He points to his chest and then over his head, squeezing his rifle in the opposite hand. Seaver takes his place behind the tree as Tango pushes forward. Seaver directs Kacen to stay with me, but I wonder who would be protecting who if we were under attack. This idiot couldn’t possibly be a top marksman.
“I gotcha, babe,” Kacen says. He places the palms of his hands around the tree I’m leaning on, encasing me between his arms. Every part of me wants to jerk my knee into his crotch, but he’d scream, and that could put Tango and Seaver in danger.
“Get. Away,” I fume through my clenched jaw.
“Just following orders, hon.” The anger rushing through me is pulsating all over my body. He’s reminding me of Reaper and I sort of want to push him off a cliff too.
“If you don’t move your hands, I’m going to remove them in your sleep tonight. Okay?” I tap my hand against his cheek a couple of times to drive my point home. I think it works since he slides his hands down the tree and takes a couple of steps back. I hear a whistling noise in the distance, followed by three other similar noises. It’s a call, and it’s not from Tango or Seaver. We’ve been spotted. I skate my fingers over the base of my rifle, focusing on the increased rate of my heart. I can do this. I pull the rifle up to my shoulder and hold it in position. I swing around the tree, meeting up with Tango and Seaver.
“What are you doing, Cali?” Tango’s face contorts with anguish when he spots me. “Get back. Go back with Kacen.”
“He’s going to cause us all to be fucking killed, Tango. I can handle this.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Stay with me, just keep your eyes open, and keep your ears alert. Try to sense where they’re coming from.” His eyes are locked on mine, and I can sense a hint of fear behind the blackness of his dilated pupils.
“I got it,” I whisper. I suck in a lungful of air and blow it out slowly, easing my nerves. There’s no room for nerves. I follow in their steps, sensing Kacen approaching me from behind. I can see the shadow of his head darting in every direction. Nerves will get you killed, and he’s going down alone.
I spot a small patch of yellow in the distance. It’s behind a tree, but it’s moving subtly, as in, with each breath, I can see the slight rise of the fabric. I curl my fingers into Tango’s pocket and tug him back with a gentle force. His head twists to look at me and I point my gun at the moving yellow target. The corner of his lip curls into a proud grin. He taps Seaver and points his rifle in the same direction. We all hover behind a nearby tree and Seaver drops to the ground. He pulls a scope out of his pack and twists it on to the end of his rifle.
“When this shot is made, all hell is going to break loose,” Tango whispers in my ear. “Keep yourself covered at all times. If you become nervous, hide.” He pinches his fingers around my chin and pulls my lips fiercely into his. He inhales my breath and pulls away just enough to look into my eyes. My cheeks briefly flush with embarrassment, knowing our secret is out. I doubt Seaver cares though, and I couldn’t care less about Kacen. Maybe he’ll back the hell off now. “Please keep yourself safe. I can’t lose another one.”
Tango’s words bring on a wave of nausea. Nevertheless, I swallow the rising bitterness and straighten my posture against the tree. I have this. I have this. Holy shit. I hope I have this.
“Ready,” Seaver whispers.
“Go,” Tango responds. His voice is so soft it sounds like a short stiff breeze.
The shot is fired and a groaning shout follows. I see the patch of yellow fall to the ground. When it disappears from my sight, I know he’s gone down, but more shouting commences. I try to decipher the number of voices, and I think I hear six, but it’s becoming difficult to tell as they near us.
I position my rifle, focusing my eye on the crowd running toward us with a variety of weapons. Shots are firing around me and I use the tree as coverage.
Two shots. Two kills. Seaver and Tango took the rest down. Twenty seconds and six are dead. I guess we won’t know whether they were after Dad or protecting him.
Seaver waves back at Tango as he crouches into the clearing where they all came from. Another shot is fired, and I hear clear yelled from the distance.
“Holy shit, Cali.” Tango scoops me up and swings me around. “You fucking saved our asses.”
I try to conceal my proud grin, knowing they did more than half the work. But it felt good to finally put my skills to use, regardless of what the skills caused. Lucky for me, death and sadness are a numbness I won’t overcome. You know you’ve gone to a place you’ll never come back from when you can stare death in the face while the rate of your beating heart remains steady. The emotional wiring in my head doesn’t twitch, and I don’t feel remorse. “You didn’t do so bad yourself,” I say, sliding myself out of his arms.
“Seaver and I are trained operators, Cali,” he laughs. “There’s something to be said about a chick who can accomplish two shots and two dead bodies in two seconds.” Regardless of the growing desire in Tango’s eyes, he shifts his attention over to Kacen. “You fall asleep, dude? Need some help with that thing?” He nudges his head toward the fully loaded rifle in his hands.
Embarrassment creeps over Kacen’s face with a pink hue. “I didn’t have the right shot. Didn’t want to waste any ammo.”
Tango arches an eyebrow. “Well, that’s one thing you did a good job at: saving ammo.” He throws his pack over his shoulders and looks back once more at Kacen. “Who knows, man, a huge bear might attack tonight. We’ll all be thankful you have ammo then.” The laughs continue as Tango wraps his arm back around my waist, pushing me forward with his stride.
“Were they after us, or were they just a roadblock?” I ask.
“Your dad probably has many roadblocks set up. It’s hard to tell how many shit-storms we’ll be going through before we reach him. We need to stay alert.”
The energy is rushing through me, and I feel full of momentum. I want to shoot something else. I want to pave a path to what will save Tango.
***
Nightfall is upon us and my eyes are set on the sun bleeding into the canyons. I could almost consider this to be the most amazing place in the world, but in my life, where beauty lies, death follows.
Seaver has started a fire and Tango and I have pitched a couple of tents. Kacen is fumbling around on his phone, which he’s been doing for the past two hours and I doubt it’s for any legitimate reason.
“Hey,” Tango whispers in my ear. I twist my head to find his lips only inches from my forehead. His eyes are hooded and peering into mine. “Follow me. We’re getting . . . water.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I follow him. I’m so wound up and speeding on adrenaline, I feel an extra hop in my step. How could I be happy in this situation? I don’t even know if that’s what this is . . . happy. We turn the corner into a mess of trees, and when we’re out of site, I feel Tango’s fingers slip in between mine. He pulls me harder, forcing me to jog instead of walk. I have to wonder how he knows where the water is. Maybe he smells it. Maybe he was trained to do that too.
We approach another pool with a lapping waterfall. It’s smaller than the one last night. It’s more private and secluded. The trees bow over the water, acting as a roof, and its darkness is mixed with the subtle glow of the sun’s rays swirling with the shine of the rising moon. It’s enough to cast a perfect shadow.
No second is wasted when we enter into the seclusion. His arms wrap around my waist, holding me so firmly against him it’s as if I hold the last bit of air left in this canyon. His lips crash into mine and his tongue reaches into my mouth. My heart swells and my stomach tumbles around like a pinball.
He pulls away, his lips tracing a line from my ear down to my collarbone. “You were so fucking hot today. Watching you handle that rifle turned me on more than I could ever explain.”
“Show me,” I demand.
A shallow and soft growl rumbles in my ear and the sound electrifies my nerves. His hands reach down my sides and
he grips the hem of my shirt, ripping it over my head. I tuck my hands under his shirt and skate them up his bare chest, pushing his shirt up to his neck. He pulls it off and then moves down to his belt. I unclasp it for him, slowly. But with his impatience growing, he nearly rips the button off my shorts, trying to yank them off quicker than they’re cooperating. He scoops me up before running off the rock and catapulting us into a pool of cold water. With my legs wrapped around him, he treads us over to a shallower end where we can place our feet down over the glassy smooth rocks below. My body tenses against his, shaking uncontrollably from the mixture of temperatures. With our noses pressed against each other and our eyes locked in a gaze, the only thing I feel is desire.
His hands squeeze my breasts as his lips move hungrily around my chest. His fingers trace the coolness prickling my exposed skin . . . the sensation he drives through me is incredible. With his erection pressing against me, my mind has shut off and my body is focused solely on his cock and what it can do to me.
My panties are floating in the water beside us and his hands are sliding up and down my legs. His grip is tight and unforgiving but wonderful at the same time. He enters me, squeezing me tighter with each thrust. I slide my entire body up against him, letting my bare skin melt into his.
With his fullness filling me entirely, I can’t stop the soft moans crying from my throat or the sounds that erupt when his teeth gently bite down on my shoulder. The sensation becomes overpowering, sending currents through my body. His fingertips grip harder around my thighs and he pushes himself in even farther.
“I’m . . . I . . . “ Oh my God.
“Cali,” he breathes. His eyes open and he’s looking me straight on.
“Sit there,” I point to the top of the rock that’s flirting with the water line. He does as I say. I move between his legs and wrap my lips around his shaft while gazing up at him. My tongue traces up and down and in a circular motion. He tangles his hands into my wet hair, guiding my head down and causing him to breathe heavier. I suck him into the back of my throat and his hands slide down to my breasts as he teases my nipples with his fingertips. I pull my mouth upward, letting my teeth gently graze his length and then I go down once more. His warmth runs down the back of my throat and he groans with pleasure. I pull away and lick my lips, needing to lap up every bit of what he gave me. “Holy shit,” he says, pulling me up on his lap. He closes his lips over mine and wraps me in his arms. “You’re fucking amazing.”
We sit together, our bodies entwined in a knot as our erratic breaths blend beautifully with the sounds of the soft breeze. He pulls away slightly and looks down at me. “Carolina,” he pauses.
“Yeah,” I breathe, waiting for what he’s about to say.
He continues looking between my eyes, almost as if he can’t choose one to focus on. Then he slowly closes his lips back over mine. I prefer this to words. Spoken emotions aren’t my strong suit. This I can handle—this I love . . .
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
TANGO
ALL I WANT to say to her is: Even if I die tomorrow, you have made my life worth living.
CALI
“Hey man, can we talk for a minute?” Seaver looks at me with a straight line carved across his face. “Alone.” We’ve only been back from getting water for a minute, and Seaver doesn’t look too happy.
Tango gives me a subtle look with a slightly raised brow and briefly places his hand on the small of my back before walking over to the growing flame where Seaver’s resting.
“Where were you two?” Kacen asks, walking up beside me and leaning his back against the same tree I’m leaning on. Too close.
I move to the side and cross my arms over my chest. “We went to grab water.”
“Nah. You didn’t. I mean, you brought back water, but you got something else too.” His dark eyes are feeling me out as if I didn’t make it clear enough earlier that he should keep his distance. “You giving handouts?” His eyebrows dance around his forehead and I catch on to his intended pun.
“Sure, Kacen.” I wrap my fingers gently around his shoulder in a caressing manner. I look him in the eyes and jerk my knee up firmly into his balls. He drops to the ground and curls up into the fetal position, moaning and whining. “Would you settle for a hand . . . up?” I stretch my hand out to him. “Here, I’ll help you up when you stop crying.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” He curls his legs into his chest tighter. “You’re a fucking psychopath. No wonder your dad is hiding out here. He’s probably hiding from your demented ass.” I press my boot down over his throat until he twists his head to the side, giving in to the pressure. His chest is heaving in and out, and I can see his mind searching for something to say, but the tightness around his throat won’t allow words to sound. I move my boot, allowing him to move away from me.
It’s at that moment when I’ve lost his attention that a hand slaps against my mouth and an arm wraps around my waist. I’m sure I’ve pissed Tango off, but I have a feeling if he were dealing with this asshole, he would have reacted the same way. He’s dragging me away again, out of the main camp area. Maybe he hasn’t had enough yet. Maybe this is all for fun. I let him continue dragging me, and I don’t put up a fight.
The hand smells weird, though. Different. I can’t see anything due to the tight grip, but I’m now wondering if this is actually Tango?
We stop in the center of a small patch of grass, and I whirl around, hoping to find Tango.
When my vision sends the proper signals to my brain, my mouth opens and my bottom lip drops. My eyes soften and my limbs feel like jelly. Maybe I’m hallucinating. I don’t . . .
I reach over slowly, unsure if I want to confirm this sensation, or if I only want it to be a hallucination.
My fingertips brush against soft skin before I jerk my hand back against my body as if I just touched a flame. At this moment, my chest feels heavy and I’ve forgotten how to breathe and talk.
“Carolina,” she says. Could I hear her if she wasn’t real? My mind is twisting in every direction, contemplating if I’m dead, delusional, or maybe lost.
“Mom?” the word croaks from my throat.
“Hey, baby girl.” Her arms wrap around my body firmly and she pulls me into her. I breathe her in, all of her scents resonating with my memories. I don’t understand. I was there when she died. I watched them take her away. I was at the funeral. This isn’t right. But then why am I not questioning it? The tears start and I don’t know if they’ll ever stop. The feeling of Mom’s arms around me is more than I ever could have asked for in the past three years. But when reality sets in, I’m immediately questioning why she left me suffering in pain, missing her and Krissy. Is Krissy even dead? Oh God, what I would do to prove that wrong, too.
“How are you here?” I run my sleeve under my nose, wiping away the tears. “I watched you die, Mom.”
“Honey,” her hand drops into mine and she brings it to her chest. “I didn’t die.“
“But I watched you die?”
A small laugh sings from her throat. “It was definitely a close call, sweetheart.”
“How, Mom? How? I was at your funeral. How?” The hardness that has encompassed my persona for the past few years is wilting with each second I stand in her presence.
“Your dad saved me,” she says in a soft hush.
“How?” I know I keep asking the same question, but I feel like I’m mentally breaking down. But maybe that’s exactly what this is. A breakdown. “How did he save you, Mom? Why haven’t you told me you were alive?” I’ve felt the pain of someone dying—of losing someone. But I haven’t felt the unfolding acceptance of realizing that when she told me not to trust anyone, she meant her, as well.
She takes my hand and leads me over to a nearby rock where she pulls me to sit down. She drops down next to me and curls her legs up into her chest. She seems so youthful, much younger than I ever remember seeing her.
“Are you really here? Or am I losing it?” I ask w
ith much seriousness.
“Sweetheart, you know your father was part of the CIA for many years.” She reaches out and cups her hand around my chin. Her scent floods my eyes, making the tears form again. “He was in China the year I was dying. He was in charge of protecting a drug patent—an unregulated treatment that hadn’t been released to the public yet or even used in trials. The part of the CIA he was working with was responsible for protecting this privately owned company who was responsible for developing this drug.”
“I don’t understand where you’re going with this.” I pull my legs in against my chest too, for comfort. I wonder if Tango’s looking for me. I’m not too far away, and he’ll catch up. I don’t know how this will go over or if he would understand—because I sure as hell don’t. “Mom, they’re going to find us out here.”
“It’s okay, sweetie. Let me finish explaining.” Her eyes look past me, and I can tell she’s trying to collect her thoughts. “He was protecting a treatment for cancer. He took the substance, Carolina.” Her eyes are now set on mine. “He brought it to me. I would have died in moments if the drug hadn’t worked so quickly, which doesn’t usually happen. You know how many drugs those doctors pumped through me? Nothing worked. But this treatment, whatever it was, it worked. It could be huge, But it didn’t belong do your dad. It belonged to a private company, which he stole from. They want to keep it a secret and they don’t want anyone to have it, especially since they only have a couple of treatments. I guess it takes months to grow whatever plant extract was formulated into the drug. Whatever the case is, they’re after him, honey. And if they find him, it won’t end well.”
I know I’m in shock. I know I should have something to say, but this is unreal. “So, you didn’t die?”
“I didn’t expect to wake up , but I did. The doctors didn’t have an explanation for my recovery. It took me a few days to be well enough for the doctors to release me, but then they did, miraculously cancer free and tumor free.”
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