The ATV slowed to a crawl, and Jonas whipped out the map again. “We’re close. I’m looking for a hidden entrance, somewhere to park this vehicle. Erica, I need you as an extra set of eyes. The location we’re headed to should be nearby, but, from what I understand, it isn’t easy to see.”
Jonas held the map out to his side, where I could see it, before pointing. “I think this is where we’re at. We passed these landmarks several yards back, so…”
I looked at where his finger was on the map, and then gazed into the distance ahead of us. The light shifted just enough for me to realize there was a house hidden amongst the trees. To the naked eye, it was camouflaged enough to appear as though you were looking toward the trees, the sand, and the beach off in the distance. However, the water wasn’t moving, and as the wind blew, the bushes in front of us failed to move.
“Look there.” I pointed toward the area in front of us. “Watch as the wind moves the bushes in certain areas but not in others. Also, watch the water in the distance move but not right in the center.”
Jonas shook his head. “I’ll be damned.” His hand reached back and gave me a pat on the leg. “Thanks, princess. We would’ve found it eventually. Good work.” Why did his touch have to feel so nice? It sent a spark of desire running through me. Why him and not someone else?
I shook off the thoughts in my head and slapped him on the back. “Did you just manage to pay me a compliment?” I was almost in shock over the sincerity.
He laughed. “Don’t read too much into it. That’s probably the only one you’ll get from me.”
Jonas pushed the ATV forward at a slow crawl until we reached the outer edges of the structure. He hit a button attached to the handlebars, and we watched in amazement as a door swung open and lights came on inside to brighten the dark cavernous area. It was some sort of garage with an inclined path leading up into it.
I was about to ask why the incline, when it dawned on me. Duh, we were on an island in either the Bahamas or Caribbean, which was an area prone to strong storms during the summer months, and hurricane season started a couple weeks ago. The structure was built a ways from the beach, but storms often brought higher tides, flooding, and…Was this a good idea coming here? What if a storm developed?
My subconscious was really starting to grate on my nerves. I needed positive reinforcements, not finding all the flaws with where we were. How the hell was I supposed to survive when my mind continually went the negative route? Because this negative route has kept you and your family alive for years.
Jonas turned off the vehicle and dismounted before lifting me off and placing me on my feet. He began to move forward to help me remove my coat—still wrapped around my lower portion—when he all of the sudden stepped back and waved his hand up and down, and then swallowed hard. His voice was husky, like he was struggling against some form of emotion. “I’ll leave you to remove that so you’re more comfortable.”
Turning my back to him, I quickly pulled the edges of the coat away and undid the knot in the sleeves he’d wrapped around my waist. The coat fell away, but I was mortified. I’d realized too late that my dress had ridden up higher during the ride and was now exposing my thin, lacy thong and most of my ass to him. I heard him grunt and move swiftly away from me as I wiggled my hips to get my dress back down over my ass.
When I turned back around, he had his hands laden with our luggage and was climbing up a few steps. “Want to get the door for me? Here’s the key.”
I grabbed the key out of his hand and opened the door. Stepping inside, I found a light switch and flipped it on. So I was right about the translucent power cells. They are an energy source to power this place.
I was expecting to find a one or two bedroom shack, not a fully furnished great room with windows opening to highlight the waves in the distance, a gourmet kitchen off to the side, a hallway that led to other rooms, and a small set of stairs leading to what I assumed was a loft.
My curiosity had me heading toward the front door, wanting to open it. No sooner had I disengaged the lock than a hand slammed against the door and a body against my back, pressing me hard against the wood. His heated breath was right next to my ear, washing over me like a hot afternoon sun, while his whiskers tickled against the edge of my ear. “You go nowhere without me. We need to get established here first, check in with Rick, and then we can discuss our options.”
I didn’t like the rules, but I understood them. Hell, I’d lived them most of my life. Forgive me if I felt a bit pent up and wanted to attempt a modicum of normalcy for once.
Jonas backed away from me, grabbed ahold of my arm, and pulled me along with him. “Let’s figure out where we’re sleeping. I was told the bedrooms are set up with more clothes for each of us.”
He dragged me from room to room. I was surprised to see this house had a small room completely devoted to food supplies, another filled with enough military supplies to keep an army at bay for a few days, and a small workout room. The bedrooms were upstairs. It looked like I was set up in the master bedroom with its own en suite bath, while Jonas was across the hall in one of the two guest rooms. This house was a delusion. It was definitely bigger than what it appeared.
Wanting to get a cross breeze coming through, I went over to a window to lift it, when I realized it wasn’t a window at all, but a projected real-time image of what was going on outside. That made me question, “Who’s house is this? And how did we end up here?”
Jonas was leaning against the doorframe watching me. “Mr. Prescott arranged all this. He has a friend who develops high-security electronics and actually used the guy’s company on numerous occasions to make some of Titan’s ideas come to fruition.” He laughed, “The guy’s name is Liam Tekcraff.”
My eyes bugged out. I remember my mom saying she was working on some new electronic device in coordination with another company. “You mean Liam as in Technocraft Security Designs?”
He nodded. “The very same. Liam’s a very private man. He’s had death threats against him and his family because of his designs and advancements for our government and for security companies in general. He hasn’t been able to vacation where most people can, not without a huge defense detail following him, so he bought this island and made it damn near impossible to approach. When Mr. Prescott told him Sophia’s daughter was in trouble, he willingly offered up this place as refuge.”
You could tell Jonas was in his element; the small smile playing across his face was his only sign. So I asked, “Will you tell me more about this island and all the secrets it holds?”
He scoffed at first, but looked closely at me to see I truly had an interest in this. “First, get changed. There’s no way you can explore the island in that dress and heels.”
I opened up my suitcase to discover mainly long pants, dresses, and a few pairs of sandals. Who the hell packed for me, and where did they think I was going, an exotic all-inclusive resort? I turned toward the closet and chest of drawers where, hopefully, more sensible options were located, including sneakers and hiking boots.
Kicking off my shoes, I began to reach back and try to get my zipper, not realizing Jonas was still leaning against the doorway watching. “Need a hand with that?” His strong baritone voice surprised me, causing me to jump.
“I thought you’d pulled back into your room and were changing.” I shook my finger and chastised him for his peep show.
“And miss the show? Whatever for?” The fool laughed at me.
He walked up to me and spun me around. “Let me get it. Otherwise, we’ll be here all day.”
The zipper came down slowly against my skin, and his knuckles brushed against my back as the teeth of the zipper parted, causing goose bumps to pepper my skin. “There. Now you can get dressed.” He walked away, but not before slapping his hand against my ass. “You have fifteen minutes, princess.”
Narrowing my eyes and using my hands across my body to hold up my dress, I threatened him. “You better never touch my ass a
gain.”
“Or what?” He countered.
I didn’t have a response. I only walked to the door and slammed it in his face. “That’s what, you asshole!”
My body was vibrating with energy. I didn’t know whether to throttle him or climb up on that tower of man meat and wrap my legs around him. What was with my emotions? I knew the answer to that: I was put through too many stressors in too short of a time, and I was having a hard time dealing with it. Maybe I needed to ignore him and just exist while I was here.
I pushed my suitcase aside and lay back on the bed to ponder things. My mind was a whirlwind of a mess. I started sorting the issues into categories so I could address each problem one at a time, but I found my eyelids starting to drop, until darkness slipped over me.
What the hell have I gotten myself into? The sight of her—with all that cleavage—she sure wasn’t the girl I remembered at my sister’s wedding. I laughed at my description. She was no longer a girl, wasn’t back then either, but she’d definitely matured in the past year and had become more of a woman, one I could easily get wrapped up in.
At the hanger, I’d allowed myself to feel something for Erica because of what she’s going through, and it wasn’t until we were shot at on the docks that reality kicked in: if I was going to be successful at protecting her on this mission, I needed to push all emotions aside. If I came off as an ass, so what? It wasn’t like she’d be interested in someone like me anyway, not with all the fucking mess going on in my head. No one could handle my issues, myself included. PTSD was my Achilles’ heel, and I was still trying to get a handle on it. My psychiatrist, Kent, or Dr. Bradford if we’re being formal, was helping me gain some control over the nightmares that haunted me almost regularly.
So far I’d only managed to compartmentalize them, store them in one portion of my mind, just shutting the door and sealing it up, only allowing one or two memories to come out at a time. Sadly, they were the worst of my memories. How does one deal with being in a unit where only a few men got out alive, and you’re one of them? I shook my head to push the thoughts back, not wanting to dwell on any of it.
I looked at the items placed on my bed along with detailed instructions of what I needed to do and how to proceed. I’d noticed the objects earlier but wanted to get Erica settled. Just the mention of her name and I was contemplating how nice it felt to grab her around the waist to prevent her from falling into the water—her warm body pressed against mine, forcing feelings to stir inside me. Then I got glimpse of her toned thighs and her tattoo—which was placed in an area that had my mouth salivating, wanting to lick and drive her mad—when she shimmied her dress back into place after it rode up on the ATV. What I wouldn’t give to see that body tied up with rope in the Shibari art form. Don’t go there. Her sister may be into the BDSM lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean she is. Focus, man. The idea of Erica strung up for my viewing pleasure, at the mercy of my control…damn, it made me hard. With anyone else, I couldn’t even get a semi-erection. Why Erica? Why now?
Hell, I needed to report in to Rick, and then take an ice cold shower.
I inspected the contents on the bed. There was a bag of burner phones, a satellite phone, some detailed instructions—top of the list being to report in—expectations of the mission, and coordinates to another safe location should this one get breeched. Next to that was a three-ring binder with information on the security features the island offered and their location, backup features, and how to care for things while we were there.
I pulled a burner phone out and turned it on to see, if by some miracle, we had a signal. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the tech wizard had installed a repeater to allow a signal while on the island, but there was nothing. Hmm, he must like to go off the grid entirely while on vacation. I couldn’t blame him; that’s why I wanted to get the hell away from everyone.
Turning on the satellite phone, I quickly dialed Rick.
“Are you at your location? I understand there was some trouble on takeoff.” Rick’s voice carried a level of concern.
“We’re at our destination. I adjusted the flight plan and flew in circles for a while, and then followed the path in a zigzag pattern, just under the radar as a safety. Everything went smoothly until we were on the seaplane. I don’t know how they found us, but a car pulled up and started shooting at Peter and Russ. Are they friends of yours?” I questioned.
“Affirmative. They’re SEALs, but Derrick and I worked with them as part of the USSOCOM, the United States Special Operations Command. I’m sure, as an operative in the Marines, you had to crossover and work with other groups.” Rick explained.
“I’ve worked with the command, just never crossed paths with Peter and Russ.”
Rick went on to elaborate. “Russ is part of Peter’s SEAL team. They’re on their way out of the navy, with two missions left on their plate and are currently between assignments. Thanks to Titan being so newsworthy, we’ve had to ask some teams similar to Peter’s if they’d help us out, of course pending their handler’s approval. Titan is ready to hire them as soon as they’re available. In fact, Peter and Russ just docked down in the Miami area, having finished up a mission and heading our way for assistance on a new stalker case. They offered to help provide backup to ensure you both got out safely.”
I had to admit: “They were very professional and friendly and definitely helped us get out of there, taking on the fight so we could escape. Did they get the guys?”
“The offenders were hired guns by Victor Yoknovich. They have no affiliation with his group or any other group. Someone thought they’d identified Erica in the area, so they went after you. Peter and Russ plugged them with some lead and they surrendered. They were arrested and were informed that Erica and her travel companion were still in the Miami area. Because of this, Cat and Jasper are set to provide sightings around town to lead anyone in the area on a wild-goose chase. Thankfully, their current assignment is to offer bodyguard services to some visiting government dignitaries in the area.”
“Copy that.”
Rick’s voice dropped to a level of seriousness. “Are you doing okay? I know your issues flare up at times. We’ve all had them, so we know what you’re going through.”
I laughed. “I know I have to follow a fucking mission. I’ll rein in my temperament, but I’m not sure how well I can control the nightmares; I’ll give it my all, though.”
“Good to hear, Jonas. You do know that Erica has a degree in psychological counseling.” I don’t fucking believe this. Why wouldn’t people leave me alone to handle things on my own and just butt the hell out?
I raised my voice, “Rick, sir, I mean no disrespect, but I don’t need no tenderfoot trying to analyze me when they need to think about their own shit and holding it together.” I tried not to yell, but I wanted to drive the point home.
“You do know you’re not the only one who’s said that. Hell, my brother and I gave Dr. Bradford a run for his money, telling him to stick it where the sun didn’t shine and to stop analyzing the way we did things.” Rick admitted sheepishly.
“No shit?”
“The god-honest truth, man.” Rick cleared his throat. “Not to change the subject on you, but we need to get back to the point. I need you to read the manual regarding the island, familiarize yourself with the defenses set in place—feel free to add some of your own—and get acquainted with the terrain in the event you need to high-tail it out of there with an escape.
“Erica’s parents, Ivan and Sophia, are working feverishly to figure out who Victor Yoknovich has ties to, if anyone. We want to know if his old brotherhood is coming back into play, if he’s working alone, or what. So far, we’ve ruled out a couple of the former members and discovered they’re either working with a new family or holding down legitimate jobs. At the same time, my father is trying to use his connections with the government to see who the leak is in the FBI. None of those girls should’ve been hurt.”
I knew Erica would want to know t
his. Why I cared? I don’t know. “How are Erica’s friends? I know the one hit by the car died on the way to the hospital.”
“Casey, the one that was pushed down the stairs, is starting to improve. Her status was switched from critical to stable but guarded condition, so she’s still not out of the woods yet. As for Hannah, the one that had gone out for coffee and ended up beaten, she’s still critical, but the last brain scans showed a slight improvement, giving her family some hope. Unfortunately…” Rick’s words trailed off.
“What? Why did you hesitate?” I demanded.
You could hear the level of frustration in Rick’s voice. “We definitely have a leak. Our guys caught two of the government agents trying to suffocate the girls when they were finally alone in the room. We prevented anything from happening, but now we’re unsure of who to trust.”
Rick quickly reminded me, “Keep your eyes on Erica at all times. Don’t let her out of your sight. Her parents are depending on you to keep her safe, and you do the same. I’m out.”
Before I could respond, he hung up, but I wasn’t surprised. I could hear the background noise behind him going from quiet to a frenzy of activity. Something was going down, and, for once, I was glad I wasn’t a part of it. Just thinking about having to wear a suit again made my skin get itchy.
I glanced down at my watch and realized fifteen minutes was almost up, and I hadn’t heard a peep from Erica. I moved silently over to my door and opened it. Across the hall, I was surprised to see the door was wide open, revealing Erica sprawled out on the bed and still wearing her dress; however, the top part had slid down to her waist, allowing me to take in what a lovely sight she was in her white lace sheer push-up bra. Keep your mind on the job at hand, soldier. Stop thinking with your other head.
I walked over, intending to wake her, but she looked too angelic, not the spitfire I’d become accustomed to over the past few hours. I felt the coolness of the air conditioner blowing her direction and noted the gooseflesh forming on her skin. Looking around the room, I spotted a lightweight blanket draped across the back of a chair and grabbed it. Hoping not to wake her, I gently covered her up, and she seemed to relax into the bed, more peaceful than I’d ever seen her.
Jonas's Redemption: A Standalone Romantic Suspense (Titan Security Book 2) Page 6