Twelve Shades of Midnight:

by Liliana Hart

  “Get ready, whoever you are, because I intend to end this now.”

  The throbbing whoop-whoop of rotor blades finally broke through Samantha’s consciousness. She awakened slowly, dazed, nauseous and sore. She tried to move, but something held her back. She opened her eyes to find herself belted into the co-pilot’s chair in the helicopter.

  A black sky filled with a million stars filled the windows around her.

  “Feel better?” He caressed her leg with his warm hand.

  She looked at Alex and smiled. Her own personal furnace. She wondered what making love to him would be like. They would need air conditioning. She sighed and started to drift off into dreamland again.

  He brushed his hand across her cheek. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. It’s time for you to rejoin the living.”

  With effort, she looked over at him and blinked in confusion. “You know how to fly a helicopter?”

  “Obviously.” He laughed. “I rode in them often enough, while being shot at, that I figured it would be a good idea to have someone else, besides the pilot, know how to land it.”

  “It’s a good thing you did. I barely kept it from crashing.”

  He glanced over at her. “I’m sorry I put you in that situation. Are you okay? That was quite a nasty spin on the helicopter when it came down. Between that and the tranquilizer dart, you’ve had me worried you were seriously injured.”

  She smiled. “I’m not, but I do have a brutal headache from whatever drugs were in that dart. I’m pretty out of it.”

  “I’m sorry I asked you to do that. It was a huge risk.”

  “And getting shot at by four crazy soldiers bent on eliminating you was a cake walk?”

  “No.” He went quiet. Several moments passed before he said anything. “I knew three of them. They’d been part of my unit. That was about the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too. Whoever turned them into mindless puppets, bent on killing without regard, is going to wish he died with them.”

  “What about the pilot and co-pilot?” she asked.

  “Trussed up and waiting. They were my gift to these people,” Alex said quietly. “The rest was my warning.”

  Admiral Midnight stared at the man before him, enjoying his fear. “This was your last chance, Carleton. You are hereby relieved of your command. Bensen will take over.”

  Carleton swallowed hard, but remained silent.

  Damn smart of him, too, because one wrong word and he’d be in pieces in the lab for the researchers to study. The Admiral went to dismiss Carleton, then realized this was too big a fiasco to tolerate. An example had to be made to keep the rest of the men in line.

  Already, word was out that Ice Man was invincible and some soldiers were wavering, despite the serum.

  “Carelton,” Midnight said, leaning back in his chair, the wide expanse of his desk between them. “I really should kill you. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t eliminate the man who failed me so abysmally.”

  “I have none, sir.”

  “No,” Midnight drawled. “I guess you don’t. Too bad.” He pulled out the gun from under his desk and fired point blank between Carleton’s eyes.

  The look of shock on the Lieutenant Commander’s face made the Admiral laugh.

  He walked around his desk and nudged Carleton’s remains, looking for a response. “If you self-heal from this,” Midnight said. “I’ll find you a job more suited to your abilities. Village idiot perhaps?”

  Midnight opened the door to his office. Two guards stood at attention, not meeting the Admiral’s eyes. He smiled. Just the level of subservience he wanted. “Tell Benson to get in here and clean up this mess. He’s to drop the body off at the morgue. Tell them don’t cut it up until tomorrow. Then, Benson is to go out again—tonight—with five more choppers. If he doesn’t find the girl soon, he’ll be the next volunteer for my extreme self-healing experiment.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The stroke of midnight came as Alex neared their destination. The lights of Socorro, New Mexico, shone in the far distance. Alex, ever since bypassing Albuquerque, had debated where to land and hide the shaky helicopter. They may very well need it to escape again.

  Landing without lights would be tricky, so settling down anywhere in the forested mountains, where he believed the compound to be, was out.

  He adjusted his helmet and glanced over at Samantha, who also wore one, but didn’t know it yet. Some safety rules were too ingrained to break. Besides, he didn’t want to have to yell for her to hear him above the rotors. He’d have to wake her soon.

  In the co-pilot’s seat, Samantha stirred again, moaning slightly. She finally sat up, yawned, then reached her arms over her head and arched her back in a big stretch.

  Oh, how well he remembered those breasts pressed against him.

  He went hard in an instant, then tried unsuccessfully to ignore the innocently sensual sight she offered. He did not need this. The whole ride down, he’d been thinking about her in the hotel room, tonight. His zipper was about ready to give up the ghost.

  He’d purposely let her sleep all the way down here. Not that she’d given him much choice. Even air turbulence, and the tricky moments when the helicopter acted up, hadn’t wakened her.

  Samantha stretched again, then fell back against her chair and smiled sleepily. “Hi, handsome.”

  Okay, maybe not so innocent a stretch. Thankful for the cover of darkness, he adjusted his pants before saying anything. “Hi gorgeous, you’ve been out cold since we left the Rez. How are you feeling now?” Please tell me horny as hell and put me out of my misery.

  She laughed. “Seriously? That’s what you’re thinking?”

  He groaned. “I forgot you could do that stupid mind reading thing if I don’t block you.” Talk about a jerk maneuver, ace.

  To his surprise, she leaned toward him and ran her finger down his the center of his chest, ignoring all the bullet holes in his shirt.

  “Hey, Alex,” she whispered into the headset microphone.

  This time, he whipped his head around. Her gaze held his. “I’m horny as hell. Please put me out of my misery?”

  He damn near crashed the chopper. “Are you kidding me?”

  She cracked up laughing. “No, but if you kill us, my offer is off the table.” She leaned back in her chair. “I think they put an aphrodisiac in that dart. I had the most amazing dreams on the way down here. You were in them and you weren’t angry once.”

  Her teasing laugh and banter eased some of the pain in his soul.

  His chest went tight with unfamiliar emotions.

  He needed Samantha. Needed her life-affirming smile. Her belief in him, and that good still existed in the world, despite all they’d been through. Her gentleness and her laughter touched something so shattered inside him that it hurt to put the pieces back together. Yet, she made him feel like he’d welcome that pain if she were beside him. And one day, he could be whole again, and not just an Ice Man who knew no better.

  Tender warmth filled him, along with a hope the future he’d never thought he’d feel.

  He looked over at Samantha, trying to figure out what to say, and saw tears glistening in her beautiful brown eyes.

  “Thank you, Alex.” A tentative smile showed her uncertainty. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever…thought…about me.”

  Shock had his chin dropping. “Oh, no. Please tell me you didn’t catch all that mushy stuff. My man card is going to be revoked.” Un-frickin’-believable.

  Her smile widened into a silly grin. “I’m sorry. You were just thinking so loudly. This psychic stuff is weird, but it helps knowing how you feel about me.”

  Embarrassment flushed his cheeks and he hadn’t blushed in…well, ever. He could barely speak after this fiasco, but there was something very important he needed to discuss. “So, back to your earlier comment about being horn as hell. You really want to...” He stopped. “I mean you’re okay with us�
�you know…getting together tonight?”

  “Yes.” She laughed and smiled at him. “How about you? Are you okay with it?”

  “Me? Hell, yeah.” he insisted. “It’s just that you’ve been banged around a lot the last few days. And you’ve been worried about your father.”

  “I still am,” she said quietly, putting her hand on his arm. “But, I can’t do anything to help him right now. That will be tomorrow. I want tonight to be ours. We don’t know if we’ll have any more.”

  “Do you want this?” she asked.

  He stared out at the night sky, a muscle ticking in his jaw, his heart so full it hurt. “Yes.”

  One small whispered word, but the seriousness with which he said it, startled them both. There was no joking in his tone this time. He wanted her more than anything else in the world.

  He couldn’t look at her, but she couldn’t seem to look away. He didn’t care if she heard him. He wanted her to know what he couldn’t always say aloud. Something deep inside him shifted and his defensive walls came tumbling down.

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice just loud enough for him to hear.

  Her tone was the same one he’d used and when their eyes met, each silently acknowledged that something had changed between them.

  He cared and she did, too. His heart raced as the realization sank in. Alex turned back to flying the chopper before he crashed them into a mountain.

  This was one night he did not want to miss.

  They settled into a comfortable and infinitely precious silence.

  Samantha hesitated to break the spell, but it seemed like they were approaching a large populated area, which made her wary. She gestured toward the lights. “Where are we now?”

  “Socorro,” he answered. “That’s it up ahead.”

  “We’re here already?” She looked out at the upcoming town. “You came a long way while I slept.”

  “Thankfully, the helo’s tank was nearly full. I had planned to gas up at the Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington, but didn’t need to. It’s for the best. Thanks to me, this chopper has huge burn marks from the lightning, and minimal workable equipment left. We made it up in the air once. No guarantee about it making it down.”

  “We won’t crash. It would screw up tonight. Where are we going to land?”

  “I wish we could land at the Socorro Municipal Airport. It should be pretty much deserted this time of night, but we’d raise too many questions. Word could get back to the compound. I’m not ready to take them on tonight.”

  “Do you know where the compound is?” she asked, surprised

  “According to the coordinates you wrote down, it’s somewhere in those mountains over there on the right.”

  “How will we find it?”

  He paused. “Hiking would take too long, so ATV or horses, I guess. There should be plenty of both around here.”

  “How are we going to pay for them?” She sounded worried. “My purse blew up with the FBI vehicle.” Samantha stopped. “It kills me that I can’t contact the agents’ families and tell them what happened. It’s my fault for asking those men to come with me.”

  “And right now, you’re avenging their deaths, which is what they would want you to do.”

  “You’re right.” She sighed. “This is going to be such a horrible mess to deal with after.”

  “It will be easier, if we have proof.”

  She nodded in agreement. “Okay, so how are we paying for the ATVs or horses?”

  “I’m a SEAL, so I always have a go bag ready. In this case, I had two, so I have plenty of cash and credit cards made out to different names. They’re all viable cards and can’t get traced back to me. Thanks again to my paranoid uncle for leaving me his contact list.”

  She sat there for a moment. “Do your credit cards work at hotels, too?”

  Her sudden stillness confused him. “Definitely.”

  “Do we dare risk it?” she asked. “Renting a real hotel room tonight.”

  Realizing what she meant, he turned his head and laughed. “Yes, a real hotel room, complete with hot and cold running water, too.”

  “It is a risk,” she said again.

  “Honey, after today, I’d say it’s an absolute necessity.” Okay, jumping the gun a bit, Winters. “Of course, since we’re both recovering from injuries, we should probably shower and sleep in for a while first.”

  “That sounds nice,” Samantha said lightly, a note of anticipation in her voice.

  He hoped that excitement was for him and not just the hot shower.

  “Good thing we’re both fast healers,” she added, placing her hand on his thigh.

  His smile widened and a weight lifted from his heart. “Yeah, that’s a very good thing.”

  Samantha rolled restlessly in her sleep. The slide of clean sheets over naked skin felt luxurious and decadent. The mattress felt like heaven after the rock floor of the cave.

  She cuddled up against an amazingly warm pillow and sighed in contentment, ready to sink back into sleep.

  “Are you awake, Shadow Walker?”

  She leaped out of bed, scrambling for her gun.

  A hearty male laugh had her forcing her eyelids open. “Alex?”

  She sat down on the edge of the bed. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “Sorry.” He pushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “I guess military personnel aren’t the only ones with a severe startle reflex. We awaken badly. I should have realized you would, too.”

  “My heart is racing.” She put her hand over her heart only to realize she was naked. She jumped back under the covers and yanked the sheet over her breasts. “I really went to bed like this? With nothing on?”

  He grinned. “There was a towel at one point, but it came off after a few hours of tossing and turning. You came out of that shower and just crashed. Didn’t even say good night.”

  “So, you didn’t think I needed any nightclothes on?”

  “I didn’t want to wake you up to ask your preference.”

  She scoffed. “How altruistic of you.”

  “That’s me. Mr. Consideration.” He eased over and kissed the swell of her breast, right above the line of the sheet. “Besides,” he whispered, “they wouldn’t have stayed on you long once you woke up anyway.”

  “And if I changed my mind once the aphrodisiac wore off?”

  He groaned and flipped back on the bed, his morning erection tenting the covers. “You’re killing me, Gennaro.” He took in a deep breath. “Okay. If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll accept that. But know that I’ll be going after the bad guys with a raging hard on. It might be a bit awkward when I run.”

  “Sounds painful.” She rolled onto one side, facing him. “I’d hate to think of you in agony like that.”

  A knock sounded at the door. Her eyes went wide.

  Alex rose from the bed and yanked on his jeans. He bent closer. “Disappear. It should be breakfast, but I don’t want to take any chances.”

  She vanished.

  Sure enough, a waiter wheeled a service cart into the room and set it up by the bed. He looked at the several covered dishes, then at Winters, as if surprised one person intended to eat the large quantity of food the kitchen had prepared for this room.

  Alex just smiled and tipped the waiter enough money so the man wouldn’t care who ate what. A few minutes later, Alex sat down by the cart and removed the various lids. “Come out. Come out, wherever you are. Breakfast is served.”

  She did and slipped into one of his shirts to cover herself up.

  Enticing aromas filled the room, everything from bacon and eggs, to steak and home fries, to huevos rancheros, complete with the red and green sauces.

  “Did you order the Christmas tree sauces or did they just send them?”

  “I do my homework. The more we fit in, the less talk there will be.”

  She sat beside him on the bed and scanned the rest of the offerings.

  Some plates bore fruit, cottage ch
eese, guacamole and sour cream. Best of all, a huge pot of coffee took up residence in the far corner of the service cart.

  “Hot coffee! I love you!”

  He lifted his brow. “Man, you’re easy. I haven’t even shown you my prowess in bed yet.”

  “Yikes.” She slapped her palms to her flaming cheeks. “You know what I mean.”

  He poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “Yes, I do know. Now, I also know the secret way to your heart. I’ll keep you plied with lattes and espressos for as long as it takes.”

  “Takes for what?” she asked hesitantly.

  Alex touched her face and gently cupped her cheek in his palm. “For you to feel about me, the way that I feel about you.”

  Her heart caught in her chest. She couldn’t speak for the happiness flooding through her.

  At her silence, he pulled back. “Sorry,” he said. “That was probably way too soon.”

  She bit her lip, then looked up at him. “But what if I already feel that way about you, Mr. Winters?”

  His eyes heated with desire. “Then, Miss Gennaro, you have just saved us a lot of wasted time.”

  She smiled, remembering how scary she’d once thought he was. She’d never pictured seeing him like this. “That’s good to hear,” she said. “I really hate wasted time.”

  Alex grinned.

  Samantha toasted him with her coffee cup. “Here’s to a long and very caffeinated future.” Let’s see how he reacted to that pseudo-commitment bombshell.

  He lifted his cup and smiled. “I’ll drink to that.”

  Alex checked the local telephone directories, while Samantha finished up her morning routine in the bathroom.

  He was trying to play it cool, calm and collected. He didn’t want to totally jump her bones the second she came out.

  Well, okay, he did, but he’d already let her in on enough of his feelings for her.

  His Ice Man persona was disintegrating fast. He’d need a new moniker soon, especially with his sappy crush and his pyrotechnic abilities.

  “So, I’m a sappy crush?” Samantha asked, coming out of the bathroom, clad in another one of his shirts. The minty smell of her toothpaste wafted in the air.