“I might get jealous, though,” Taylor commented wryly.
“Kane always did express his affection in weird ways,” Neil remarked with a grin.
“Can it,” Kane grumbled. “Just ‘cause I love you guys, jeez.”
The base doctor and the nurses worked on Drake, their bodies shielding him from Ronan’s view. After a time, Smithfield came out of the room, but Emily stayed in with Drake.
“He’ll be all right,” Smithfield told them. “Massive bruising all over, but the worst were the burns. The doctor will treat them with a burn dressing, then he can recover in his room.”
“We heal fast,” Kane said. “By tomorrow, he should be good to go.”
Drake was. Early the following morning, class with Colonel Donovan resumed. Ronan, Daryl, and their friends learned everything they needed to know about Moon, Bobrovsky, Antonov, and Moon’s top advisor, Un Kang. They learned the men’s personal habits, what they liked to eat, and even their sexual preferences.
“Are you serious?” Jude asked, appalled. “Moon likes little boys?”
“Yes, he is indeed a pedophile,” Donovan replied. “The younger, the better.”
“For that alone,” Drake growled, “he deserves to burn.”
At weapons practice, Ronan discovered Daryl had a keen eye and a steady hand, and despite never handling a gun before, quickly became the team’s best shot. “You beat even Emily, and I thought she was good with a handgun,” Drake told her.
“Thanks,” Daryl replied, smiling yet blushing under his praise. “I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“You won’t,” Ronan said, stooping to kiss her forehead.
The days passed quickly under Colonel Donovan’s instruction, and at the end of the week, they had learned all they needed to know. “You all will be driven to the airport tomorrow,” Smithfield said from the front of the room, standing beside Donovan. “You’ll have a layover in Spain, then the next flight will take you to Dubai. Now along with your weapons you’ll pick up there, you’ll receive an encrypted satellite phone with a direct line to me.”
He paused to meet every eye. “If you all get into a bind, and I mean a life-or-death emergency, contact me. I’ll have personnel in Dubai ready to assist. But I hope you won’t need them, for if you do, it will blow everything wide open.”
Kane shook his blond mane. “If we get into that much trouble, we’ll probably be dead.”
“I have faith in you,” Smithfield said with a grin. “You have what you need to accomplish this, and you have the talents that will keep you all alive. Once the mission is over, you will fly out via a commercial airline. We must maintain your cover even then.”
“And then what?” Jude asked. “We go back to our lives?”
“After you are debriefed upon your return,” Smithfield replied, “yes.”
Jude shrugged. “I suppose there are worse fates.”
“You are also free to return to your clan,” Smithfield added, “if you so choose.”
Ronan looked at Daryl. “It might be nice to go back for a visit. But I want my lady to have more comforts than what the north offers. I’ll stay in the south.”
No few murmurs of agreement rose from around Ronan, and Smithfield smiled secretly. “That is, of course, your choice. Now, are there any questions? This is the time to ask them. After tomorrow, you all are on your own.”
“I don’t suppose we’re entitled to any compensation,” Jude asked. “After all, we’re putting our lives on the line to save the world.”
Smithfield laughed. “I was planning to inform you of this upon your safe return, and the mission fulfilled. But yes, the American government will give each of you one million dollars. The Europeans will also contribute with one million euros to each of you. I hope you have excellent financial advisors.”
Neil whistled. “I like the sound of that.”
“That sounds fair to me,” Kane commented, glancing at Taylor. “We can give the girls one hell of an education with that kind of money.”
“Caitlyn, too,” Jordan added. “I won’t have to sell so many cows to pay for it now.”
“Since she wants to train horses for a living,” Neil took Jordan’s hand and kissed it, “she may not want to go to college.”
“Still, I’d like her to get some education outside of the ranch.”
“Any other questions?” Smithfield asked.
Ronan watched as his friends all looked at one another, but no one had anything to add. Smithfield then shrugged and said, “You’re free for the remainder of the day and tonight. The bus will pick you up at oh six hundred hours tomorrow.”
He and Donovan strode from the classroom, leaving Ronan to eye Daryl and the others curiously. “What are we going to do with ourselves?”
“I’ll take Jordan to our room and make mad, passionate love to her,” Neil answered with a leering grin.
Leaning over, Jordan gave him a long, slow kiss, then straightened. “If we can get transportation, I’d like to go into the city. I’ve never been to San Antonio before.”
“I’d like to do that, too,” Daryl said, standing and taking Ronan’s hand. “Maybe get dinner and drinks.”
Kane also stood. “I’ll see what Smithfield can do. If we’re all in agreement?”
Thirty minutes later, Smithfield provided them with two big SUVs complete with drivers under orders to take them to downtown San Antonio and bring them back. “Please don’t do anything to get yourselves arrested,” Smithfield ordered. “The paperwork involved in bailing you out of jail is astronomical.”
“Don’t worry,” Kane rumbled, opening the vehicle’s door for Taylor. “We’re very good at getting ourselves out of trouble.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jude
The drivers dropped them off on the street near the Riverwalk in San Antonio, agreeing to meet them at the same spot at ten that evening. “We all need to get our beauty sleep,” Kane told them as they climbed out of the twin SUVs, complaining of the early hour. “We have a very long plane ride ahead of us.”
“I hate jet lag,” Emily commented, slipping her hand into Drake’s.
“The general said this part of town is always filled with tourists,” Jude said, his arm over Natalie’s shoulders. “Why don’t we find a bar and get a drink?”
The narrow Riverwalk, with the San Antonio River flowing smoothly past, left room for them to walk in pairs. It wasn’t exactly crowded, yet still held enough folks eating and drinking at outdoor cafes and bars to make their forward progress slow. Jude gazed up at the hotel rooms above, seeing some folks on the balconies looking down at them.
“I’ll be slightly annoyed if they decide to spit,” he remarked.
“Me, too,” Natalie added, glancing up. “Why would they?”
“Because humans can be stupid,” Drake replied from behind them. “Look at what we’re doing to stop a pair of madmen from blowing up creation.”
Kane and Taylor paused in front of a sports bar and glanced back. “How about this place?” he asked.
Without receiving any protests, Kane led the way inside. The place was dim with televisions showing several different sports games, yet held only a few patrons. It smelled of beer, hot French fries, and grilled burgers, and suddenly Jude’s stomach rumbled.
“Maybe they have good food here,” he offered hopefully.
After pushing a pair of tables together, the ten of them sat comfortably in the chairs as a waitress arrived to take their drink orders. “Too bad Smithfield isn’t popping for our night on the town,” Jude commented. “I guess Natalie and I will.”
Natalie grinned. “Why not? So far, we’ve only paid for our plane tickets and hotels in Denver.”
“I’ll let you,” Neil said with a grin.
The time passed pleasantly as Jude talked and laughed with his companions, drinking beer and dining on the tasty fries and burgers he scented upon their arrival. Though they weren’t particularly loud, and he certainly didn’t th
ink they were being obnoxious, he noticed a couple of males at the bar shooting them odd glances.
At first, he ignored them. They’re probably admiring our beautiful girlfriends. Yet, as the evening crawled by and the two guys continued to drink and stare, the pair of them got on Jude’s nerves. He leaned toward Ronan and tossed his chin toward the men at the bar.
“What’s with those guys?” he asked. “They’ve been staring for hours.”
Ronan took a drink from his beer. “I noticed. And I’m getting peeved about it.”
Their backs to the men, Kane and Drake craned their heads to look. “Ugly sons of bitches are admiring our ladies and envying us,” Kane said with a laugh. “Ignore them.”
“Hey, take a picture,” Daryl suddenly yelled. “It’ll last longer.”
Ronan tried to shush her but fell into laughter even as Daryl giggled helplessly. Jude, chuckling, saw the men eye one another, and for a time, the staring ceased. Yet, it wasn’t long before it began again, the pair drinking beer and watching while hardly talking to one another.
Other patrons of the bar paid them no attention at all but gazed at the wide television screens as though mesmerized. Tourist couples arrived, ordered booze and food, then left. Jude noticed the pair had sat watching them almost endlessly for close to three hours. And drinking steadily, so they were quite possibly very drunk. It’s half-past nine now, so we’ll put up with it for a little while longer.
“Now I’m really getting peeved,” Ronan complained. “What’s up with those guys?”
“What say we blow this place?” Jude suggested. “Get away from them and enjoy our last night of freedom.”
“You make it sound like we’re going to prison,” Neil said, chuckling. “But I agree. Jordan?”
“Yeah, I want to walk a bit before we have to go back,” she answered, slipping her arm through his. “It’s a beautiful night.”
Jude beckoned the waitress over, then gave her his card. She returned it within minutes, and Jude scribbled on the receipt when she brought it back to him. “Let’s go.”
Taking Natalie’s hand, Jude ambled toward the door and the darkness outside, doing his best to ignore the weighted stares on him. Drawing abreast of the pair, he made to pass them by without pausing, but one got up from his barstool to block his way.
“Excuse me?” he demanded, meeting the fellow’s eyes.
The guy was clearly inebriated, for up-close, Jude smelled the nasty odor of beer on his breath. His eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, and he wore a sneering grin on his face, as though Jude were little more than some kid he could push around. When the guy’s red gaze lingered almost hungrily on Natalie, Jude controlled his urge to flatten him with a powerful effort.
“Where y’all from?” the guy asked in a Southern drawl.
“What’s that to you?”
“Well, we couldn’t help noticing y’all got such purty lil gals,” the guy said with a smirk, his eyes feasting on Natalie, then roaming to Taylor. “We was wondering where we might find some.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Jude snapped and made to pass the fool by, Natalie just behind him.
The guy grabbed his arm. “Now that ain’t polite.”
Jude stared at the hand on his arm, noticing the other man had now joined his friend as though expecting a brawl. He, too, stared lewdly at the women, his mouth open and all but drooling. From his rear, Jude heard low growls emanating from Drake and Ronan.
“You’ll want to let go of me,” Jude said softly, his eyes narrowed, “or spend the rest of the week in a hospital.”
Kane pushed his way to the front to stand beside Jude. “You boys seriously want to back off,” he rumbled. “You do realize you’re outnumbered here.”
“If there’s any trouble,” yelled the bartender, “I’ll call the cops. Now y’all get out right now.”
“We’re going,” Jude told him curtly.
He started to walk past the guy again, but this time, the troublemaker drew back his fist with a grimace. Jude ducked as the idiot threw his punch, the blow passing harmlessly over his head. The flying fist smacked into Kane’s palm. The guy’s reddened eyes widened, and he tried without success to yank his fist free of Kane’s grip. Kane smiled.
He closed his fingers around the man’s hand.
“You really should have backed off,” Kane commented as the guy’s mouth dropped open in fear and horror. “Too bad you’re too stupid to take advice.”
Kane closed his massive hand around the man’s, clamping down hard. The snapping of his bones coincided with his scream of agony. Looking over his shoulder, Jude noticed the bar’s patrons, the bartender, and the waitresses staring in their direction.
The man fell to his knees when Kane let him go. Staring into the terrified eyes of the friend, Kane ordered, “Step aside.”
The guy obeyed and nearly tripped over his bar stool in his haste. Kane led the way out, Taylor at his side, and Jude glanced down at the weeping man as he held his broken hand against his chest.
“You’d better not have kids,” he advised as he walked past him. “The world has enough stupid people in it already.”
“Wow,” Natalie exclaimed as the group walked out of the airport terminal in Dubai. “Check this place out.”
Jude squinted into the bright sunlight, the desert heat striking him hard in the face like a physical blow. “This will take getting used to,” he muttered. “I’m feeling the urge to head home to the cold, frozen north.”
The sweat on his skin dried almost as soon as it emerged from his pores. “Who’s with me?”
“Oh, you gonna go pussy on us?” Kane asked with a teasing grin. “Come on, this place will grow on you.”
“Not likely.”
Standing on the wide airport walk near the taxi and hotel bus lanes, Jude hoped they’d find the shuttle to the Burj Khalifa soon, and that it was air-conditioned. As exhausted by the long plane rides as he might be if he had flown the distance himself, he could not match Natalie’s enthusiasm.
She dropped her bag to the cement walk, gazing at the city of Dubai and the coastline of the Arabian Sea. In the distance, the Burj Khalifa’s tall spire dwarfed almost every building within sight. Jude glimpsed the blue waters beyond and daydreamed of diving into those cool, blue waves.
“We need to keep traveling to places like this,” Natalie said, turning to include Jordan, Taylor, and Daryl in her happy grin. They responded with smiles of their own, exclaiming happily over the city.
From what Jude could see in their faces, only Emily didn’t share her opinion. “Sorry, Nat,” she said, fanning herself with an English newspaper she picked up. “Next time, let’s go to Iceland. I don’t dig deserts.”
“But it’s so beautiful,” Natalie protested. “The air is so clear. This city looks so clean. And we can go swimming in the sea to cool off.”
“Right now, I’ll take swimming in the hotel bathtub.”
Jude watched their fellow tourists arriving from various countries, and speaking various languages, milling around on the arrivals section of the airport. Though he knew their targets were not to arrive for four more days, he scanned faces anyway. Naturally, he did not see anyone that looked like the Russian and North Korean dictators and turned his attention to locating their shuttle.
Drake clapped him on the shoulder. “You look like death warmed over, dude.”
“I never suspected flying in a plane could be so damn exhausting.”
“It’s not just the planes,” Neil said from behind him. “It’s also the time change. Your body is used to one; we’re now in another.”
Jude avoided speaking his thoughts aloud, knowing they might even then be watched and listened to by their targets’ people. The general was right to get us here early enough to recover and adjust. Not just to the heat, but everything. “Do you see our shuttle?”
Taller than anyone else, Kane pointed. “That might be it.”
Sure enough, the long bus with the Burj Khalifa log
o, and its name in English and Arabic on its side, slid to a smooth halt nearby. Jude and Natalie grabbed their bags and headed toward it, followed by the others as well as tourists who would also be staying in the world’s tallest building.
Their driver, a smiling, round-faced young man, parked the bus, then swung down to help them load their bags.
“Welcome to Dubai,” he said in heavily accented English, beaming. “Welcome.”
Probably the only English he knows. But his cheerfulness is catching. Jude stepped inside the air-conditioned shuttle, feeling instantly chilled. He prepared a generous tip in advance and sat beside Natalie, smiling as he took her hand. “Our adventure begins.”
Laughing, she rested her head on his shoulder. “I want to do this again, for a real vacation.”
“We will. I promise.”
His friends all found spots with their mates, talking quietly even as other tourists also boarded. Gazing at the traffic on the street beyond the airport, Jude wondered about the people’s lives here in this small but very rich country. “I bet most everyone in this city has wealth,” he commented, his voice pitched low.
Natalie jerked her chin in a subtle gesture toward their driver. “He probably doesn’t.”
“But look at the cars out there,” he replied. “Very expensive from what I’ve seen so far.”
“Do you want a Ferrari?” she asked, her eyes wide. “I’ll buy you one.”
Jude laughed. “I can barely drive your truck.”
“I’ll take a Ferrari,” Neil commented from the seat opposite. “If you’re just handing them out.”
Jordan snorted. “Yeah, right, a Ferrari on the ranch. Isn’t your horse enough?”
Natalie blinked. “You have a horse?”
“A gift from my lovely lady.” Neil grinned down into Jordan’s eyes. “A beautiful buckskin gelding with a big white blaze, and a guarantee not to buck me off.”
“Come on,” Jordan protested. “You talk to him; all you have to do is ask him to behave.”
Jude glanced at those tourists near enough to listen to the conversation and sent Jordan a warning look. She nodded in return, her own gaze inspecting faces to detect whether or not she was understood. It appeared no one paid her any heed, even if the folks knew English.
Dragon Fever: Limited Edition Holiday Romance Boxset Page 68