by Liliana Hart
“You know, you really should’ve let me carry you across the threshold,” he said.
“Sorry, maybe next time. I’m asleep on my feet.”
“Man, just like an old married couple,” he said incredulously.
The pout in his voice made her grin and she moved toward the bedroom. She just needed to lie down for a little while.
“I can’t stop thinking about Alpha Team,” Brady said. “I’ve heard nothing from Declan.”
“I’m worried too,” she said, praying those nine lives weren’t lost because of her, but afraid her prayers would go unanswered.
“Hey,” he said, moving toward her. She caught her breath as they stood just a hairsbreadth apart and, almost as if he were testing her, he slowly brought his arms around her in an embrace.
She shuddered at his touch. But not in fear. There were no words to describe it. When was the last time she’d felt the physical comfort of another human being? She couldn’t answer the question.
“You know how Declan is,” he said. “No news is good news. I’m sure he’ll reach out soon.”
“Does he know about this operation?” she asked.
Brady shook his head. “No. I thought it best to surprise him.”
She laughed at that, knowing one thing Declan hated more than anything was surprises, especially surprises that pertained to a mission.
“Probably best. He needs to focus on Somalia.”
“I don’t know. He’s going to be pissed. He expects me to cover for you, but he’ll expect a full report from Archer.
“And I’m sure as soon as Archer is able to get hold of Declan, he’ll give him one,” she said. “For now, I’m just happy to see the end of this day.”
Brady gently tilted her chin, “And I’m relieved that you’re ending it with me by your side.”
Elena looked up. She blinked back wetness in her eyes and licked her lips. His gaze followed the movement. So when he leaned down to kiss her, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
It was sweet—gentle—like kisses she’d dreamed of, and her heart raced as feelings she’d thought dead began to tingle through her body. She felt alive. And she felt cherished. Not worthless or used. She felt…loved. And when her mouth parted on a sigh and his tongue prodded at the opening, she welcomed him and relaxed into his embrace.
A rap against the door had his roaming hands freezing where they were. He moved her toward the bathroom and gently pushed her inside.
“Stay here,” he said. “And stay quiet.”
Again, there was another knock. More aggressive this time.
Brady wasn’t helpless without a gun, but she knew he sure preferred the advantage one gave him. He swiped up a small, jagged rock set upon an executive mahogany desk. It was meant to be a paperweight, but Elena had no doubt it would become a weapon if need be. She wanted to peek through the crack in the door but understood the liability she’d become if things got ugly.
“Yes?” Brady called out in a commanding tone.
“Your excursion package, Dr. Hilter,” a man said.
“We’re kinda busy. Can you leave it by the door?”
“Oh, si.” Elena could hear the man’s chuckle from where she was standing. “Lo siento.”
“Always an interruption,” he said, coming back to her.
She was still flying high on the feel of his lips against hers, and she was eager to do it again. So this time, when his mouth found hers, she moaned in greeting, her fingers digging into his shoulders.
She’d been standoffish over the last years, but the patience and loyalty Brady had shown during her toughest times had convinced her she could completely trust him. And from the foreign feelings rioting through her body, she was also open to a whole host of other emotions where he was concerned.
Brady kissed her and guided her down the long hallway toward the bedroom as butterflies danced in her stomach. The master suite had French doors that separated the room from the rest of the suite and a bathroom that was almost as big as her cabin at home. Her back hit the French doors and they opened, as he pushed her inside before pulling away, the flush of arousal clear on his cheeks, his breathing strained.
“I’m about to do something very heroic,” he said.
She grinned, enjoying his playfulness. “Oh, yeah?” she asked. “I can’t wait to see that.”
He leaned in and gave her one more kiss and then grabbed each handle of the French doors and began to pull them closed.
“Get some sleep,” he smiled. “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
Elena arched a brow. “I don’t know if I’d call that heroism.”
“Believe me, it is,” he said, and quietly shut the doors.
Brady had been right. He was a hero because she’d felt much better when she woke the next morning. Not only that, but her body wasn’t as sore and she didn’t look quite so much like she’d been in the ring with Rocky.
She and Brady had been the perfect honeymooning couple for the rest of the day. They’d walked the romantic paths hand in hand, relaxed in the hot tub, enjoyed a lunch by the pool, and laid out under the sun for an afternoon nap. Then they headed back to the room to get ready for the Jeep excursion that would lead them to the golf carts so they could complete the mission.
“Can’t we just go alone?” she asked when they finally broke apart from another kiss. “I’m not as comfortable with the others.”
“They’re here to help,” he said. “Audrey doesn’t take any bullshit, and she can be straightforward to the point of uncomfortable. But she’s loyal, and she’s one of the best covert ops agents I’ve ever had the privilege of watching. Be glad she’s on our side. And Archer is just an up-and-up badass. I’d never tangle with him.”
“You’d lose?” she asked.
“Hell no,” he said. “But my body would hurt a lot, and I’m not as young as I used to be.”
Brady opened the front of his hideously decorated Hawaiian flowered shirt. She marveled at the chiseled muscles and skin so tight it looked shrink-wrapped.
“Brady, I think you might draw too much attention if you go out like that,” Elena said, eyeing him up and down and secretly delighting in her growing confidence.
“Oh, really? And that sheer sundress isn’t going to scream out like a fire alarm?”
“We’re supposed to be on our honeymoon. What else should I wear?”
Brady let out a low, long whistle. “Nothing. That’s perfect.”
“Let’s move out,” Archer yelled through the door.
“I’ll sweep around and grab the excursion package,” Brady said.
Even when flirting, his mind was always in operations mode. Elena had to get her focus back on why they were here. She felt the weight of her grief over her niece’s capture and her sudden awakening to an incredible man who had been right in front of her eyes the entire time she’d shut herself off from the male world.
“Looks like the package left at the door is legit,” Brady said. “Let’s roll.”
Her cell phone buzzed and Elena froze. They’d been taunting her and she’d been silent for too long. When she looked at the screen an animal sound escaped her throat and she dropped the phone. It landed face up.
They all stood, stunned and staring. The open screen showed the horrifying image. Marguerite strapped naked to an old mattress. Another image followed closely behind it and she heard Brady’s ripe swear. A man holding a thick leather belt stood next to Marguerite, the terrified look on her face captured forever.
We have eyes and ears everywhere. We are the cartel. We suggest you stop whatever it is you are planning. Transmit the data now.
The resort was full of honeymooning couples wrapped up in each other, and none of them listened to the guide as he gave instructions for the Jeep excursion to tour the island. Brady hugged Elena tight as the guide droned on about driving safety.
His thoughts drifted to the rugged terrain he’d chewed up back in Montana while putting their fleet of
Jeeps to the test. He knew this drive wasn’t about seeing sights or sunsets. It was about veering off the path to locate the two golf carts Audrey had secured for them to drive the three hundred and fifty miles to Xpujil. The seven-hour trek would probably take longer because they’d have to bypass checkpoints.
“Okay, happy couples. Let’s hop in and crank up that engine,” the Jeep guide said.
“Let’s go, honey bunny,” Archer said, rolling his eyes.
“If you call me that again, you’re sleeping on the couch,” Audrey said. She shoved him out of the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, right,” he whispered to Brady. “She loves when I call her that.”
“We’ll take rear guard,” Brady said. “When it’s time to turn off, just pop the emergency flashers on and off a few times. I’ll hit my high beams to confirm.” He helped Elena into the passenger’s side seat.
“Whatcha doing with that?” Brady saw Elena activating her running app on the cell phone. It was a popular program for tracking the route, distance, and time it took to run courses.
She initially tried to hide it by shoving the phone beneath her thigh. Brady wasn’t comfortable with her use of it because it had a global sharing feature that allowed runners to post their best runs and challenge others to match or beat them.
“I like to have a backup,” she said.
“A backup?”
“What if something happens to those two overnight? It’s best to have an exact route for us to follow back to the golf carts.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to lay out our route on a public access app.” Brady looked back and forth between her and the other Jeep.
“How about after we find the two golf carts, I delete the file? Then we’ll have it committed to memory. Deal?” She rubbed Brady’s arm.
He knew he was being played, but what could he do? “Deal.”
Brady thought through scenarios for surviving this mission. He’d been in desperate situations before, but always with the best trained warriors on the globe. This time the reluctant but capable duo of Archer and Audrey, along with the highly volatile Elena, made him dread the hopelessness of the situation. Of course, he chuckled to himself, because he was nothing more than a love-struck pup trying to protect his lady.
“There it is. See the reflectors flashing from our headlights?” Elena said.
Brady popped his high beam lights twice and followed Archer’s bright red Wrangler onto a narrow path to the left of the main tourist trail.
“You sure you don’t want to stick with the others and spend a romantic evening watching the sunset?” Brady teased.
“Later.”
“Later tonight?” Brady leaned across the open console of the topless Jeep.
“Give a boy a kiss and he turns into a wild man. How about we just get through this first?”
“I keep waiting for someone to pinch me so I can wake up. I’ve waited for you a long time. I can wait longer.”
Elena placed her hand across Brady’s muscular forearm. He glanced at her as palm fronds and branches from a tropical jungle jabbed and swatted to enter the interior.
“Don’t be disappointed,” she said. “There will be time for us.”
“I’m sorry, Elena. You just have no idea how much I…” He jerked the Jeep to the left. “—care for you. I’ve wanted you from the very beginning. I waited and wondered if you’d ever be able to trust. I’d given up hope on your wanting to open your heart and your body to someone, but I was okay with it. What was most important was that you learned to feel safe again.”
She sighed, unable to speak after his confession. She’d not known men like Brady Scott existed. She’d grown up under her father’s strict rule, him more concerned about what was happening in his lab than with his own family. Her community had been dominated by women, because from the time boys reached manhood, they were enticed to join the cartel.
She squeezed his hand, hoping it was enough to convey her feelings.
“Okay, they’re stopping up ahead. Time to focus on the mission.”
He watched her mark their location on her running GPS app. She was up to something with that mapping device. He just had to figure out what it was before she put herself or someone else in danger.
Chapter Nine
The view from their balcony was breathtaking. Colored lights from beneath crystal blue swimming pool water illuminated a white, sandy oasis. Fire bowls lit the night as lovers, like moths, were drawn to the warmth of their glow. The evening had turned cool as light winds wisped off the gentle waves twelve stories below.
Elena was lost in the moment. Her mind screamed with dread for Marguerite and desire for Brady. There was only one of those two things she could do anything about at the moment, but it was too soon. She’d dropped her guard and Brady was there to move into her safe space.
She wanted him, but she knew her mind was too clouded by the other issues to allow her to concentrate fully on being intimate. Elena also struggled with the reality that she probably wouldn’t survive this negotiation for her niece and data exchange. She was okay with that as long as her only blood relative would survive. Should she enjoy what might be her last night? Brady would be the perfect celebration of life and the love she had grown to know for him.
“What’s on your mind, Elena?” Brady asked as he joined her on the balcony.
White wicker chairs dotted a space around a matching glass coffee table. Soft lights lined the railing to create just enough atmosphere for romance, but not enough for sharing secret plans for defeating the cartel. He poured another flute full of champagne and handed it to her.
“Brady, are you trying to get me drunk?” She leaned out, over the railing.
“No, that’s not the way I operate.” He nudged closer to her.
“Oh, so you operate, huh? How’s this operation going so far?”
“Well, since I don’t consider my feelings for you a tactical plan, I assume you’re referring to the cartel.” He tipped back a sip of champagne.
“Really? And what exactly are your feelings for me?” She groaned a bit. Her own forwardness caught her off guard a little.
“I’m here, aren’t I? I’ve always been here for you. I want to protect you and support you to be completely happy and safe.” His right hand slid across the top of her left one.
Elena felt the warmth inside her body rise to a boil. Brady’s words were setting her soul ablaze. She knew it wasn’t idle chatter between opposite sexes in a shared hotel room. He had always been there. Even when everyone else became occupied with their own lives and operations, Brady always remained.
“Is it wrong?” she whispered.
“What?”
“That we’re standing up here looking out over this gorgeous night and talking about our feelings, while we know what tomorrow holds?” She nuzzled into a hug. “My heart has never been heavier nor happier than right now, but I feel the guilt of Marguerite’s terror.”
Brady’s muscular arm pulled her tighter. He pressed his face against the top of her head and she rode the rise and fall of his thick, defined chest. There was nothing more to say. She knew he understood. It was what allowed her to feel for him and let him touch her without threat or fear. She wanted to give herself to him fully.
“I tell you what, we’ve got a long day tomorrow. How about we just turn in and give our minds and emotions a break?” he suggested.
Reluctantly, she agreed.
“Brady, I appreciate you more than I may ever be able to tell you. I may not survive this ordeal, but please promise me you’ll get Marguerite to safety.”
Brady scowled. “Why wouldn’t you survive this?”
She bit on the inside of her cheek. He wasn’t stupid—she had to measure every word.
“I meant just in case.”
“There’ll be no just in case. You’re with three of the best operatives in the world. We will protect you, but you’ve got to promise to do what we tell you. Deal?” He glared into her e
yes. It felt like he was examining her soul.
Elena turned away. “Deal.”
She squeezed her cell phone while shuffling to the bathroom. It continued to buzz, but she needed the time to think through her options. She cared about Brady. Trusted him. Archer and Audrey, she felt, were there out of obligation to Brady. And while she admired the sacrifice they were willing to make, she couldn’t allow the three of them to be harmed.
Locking the door behind her, she twisted the shower knob to high and clicked on the in-mirror television. She pressed herself as far from the bathroom door as possible before opening her phone’s screen.
Time is up
I’ve got it. It’s coming, she replied.
Bring it now or you’ll be recovering her corpse instead of rescuing her
Hurt her and no data
Tsk, tsk, puta. Hurt is such a strong word. And she feels so good. Just like you did. Such soft skin you both have.
Elena’s chest tightened and she struggled for her next breath. Memories of the nonstop assaults over several days caused her gut to clench into a tightened knot. The thoughts of wanting, begging, praying to die sent bile up and into her mouth.
Do not touch her
Fury guided her fingers as they pumped with the need to hurt someone.
Say please
“Fuck off,” snarled Elena.
Don’t touch her. Last warning.
Say please
You touch her and I toss all the data
She typed while sliding her hand across her forehead. The steam from the shower had created a sauna effect in the bathroom.
I wonder if she’ll scream like you did when we brand her.
Elena went lightheaded at the thought, remembering the searing pain. A sob escaped.
I’m bringing the data, she repeated. Don’t touch her.
Elena slid the rest of the way onto the ceramic tile bathroom floor. Her cries were captured and concealed by the noise, but Brady would soon suspect more than a shower was going on. Time was becoming critical. It was up to her—it was her family, after all.
“Declan, I think your situation is much more serious right now. We’re going to run a swap and grab. Crap, you’re still stuck in Somalia.”
