“Jack?”
He heard the seriousness in her tone and glanced down at the swollen bruise on her cheek. Anger rose inside him. He wanted nothing more than to repay the guy who’d given it to her. A soft, delicate woman like Darci didn’t deserve such harsh treatment.
“Thank you.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “If you hadn’t come to the rescue I’d be here alone.”
“My pleasure.”
She shifted against him. “What are we going to do?”
“You’re going to get some sleep and let me take care of the rest.”
She yawned. “Only a few minutes. You wake me when you come up with a plan, okay? I want to do my part.”
“Deal.”
With a nod, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, leaving Jack to formulate a plan to get them out of there safely.
Chapter Three
‡
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Jack rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He’d taken a ten-minute combat nap while Darci slept, and felt refreshed enough to come up with a plan.
“When the door opens I’m going to pretend to still be out. The next part is going to be up to you.” He steeled his gaze on hers. “You have to convince whoever comes through that door that you can’t find my pulse. You have to give them a reason to come over to me, and when they do, you are going to make a run for it. You run straight out of this place. Don’t you dare look back.”
Her eyes widened as his words sank in. She shook her head.
“No. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for me. I won’t do it.”
“You don’t have a choice. They want something from you, not me. I have to get you out of here.”
“We have to get out of here. I’m not leaving here without you.”
*
Darci couldn’t do this.
No way she’d pull this off. She wasn’t a good liar or actress. How would she convince them Jack was dead? She certainly had no desire to go running into the jungle without him. What if they chained him to the ceiling again? Or worse, what if they killed him this time? She couldn’t leave him here alone, she just couldn’t. She wanted him by her side.
But maybe…
She looked down at the man lying motionless at her feet. She almost reached out a hand to touch his chest and see if he took a breath, but a key turned in the lock and Heath, along with three armed guards, walked in.
The sight of the blond nightmare sent her into action. She leaped to her feet and began frantically shouting.
“Do you know what they did? They killed him! I can’t find a pulse. Is this why you brought us here? To kill us?”
Heath hadn’t been expecting her tirade, nor did he expect her to walk up to him and poke him in the chest with her finger. His guards attempted to intercept but Heath held up a hand and they backed off. His blue gaze flickered between Jack and her, and his eyes narrowed.
“I won’t let you get away with this. Do you think you can kidnap us at will and then do as you please?”
Heath leaned over her, eyes blazing. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
Darci swallowed, but forged ahead. “Then wield your great power and do something about the man lying on the floor before you add murder to your list of crimes.”
Inside she shook like a leaf, ready to throw up all over his patent leather shoes, but outside Darci remained in control, playing the frantic prisoner. Not so far from the truth. If lives hadn’t been at stake she never would have found the courage to stand up to this man. The look in his eyes terrified her.
Heath glared at her for a few more seconds and she began to doubt he’d fall for her plan. All she needed was for the guards to move over by Jack…
Heath motioned to his guards and two of them went to crouch next to Jack.
“Jack! Now!”
She drove her knee into Heath’s groin and poked two fingers into his eyes before he could draw his weapon. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack spring to his feet, nimble as a panther, and take out the two guards before they knew what hit them. With a grunt of surprise the guards hit the ground as Jack attacked. The only sound they made. Darci stared at Jack in wonder. The man had mad Navy SEAL skills.
Jack lunged for her and grabbed her hand. He spun her around and slammed his fist into the guard’s jaw. He fell to the ground, out cold. Heath still rolled around holding himself and howling in agony. He glared at them as they passed and she cringed when Jack knocked him out too.
“Let’s go,” Jack growled, dragging her up the steps and toward the door. “Stay behind me and for Christssake don’t try anything like that again.”
Darci bit her tongue to prevent her angry retort. He should be thanking her for getting them both out of there in one piece.
Jack slowed when they reached the top of the stairs and Darci hung back as he leaned his head out the door. He ducked back in as a bullet splintered the wood where his nose had been. Her heart skipped three beats when she realized how close he had come to being shot. She tugged on his hand, wanting to pull him back inside the stairwell, but a noise behind her prevented her.
Another shot rang out and when she turned her head she saw Heath and his guards glaring at them from the bottom step.
Darci whimpered as fear curled down her spine. Now what?
“Jack?” She squeezed his hand.
He stared down at her through eyes she didn’t recognize. They were hard and calculating with no trace of the warmth and mischief shown earlier. She realized she looked at Jack Taggart, Navy SEAL.
*
One step forward, two steps back. On one hand, Jack it annoyed him Darci didn’t follow his orders and on the other he was glad she hadn’t, because she didn’t have the training or reflexes to know when to expect a bullet. If she’d gone out first like he told her, she would be lying in a pool of blood instead of holding his hand in a death grip. The thought sent a cold shiver up his spine and he vowed not to let any harm come to her from this point on.
He needed a weapon. He had been too distracted to grab one off one of the guards. Stupid! He’d let this woman get to him and the mistakes he’d made almost got them killed. SEALs were trained not to be distracted or lose focus. Time to start thinking with the right head.
Jack knew who waited for them at the top of the stairs. The Amazon wouldn’t be happy with him or Darci, and judging by the furious expression on the man at the bottom of the stairs he wasn’t either.
The resemblance between the Amazon and the blond glaring up at them was uncanny and added to Jack’s unease. A brother and sister team? Not uncommon, but rare. He couldn’t decide which was the dominant personality; both seemed equally strong. One of them would show their flaw and he would know which to target in order to break the ring. History and experience showed that once he severed the head of the dragon, the rest would crumble.
“Jack?” Darci pressed against him. He could feel her trembling and wanted to comfort her, but three people appeared at the top of the stairs. The Amazon’s deadly gaze landed on Darci so he shifted slightly to protect her.
“You two have caused quite a bit of trouble for me,” the Amazon said, her eyes on Darci.
“Yeah, well, I’m just getting started.” Jack watched her eyes narrow into slits.
“You have a smart mouth,” she said. “I have a cure for that.”
He could only imagine what she had in mind, probably cut out his tongue with a nail file. Not going to happen. Beside him Darci stiffened and her grip intensified on his hand.
“Let me guess, something slow and painful?”
The Amazon smiled, calculating and feral. “Very, very slow, and the pain will make what we did to you earlier seem like a walk in the park.”
“Jack! Stop!” Darci pleaded. He couldn’t tell her his plan to keep the Amazon’s anger focused on him instead of her. He could handle whatever she dished out, but Darci would never survive it.
“What’s this? She speaks. And in your defense,” the Amazon s
aid. “Does she belong to you, hero?”
“I don’t belong to anyone,” Darci snarled over his shoulder. “What do you want from us?”
Jack groaned inwardly. She was not helping.
“You have something I want,” the Amazon said.
“What?” Darci asked.
She motioned to the guards. Jack shielded Darci with his body as they were approached from in front and behind. He couldn’t fight all of them and still protect Darci, so they had no choice but to go along with them. Two of the guards grabbed him and Darci cried out, clutching at him as they jerked him away from her.
“No!”
One of the guards he’d knocked out slammed a fist into his midsection. Jack grunted and fought to catch his breath. Paybacks sucked.
“Stop hurting him.”
The brother bore down on Darci.
Jack lunged toward her as the guy backhanded her. The crack of his hand meeting her soft flesh echoed down the stairwell and Jack saw red. He ducked, lashed out a foot when the Amazon put a stop to it with one short order.
“Stop or she dies.”
The threat registered and Jack forced down the animal inside him. He went still, controlling the beast.
“Take them away.”
Jack’s eyes were trained on the tears swimming in Darci’s eyes. She cupped her cheek, glaring at the blond man who’d hit her. An angry red bump formed where he had struck her. The animal inside Jack reared its head again. He managed to keep it at bay, but barely. He was doing a poor job of protecting her.
When she looked at him, he saw regret and sadness in her eyes that almost severed the bare threads of his control. He never wanted to see that look again. She realized her mistake by not following the plan. Jack longed to pull her into his arms and comfort her. But he couldn’t do either as they jerked him backward through the door, away from Darci.
Unwilling to lose sight of her, he looked back over his shoulder to see her being led behind him. Their eyes met and Jack winked at her, pleased when she frowned and gave him a watery smile. Atta girl.
They were taken to a room similar to the one he’d been hung in, their hands secured to the arms of chairs, their ankles firmly tied, and rope circling their waists. Only the guards watched over them; the blond duo had yet to show.
He turned to look at Darci and saw fear shining in her eyes. He wanted to reach out, but couldn’t while bound.
“Relax.” He said in a low tone. “We don’t know what they want from us.”
“But what if they want money? I only have five hundred dollars in my savings account.”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “If that’s what they’re after I have some money saved and…” He trailed off, not liking what he needed to say next. He’d never asked Wally for anything but to be good to his mother and he didn’t want to rely on him now, but he knew that if he needed it Wally would give it without question. It just wasn’t in Jack’s nature to ask for things.
“I can cover whatever demands they make, just leave it up to me, okay?”
“You’d do that for me?” She kept her voice a bare whisper. The guards behind them issued a warning.
Jack grinned. “In a heartbeat.”
Tears slid down her cheeks, yet she smiled.
“Do you always cry when you smile?” he teased.
She laughed quietly and he felt an odd pressure build inside his chest.
“I want to kiss you, Jack Taggart.” Her smile faded. Something passed between them and he knew his life would never be the same again. This stunning Celtic singer changed everything.
“How about over Braciole and the best cannoli you’ve ever tasted?”
“Are you asking me out on a date?”
He grinned. “As soon as I get us out of this I’m taking you to Demarco’s, the best Italian restaurant in the world, and treating you to the finest dinner you’ve had in your life. And I promise, I will get us out of here.”
*
Darci believed him. “It’s a date,” she whispered as the door opened and she caught a whiff of heavy cologne. Cologne that nauseated her and made her want to run far, far away. She knew exactly who had walked in.
“Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m scared.”
His eyes softened to a caress as they held hers. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Stay strong, you’re doing great.”
“How do you do it? How do you shut it off?”
Something flickered across his face she couldn’t read. “It’s a survival mechanism. You have it too. You just have to learn how to use it.”
Darci wondered how a person would go about doing that but she didn’t get the chance to ask. “He’s here,” she whispered. “Heath.”
“Stay calm, he’s not the one in control. He won’t do anything without his sister’s approval.”
“Sister?”
“The blond woman.”
Darci felt the color drain from her face. “She’s going to come for us next.”
“Yes, but we won’t go down without a fight, will we?”
We. She liked the sound of that. It made her feel less alone. Right now she needed that, because she felt very cut off from the rest of the world. She missed her family more than ever and wished she had gotten home to see them more often. Now it may be too late.
But Jack was right. She wouldn’t give up. She’d do whatever it took to get home to her family. And when she did, she’d make some changes. The first being to spend a week with her parents, the next a week with each sister.
“Enough chit chat.” A voice from behind her caused her to flinch. She didn’t even like being close to this guy.
Two hands landed on her shoulders and began massaging the knots there. Darci tried to pull away but her restraints kept her in place.
“You’re all knotted up.” Heath’s fingers slid lower over her shoulder until they grazed the top of her breasts. Darci gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut as the guards snickered behind them, obviously enjoying the show. “I can help you with that.”
Not in this lifetime, pal. No way she’d let him get his hands on the rest of her.
Heath leaned closer until his lips brushed her ear. “I can get rid of this tension for you if you give us what we want.”
Darci didn’t actually see, but sensed that Jack had grown very still and slipped into lethal mode again. She didn’t understand it, didn’t know how to describe it, but she knew Heath had sent him there. She didn’t want Jack getting hurt because of her again. Glancing at Jack, she stifled a gasp when she saw the way he stared at Heath. His jaw clenched so tight she could see a muscle twitching.
She willed Jack to look at her, but his eyes remained focused on Heath, and she knew if he hadn’t been tied to that chair he’d be leaping up in her defense. Clearly, he didn’t like Heath touching her.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Besides you, your necklace. You already know that.”
*
Jack wanted to punch the guy in the face. He didn’t like seeing his hands on Darci. He hated seeing her flinch and wanted to grip Heath by his scrawny neck until he let go, but he was tied to this damn chair, which really ticked him off.
It would be over Jack’s dead body that this guy would get Darci. This bastard would have to get his jollies from someone else.
Time to tip the scale in his favor. He had two lives to save.
“Hey, Blondie, are you sure your sister doesn’t want her for herself?” Jack’s eyes dropped to the necklace hanging around Darci’s neck. Intricate, but it didn’t look worth dying over. All this over a necklace that looked older than all of them combined? But if they were after it then he’d do everything in his power to keep it safe.
Heath’s head lifted, his smile gone. His pale eyes flashed with anger. “What did you say?”
Jack scoffed. “You know as well as I do that your sister runs the show. You can’t have her.” He nudged his head toward Darci as if she were no
thing more than a slab of meat. “Unless your sister gives you permission. Come on, we both know the score.”
His jibe had the desired effect, but backfired when Heath’s fingers dug into Darci’s shoulders and she winced, casting an uncertain glance at Jack. He didn’t look at her, though he wanted to, but he had to do this.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Heath snapped.
“You know I do. I see what’s going on here. She’s the leader of this operation and you’re her lapdog. It’s clear to see. She says jump, you say how high.”
Jack prepared for the blow that didn’t come. Instead, Heath turned to one of the guards and ordered him to cut the ropes securing him. Even better.
As the guard moved to Jack’s side to do his bidding, Heath said, “I’ll show you who’s in charge around here.”
Oh, yeah, eating right out of his hand. Jack couldn’t have planned this better if he tried. Cut those ropes, buddy, you’ll be the first to go down.
“Watch him,” Heath cautioned as the ropes fell off his ankles. The guard cast him a wary glance as he straightened and started on the ropes around his wrists. Jack sent him a careless grin and prepared to strike.
He waited until the ropes were cut before leaping into action, threw an arm around the guard’s neck and confiscated his weapon. Using the guard as a shield, he rose to his feet, a reckless grin on his face as he faced the other two.
“Well, well, looks like we’ve got ourselves a little situation here, don’t we?” he drawled. “If shots are fired it’ll bring Eva in here and your little lesson will be over before it even started, won’t it Blondie? Tell your dog to toss his weapons over here.”
Indecision warred in Heath’s eyes and Jack almost felt sorry for the poor sap. Then he remembered how he’d touched Darci and the feeling passed. A second later, Heath ordered the guard to do it and an AK-47, a blade and a pistol were tossed at his feet. Jack flexed his fingers around the AK-47 and almost groaned at how good it felt.
“Cut her loose, Blondie, and no funny stuff or I put a bullet in your brain.”
“How do I know you even know how to use that?” Heath nodded toward the weapon.
SEALs of Summer: Military Romance Superbundle - Navy SEAL Style Page 103