by Billi Jean
“What do you think?” he asked, instead of spilling his guts.
“I think you’ve finally been tagged, man. She’s caught you. Now let’s see if we can catch her.” Tazz grinned and floored the SUV, cutting through the slower traffic and heading toward the American base located outside of Seoul. If they got there quick enough, they’d be on a helicopter and hit the ferry before she could even board.
They’d make it because he wasn’t going to lose her again. He’d catch her, and this time, he’d find a way to make her want to stay caught.
Chapter Four
Kylie drew a big breath of fresh, ocean-scented air and her tension eased. She’d always loved the ferry ride from Korea to Japan, but this time, her trip was tinged with sadness and anxiety. She’d gotten through the lines and the customs agents easy enough. For some reason, that made her melancholy worse. Even the sight of blue seas all around her didn’t completely unknot the kinks in her shoulders and back.
Her American was partly to blame. He’d not even stopped her at customs.
But then how could he have? You drugged him!
God, she was confused.
She tightened her hands on the railing. Did I want him to? And then what? Possibly stop me from saving my Dad? If he did, this rush against all odds would be over. Her father would be dead, wouldn’t he?
The question deepened the hollow feeling in her chest.
No, she couldn’t chance losing her father. Not for a man who’d kissed her simply to get what he wanted.
“Ah, now, baby, you’re going to hurt yourself thinking that hard.”
At the sound of his voice, she barely stopped herself from turning around in shock.
He not only found me, he followed me?
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, before she’d even known she was going to talk to him. Immediately, embarrassment burned her cheeks, but she shrugged the unease aside and glared at the blue choppy waters surrounding them.
He’d leaned on the railing next to her, but with a grin she could see even without looking fully at him, he stood to move closer. A second later his hand landed on her waist.
“Mmm, you don’t like that, huh? How about darling, or beautiful, or sweet—”
“Stop!” She glared at him instead of the ocean, jerked his hand off and moved farther from him.
A few of the passengers were now focused on her, no doubt thinking she was with the American or that he was hitting on her. Many of the people on board were Japanese and held no love of the Americans and their sexual interest in Japanese women. Too many women had been raped, too many girls as well, for them to encourage relationships with the unruly soldiers, in their opinions.
Well, the American facing her certainly was certainly arrogant. So why does he make my body feel alive?
He shouldn’t.
“Go away or I’ll scream.”
The threat, the very real threat, didn’t even faze him. If she screamed and said he had attacked her, the people on board, although smaller than him, would still make things difficult. But then what? Let them take him away? If they even could…
He didn’t move. Instead of going away, he stepped close enough that his body heat sizzled along her side. “I’ve decided that you need me. Right here, next to you. So, we need to settle this. Is it going to be baby, or sweetheart? I like—”
“I would like you to call me Kylie, or better, Ms Chung.”
“Is that your name? Kylie?”
She blinked, amazed that he was intent on chasing her down, and yet didn’t even know her name. “You don’t know my name?”
“Well…” He shrugged a big, broad shoulder. He’d changed into a bright white button-down, with another T-shirt underneath and cargo shorts. He looked like any other tourist. Well, if tourists in Korea were six foot six black men. “I read the file, but wasn’t convinced your name was really Kylie.”
“It is.” They had a file on her? Her stomach grew sick. She glanced around at the other passengers. They looked away, but obviously they were watching them. “You haven’t asked for my name,” he suddenly murmured.
She glanced at his face to see if he was being serious or not. She couldn’t tell with the silver reflective glasses shielding his eyes, but his lips were quirked up in that sexy smile of his. Arrogance practically oozed from him.
She looked away from him and concentrated on the bit of land she could just begin to spot on the horizon. They’d land soon, if that was the coast. He was right though, she’d not even asked him his name. Did she want to know?
He nudged her with a shoulder and she huffed out a breath to mask her amusement. Yes, she wanted to know. So ask him, Ky!
“No, I haven’t.”
He laughed and tugged her into a hug. She froze, so startled she couldn’t think of what to do. Everyone was already interested in what they were saying, if she pushed him, she’d end up drawing more attention. Realizing he’d caught her, she gave up trying to resist him enough to rest her head in his chest. Maybe if she pretended to give in, he’d let her go.
You’re rationalizing, Ky.
She was, but not because he was so warm and strong, and she hoped for more of his amazing kisses.
She had to remember he wasn’t real. He was only acting the part, no doubt to get her somewhere so he could interrogate her.
“There, that’s not so difficult is it?” he whispered close to her ear.
A shiver of lust burned down her neck and pooled deep in her stomach, warming her from the inside out. Shaking it off, she whispered back, “You know, this will only make me madder.”
He laughed. “Yes, and I realize now that making you mad isn’t safe.” He brushed his hand up and down her back, then cupped her butt once so quickly that she didn’t even have time to hit him before he released her. “So, no hidden drugs, huh?”
Shocked, she looked up to see if he was serious. “Did you just frisk me?”
“Nah, I’ll do that once we’re all alone,” he said.
Startled even more, she examined his handsome face, but at his smile, her alarm only grew.
He laughed again, turned her, looped an arm around her waist and steered her toward the cabins before she could do more than open her mouth. She baulked, but he used his bigger, stronger body to propel her along. She had a choice, make a scene in front of all the Japanese and Koreans, or let him usher her inside.
“You are not taking me in the cabin—”
“Now, now, it won’t hurt. Heck, I’m counting on you enjoying it.” He grinned again, making her shiver all over. Not the reaction she should have had either.
“I am not letting you do any such thing.”
“Ah, come on,” he murmured against her neck.
The shiver grew until it raced down to her toes. She smacked him on the top of the head. “Stop that.”
“Still mad about the kiss?”
The nerve of the man astounded her. The arrogant—
“Or about me BS’ing you about how damn vital kissing you was in that moment?”
They hit the hallway as he spoke and it took her a moment to make sense of his words. When she did, she nearly tripped on her high heels. He’d thought her kiss was vital?
He took his sunglasses off and pocketed them. Immediately she wished he hadn’t. She could keep some distance from him with those reflective lenses hiding his warm, brown eyes. But now, faced with that cocky, confident smile and his intense gaze, she couldn’t think of a thing to say to him.
“Shocked you, did I?” he asked then bent to whisper, “Wait until later.”
The warmth of his breath on her neck should’ve been illegal. The way it shot from her throat down to her pussy made her feel as if she’d a big mistake not screaming when she had the chance.
She took a step back, distancing herself from the urge to rub her breasts against his chest.
He winked.
God, the man was full of himself. But oh, there is a good reason for that, isn’t there, Ky?
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He was trying to fool her into doing what he wanted. She tried to step backwards down the hallway, but he reached for her, then around her and opened a private cabin. It was either let their bodies meet and have hers catch fire, or let him maneuver her inside. They stared at each other until she heard a couple heading toward them down the narrow hall, whispering to each other, obviously about them.
The cocky grin grew, the dare on his face apparent, but she twisted, trying her best to avoid him, the door and the couple. He placed a hand on her back, forced her around sneakily and used the confusion of moving aside for the couple to push her inside.
She turned to go right back out, but he’d already closed the door.
“She hard to get down here?”
Kylie spun at the question to face another American. His dark hair was cut in a buzz cut much longer than most military on top, so that it stood up in sporty disarray like Jeremy Renner, one of her favorite movie actors. Now, faced with him lounged on a couch, with one foot crossed over his knee, drink in hand, she stepped backward, closer to his partner. Even though this one was dressed in the same kind of casual clothes as the one behind her, the way he watched her, made her feel uneasy, and suddenly exposed like a mouse to a hawk.
She got a push against her lower back for her trouble, and a rough, “Take a seat, Ky.”
“No, thank you,” she whispered to him fiercely. How had she let this happen? Her body thrummed, ready for much more than the interrogation facing her. What is wrong with me?
“Shit, Dare, you didn’t tell her I’d join the party?”
“Dare?” she repeated, staring from one man to the other.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
She narrowed her eyes on his handsome face. “That’s not your real name.”
His grin slipped and he shrugged a broad shoulder. “No, my real name is Daren Scott. Is Kylie Chung your real name?”
“Yes! We’ve already gone over this, remember?”
Dare settled his big body against the sliding door and folded his arms. “True, but I need a bit more now, Kylie. Take a seat. Get comfortable.”
She moved to keep them both in her line of sight and crossed her arms over her chest. She could be stubborn, too. She had to be. So far this man had taken all she’d given him, and he’d still chased. Her dad was counting on her.
“No. I’m not answerable to you,” she glanced at the dark-haired man and included him, too, “or him.”
“That, Ms Chung, is not actually correct,” he replied, setting his drink down on the table near him. “We need answers. That’s all. Answers.”
Dare drew her attention off his partner, who still remained nameless, by laughing lightly. “Look, it’s simple. We didn’t get a chance to discuss this because you were too busy leaving me behind—drugged.”
“You were forcing me to do that! I have things I need to do and I am not answerable to you or…” She paused, not sure even who they worked for or why they were so interested in her.
Dare held up a hand and drew her attention back to him. “Just listen to us—”
“Why should I listen to you? Why are you even chasing me?” she demanded. Her frustration made her fear dwindle.
“I’m chasing you because you are trying to sell secrets to the North,” Dare informed her.
The absurd but serious statement got a hard look from his partner, but Kylie stared at Dare, confused then angry.
“I’m not trying to sell anything!”
How could they have gotten this so wrong? Why would I sell secrets?
“No? Then explain what you are doing,” Daren said, sounding relaxed and oh so like he wasn’t questioning a criminal, which is what they thought she was. The knowledge scared her badly enough that she felt her legs grow weak.
Daren gestured for her to take a seat on the couch opposite his friend. She debated telling him no, but she didn’t want to upset them when they appeared calm and non-threatening. Well, she modified with a glance at the still unnamed, silent man, one of them made her worry, but Daren certainly wouldn’t harm her. Would he? She rolled that idea around in her head, even as she followed his direction and sat on the edge of a couch. Daren followed and sat between her and the other American.
“I think it would be a good idea to answer our questions, don’t you?” Daren asked softly. When she didn’t immediately agree with him, his frown grew. The way his dark eyes seemed to fill with concern appeared so sincere she wanted to tell him everything. He certainly wasn’t angry with her for drugging him. Still, she bit her lip to keep her mouth tightly shut.
“Ms Chung, staying silent is not the best choice right now. The quicker you tell us what’s going on, the better for you, I assure you.” The way he spoke, direct and to the point without the casual teasing Dare had shown her, made her uneasy. The way he coolly watched her made the heat from moments before disappear, replaced by a bone deep chill. It was as if he knew things about her she didn’t—things he could then use to kill her.
She could feel Daren’s disapproval, but refused to look to him for aid. Were they divided on what to do with her? Or was this the ‘bad cop, good cop’ routine? The thought made her tighten her fingers together to stop from fidgeting. She couldn’t let these men get the upper hand with her, she could sense that, but what did she have? Nothing.
“Why? Who are you? You both seem to know a great deal about me, while I don’t know either of you?” she asked, trying her best to keep her voice steady and calm.
“I’m called Tazz. That’s all you need to know. Now, right now, you should be convincing me that you’re not carrying information to the North to help them with their nuclear weapons.”
Kylie was so startled she laughed then sat up straighter, looking from one to the other in confusion. They both truly believed she was doing something like that? How could they think such a thing?
Tazz watched her with an eerie, unblinking stare. She shook her head and broke eye contact. Dare was also watching her, but he didn’t look ready to do something seriously frightening to her. Maybe kiss her, which was just as frightening in its own way, but he didn’t appear to want to take her to a side room and…
Keep it together, Ky. They just have their facts wrong.
Her nervousness eased a notch. This she could discuss with them. “First of all, the North already has nuclear weapons. Secondly, I’m fairly certain they can handle using them all on their own. Third, if I were going to North Korea, wouldn’t I be, well, going north?”
Daren nodded slightly, but his partner frowned and pulled out a knife bigger than her forearm, hunched over his knees and used it to clean his nails.
Impressive, but she was already scared, so the show didn’t have the same amount of impact as it would have if he’d done that first off.
Daren snorted and said, “Not sure that’s the best tool for the job, bro. She has a point.”
Relieved that he wasn’t pulling a weapon, she nodded. “I’m not doing anything. I’m not even sure what you want from me.”
“And the man with a gun at your head? He knew you?” Daren asked, casually picking up Tazz’s drink and sipping it.
She refused to answer that one. She had no idea who that had been.
“No answer again. Let’s see, how about I tell you a little about him?” Tazz asked lazily. He didn’t wait for her to answer, but began ticking off points. “The guy was a known Palestinian terrorist. He works for some real nasty folks in Tel Aviv responsible for bombing the Herzliya restaurant back in two thousand and two. You remember that, don’t you? Little girl died. He’s also responsible for the missile attacks last year and possibly on the run, perhaps even in Korea.”
The blood drained from her face at Tazz’s words. He said it all in such a monotone, as if relaying the weather, that she was sickened. She didn’t know the man, didn’t know much at all about the violence along the Gaza Strip. But she did sympathize with such horrible events. She couldn’t imagine what a man like that would want fr
om her father, let alone that he knew of her.
“I have no idea what he wanted. I don’t know him,” she began then swallowed and shook her head. “I’ve never met him, this man or the man he works for.”
“But you were in Israel not long ago.”
“I wasn’t in Israel to meet with Palestinian bombers!” she cried, standing to pace away from them.
“Tazz,” Dare muttered. “We’re not saying you were. But you can see where we’d like to know why this man is after you. What he wants, where your father is, all of this is important. To you and to us.”
She stared at Dare’s concerned face, feeling gratitude swell up to nearly overflowing. He did believe her. He didn’t think her some monster who knew men capable of destroying anyone that gets in their way.
“I don’t—”
“Don’t lie to us. Do you think that we won’t know?” Tazz demanded, his voice not rising, but the warning clear. “I know your father, and he knows me. Where is he, Kylie? No one can reach him. That’s odd isn’t it? That he’s gone off the reservation?” Tazz asked, pocketing his knife out of sight.
Kylie froze in the process of walking to the row of little round portholes. At Tazz’s words, ice settled against her spine.
Tazz knew her father.
Not only knew her dad, but he’d been one of the men on the program. Suddenly the distance between her and Tazz narrowed as she took stock of him with her new information. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His cheekbones were brushed darker in a flush. His neck too was darker and from where she sat, she could see the rapid beat of his pulse along his throat. He’d leaned forward so he could anchor his elbows on his knees, looking casual to someone who didn’t see the way he’d tightened his hands to fists. Or the way his eyes looked feverish, so intent on her face she knew he was focused solely on her.
Worse, he looked ready to break.
That quickly, her life hung on a very fragile thread. What she said now, what he asked, would decide if she lived or died. It was there, in the glint of steel in his eyes. He was doped, what her dad and the other researchers called the guinea pigs. Worse, she wasn’t sure if he was in control or if he’d reached the point of losing himself to the drug.
