Defending Allye (Mountain Mercenaries Book 1)

by Susan Stoker

  She looked nervous then, the excitement bleeding out of her unusual eyes as if he’d just taken away Christmas, Thanksgiving, and her birthday in one fell swoop. “Should you be holding that thing up, then? Just in case it’s not your friend?”

  Noting she wasn’t stuttering anymore because her body had stopped shivering violently, and kicking himself for killing her excitement, Gray hurried to reassure her. “It’s a prototype, and only me and my team have the capability to pick up its signal. It’s not transmitting any kind of light or anything. If that’s not Black, they’ll go right by us. There’s no way anyone would find us out here if they weren’t extremely lucky, or weren’t following the signal from this little box.”

  “Don’t say that,” she mumbled. “Karma likes to fuck with me.”

  He chuckled. “Didn’t we already have this conversation? You and karma are just fine, kitten.”

  “I think I was in a state of shock earlier when we talked about it. I’m not sure I’m ready to believe you just yet.”

  Pulling her closer, Gray wrapped an arm around her waist again, using his legs to keep them above water. Her body felt cold even through the wet suit, and her lips were no longer ringed with blue as they’d been earlier—now they were almost completely bluish purple. She needed to get out and get warm. Now. But she didn’t complain. Just did whatever he asked of her with minimal questions. He liked that.

  He liked Allye. A lot. He knew nothing could come of his attraction, as he lived in Colorado Springs and she lived in San Francisco. But it had been a long time since a woman had piqued his interest as she had.

  Gray eyed the boat and saw the second Black picked up his signal. The vessel took an obvious turn and changed course to head straight for them. He turned to Allye and gave her a smile. “There are one hundred and eighty-seven quintillion gallons of water in the Pacific Ocean. That’s sixty-two-point-four million square miles. If karma had it out for you, as you claim, there’s no way that boat would be headed straight for us right now. No one would find us out here . . . especially not in the dark. Chin up, kitten. We’re about to be rescued.”

  She turned once again and faced the oncoming boat. “It’s a good thing,” she quipped. “My fingers and toes are prunes. I’m not sure they’ll ever go back to their original state.”

  Gray couldn’t stop the chuckle that escaped. She never ceased to surprise him.

  They waited without another word as the light from the boat came closer and closer.

  Finally, Gray heard Black call out his name.

  “Yo! It’s about time!” Gray yelled back.

  He heard his friend laugh as he cut the engine and slowed the boat. It floated toward them, and Gray maneuvered himself and Allye so he could grab one of the ropes on the side of the rubber boat when it got close enough.

  “Where’d you pick this thing up?” he asked Black. It wasn’t the sleek fiberglass boat they’d been on earlier.

  “Long story. Jeez, Gray. Only you could pick up a chick in the middle of the ocean, my friend.”

  “How about you talk less and help me get her inside?” Gray asked dryly. He wasn’t going to introduce Allye to his friend while they were bobbing in the ocean.

  “Shit, yeah, sorry.”

  Gray turned to Allye. “You ready to go home?”

  “Oh yeah,” was her heartfelt response.

  “Grab Black’s hand. I’ll push from here, and he’ll pull you up.”

  Black reached down, not waiting for her to reach up, and grabbed her under the arms instead. He began pulling her on board the large, inflatable Zodiac boat. Gray did as promised, putting a hand on her ass and pushing upward as Black pulled, and within seconds, she’d disappeared over the side.

  He heard her “umph” as she hit the bottom of the boat, but when she didn’t scream out in pain or otherwise protest, he relaxed a fraction. She’d still need to be looked over by paramedics, but hopefully her little swim hadn’t done her any long-lasting harm.

  Black’s face returned over the side of the boat a second later, and he held out a hand. Without fanfare, as they’d done this exact thing many times, Gray used his friend’s help and his own upper-body strength to haul himself over the side of the boat.

  He immediately looked for Allye. He could see her more clearly now with the lights from the boat. She was huddled against the side with her knees drawn up. Her face was slightly blue from the cold water, but she gave him a weak smile.

  Ignoring his own chilled body, Gray turned to ask Black for a blanket, but his friend was already there, handing him a stack of them. Gray crawled over to where Allye was huddled. He tried not to look at her long legs, but he was only human. She was built, her thighs thick and muscular, appropriate for a dancer, he supposed. He could see her calf muscles clearly, even through the wet suit. He had the thought that she’d look amazing in a pair of high heels.

  Holding out a blanket, he said, “As much as it’s gonna suck, you need to get out of that wet suit.”

  “But I’m freezing.”

  “I know, kitten, but all that thing will do is make you colder. Take it off, and I’ll get you wrapped up in these nice, warm blankets.”

  She rolled her eyes at the cajoling tone of his voice, but did as asked. She struggled with the zipper, but just as Gray was going to offer to help with it, she managed to pull it down. She wriggled and squirmed as she attempted to pull the wet suit off.

  Gray handed the blankets back to Black and kneeled next to her. He pulled on the sleeve of the wet suit as she eased her arm out. He helped her with the other arm, then said, “Lie back. I’ll pull it off your legs.”

  She did as he asked without question, but as soon as he began peeling the material down her legs, she quipped, “If I’d known I’d have a cute guy taking off my pants in the middle of the night, I would’ve made sure to shave.”

  Black choked back a laugh, and Gray couldn’t help the snort that escaped at her words.

  “Trust me, kitten, any guy gets to this point, he’s not going to give a shit if you’ve got a little hair on your legs or not.”

  Without delay, he threw the wet suit off to the side and reached back toward Black. His friend and partner placed the blankets in his hands and Gray spread one out and covered Allye’s legs. He swung another around her shoulders as she sat back up, and she immediately gripped it with her right hand, holding it closed.

  Gray moved so he was sitting next to Allye. He wanted to put his arm around her and pull her into him, but now that they weren’t in the ocean, and the immediate threat of drowning, freezing, or being eaten by a shark had passed, he felt awkward.

  “Allye Martin, this is my friend Lowell Lockard. Otherwise known as Black.”

  She switched her grip on the blanket and held out her right hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Lowell,” she said.

  Black looked at him for a moment with his brows almost reaching his hairline, but took hold of Allye’s hand and shook it. “Please, call me Black. I don’t even know who Lowell is anymore. And the pleasure’s all mine,” he said softly. Then he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it.

  Gray was extremely irritated at the gesture. “Cut it out, Black,” he growled.

  His friend turned to him. “Hey, she’s the one who acted like we were at a formal party. Far be it from me to remind her there’s no need to stand on ceremony since we’re floating in the middle of the ocean.”

  Allye giggled, but pulled her hand out of Black’s grasp, and it disappeared under the blankets she held tightly around her body.

  Gray was about to say something to his friend he’d probably regret when he felt Allye’s weight against his shoulder. She’d been holding herself upright when he’d first sat, but now she was leaning against him. It was subtle, and he knew she wasn’t giving him all her weight, but even that slight indication that she wanted to be near him, that she was still relying on him, banked his anger toward his friend. It wasn’t Black she was leaning on. It was him.
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  And just like that, the caveman inside Gray raced to the forefront. He’d been the one to save her. He’d been the one to keep her alive in the ocean. He’d been the one she clung to as he towed her through the waves. Finders keepers and all that.

  Gray forced the thoughts away. Allye wasn’t a thing. She was a human being. A woman who had her own life. He couldn’t keep her. Dammit.

  “You talk to Rex?” Gray asked Black, knowing his voice was a bit huskier and irritated than the situation warranted, but not able to control it.

  “Told him you missed the rendezvous point and that I was going to head out and look for you,” Black said succinctly.

  Gray nodded. Then he turned to Allye. “We should get closer to the helm. As you can see, there’s no wheelhouse on this thing, but Black will drive slowly back to shore to reduce the amount of wind.”

  Allye nodded.

  Gray stood. His legs shook, but he ignored them. He held out a hand to Allye. He knew he should probably let Black help her up, but he couldn’t. She was his to look after, at least until they reached shore and he had to let her go.

  She looked up, and even in the dim light he could see her two different-colored eyes. She unfurled an arm from her cocoon of blankets and held it up to him. It was trembling, but she didn’t look away from him as he took her hand in his and pulled her upward. She fell against him with a groan, and Gray would’ve fallen to the floor of the boat if Black hadn’t put a hand on his back to steady him.

  “You good?” his friend asked.

  Gray nodded. “Nothing a nap and some food and water won’t fix.”

  “Can’t help with the nap, but I’ve got water and a couple of protein bars to tide you over.”

  “You hear that, kitten?” Gray asked Allye. “Black brought us a feast.”

  She chuckled against his chest, then looked up. “You boys sure do know how to show a girl a good time. Although for future reference, I would recommend chocolate. You can’t go wrong with chocolate.”

  Black laughed again, but sadness hit Gray. This wasn’t a date, and he wouldn’t get to see Allye all dressed up for a night on the town. But he could imagine it in his head. She’d look beautiful, of that he had no doubt. “Come on,” he said, gruffer than he wanted to, disappointment still riding him hard. He’d never felt this way about someone he’d rescued in the past. There was just something about Allye that pulled on every one of his protective instincts.

  He leaned over and picked up the blanket that had fallen as she’d stood, then led her closer to the front of the small vessel. He helped her to the bottom of the boat, then sat at her side, one leg settled against hers, the other bent so he could get as close to Allye as possible. He was still wearing the damp dry suit, but she’d still benefit from his body heat. She didn’t protest his closeness, and in fact gave him her weight once more as she relaxed against him. Black helped wrap more blankets around the two of them, cocooning them inside.

  A small groan escaped Allye’s mouth, and Gray had to smile. He felt her body begin to shiver and allowed himself a small sigh of relief. Shivering was good. It meant her body was fighting the cold and working to warm itself.

  He reached up and accepted two bottles of water and two protein bars from Black.

  He held one of the bottles out to her. “Sip slowly. I know you’re thirsty, but if you guzzle it all down, it’ll just come up again, and you’ll be in worse shape than you are now. Not to mention embarrassed that you barfed in front of us.” He squeezed her arm as he said the last, to let her know he was kidding.

  As he expected, she rolled her eyes at him even as she held out her hand for the bottle. She sipped the water as he suggested. Satisfied that she wasn’t going to do something she’d regret, like chug the entire bottle, he handed her one of the protein bars. “These taste like shit, but if you can get it down, even a few bites, it’ll make you feel one hundred percent better. Promise. Your body needs calories and protein to combat the cold and dehydration. Again, small bites.”

  She nodded and nibbled daintily on a corner of the protein bar, as if she were the kitten he’d nicknamed her after.

  “I’m going to start back,” Black said. “I’ll keep the speed down as much as I can, but it’s going to get windy.”

  Nodding at his friend, Gray turned his attention back to Allye.

  She continued to concentrate on the protein bar, holding on to it tightly because her whole body was trembling, even her hands. Gray was impressed. Not once had she bitched about what had happened to her, other than when she was explaining why she thought karma had abandoned her. She didn’t complain incessantly about the cold when they were in the water. She didn’t bitch about anything he’d said or done since she’d first seen him. Gray figured it was a result of her upbringing, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but still. He actually wished she would complain about something, simply so he could do everything in his power to make it better for her.

  Shaking his head, Gray once again berated himself. She wasn’t his to look after, and in about twenty minutes or so, she’d be out of his life once and for all.

  “I’ve got to say it,” Black remarked, once he’d gotten the boat turned around and they’d started heading back toward land. They were going at a much slower speed than Black had taken on the way out, that was for sure. “Your eyes are extraordinary, Allye. And I’m guessing that streak of white in your hair didn’t come from a bottle.”

  Allye chuckled. Gray loved the sound. It was low and full of humor.

  Humor. She’d been kidnapped and had faced a terrible future, but she was sitting on the floor of the boat wrapped in a blanket, laughing.

  “You’d be right,” she told Black. “I have what’s called heterochromia iridum, which is a rare condition where one eye has less pigment than the other. It has something to do with my genes.” She shrugged. “I don’t really think about it much.”

  “And your hair?” Black asked. “Is that related?”

  “No clue,” Allye told him. “My mom didn’t really care much one way or the other. Certainly not enough to bring me to a doctor to make sure nothing was actually wrong with me. As far as I can tell, it’s a simple case of me not having any melanin, or color, in the hair follicles in that part of my head. It’s probably related to my eyes somehow, but I have no idea.”

  “It’s unique,” Gray said before Black could respond.

  “Yeah, and being unique pretty much sucks when you’re growing up,” Allye retorted. “I tried dyeing that streak for a while, but that had disastrous results. I could never get it to be the same color as the rest of my hair, so I would have this dark-brown streak in my hair that looked just as weird. Then, of course, when my hair grew in, I’d have a patch of white roots right at the top of my head. I finally realized it was more hassle than it was worth and gave up.”

  Gray’s hand moved of its own volition. He stroked her damp hair away from her forehead and fingered the long strands of white hair. He traced the streak from the part in her hair all the way down to the ends. “I like it.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered.

  They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, the connection between them seeming to get stronger with every second that passed.

  When they went over one particularly large wave, Black swore. He fumbled with a phone that had been sitting on the console in front of him, but it went flying through the air before he could catch it.

  It landed right in Allye’s lap, and she jumped.

  “Easy, kitten,” Gray murmured. “It’s only a phone.”

  As soon as the last words were out of his mouth, the cell in her lap began to vibrate with an incoming call.

  “Jesus,” she breathed, jumping again. “That was so weird.”

  Gray chuckled and held out his hand. He would’ve just grabbed it, but as it was sitting at the juncture of her thighs, he didn’t feel it was appropriate. “Hand it here?”

  Allye picked up the small black phone and look
ed at the number on the display for a brief second before giving it to him. “Maybe it’s the pizza guy calling to let us know the huge pizza Black ordered will be waiting for us when we get to shore.”

  Gray smiled and shook his head at Allye. He knew it would be Rex. He’d meant to call him as soon as he got Allye settled with her water and protein bar, but got distracted by Black’s conversation about her genetics.

  “Gray,” he said after he clicked on the green icon to answer the phone.

  “Are you all right?” Rex asked.

  Gray wasn’t surprised at his handler’s lack of greeting. He immediately told the other man everything that had happened aboard the other boat, and what both the captain and the escort had said—leaving out the specific details of their deaths for now. Then he informed him about Allye. “And the woman was already on the boat.”

  “She was?” Rex asked, and Gray could hear papers shuffling on the other end of the line. “She wasn’t supposed to be.”

  Looking over at Allye, who was staring as if she could tell what Rex was saying simply by looking at Gray, he replied, “Yeah, I know. But she’s safe. She’s sitting right here next to me.”

  “What does she know?”

  “Nothing. At least nothing that will lead us to whoever it was who bought her.” Gray hated putting it that way, even more so when he saw Allye’s nose wrinkle, but it was what it was. “She was nabbed right off the street on her way home. She was drugged and didn’t wake up until she was being carried onto the boat. Then she was guarded by an escort.”

  “Fuck,” Rex said. “Selling women is already going too far. Sending escorts who try to kill them when something goes wrong in the transfer is fucking sadistic. I need to chop the head off the snake to stop this shit.”

  “Nightingale,” Gray guessed.

  “Exactly. If we kill that motherfucker, it’ll at least stop shipments of women for a while. Of course, someone else will pick up where he left off. Dammit. How’s the package?”