his personal space.
No complaints here.
But he could feel the muscles in her back tighten beneath her ninja outfit. She was uncomfortable, but she hadn’t pushed away yet. A gentleman would help her out of his grasp.
It wasn’t that his mama hadn’t raised a gentleman, but that he just couldn’t find it in him to push Jin away right now. He’d spent months alone whether he was on a mission or off on his own. Part of him longed for this contact.
Another part seconded that idea, but he’d let Big John talk him into some bad decisions in the past. One had been named Allie.
Jin kept staring at him. She probably thought he intended to stay below, too. He’d made up his mind to pull his arm away when she dropped her head against his chest and moved closer.
Snuggling up for his heat?
Her shoulders softened.
If this were any other woman in any other situation, he’d take that as a sign that they were finding common ground. The kind of common ground that ended up littered with clothes.
Wrong direction, cowboy. In fact, get your hands off her and head to the deck. He could use some of the cold water busting over the bow to hit him in the face. Maybe that would bring his common sense back to the forefront.
But the boat banged into a wave and jerked sideways. Tanner held on to Jin to keep her from getting battered in the cabin and used his free arm to stabilize them.
She shook hard. Ah, hell, she was scared.
He mentally searched for something to take her mind off her fears. “If the stars are guiding us, how come they’re dumping all that rain on us?”
“What?” She jerked her head back to look at him with confusion shaping her expression. Then she took in his smile as her brain caught up to what he was talking about. “I did not say the stars were guiding anything tonight, but that you may have been born under one that watches over you.”
“A guardian star, huh? That’d be nice.” But not something he’d ever count on. He’d been the guardian over his three sisters and mother from the age of nineteen when his father died in the military.
That’s why he traveled across the globe and stuck his neck into some nasty places to make sure the world his family lived in was safe.
