“Just go straight to the private elevator, Mack,” Jenna said from behind. “Mr. Wane is expecting us.”
“That can’t be his real name,” Willy said. “Whoa, is that a stage-coach? With cowgirls?”
Sure enough, a golden life-sized coach stood in the middle of the floor. Young women in cut-off shorts, cowboy boots and hats, sat in the driver’s seats calling out, “Come ride our bull.”
Willy looked up at one of the cowgirls. “Are we talking mechanical, or the real deal?”
“Do not fraternize,” Tavon said.
Willy lifted his hands in surrender and kept walking.
Tavon brought up the rear. Protecting the team’s six and keeping Willy out of trouble.
They passed through the smoke-filled casino. The flashing lights, slot machines, music, and people yelling and cursing all at once set Amber’s nerves on end.
Charlie seemed to notice her anxiety and pulled her closer. His eyes were full of concern, his jaw muscles twitching. “You don’t have to do this. We can call the mission right now and get you out of here.”
Part of her wanted to do just that. But if she didn’t do it… “American lives are at stake, Charlie. We have to do this.”
He spun her to face him. “Let me do it. I’ll make the trade.”
The big, strong, capable, sexy SEAL was scared. For her. Seeing him worry proved all over again that she could trust him. She didn’t know how it had happened, but Charlie Handly was hers. God, she loved him. She dug deep and found the strength she needed.
“It has to be me. I sent the message to Director Lau.”
His hands gripped her arms. “Stop being so stubborn. I want you to get out of here, right now. I’ll tell them I pretended to be you and sent the message myself. You escaped. In truth, the sheik will take you and Jenna to his place.”
She had to convince him she could do this. That she wasn’t as terrified as she felt. Forcing her lips to turn up, she said, “Really? I’ve always wanted to be part of a harem.”
His jaw dropped.
She winked. “No way. I’m a one woman, one Black Pirate sort of girl. I’m doing this, Charlie. You can’t talk me out of it.”
“Move a little faster people,” Tavon ordered. “Mack’s getting too far ahead.”
Charlie exhaled loudly and let her go. “You are worried about me. What Crow and his men will do when they see me.”
She couldn’t keep the whimper inside. “Yes.”
“Don’t be.”
“They hate you. They won’t trade with you. Why would they? It will be nothing for them to kill you on the spot out of spite and take the memory card.”
“The team will be there to stop them,” he said firmly.
But if they couldn’t? Before she could stop the image, she saw it all in her mind’s eye. Charlie sitting at the High-Stakes Blackjack table holding the memory card in one hand, his gun under the table. Bullets ringing out, Charlie’s green eyes staring straight ahead, the life winking out of them, as his beautiful body slumps forward onto the table, blood pooling across the table, dripping onto the floor…
Amber froze, unable to take another step. Her lungs were rising and falling fast and hard and yet she couldn’t catch her breath.
“Amber?” Charlie shook her. “Stop. Amber! Look at me.”
“What in the hell?” Tavon rumbled.
“What’s wrong with her?” Willy asked.
She was hyperventilating.
“Do something, Charlie,” Jenna said.
Charlie cupped her jaw and pressed his lips to hers. He rubbed her jaw with his thumb and gently kissed her, coaxing the life back into her. She blinked and Charlie’s handsome face focused.
“And she’s back,” Willy said, patting her shoulder.
“What happened?” Mack asked.
Charlie scanned the crowds. “Nothing. Let’s move.”
Amber was startled and embarrassed to see so many people looking at her. She ducked her head into Charlie’s shoulder and let him drag her along. When they made it to the private elevator, Jenna told the security guards that Johnny Wane was expecting her. She showed her identification. While the guards were talking to Jenna and Mack, Charlie pulled Amber aside.
“Are you okay?”
No, she was still embarrassed. Her cheeks were on fire. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened back there.”
He brushed her hair back. “I do, sweetheart. You’re scared. It proves that you are not ready for this.”
She grabbed him by his vest and yanked him close. “I’ll never be ready. And I am scared. Scared out of my friggin’ mind of losing you. Crow’s men have no reason to doubt that I need the money, which means there’s no reason for them to kill me. You will protect me and keep me safe. Plus, Johnny Wane’s men will be there too. That’s the plan and we are sticking to it. After that we go home, live happily forever after, and make a bunch of babies.”
And…that last bit might have slipped out, but she couldn’t help herself. She had such a thin grip of control that she let it all go.
Thankfully, his goofy smile crept up and stuck to his face like peanut butter. “Babies?”
Her heart was so warm, like chocolate melting, coating all the holes inside her, filling the achy spots and massaging old scars.
“Yeah.” She grinned right back at him. “A bunch of them. I love you, Charlie Handly.”
And then she kissed his socks off.
Amber sat at the High-Rollers Blackjack table. People were playing at the other tables, winning and losing big. Her fingers toyed with the fake hand she had been dealt. Other than the dealer—who was part of the sheik’s security team and had an AK-47 under the table—she was alone. Or so it seemed. In reality, Johnny’s men were everywhere and the team, her team, had her surrounded. She couldn’t see them, but sensed they were there, protecting her six and whatever numbers the SEALS used for her front and sides too.
Charlie spoke softly into her ear. “Just breathe, sweetheart. Nice and easy.”
And even though he’d warned her not to, her hand instinctively went to the tiny receiver in her ear.
“No, don’t touch your ear. Don’t give away the ear piece. It’s still there, trust me,” he said.
“Newbie mistake,” she said softly.
“Do you want to quit? You still have time.”
“No she doesn’t. Amber, they’re here,” Mack said. “Hostiles, ten o’clock. And three o’clock. East and West side entrances.”
How many? Her heart was beating so loudly she thought the whole team could hear it. It felt like her bones had come apart and crumbled to her feet. Had the room gone darker? Bright white lights sprayed across her vision. She swayed. Gripped the table. Don’t fall!
“Breathe!” Charlie said. “Don’t pass out!”
She sucked in a deep breath. And another.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart. I promise,” Charlie whispered in her ear.
“Yes. Yes you do,” she said softly.
Three men strode up to her table. She recognized all of them. Their faces and been burned into her memory. Stocky and Tall Guy were the same two who had harassed Lilly and Jimmy at the Ho King Shopping Centre. They both had prominent crow tats on their bulging biceps. The third…
“You!” she narrowed her eyes. “I should have known you’d be in on this.”
Oh yeah, she’d recognize that creep anywhere. He was the guard who’d shoved her and frisked her at Global Games. She should’ve kneed him in the groin when she had the chance.
The guard grunted and flashed his ugly teeth.
“Miss Fitz, so happy to make your acquaintance,” Stocky said as he took the seat beside her. “You are a hard woman to track down.”
“I bet.” She was proud her voice didn’t shake, much.
“Where are your SEAL friends?” Stocky asked.
She grimaced. “Friends? They killed my boyfriend, captured me from the yacht and held me prisoner. They were taking me back to the States
as a traitor! Bastards.”
Stocky’s eyebrow twitched up and back down. “They killed your boyfriend?”
Her face was very hot. She used her emotions to fuel her fake-outrage. “Someone shot him. Professionally. It had to be SEALs.”
“Nice touch,” Mack said. The SBs didn’t know she knew who really killed Jacques.
She went on. “I barely escaped those assholes. Some sheik guy found me and brought me here.”
“Found you?” Stocky asked.
“Careful, sweetheart. Don’t elaborate,” Charlie whispered.
She shrugged. “Okay, I found him. I stole a skiff and hid out on a small island where the sheik was partying.”
“Gentlemen, are you in?” The fake dealer said, playing his part.
Stocky didn’t turn, didn’t as much as glance at the man when he said, “No, we’re sitting this one out. And so are you. Keep your hands on the table. Twitch and the girl gets a bullet in her brain. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
Her limbs went weak again.
“Now, Miss Fitz, you took something that belongs to us. We want it back.”
Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard Jacques asking, Nervous?
Of course, she was. This was her make-it or break-it chance. The last one she’d screwed up. Badly. She lifted her chin. “I want the money. And safe passage out of here. What I don’t want is the CIA fogging up my ass, tracking my every movement until they fry me. Got that, big guy? Wipe out my record and take me off the grid. Can you do that?”
Tall guy said, “We can.”
“How?”
“We have people in the right places,” Stocky admitted.
“Are you the men in charge?”
“No. We work for those who will be.”
As in rulers of the world? “Who? Maybe I’d like to work for these people too, if they pay well.” God, help her, she was doing this.
Stocky leaned back in his chair. “You are full of surprises, Miss Fitz.” He cocked his head and whispered something to Tall guy. “Okay. Give us the memory card and come with us.” He rose.
“No! Do not leave with them.” Charlie said a little too loudly in her ear. She had to work hard to keep from wincing.
She crossed her arms but didn’t get up. “Proof, first. Tell me who is in charge.”
Stocky looked at her. “You wouldn’t be wearing a wire would you?”
Oh, God.
“Of course not.” She rose slowly, opening her arms wide. “Frisk me, but don’t let Ugly do it.” She tipped her head toward the Chinese guard. “I don’t want his hands on me. He stinks.”
The guard grunted at her.
Stocky grinned. “Yes, he does.”
Tall Guy stepped forward and patted her down. He pulled up her shirt, slowly, exposing her belly. She hoped he’d stop there. He didn’t.
Great, asshole let everyone in the room see my favorite red bra.
“Pretty.” Stocky nodded appreciatively.
“She’s clean,” Tall guy said.
“Damned straight. Now, convince me that I can walk out of here a free woman and the memory card is yours,” Amber said.
“The memory card is already ours, Miss Fitz. We paid for it.”
“I didn’t get paid. Not a penny. And this running around, getting shot at, being taken a prisoner—twice!—has been a pain in my ass. Two million dollars is fair for my hardships, don’t you think?”
Stocky laughed. “More than fair. I like you Miss Fitz. I think you’ll work out fine. Consider yourself hired.”
“By whom?”
“A private company of patriots who do not like what has happened to our beloved country.”
“Which country?” She asked.
“The only one that matters. The United States of America. Cowards and low-lifes have stolen our grand nation and run it into the ground. We’re taking it back. The weaponry is only the beginning.”
Her insides went very cold. “These patriots can insure my safety? Erase my criminal record, all of it?”
“Yes, Miss Fitz, even the bank robbery charges. You’ll be a new woman.”
She nodded. “I like the sound of that. You have a deal. Show me the money.”
Stocky said something over his shoulder to Tall guy. “Come with us. The money is in the car outside.”
“No! Do not leave the building,” Charlie said.
“We need names, Amber. Try to get them to talk about the men in charge,” Mack added.
Amber didn’t know what to do.
“Tell him to send the Chinese guard to get it,” Charlie said.
“I’m not leaving this spot. Have Ugly get my money. I’ll wait.” Amber turned her hand over to study her nails.
“You are not in any position to make the rules, Miss Fitz,” Stocky said.
“I’ve got the memory card,” she said. “I’ll wait for the money. While he’s gone you can tell me more about my employers.”
“The card wasn’t on her,” Tall Guy said.
“You’ve got one minute. Where is it?” Stocky said, all niceties dropped.
Uh-oh.
“Tell him the sheik has it in the safe deposit box. You’ll give it to him once he tells you names and gives the money.”
“It’s in the safe. The sheik won’t open it until I have my money. You obviously are not in the position to negotiate. Maybe I should call the bosses to clear it with them. Give me names and numbers.” She reached for her cell phone, forgetting that she didn’t have one.
Tall Guy pointed his gun at her head. Ugly followed suit.
Crapcrapcrap. Now what?
“I’ve got a better idea. Walk your sweet little ass over to the safe. Bring back the card. And no one else gets killed.”
No one else? Before she had a chance to register the question in her brain, Stocky pulled his pistol and shot the dealer between the eyes. The rest happened so quickly that the only thing she could do was jump off her chair and duck under the table.
The sheik’s men stopped pretending to play Blackjack and went for their weapons. They all had AK-47s and pistols. Stocky, Tall Guy, and Ugly fell to the floor and returned fire. Bullets flew. Glass exploded. Men yelled. The sounds were deafening and getting louder. More and more weapons joined the fight. Amber glanced around the room and recognized one of the men from the Triad 14K’s yacht using a cigar Indian as cover.
Oh great, the gang’s all here.
She could barely hear Charlie yelling in her ear and had no idea what he was saying.
“Get out of here, Charlie! Go!” She screamed to him, but had no idea if her voice would be picked up on the mic hidden under the dealer’s fake deck of cards.
Amber saw a way to escape. Off to her right, a door was left ajar. If she could crawl over there…She looked around. Everyone was pre-occupied blowing the place to smithereens. Now, or never.
Shit, shit, shit!
Charlie was dying a thousand deaths. He’d been in battle more times than he could remember and somehow this always happened. Everything went to hell in the blink of an eye. His girl was in the middle of hell, unarmed. He was up one whole floor in a security booth watching the whole thing on a screen like some lousy war movie.
“Amber! Stay put. I’m coming for you.”
He ran down the flight of stairs promising God everything he could think of if only He would keep her safe. Keeping low, he busted into the High-Rollers Blackjack room. It was a bloody disaster. Arabs, Chinese, and Americans were all shooting at once. He army-man crawled to the Amber’s table.
“Shit! Mack, she’s gone.”
“Side door, to your right. It leads to the east entrance of the building,” Mack said. “Hurry, Crow’s men went after her. We’ll circle around and go out the west entrance.”
Expletives went off like landmines in his brain. Some of them weren’t English and didn’t even make sense. Why? Why did he let her do this? Keeping low, he rushed the door. The hallway was empty. He ran toward the outs
ide.
There! Up ahead, he could see Robinson’s stocky figure. He’d recognize that sonofabitch anywhere. He dragged Amber along, while jabbing a gun in her ribs. He was going to hurt Robinson so hard. He ran faster.
“Take your hands off of me!” Amber ordered. “I’m not giving you the memory card. You might as well let me go.”
“I don’t need the card. I have you.” Robinson laughed and dragged her faster toward a black van parked in the street. “Why didn’t anyone think of it earlier? We don’t need to shut you up. We need you to work harder.”
Charlie was almost there. A hundred feet to go. He couldn’t take the shot and risk Robinson pulling his own trigger. He was forced to move closer.
She yanked her arm back, but Charlie remembered how strong the man was. She didn’t stand a chance with that monster.
Seventy feet.
“You’ll hack the D.O.D. for us again. Hell, why stop there? You can hack the Treasury too. You’re quite a treasure yourself, Miss Fitz. My bosses will be pleased.”
“You’re out of your flippin’ mind. No way! I’m not hacking into a single thing for you. Let me go.”
Fifty feet.
“Oh, I think you’ll do anything I tell you to do because I have what is most important to you,” he snarled.
“Ha! Guess what jackass? I don’t care about the money. I lied.”
Forty feet.
“I didn’t.” He spun her around quickly, using her beautiful body as a shield. “Hello, Charlie. It’s so weird to see you. I thought someone would have blown your head off by now.”
Charlie slammed on the brakes. He didn’t look at the gun jabbing Amber in the ribs. He focused on her gorgeous face. Her cheek were so pale, her lips quivering, but her eyes…they flashed with anger.
“Let her go, Robinson,” he ordered.
“She’s mine now. Back off before I do the universe a favor and shoot you.”
“No! Don’t hurt him,” Amber pleaded.
Charlie’s heart threatened to explode. The woman he loved was begging for his life while a sadistic mad-man held a gun to her side. If they got out of this alive he was going to kiss her so hard…
Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) Page 19
