“Well, how was I supposed to know? I thought you jumped because we were close enough to the ground.”
With a snort, he gave the dangling rope a sharp outward snap, which released it from the windowpane before dropping down to them. “I was close enough.” His look was lethal. “You weren’t.”
He quickly stuffed the rope in his bag, his eyes scanning the area. He expected to hear an alarm sound at any second. “Come on, let’s go.”
Grabbing his duffel bag, Clint sprinted in the direction of the trees, leaving Sarah to follow. She’d learn soon enough that he wasn’t going to wait for her. They’d almost reached the safety of the trees when the first shot rang out. It whizzed past them ricocheting off a nearby tree, splintering the bark over their heads. He glanced back, swearing. Just as he’d expected, Sarah had come to a halt and was looking around as though wondering what had just happened.
“Keep moving!” he commanded, grabbing her arm. He gave her a violent shove in front of him where he could keep his eyes on her, and ducked when another bullet whizzed past. Soon after, a volley of gunfire erupted, forcing Clint to push her to the ground before they shot her head off.
She screamed when he careened into her and, in seconds, they were slipping on the muddy earth. Keeping his hands on her hips, he forced her to crawl behind a large tree. As they came to rest against it, flying bark sprayed the area around them.
“We have to keep moving!” Sarah cried above the sound of gunfire. “They’re coming!” She tried to struggle to her feet, but Clint easily held her down.
“No!” he said against her ear. “They’re still back at the house. They’re shooting wild, hoping to scare us out in the open. We still have a good head start,” he finished in a calm tone.
“You sound like you’re used to this,” she commented, trembling beneath his weight. She cried out again when another bullet hit the ground in front of them.
Clint forced her head down, lying protectively over her, all the while knowing that if a bullet went through him, it would probably go through her too. “Pray, angel.”
It seemed a lifetime before the sound of bullets ripping through the air finally ceased. Clint cautiously raised his head and narrowed his eyes toward the house, keeping his ears alert for any sounds that indicated they had company coming. The only noise he could hear was their breathing. He moved to his feet slowly, offering his hand to help Sarah to hers. “Now they’ll come after us.”
He was glad he didn’t need to tell her to run. Sarah turned and took off like the devil himself was on their heels. Clint remained close behind, pacing himself to her speed because he could easily outrun her if he wanted. Occasionally, he put his hands on her to guide her in the right direction.
They ran blindly through the thick underbrush, quickly absorbed in the lush greenery surrounding them. The jungle was dense, which would aid their escape. Clint knew they would be hard to find, but not impossible. They could hardly see what was in front of them, moving at a speed he thought would be impossible for Sarah. Everything in their path was a thick blur. Everything but the pain of branches and prickly bushes slapping against them, tearing at their hair and clothes.
They finally broke through into a small clearing. Before Sarah could bring her wild speed under control, she tripped to her knees with a jarring force, crying out with pain. Clint was directly behind her, but he managed to stop just before running her over. He dropped to his haunches, remaining alert and ready for anything.
“We have a good head start, but there’s ways of hunting someone down other than on foot.” He was thinking about the possibility of dogs or an air search. His eyes moved over her, making her out with the help of the full moon above them. “You all right?”
Sarah nodded, obviously too winded to speak. Clint allowed himself the luxury of falling back upon the cool, damp earth and she followed suit, but not before checking the ground around her. He grinned, realizing she was probably looking for bugs or snakes. Those things were the least of her troubles. And Clint had a feeling that by the time he got Sarah off the island, she was going to experience an adventure she’d only read about in books.
“It’s dark now. Surely, Raul’s men can’t find us tonight.”
For a moment, all that could be heard was their rapid breathing and the early sounds of awakening nightlife. “We need to keep going, Sarah.” It was the first time he’d called her by name.
“Why?” Her voice was quiet and small, revealing her exhaustion. “How can they find us in the dark?” She let out a low groan. “Oh, God! Running full speed through a jungle while being shot at doesn’t compare to jogging on a treadmill.”
Clint knew enough about women to keep his mouth shut when it came to talking about the shape she was in. “They won’t be looking for us tonight, but between now and morning, we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. I know you’re exhausted, but you’re going to have to find the stamina to keep going. Think you can do it?”
“If you can, I can. Just where are we going?”
Clint could hear the tiredness in her voice. She sounded like she was already half asleep, which meant she was too relaxed. “The other side of the island.”
“That sounds like a serious trek. How big is this island and how long will that take?”
“Three days.”
“Three days!” Sarah sat up, and turned toward Clint. “I can’t fathom escaping on foot if it’s going to take us that long to reach safety.”
Clint did more than sit up; he got to his feet, scooping up his duffel bag.
“What’s waiting for us on the other side of the island?” She rose to her feet, releasing a groan.
“Nothing yet. I’ve arranged for a plane to pick us up Tuesday, around thirteen hundred.”
“Military time, that figures. And when would that be?”
“One o’clock.” Lord, he hoped she stopped asking questions soon. He was almost tempted to inform her she was using up valuable air she’d need for running, but somehow Clint didn’t think that would shut her up.
“I didn’t know there was an airport on the island. I arrived by boat.”
There wasn’t, only he didn’t feel like going into any long explanations about it with her now. In less than an hour, he knew her well enough to recognize she asked too many damn questions, about everything. And talkative women irritated the hell out of him. But then, he knew a sure fire way of shutting them up and wondered how Sarah would react to his methods.
“What about the rest of your men? Where are they?” She stepped behind him as he turned to head back into the jungle. He halted so abruptly she bumped into him.
He spun around to face her. “The rest of my men? I’m all you’ve got, angel. If I don’t get you out of here, no one will.” He started walking once more.
“Great, a one-man army. I hope you’re good,” she half mumbled under her breath.
Tired of her smart mouth, Clint reacted without thinking, spinning around so fast Sarah jumped back with a startled gasp. He reached for her and jerked her up against him until they were suddenly nose to nose. Her eyes widened with alarm, meeting his easily in the darkness.
“You don’t have to worry about whether I’m fucking good or not. I’m very good at everything I do. You’ll want to keep that in mind the next three days. When I tell you to do something, you do it…got it?” They were so close he could feel her warm breath against his face.
Clint couldn’t see her expression, but he could tell by her tone she wasn’t happy. “Who do you think you are, bossing me around like I don’t have a brain in my head?”
“Just in case you still haven’t figured it out, I’m a mercenary. I hire my services out to the biggest purse,” he explained, catching her small gasp before she drew herself up.
“I don’t care what you are. You’re in for a big surprise if you think I’m just going to follow you around like a little puppy and meekly jump at every command.”
“Do you know where
you’re going?” he questioned softly.
“No but…”
“Do you know how to get off the island?” he continued in the same tone of voice.
“No but…”
“Then I suggest you let me do my fucking job, lady,” he growled, fighting the urge to shake some sense into her. He knew what he had to do to get them off the island alive, but if she defied him at every turn they were in for a rough three days. Warning bells went off when she suddenly relaxed against him.
“Yes, sir.” Her voice was as soft and sweet as a southern belle.
Clint frowned, wondering what she was up to. Her submissive response had a definite undercurrent of grit and steel, something he would normally admire if the circumstances were different. Not now when so much was at stake. He hoped for her sake she knew the importance of following an order when the time came.
“Do you mind letting go now?” She tried to break away gently, but Clint refused to release her, still trying to figure her out. When she jerked her arms a second time, he tightened his grip even more. Then, without warning, she pulled her leg back and kicked him.
“Ouch!” He released her immediately, reaching down to rub his shin, angry with himself for not seeing it coming. “You little bitch!”
Rubbing her arms Sarah made a sound with her lips warning him to be quiet. “You want them to hear you?” He glared at her in annoyed silence. “Honestly, you’re supposed to be the expert, and here you are making enough racket to wake the dead.” She moved off in the direction they’d been going.
Clint let her go, only because he knew if he put his hands on her now he’d probably strangle her. And he hadn’t gone to all the trouble of rescuing her just to kill her. Damn her, he knew she was going to be trouble. And if that wasn’t bad enough, there was something about her that was having a powerful affect on his libido. Susan owed him big time.
He let out a curse, hearing her movements in front of him. Talk about waking the dead— she was thrashing through the brush like a wounded elephant. He shook his head, his mouth fixed in a grim line as took off after her, wishing fervently that he hadn’t given up smoking. He had a feeling before it was all over she was going to push him back into a lot of his old habits.
Chapter Four
It seemed a long time passed before Sarah finally heard Clint behind her. Not that she’d been worried—she knew he hadn’t gone to the trouble of rescuing her to turn her loose in the jungle by herself. She had no idea where she was going, and for all she knew, she could be leading them right back to Rodriguez. Thank heavens the full moon at least offered some form of light, but not enough as her next step landed in icy cold water. She let out a squeal of surprise and backed up at the same time.
Clint was closer than she thought. His hands fell upon her hips to keep from bumping her back into the water. “Didn’t you hear the sound of running water?”
She jerked out from under his hands, ignoring his arrogant chuckle. “Apparently not,” she said, deciding not to waste a scowl she knew he couldn’t possibly see. The man positively rubbed her the wrong way. What’s more, he seemed to be taking delight in it. “Why don’t you lead the way for a while,” she suggested in a sugarcoated voice. Maybe she’d get lucky and he’d step off a cliff, or something.
She crossed her arms and waited, surprised when he took a step into the same stream. She automatically reached out, to stop him. “What are you doing?” Hard muscles flexed beneath Sarah’s fingers, revealing the strength in his sinewy arms. She overlooked the spark of awareness touching him produced. That was a complication she didn’t need.
He could have easily pulled away and kept going, but he paused instead to look down at her. His voice laced with amusement, at her expense. “I’m crossing over.”
“I can see that.” She became extremely conscious of his virile appeal and the way his warm, solid flesh felt beneath her hand. “But why?”
Even in the darkness, Sarah could make out that he was grinning at her. To make matters worse, the crooked shape of his firm mouth was ultra-sexy. “To get to the other side, angel,” he said, in a tone one might use on a five year old, before pulling away.
She watched his dark outline as he walked through the flowing water as easily as if parading across smooth pavement. His steps were sure and steady, and it probably didn’t hurt that he at least was wearing boots. Glancing down at her inadequate sneakers, she fought the urge to take one off and toss it at his muscular backside. With her luck, it would float away with the current.
Releasing a sigh of resignation, she unwillingly stepped into the water. It didn’t take long before she realized he’d only made it seem easy. Why did he make everything look so simple while making her feel so inadequate? She had to struggle to find every foothold, her movements awkward and clumsy as she followed at a snail’s pace. In the civilized world, she was a self-confident woman, not afraid to go after what she wanted. She made decisions for herself and lived with the consequences.
Out here she was forced to put her life into the hands of a macho man because she was completely out of her realm. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was taking advantage of her incompetence. What added to the impossible situation was that Sarah found herself attracted to his alpha male charisma and not reacting to it very well.
She shot daggers into his retreating back, wishing that just once he’d falter or slip on the slimy rocks making up the bottom of the creek. Like she was doing now. His comment about being good at everything came to mind and only made her dislike him even more. Because it made her wonder about things she shouldn’t.
She started to slip, and cried out softly, managing to regain her balance before actually hitting the water. For a moment, she felt as if she was on a high wire, balancing her weight before falling. She strained to see through the shimmering depths to make sure she was on safe ground again, swearing she saw something else beneath the water. Something wiggling away.
She froze.
“Clint?”
“What?”
“There couldn’t be any snakes in this water, could there?” Her skin was already crawling with the thought. Snakes rated right at the top of her list of things she was definitely afraid of.
“Why? Do you see any?” He turned from the muddy bank he’d just stepped on; his harsh tone implying it was a definite possibility. “All I need is for you to get bitten by a fucking snake.”
“Damn you!” Sarah’s heart began to race, certain now that she’d seen one slithering in the water. Not thinking about the consequences, she took off in a panic-stricken run, slipping and sliding all over the place. There was nothing graceful about her movements. Getting as far away from the serpent as fast as she could was uppermost on her mind.
He wouldn’t have to worry about her getting snake bit, she was going to slip and break her neck first. As she stepped onto the muddy, slimy bank, her leg shot out from under her, propelling her right into him. His arms came out to catch her, the force of her fall catching him off guard. Suddenly, they were both crashing to the ground. He hit it with a grunt, his body cushioning the fall for her.
For the second time that day, Sarah was sprawled on top of him. She began to wiggle like an eel out of water, aware of the intimacy of their situation but she didn’t care.
“Just what the fuck are you doing?” Clint’s hands went to her waist as if to push her off. “Stop your damn wiggling,” he groaned.
Sarah ignored the deceptive calm in his voice. Too busy making sure she wasn’t lying in any of the sludge surrounding them, which meant remaining on top of him. She couldn’t help noticing everything about him was as hard as granite.
“I don’t want to get mud on me. Or snakes, or bugs, or anything else equally horrible,” she explained. Did any woman? Surely, he understood that.
“You don’t‒” his hard tone was filled with disbelief. “Are you for real? You expect to trek for three days across an island and come out smelling like a rose?” His snort reminded her o
f an angry bull. “Not likely, angel.” In one swift movement, Clint reversed their positions, putting Sarah on the bottom. “You’re going to get more than a little mud on you.” She cried in outrage but he ignored her, grinding his body into hers. “I want to make sure you’re as covered in mud as I am.”
Clint took hold of both her wrists in one hand, and using his other, grabbed up fistfuls of mud. He ran it beneath her collar and at the opening where her shirt rode up her waist. The more his weight bore her into the ground, the more it filled every nook and cranny.
Sarah felt every masculine inch against her. “Damn you!” Struggling against him was useless. “Get off me!” She arched her body in an effort to throw him off. He thrust against her to keep her in place. “You’ve proven your point asshole, I’m dirty enough!”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Clint pinned both her arms on either side of her head, making sure they were flat upon the muddy ground. He smiled down at her like a hungry wolf. “They say mud is good for the skin,” he commented outrageously. “Maybe I should strip you so you can fully benefit from the free spa treatment.”
Sarah could see the white of his teeth. “You do and it will be the last thing you ever do!” she promised, her voice tight. “Short of killing you, there are a number of ways I can think of to get even. Now get off me!”
On top of those thoughts, she was also wrestling with her own emotions. She couldn’t believe he was actually turning her on. Feelings left dormant were surfacing at a frightening speed, making her aware of her long-term celibacy. Feeling Clint’s hard cock jump against her, she unwillingly closed her eyes for just a moment, savoring the heady experience. Thankful he couldn’t possibly know what he was doing to her. Could he?
He suddenly raised himself off her body. She slapped at the hand he offered, getting angrily to her feet on her own steam. She didn’t bother trying to brush the back of her clothes off this time, knowing the mud would have to dry first.
“I hope you’re satisfied.” She couldn’t control the biting edge of her words any more than she could control the overwhelming urge to slap his arrogant face.
No Escape Page 4