by Karen Anders
“Use the COLD acronym to help you remember these important tips. C for clean. Try to minimize dirt and sweat. O for overheating, because sweating causes moistness, which causes you to chill faster. L for loose. Keep your clothes loose to allow blood flow. And D for dry. Wet clothing is your enemy in the cold. Keep your neck area loose to allow moisture to escape.”
She stood there for a moment assimilating everything he’d told her. He thought about tomorrow and what they would face apart and together. He would gladly lay his life down for Amber. No hesitation, no fear.
“You’re going to be amazing, Amber. I know it.”
“You do? I’m going to take that at face value.”
He cupped her jaw, smoothing his thumb along the edge of the bruise. He could only hope he’d get the chance to bruise Garza tomorrow. The man was worse than an animal. Softly he said, “Why did you leave the JAG Corps?”
“You checked up on me?”
“I like to know who I’m dealing with. But, actually, you told me, remember.”
She bit her lip. “I checked up on you, too. I already knew about the consulate, the mandated break from combat and your therapist, Dr. Cross.”
“I don’t think it’s a secret that it messed me up.”
“Tristan.”
“You can’t fix everything, Amber. I learned that a long time ago, but we’re not talking about me. JAG?”
She looked away, then back at him. “I was prosecuting this guy. Exemplary soldier, decorated, and something didn’t feel right to me. It was...off. So I did some investigation on my own and I discovered that his girlfriend framed him for the murder of her parents. I resigned my commission and left. I put in an application for NCIS the next day. I get more satisfaction in bringing bad guys to justice than I ever did prosecuting them.”
He tucked her hair behind her ear. “You are something else, aren’t you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
He cupped her face and slipped his arms over her head, to drop to the small of her back. She gasped. “Yeah, you feel that, too. Don’t you? It’s like an electric shock under the skin.”
“A buzz.”
He nodded. “I wish things could be different, but, Amber, I can’t make any promises. I can’t. My life...the corps—”
“It comes first.” She looked in his eyes for the longest time, then gathered herself and said, “Thank you for being honest about that. It’s just that I really hate coming in second.”
“That’s not it, Amber.”
“It feels that way, but I trust you. I looked at the man you are, with the deep convictions you have. I’ve seen the respect in your students’ faces. I’ve seen what lengths you would go to protect them. And what you are willing to do for me, because you thought it was the right thing. That’s the only measure I need.”
“Amber...” He didn’t have the words to express himself.
“That’s how I know if I ask you for a promise you’ll keep it, no matter what.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “What promise do you need from me?”
“If for some reason I don’t make it—”
“Amber, no—”
She shook him. “Please, Tristan.”
He sighed and nodded.
“If I don’t make it, would you go see my parents? Would you tell them how brave I was even if I wasn’t? How hard I fought to live? So it will give them some measure of peace. And this is very important. My boss, Chris, he is amazing and this is going to kill him. Tell him this isn’t his fault, that I was proud to work for him and to be part of NCIS. Tell Beau and Vin that I love them like brothers and serving with them was a privilege even if they made me do all the grunt work because I was the probie. Could you do that for me?”
His answer was to take her mouth. Right then. No preamble, no slow lowering of his lips to hers, no choice given. Just a choice made.
He was going to make damn sure she could deliver all those messages herself.
The surprise of it kept her still, but for only a second. He mentally braced himself against the sheer softness, the warmth, the welcome she gave him. He respected her. He knew then how well and truly entangled he’d become. It had never been like this for him. Almost irrational. He relied on instinct, on rational thought. Not on emotion and his dick. Or his heart. Life wasn’t set up to be fair about those things, and he’d had enough of the unfair part of life.
Then she moaned, just a little guttural sound in the back of her throat. And her bound hands came up to slip over his head, her hands fisting in his hair as she pulled his mouth down even harder on hers. And kissed him back with every ounce of intensity she had in her.
And he knew there was no way to protect himself from this. Or from her.
He never even tried.
Chapter 14
Amber was so tempted to sink into that blissful oblivion only Tristan could provide. Escape the overwhelming worry and fear, even if for only a few moments. But in the end, even Tristan couldn’t transport her. Their kiss eased from the powerful need she was already coming to crave to something quieter and yet perhaps even more compelling in the way it nurtured something else inside her. And that something was hope.
When he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, she said, “We’re going to live.”
He nodded.
“I’m going to be drinking mai tais in that pool bar in Aruba with the cold of these mountains as nothing but a memory.”
He nodded again, then took her hand and drew her with him as he walked across the main room and through the bedroom door. The cabin was beautifully decorated with a woman’s touch. It might be rustic, but it was rustic chic. The bed looked hand carved with a detailed motif of all different types of animals, and the comfortable-looking pillows and bedding were in rust and brown tones. They were here to get a good night’s sleep, both of them aware that being as rested as possible would give them the best advantage tomorrow.
She clutched at him. The odds almost overwhelmed her again—eight armed men.
“Ah, babe. It’s going to be all right.”
“Are you just saying that? We won’t even be together to fight.”
“No, not at first, but we will be together, Amber. There is no doubt that if they don’t let us go, there won’t be any quarter given on my part. Splitting us up is their first tactical mistake because I won’t be distracted. Their second is underestimating you.”
He drew her toward the bed and they sat down on it together. “I’m going to maneuver you toward the north.”
“But that’s deeper into the mountains.”
“It’s part of my plan. Also, about two miles to the north is a stream. That’s where you can head to get rehydrated. Drink as much as you can. Then walk along the stream. The ground will be frozen, but near the water, there will be less snow. It’ll throw them off. We’re lucky it hasn’t snowed in a couple of days and a lot of it is hard packed. Fewer footprints. This is going to be tricky, but there’s going to be a cave. You’ll see it getting rockier as you head north. The cave mouth is hidden behind heavy brush, but there are three rocks piled next to it. I put those there so I could find it easily. There’s a propane heater, food, MREs—meals ready to eat—so don’t get too excited, and water. The water will be frozen, but should thaw fast once you get the heater going. I have these hidey-hole stashes all over this mountain to teach my guys how important it is to be prepared and if we ever got caught in a bad situation and needed shelter quickly we could survive for a couple of days.”
“A radio?”
“No, most radios are limited in their range, so I didn’t store any of those.” He took her hands in his. “Amber, there’s a handgun in that cave. A Colt M45A1. It’s hidden under a shelf of rock in the back in a Pelican storm case, along with a knife, a Ka-Bar.”
That made her breathe a little easier.
He smiled. “Yeah, they won’t know what hit them. It’s comparable to your Glock. Point and shoot. It’s highly accurate with a hair trigger.”
“I think I can handle it. I’m very good with a gun.”
“I’m trying not to get off on that. With your training at Quantico, I’m assuming you know how to incapacitate and how to kill in hand to hand.”
“Yes. Explosive movement to the C2.”
“Neck break. Most effective. There’s no incapacitating here. You are straight-out going for the kill. I know you’ve heard all this. But because you’re a woman, a man may overpower you. It’s a fact. They are out to kill you. Bottom line. You kill them first. Ooh-rah.”
“Ooh-rah.”
“There’s a difference between what you do and what I do. I’m not in situations where I am trying to take people in for crimes or am under any obligation to hold fire when I’m engaging the enemy. You are. You operate under certain conditions as a law-enforcement officer. Throw all that out. No hesitation. Two in the chest, one in the head are the best combinations and to make doubly sure that guy is out of the game permanently.”
“I’m comfortable with that.”
“Amber, where have you been all my life?”
“The fact that we’re sitting here discussing the best way to kill someone, I can honestly say, is not the worst first date I’ve ever been on.”
He chuckled and dragged her hard against him. “Survive tomorrow,” he said fiercely. “Kill without hesitation. Stay alive until I get to you. Then we’ll be an unbeatable team.”
She already knew they were an unbeatable team and she wished that there was a future for them, but she had to accept the decisions that Tristan made. His choices.
“You haven’t even brought up the idea of escaping now, tonight.”
“That’s because there are armed men behind the door, and if we try to run now, they’ll be shooting to kill us, whereas in the morning, we split their party and we have an advantage of a fifteen-minute head start. We won’t be bound like we are now. Not that I can’t take them on bound. I just like our odds better than running blindly into the night.”
“If you’re worried about me keeping up...”
He smiled but his eyes remained serious. “I’m not. But if I’m being honest, I’m worried about you. I don’t want anything to happen to you, so I’m suggesting we go this route. There are pros and cons, but I think waiting is better.”
“I trust your judgment, Tristan. I trust you.” She was completely exhausted, wrenched by her feelings for Tristan, scared for both of them. She couldn’t handle much more, even if it was something to make her feel good. Her emotions were barely restrained beneath the surface as it was.
She couldn’t imagine getting through this without him.
He pulled her gently toward him, caught her and held her tight. “We need to get some sleep. We’ll need the energy for tomorrow.”
She nodded, not trusting herself to say anything lest she break down completely. She didn’t want to feel hopeless, but she was still scared.
Tristan, as if sensing her turmoil, wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment, hugging her and accepting her arms snaking around his waist with a deep sigh and a kiss to her temple. “Let’s go to bed.”
Any other time those words would have filled her with anticipation. But it wasn’t just about getting physical with Tristan. There was so much more to the man than his rocking body. Now all she could think about was getting some rest and praying to God she could sleep without nightmares.
They folded down to the bed, still holding on to each other. She remembered quite easily being with this man. The first two times had been about heat, sweat and ferocious need. Then poignant and sad when he’d come to her before she had been ready to leave.
Her thoughts drifted there and clung to those moments like a lifeline, helping her to block out the reality of the moment and spend some time away from the negative emotions of fear and disgust. Away from the place where men actually thought it was sport to hunt human beings.
Beyond the bone-deep fatigue, beyond the sheer terror and almost debilitating fear...there was a wealth of desire. A need to discover him, bit by bit, until she knew everything about him—every curve of muscle, what turned him on, every gasp he made and what it meant, every breath he took and every need explored.
Now she understood how life-threatening situations could bring on the need for life-reaffirming ones. Her sudden voracious hunger for him was limited by their terrible circumstances.
“I wish...”
“I know,” he said firmly. “Believe me. I know.”
He slipped his bound hands over her head, burying them into her hair. He cupped the back of her head with both hands and slowly drew her mouth to his, his eyes on hers as their lips met.
She took his kiss, letting her eyes drift shut as sensation after sensation poured through her. He rolled on top of her, and it was such sweet seductive torture to want to go all the way with him and be unable to. But the warmth of him and the comfort of his body offset the harsh reality of what they’d been through and would have to endure tomorrow.
And with their future uncertain, the moment they were sharing took on so much more meaning. She willed herself just to feel, to truly live in the moment and this moment only.
Her body aligned with his effortlessly, as if they had been sleeping together forever, falling into place as easily as she’d fallen for him. Her eyes were already drifting shut as she shifted enough to press a soft kiss over his heart, before tucking her arm across his body. Then she draped her leg across his, wanting to feel him as close as possible.
* * *
Tristan woke early, before dawn. His internal clock was hard to ignore. He also didn’t want to be roused by their captors. He lay in the dark room for a moment, almost able to pretend that this was just another day. Another day that would include Amber in his arms, in his bed, in his life.
He shied away from those thoughts. He had promised himself he wouldn’t go there. His plans were set. He needed to go back into combat. It was an internal goad as strong as his need for her. He didn’t want to analyze why.
He didn’t want to delve too deep, even though that was exactly what Doc Cross had told him he needed to do. He also had told him that it wouldn’t matter if it was eighteen months or ten years. Tristan would have to decide to make that journey and he would have to not only need to have the courage but determine when the time was right.
He resented that Dr. Cross insinuated that Tristan was hiding out in combat. That he was using it as a crutch. Damn the doc for bringing all this up in the first place. The time he’d gone off the deep end and lost himself to that mission had been his lowest point since... Banyan.
Amber shifted in her sleep, making soft sleep-filled snuffling noises, and he made an oath to the rising day that by the end of it, those men would be dead and they would be home free. He would make it his mission.
His plan was easy. He called it his weakest-link strategy. He’d set a punishing pace. He didn’t care who these guys were. They couldn’t keep up with a battle-hardened marine, one who was acclimated to this altitude, knew the mountain intimately and could disappear. Hunting animals was nothing compared to hunting a Recon marine, and they were foolish to think that they weren’t in danger from him. He might be unarmed, but he didn’t need a gun or a knife to kill them.
It would only speed up the process.
Tristan’s weapon was and always had been his mind.
He shook Amber and she rose immediately. Only seconds later the cabin door opened, and Garza and Werner came inside. Removing her cuffs, they threw appropriate clothing at Amber and told her to change.
Tristan left the room, crowding them out and shuttin
g the door, daring them to even test him. Garza smirked and both of them backed off.
As soon as Amber came out of the room, they shoved both of them outside into the frigid day. The sun was climbing into the sky. They took off his cuffs and he reached for her and entwined his fingers with hers.
“Amber,” he said, his voice nothing more than a rough whisper. “Stay alive.”
“Tristan,” she said, making his name a vow.
“You have fifteen minutes starting now,” Garza sneered.
It took every ounce of willpower in him to break away from her and take off. He never even looked behind him. He had to compartmentalize his fear and concern for Amber. He had to trust that he’d given her the knowledge and the means to make it.
He loosened his collar and took off his hat and gloves, stuffing them in his parka pockets. He zipped the pockets closed, and as he warmed his muscles, he got into the rhythm of his running. They were lucky the snow was hard packed and there had been no snowfall for a couple of days. He ran full out and was only getting warmed up. He veered toward the trees and it was easier going where the snow was sparser.
Operation Weakest Link had begun.
An hour later he hadn’t even seen them in the distance. It was sufficient time to double back and take them out one by one.
He’d covered a lot of ground and would have to double-time it back to Amber, but he didn’t want her subjected to Garza. His breathing was steady as he started to move back the way he’d come. He hid when he saw the chief was in front of the other three. They were straggling now. As soon as they passed him following his trail, he swung out of his hiding place and, like a dark ghost against the white backdrop, he took the last man from behind. The guy never had a chance to call out or get a shot off.
One down, three to go, then Amber. Hold on, sweetheart. I’m coming.
The next man was thoroughly out of shape. He was lagging quite a bit behind the chief and the other two men. Tristan caught him while he was leaning against a tree.