Testing the limits of balance, he descended as quickly as possible until his shoes smacked into the mud and his pace diminished into a trudge. Pausing with a hand tented over his eyes, Craig scanned the opposite shore. Twisted roots crawled into the river as if they too sought refuge from the sun. A cobbled pathway of boulders lay ahead, but the rocks were barren. There was nothing. Nothing but that relentless din of gurgling water and the baleful screech of a crow.
Raja was gone.
Chapter Twelve
From beneath the river, the bridge resembled the skeletal scaffold flanking the flight deck of the Horus. Raja strained to distinguish Craig’s tall profile, but the only figure visible was the hairless man that had shoved her over the rail. From underwater he looked distorted—evil.
Instinct warned her to stay down—stay submerged in the protective cloak of the water. It was not like the lake by Aimee’s house, though. This channel fought her. The aggressive current made it difficult to remain fixed in place. She kicked against it, circling back to a point where she could monitor the bridge.
The baldheaded man was gone.
Was it safe to surface? No. Wait. There was movement, but it was impossible to tell the source. Craig and Zak were both tall—with dark hair, but Diego had black hair as well.
Several moments passed with no one in sight. For as hot as the day was, the current prevented this water from warming. A chill stole over her, but she kicked her legs and swept her arms to jog the circulation.
Despite the wisp of trapped air that tickled her lungs she felt no need for oxygen yet. Sinking deeper she found that the current wasn’t as strong near the bottom. Around her, toppled rocks and ghostly limbs painted a grim environment. It was cold and bleak in this ghostly realm—but it was safe. No one could find her here. She was so low that she could barely distinguish the bridge above. It was just a murky cage that held no prisoners.
Raja had no idea how long she was under, but the cold was beginning to numb her fingers. It became difficult to battle the current. A hunger built inside her chest—a craving that demanded to be satiated.
Air. I need air.
It became obvious that she had drifted. When she approached the surface there was no structure overhead, just a rippling stream of blue sky. Searching the banks of the river as best she could from this submerged perspective, it was hard to delineate between land and sky. She kicked, once, twice, inching closer.
I need air.
How long was it possible to stay under? How long had it been? Was it safe? Were they gone? Were they alive?
Craig.
The name assailed her. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to touch him again—to be held by him.
With a strangled cry of frustration she emerged. Fortunately, her outburst went unheeded. The river bank was empty and her lungs heaved with renewed life.
“I heard something,” a voice cried from a distance.
Aimee?
A pack of trees skewed towards the water as if their leaves were heavy enough to cause the trunks to bow. From behind them, a figure emerged, followed hastily by two others.
Bubbles erupted in the water with Raja’s delighted laughter.
“There!”
That was Craig’s voice. And he was climbing down towards the water’s edge—towards her.
He was alright. He was alive! Renewed strength powered her legs and arms as she swam towards him.
“Raja!”
Clambering down into the river, he plodded towards her—and then his arms were around her and he was holding her, both of them halfway submerged. A solid hand splayed across her back, while another cupped her head and combed the wet hair from her face.
“Thank God you’re okay.” His voice was rough. For a moment he just looked into her eyes and she thought his to be so beautiful. In them she could see a force as great as the charging river. That glance dropped to her mouth and his expression turned raw.
“Your lips are so pale,” he rasped. “How long did you stay down there?”
Ready to burst out with words, instead a series of coughs racked through her lungs and punched her in the back. Clutching his shoulders as she doubled over, Raja finally managed to croak, “I just came up. I was afraid.”
Another rack of coughs, and then she choked out, “I tried to keep near the bridge, but I couldn’t see you. I thought he had hurt you.” Her palms patted his muscles now slick with the spray from the river. “But you’re okay.”
“You just came up?” His voice pitched. “Raja, you went into the river almost twenty minutes ago.”
On Earth they spent too much deliberation on precise measures of time. Seconds. Minutes. Who had the time to keep track of such things? Raja’s smile grew. She’d made a funny. But her mirth evaporated at the surge of power that wrapped around her, hoisting her into strong arms and toppling her against a rock-hard chest.
“Craig?”
“Shhh.” His lips brushed her forehead. “Let’s get out of the water and talk, okay?”
Zak and Aimee were on the bank, their arms outstretched, ready to assist. Craig set her down, but his arm locked around her hip for a lingering moment before releasing her to Aimee’s expectant embrace.
“Raja.” Aimee’s arms folded around her.
A hum tickled the back of her throat as Raja felt moisture ring her eyes. This planet produced so many foreign passions in her. Humor. Tears. Love.
Her head jerked to seek out Craig. She didn’t want to lose sight of him. He was there, watching her, his jeans soaked from the river, his foot lodged on a tree root for leverage. Under his weighted gaze, her breath stalled. Was that what it was she felt for him? She’d never felt love for a man before.
“She stayed under that whole time,” Craig described hoarsely. “It had to be twenty minutes.”
Aimee gasped and guided her towards a grass patch under the shade of a tree where she urged her to sit. Together, Craig and Zak scanned the banks of the river, Zak crooking his head to listen for any rustle of activity.
After a few moments of restless pacing, they returned. Rubbing his forehead, Craig lowered his hand, startled to find that he was the focus of everyone’s attention.
“Alright,” he propped his shoulder against the gnarled oak. “I’m going to have to head back up to the bridge to make sure Diego is still secured—and to wait for the authorities.” Deep in reflection, he appeared drained—an embattled man. But when he looked at her, tenderness lurked in those dark wells.
“There is a strong chance that I will be taken into custody—” his eyebrow quirked, “—depending on how much they discovered at your house.” Sobering, he continued. “They will be looking for you too.”
Craig hefted off the tree and crouched down to eye level with Raja. She tensed, sensing from his brooding look that bad news was imminent. The edge had left him. Under the sheath of raw, hard determination was an affection that made her feel special. Breathless, she wanted to reach out and trace that sliver of a moon on his cheek.
The spell was broken when Craig squinted up at Zak who stood eclipsed in the sun.
“I still don’t know what I’ve witnessed in the past two days,” Craig admitted. “Miracles. Feats that defy logic. You both claim to be from another world.” The dark eyes returned to Raja. “I have been trained to analyze everything objectively. To dispute anything that is not fact. It goes against indoctrination to accept that you could possibly come here from another planet.”
Raja’s shoulders dropped.
“But—” he added. “The limits of that indoctrination have been tested. I have seen too much, and harbor too many doubts now. I have to resort to that which has never failed me. Instinct—what my gut tells me.” For a moment his glance turned to each of them, lingering on their faces as the harsh muscles of his jaw tempered. “My gut tells me that you are good people—wherever you come from. My gut also confirms that I need to protect you.”
Again his eyes locked with Raja as if she were the anc
hor they always reverted to. “I am going back to that bridge, and I need you all to head somewhere safe.” Rising to his full height, he addressed Zak. “You have your weapon? You can protect them?”
“That’s why they brought me along.”
Aimee snorted. “Zak, he’s being serious. This is serious.”
“I don’t joke when it comes to your safety,” his voice was husky, “and you know it.”
At that, Zak turned to face Craig. “We appreciate what you have done for us. I wish I knew what was going to happen next. I would be honored to fight by your side.”
A clipped nod was the only sentiment Craig would reveal. “Just keep travelling down this river. Head away from the road. Steer away from the bridge. Aimee, you said this would eventually cut back to your property?”
She bobbed her head in agreement.
“I have your cell number,” Craig asserted. “I will try to reach you as soon as humanly possible.”
“It should only be a mile or two back to the King property,” Aimee confirmed aloud as she gauged the tree line with apprehension.
“Don’t go back to your house yet,” Craig instructed. “Let me contact you first.”
Hiking two steps up the embankment, Aimee took his hand into both of hers. He seemed startled by the gesture, but did not withdraw.
“Thank you,” she stated in a thick voice. “Thank you for protecting us. I—I made a grave mistake in bringing Zak and Raja here. I thought they would be safe. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m embarrassed of my planet.”
Zak looped an arm around her shoulder to draw her close enough that he could kiss the top of her head. “There are more embarrassing planets out there. It’s nothing that we can’t handle.”
“But you’re stuck here for five years—and now we’ll be on the run that whole time.”
“Hold on,” Craig interrupted. “Just do your best to lay low. Give me a little time. Technically you haven’t done anything wrong—”
“No, not at all,” Aimee scoffed. “We just shot a man in my house—then we shot three more on a bridge. We escaped—no, we ran away from an FBI interrogation.” She swiped her forehead in disbelief. “I’d say we’ve done things wrong.”
“All of which I can claim responsibility for. I was the instigator.”
“You didn’t fire this.” Zak held up the star laser. “Why should you take on this burden alone?”
The tell-tale slant of Craig’s eyes towards Raja made Raja gasp. “No. Don’t say your sacrifice is because of me. Don’t do that.”
For a brief second he wore a sad grin. “It’s the closest I can come to stabbing myself in the arm.” Searching the muddy precipice that flanked the river, he added, “I have to go—and you all need to run.”
“Be careful.” Zak offered his hand.
Craig gripped it with a swift pump. “You too. Take care of them.” His glance deferred to Raja as he murmured, “Can I just have a moment with her?”
Zak clapped him on the back and called out, “Aimee, why don’t you show me this scary forest you keep telling me about.”
“What?” She stood up, swiping at her rear. “It’s over there,” she pointed.
“Why don’t you show me.” Zak raised his eyebrow and jerked his head at Craig and Raja.
“Oh. Right. We’ll be right over there, Raj—”
Raja nodded, but her eyes were fixed on Craig who now stepped down off the tree root, extending his hand to her. That coarse texture wrapped around her skin. It made the inside of her head buzz. Gently he hoisted her up from the grass, but with the uneven terrain, she lost her balance and braced herself against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart.
“How are you doing?” he asked softly.
A swelling tightened her throat. She tried to clear it and answered gravelly. “I feel—I feel remarkably nervous.”
“Understandable. I’m so sorry you are in this position, but if the three of you leave now—”
“No,” she cut him off. “It’s not the danger. We can take care of ourselves. We will survive. It’s—it’s—” Warmth seeped into her palm. Why did touching him feel so good? “I’m afraid for you. I’m afraid I’m never going to see you again.”
Something caught in his dusky eyes. For a moment she thought he was in pain. Her fingers curled into his shirt for support. A soft brush of his fingertips against her cheek made her quiver. Slowly his hand immersed in her hair and his head bowed down so that his lips could dust across hers. A rumble sounded in his throat and he kissed her again. Longer. Deeper. She felt her legs buckle, but his arm slipped around her back to hold her steady.
With his forehead tipped against hers, he whispered, “I said before that my gut told me you were all good people. Well my heart tells me that you are special. I don’t know where you are from, Raja. I just know how you make me feel. If by some miraculous chance we get through all of this, I want to learn so much more about you. I want to be with you.”
“I want that too,” she managed, hoarsely. “You fascinate me, Craig Buchanan. You make me feel odd when you touch me.”
He chuckled. “Odd is a good thing, I hope.”
Nodding, she rasped, “I don’t want you to go. Please come with us.”
Craig drew her tight against him, so that her head rested on the pulse just above his collarbone.
“You have no idea how much that thought tempts me. But Diego is dangerous. I can’t chance that he escapes. I’ve invested too much into stopping him—and as long as he is free, you are threatened.”
Raja nodded against his shirt and caught a whiff of the vanilla-scented candles that dotted the interior of the Patterson house. “It’s one of the things I respect about you.”
“There are others?”
She could feel his smile in her hair.
“You do the right thing. So many people do not. You are diligent, noble, and gentle. But I don’t like the feebee much.”
Craig drew back so that he could look at her. “The fee-bee?”
“Yes. Your organization. FBI—feebee.”
He laughed and kissed her again.
“Go,” he commanded, the levity leaving his expression. “Go now. Please.”
Turmoil loomed in his dark eyes. Raja stood up on her toes and brushed her lips against the crescent-shaped scar on his cheek. She didn’t dare risk another glimpse into that earthy maelstrom. “Be careful,” she whispered, staring at his throat. It twitched with emotion.
“You be careful.” His knuckle touched her chin, gently hoisting it, and then he kissed her.
With her eyes clamped shut, she wasn’t aware that he was gone until a breeze stirred across her lips. Watching the lithe figure retreat up the embankment, Raja felt gravity tugging at her heart.
Barely three days on this planet—and she had fallen in love with an Earthling.
Chapter Thirteen
Don’t look back, Buchanan. Don’t you dare look back.
If he did, Craig knew she would be watching him—innocence and wisdom vying for domination in eyes as dynamic as the ocean. Those beguiling contradictions bewitched him. But he had a job to finish. So instead, he climbed the bluff skillfully, propelled by the motivation to reach the bridge and put closure on the Diego-phase of his life. For two years it was all he had existed for—and that was just sad. Now there were better priorities.
As his thigh muscles strained to hasten the pace, he consoled himself with the fact that he didn’t move too bad for a man who had been shot. This line of thought only opened up the floodgate of questions. He dropped it closed quickly as the metal skeleton drew near. Readying the Glock, he hunkered down for a stealthier gait, hugging the trees and pausing behind one when the roadside parking lot came into view.
With his back against the bark, Craig angled his head to survey the lot. Two cars still remained—his Hyundai with the doors swung open, and the black SUV, also with one door ajar. From this perspective he could not see the rutted lane leading up to the bridge. He
had to get closer.
Crouched over, he jogged the perimeter of the lot and then zeroed in on his car from the opposite side. Tacitly slapping up against the hot steel of the fender, Craig gripped his gun in anticipation and inched up to peer over the hood. At the sight of the fallen mercenaries still inert where he had left them, Craig breathed a tad easier. But wait. He counted two bodies. There had been three. It was hard to recall if the third was in a position where he was concealed by the SUV. The railing on which Diego had been secured was directly behind the van, thus rendering him invisible for the moment. Still hunkered down, Craig inched to the back of his vehicle and then darted behind the black van. Adrenaline pumped loudly in his ears as he crept to its edge. In one great surge, he lurched from behind the vehicle—his legs planted, his arms extended, and the gun aimed on the railing—where an unfastened set of handcuffs now dangled.
* * *
Moored by emotion, Raja watched until Craig was no longer in sight.
Head cast down, she pivoted and trailed after the sound of Zak and Aimee’s voices. A bird swept by with a flutter of wings and a flick of its beady black eyes. She jerked out of its way. She did not like birds. Overhead, an airplane sliced through the azure sky. Clamping her hands over her ears against the noise, she concluded that she didn’t like airplanes either. She did not like Diego. In fact, as the toe of her sneaker caught in a tree root, she tried to find something that she did like on this planet.
Warm brown eyes. A hand that made her skin burn—and chill every time it touched her. A deep voice that stirred up a thousand feathers in the pit of her stomach.
Okay, maybe there was something she liked here. A lot.
Sun poured over the trees, illuminating the lush cascades of foliage. Above that verdant line was the richest shade of blue she had ever witnessed—a color so pure it nearly made her weep. And the smell. She tipped her nose into the slight breeze. It was the loamy scent of the ground, a fertile hydration that only the history teachers on the Horus ever alluded to. Each tree—each bush—possessed a unique aroma and she chronicled those scents as if she would never have such a privilege again. Yes, the Horus had its fertile Atrium, but it did not have this sky—this atmosphere, which only enhanced every facet of the planet. Okay, admit it. She liked Earth. She liked donuts. She liked Craig.
Beyond : Series Bundle (9781311505637) Page 58
