The other boat was bearing down on the port side this time. Nate drew his gun, hoping like hell it would actually fire. “Get ready. When I say go, swim under the boat and grab on to the other side.”
Alex shook her head. “I’ll stay with you.”
“Darlin’, they’re gonna have to get a lot closer for you to use that dagger, and I’d like to make sure they don’t get that close. But the first chance we get, I’m teaching you to shoot.” He practically had to shout over the rumble of the jet engine. “Go. Now.”
Alex took a deep breath and slid beneath the water. Nate raised his weapon and waited for a clear shot. As the boat pulled alongside, the passenger opened fire, and the water around Nate came alive with near misses. He waited until they were straight across from him before he emptied the clip of his semiautomatic into the bow. The passenger clutched his chest and slumped to the deck.
Nate swam beneath the fishing boat and came up beside Alex. So far, so good, but now he was out of ammo. He’d wounded one of them. Would that be enough to discourage them? The jet boat made a wide turn and headed back toward them. Guess that answered his question.
Alex met his gaze. “What now?”
“Well, we can both hide behind this boat until they put a bullet in the gas tank and blow it up, or we can swim for it.” Nate wouldn’t give a plugged nickel for either of those options, but that was the best he had at the moment.
The shock in Alex’s eyes clearly said she thought his ideas sucked, but she was quick to pick one. “If we go under the boat again when they get close and swim for shore, maybe by the time they turn around, come back, and realize we’re gone, we’ll be far enough away they won’t see us. It’s not much of a chance, but we can’t just wait here for them to kill us.”
She was a fighter. He loved that about her. He moved close to her, his gaze searching her face and coming to rest on her lips. He bent toward her and kissed her gently. There were tears in her eyes when he leaned away.
The jet boat was approaching the stern. Nate grasped her hand. “Time to go.”
Alex nodded before they both inhaled a deep breath.
Suddenly, the jet boat’s engine cut to an idle. Nate glanced up in time to see the front end of the craft settle into the water fifty feet off the stern. “What the hell are they doing now?”
“Heave to and prepare to be boarded.” The voice over a bullhorn ripped across the water.
Nate spun around. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Crazy old Ben approached their bow in an old wooden boat with a flashing light mounted on the cabin. It had been enough to get the driver’s attention in the other boat, but he surely wouldn’t be impressed for long.
Ben must have been thinking something similar. As he pulled alongside Nate and Alex, he raised his pump action shotgun and pulled the trigger, spraying the hull of the jet boat. The driver put it in reverse, but not before Ben got off another shot, at least part of which hit its target. Holding one arm close to his side, the driver whipped the boat around, opened it up, and quickly disappeared.
Alex let out a whoop. “Ben, I could kiss you right now.”
“I might just take you up on that, young lady.” Ben laughed.
Nate lifted Alex so she could climb into the fishing boat. “You crazy old coot. What took you so long?”
“Well, hell. Nothing works on this boat but the light. I had to use a trolling motor to get out here.”
Nate glanced at Alex and they both burst out laughing. Then, as though she suddenly remembered their argument, she fidgeted and looked away as her laughter died.
Nate sighed. “Ben, let’s get that piece of junk back to the dock before our friends come back.”
“I don’t think those two were in any shape to try again. Who were they anyway?” Ben set his shotgun aside.
“Never saw them before. I was hoping maybe you’d know.” Both of those guys were Caucasian, and they weren’t sleazy enough for Diego’s crew. They reminded him of the men Daniels had with him the night in the bar, but if they worked for Daniels, why were they trying to kill him? He couldn’t find the notebook if he was dead. Or maybe that wasn’t their intention. After all, he’d made a good target treading water. No one could be that bad a shot.
“Nope, but I’ll ask around.” Ben turned the wooden boat and headed slowly home.
Nate started the Evinrude and kept pace with him, just in case Ben was wrong about the bad guys returning.
Alex was quiet all the way back to the marina. When they pulled alongside the dock, she caught the line, climbed onto the wooden planks, and tied the boat. Silently and without looking in his direction, she waited until he set the two tackle boxes on the dock, picked them up, and started toward the motor home.
Nate helped Ben tie off his boat. “Thanks, Ben. I owe you one.”
Ben gave a wave as he started to walk away. “I keep an eye out for my friends.”
A large dollop of guilt made Nate feel about two inches tall. The old man considered them friends, and his quick thinking clearly saved their lives while all Nate had found time to do was grumble about the antique FBI agent. He shook his head as he turned back to his boat. Grabbing the cooler, the fishing gear, and the stringer of Alex’s fish, he stepped out of the boat. He made a quick stop inside the store to gift the fish to Ben and then continued on to the RV.
Alex’s gaze swept over him as he opened the door and climbed the two steps to stand just inside. He stopped and studied her, trying a smile. It couldn’t hurt, right?
The corners of her mouth tipped up slightly, and damned if his heart didn’t pound a little faster for a few seconds.
“I’m sorry,” they both said, and then laughed.
Amusement sparkled in her eyes as he crossed the space between them. He stopped when they were almost touching and caressed her chin as he guided her eyes to his.
She raised her hand and laid her fingers lightly across his lips. “So much has happened; I had to really think to remember what we argued about. It doesn’t seem quite as important now, but I don’t want you to worry. Do you know what the odds of me ever finding Hu Sun are?”
If anyone could find him, Nate had no doubt it would be she, especially if she talked Walker into pointing her in the right direction. “Will you promise me one thing? If you do run across him, will you come and get me before you go after him?”
A pensive expression stole over her features, and she watched him for a moment. Finally, she nodded. “Yes, I will, Detective Sanders.”
He drew a deep breath and forced himself to hold her gaze. “Now I’ve got a confession.
She threw him a quizzical smile. “Do tell.”
“Those men in the boat—there’s a good chance they work for Daniels.”
“Do you really think he’d go this far to find you?” A confused frown furrowed her brow.
“Us . . . he’s after us . . . and he called before we left Portland to tell me he wasn’t through with either of us.”
“And you waited until now to tell me? Why?” A hurt expression invaded her eyes.
“God, I don’t know. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was going to tell you as soon as we got home. I was sure we wouldn’t have to deal with him until then, and I didn’t want you to worry.” Nate raised his hands. “Go ahead—I deserve it.”
Alex was silent for several seconds before a smile replaced her frown. “Okay.”
Nate shoved his hat back. “Okay? Just like that?”
She shrugged. “What were you expecting?”
Nate reached for her, picked her up, and set her on the countertop. Stepping between her legs, he pulled her toward the edge of the counter until she molded against him in all the right places. “Damn, woman, you make me crazy. You know that?”
A sultry smile teased him as she snuggled her body against his. “I work awfully hard at it.”
> His lips covered hers in a wild, passionate union as he pressed his erection into the warmth between her legs. Her tank top was the first to hit the floor, and Nate’s tongue forged a trail along the slender column of her neck to the swell of her breasts. When his pursuit was blocked by the top of her bra, he thrust his tongue inside until he reached her hard, rounded bud. Encouraged by Alex’s rapid breathing and her increasingly urgent moans, he lavished his attention on her sensitive nipple.
He raised his head and took her lips again, sliding her closer until she wrapped her legs around his hips. He patted her behind playfully as he lifted her and strode toward the back of the RV, dropping her on the bed just as his cell phone rang. Swearing beneath his breath, he dug it from his rear pocket.
“Don’t answer it.” Alex grabbed for the hand that held the phone.
Nate checked the number and took a deep breath. “It’s Joe. We have to take it.” He’d been waiting impatiently most of the day for Joe to call, but right now he didn’t care if he talked to the guy or not.
He jabbed a button. “Hey, Joe. You’re on speaker. Alex is here too.”
“Good.” Static accompanied Joe’s voice. “I need the two of you to cross the border tomorrow. I’ll text you the address where we’ll meet.”
“What’s the plan?” Nate sat on the bed beside Alex, sliding his hand down her thigh.
“Diego has made the connection between me and Alex.”
“How in the hell? There’s no way.” Nate went back over their movements since hitting Nogales, and even with the one-in-a-million chance of walking into Diego’s restaurant, he couldn’t see how that put Alex together with Joe.
“There’s one way. The last person that saw us together. The man who witnessed us loading all of our hardware into two Jeeps and a motor home. The one person who knows we landed a chopper in Tucson. Diego’s got a wide reach in this area. Now the only way he’ll give the boy up is if Alex asks for him in person.”
“The scuzzy-looking guy at the landing strip? Wait. You’re not suggesting she walk in there alone, are you?” Nate fought the anger that rose within him. “Diego was behind the attempt to take her this morning. I say we don’t give him a second chance.”
“He’ll release Marco when he gets what he wants, and he wants to talk to Alex. It’s not my first choice either, but if we go in hot, there’s always a chance the boy could get hurt. She won’t go inside; she’ll stay in the courtyard. I’ll push for sending someone with her, but even if she goes in alone, she won’t be unprotected. Sanchez is on the inside. Walker and Rayna already have their sniper positions picked out in a natural rock formation a thousand yards away. She’ll never be out of our sight. We’ll take good care of her.” Joe paused and no one rushed to fill the silence.
“Alex, I wouldn’t ask you to do this if I didn’t think you could handle it.” Something in Joe’s voice made Nate feel like the outsider he was.
“I’m ready, Joe. I can do this—no problem. What time do you want us there?” Excitement rang in her voice.
Nate struggled for a moment to keep from losing his cool. This was nuts. Sending Alex alone into unknown danger—giving Diego two hostages instead of one—made no sense to him. He could insist on going in with her, but Joe would almost certainly nix the idea. A sense of helplessness rolled over him in waves, stealing his breath as if he were drowning.
He pushed to his feet. “This is insane!” Looking around for something to punch, his gaze locked on the door, and he stomped toward it. Throwing it open, he jumped to the ground and slammed the door closed with all of his pent-up rage.
THE DOOR SLAMMED shut, and Alex flinched. Joe was not going to be happy. He would recognize Nate’s purely emotional outburst for what it was—a pretty good indication that things had heated up between her and her partner, putting their mission in jeopardy. She was equally to blame, but Nate couldn’t have sabotaged her role in this rescue operation any better if he’d walked up to Diego and announced their plans. What could she say that would ease Joe’s mind?
“Not sure what his problem is. We’re only pretending to be married.” She laughed, but even she recognized it was forced. Her gaze followed the line of Nate’s retreat again. “He’ll just have to get over it.”
“Is something going on I should know about? Are you two bickering again? I can always . . .”
“I’m ready, Joe. What time do you want us there?” He didn’t need to know what was going on with her and Nate outside the limits of the mission. Hopefully, he would let it drop so she didn’t have to figure out how to tell him. For all she knew, they might have broken some unwritten code of ethics—sleeping together while on a job where they were posing as husband and wife. Sounded like something from the movies.
Joe had never asked her to take such a pivotal role in a plan before. Obviously, he wouldn’t have this time either if Diego hadn’t forced his hand. For her, it was a stroke of luck. This was her chance to prove herself, and she wasn’t going to let Joe down.
“If you’re here by noon, we’ll have time to rehearse the plan.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Ben will ride along with you.”
“Roger that.”
“Make sure Nate is there too, Alex.” His voice held a warning.
Great. How could she guarantee Nate would be there?
“Nate will be there. I’m sure he didn’t come all this way to sit out the best part.” She sounded much more confident than she felt.
“Save it, Alex. I’m not buying. Fix whatever’s wrong between you and your partner. I’m not sending you in there unless your head is a hundred percent in the game. Short of that, you won’t do me any good, and I’m not going to let you get yourself killed.” He paused for a heartbeat and his voice softened. “I’m not having that. If I need to find another way, tell me. Otherwise, fix it.” Joe ended the call.
Well, hell! Guess now wasn’t the time to tell him about the incident at the lake this afternoon. Obviously he had his hands full with worrying about whether she could handle her role in the mission. How was she supposed to fix anything? Nate was still uncomfortable with the idea that she’d go after Hu Sun if she got the chance. That wasn’t something she had any choice about. It had to be done—simple as that. Now, Diego wanted her alone to negotiate—or possibly to trade—for Marco. No doubt Nate was furious with Joe for suggesting it and with her for agreeing, but she couldn’t turn her back on Marco. His life could very well depend on her doing what she was good at. If Nate couldn’t deal with that, he’d have to walk away. Could she stand it if he did?
Alex found a dry shirt and slipped it on, picked up Nate’s cell phone, and strode to the door. With a deep breath, she pushed the door open and descended the steps. Nate leaned against the picnic table in the next campsite, legs crossed at the ankles, the brim of his hat pulled low, staring toward the lake. She gathered her faltering determination and slowly approached, laying his phone on the table beside him.
He didn’t move and didn’t speak for the longest time. Perhaps he didn’t even know she was there. She was about to retreat inside the RV when he suddenly dropped his chin onto his chest and rubbed a hand across his face.
After another moment, he raised his head, looked sideways at her, and held out his hand. “Come here.”
The warmth in his eyes and the barely suppressed emotion in his voice turned the command into an invitation that was impossible to refuse. She placed her hand in his and he tugged her to a spot directly in front of him.
He kissed her gently and then pulled her closer. “I’ve turned into a real pain in the ass, haven’t I? Wait . . . don’t answer that.”
Alex smiled. “This may come as a surprise to you, but that’s nothing new.”
Nate chuckled as he slowly shook his head. “Could you park that smart mouth for a minute? I’m trying to apologize here.”<
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“Well, if you didn’t make it so easy . . .”
He pressed a hard kiss on her mouth and then rubbed his nose across hers. “Are you finished?” A mischievous grin dared her to say more.
Alex nodded, unable to hide her amusement as he grabbed one of her hands and held it over his heart. He was so darn sexy when he looked at her that way—one eyebrow cocked quizzically, his warm gaze caressing her lips while a crooked grin settled on his—like he knew exactly what would satisfy her and he was up to the task. Her insides went all molten lava at his touch, at a glance from those blue eyes, at one whispered promise. It was quite possible she’d let this go too far, enjoyed herself too much. Gotten attached.
Would it be the end of the world if she had?
His grin slowly dissolved as he regarded her. “I still don’t like the idea of you facing off against that schmuck alone, but the cards seemed to be stacked against me so, for the time being, I’m going to stay out of it and see how things play out.”
“Well, what do you know? With age comes wisdom. I haven’t been giving you enough credit, Detective Sanders.” Alex forced a teasing smile in spite of the concern etched on his face.
His grip on her hand tightened, and his smile warmed her. “Wait a minute. Are you saying I’m old . . . or not very smart?”
Alex raised her hand to smooth his tormented brow. He sucked at hiding his feelings or maybe he wasn’t trying. Clearly, he cared whether she lived or died and even whether she woke screaming from a nightmare. Whether he’d meant to or not, he’d made her cherish their friendship and the time they’d spent together. If things were different—if she were different—maybe there could even be something beyond friendship for them.
“The way I see it, tomorrow could be the day you push the envelope a little too far. Make no mistake, Alex. I won’t be standing on the sidelines if it starts to go bad.” A thread of steel ran through his words, and his eyes held a promise.
He circled her waist with his large hands and tucked her closer, bending to whisper in her ear. “But we’ve still got tonight. Let’s not waste it. We’ll have a nice dinner, some wine, and spend a quiet evening getting to know each other. I bet the lake is beautiful in the moonlight. We could take a walk before we eat. How about it?”
Whatever It Takes Page 14
