Romancing the Alpha: An Action-Adventure Romance Boxed Set

by Zoe York

  “Change of plans. We need to go back and regroup, figure out what’s going on,” Cruz said.

  “I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” Sam’s voice buzzed over the comm.

  Cruz pressed his comm and said, “Ace, did you hear that?”

  Silence was his response.

  His heart began to pound, and a tingling sensation came over him. Yeah, something was majorly wrong, and his first thought was that he needed to get to Nola.

  He turned and went back toward the Range Rover, using all of his discipline not to run. He needed to stay calm. For Nola.

  As he moved, Ace materialized from the semidarkness of the night, and a few steps later Saint did the same, all of the men moving with the same purpose.

  “Stop wasting your time,” Sam said over the comm.

  Cruz’s gut clenched at the cool distance in Sam’s voice. He’d never heard that particular tone from Sam, but Cruz knew it was a bad omen. He looked to Ace and then Saint and both men nodded that they’d heard.

  “I’ve moved her. And you’re not ever going to find us.”

  Cruz’s blood turned to ice in his veins. He’d known there was something wrong, but he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Sam, what are you talking about?” he asked.

  “There’s been a change of plans. I’ve decided it’s time to take an early retirement, and you’re going to help me. Well, if Ms. Bailey’s health means anything to you, and I know it does, you will.”

  The man whom he’d almost counted a friend now sounded like a complete stranger, his voice icy cold, and worse, deadly sounding.

  “Sam, think about what you’re doing. This isn’t the way, man,” Cruz said.

  He was surprised that he managed to sound so calm, especially given how he felt. Cruz’s stomach twisted at the thought of Nola alone with him, at the realization that he’d left her at Sam’s mercy without a second thought.

  “Save it. You don’t have time for speeches, and I won’t be swayed,” Sam said, voice dripping with a certainty and power Cruz had never heard in it before.

  They reached the Range Rover but Saint clapped him on the shoulder before he could touch the door. And he was right. Sam undoubtedly had trackers on the vehicle. They’d have to find another way.

  “You don’t have to take the car, but it doesn’t make a difference. You’re going to keep your comm on so I can keep tabs.”

  “Sam, what are you after? What are you really after?” Cruz said, that clench in his gut tightening to the point of being excruciating.

  “Why do you care? You never cared before.”

  He sounded bitter, almost like a scorned lover. “Sam, whatever it is, Nola doesn’t need to be involved. You said it yourself, she’s just a clueless tourist, so let her go and we’ll handle this, whatever it is.”

  “I did say that, but you didn’t listen. You never listen. None of you do. But you’re listening now,” Sam said.

  Cruz imagined himself knocking Sam’s teeth out, or worse, when he had the chance.

  “Sam, just tell me what you want,” he said, voice tight.

  “I want you to steal the tusks,” Sam said.

  “What?”

  “You heard me. I already got the information off the jump drive, so I know where they are. You’re going to bring them to me if you want her back alive,” Sam said.

  “Even if I could, do you think whoever you’re stealing them from is just going to let you go?”

  “That’s my concern. You just get the tusks. I’ll be in touch.”

  The line went dead.

  Cruz took his comm out and only the fact that it was his last tenuous connection to Nola kept him from shattering it into a thousand pieces.

  He held it in his hand, though, and then looked over at Ace, who looked as murderous as Cruz felt. Saint was just his usual self, but Saint was always his usual self. But Cruz knew he would come along for the ride.

  “So what are we going to do?” Ace asked.

  There was only one answer.

  — SEVENTEEN —

  When they reached the coordinates Sam had given them, they set up and reconned the site. They were deep in the jungle several hundred yards from the banks of the Saigon River. The setup wasn’t formal, just a collection of corrugated metal sheds and a makeshift dock. The type of location was pretty common for processing illegal goods, the river a perfect method for moving product.

  “Are we really about to steal seventy-five kilos of poached rhino tusks and turn them over to that piece of shit?” Ace asked.

  Cruz adjusted his binoculars. “Indeed we are.”

  “Just checking,” Ace said, looking through his own.

  Cruz would steal anything to save Nola from the danger he had put her in. That he’d been foolish, let down his guard, was bad enough, but he wouldn’t let her suffer for it. He’d do anything to save her, because he loved her.

  They watched the location, which had surprisingly lax security given the valuable cargo.

  About a dozen men milled about the site, a cache of weapons haphazardly stacked, loud voices and laughter ringing out in the air. But Cruz was focused on the speedboat that had been parked at the dock, and the neatly stacked pile of bricks that sat inside it.

  “So how are we going to get to it?” Ace asked.

  “I’m going to create a diversion,” Saint said.

  And then he lifted the shoulder-mounted grenade launcher and aimed it at a jeep that set off from the farthest shed.

  “Get into position. Deploying in thirty seconds,” Saint said.

  Cruz scrambled to the left, Ace to the right.

  In some ways, it was a simple game of capture the flag. Of course, this game had grenades and armed traffickers, but the fundamentals were the same.

  Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, Cruz counted in his head.

  Boom.

  The loud explosion sounded, and the vibration shook the metal sheds. Then the jeep exploded into orange-black flames. Cruz felt the heat but didn’t pay it any attention, the gunfire, the second grenade, the screams that now filled the air fading. He didn’t stop or even slow until he reached the boat. The man in the boat had his back turned, and after Cruz’s shot, he screamed and then collapsed. Cruz tossed him overboard and took over the tiller, waiting.

  Ace jumped in first, Saint two steps behind, and Cruz opened the motor. The boat lurched forward and then propelled, gliding through the muddy water. Bullets whizzed by, one far too close for comfort, and Cruz pressed the motor, hoping that it would hold. It sputtered and then kicked into a higher gear, sending them farther down the murky waterway, the voices and gunfire fading.

  But Cruz didn’t slow because now he needed to find Sam and save Nola.

  — EIGHTEEN —

  “I assume all the chatter I’m hearing is about you getting my stuff?” Sam said.

  Nola didn’t hear the response, but Sam must have been satisfied, for an oily smile spread across his face. She wondered how she’d missed it before, the bitterness and anger that now marred his formerly friendly features. No answers were forthcoming, but as she watched him typing away, a wave of pity washed over her.

  This was going to end badly for him, and he didn’t even realize it yet.

  Cruz had gotten her through so much already that she didn’t have a shred of doubt. She didn’t know what he would do, but he’d proven his mettle, had saved her more than once, shown that he was a person she could rely on. She trusted him with every fiber of her being.

  Herself too. Somewhere along the way as she’d dodged bullets, traipsed through the jungle, fallen in love, she’d learned to trust herself. She’d proven herself strong, and she would get through this.

  “It’s showtime,” Sam said.

  ••••

  Cruz breathed in and out, focused on keeping his breathing easy, his mind calm.

  They’d gotten off the river and transported the tusks; all that was left wa
s the exchange. He’d soon have Nola back, and would finally be able to deliver on his promise to get her home safe. And see that the scumbag Sam got what he had coming to him.

  “I have eyes on,” Ace said.

  Cruz stood next to the Ranger Rover, ready, waiting as Sam emerged from the quiet. He’d directed them to a small market that was mostly a tourist attraction and stood deserted at this time of night.

  He met Nola’s wide eyes, and his heart soared at his first glimpse of her. She was afraid, the gun Sam had pointed at her head assured that, but she wasn’t terrified. She trusted him, and he would see her faith was not betrayed.

  “You got it?”

  Sam’s voice set off a wild inferno of rage in his blood, but he focused on maintaining calm.

  “In the car just like you said,” Cruz replied.

  Sam’s wolfish grin only enraged Cruz further, but he kept it together.

  “Good. Sorry, Nola,” Sam said, “but I’m going to have to borrow you for a little bit longer.”

  “That wasn’t the deal, Sam,” Cruz said.

  “Maybe not, but I know Ace has a rifle trained on me as we speak,” Sam replied.

  “Nope, I’m right here,” Ace said, emerging from the Range Rover.

  “And Saint?” Sam said.

  “Who knows? But I’m here and I have your tusks. You’re welcome to them and the car. Just let Nola go,” Cruz said.

  Sam paused, thinking, but then shook his head. Cruz knew if he let Nola get into that car, he’d never see her again and she’d meet a fate he didn’t even want to contemplate. That wasn’t going to happen. Not as long as he still drew breath.

  “No deal. Sorry, but we have to go.”

  Sam tightened his hold on Nola and pulled her closer.

  “I can’t let you do that,” Cruz said, slowly reaching for the gun strapped to his hip.

  “Your days of letting me do anything are over, Cruz,” Sam said, his face contorted with disgust.

  Then Sam took one shuffling step after another, moving him and Nola closer to the Range Rover.

  “Stay where you are, Cruz!” Sam barked.

  “I told you I can’t let you go,” Cruz said as he lifted the gun and rested his finger on the trigger. A calm stole over him. It would be a tough shot, but he knew he wouldn’t miss.

  He kept his eyes trained on Sam, but saw Nola from his periphery. She heaved a deep breath and then let out an earsplitting scream. Cruz flinched, and Sam did too. Sam lowered his gun and Nola took the advantage. Cruz watched in fascinated horror as Nola lifted her booted foot and brought it down hard on Sam’s toes.

  Sam tilted his head and looked at Nola, confusion on his face. She stared back, mouth gaping. Time seemed to slow, and Cruz lifted his gun, prepared to take the shot.

  “Dung lai!”

  The command to halt rang out, and a swarm of machine-gun-toting soldiers flooded into the market, closing around them in a tight circle. Sam dropped his gun and raised his hands. Nola, smart woman that she was, scurried away from Sam toward Cruz.

  She launched herself at him, and Cruz wrapped his arms around her and held her as tight as he could. When she buried her face in his neck, he squeezed her even tighter, kissing her head, anxious to touch as much of her as he could.

  “Wait!”

  Sam’s cries caught his attention, and Cruz watched as Saint walked from the congregated soldiers and clamped a huge hand on Sam’s shoulder. Sam shrieked and Cruz saw the beads of sweat pop out on his forehead. Sam wavered and slumped as Saint tightened his hold.

  “Don’t go to sleep on me yet, sweetheart. You like my work, don’t you?” Saint asked, tightening his hold even more.

  Sam nodded, eyes round with terror, skin ashen yet clammy with sweat, and Saint gave him the most genuine smile Cruz had ever seen from him.

  “Good. You’re about to experience it firsthand.”

  With that, he led Sam toward a waiting jeep, and the soldiers filed out of the market, disappearing as quickly as they’d appeared.

  Nola watched as the receding taillights got smaller and smaller and then she looked to Cruz.

  “Is he…?”

  “Going to kill him?” Cruz finished.

  She nodded and swallowed.

  “With Saint you never know, but I don’t think so, though Sam will probably wish he had.”

  Regret flashed in her eyes, and he squeezed her waist.

  “What the fuck was that foot thing, Nola?” he asked a few moments later.

  She smiled that shy smile he’d come to love and shrugged. “It worked on TV.”

  — NINETEEN —

  Two Weeks Later

  Convinced there were no armed men, and worse, no Cruz hiding in the cereal aisle, Nola pushed her cart forward as she debated which brand of granola to buy.

  Being back home was surreal, and more than once, she’d halfway convinced herself the whole trip had been a dream. A glossy magazine cover caught her eye, and she paused, reading the front-page headline about the young American who’d been arrested in Vietnam for running an illegal wildlife trafficking ring and who now faced life in prison, maybe even death if he was convicted. Her gaze lingered on Sam’s picture, and she shook her head at the shame of it all. Sam had meant her harm, but she still felt for him. But he’d made his own bed.

  Saint had said as much when she’d seen him last. He’d dropped by to assure her that everything was good and that the traffickers would not come after her again. And then Cruz had driven her back to Tan Son Nhat, and two days later she was home.

  Cruz.

  She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d left her at the airport, didn’t even know how to reach him, or if she should try. But she missed him, knew that she loved him. And getting over that would be the hardest thing.

  “I told you I’d get you home safe.”

  She’d replayed those words, the little smile on his face as he’d said them, the feeling of his lips against hers that last time. A final kiss with an unspoken but undeniable good-bye.

  And then he was gone, out of her life as quickly as he’d entered it.

  “Nola?”

  She turned at the sound of her name and saw Carl and Sidney walking toward her hand in hand. Her gaze lowered to their entwined fingers, and Carl let go. Considerate, Nola supposed, but entirely unnecessary. Having tasted real love with Cruz, she couldn’t begrudge them their happiness. And if nothing else, her time with Cruz had proven whatever she’d had with Carl, their friendship, the comfort between them, hadn’t been love.

  “Hi,” she said when they stood in front of her.

  “Hi,” they responded, speaking simultaneously.

  “We heard about your trip. Was it fun?” Sidney finally said.

  “It was the adventure of a lifetime,” Nola replied. She didn’t say anything more, figuring they didn’t need to know she’d almost gotten herself killed, more than once, and if that wasn’t enough, she had gone and gotten her fool heart broken in the process.

  Carl nodded and Sidney smiled, but their awkwardness was palpable.

  “Congratulations. I hope you two have a happy life,” Nola said, and then she turned and left.

  The Nola who’d left town wasn’t the one who’d returned, and whatever anger and hurt Carl and Sidney may have caused was gone. Almost losing her life had put things in perspective, and so had experiencing real love with Cruz, not the imitation she’d let herself believe she’d felt for Carl.

  Everything was different now, and Nola had to figure out what she was going to do.

  But that would have to wait until she got her head examined. She’d finally lost it, had pined for Cruz so long, she was imagining him. What other explanation could there be for the scary-real hallucination that looked exactly like him sitting on her porch?

  So she sat in her car, afraid if she moved, she’d have definitive proof she was gone. Or that the Cruz hallucination would leave, and she didn’t want that, not yet.

  The dream Cruz got up and wal
ked toward her car.

  “You gonna stay in the car, Nola?”

  She got out, but didn’t look at it, kept her eyes downcast when it curled tender fingers around her chin and tilted her head up. And when she met those amazing blue eyes, tears began to fall down her face.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked.

  “I’m just… I didn’t think I’d see you again,” she said. In fact, she’d been convinced she wouldn’t, had begun the process of trying to move on though her efforts so far had failed miserably.

  “You didn’t think I’d just leave you, did you?” he asked.

  “Well… Yeah, I did.”

  His face darkened, and then he grabbed her hand.

  “Come on,” he said.

  He led her into the house. The first thing she saw was her sofa, the very one where she’d been struck by the crazy idea that had changed her life. Cruz’s hand on her shoulder drew her attention and she turned to him, met his stunning blue gaze. And when he cupped her cheek in his big hand, it was all Nola could do to keep from melting into his touch.

  “Did you think I could just leave you?”

  She nodded and was struck by the hurt that again crossed his face.

  “Don’t you know?” he asked.

  “Know what?” she said.

  But rather than respond, he grasped her cheek tighter and then covered her lips with his.

  At the first touch of his warm mouth, Nola released a deep breath that she only then realized she had been holding since she’d left him at the airport. And when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, stroking against hers with passion that matched her own, she thawed completely.

  In that instant, the loss that had weighed on her since she’d seen him last faded away. Cruz was here, and nothing else mattered.

  He broke the kiss and stared down at her, eyes alight.

  “Nola,” he whispered, and then he kissed her again.

  The trip to her bedroom was a haze, Cruz removing her clothing piece by piece as Nola did the same. And when he finally laid her on the bed and spread his big body out above her, her blood surged with need and desire. The passion in his eyes, his hardness pressing at the apex of her thighs told her he felt the same.