by Amy Gamet
“That’s right. Just like I killed the prince.”
The princess screamed hysterically and fought back against Beaudreau, swinging and punching. Her first outburst knocked his weapon to the floor. Beaudreau met Cowboy's eyes across the darkness.
Cowboy fired directly into the other man’s head. The first mate went down, his head hitting the floor with a sickening smack.
The princess covered her mouth but kept screaming. Cowboy went and put his arm around her. “It’s okay now, your highness.”
“I want my husband. He killed my husband.”
“Shh…” He tried to soothe her but his own emotions were screaming. It had been his job to protect them both, and his fault her husband was dead.
He thought of the avalanche rolling down the hill, coming to destroy everything in its path. He’d made a decision that had brought his whole world caving in on him.
He thought of the love that was so clear between Violet and Hugo. Love like that deserved to live, and his actions had stomped it out.
A man called over the princess’s sobs. “Vi?”
“Hugo!” She dashed out of Cowboy’s arms and into the darkness. The lights came on just as they reached each other, her sobs of relief mixing with the prince’s calming tones. He had a large bloody wound on his forehead.
I could love Charlotte like that.
He shook his head to clear it. Matteo crossed to him. “Where was he?” asked Cowboy.
“The cooler.”
“Anything else back there?”
“Computers, walkie-talkies, a whole bunch of shit.”
“But no Abby?”
“Nope. No Abby.”
Cowboy nodded. “Come on, we’ve got to move. The ship is wired to blow up in less than an hour and we have to evacuate the ship.”
26
“Come on, come on, we need to hurry!” Cowboy’s voice was getting hoarse from yelling over the crowd. He was directing people to lifeboats, keenly aware of the passage of time. Assuming all the bombs were timed in synch with the one from the theater, they had exactly thirty-five minutes until they went off, destroying the ship.
“We’re not going to make it,” he said to Prince Hugo.
“The International Maritime Organization mandates cruise ships are able to accomplish a full evacuation in thirty minutes or less. We’ll make it,” said the prince.
Hugo stuck his head inside the door of the lifeboat. “When you hit the water, start the engine and taxi as far away from the ship as possible.” He lowered the third mega lifeboat into the water with nearly four hundred people on board.
“Lucky for us you knew how to work those things. Jax said you were in the navy.”
“La Royale. The French Navy.” He turned to his wife. “I want you on the next boat, mon chou.”
She grabbed his arm. “No. I’m staying with you.”
“I will work faster if I know you are safe.”
She shook her head. “You can tell me to bugger off all you like. I’m still not going.”
Cowboy moved to the next boat down, opening the door on each end and herding people on board. He checked his watch. Twenty-seven minutes left. He went back to the previous boat, gave them the same instructions Hugo had given the others, and lowered it into the ocean.
Hawk and Jax came up behind him with the captain on a stretcher. “I can walk,” grumbled the captain, and the men helped him board a lifeboat.
“How are we doing?” asked Jax.
“Twenty-five minutes and thousands of people still on board. Stay here. Pack them in tight. No empty seats. I’m going to start the next boat. Let me know when this one’s ready to hit the water,” said Cowboy. He grabbed Hawk and did the same thing at the next lifeboat.
The crowd was thinning quickly. Ten more minutes and one more round of mega lifeboats, and the last of the passengers climbed inside. Cowboy lowered it to the water as his eyes met Charlotte’s some twenty feet away.
She was beautiful, standing there, and her attention was solely focused on him. They hadn’t gotten the rest of their week. Her eyes seemed to be screaming it to him, as if he didn’t remember. They’d only had two days together, and it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even close to enough.
He had to see her again, the consequences be damned. But first he had to get her, the royals and all of HERO Force off this boat. He opened the next lifeboat. “Get inside, all of you,” he said over his shoulder. “We are running out of time.”
A voice behind Cowboy stopped him cold. “You’re out of time already.”
Abby.
He turned his head to face her. She held a gun, but the explosives around her waist were what really drew his attention. The red digital timer just like the one on the bomb he had defused was centered like a belt buckle. Someone gasped loudly.
Cowboy held up his hands. “What do you want?”
“You ruined my show. We were supposed to get to Nassau right when the sun was setting. The explosions would’ve been beautiful, the beach loaded with tourists to take pictures. Think of it. The video would have gone viral before anyone could stop it.”
She looked at the royals, her expression full of hatred. “You two would be dead, along with thousands of Americans. Then maybe the world would pay attention.”
“To what?” asked the princess. “So much wasted life. To what end have you construed this horror?”
“The life you lead of excess and greed is an abomination. This boat is a testament to an offensive way of life. We are doing God’s will, showing the world what will happen to people like you.”
On the other side of Abby, the prince gestured to Cowboy, making a gun out of his thumb and forefinger. He was asking if Cowboy still had his weapon, which he did. He still had his hands up, and he curled in four fingers to give Hugo the thumbs up.
“The passengers on the lifeboats will be our witnesses,” said Abby. “They have their cell phones, I’m sure. Americans wouldn’t go anywhere without them. They will take videos of the explosion, this false idol going up in flames, with part of the royal family aboard.” She smiled. “Such a tragedy.”
Cowboy knew they had only minutes to evacuate the ship before the bombs exploded, killing them all.
Prince Hugo yelled loudly and Abby turned toward him. Cowboy reached for his weapon, knowing he had only seconds and a single shot to take her down.
Hugo charged Abby and she raised her weapon just as Cowboy raised his to shoot her.
Cowboy was faster on the trigger. He struck her twice in the back. She went down face-first onto the deck, her arms not even coming up to break her fall.
She was dead.
“Run!” screamed Hugo.
“Get in the lifeboat!” yelled Cowboy. “Now!”
Everyone scurried to get inside, the prince and Cowboy the last remaining. “Get in, your highness,” Cowboy said.
“Someone has to lower the boat into the water. There’s an inflatable chute for him to get into the boat once it’s down.”
“There’s no time.” Cowboy pushed the prince inside and closed the hatch. He started the lifeboat descending to the water’s surface.
He saw the chute the prince was talking about, a sealed and folded up package with cartoon directions. He looked at his watch.
Two minutes left!
He leaned over the railing to watch the lifeboat carrying Charlotte, HERO Force, and the royals until it touched down, then he ran as hard and fast as he could in the opposite direction the lifeboat was headed.
He cleared the last of the still-hanging lifeboats and hopped over the railing like a gymnast over a vault. He seemed to hang in the air as the water rushed up to meet him. The deafening blast of the first explosion sounded just as he touched the water.
The surface tension made his entrance feel like he was crashing through steel, then there was only cold, pain, and disorientation. An old childhood story came to his mind as he swam to reach the surface, the golden light of the ship on fire above him.
Brer Rabbit and the briar patch.
The ocean was a death trap to most people, but it was home to a SEAL. He broke the surface and took a huge breath of air, the heat from the burning ship too close for comfort. He ducked back under water and swam toward the lifeboats, knowing he was saved.
They were all going to be okay.
27
Cowboy drove from HERO Force headquarters right to Logan’s condo and knocked on the door. It was sunny and warm, four days after they’d returned from the cruise, and he’d gotten up bright and early for his meeting with Jax.
To Cowboy’s surprise, Jax had nothing but praise for him on the mission, until he got to the part about Charlotte being there. Once Cowboy made it clear he hadn’t invited her on the trip, Jax was willing to let it go.
HERO Force was officially Cowboy’s responsibility. Jax would stay on working part time, but he’d no longer be calling the shots or going on the longer missions once they got their staffing up to where they needed it to be.
The hiring would be up to Cowboy.
Now he just needed to talk to Logan on neutral turf before they went back to the office with him as Logan’s boss. They had a new assignment he’d just heard about over the weekend, and everyone but Matteo would be going wheels up first thing Tuesday morning.
Matteo had a different assignment. Apparently Jax owed some Russian dignitary a favor big enough to marry off one of HERO Force’s men to the dignitary’s daughter for a month-long undercover op. Cowboy wasn’t sure about the details, but he was thoroughly amused by what he did know.
Logan opened the door to Cowboy and his face settled into an unpleasant expression.
“Can I come in?” asked Cowboy.
Logan stepped back for him to enter. “Charlotte isn’t here.”
So that was it. He’d wondered if she would stick around, maybe even contact him, but in the end she’d left Atlanta altogether. “Actually, I came to talk to you.”
Logan led the way into a small kitchen with blue countertops, opened the fridge, and took out two beers. He handed one to Leo. “What do you want, Cowboy?”
“I know it wasn’t cool to go after your sister like I did. For what it’s worth, I tried for a long time to stay away from her for your sake.”
“Did you? I hope exercising that kind of restraint didn’t cause any permanent damage. How long did you stay away, what, a few months?”
Cowboy took a sip of his drink. “Go ahead, man. This is only going to work if we both say what we’ve got to say.” He shrugged. “I deserve it.”
Logan shook his head. “I know she came to you. I’m not stupid. She saw the travel information on my computer and she took it upon herself to book the same cruise.” He eyed Cowboy for a long minute. “I know it was just as much her fault as yours. I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
“We’re all grown-ups, Logan. Everybody gets to make their own decisions.”
“Yeah, and you seem to make bad ones where women are concerned.”
“Ouch.”
“So what now? You pretend you didn’t break her heart and I pretend it didn’t bother me?”
Cowboy laughed against the mouth of his beer. “Trust me. I didn’t break her heart, and I see she didn’t lose any time getting the hell out of Dodge.”
“Why? Did you want to see her again? Didn’t get to do enough damage the first time? I know your cruise got cut short and all.”
“Actually, I did want to see her again. She’s the one who didn’t want to see me. Okay? Not that it’s any of your business, but I called her the day after we got off the boat. She didn’t call me back.”
He’d stood there on the dock at Nassau as all the passengers and police sorted through the chaos, watching her. She’d been standing a ways away with a red blanket wrapped around her shoulders, talking to Logan, and all Cowboy wanted to do was walk over there and pull her into his arms.
But she wouldn’t make eye contact with him, even though she knew he was there, and she stayed close to her brother. The message seemed loud and clear enough. The cruise was over, and so was their relationship.
She’d flown back to Atlanta on the HERO Force chopper with the team. She’d only looked at him once that he saw, offering him a small smile.
I’m sorry.
She didn’t need words to say it, and he certainly didn’t want to hear it anyway.
“Why did you call her?” asked Logan.
“Because I missed her. I wanted to see if she was okay.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I wanted to see if she wanted to have dinner with me one night.”
“Okay.” Charlotte’s voice behind him had him whirling around. She stood in the kitchen doorway and she smiled at him, a big, wide smile totally unlike the one she’d given him in the chopper. She looked different without makeup on. More beautiful, if that was possible.
He opened his arms and she stepped into them, squeezing him tightly. She smelled like candy instead of perfume, and he found he liked that, too. “I thought you left town,” he said.
“I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
“I told you I did.”
“But then you wouldn’t even look at me in the chopper…” He turned to Logan. “Would you excuse us for a minute?”
Logan rolled his eyes but left the room.
Cowboy looked back at Charlotte. “I thought you changed your mind. That you just wanted an escape on the boat, like I was your boy toy.”
She laughed. “Oh, you are my boy toy, all right.” She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him. “And you owe me five more days in bed, thank you very much. Then you can take me to dinner.”
“I might have to split it up between HERO Force trips to South America and Nova Scotia.”
“That’s okay. I’m moving in with Logan next week, so I’m going to be around for a while.”
“Moving in with Logan, huh?” He rubbed his nose against hers. “I hope he has really thick walls,” he whispered.
Logan called from the other room. “You’re not funny, Cowboy.”
Cowboy and Charlotte laughed.
“I am, actually. I’m really funny. Aren’t I funny?”
Charlotte shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Shut up and kiss me, Leo.”
28
Charlotte lay in the dark, her head resting on Cowboy's chest. She was smiling a smile she thought might never leave her face. She’d been in Atlanta for almost a month, and in Leo’s bed nearly half of those nights.
His hand trailed over the sensitive flesh from her shoulder blade to the small of her back and she sighed. It wasn't just sex. It was the way he touched her. The way that touch made her feel. A hundred men could sleep with her blindfolded, and she would be able to pick out Cowboy’s touch from them all.
It didn't just touch her skin. It touched her soul.
She loved him. It was too soon to say the words, but she knew it was true.
She turned her head, letting his chest hair tickle her lips and kissing his warm, salty skin. She wanted to taste all of him, feel every bit of his body, every smooth muscle and rough callus he had. She lifted herself up to a sitting position, straddling him, and met his eyes in the dimly lit room. The look he was giving her was so serious she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking.
She leaned forward and kissed his lips.
She felt him growing hard again and she lifted her hips to settle him inside her. She raised and lowered her body onto his, then arched backward to brace herself on his legs.
“No. Stay with me,” he growled, pulling her back up to a sitting position and staring into her eyes.
There were a hundred emotions in the depths of his stare, and she was drawn to every one. He wrapped his arms tightly around her hips and rocked with her, his eyes never leaving hers.
“I love you,” he said.
Her mouth opened in shock. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. She touched his face, running her fingers along the
stubble as her eyes began to burn with emotion. “I love you, too.”
He threaded his fingers into her hair and pulled her down for his kiss, then flipped her onto her back and followed her down. She was flying high on emotion, and when her orgasm came, it seemed to overtake her body, mind, and soul.
She wound her legs around him, knowing she’d never truly made love to another man before Leo Wilson.
They held hands as their bodies cooled.
“Too soon?” asked Leo. “I know we haven’t been together very long.”
“Not too soon.” She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his knuckles. “I’ve known I loved you since I was standing on the dock in Nassau.”
“You wouldn’t even look at me.”
“I know. I was crying because I didn’t think I’d get to be with you again and I didn’t want you to see.”
“I knew it when I was loading the lifeboats. You looked at me in the middle of that chaos, and everything just stopped.”
She remembered that moment well. Not knowing if they were going to live or die. Not knowing if he cared for her.
“I have some time off coming up at the end of the month,” he said. “I thought I would take you on a cruise.”
She cringed. “Over my dead body!”
He laughed. “I’m kidding. How about the monster truck rally at the Colosseum?”
“Now you’re speaking my language.” She sighed, a happy, contented sound. “Say it again, Leo.”
“Monster truck rally.”
She hit his arm.
He laughed. “I love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I love you and I’m never going to let you go.”
Married to the SEAL
1
The only thing Mason Petrovich liked better than setting a bomb had been fucking the president’s daughter. And that had been setting a bomb, too, if you thought about it. A political one.
Except she took nine months to detonate.
She gave birth already, but they were keeping the explosion under wraps as best they could. He chuckled. You couldn’t keep explosions under wraps for long.