The plane’s stale air and the scent of sweat mixed with a hint of the pilot’s cologne. The cramped quarters gave her little room to move. This aircraft was designed to carry two people.
The window on the door gave her a view of dark skies, but little else. Behind her in the dim interior light, Kate made out parachutes, boots, a fire extinguisher, and assorted grappling lines.
For a small aircraft, the Cessna flew through the darkened sky as smoothly as a boat in calm waters.
She kicked the back of her kidnapper’s seat. He turned to look at her.
“What?”
“You have any water?” she asked. “I’m thirsty.”
“We’ll get some as soon as we land. Won’t be long. Maybe we can grab a margarita while we’re there.”
“Don’t be a pisser, Brody. Give her a drink,” the pilot said.
Brody unscrewed the cap and passed the lukewarm water to her. She emptied the bottle in three large gulps. Looking around, she saw another full bottle rolling on the floorboard. She took it and stashed the water in the pocket next to her seat.
So, the guy’s name was Brody.
“She wouldn’t need water if she hadn’t decided to run a track race before I caught her.” Brody said.
She adjusted her feet. “I always wake up thirsty. Don’t you?”
His hands flew up. “Okay, you got water. Anything else?”
She wasn’t sure to whom he posed the question, but she grabbed the opportunity. “Hell, yes. My feet are killing me, and I think you broke one of my ribs with that full frontal tackle you threw at me.”
The pilot spoke up, “You said-”
“I know what I said. And I didn’t go in there with the intention to hurt her, but she’s not what I expected. She fights like a guy.”
Leaning forward, Kate replied, “How would you like me to fight? Like a girl?”
“I would have preferred you to come along peacefully so we could get this over with. But no. You had to run like a frickin’ maniac, fight like a pit bull, and get yourself all torn up.”
“Need I remind you I didn’t do this to myself, you big bully?”
“I’m not a bully,” he shouted. “I’m trying to save a friend’s life.”
“By hurting a woman?” she asked.
His jaw muscles flexed. Kate had hit a nerve, one she intended to grind into the dirt. “Any guy can hurt a woman. It’s called abuse.”
“Shut up.” He turned and pointed the gun. “I never entered your home to hurt you. I will return you safe and sound. Just keep your mouth shut.”
Kate shrugged. “Okay” She glanced out the window at the full moon sky. “But you know you’ve already screwed up whatever you intended to do.”
“No, I haven’t.”
She looked at him. “So why only a couple of bottles of water?”
“I’ll get more damn water.”
“We’re going to Mexico. The desert. And you came without water. Not smart.”
“Really? I’m not the one tied up, am I?”
“No, but you’re the one who will probably lose what’s at stake. You’re too reckless...too impulsive.”
His face flushed and his jaws locked. Brownish green eyes squinted dangerously in the dim light. “Don’t tell me what I am. Who do you think you are?”
“I’m a woman who was kidnapped out of her home in the middle of the night, stashed on a plane, and taken to God only knows where.”
“But you’re still breathing.”
“For how long?”
“Forever if I have any say in the matter. I don’t intend for you to get hurt.”
“You’ve done a very poor job so far.”
“Okay, so I should have gotten you some shoes, and clothes and more water. Understand, I’m doing the best I can.”
“Not quite good enough.”
“Jake is there any duct tape in this plane?”
“You two lovebirds stop fighting. I’m trying to fly a damn plane.” The pilot laughed. “When this is over, our asses are pretty much fried.”
“You don’t need to worry, Jake.”
Jake laughed. “Oh I forgot. You’re going to cover for me with a lie. You honestly think Frank Hamilton will believe you?”
“Course he will.”
“You’ve gone from being a dreamer to completely delusional.”
“Frank Hamilton?” she asked. “As in Falcon Securities, Frank Hamilton?”
Brody turned to Jake and said, “Don’t answer that.”
A laugh burst from her lips. Relief loosened her tight muscles. That tidbit of information told her she was in very competent hands. Also, Jake was right. Frank Hamilton had the best security company in America and he didn’t get the auspicious title by being a push-over.
If Hamilton hadn’t ordered this, and by all accounts he hadn’t, Brody was in serious trouble with his boss. Secretly, the thought of him getting his ass chewed delighted her and suddenly made this almost worthwhile.
She’d met Frank once a few years back. In fact, his agents Tony Archuletta and Mac McKinsey had been instrumental in getting her out of Iraq. Falcon Securities worked directly for the DOD and the President of the United States. Hamilton knew his stuff. Twenty years with the CIA taught a person more than anyone needed to know.
The cabin grew silent and Kate was surprised when Brody reached out and flicked open a knife. “If you give me your word you won’t go crazy and cause Jake to crash, I’ll untie you.”
She didn’t want to agree to any offer, despite the pain in her shoulder that ached like a demon. Or the fiery throb in her ribcage that made taking a deep breath impossible. After staying awake for two days, she’d been exhausted before all this started.
Looking at him she saw something strange and unfamiliar. He didn’t have a pretty face, but when he gave even the hint of a smile, his features transformed him into a different man. A very sexy guy who reached out to the woman in her.
Tiny lines creased corners of his hazel eyes, and his distinctly ridged mouth curved into a wicked smile. But, sitting in a plane, with two strange guys while wearing only her underwear was not the time to think sexy.
She nodded, and instantly her hands were released from their confines. She let out a deep sigh and rubbed her wrists even though they weren’t chapped. Being free created a burst of optimism.
She leaned back, pressing her shoulders into the padded seat. To her surprise, Brody tossed a jacket over her. She closed her eyes and waited for an opportunity to escape.
***
“Hold tight, this is going to be a rough landing.”
Kate opened her eyes, and true to Jake’s word the plane shook so hard she thought the metal would break apart. They flew between several trees and a couple of sand dunes. Far in the distance, shadowy mountains capped the landscape. Obviously they weren’t far from the Mexican border. The plane set down on a dirt road outside of nowhere.
Quickly, Brody came out of his seat and slung a large black bag over his shoulder. Then he turned to her and unbuckled her belt. Taking her by the arm, he lifted her from her seat and guided her to the exit door. He jumped down then held out his arms.
Kate considered kicking him in the face and then demanding the pilot fly her back home, but she couldn’t afford to be foolish. Brody would come for her again. Not only that, but while she seriously doubted Jake was totally invested in the hair-brained scheme, his loyalties ran too deep to go against a fellow agent.
She jumped down into arms strong enough to squish her like a bug. In his embrace, something strong and primal stirred her heart. Her teeth clamped together when she realized this man was calculating, smart, and powerful. One a wise person wouldn’t tangle with.
In her opinion, Brody might be a little over the top, but he was handsome and rugged in an insane kind of way. His looks sent her thoughts on a detour down a very sensuous alley.
Jake stood in the plane looking out at them. “Brody, I think you’re walking right into a trap.”
“I thought of that.”
“If you’re not here tomorrow at 2100 hours, I’m bringing in the entire agency. Like it or not.”
“We’ll be here. And A.J. will be with us.”
The door closed, plunging them into darkness. Kate couldn’t make out anything but shadows. The dirt beneath her feet felt more sand than soil, and the raw scents of dust and engine fuel carried on the hot air.
Only the sound of the idling plane cut through the heavy silence. Torrid heat enveloped her and sucked the oxygen from her lungs.
“Don’t take off running again.”
“Where are you taking me, anyway?” she said. “I have a right to know,” she shouted over the engine.
“To your old boyfriend, Oscar Chavez.”
Kate slumped back against the warm plane. “Oh God!”
***
Langley, Virginia
In the darkness, Assistant Director of the CIA, Benjamin Reed, stood next to the memorial garden set on a hillside between the original headquarters building and the auditorium of the CIA complex. Here, he didn’t worry about his cell phone pinging off covert listening devices.
After two rings, the person on the opposite end of the call picked up.
“Is everything ready?”
“I told you to never call me.”
“We only have three days to pull this off. If there’s a kink in your plan, I need to know.”
“If I had a problem I would have dealt with it. Remember Ben, I don’t need you. You need me.”
“No, you remember who’s covering your trail. I can point an arrow right to your front door with one email. So watch your fucking mouth. Two people can be silenced as easily as one.”
The assistant director snapped the phone shut and jammed it in his pocket. He didn’t own one of those fancy, hard-to-figure-out smartphones. At fifty-four he didn’t have the time or the inclination to learn all that bullshit. More important things occupied his mind.
One goddamn thing for sure, he wasn’t about to let some Podunk politician yank his chain. He’d fucking bury him so deep they’d never find the body.
He slowly walked from the garden to the waiting car. August heat, even this time of night, seared his skin and soaked his body beneath the Armani suit.
As he slid into the back seat, he loosened his tie and longed for a glass of Kentucky whiskey to settle his nerves. Burying his face in his hands, he prayed everything would work out as planned. He refused to consider the alternative.
“Home, sir?”
Ben lifted his head. “No, the Ritz-Carlton.”
Looking at him in the rearview mirror his driver said, “You’re working late tonight, sir.”
Ben liked his black driver, Ernie. They’d been together since he was promoted from field agent to director of field operations. He’d worked hard to get the attention of the right people, those wielding the power to increase his chances for promotion to the hierarchy of the CIA.
Then three years ago, after twenty one years of service Vince Colanglo, Director of the CIA strolled into his office and offered him the assistant director position.
Ben had hidden his excitement and remained calm, confident, and professional. One wrong move and that bastard Colanglo, would pull the whole thing right out from under him.
“I work late most nights.”
“I know you do, sir. But it’s past midnight.”
Reed looked at his watch. Ernie was right. He hadn’t been keeping track of time. Instead he’d busied himself pulling files in the restricted area of the CIA complex.
“Sorry about that, Ernie. Take tomorrow off. Get Kent to drive me.”
Ernie glanced back at him as they went through the check point at the Agency’s south exit. “You sure, sir?”
“I’m sure. Just have him pick me up at the hotel tomorrow morning at eight.”
“So, you don’t want me to wait and take you home.”
“That’s the last place I want to be.”
Ernie nodded, turned east onto George Washington Memorial Parkway, and headed downtown to Tyron’s Boulevard, in Fairfax County.
Ben had other things on his mind besides who would be behind the wheel tomorrow. He’d arrive to work at his normal time, eight thirty am. Everything had to be timed perfectly if they were to achieve the impossible.
When first approached with the idea of changing the direction in Washington D.C., Ben had been reluctant. Maybe a little scared. Yes, he wanted the power promised, but he knew how things worked around D.C..
Politicians could be assholes, but at the same time they could be relentless. Just ask Clinton. That poor bastard almost got run out of town. And for what? Screwing an intern.
Ben chuckled.
Improprieties like that happened all the time in this town. And poor Nixon was another victim, but this time, of the media. He hadn’t done anything new at Watergate.
Ben considered himself a dreamer...an idealist. What people thought of him mattered. Enough that he didn’t want to go down in history as someone involved in a scandal...any scandal.
Ben’s hands shook at the thought of his wife and two daughters. The chance all this could bring shame and destruction to their lives made him pause and reconsider his actions.
Then power and greed marched into his thoughts and took over any rationality he may have had. If this worked the way he planned, he’d be at the top of the food chain and as rich as Bill Gates.
Aw, the things a man could accomplish when prosperity knocked and supremacy called. He could have it all for the mere cost of his integrity, honor, and soul.
Chapter 5
Brody clasped her forearms. “What’s wrong?”
She brushed her blond hair back and stood taller.
“You’re a jackass.”
He pulled her away from the plane, and she stiffened at his touch.
The Cessna’s engine revved as it taxied down the dirt road before climbing for altitude. The roar of the small plane deafened him and stirred enough dust to completely camouflage them.
Not taking any chances, Brody tugged her into the nearby shrubs and took a quick look around. Thankfully she didn’t resist.
Only a barren moonscape filled his night-vision goggles. Mexico’s heavy, dry air slammed into him with the force of flamethrower. The heat sucked moisture from his body, and sweat already trickled down his back. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand.
In normal light he’d have had no problem seeing into the distance. Tonight, even with the full moon, nothing but shadows.
During August the temperature rarely cooled down at night in this area of the world, which made Brody wish he’d waited until December. But A.J. didn’t have that much time.
He turned to Stone, who sat hugging her knees to her chest. His gut twisted like a wrung-out towel when he noticed the sad look on her face. She chewed on her full bottom lip. “I asked you what’s wrong.”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit. I mentioned his name and you practically fainted. I didn’t think CIA agents could do that.”
Narrowed blue eyes cut into his conscience, and that eerie feeling he’d had since kidnapping her grew.
“I’m not his girlfriend. Okay?”
“Maybe not now, but you two were an item a few years ago.”
Through the green tint of his night goggles, the mean snarl on her lips confirmed she wasn’t thrilled about a reunion. “Besides, I don’t plan to turn you over to him. You’re just a ploy to get his attention.”
“You’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.” She stood with her fists primed and ready to strike.
“You’re safe,” he reassured her. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“You just don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what? That you had a lover’s quarrel? You dumped him, and he’s been looking for you ever since. My guess is he wants to rekindle the love affair.” Brody shrugged.
She growled
.
“I realize that’s not your plan. A snitch told me all he wanted was you. I take you to him, he releases my partner and we get out of there.”
She pointed to herself. “What about me? How do you plan to get me out of there?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m actually pretty good at this stuff.”
She stalked over to him and landed a punch to his jaw. Brody flinched and raised his arm to block her next move. “That man doesn’t love me,” she hissed. “We’re not sweethearts. He wants me dead. I’m the CIA agent who provided your team with a layout of Oscar’s compound.”
Doubt made a command appearance.
That wasn’t the intel he’d heard. But still, he didn’t plan to let Chavez near her. No, he wasn’t a man who would let a woman get hurt. All she had to do was cooperate. They’d be home in no time.
“Nobody is going to die. Especially you.” He stepped closer, smiled, and gently touched her shoulder. Her feminine warmth traveled up his arm and washed over his heart like rain in the middle of a Texas drought.
Brody dropped his arm and stepped back. He hadn’t expected that. From the beginning she’d been a means to get what he wanted. In the process he hadn’t noticed her appearance. Now, here in a foreign country, in the middle of the night, her beauty sidelined him in a way he never anticipated.
“I’ll take care of you. You can trust me.”
“The last guy who said that to me got two men killed, and I barely escaped from Iraq.”
That was a bitch. Probably worse for a woman. It didn’t matter that she was a CIA agent. Losing a team member hurt, and it left enough remorse to last a lifetime.
“That guy wasn’t me. Nobody is going to die.”
“So you keep saying.”
“Yes I do, and I’m rarely wrong.”
“Let’s hope this isn’t one of those rare times.”
He knew she’d been in Iraq. Hell, he’d memorized everything he could get his hands on about her. And with a few connections, that was a lot of information. But no one had told him she’d provided the intel for Falcon’s raid on Chavez. What else didn’t he know about Kate Stone? “Let’s go,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s not far.”
9 Ways to Fall in Love Page 51