Under the Covers

by Roz Lee

  "I don't know."

  She took the walkie-talkie he handed to her right before he shoved her outside, closed and locked the door. He pressed the key into her hand and folded her numb fingers around it. "But I'm not taking any chances, and neither are you. Make that call to Sean, then hand out those to everyone on the island. To be on the safe side, start putting people on anything that floats and send them over to Ryan's island. If anyone gives you trouble, shoot first, ask questions later."

  Drew turned, stopping him with a hand on his arm. "You think he brought a dirty bomb, don't you?"

  "It's a possibility."

  She dug in the bag and pulled out one of the radiation detector badges. "Here, take this." She clipped it on his collar.

  He smiled, pulled her in with a hand at her nape and shook her to the core with a searing kiss. "I won't need one, but thanks for thinking of me." He transferred the badge to the strap of her camouflage tank top. "I've got a Geiger counter." He flashed a smile that had all her lady parts standing up to salute, then he loped off toward the dock.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Bree’s feet felt like lead, but she forced them to move. She made the call to Sean, sent a team to deal with Vernon Cannon, then started handing out the badges and issuing orders for everyone to make their way to the dock. She must have looked convincing in her camo with an automatic weapon slung over her shoulder, because no one argued.

  She had no time to obsess over Drew's deception, but she did worry about him. By the time she made it to the dock, he'd taken the speedboat she had arrived in and headed out to the two ships still anchored offshore. Dread sat like a brick in her stomach, not knowing what Drew would find, if anything, aboard the ship.

  When Sean and Celeste arrived, Bree told them what little she knew and handed over the walkie-talkie that had remained silent since Drew handed it to her. Celeste took off for Richard's house to make sure Cannon was in proper custody, and Sean headed out to find Drew.

  Celeste came back with the medics and security personnel. Cannon was still alive, barely, but Celeste wasn't taking any chances with him. Despite his chest wound, his legs were in shackles and his wrists handcuffed to the backboard they'd used to transport him. "I've called for a helicopter to take him to Miami, Celeste said. “You might want to read him his rights before they get here."

  "The DIA isn't taking charge of the prisoner?"

  "No. He's still yours, for now. I can't tell you how impressed I am. If it weren’t for you figuring out what Cannon would do next, and insisting you be given the chance to test out your theory, there’s no telling how much damage the bastard might have done."

  Bree read Cannon his rights, saw him loaded on the chopper the FBI had sent at Celeste's request, then returned to the dock to wait for Drew.

  "Have you heard anything?" she asked Celeste.

  "No. It looks like they're taking the ship out to deeper water. I tried to find out what kind of device Cannon had, but the man's an idiot and didn't even know. Either that, or he's one damned fine actor. Which I doubt."

  Bree looked closer, picking up the subtle movement of the ship Celeste had indicated. It wasn't a large vessel, but big enough for the open sea. As she recalled, it was supposed to be loaded with teak to build some of the outdoor structures. "That's the one from Costa Rica, right?"

  "I think so. It would be a good place for Cannon to hide out. It's a good place to make unsavory friends as well."

  The last of the workers shoved off, leaving Bree and Celeste alone on the island. After living with the constant sounds of construction, the quiet was deafening.

  "We might as well find a place to rest,” Bree said. “I don't think they're going to tell us anything until they get back." She led the way to one of her favorite spots. According to the resort plans, this spot would eventually be home to a private gazebo-style cabana, open to the ocean and enclosed on the remaining three sides for privacy. On a slight rise above the beach, it afforded a spectacular view of the open ocean. Bree could imagine how wonderful it would be to lie in bed here with the sea breeze blowing gently as you watched the sunset over the horizon. No one could see in unless they were somewhere at sea with a very good telescope. There would be several of these cabanas dotting the coastline, but as far as Bree was concerned, this was the best of the locations.

  From where they sat, they had an unobstructed view of the ship as it moved slowly through the water. Two small boats, the ones Sean and Drew had taken out, bobbed along behind.

  "I guess you know now," Celeste said, her gaze fixed on the boats growing smaller.

  "That Drew is in the DIA?"

  "Yes. He told you?"

  "I kind of figured it out on my own when he started shoving automatic weapons at me from his stash. He didn't deny it."

  "He was under orders not to tell you until it became absolutely necessary."

  Bree nodded. She understood orders. "That doesn't make it easier to swallow."

  "I know. All I'm asking is for you to give him a chance to explain. I don't think you'll be disappointed."

  Bree wasn't so sure of that. Now that she'd accomplished her mission, she had plans to move on. With Drew in the DIA, she didn't know what that meant for her. All she knew was, she loved him.

  "I thought Cannon was going to kill him before I could get back there. I've never been so scared in all my life."

  "Do you want to talk about it?"

  Bree told Celeste everything she could remember, from the time she stepped out of the shower the evening before, up until making the call to Sean. Everything had happened so fast, there was no time to think. Only to act and react.

  "You did the right thing, going back for Drew. Cannon has more than one loose screw, and he would have killed both of you. It wouldn't have been long before he figured out you weren't Fallon. You look nothing like her, so the fact he mistook you for her is another notch on his crazy scale."

  "I know. I was afraid Drew was going to give me away, but he let me take the lead. He has a good head on his shoulders. He stayed calm, or as calm as I could have hoped for. I think he would have killed Cannon if he’d managed to get loose before I did."

  "He probably wanted to, but he knew what was at stake. He needed information from Cannon."

  "I shot to kill. I guess I missed. All I could think about was that he was going to kill Drew. I couldn't let that happen."

  "I would have done the same. You had no way of knowing about Cannon's terrorist connections."

  "I should have."

  "Perhaps.”

  ****

  Drew and Sean stared into the open container.

  "You sure it's not radioactive?" Sean asked.

  "As sure as I can be." Drew showed him the readout on the Geiger counter for the hundredth time since they'd been in the cargo hold. "Normal readings. This isn't the dirty bomb we're looking for. There's no dirty bomb on this ship."

  "Fuck."

  "Yep," Drew said.

  "Can you set this thing so we don't go up with it?"

  "I think so." Drew laughed at Sean's raised eyebrow. "Come on, you know I can. Piece of cake."

  "Yeah, well, I have a wife to go home to."

  "You don't have to remind me. With a little luck, I've got as much to lose as you do."

  Sean shut the lid on the watertight container and leaned back against the hip-high box. He crossed his feet at the ankles and braced his hands on the edge of the lid, as if he were sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck instead of a bomb big enough to obliterate most of Richard's island. "How did she do?"

  Drew joined Sean on the box. He didn't have to ask who Sean was talking about. "She was great, just like we thought she would be. She kept a cool head, and she did what had to be done. She read Cannon right and played to his weakness. She saved my life."

  "You still think she's got what it takes?"

  "I know she does."

  Sean nodded, studying his toes as if they had all the answers. "Okay. I'll make the re
commendation. You have a new assignment. It's low priority, so there's plenty of time to get Bree up to speed. It'll be a good first mission for her."

  "I'll need some time."

  "Will three weeks be enough?"

  "Yeah. I figure it will take me at least a week to get her to agree to marry me, one to get the deed done. That leaves one for the honeymoon before we have to report to DIA headquarters in Virginia."

  "Just let Celeste know when and where the wedding will be. We'll be there."

  "Thanks." Drew stood and extended his hand to his friend. "I'm going to miss you."

  "No you won't. Bree will be with you."

  "I damned sure hope so. Let's get this show on the road."

  Topside, Drew maneuvered the ship toward the deepest ocean he could find. Sean searched the captain's cabin and bridge, stuffing the captain's logbook and every official-looking piece of paper he could find into a canvas duffle. Drew dropped anchor and shut off the engines before going below to arm the device. Sean ushered the small crew to one of the boats they'd towed behind the larger vessel.

  Drew joined Sean in the other boat, and towing the boat loaded with the crew, they made their way back to the island. Sean sounded the horn as soon as they spotted the women on the ridge. Celeste jumped and waved at them before running for the dock. Bree didn't seem nearly so happy to see them alive, but she followed Celeste, albeit at a much slower pace. He had a lot of explaining to do.

  "You might want to try begging," Sean advised.

  "That's my last resort. I'm hoping an apology and some logic will do the trick."

  Sean snorted. "Yeah. Let me know how that works out for you.”

  ****

  Bree's heart damned near leapt out of her chest when she saw the two small boats appear, and she had to wipe tears from her eyes when she realized Drew and Sean were in the lead boat. Celeste was happy too, focused entirely on Sean. She didn't pay Bree any mind at all.

  Bree took a second to rein in her emotions, then followed Celeste down the path. It wouldn't do to let Drew see how relieved she was, or that she'd died a little every minute he'd been out of sight.

  What would she have done if he'd been killed? It didn't bear thinking about. She'd faced the possibility of losing him twice in one day, and that was enough. She wasn't going to think about it another minute. But she was going to make the bastard pay for putting her through both experiences.

  She stood back as the boat approached the dock. Drew tied off the bowline and Sean stepped onto the dock as Drew tied off the stern. Bree didn't know where to look. Celeste and Sean were wrapped around each other on the dock, and Drew was looking sexy as hell as his hands deftly handled the ropes. Instead of looking at either one, she examined the small crew, handcuffed to the railing of the other boat. They were a ragtag bunch, and she had to wonder how much they knew about their cargo.

  Drew joined her on the dock, answering her unasked question. "Sean's going to take them in for questioning. It's possible they didn't know what they had on board."

  "What did they have on board?"

  "I don't know for sure. The radiation levels were normal. That's a good sign. I took pictures. Sean has the disk. He'll turn it over to the right people for analysis."

  Sean and Celeste joined them. "The captain says Cannon paid for passage. He brought two containers on board." Sean shrugged as a blast rocked them, drawing their attention to a bright speck on the horizon.

  Drew turned to the crew who were jabbering about the fate of their ship. "Must have been a fuel leak. Good thing you got off when you did."

  Sean and Drew smiled at each other.

  "Fuel leak, my ass," Celeste said, laughing.

  "Come on," Sean said, dragging Celeste to the boat. "Let's get these guys over to the island. With a little luck, we can have them on a chopper before nightfall."

  "What about Bree and Drew?"

  "They'll be fine." Sean untied the lines and shoved away from the dock.

  Bree couldn't believe they were going to leave them there by themselves. "How…?"

  "They'll send the crew back."

  As the two boats disappeared around the island, Drew wrapped his arm around Bree's waist. His solid body felt wonderful next to hers, and she almost forgot she was mad at him.

  "Why don't we go back to that spot where you were sitting while you waited for us."

  "Who said I was waiting for you?"

  Chapter Seventeen

  Drew couldn't wait to get his hands on Bree. She no longer carried the automatic rifle he'd given her earlier, but his hand rested on the handgun holstered on her right hip. She had no idea how sexy she was in camo. And right now, in her present mood, he didn't think he should tell her either. They walked in silence back to the spot above the beach. Drew kept his arm around her waist, but allowed her to lead the way.

  He'd never been this nervous in his life, not even when he stood over a bomb and had to guess at which wire went where. That the device could blow up in his face wasn't anywhere near as frightening as facing Bree, knowing this too could blow up in his face.

  She stopped at the ridge and twisted out of his arms. Her face was hard, but the vulnerability he saw in her eyes gave him hope. "You lied to me."

  "I didn't tell you everything. It wasn't by choice. You can ask Sean. I wanted to tell you from the beginning."

  "I understand about that. Orders are orders. But you weren't under orders to fuck Celeste."

  "No, I wasn't." Fuck, he'd forgotten about this little misunderstanding. "And I didn't. At least not the way you think I did."

  "You aren't denying you had a threesome with Sean and Celeste?"

  "No. I'm not denying it. But you have to let me explain. We were together twice, once a long time ago, and once on the final night of your first cruise on the Lothario. All the other times rumor has me in bed with them is just that, rumor. Sit down and I'll tell you how it came about, and then you can judge for yourself if you still want me or not."

  As they sat on the ridge, Drew told Bree everything about how he first came to be together with Sean and Celeste, how they were as good as dead until the Marines came to their rescue. She listened, asking questions. Drew answered as honestly as he knew how. He had less of an excuse for the second time, but it seemed Bree understood even that.

  "I love you, Bree. I want to marry you. But before you say anything, I have to tell you that you have three weeks before you're to report to DIA headquarters in Virginia for training. If you want the job, you'll be assigned to my team."

  Bree stared at him without saying a word, then turned and looked out at the setting sun.

  Drew sat beside her, his knees drawn up and his elbows resting on top of them. If she didn't say something soon, he was going to throw himself over the edge. It was just too fucking bad the drop wasn't long enough to kill him.

  "Are you asking me to marry you?"

  His heartbeat tripped. Was she considering his proposal, bungled as it was? "Yes. I know I didn't do it with pretty words and flowers. Hell, I don't even have a ring, but we can get one when we get back to the mainland."

  "And we're going to be partners in the DIA? You knew about my application?"

  "Yes. To both questions."

  He wasn't prepared for her to launch herself at him. Her fists flew, and it was all he could do to defend himself without hurting her. "You bastard! You put me through hell!" With every curse she threw at him, and every punch he deflected, he grew harder and more desperate. She had every right to be pissed at him, and he'd let her have her little tantrum. But he had a thing or two to say as well.

  "You could have told me you applied to the DIA." He thwarted another punch and wrestled her beneath him. "You were playing me on the Lothario too. What were you going to do? Fuck me, then walk away?"

  "I had to, you big jerk! I thought you were going to waste the rest of your life judging boob contests."

  Drew pinned her wrists beside her head and stared into the most beautiful eyes
he'd ever seen. "I love you. You're mine, Bree Stanton, and the only boobs I want to see are yours."

  Her chest was heaving, pressing her breasts flat against him with each breath. "I hate you, Drew Whitcomb."

  "No, you don't." He flipped her as easy as flipping a rag doll and stretched out full length against her. His cock ground against her soft ass. "I know you love me. Tell me, Bree." One hand snuck beneath her and worked the fastenings of her fatigues. Another moment and he was dragging them down her hips.

  "I don't," she sobbed. "I don't love you."

  "You do. Admit it." He rolled to one side, close enough to stroke his hand over her ass. "Christ. You're wearing camo panties!"

  "Fuck you, Drew!"

  "Oh, baby, you don't know how much that turns me on." He pressed kisses to her nape, and to the sensitive spot behind her ear. "You're the sexiest thing I've ever seen in camo." He nibbled lower, tracing the line of her tank top with his lips and tongue as his hand explored her camo-covered ass. "Say it. Say you love me. Say you'll be my wife, and I'll give you what you want."

  "No." It was a weak protest, and Drew renewed his assault on her senses, grinding against her until she cried out, this time with need.

  "You don't mean that, darlin'." He sat up and with one hard tug pulled her fatigues to her knees, and off. Her camo-covered ass winked at him in the golden glow of the setting sun. He framed the perfect globes in his hands. "Say it, darlin'. Say you love me."

  Bree bit the inside of her cheek. She wouldn't say it. She wouldn't. Then his lips came down on her ass, and her heart broke open. She loved Drew. Had since almost the first moment she laid eyes on him. Certainly from the first time he made love to her, so tender and gentle it damned near broke her in two when she found out he loved Celeste.

  Now that she'd heard the whole sordid story, it wasn't near as bad as she'd built it up in her mind. She should have known there was more to the story. She should have trusted him. God, his fingers found the wet spot on her panties and pressed, making any denial mute. She loved him, but telling the arrogant bastard would be giving in.