by Karen Anders
“Time to move it out?”
His expression solemn, he smoothed her hair into a long fall. “Yeah. We need to talk and plan. Take stock of our supplies with the hope that everything made it through that harrowing drop.”
She shifted her head and brushed a kiss against his chest, then she said, her voice smooth and textured like satin, “I want to check your wounds and change your bandages.”
“Sure.” He knew this was only a temporary thing, that absolutely nothing would come of it. They were on different paths—sometimes they got close enough to touch, but an actual connection was impossible. That’s why, after she’d held him after his grannie died, he hadn’t accepted another invitation from Tristan to visit Dutch Harbor.
“You go first and be careful, or we’ll both get dumped on the floor.”
“Too bad we don’t have the time to see where that would lead us.”
“Get going, bad girl, before I dump you on your ass.”
She laughed and gingerly rolled toward the edge, dangerously tilting the hammock. “This is a very tricky maneuver.”
Her rear in the air as she went to get her legs under her made him groan softly. “But the view is amazing.”
She shot a look over her shoulder, and it was all the warning he got as she pressed down and then let the hammock go. It recoiled, and since he was more toward the other side to give them leverage, the cloth flipped and sent him onto the hard floor.
“Oops. My bad,” she said with an innocent look. “Now that is a view.” She gave him a once-over. He came up off the floor, and they horsed around until finally he gave her a hard, sweet kiss.
She went for her pack. “I’m starving,” she announced, pulling on a clean sports bra with a bit of lace around the edges and pair of panties. After slathering on sunscreen/bug repellant, she tossed the bottle to him. “Could you get my back?”
He caught it and walked up to her. Before she turned around, she said, “You are a distracting package, Marine.”
He slathered on the cream, enjoying the feel of her skin.
“Thanks,” she said when he was done. “Turn around and I’ll get yours.” Her soft hands roamed over every inch of him, then she slapped his butt. “Done. Get dressed.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Playtime was over. It was time to go hunting for more than just Set. There was someone out there shadowing them. He wanted to find out whether he was friend or foe.
Their lives depended on it.
Chapter 11
“What the hell do you mean you lost them?”
“Things got hairy, and they drove a Jeep off a cliff and landed in some deep, fast-moving water. I freaking lost them, Austin. So don’t rub it in. Do you think I want to let Amber down? And I like Dexter Kaczewski, by the way. So this off-the-books mission was a no-brainer.”
“Aw, hell. What do you want me to tell Amber?”
“Don’t tell her a damn thing right now.”
“Do you think they’re dead?”
“I don’t know, but they went into the drink with a young girl.”
“This just gets better and better.”
“You busting my chops?”
“No. Look, I’m not there, and I trust your judgment. See what you can find out and call me back. But Geezus, Derrick. Be careful. I’d rather not have to explain to Kai why you were in Central America in the Darién Gap when you were supposed to be on vacay. Savvy?”
“I got it loud and clear. No one will see me. This isn’t my first covert rodeo.”
“Okay, call me when you have more information.”
He’d laid low overnight, and it didn’t take long for the drug runners to pull up stakes and bug out. They were completely twitchy and probably trigger-happy, but Derrick could have picked them off one by one. He didn’t want to draw a lot of attention just now with Rock and Neve somewhere in the area. They were hunting really dangerous prey.
As soon as the coast was clear, Derrick stripped down to his shorts and went diving. The current was strong, but nothing he couldn’t swim in. He dived and found the submersed Jeep, but that gave him no answers.
He swam close to the bottom of the river, breathing a mental sigh of relief when there were no bodies. Could the gators have gotten them? It was totally conceivable that they could have been pushed downstream. Just when he was resolved to search along the river in case they had been washed up on shore—he swore softly to himself at the thought—he caught sight of a shadow beneath the falls. Frowning, he surfaced and grabbed several breaths of air and headed for the darkness, expecting it was just a trick of the light.
What he hadn’t expected was to find a small cave on the backside of the falls. He pulled himself out and sluiced the water off his face as it ran in rivulets from his body. He padded over the smooth floor to another pool.
He didn’t allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Not just yet.
*
How did she lose her resolve? How did everything get so turned around and even more complicated?
She sat in the common house with Rock and Opal. Looking at him, she sighed. He responded to Opal’s question about fruit. It was simple and straightforward, but Rock’s voice, the deep, feathered undertones, the easy, measured cadence, stood out like a foghorn. One look at him and she could remember every steely inch of him. Every. Freaking. Inch.
Oh, that was how.
Opal’s father was graciously welcoming them to the village, and when Rock smiled, Neve felt punched in the gut. Dammit, maybe it was better when he’d been angry at her. Except that had all been resolved.
If she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t regret one moment of what had happened yesterday. Being with Rock had been an experience she would never forget. It only made her calculate how many hours there were until nightfall.
“How about you, Neve?”
All three of them were looking at her, and she had no idea what they were talking about because she hadn’t been listening. She was stressing over sleeping with him, and that had taken over her brain cells.
“I’m sorry. What was the question?”
Rock gave her an indulgent look. “Papaya, pineapple or fried plantains?”
“Oh, right, breakfast.”
“From what I heard, she’s starving. All three,” Opal said, then smiled and left the table, as her father excused himself and also rose. Neve nearly laughed; restraining her amusement, her gaze connected with Rock’s. He was sitting with his elbows on the table, his hands resting palms down. His expression gave nothing away, but there was something in his eyes that made her pulse jump into overdrive. The hint of amusement instantly faded, replaced by a glint that was more heated, far more potent, far more intent. Far more male. And Neve remembered that instant when he’d entered her, when she’d experienced the full thrust of him, and she clasped her hands together in her lap, her breath jamming up in her chest.
Rock’s gaze intensified, and Neve could feel the heat of his gaze from across the table. Suddenly, she wished they were somewhere dark and private, somewhere...
The sound of the plate being set onto the wood interrupted her thoughts. Rock looked away, the muscles of his jaw clenching, something that excited her flaring in his eyes. She eyed the plate full of fruit, and since there were no utensils, she grabbed a piece of pineapple.
On the table were some flowers that Neve had seen in the jungle. These were a deep pink. “What are these called?”
“We call them pinzas de langosta.”
“Lobster claws?”
“Yes, very pretty.” Opal looked at both of them and said, “Why are you here in the Darién?”
“We’re backpacking,” Rock said, keeping his voice even and neutral.
She stared at him a moment, then looked at Neve, then said, “I might be sixteen and live in an isolated village, but I’m not stupid. I have seen many soldiers, and it’s clear you have military training. You’re no tourists.”
Neve leaned forward. “We’re j
ust taking on the challenge of the Darién. Would it be possible for us to stay for a couple of nights?”
Opal still looked skeptical, but there was no way they were going to give away their tactical advantage. They really couldn’t trust anyone. “Yes, of course. You are very welcome,” she said eagerly.
After Neve and Rock finished their breakfast, they headed back to their hut. They packed only what they needed for a day trek into the jungle.
“She’s suspicious,” Rock said.
“I know. What do you think she’s involved in that would get drug runners pissed at her?”
He shrugged, looking concerned as he checked over his weapon and chambered a round. “She’s working for them maybe? Ripped them off?”
Neve closed the ties to her pack. A muscled arm reached in front of her, and her heart lurched. She went still, giving her pulse a second to settle.
His shoulder brushing against her, Rock grabbed a couple of granola bars and tucked them inside one of the pockets. He snagged her hand. “I guess that’s possible.” Opal seemed wise beyond her years, but life, even in this beautiful place, wasn’t always beautiful.
He caressed her fingers. “You have nice hands,” he said gruffly.
Experiencing a heady rush from his caressing touch, Neve closed her eyes, her pulse going wild. She turned her hand, sliding her palm against his. He inhaled deeply, then lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. Neve turned her face into his shoulder, her strength sapped by the sensations that surged through her. Shaken by the intensity of her reaction, she laced her fingers through his, needing time to get herself together. He had overwhelmed her; with one single kiss, he had simply overwhelmed her. Then she picked up the thread of their conversation. “She seems so young.”
“There are drug dealers on the streets of New York City younger than her,” Rock said with disgust, rising with her and releasing her hand. “There are no age limits when it comes to trafficking and selling that stuff.”
She wasn’t under any illusions here. They were on their own; no help would come if they got into a serious situation, and Neve could probably kiss her coast guard career goodbye if it was ever discovered that she came here to a foreign country to kill someone. She would not be given any quarter. Her commander, in particular, already reamed her out for not being a team player. It made her think about that, especially what happened during the rescue of Set’s relatives. Even now, she was “teaming” up with Rock, and if she looked below the surface of her reasons for trying to ditch him, she wondered if her tendency to want to go it alone was part of that underlying reason. Why was it so difficult for her to ask for help? Did she think that made her look weak?
“Do you think we should leave?” she asked, dropping her head. It was hard to look at him, especially when he was in that sexy warrior mode. He went still and braced one hand on his hip. His gaze was intent when she lifted her head. His eyes were dark and steady, and she got a tiny dose of the nerves. Really, what was there to be nervous about? This was Rock. It had been so much easier last night, when things had just happened. She wasn’t quite sure how to proceed from here, how to handle all...all of him. Mostly her uncertainty.
He stepped closer and everything went haywire. He stared at her, and she tried to curb the feelings she had for him. “No, I’d like to know what she’s up to. We don’t want to be walking into any ambushes.”
Neve nodded. “Agreed.”
His compressed expression showed as hard lines around his mouth; his eyes giving nothing away as usual. Then he slipped his hand behind her neck and squeezed. He held her gaze, his hair shining in the sun falling into the room. He looked dark and foreboding and unapproachable, but the look in his eyes made her heart pound and her knees weak, and that was so unlike her. There was a flare of emotion, and he tightened his grip on her neck. His touch put her into sensory overload.
“I want to kiss you right now,” he whispered roughly. “But I’m not going to because I’m afraid we won’t get out of that hammock for a week. We need to be on point here. Opal is an unknown ally, and we still have the EDL after us, not to mention we don’t know what’s going on with those drug runners. And we have a mission to complete.”
“Then this won’t help at all,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and planting her mouth on his, kissing him soundly. He groaned softly and she pulled away, smoothing her hands over his shoulders and collarbone. “Sorry. I guess I don’t have your willpower.”
He stared at her, then a glimmer of amusement appeared in his eyes and he gave her a lopsided smile. “Great, I’ve never been on patrol with a hard-on before. Oh, wait...no, I have.” The husky intimacy of his tone set off a wild flutter, making her wish they were anyplace but here. He gave her a sultry look and reached down and shouldered the lightened pack.
“What a waste,” she murmured as she preceded him out of the hut on a very male, wholly frustrated strangled sound.
As soon as they cleared the village, Neve asked, “So what exactly do you do when you reconnoiter?”
The dirt path was narrow, but still wide enough for them to walk side by side. It was steamy, the rain the night before leaving the jungle wet with wisps floating in the canopy, small, thin clouds of vapor.
“It’s all about keeping the enemy off balance, adding an offensive punch to the defense, allowing us to retain the initiative and guard against surprise.”
“Looking around and getting the lay of the land.”
“That’s a watered down version, yeah.”
“Then my first suggestion is to head back to the drug runners’ camp and see what’s going on there. We can slip back through the pools if you’re up for it and covertly check it out.”
He gave her a quick, assessing look. “That was going to be my first suggestion. See if we have something to worry about from that quarter.” He squeezed the back of her neck and said, “I’ll make a marine out of you yet.”
“The coast guard isn’t any slouch, you know. Drug smugglers, gunrunners are all in a day’s work for us Coasties. And,” she said, nudging him, “I held my breath longer than you did.”
“True,” he said, chuckling, “but there were mitigating circumstances.”
“Excuses,” she said as they approached the cave with the pool. Setting his finger to his lips, he indicated that she should go first.
She shook her head and pointed at him, then tapped her temple. He nodded, moving in front of her after giving her an indulgent look.
When he reached the lip of the pool, he slipped into the water; Neve really didn’t want to get wet again, but this was a smart move on their part. It was clear that if the smugglers had known about the hidden cave beneath the waterfall, they would have sent some men after them. Neve had to wonder if Opal really did have a reason to seek out the group.
The swim went much better this time, with Rock easily maneuvering the waterway without any problem. Neve couldn’t stop the memory of his soft, unresponsive lips beneath hers as she’d breathed air into his lungs.
They emerged on the other side, their boots making very little sound on the rocky floor. Russell slipped down into the opening, and they swam again until they were outside the cave. She followed him as he crawled out of the water into a deep clump of underbrush on the side of the river, then hunched down as they scooted into the cover of the trees.
He got close to her ear. “If they’re still here, they would be right above us. Let’s go down that way.” He pointed to where the path sloped, allowing a short climb back up to the cliff above them. Luckily there was plenty of cover.
She nodded, and he moved toward the incline. As soon as they reached the edge, they heard voices and both of them ducked for cover.
Staying crouched, Rock indicated they should move, and he flattened out on his stomach and started to GI crawl up the incline. She found it was harder than it looked as she followed him. They got to the top, right near where Neve had been discovered by several of the smugglers. Her clothes clung to her,
the humid air adding to the moisture, sweat running down their faces. The ground beneath them was rough with plenty of roots and leaf cover. When they moved, the loamy, somewhat moldy smell wafted up to her.
Those bodies were gone, but she could still detect the dark splotches where blood had splattered.
It got her to thinking and remembering as Rock peered out into the clearing.
That had been such a blur of crazy, terrifying danger when those men had suddenly burst through the trees. The shots, now that she was looking at the area, couldn’t have come from the direction Rock had gone.
She twisted and looked over her shoulder, calculating the trajectory, then focused on an area high above her.
A sniper?
Had someone rescued her from those men?
The only person she could think of that might be out here sniping could be Tristan. Her mouth tightened. She had specifically asked Rock to keep him out of this. It wasn’t like her brother was in the dark about Ammon Set, but it hadn’t occurred to her that he might have taken on this mission, as well.
Except Amber hadn’t given away anything when she’d talked to her on the phone. And she couldn’t imagine Amber wouldn’t have talked to her about it. The NCIS agent, her soon-to-be sister-in-law, wouldn’t have hesitated to keep Tristan safe. There was no doubt about that in Neve’s mind, but if Rock knew about this, or even worse yet, had enlisted her brother’s help without her knowledge...
All her insecurities about what Rock thought about her and her abilities surfaced. If she couldn’t trust him to tell her about Tristan, then how could she trust him at all? Teamwork meant trust, and maybe that was her problem. She wanted to trust only in herself. That way, she wasn’t judged by others’ standards or disappointed in her own performance.
