Southern Regions (Southern Desires Book 4)

by Jeannette Winters

  If he wasn’t here to protect her, then she was in bigger trouble than she thought. “I don’t recall telling you where I was from.”

  “No, you didn’t.” His expression didn’t change at all as he stood there glaring at her.

  Trying to intimidate me? I wish I could say it doesn’t work, but not knowing if you’re friend or foe scares the hell out of me. Marina dug deep for all the strength she could muster. It didn’t matter how he made her feel as long as he didn’t know it.

  The tables had to turn if she was going to get anything from him, and she was frustrated with his non-answers. At the rate she was going, they’d be out there all day and still no further than they were now.

  “Do you have a car out there or not?” Her voice was sharp and demanding.

  “No.” Without a blink of an eye, he answered her so calmly she wanted to scream.

  Marina slammed her cup so hard on the rail the cup shattered, sending ceramic and hot coffee splattering all over the deck. “Who the hell do you think you are coming here and lying to me?” She didn’t turn away from his stare. “Kevin, or whoever you really are, I want you out of here now. Do you hear me? Your presence is no longer welcome.”

  He didn’t budge, not one bit. Physically removing him from the property wasn’t an option. Even if she had a gun, she could never bring herself to point it at him, never mind use it. By the look on his face, he had no intention of leaving.

  Her shoulders felt as though they carried a heavy weight, and it was too much to bear. These last few months had been extremely difficult on her. Now having Kevin pull what little control she had on her life was too much. Marina wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. No matter what, she had the upper hand. He didn’t know where the specimens were, and she was never going to tell him.

  “If you won’t leave, then I will.”

  “You’re not going anywhere until I say you can,” Kevin said sternly.

  Her legs trembled, but she managed to hold her head high and confident. “And why is that?”

  “Because you have something I need. You either give it to me or to my friends. Either way, Marina, you’re stuck with me.”

  So you do know who I am and now I know what you’re after. “Then you better be prepared to kill me, Kevin, because I have nothing to say to you or your friends.”

  She didn’t wait for a response as she turned and stomped back into the cabin. There was no doubt in her mind Kevin meant what he’d said. He’d turn her over to his friends, and she didn’t want to picture what they were going to do to her.

  Once she was behind her closed bedroom door, she exhaled. For the first time in many years, she wished she could call her father for help. He was a general and had all the resources one could ask for at his disposal, yet here she was, abandoned by him for months. Not one word. Never checking on her to make sure she was okay.

  Now Kevin and his friends had found her. No matter that her instincts told her she could trust him, she was wrong, so very wrong. Marina was in way over her head and had no one to turn to. What could stop him? I’m a biochemist. There has to be something here I could use to concoct some type of paralyzing agent that wouldn’t permanently harm him but give me time to escape. The most deadly thing I have is refried beans. For the first time in her life, her heart pounded with fear. The reality of the situation set in. Kevin could torture her and dispose of her dead body so no one would ever know what happened. And no one would care. Stupid star. Look what you brought me. More trouble than I had before.

  Chapter Four

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  Kevin felt like an asshole. He could tell she was petrified of what he was going to do, and he didn’t even attempt to ease her mind. Instead, he let her go and hide in fear. Treating a woman like that was against everything he was taught. He had to remind himself not to view her as a woman. She was, for all intents and purposes, the enemy.

  Even if she wasn’t working directly with the terrorists, she did create a lethal biological weapon meant to kill. The terrorists wouldn’t want it otherwise. Whatever she feared he’d do to her, he’d wanted to tell her it was nothing compared to what she’d invented.

  Focusing on that was the only way he could justify his behavior, because the woman looked as though she couldn’t hurt a fly. He might not know all the facts about her, but she didn’t deny she was Marina when he used her name. She drew a line and a very dangerous one too. Was she truly prepared to give her life instead of helping them?

  Kevin wasn’t about to tell Mark that part of the conversation. Although, his gut said Mark had listened in on every single word.

  With his cards on the table, he no longer needed to have his phone deactivated. Placing his thumb on the button, it lit up, and he called Mark. Might as well get it over with.

  “I don’t think you’re going to get anything out of her, Kevin.”

  “She’s in shock right now; that’s all. I still want the forty-eight hours.”

  “Time is not on our side.”

  Mark was correct on that. What he also knew was moving too quickly meant they could miss something. “What did you find on the laptop?”

  “She hasn’t been able to communicate with anyone on the outside. However, her last email was to General Floyd. It doesn’t make her look good at all,” Mark stated.

  Kevin had hopes she wasn’t linked to him too closely, yet Mark’s tone said otherwise. “Read it to me.”

  “General, if you love me at all or ever have, I beg you to come to me now.”

  What the fuck. They were lovers? The general was almost twice her age and nothing to look at. He knew women could be drawn to power and authority. Gold-digging, power-hungry bitches. Maybe that’s what Marina saw in Floyd. Whatever it was made him sick. That didn’t mean she was linked with the terrorists, but until they had full confirmation, there was no way that woman was going anywhere without him.

  “I guess it’s time I break the news. Loverboy isn’t going to show.” Kevin wasn’t sure why he had such anger in him. Who she had sex with was none of his business. The only thing he should care about is keeping her and the specimens out of the terrorist’s hands. Other than that, Marina Brimlow meant nothing to him.

  “Kevin, I think you’re too close to this to be impartial.”

  He was hot, tired, and wasn’t in the mood for games. Whatever Mark thought, he was wrong. Kevin was the only person for the job. The connection had been made, and she knew exactly where she stood with him. That gave him the upper hand. If he went to her now, he could use her fear to his advantage. Backing down would give her the opportunity to regroup.

  “Clock is ticking, and you’re on my time. Keep looking for more information, and I’ll be in touch soon.”

  Kevin ended the call, slipped the phone into his pants pocket and headed inside. Marina wasn’t going to be happy, seeing his face again so soon. He was counting on that. As long as he kept her off guard, she was more likely to slip up. Until then, he was going to use anything he could to break her.

  As he opened the bedroom door, he found her lying on the bed face down. Looks pretty broken already. This is why l like the solitude of a cockpit. You don’t have to look anyone in the eyes before you take them down. Shutting the door behind him, he walked over and sat at the foot of the bed.

  She was startled and turned over to face him. “Get out of my room! Now!” she screamed at him, yet he didn’t move.

  Yep. I’m a total asshole. “Until you tell me what I need to know, consider this our room.”

  Marina was taken aback by that. “You can’t . . . I mean you wouldn’t . . .”

  Kevin shook his head. “I’m not going to force myself on you, Marina, not that you’d object. You’re not my type.”

  Marina brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs as though that’d protect her. He had to give her credit; she was good at playing sweet and innocent. If Mark hadn’t read her email to Floyd, he’d probably fall for it too.
That would’ve been a huge mistake on my part. Damn, my gut has been way off. Mark is right, I’m too close to this, but I’m not stopping now. Just going to change how I do things. No Mister Nice Guy here. Not anymore.

  “You should leave now while you can,” Marina warned him. She looked anything but intimidating.

  She piqued his interest. Why warn him off? Was someone coming they didn’t know about? If so he needed to know now, so Mark and the others weren’t ambushed.

  “Who do you think is going to stop me? You?” His brow arched as he waited for her response.

  Marina got off the bed and went to look out the window as though there could be someone out there, besides his people, who he wasn’t aware of. This could be bad if she had someone else watching her all this time and I fucking missed it.

  “Answer me,” Kevin barked.

  Marina jumped slightly at his tone then slowly turned to meet his gaze. She had an expression that said she was about to deliver something that should have Kevin shaking in his boots. He couldn’t imagine what that was.

  “General Floyd is on his way here. If you were wise, you’d leave before he arrives. He will not take kindly to the way you’ve spoken to me!”

  Kevin burst out laughing. She thinks she can threaten me with a dead man? Good try. But I already know what happened to him.

  “Unless, he’s going to come and haunt me from the grave, I don’t think I’ve anything to worry about.” Kevin delivered the message straightforward. He needed her to know he was up to date with what’s been going on.

  Her eyes widened as she asked, “General Floyd is dead? He’s a strong, healthy man. He couldn’t be dead.”

  “A bullet to the back of the head seems to have the same effect no matter what the person’s health is.”

  He watched her grab hold of the window frame to steady herself. “He was . . . murdered?”

  Kevin nodded. “Yeah. Seems to be a lot of that with people around you. I’m beginning to regret even talking to you now. I don’t want to be next on the list.”

  He expected her to wish he was or to come back with something snappy. Neither happened. Instead, she covered her mouth as if to scream and then collapsed. He barely had time to grab her before she hit the floor.

  Fuck. I never thought she actually loved the guy. He might be scum, but no one should find out the way I just told her. Damn it. I really am an asshole.

  Marina tossed and turned trying to wake herself. That dream was horrible. No. It can’t be. He’s not dead.

  “No. No.”

  “It’s okay, Marina. Shh. It’s okay.”

  She could feel warm arms holding her, a soft voice consoling her. Turning toward it, she gripped tightly and cried. Although she was trying to tell herself it wasn’t true, her heart knew otherwise. That explained why her father hadn’t come for her. Why he dropped her in this horrible place with no one around and no communication with the outside. He knew it was possible he couldn’t protect her any longer. I really am alone now. No family.

  Even though her father never told her he loved her, never remembered a birthday, or showed any interest in her personally, she hoped that’d change someday. With him gone, it was too late. The words she longed to hear would never be spoken.

  “I can’t believe it. He can’t be gone. I need him.” Marina sobbed even harder as the truth of her words hit home. She did need him. Not for what he was, but for who he was. Her father. Even with all his flaws, she loved him.

  “I’m sorry.”

  Then she remembered whose voice was speaking to her. Kevin. The one who so coldly told her about her father. Spoke about him being executed as though it meant nothing to him. How can another human being be so cruel?

  Pushing away from him, she looked into his eyes. No matter how much she knew his answer wouldn’t be different, she had to hear the details. “Tell me what happened.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.

  He paused for a minute, looking at her. Why was he delaying? What he already told her was like a knife to her heart. It was too late to worry about sugar-coating anything now.

  “Kevin, if that even is your name, I need to know how you came about this information when I don’t even have it.”

  He nodded and said, “Kevin is my name. How we came about the facts is confidential. The world believes General Floyd died of a massive coronary, but that was only a cover story.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. He is a general in the United States military. He’s well decorated for his bravery and service. Instead of covering it up, the president should be on the television damning to hell whoever did this to him.” No matter how she tried to contain her emotions, she couldn’t. This was her father Kevin was speaking about, and it hurt.

  “Listen Dr. Brimlow, I get it. You and the general had a . . . special relationship. That doesn’t mean the rest of the world needs to love him too. If you ask me, he got off too easy.”

  Marina reached out her right hand and slapped Kevin across the face. The echo in the room rung in her ears as the pain of his words rumbled through her body to her soul.

  “How dare you speak of him like that. You have no right.”

  He grabbed her wrist and said, “I have every right. He’s a traitor to his country, my country.”

  Traitor? No. He’s many things but a traitor? “You’re wrong. He loved—”

  “Money and power,” Kevin barked.

  She couldn’t argue that. The general was driven by greed. Could he have actually been lured into helping the enemy over something so shallow as money? “What makes you think such a thing?”

  “Simple. People want what you’ve developed.”

  “That doesn’t make him a traitor.”

  “What about what happened in North Carolina?”

  “My lab was destroyed by a flood. You can’t tell me he is responsible for a hurricane.” She didn’t know how Kevin was going to explain away a natural disaster to her.

  “It wasn’t an accident. The dam was blown, and if you recall, you were removed only hours before. What were you told when Floyd said you needed to move?”

  “That my . . . research wasn’t safe, and he needed to make sure it didn’t fall into the wrong hands.” That was only more proof to her that he wasn’t a traitor.

  “Funny, he didn’t warn the Marines who were there. And how about the innocent woman and child who were killed when they blew the dam? If he was so innocent, why not stop the attack on the lab?”

  “You have no proof that—”

  “The Marines were shot in the head just like the general was. The same type of weapon. It’s their calling card. There are more than them on the casualty list. Anyone who had any knowledge of what you were working on, or how to find you, somehow faced a similar death.”

  “If what you’re saying is true then the general wouldn’t have been killed. Not if he was working with them.”

  Kevin shrugged. “Guess somewhere, in the end, he grew a set of balls and decided to get out. He got in contact with a member of my team. That’s how we found you.”

  “So you worked for him?”

  “Only because he was a commanding officer. Besides that, I’ve never met him, and I’m glad I didn’t.”

  “I don’t—can’t believe all this.”

  “Why? You think the general was Mr. Perfect and was going to take care of you for the rest of your life?”

  “My fa—” She never said the words to anyone before. How could she say them now? But not saying them was as bad as him dying without telling her what she needed to hear. No, she wasn’t going to hide any longer. It was too late for him but not for her. Pulling her wrist free from Kevin’s grasp, she straightened herself up proudly and said, “He never would’ve let anyone hurt me. He . . . loved me. He protected me. That’s what fathers do.”

  By the look on Kevin’s face, she had caught him off guard. Obviously, he didn’t have all the facts. Maybe he was wrong about a few more things. She’d do whatever she needed to do to
clear his name. He was many things, but there was no way he could be as evil as Kevin portrayed him to be.

  “You’re . . . his—?”

  “Daughter. Yes. And I need to be alone right now. Please leave my room.”

  Kevin looked like he was going to object. Then he turned and left, closing the door behind him. Once alone she walked back over to the window. Her mind couldn’t process what she’d just learned. Her father said he needed to keep her safe. Was he only doing it until he got the right buyer? Was he exactly what he appeared to be, an evil man who thought only of his own success?

  Oh, Dad. How could you? All I ever wanted was your love, and all you ever wanted was my talent.

  Marina had so many more questions for Kevin, but not today. Right now she needed to mourn the loss of her father. One she never really knew, one who never wanted her, but was still her father anyway.

  Chapter Five

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  Kevin couldn’t stop replaying his words over and over again. He’d never claimed to be a nice guy, but he’d crossed the line today with Marina. He tried coming up with excuses for his actions, but it all came back to him. It’d be easy to blame anyone else. He decided to tell her if he’d known Floyd was her father, he would’ve changed how he delivered the information. The word murderer never came out of my mouth. Hell, maybe I should’ve fucking shut up before I indirectly said she was responsible for all the death that followed her. When did I become such a cold and cruel bastard?

  He hadn’t seen her since she asked to be alone. He probably needed to be alone just as much as she did. Kevin knew there was no room for feelings at a crucial time like this, yet he was riddled with guilt and angry at himself. Both of these things were going to affect how he did his job going forward. I do aerial recon for God’s sake. What the hell made me think I was the man for this mission? I’m not trained to perform interrogations. I’m not trained to do ground recon, and I’m sure as hell not trained in tactfulness and sympathy.