by Susan Stoker
“Was she raped?”
“No.” Gray wanted to say more. Wanted to tell Rex that the escort was there to prevent her from being abused by any of the men who transported her to her new master, but he didn’t want to douse the light he saw in Allye’s eyes at the moment.
“We’ll talk later,” Rex said, obviously understanding. It was one of the reasons their handler was so good at what he did. He had an intuitiveness that went beyond being able to sniff out sex traffickers and abusers.
“We will,” Gray confirmed. Then added, “She’s likely still in danger.” After hearing what the man on the boat had said about the buyer coming for her, how badly he wanted her, Gray knew she wasn’t going to be able to return to her normal life as if nothing had happened.
“Make sure she knows, and tell her to go to the cops and tell them her story. She needs a security system, and if she has family out of state, it might be best to go visit them for a while,” Rex said.
She didn’t have family. Out of state or otherwise. Gray knew that. And he had no idea what the cops would do about an alleged kidnapping victim feeling as if she was still in danger, but not knowing from who. It was an impossible situation.
“Gray? You still there?” Rex asked.
“I’m here.”
“Drop her off and get your ass back here. The others are back from their mission—successful, by the way—and I’ll get to work finding out what I can about Nightingale. I’m going to use all my connections and see if I can’t pin him down. It’s possible you and the others will be leaving sooner rather than later to take down that fucker once and for all.”
“Yes, sir,” Gray told Rex, his mind going a million miles an hour, trying to come up with a solution for what to do with Allye.
As usual, Rex didn’t say goodbye, just ended the connection. Gray handed the phone back up to Black.
“What’d he say?”
Gray knew he couldn’t remain sitting next to Allye when he informed her they’d be dropping her off, and that she was on her own.
It sucked. Maybe it was a product of them having spent a very intense hour and a half in the ocean. Maybe it was simply her. But whatever it was, Gray didn’t want to leave Allye. He wanted to take her back to Colorado Springs and personally make sure she was safe. But he couldn’t.
He stood slowly. He could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to look down at her. He checked the small instrument panel and looked beyond the front of the boat.
“Gray?” Allye asked from behind him.
Gray turned, braced himself on the front of the boat, and looked down at Allye. Her hair was drying and blowing in the wind. He saw that it was as curly as he remembered it being when he’d first seen her on the fishing boat. The white streak was almost hidden in the curls, but it still peeked out here and there in the breeze. Her brown and blue eyes gazed up at him, full of worry.
He tried to find words that would convey a need to be cautious, but wouldn’t scare the shit out of her. “You know that the man who bought you wasn’t on the boat.”
“Yeah.”
“So he’s still out there.”
Allye nodded. “And if he paid someone to pick me up once, he can do it again,” she correctly deduced. For someone who thought she wasn’t smart, she sure was proving otherwise.
“Exactly.”
“I figured as much. I’d already planned to make sure one of the male dancers escorts me to and from work, and to call the cops when I get home. What else should I be doing?”
Gray sighed in relief. He didn’t know what he’d expected her to do when he explained the man who wanted her for his own was still out there. But this calm acceptance was welcome.
A part of him almost wished she would’ve begged him to take her with him, to keep her safe, but he knew that would never happen. Allye was independent and didn’t seem the type to beg anyone for anything.
They talked for a short while about what she should watch out for and what she should say to the cops.
“So, you guys don’t want me talking about you, I’m assuming, right?”
“Why would you say that?” Black asked, inserting himself into the conversation for the first time.
“Well, you came to my rescue under the cover of darkness, Gray killed two people, and you haven’t really told me exactly what it is you do. It’s not hard to figure out you don’t want me blabbing to the cops.”
“I own a gun range in Colorado Springs,” Black told her. “And Gray here is an accountant.”
Allye stared at them for a second, then began to giggle. “Unh-uh. That’s a lie.”
Black held up his hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“You’ve never been a Boy Scout,” Allye protested, still laughing.
“True, but I’m not lying. Tell her.” Black elbowed Gray.
He shrugged. “He’s telling the truth. When I’m not rescuing damsels in distress, I’m an accountant and own my own business back in the Springs.”
Allye stopped laughing and stared at him. “But . . . accountants are nerdy and wear glasses and definitely aren’t as tall and muscular as you.”
It was Gray’s turn to chuckle. “I think you have a pretty narrow view of accountants, kitten. I’m not sure what height or muscular makeup have to do with being able to put numbers together.”
“It’s just . . . you were going to swim like a million miles back to shore . . . towing me. I can’t picture you as an accountant. No way.”
“You know that I also used to be in the Navy,” Gray told her, not sure why he was overexplaining, just that he wanted her to know. “And that I was a SEAL. So was Black, although we never worked together when we were on active duty. I got out, and now I help keep books for a few businesses in Colorado. It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” Allye asked incredulously. “It’s a huge deal! And I have to say . . . if there were more boys who looked like you in my high school who were into math, I might’ve had a new appreciation for algebra. I might even have skipped the class less.”
Both Gray and Black chuckled.
“I’m relieved you guys are some sort of supersoldiers, all things considered.”
“Sailors,” Black corrected.
“What?”
“Sailors, not soldiers,” he repeated. “You never call a SEAL a soldier.”
“Oh, so sorry,” she teased. “Super-SEALs . . . is that better?”
“Much,” Black said with a grin.
“You need to be really careful when you get home,” Gray said, bringing the conversation back around.
“I will,” she told him.
“I don’t want to hear that you’ve disappeared again. I’ll be awfully disappointed if I have to come rescue you a second time.”
She rolled her eyes, and Gray’s lips twitched. She was adorable when she did that, although he’d never admit it.
“You won’t,” she said. “I figure if whoever this is gets his hands on me again, he’ll have learned his lesson, and he won’t be as lax next time. I’ll be one of those ninety thousand missing people you told me about earlier.”
She was joking, Gray could tell, but her words didn’t sit well with him. Not at all.
He squatted down in front of her, his knees protesting the move, but he ignored his aches and pains as he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned into her. “You feel even the slightest sense that something is wrong, you act on it. Go to a police station, get a friend—preferably a large male friend—to stick by your side. It might even be a good idea to get a dog. A big one with a loud bark. This isn’t a joke, Allye. The man who decided he wanted you most likely has money, lots of it, if the fact he hired an escort for you is any indication. And if worse comes to worst, you call me.”
Her eyes widened at that last part.
Gray mentally kicked himself. He hadn’t meant to say that, but now that he had, he wasn’t exactly sorry. He didn’t know what he would be able to do from hundreds of miles away, but he’d feel bett
er if he was able to have some contact with her.
“I’m not sure there’s anything you can do from Colorado to help me if I’m in trouble,” she said, echoing his thoughts exactly.
“I can give you advice. Be a sounding board,” he told her, not going so far as to say he’d drop everything to get to her, even though he knew he’d want to.
She gave him a sad smile then. “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she told him, brushing off his concern. “I mean, I’ve been on my own for a long time now, practically since the moment I was born. I can handle this. Besides, I bet he’ll back off now that his little plan didn’t work.”
Gray hoped so, but he wasn’t as confident as she was.
“Hold on,” Black said from above his head.
Gray stood and looked past the front of the Zodiac. The dark beach they were nearing seemed deserted except for a lone man.
“Wondered where you got this boat from,” Gray said.
“Yeah, long story. Nothing went according to plan. I found the other boat, but the captain had no intention of letting me get anywhere near him. Used a semiautomatic to shoot the hell out of the fiberglass boat. Luckily for me, he fucking ran out of bullets. Idiot. I boarded his boat, intending to use it to meet up with you, but the asshole damaged the motor before I could get there. He wasn’t forthcoming with his plans or who he was working for, no matter what kind of incentive I tried to give him. When he went for the radio for backup, I shot at his hand, but he actually leaped toward my bullet instead of away from it.” Black shrugged. “Told you he was an idiot. I managed to get his piece-of-shit boat back to shore, but it wasn’t seaworthy enough to come back and meet you at the rendezvous. I contacted Rex, and he sent me here, and this guy”—Black motioned to the man standing on the shore—“had this Zodiac, fully gassed up and ready to go. We switched. He took the fiberglass boat and hid it somewhere, and I took this one back out to find you.”
“Rex scares me sometimes,” Gray observed.
“Yup.”
“Rex isn’t really his name, is it?” Allye asked from right next to him.
Gray startled and almost laughed. It’d been a long time since someone had been able to get as close to him as Allye was right now without him noticing. She’d stood right by his side . . . and he hadn’t realized until she’d spoken.
“It’s what he goes by,” Black told her. “And since he’s our boss, we call him whatever he wants.”
“I’m confused. Gray said Rex hired him, and you say he’s your boss, but you also said Gray’s an accountant and you own a gun range . . .”
Gray made a mental note that not much got by Allye. “Remember when I talked about getting a call and going to that pool hall for an interview?” When she nodded, he said, “So yeah, Rex is our boss for this kind of stuff.” He nodded his head, indicating the boat and their current situation.
“Ahhh,” she said, drawing the word out.
Gray was both pleased and irritated that she didn’t ask anything else. For the first time . . . ever . . . he wanted to tell someone all about what he did. All about Mountain Mercenaries and some of the things he’d seen and done. But Black was steering the boat up the sandy beach, and the mysterious man who’d been waiting for them was grabbing the rubber side, holding the boat steady.
Gray motioned for Allye to go first, and he did his best to keep his eyes off her ass as she shuffled to the side of the boat. She still had a blanket wrapped tightly around her waist, but it didn’t keep him from admiring what a fine backside she had. He’d seen it up close and personal when he was helping her onto the boat.
Black quickly hopped out and held up a hand to help her climb over the side. Gray reluctantly removed his hand from her waist, even though he wanted nothing more than to pull her into him and never let her go.
That thought alone was enough to have him dropping his hands from her body as if she were suddenly electrically charged. What the fuck was he thinking? She was just another mission. That’s it. Wasn’t she?
Without analyzing his thoughts, Gray jumped out of the boat and stood by Allye’s side. Before he could say something stupid—like invite her to come to Colorado—the man who met them on the beach spoke.
“I’ve got some dry blankets you can use up at the house. Rex called. I understand you’re from the city, right?”
Allye nodded.
“I’ll take you in when you’re ready.” His tone made it clear he wouldn’t accept any argument with his plans, and Allye obviously understood, because she simply nodded.
When Black stepped off to the side with the man, talking in a low tone, Allye turned to Gray.
“I guess this is where I say thanks and goodbye.”
He stared down at her. Their difference in height was more apparent now than when they’d been in the ocean. He towered over her, but for some reason it didn’t annoy him as it usually might. Gray typically liked tall women. They seemed less . . . childlike to him. But when he looked down at Allye from his six-five height, all he could think about was pulling her into his arms and keeping her safe. Her height didn’t matter. Her tenacity and stubbornness more than made up for any lack of stature.
“Guess so,” he told her. “Remember what I said. Don’t let your guard down.”
“I won’t,” she vowed.
Gray opened his mouth to say more, he wasn’t sure what, but Black was suddenly at his side. “We need to go.”
Gray turned and looked at his teammate. “Why? What’s up?”
“Our friend’s neighbors are gettin’ interested in us, and he’s not too happy about it. I’m not sure what marker Rex called in, but I’m guessing his guy won’t be helping in the future.”
Gray’s eyes went from Black to the other man. He was scowling at them with his arms crossed over his chest. Impatience practically oozed from every pore.
“I can’t leave Allye like this,” Gray said.
Before Black could respond, Gray felt her hand on his arm. “I’ll be fine. Go. Whatever you’ve got going with that Rex guy is more important than dealing with me.”
“Now that was a stupid thing to say,” Gray reprimanded her.
As he could’ve guessed, she rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever. This man isn’t going to hurt me. I’m sensing this Rex of yours has a lot of power and connections. If I don’t show up back at work, I’m sure somehow Rex will know, and will send fire and brimstone down on this guy.”
“Give me a second, Black?” Gray asked.
“One minute,” his friend warned. “That’s all I’ll be able to hold him off.”
Without acknowledging his friend, Gray turned back to Allye. He wasn’t sure what to say. Suddenly nothing seemed adequate. He’d never felt as frustrated at the end of a mission as he did right that second.
They’d done this before, gotten a woman, or a group of women, to a safe house and left them there so the Mountain Mercenaries could keep their involvement under wraps . . . but it just seemed wrong this time.
Allye put her hand on Gray’s chest and stood on tiptoes as she lifted her head.
Instinctively, Gray put his hand on the small of her back to steady her and lowered his head so she could reach him.
She brushed her lips against his cheek, then wrapped her arms around him as best she could and still hold on to the blankets. “Thank you for giving a shit,” she said in a low, intense voice. “I know you weren’t there specifically to save me, but thank you for not leaving me on that boat.”
“Take care of yourself,” Gray said gruffly.
“I will. I always do,” was her breezy reply.
Gray opened his mouth to say he’d check in on her. That he’d continue to give a shit, but Black interrupted again.
“Time’s up. We gotta jet.”
Allye gave him a little push and took a step back. “It was nice meeting you, Black. Be careful out there. The world’s a nasty place.”
“Will do. You too,” Black replied as he took a step away from her.
&nb
sp; Gray followed his friend, walking backward a few steps before turning. Where he and Black were going, he had no idea, but he trudged along behind him anyway. When he couldn’t take it any longer, he turned and looked back at where he’d left Allye.
She and the man were gone. The only evidence they’d been there at all was the black Zodiac still sitting on the sand and footprints leading toward a house on a bluff.
Chapter Six
Allye let herself into her apartment using the hidden key she’d buried at the corner of the building. She’d learned throughout her time in foster care to always make sure she had a way into wherever she was living. Too many times other foster kids had locked her out, thinking it was funny.
She turned and leaned against the door after she’d locked the bolt, the doorknob, and put on the chain, then sighed. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she’d been here, but in reality, it had been only about forty-eight hours. She felt as if she had a million things she should be doing, but all she wanted was to take a long bath and sleep for eight hours straight.
The man who had been on the beach hadn’t said much to her after they’d parted ways with Gray and Black. She’d gone inside the house with him and accepted the dry blankets gratefully. She wasn’t exactly dressed appropriately, but as it was basically still the middle of the night, she had hoped she’d be able to sneak inside her apartment without anyone seeing her. The man did give her a pair of old flip-flops, which he said he’d found on the beach one evening. They were big, but they worked in a pinch.
The man had asked for her address and driven her home. He’d stopped outside her apartment, and she’d gotten out. Then, without a word, the man had driven away. It had been a bit weird, but considering he was helping her, she didn’t bother trying to make small talk.
Allye had memorized the license plate of the two-door white Toyota she’d climbed out of, just in case, but it seemed as though he was just as anxious to get rid of her as she was to get home and back to her normal life.
She needed to call the police and report her attempted kidnapping, but she also needed to wait until she was thinking more clearly. The last thing she wanted to do was let something slip about Gray and his friend Black. She’d make up a story about slipping away from her kidnapper and having no idea where he went after she’d gotten away. She’d say she swam to shore, not the ten miles that it had been, but maybe one mile instead.