Southern Regions
Southern Desires Series
Book Four
by Jeannette Winters
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Kevin Collins loves the lifestyle of a Marine fighter pilot, fast paced and always on the move. Never one for planting roots, he was the first in line for any mission.
Biochemist Marina Brimlow has been hiding from everyone but the one person she can’t escape: herself. She’s the only one who knows the truth, and the past needs to be dealt with if she ever wants a future. Doing so means risking it all.
When Kevin’s grounded and told to detain Marina in the interest of national security, the terms of engagement aren’t so clear. He has to find the answers they need at any cost. No matter how guilty Marina appears, Kevin finds a battle raging within him, and he’ll do anything to protect her.
When Marina’s life is on the line, she turns to Kevin, the only person she trusts. Once he knows the ugly truth, will the connection they share be broken because of what she’d done or will Kevin find he has, even more, to fight for?
Copyright
Kindle Edition
An original work of Jeannette Winters, 2017.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, events, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by Gin’s Book Designs (ginsbookdesigns.com)
Stock Photo Attribution: Depositphotos.com / XKarDoc (Terry Reimink); pablocalvog (Pablo Calvo)
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Tina. Thank you for taking the time to remind me what I hold dearest to my heart.
Karen Lawson, Janet Hitchcock, E.L. King and Marion Arche, my editors you are all amazing!
To my readers who continue to inspire me with endless messages and kind words. Always make time for romance.
Hate to say goodbye to your favorite characters? The perfect solution is a Synchronized Series! One world. Three authors. Character cross-over. Triple the amount of books. Binge reading at it’s best.
Each author’s books are full stories you can enjoy individually! But putting them all together weaves an even more pleasurable reading experience.
Table of Contents
Title Page
About the Book
Copyright Page
Dedication
Synchronized Series
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Other Books By Jeannette Winters
Chapter One
‡
A bead of sweat rolled down Kevin Collins’s brow. He’d given up. Staying cool in the bayou in June was impossible. The temperature felt more than a hundred degrees most days, and the nights weren’t much better. He smelled as rancid as the stagnant black waters and the foul critters that inhibited them. But, this wasn’t about comfort. There were lives at stake, and he couldn’t afford to forget that. General Floyd had taken extreme measures to conceal the whereabouts of the chemist and the highly sought after research. If either fell in the wrong hands, it could be—no, would be—catastrophic.
Normally Kevin spent his time in the cockpit of an F-35B instead of doing ground recon. He wasn’t about to let a branch of service or rules and regulations stop him from doing what was needed. Protect the chemist at all costs. Too many people had already died to ensure she didn’t fall into the wrong hands; he wasn’t about to let their sacrifice go to waste.
Although he, with the help of Mark’s team, had taken out a majority of the terrorists in West Virginia who were searching for her, everyone knew it was far from over. The terrorists would never stop until they had what they were searching for, and anyone in their way faced an untimely death. Which wouldn’t be so concerning if their deaths weren’t covered up by one side or the other. Everything that occurred on The Mountain in West Virginia was hushed, and no one could tell them why.
His phone vibrated. Mark. His brother never called to shoot the shit. It was all business on this line.
Even though he hadn’t seen another living soul in the area except for the chemist, he kept his voice down. Kevin trusted nothing and no one, with the exception of Mark.
“What’s the status?” Mark asked.
“All quiet.” Too quiet for someone whose life is supposed to be in danger. He’d expected to be watching a woman nervously pacing the deck, cautiously peering out the window. Instead, she appeared to be relaxed and confident as though this was an everyday way of life for her. All the more reason to track her every move. Something isn’t right. Someone so intelligent can’t be so ignorant as to what’s been going on all around her. She knows something, but what? Kevin wasn’t leaving until he had an answer to that question and many more that were haunting him.
“We have secured a safe location. I’ll send the chopper with some of my team to pull you both out of there.”
Mark led one of the elite Navy SEAL teams and was used to giving orders without being questioned. Kevin had a lot of respect for his brother and normally would abide by his call on such matters. This was one instance he needed to go with his own gut. Something told him leaving this place right now wasn’t a wise choice.
“Negative.”
“It wasn’t a question, Collins,” Mark barked.
“I’ve been sitting here for two weeks. The only movement around here has been the thick moss that constantly moves in the trees. Not one other living soul has been here. Moving her is going to create a risk we don’t need to take.”
“This isn’t your call, Kevin.”
“Neither of us are under orders right now, so don’t try pulling rank on me. I’m telling you, for right now, this is the place to be. Unless you know something you’re not telling me.” Kevin knew that was very possible. No matter how close they were as brothers, Mark’s loyalty was to his team.
“Another member of General Floyd’s team was found dead. Same method as the general.”
A heart attack with no mention of a bullet through the head. Shit. That confirmed his concerns. This was far from over. Only a very select few knew where the chemist was, and each of them would die before divulging her whereabouts. Kevin still felt this was the safest place at the moment.
“All the more reason not to move.”
“You might be right, but this is not
something that can be done alone. I’m sending Johnson and a few men to relieve you.”
Regardless of the lack of comforts, he still wasn’t going to walk away. Like Mark, Kevin was all in. There was no way he was leaving her protection to anyone else, even someone as qualified as Johnson. In the last few months Johnson had earned Kevin’s respect. He’d witnessed firsthand Johnson’s skills and determination. He was a valuable member of Mark’s team, and his being here would be an asset. That didn’t mean Kevin was stepping aside. I said I was all in, and I’m not backing down now. “Send him, but I’m not leaving or taking orders from him, understood?”
Mark didn’t argue. They may serve in different branches of the military, but they both knew what was at stake.
“They’ll arrive after dark. Do you need anything?”
A shower. “An answer as to what the fuck these bastards need her for.”
“Roger that.”
Kevin disconnected the call and slipped the phone back in his pocket. He’d heard the concern in Mark’s voice. With Floyd dead, no one seemed to know exactly what she was working on or why it was so highly guarded. Anyone who had any information about the project had met their maker early. It was evident those bastards found everyone expendable. The difficulty was finding the source of their information. Do they still have people in the government on their payroll? They’re still pulling someone’s strings, but who the hell is it?
Kevin hoped Mark could unravel that mystery in time. If not, more people would die, and these guys had no objection to collateral damage. He clenched a fist, thinking of Derrick Nash’s wife and daughter and how they died. He’d promised Derrick he’d make them pay for what they’d done, and he wasn’t going to stop until every last one of them was accounted for or dead, whichever came first.
The murders were senseless. Floyd had moved the chemist before the attack on the top-secret lab in North Carolina. If they’d known about the dam breaking, Penny and Kim Nash would still be alive and so would the four Marines who were assigned to guard the “vacant” facility.
Kevin looked at the quiet cabin and wondered if she had any idea that what she’d been working on would cause such destruction.
He pulled out his phone again and scrolled through his photos. Until coming here, all they had was a name: Marina Brimlow. She wasn’t old and bookish as he’d pictured; Marina was anything but. The only time she made an appearance was when the temperature cooled enough to tolerate being outside for any length of time.
He’d come to learn she was a creature of habit. For the past two weeks, she’d appeared at exactly the same time. He’d looked forward to her brief appearances each night. Kevin would like to blame it on the heat or the solitude he’d endured, but it was something more. She was like a cool breeze in the middle of a heat wave, sunshine breaking through a blizzard. She was stunning, and he couldn’t get enough of her. I’ve been in the heat too long.
He looked at his watch and gave himself a ten-second countdown. He saw the cabin door open right on time. Picking up his binoculars, he watched closely. Sure enough, Marina was standing under the moonlight in a sheer tank top. He could see the outline of her large breasts and could tell she’d left her bra inside. Her red lacy panties screamed she had a hidden wild side.
Marina stretched her arms high above her head, pulling her tank up to reveal the sweet curve of her hips and flat stomach. Fuck. Like I need to be any hotter than I already am.
She stepped behind a solid cedar fence so she was only visible from the shoulders up. Slowly she lifted the tank over her head and put in on the fence. Then she bent out of his sight only to return holding her red panties. Turning her back to him, the water began to flow from the outside showerhead above her.
Kevin dropped the binoculars from his eyes and reminded himself why he was here. It was on him to ensure her safety. Nothing he was thinking at the moment had anything to do with protection. It was a distraction, and sweet as it may be, it was still one he couldn’t afford. His body was telling him one thing, but for all he knew her beauty was only skin deep. Floyd had hidden her away for a reason, one that no one knew. Both he and Mark suspected it was more than just what she was working on. Could it be who she was working with? Was she a traitor to the country just like Floyd? Did the general hide Marina for her protection, or was he holding out for a better price? Was she here willingly? There weren’t any guards holding her here, so he had to guess she knew something was not right. Yet there was no sign of any communication between her and the outside world.
There were too many important questions left unanswered. He would do his job and protect her. Hell, he might even enjoy the view at times, but he would never forget what was at stake. Too many people had already lost their lives because of her. He couldn’t change that, but he’d be damned if he’d let his physical attraction to her cause another person to suffer. Whether she was working with the terrorists or they were only after what she knew, Marina was one person he couldn’t afford to look at as anything more than a job.
He didn’t want to admit it, but having Mark’s team close by was a good idea, yet the thought of any of them watching her like he did rubbed him the wrong way. Remember Collins, for all you know, she’s the enemy.
Marina felt so useless, trapped. What had started as a short-term relocation quickly became a way of life. Over the past six years she’d been moved around from one lab to another so many times she’d lost count. No matter how she tried to explain what delicate, dangerous work she did, no one understood what she needed most: time to concentrate.
I should’ve watched what I wished for. Now all I have is time, but nothing to fill it with. I’ve been here so long I’m on a first name basis with the alligators. If I don’t get out of here and back into a lab, I’m going to go stir-crazy. The cabin had been stocked so well someone could stay there for years and never need to leave. It didn’t have any of the conventional comforts of home but had every canned good and non-perishable one could imagine. That should’ve told her something when she arrived four months ago. This stay wasn’t going to be brief.
At first it was nice, not dealing with lab techs or military officers hovering over her, but this was beyond anything she’d ever imagined. The only electricity was generated by solar panels. There was absolutely no Internet connection for her laptop or reception for her phone. She wasn’t sure if it was her location or if it was intentionally blocked, but one way or the other she was totally cut off from the world.
It gave her plenty of time to think and reanalyze her data, but there was a limit on how much solitude one could stand. Even though she didn’t have any Internet connection, she found documenting her theories prevented her from going completely insane from boredom. Marina wasn’t one who went to the gym to exercise but she did like to go out for a daily jog. Even that wasn’t an option out on the bayou. I’d probably get lost or eaten by a gator. No wonder why I was dropped here by chopper. No one is getting in or out of here any other way. I hope they calculated storm surges when they picked out this location for me.
She’d thought for sure she heard a chopper close by a few weeks ago and her heart raced with excitement. The thought of her stay being over elated her. Yet no one came. It seems you’ve forgotten me, General.
She didn’t have a husband or children to miss or look after. In fact all she had was her work. Normally that was enough, but calculations and simulations on a computer were only the beginning. She needed a lab, a full functioning laboratory so she could test her theories. Now all she could do was hope her findings were accurate. I don’t function on hope. I function on facts.
When she first arrived, it was a nice change from the freezing cold weather and snow up north. But now in June, she felt like she’d melt. All she had were large ceiling fans that did nothing but move the hot air around. It was better than nothing, but Marina found the heat unbearable. She was grateful she’d hidden her experiments before being dropped here. It was so hot there was no amount of air-co
nditioning that could cool her, never mind keep her prototypes viable. The specimens needed to be in a climate-controlled environment, and her living arrangements were anything but. At least my work is safe. I just have to live through this heat to get back to it.
Marina wiped herself dry from the outdoor shower and put on a clean tank top and panties. She stopped putting pants and a bra on months ago when she realized there was no one to dress for. The critters outside are just going to have to enjoy the view. If I wasn’t so self-conscious, I’d be naked all day, but at least no one is here to complain about what I look like.
She was tired of being cooped up in the cabin all the time. Tonight there was a breeze, and even though it was hot, she was going to be outside to enjoy it. Grabbing her laptop, she went out on the deck. Putting the computer on the table, she walked over to the railing and looked out into the dark. Although the moon was bright, she could only see fireflies flickering off in the dark and the reflection of the gators’ eyes.
Looking up, she spotted a shooting star. The average woman would be all excited for such a sight and take it as a good sign. I don’t even know why people wish on shooting stars. They aren’t that special. It’s just a space rock burning up as it falls through the atmosphere. It’s a rock, just a falling rock. Never before had she wished upon a star. That was something a child would do, but tonight she closed her eyes. Star light, star bright, or however the hell it goes. Even though no one could see her, she felt foolish. If any of her colleagues saw her now they’d question her sanity. They should too. With everything that’s been going on since my discovery years ago, any person would break.
That’s exactly how she felt at that moment. Broken and all alone with no end in sight. What do I have to lose? I’ve already lost my freedom. Squeezing her eyes even tighter she began again. Star light, star bright. The first star I see tonight. I wish you’d send me someone. Someone to make me feel . . . alive again. I don’t want to be alone anymore.
Southern Regions (Southern Desires Book 4) Page 1
