by Cait Jarrod
Her odd behavior had Jake scratching his head. She must be in shock. He ignored her comments, grasped her hand, and headed to the back door for the shoes he saw there earlier. “Put these on.”
“We can’t just take Sylvia’s shoes.”
She needed to stop talking.
“Jake.”
Not able to help himself, he pressed his lips to hers. At first, her lips were stiff and cold, but quickly, they warmed. He pulled away and said in a low voice, “I could do that all day, but right now you’ve got to stop talking.”
He expected her to argue. Instead, she toed off her old sneakers and slipped on the water shoes, then gave him the thumbs up.
The cruel shoes landed in a group of bushes as they strolled back to the corner they just vacated. He hoped the perps hadn’t left with Steve.
The boats were still there, but not the hoodlums. They were heading straight for the B and B. Jake edged backwards, pushing Pamela behind him. He considered his options. Take them head on and risk the chance of Pamela getting hurt or run and form a plan to deal with them on his own terms.
A voice floated toward them. “There’re two of them, maybe three.”
Three targets. Chances were one of them would get a round off before Jake could kill all three.
“Save the girl for me,” said another voice.
Run.
He motioned for Pamela to backup, but she already had turned and was running in the opposite direction.
Jake caught up and tugged Pamela’s elbow, pulling her to the back of the house, then into an alcove overgrown by trees. Her breathing was fast. Man, he hoped she didn’t pass out.
Through the trees, he spotted figures moving.
Thunk. Pamela’s gun hit concrete. Her eyes grew wide, and her face paled.
He hadn’t spotted the gun in her hand.
One of the men stopped. Jake held his breath. Pamela hadn’t, her breathing was even more rapid. Jake placed a hand over hers, hoping to soothe her.
The man took a step in their direction.
A voice ordered, “Let’s check the main house.”
Keep going, asshole.
“What about this house?” the person in front of them asked.
Pamela’s laced her hand with Jake’s and squeezed.
“We’ll check it next.”
After some hesitation, footsteps sounded on the sidewalk, moving in the opposite direction.
Pamela released a breath. The pulse in her throat was working overtime. He knew she was barely holding on by a string, trying to keep her emotions together.
Jake stuck Pamela’s gun in front of his waistband and led her to the front yard, his gun still led the way.
He tightened his grip on Pamela’s hand and moved to the edge of the house, then peeped around the corner toward the pier. Like earlier, no one was on the streets. He inspected the area. In order to get to the marina, they’d have to run in clear view. No trees or buildings were near.
He glanced down at Pamela snuggling into his arm. “Ready?”
She nodded.
They darted toward the boat where Steve’s body was dumped and jumped into the boat.
Two captain chairs were in the front, and the large sack filled the back.
POW.
“Get down!”
Pamela was already crouching over the body, shaking.
Jake edged to the controls. The key was still there. The thugs must have been anticipating the need for a quick getaway. Jake flipped his wrist, and the boat roared to life. He reversed, then jerked the wheel to the right and pushed the throttle forward, throwing water across the jetty. So much for the no wake zone.
Boats treaded inland. Only eight o’clock and the watermen’s workday was already over. Jake dodged a buoy and pushed the throttle more. He needed to get to the mouth of the cove before the Scorpions reached the other boat.
The power of the second and larger speedboat rumbled. Crap, he wanted more distance before that beast thundered awake. From the sound of it, the other boat probably had more power than this Baja Islander. The only advantage was this boat was shorter and easier to manipulate.
Clearing the oncoming water traffic, he reached the mouth of the cove. Immediately, he jerked the wheel to the right, just missing a wet jet, and smashed into an oncoming wake, spraying water into the hull. Pamela crawled to the front of the boat and sat in the passenger’s seat. Her wet hands held on to the dash. The spray had drenched her.
“Jake, there’s blood.” Pamela’s deep breath had him whipping around. Blood spotted her shirt. Shit.
The second speedboat closed in on the entrance of the cove. It was going to be a game of cat and mouse. They had the upper hand by having a man as the shooter while the other drove. Jake grimaced. After seeing the shock on Pamela’s face today, he doubted she wanted any parts of using a gun, and he had no idea if she knew how to drive a boat.
More boats headed inward. Not easing off on the throttle, their boat slammed into a wave. Pamela held steady to the dash, her fingers whitening. Another hard hit and she bounced, and her body thwacked against the floor.
The fisherman had blocked the Scorpions’ passage. Watermen take offense to boats not adhering to the rules.
Time to check the contents.
Jake backed off the gas. “Pamela, hold the wheel. I need to see what we’ve got.”
“The wheel?”
“Just like driving a car,” he raised his voice to be heard over the motor.
Pamela pried her fingers away from the seat, then slid into the captain’s chair and grabbed the wheel. “Okay, I’ve got it,” she said, her voice quavering.
Jake knelt beside the sack, opened his pocketknife, and made a small slit. Jabbing his fingers into the hole, he jerked it open.
Pamela screamed.
She was staring at him and not in front of her. “Keep your eyes on the water, Pamela.” He yelled to be heard over the wind and motor.
Blood covered Nicholas Wine’s face. Where in the hell was Agent Anderson? Jake tore the canvas material, then searched Wine’s pockets. He pulled out a white piece of paper.
Enough is enough.
He leaned forward and showed it to Pamela. “Does the handwriting look familiar?”
He couldn’t hear her reply, but her chin quivering told him it was.
Jake stuck the note into his pocket and continued searching Nicholas. Finding nothing, not even a phone, he flipped the canvas over the bloody body and crossed back for the controls.
Seeing Pamela’s tear-stricken face, he slid a leg behind her and glided his hands over hers holding the wheel. She slowly removed them and burrowed into his chest.
He couldn’t stay here long. Any second the hoodlums would be gaining on them, but he’d give her this moment to get herself together. He kissed her neck just below her ear, then rested his chin on her shoulder as they rode in silence. Too bad they couldn’t be cruising the open water on their honeymoon. He lifted his chin from her shoulder. Where had that thought come from?
The sound of a motor neared. “Pamela, get in a seat.”
She moved quickly, but chose the floor to sit on instead. The second speedboat cleared the entrance of the cove. Jake whipped the boat right, flying around an island. Then he made a quick left. Other boats were zooming around. He hoped he’d get lost in the mix, then he could pursue them and become the cat.
The second boat’s larger motor had them gaining ground fast, despite its size. He now could make out the passenger in the boat. Two men, both wearing leather jackets. One behind the wheel, the other to the driver’s right. Where had the third man gone?
Just then, a third man appeared. No jacket. Jake strained to look harder. “Steve.”
Pamela slipped into a seat, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and followed Jake’s gaze. “He’s okay.”
“Whatever you do, don’t smile. It’ll give him away. Steve has to surprise them,” Jake warned.
“I can’t watch.” Pamela buri
ed her face in her hands.
Jake took in the scene. Steve had the passenger by the throat. Since Jake had Steve’s bag of tricks, he had no weapons other than his hands. He glanced down at Pamela hiding and made the decision. “Pamela, get on the floor.”
Without hesitation, she slid to the floor.
“I’ve got to help Steve.”
Her jaw clenched, and she pulled her legs to her, wrapping her hands around them.
“Hold on!” Jake jerked the wheel to the right. She lost balance and quickly grabbed the bottom of the chair.
The driver was wrestling with Steve now. Two against one. Jake leveraged out one of Steve’s gun and, slowing his boat, made a pass by the other. Both boats bobbed. The distance was too far for him to throw the gun. He couldn’t get any closer, or they’d collide.
“Pamela, I need you to jump.”
Her eyes widened as she stared up at him.
“I need you to do this.”
She stood and looked at Steve for the first time.
“Put this on.” He snatched a life jacket from beside her.
She snapped it on.
“I’m going to slow down near that island, and I want you to jump. You’ll be safe there until I get to you.”
“Wh-what w-will you do?”
“Help Steve the only way I know how.”
Pamela shifted her eyes from Steve to the approaching shore.
“Time to go overboard.”
“Where’s yours?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Jake, you need one,” Pamela cried.
“Pamela, I’ve got to go to Steve.”
“I’m scared.”
“I know you are, sweetheart. You have a jacket, you’ll be okay.”
Her big eyes stared up at him, and his heart clenched. He never had a woman worry for his safety.
Steve was down. Jake needed to be there. “You have to do this fast. On three.”
Pamela pulled her lips inward, and her head bobbed, tears streaming down her face.
Reaching a safe distance from the island, he geared the boat down. Holding on to the wheel, he helped her up onto the side of the boat. “One, two—”
“Jake, I love you.” Her quaky voice hurried out.
His body felt limp, and his strength drained from his body. He couldn’t be hearing this. Not now. Their grave situation was leading her emotions. Once they reached safety, she’d be back to being mad.
Jake glimpsed Steve standing, but the two men were beating the crap out of him and their boat was heading toward the burnt remains on the beach.
Jake brushed his lips against hers. “Three.”
Chapter Twenty
Pamela hit the warm bay water hard, the wake from the boats pulling her under. The life jacket pushed her back to the surface, and she gasped for air as she broke the water’s surface. Kicking in a circle, she couldn’t see them, neither boat. Motors sounded behind her. She swam fifty yards and looked past the island.
“No!”
Jake’s boat aimed straight for the other.
“Don’t, Jake!” she cried. “Don’t!” Tears flooded her cheeks as she watched in horror. FBI or not, this was the stupidest move she’d ever seen. She could barely see Jake driving the boat away from her, and Steve was one of the three men who had fists swinging. One thing was for sure, Jake was going to crash into the other boat. How could he? Her best friend and her lover gone in one second. “No!” She started swimming toward them.
Boom. Baroom. Boom.
She stopped and stared. Her mouth opened, and her heart sank as fire exploded over the water. The boats had collided, splintering into pieces. Did Jake jump? Did Steve? They didn’t have life jackets.
Fear shot from her chest to her toes. “No!” She fought hard to swim toward the wreckage. Debris fell from the sky, and she pushed her arms harder. She had to get them. They didn’t have life jackets. Her strokes fell harder, barely moving her. The life jacket was holding her back, but she wouldn’t dare shed it.
She paused for a breath and rested back in the life jacket to let her muscles relax. “Jake! Steve!”
Flying objects were everywhere, but no heads.
Pain pierced the side of her head and shoulder. She dabbed her hand across her head and brought her fingers to her line of vision. Blood. Crud!
A jagged piece of board floated past. There was the culprit.
The movie Jaws popped into her mind, and she glimpsed over each shoulder. She had to get out of the water. Another rush of helplessness and agony swept through her. “Jake!”
The water was so rough that she couldn’t see over the waves. So much junk floated on the surface of the water. She pushed some away and swam onward. She didn’t feel right. She wiped her face and swam harder.
Oh, God, where are they? “Jake! Steve!”
Her eyes flashed toward the wreckage. She had to get to them. Another stroke. Her arms felt so tired all of a sudden. Every muscle ached. She swam another foot. Her head throbbed. “Ow.” She stopped and touched her head. It burned from the salt water splashing it. Her vision blurred.
The shoreline in front of her appeared to be a mile away. Over her shoulder, the island seemed closer, but Jake and Steve needed her, and they were in the other direction. She considered her options. Pain slammed her eyes shut. Lord, it hurt. If I lay down on this soft bed, I’d be okay. She stretched out on her back. The waterbed was soothing. When did Jake get this? This was the first time she had been to his house; maybe he’d had it. Her body moved up and down with the waves. This felt good. I’ll just turn over and bury my face in his pillow. The pillow was so fluffy that it smothered her.
“Pamela.”
Someone said her name. Whoever it was had their mouth full.
“Pamela.” A force moved her shoulder, and her body flipped over. The softness disappeared, and her chest felt tight. She tried to suck in a breath, but couldn’t. Something was stuck in her throat.
“Pamela.”
I’m right here. She couldn’t open her eyes.
“Pamela.”
Why did they keep calling her name?
A mouth clamped down on hers. Who the heck? Jake? But he didn’t kiss her. He blew into her mouth. Stop that! She attempted to smack his hand away. Aching pressure stopped her hand from moving it. More air blew into her. She was choking. Why would he choke me? It can’t be Jake. Her other hand moved, smacking firm muscles. Her insides felt as if they would explode. Her body lifted, and a cough erupted.
Water spilled out of Pamela’s mouth, and her eyes popped open, darting around. Everything was bleary. “Why did you do that?”
“Pamela, sweetheart!”
She was smashed against a hard body, and her head rested on someone’s shoulder. She continued to cough. Liquid dripped from her lips. Her eyes zoned in on the water. Water? She wasn’t in a bed. She was in the bay.
Someone screamed and continued to scream.
“Pamela, I’ve got you. You’re okay now.”
She eased her head back and met Jake’s tender eyes. She closed her mouth, and the screaming ceased. Her body felt weak, and it hurt. Her lungs were burning. “Jake?” the word came out on a raspy breath.
“Sweetie.” He kissed her cheek, her other cheek, then his lips brushed her lips. “You’re okay, but I’ve got to get us to shore before someone sees us.” He squeezed her body to his. “Thank God, you had a life jacket on.”
Yeah, me too, but I was coming to help you and Steve. The words wouldn’t leave her lips.
“Pamela.”
Her head fell backwards. The weirdest thing, she actually felt her eyes roll into her head.
“Stay with me, sweetheart.” His voice grew louder. “Pamela.”
Her shoulders lifted, and her head fell forward, her chin hitting her chest. The pain subsided. This wasn’t so bad. The pain’s manageable. Her head fell back again. That’s better. I’ll just do nothing.
“Pamela! Don’t you dare leave me!”
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What?
Her body jostled. “Do you hear me? Don’t leave me!”
Pain shot through her body again. Now what?
“I love you, dammit. You can’t leave me!”
That’s Jake’s voice. He’s okay. Jake!
Something touched her lips, then warm air, then something gentle again. “Pamela, sweetheart, don’t leave me.”
Someone was crying. Her body crushed against a wall, and she could feel something splashing against her face. Was she in the water?
Lips touched her neck. “I love you, Pamela,” Jake whispered, and she felt her body drift away from the wall. No! Don’t leave me! “No!”
She hit the wall again and met Jake’s red eyes. “I love you, Pamela.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “I heard.”
A smile of relief crossed his handsome face. He kissed her. The kiss was different from previously, gentleness, caring, and the heart of a man all wrapped into one glorious kiss.
They pulled apart. “I need to get us to shore. We’ve gotta find Steve and his duffle bag.”
“How are you staying afloat?”
“Treading. I can do it for hours. Climb on my back.”
“Can you swim that far with me?”
He eyed her. “Dumb question.”
“I can’t move my arms. Everything hurts.”
He ducked under the water, and she climbed onto his back. When his head surfaced, she asked, “Jake, how did you not go under?”
“I tore the seat cushion off the captain’s chair and used it for a life preserver.”
She slumped onto his broad back and held on to his shoulder. His warmth felt soothing against her. “Have you seen Steve?”
“He jumped before the boats crashed, but I haven’t seen him.”
Pamela lifted her head and looked around as Jake pushed through the water. Her head pounded. Finding nothing, she leaned her cheek against Jake’s back. The salty water splashed her face. It tasted nasty, but she didn’t care. It was a lot better than being alone in the open water with the mammals with teeth.
“I’ll check your wounds when we get to shore.”
“Okay.” Her eyes fluttered shut.
“Pamela, you’re sliding.”
