by Lori Foster
“That’s right. He’s an ace pilot and one of my best friends.”
“And where do you know him from?”
Exasperated, Ray threw up her arms. “What is this, the Inquisition?”
“No, just simple questions.”
True, and if she kept flying off the handle, he’d begin wondering what secrets she kept from him. “Buddy and I were in the service together.”
Eli gave her a perplexed look. “Am I wrong in assuming you were a soldier?”
“No.”
He frowned, then sat on the side of the bed to pull on his boots. “I thought the military kept the sexes separate. How did you get to be such good friends with him?”
Memories bombarded Ray, some pleasant, most not. She resented Eli for dredging them up, forcing her to face them before she had to. “Wise up, Eli. The military can do whatever the hell it wants. Let’s just say Buddy and I spent a lot of time relying on each other, and leave it at that.”
Eli stared at her for a long moment, then asked with resignation, “You’re not going to elaborate on that, are you?”
“Nope. Any other questions?”
“Yeah. Are we taking weapons with us?”
“Buddy’ll have what we need on the plane. He puts together all my supplies—makes it easier than taking them through airport security.”
Her dry tone left Eli with no doubt that she thought his question to be asinine. Still, he said, “One more thing.”
Ray gave a sigh of annoyance. “What’s that?”
“If we’re walking fifteen miles to get Jeremy, how the hell are we going to make it out of there without being caught? Seems to me going in will be a lot easier than getting out.”
“Checking in with Sarita first, then going through the mountain passes will be what takes so long. We’ll take a more direct route back by road, so that’s only about five miles. I thought I’d steal a jeep or something once we’re ready to go.”
Eli’s expression never changed. “Steal a jeep?”
“Yeah.” She almost laughed. “I don’t suppose you know how to hot-wire a car do you?”
Eli stood, his eyes glinting with smug satisfaction. “As a matter of fact . . . I do.”
Ray quickly covered her reaction. She shouldn’t have been so surprised. Eli had already proven himself to be a capable, resourceful man. “Well then, maybe you can take care of acquiring our transportation.”
“Be glad to.”
Ray couldn’t help but smile at the challenge in his words. “Great. Now, get a move on, will ya? We need to get out of here. Your brother is most likely dirty, hungry for American food, and impatient to be rescued.”
“He may feel differently when I get my hands on him.” Eli snapped his suitcase closed and stood. “Let’s go then. Time’s wasting.”
Chapter Six
Ray was again driving, this time a rental truck so there was no rust. Eli spent the two-hour trip attempting to pry additional information out of her. The more he learned, the more he wanted to know.
He’d been sly, cloaking his personal questions with inquiries about Mataya. Ray didn’t appear to notice, but at the same time, most of her answers were so vague, she might as well have not bothered.
“Are you always this evasive?” He already knew she was a mercenary, so what else could she possibly need to hide?
Ray flashed him a quick glance. “Are you always so nosy?”
Eli denied that accusation with a shake of his head. “Interested, not nosy. You’ve got to admit, your chosen profession is out of the ordinary.”
“Rescuing is a side job that I’m very good at. Not my ‘chosen profession.’ I haven’t had an assignment in . . . quite a while.” The words no sooner left her mouth than she scowled, as if she’d somehow said more than she intended to and blamed him for the slipup.
Eli wanted to keep her talking. “Not that many people in need, huh?”
She made a face. “You can be pretty naïve, Eli, you know that?”
“Meaning?”
“The world is full of fools and thrill-seekers. There’s always someone who needs me. But I turn a lot of jobs down. You just happened to come along at a time when I felt I could use the extra cash.”
“For what?”
She sent him a glance filled with exasperation. “There you go with those personal questions again. How I spend my money, or why, is no concern of yours.”
He was ready to launch into another round of questioning when she raised her hand and pointed. “Look. We’re here.”
Eli scanned the area and saw nothing except endless flat grassland surrounding a long, curving lake. Only a few trees studded the otherwise smooth scenery. Not a single soul was in sight. He asked skeptically, “Where is here?”
“Buddy will be landing soon. He owns all this. Not that you’d ever know it to talk to him.” And with a load of fondness: “Money hasn’t changed Buddy. He’s still as genuine and honest as ever.”
Eli scowled. Did she mean to say he wasn’t genuine or honest? Unlike calling him an idiot, this was an insult he couldn’t let pass. Thinking of his own background, he said, “I gather the money came to him later in life?”
Ray nodded. “There’s a definite difference between people born to money and those that get it through hard work.”
He just knew she was drawing comparisons and that, in her eyes at least, he’d come up short. Before her assignment ended, Eli vowed she’d understand him better. He didn’t like rehashing his past, but for Ray, he’d make an exception. Then she’d stop making snide judgements on his character based on his wealth. “Why does Buddy still go on assignments if he doesn’t need the money?”
Ray pulled the truck off the road and into the grass, going a good fifty yards before she parked. She turned the engine off and propped her wrists on the steering wheel, narrowing her eyes against the bright sun. “Buddy does this only when I do.” She hesitated, drew a breath. “He won’t let anyone else fly me.”
She grew quiet then, listening, and soon the sounds of a loud engine could be heard. Through the truck’s windshield, Eli saw the approach of a Cessna Skylane. The wings dipped in an aerial salute of welcome. With an unlikely girlish squeal, Ray left the truck in a rush, running toward the lake.
A little stunned at her display—especially that feminine sound of excitement—Eli held back a moment to watch her long-legged sprint, the way she waved her arms. It was the first time he’d seen her in an actual hurry. He opened his door to follow after her.
The plane landed on fat pontoons, spraying water in a wide arc. It glided over the surface of the lake, circled, then came to a neat stop not far from where Ray waited.
A man close to Eli’s age jumped down from the wing of the plane, slogging quickly though the dark, shallow water and hitting the land in a dead run. He had dark blond hair, laughing green eyes, and a powerful build.
With a shout of pleasure, he intercepted Ray’s rushing form, swinging her in a circle then crushing her close.
Eli was not a demonstrative man. He wasn’t overly possessive either. And damn it, he didn’t put on Neanderthal shows for women.
But the need to snatch Ray away from Buddy burned in his gut. Until this moment, he hadn’t really heard Ray laugh.
Her laughter now, carefree and full of joy, was with another man. A well-built, handsome man who she obviously adored. Well, shit.
Eli finally got close enough to be noticed by the entwined couple. He waited, tense, angry, and trying to hide it without much success.
Buddy looked up first and his eyes widened. Humor fading fast, Buddy set Ray away from him. Ray was in no hurry to release her friend, though. She still had her arm around him when she turned to introduce Eli.
“Eli Connors, meet Buddy Rhodes.”
Eli gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.
Buddy fumed. “What the hell is this? You taking on partners?”
“No.” Despite Buddy’s bark, Ray still grinned. “Eli hired me.”
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“So why the hell is he here?”
Eli was annoyed enough to say, “Because he insisted.”
With a snort, Buddy glared down at Ray. “And you allowed it?”
She shrugged, glanced at Eli, and said sheepishly, “It was a condition of the job and I needed the money.”
Buddy’s expression showed stunned disbelief for three seconds before he erupted in fury. “Goddammit.” He stomped a splashing circle around Ray, muttering more lurid curses. Ray just waited, her mouth twitching in amusement until Buddy came to a halt in front of her. “Why the hell won’t you just let me give you the money?”
At the less than gracious offer, Ray pokered up and punched him hard in the shoulder. “That’s an old tune, Buddy. You’ve played it to death.”
“Then let me loan you the money and you won’t have to hear it again.” He caught her upper arms in a bone-crushing squeeze. “There’s no damn reason for you to continue doing this.”
She gave him a shove to free herself, and his ass almost hit the water. “I agree. That’s why I haven’t been back in so long. But now . . .” She shook off her anger and made a wry face. “Matt has a lot of new expenses.”
They carried on like siblings, relieving some, but not all, of Eli’s jealousy. Feeling very much like a third wheel, he frowned. “Who’s Matt?”
They ignored him. “Does Matt know what you’re up to?”
“Are you kidding? His temper is worse than mine. He’ll find out when I’m back and it’s all over with. That’s soon enough to deal with him.”
“Who’s Matt?”
“He ought to lock you in a room somewhere.” Buddy cupped Ray’s chin, forcing her face up. “That’s what I’d do with your stubborn little ass. In fact, I still might.”
Ray jerked her chin free. “Try it and I’ll drown you.”
“Who is Matt?”
Buddy gave him an evil stare. He propped his hands on his hips and remained stubbornly silent.
Ray turned to face Eli. “My brother. I told you about him, didn’t I?”
“You mentioned him briefly.”
“Well, it’s time for college.” And with a lot of pride, she added, “Matt’s smart as a whip.”
Buddy leaned toward Eli as if speaking a confidence, which was ridiculous because Ray could hear every word. “Ray here thinks her brother walks on water and has to have the very best of everything.”
Ray punched his arm again, but this time playfully. “I do not. Matt would do great with or without me. He doesn’t need an advantage, I just want him to have it.”
So, she took care of her brother? Eli remembered that night in the kitchen when she’d talked about young men having more testosterone than brains. Apparently, she spoke from experience.
Buddy cupped her cheeks, a huge grin on his face. “Damn, sweetheart, it’s good to see you again.”
Ray’s expression softened. “I’ve missed you, too.”
And then Buddy lowered his head and kissed her soundly, right on the mouth.
The jealousy was back, black and mean. Eli had never suffered it before, but he knew instinctively what it was. That it was happening now, over a woman he’d only known a few short days, a woman who made it clear—ad nauseam—that she wanted nothing to do with him, didn’t help to alleviate the problem.
Nor did the fact that Ray and Buddy left him to stew on his own. It was almost as if they’d forgotten about him.
After they boarded the plane, Ray went over her supplies. Eli should have been more interested, especially when she produced an array of awesome weapons including a razor-sharp bowie knife at least a foot long. But with Buddy hanging on her, all Eli made note of was his rising temper.
“Here.” Ray thrust a webbed vest with a multitude of pockets at Eli. “You’ll wear that over your T-shirt. Do you have any idea how to handle a gun?”
She made every question sound like an insult. Eli wanted to smack her. He wanted to turn her over his knee and—visual, erotic images crowded his brain and splintered his concentration. He was in so deep he didn’t know if he’d ever find his way out.
Barely controlling his temper, he surveyed the weapons, then reached out and took a .357 Magnum seven-shot. Without a word, he stuffed it under his belt.
“I take that as a yes?”
“I’m better with a rifle, but yeah, I’ll hit something if I shoot.” Eli turned away from her grin—and caught Buddy’s grin instead. They shared amusement at his expense and he didn’t like it. “When in hell are we going to take off, anyway? Can’t you just look that stuff over on the way?”
Buddy chuckled at his disgruntled tone. “Sure she could.” There was a heavy, anticipatory pause before he said, “If she didn’t get airsick every time we go up.”
“Buddy.”
Eli stared at Ray. Her face was hot with color and she had murder in her eyes. It was Buddy receiving that lethal glare, though, not Eli.
Of course, he’d already noticed her little problem on the earlier flight. The way she’d clutched the armrests so tightly, he’d half expected her to pull them off the chair. When he’d taken her hand instead, her grip had been bruising.
He hadn’t mentioned the weakness then, and he didn’t say anything now. But her gaze swung around to lock with his, and she growled, “I’m fine five minutes after we land, so don’t let it worry you. It won’t interfere with my performance.”
Turning her over his knee seemed more and more enticing. “I wasn’t worried, Ray.”
Perversely, she snapped, “Well, you should have been. You’re the one paying me.”
Buddy gave Ray an affectionate squeeze. “Stop chewing on the poor fellow and quit thinking of murdering me. He would have noticed once we were in the air, anyway. This isn’t like a commercial flight. There’s not a lot of space here to hide.”
Ray shoved herself to her feet. The cabin was only four feet high, so she braced her legs apart, bent at the waist, and propped her hands on her thighs. “I’ll have you know I napped on the flight.”
“The hell you say!”
Buddy’s obvious surprise assured Eli that it didn’t happen often. He remembered how Ray had cuddled close to him in her sleep. Maybe Ray didn’t want to admit it, but she felt the chemistry between them, too. Maybe she even felt safe with him.
That had to count for something.
With Buddy and Eli both scrutinizing her, Ray huffed. “Why don’t you two go start the engines and I’ll change.”
Eli frowned again. “Change what?”
Buddy took his arm. “Her clothes. Ray can’t stand restrictions. She’d rather suffer the bug bites than have her arms covered.”
After they’d hunkered their way into the cabin, Buddy offered Eli the copilot’s seat. He took his own seat behind the controls. Blue, yellow, and red lights glowed around a green screen. “You ever fly?”
“A little. We have a Skylane for the ranch. Not as new or fancy as this one, but then we just use it to check fences and watering holes.”
“Got a lot of land, huh?”
“Depends on what your idea of a lot is.”
“If it takes a plane to keep track of it, I’d say it qualifies.”
“Then I guess we’ve got a lot.” Eli didn’t want to talk about acreage or planes. His timing perfect, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Ray pull her shirt up and over her head. She had her back facing him, but that didn’t do all that much to hinder his racing heartbeat. Her bra fell next and Eli was given the view of her smooth, sleekly muscled shoulders and graceful spine. His eyes narrowed in appreciation.
He’d known plenty of women in his days. Women from the streets, a little raw, starved for attention and excitement. Women from society, finely decked out, demanding and cunning. He’d known women in between, sweet and kind, easily hurt.
He’d never known anyone like Ray. The things she did and said, her brutal honesty, irreverence, and total lack of modesty appealed to him as much as her courage.
When R
ay turned slightly to pick up a black sleeveless shirt, he saw the curve of her breast. Hell yeah, he liked her body a lot, too. Every move she made seemed fluid and sexy.
The roar of the engine coming to life brought Eli out of his daze. He twisted around in his seat, caught the knowing smile on Buddy’s face, and scowled. “What?”
“She catch you peeking, she’ll black both your eyes.” Buddy winked. “I know because she caught me once.”
Eli ignored that taunt to glance at her again. In distracted tones, he said, “I’m ready when you are, Buddy.”
“A man who lives on the edge.” Buddy thwacked his shoulder, almost knocking Eli out of his seat. “I like that.”
The plane was small and open with storage space, only the two seats in front. Ray sat on the floor to put her boots back on. She stayed as far from the men as she could get.
Eli took in the new clothes with a discriminating eye. She was now dressed in a skimpy black tank top that left her throat and arms completely bare. She had a dark green vest similar to the one she’d given to Eli pulled on over it. At least that hid her breasts, which ought to help him keep his mind on the task at hand.
Very loose, well-worn fatigue pants were cinched around her waist with the bottoms tucked into a pair of scuffed brown lace-up boots. Her face appeared pale as she shoved ammunition into the vest pockets with practiced ease. Eli felt his heart twist, looking at her.
In that moment, he hated himself. He should have found someone else, should have canceled the damn idea as soon as she’d shown up. Strangely enough, it wasn’t just because Ray was female. Another woman might not have affected him so strongly. But he’d connected with her, whether she wanted to admit it or not, whether he was comfortable with it or not.
If things somehow went wrong and she got hurt . . .
Buddy must have read his thoughts, for he roughly shoved Eli’s shoulder. In a low voice that didn’t carry over the roar of the plane, Buddy told him, “Relax. She knows what she’s doing. This assignment is a breeze. Think of it as a vacation, okay?”
“Then why all the damn ammo?” Eli grunted. “She looks like a female Rambo, for Christ’s sake.”