by Trisha Telep
She hadn’t even noticed the gun before. “I just wished for a gun. How convenient.” She reached for it.
He pulled his arm back. “Brat, I’m not giving you my gun. I held it up for show and tell only.”
Fuming, she marched into her room and hauled her backpack up so she could slip her arms through the straps. “Sweets. Brat. I prefer neither nickname so how about you just call me Erica. And when we get out of here, you can never call me again.”
He started to smile and she tightened her hands into fists. Lucky for him, he said nothing, merely turned to walk towards the back of the house. She sent one last, longing glance at the room she’d set up with her computer equipment and sighed. Reyes would send in men to take it all. She really liked that laptop, too. “Oh wait.” Dashing into the room, she unplugged a USB cord and slipped the small attached hard drive into her backpack.
He didn’t follow her into the room – probably because the light was still on and the windows uncovered – instead lurked in the dark hallway. “I said I didn’t want us hauling stuff around.”
“That drive holds over two hundred gigs of information and has enough data to put Reyes away. It’s a sweet, sweet piece of hardware and since it’s the size of a cell phone . . .” She paused, walked back into the hallway and glared into dark-brown eyes. “I don’t think it’ll slow us down.”
“Cheeky,” he muttered, shaking his head as he turned away. “Always cheeky.”
“I said the name is Erica.”
Cheeky or not, Erica Falk was all grown up now.
Marcus had years of training, yet one glance into that open bathroom window had almost gotten him killed.
Reyes’ man had actually spotted him first. He’d never admit to that. Never admit to being caught like a deer in headlights when he glimpsed a nude Erica in the bright window. That incredible body – the one she’d bared to him way too early – had changed. It was a little rounder. In all the right places. She still ran. He could tell by the whipcord leanness of her legs, the strong muscles in her thighs and her beautiful, toned backside. Her skin glowed, made his fingers itch.
Marcus moved through the small living area of the cabin towards the back door. Erica stayed close behind him, her strawberry shampoo teasing his senses, reminding him of that night in his dorm. He’d said no back then, but not right away. He had touched first. Felt her against him. Memorized her smells.
It had taken years to get the memory of her out of his pores.
And now, he had to keep her alive through unfamiliar woods with a raging hard-on.
He should be fired.
At the door, he picked up the night-vision goggles he’d dropped just inside, put them on his head, but not over his eyes yet, then glanced at Erica. “On the way here, mosquitoes nearly ate me alive. Do you want to grab longer pants or something?”
“Wait,” she hissed. “The spray!”
She dashed back into the hallway and returned with the can he’d knocked out of her hands earlier. After spraying a mist of it over her legs, arms and neck, she handed him the can. “Do my back then use some yourself.”
He eyed the can. Raised his eyebrows. “You were going to spray this in my eyes earlier?”
“Yep.”
“Good idea.” He sprayed it over her whole back, clothes and all, then sprayed a bunch in the air and walked through it. They didn’t have any more time for finesse.
Erica coughed and waved her hands in the air. “Trying to poison us first?”
“This stuff does make a good weapon. A shot in the eyes would have given you a decent running start.” He turned back to the door, eyes burning a little. “We should hurry. The man I knocked out is tied up – can’t hurt us – but we’ve still dawdled too long.”
“Lead the way.”
“Don’t let go of my hand.” Marcus wrapped his fingers around hers and looked through the small window in the door, scanning the woods for any signs of movement. Moonlight filled the small clearing, but the forest beyond was pitch black. He held his gun ready and pulled her with him, opening and then shutting the door behind them.
The stretch of grass behind the cabin was only about ten yards deep, so they made the cover of trees fast. If any more of Reyes’ goons had been out there, they would have tried a shot. He’d scouted the area thoroughly and was pretty sure there had been only the man posted, but he’d also stood staring into her bathroom longer than he should have. Watched her drying off after her shower longer than he should have.
Yeah, he should be fired.
An owl hooted somewhere close by and the sound flowed into a natural symphony with the throaty croaks of frogs, the flapping of wings, different bird calls and crickets – so much noise, it blanketed their steps. The damp ground helped, too. “You up for this? I’ll be able to see with my night-vision goggles, but you won’t. You’ll have to stay close to me.”
“I’m up for it. But can I wear them part of the time? Those are cool. Slimmer than the ones I’ve seen.”
Amusement curled in his chest. He should have known. Gadgets. “You can play with them after we get out of here safely.”
Marcus settled into a good pace, one that would let him watch out for obstacles like exposed tree roots and brush. It didn’t take long for sweat to soak through his jeans and T-shirt. He scanned the forest as his feet crunched twigs and undergrowth. He spotted movement a couple of times, but wrote it off as animals. The humidity sat heavy on his skin, reminding him of those seventeen-hour training days when he’d first joined the Marshal’s SOG programme. Hours running in sweltering heat, working on little sleep.
Erica stayed close, her body brushing his, doing its best to distract him. They were moving along the Cane River, the smell of warm, wet vegetation pungent. To their left, something big plopped into the water, splashed around. They were still pretty far from his truck, and he kept his voice down when he asked, “What started all this?”
“Gut suspicion,” she whispered. “I’m a part of this locked message board – mainly a bunch of tech geeks who hang out and talk code. One of them made what he thought was a joke, some random reference to young girls.” There was a scuffle, then what he thought was her elbow hit his back. “Crap, it’s really dark.” She put her hands on his waist, stepped closer. “Can’t explain it really. I just had this feeling. So I hacked his system.”
“And got Reyes?”
“Not at first. Took a while.” She dug her fingers into his sides. “What I did find made me sick. I kept digging and found one of the kids. Then I got obsessed with it. Man, Marcus, I saw things I wish I could forget.”
She stumbled and he turned to grab her arms so she didn’t fall. He couldn’t see the colour of her eyes through the goggles, but the ripping horror in her expression tore him up. “I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my job,” he said. “Even what you’ve seen. It’s not an easy thing to get out of your head.”
She briefly closed her eyes. “Every second I spend away from my computer feels like a betrayal to the kids I haven’t found. I just couldn’t stop, Marcus.”
He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her. “I promise to get all your hardware replaced as soon as we get you protected. We’ll set it up somewhere safe where you can track them all down. I’ll help.”
He shouldn’t. He should turn that hard drive over to his superiors and let them go after Reyes. But the determination in her eyes touched his soul. She needed to do this.
He understood that feeling all too well.
She stepped away, clenching her fists. “I’ve never been a violent person, never liked guns. But in the last few months, I’ve read and seen enough to know I could easily pull the trigger on Reyes – on anyone like him really.”
“I have,” he said softly.
She was so damned beautiful – even bathed in the green reflections from the trees. Sharp cheekbones, narrow chin and full, pink lips that had always drawn his gaze. He flashed back to her at sixteen and that one kiss he’d taken before
coming to his senses.
Marcus had been with several women since then and not one experienced kiss had compared to her eager, inexperienced one; to that unbearable excitement he’d felt in that small dorm room. His hands had trembled when he’d pushed her away and he’d been afraid he’d never breathe right again. Everything he’d felt since then had been nothing more than a shadow in comparison. But right now, in this dark forest with her pale face raised to his, those powerful feelings came rushing back.
He wondered if that desire he’d felt then, like now, had more to do with her and who she was – what she was to him – than just some horny kid’s reaction to a naked girl. Maybe he shouldn’t have felt so ashamed for wanting her then. His heart picked up rhythm. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek from his temple. She stared back and he knew she was lost in memories, too, because she surely couldn’t see much in the dark. He shook his head. They’d have to talk more. Later, when she was out of danger. “Come on, we should keep moving.”
She grabbed his arm. “Wait, just give me a couple more seconds.” She licked her lips. “I should have said this to you a long time ago,” she whispered. “You were right to push me away. You did the honourable thing.”
“I didn’t want to. God, I didn’t want to.”
Her smile tugged at his chest. Self-deprecating and nothing like the innocent, bright smiles she’d gifted him with before that night in his dorm. This one settled inside him – deep inside him. He needed to keep moving, to get her out of here, but he stood frozen. Stunned by the realization that he’d been carrying this emotion for a long, long time.
Erica placed her palm on his chest, smiled again when she felt the rapid thumps of his heart. “I arranged for Tony to be gone that night.”
“I know.”
“I was a stupid kid who thought she was a grown-up. I wanted you so much and nothing about it felt kidlike. I didn’t stop to think what that would do to you, what kind of trouble it could have caused you. I was selfish, immature and—”
Marcus put his hand over her mouth. Wanted to put his mouth there.
She growled at him.
He chuckled, but sobered quickly. “What you did, that kiss we shared, it’s nothing like what’s going on with Reyes, so I don’t want to see this expression in your eyes again. Our age difference wasn’t that big – we were both young.”
She pulled his hand away. “I know that. I do. But I was just so impulsive and stupid and later, all that anger . . . it wasn’t directed at you. It was all mine. And I didn’t know how to apologize. Was too ashamed of myself. So—” she sighed “—I was a bitch.”
“I wasn’t totally innocent, you know.” He tugged on her arm again. “Seriously, we’ll finish this in the truck.”
She followed behind him, held on to one of his belt loops. “Marcus, you were nineteen years old and Tony had told me you’d been without a girlfriend a long time. I walked out of your bathroom completely naked. You didn’t stand a chance.” He heard a slapping noise. “The bug spray isn’t working.”
“We’re sweating it off. And we need to pick up the pace. I should have called in my team – I trust them. But Tony thinks there’s a mole, that there could be more. Plus, I wrote Tony’s request off to brotherly overreaction.”
“But you came out anyway. Armed and with night goggles.”
“It’s good to be prepared.”
They came to a low wire fence and he plucked her off the ground and swung her over, murmuring in her ear as he did. “By the way, I liked it when you walked out of that bathroom naked. I liked your body at sixteen. Can’t lie about that. But it’s so much better now.”
Erica knew she should be terrified. Reyes had sent someone to get her, she would probably have to go into witness protection now that her brother had gotten the Marshals involved . . . and who knew where she would end up? But the relief she felt in finally apologizing trumped it all. And damn if she didn’t still want him. Wanted him so badly her body ached with the desire. It was hotter than Hades out here and there were bugs the size of her hand on that ground yet she wanted to throw him down and crawl on top of him.
This craving was no different than what she’d felt as a teenager, only then she’d been too young to handle it. He’d been young too. But strong. He’d wanted a career as a United States Marshal too much to throw it away on a one-night stand with an underage girl. At the time, she’d been angry. She’d wanted him to give up everything for her – no matter the cost.
She’d been such a selfish teenager.
She followed behind Marcus now, taking in the tight fit of his jeans, knowing he had to be dying from this heat in them. Eyeing his broad shoulders, she felt her belly tighten and wondered if that return desire she’d seen in his eyes had been real or a figment of her own desperate wishes. Ones that never went away, damn it.
Marcus suddenly stopped. He held up a hand for her to stop, too. She leaned against a tree and strained her ears to pick up any out of the ordinary sound from the cacophony of the woods at night. The voices trickled in, raising the fine hairs on her entire body. More than one person. Marcus pointed to the right and she peered through the thick foliage until she caught a spot of red. In the moonlit clearing, it stood out like a target among all the surrounding green and brown.
Two men, in suits of all things, peered into the truck windows.
Her heart threatened to beat through her ribcage. Marcus slid his gun from the hip holster. Motioned for her to stay behind the tree.
They waited. She guessed he expected them to leave, but when they finally moved, it was to come towards them. Blood rushed in her eardrums, her thoughts sped up until they became a jumble of incoherence. She’d spent years in aikido, mostly for fitness and self-discipline. But she’d picked up a few things and one was not to panic, to stay focused and to use whatever the enemy had against them.
Erica pulled air into her lungs then silently let it out. She focused inwards and found a core of strength she hadn’t expected. Frustration and protectiveness towards Marcus helped fuel it.
Right before the men stepped into their small clearing, Marcus held up the gun. “Stop right there.”
Both men did, but one snapped his gun up. Fired.
Marcus fired back.
Ears ringing and stunned, Erica plastered herself to the back of the tree. In the movies, they always stood around and aimed the guns at each other for a while. And talked!
Sweat poured down her face and neck. Rough bark scraped her bare skin. Something crawled over her hands, yet she couldn’t move. Until she realized they’d stopped firing. She peeked around the tree, her gaze zeroing in on the one suit down. Another gunshot rang out and she ducked back, covered her ears, then squatted low to steal another look. The other suit was running her way.
She gulped, dropped her backpack and rummaged for the bug spray. She released a huge cloud into the air. Pushing away from the tree, she crouched. The suit hit that toxic air, stumbled, and Erica was ready. Shifting her weight to the balls of her feet, she grabbed his suit jacket in two fists and used his weight and momentum to throw him back over her head.
He smacked into a tree. Staggering to his feet, he snarled at her, swiped at eyes that were probably burning from the spray and pulled up his gun.
Marcus shoved her to the ground and fired. The bullet ripped through the man’s cheek. The spray of blood made a sickening, splattering noise on the surrounding trees and leaves. Erica closed her eyes and gagged. She coughed up bug spray, rubbed her own streaming eyes.
Marcus sat on the ground and pulled her into his lap. “Are you OK?”
“Yeah.” She put a hand on her churning stomach, looked at Marcus to keep from looking at either of the dead men. Her hair had been pulled loose and several strands stuck to her sweaty cheek. “Think there are more?”
He nodded, tucked her hair behind her ears. “I think there will be a lot more. This has turned into a lot more than a favour for a friend. I’ve got to call it in, get my team out
here. Then we’re going to get you somewhere safe. I promised your brother. Besides, he’ll kick my ass if anything else happens to you.” He used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe her eyes. “Sorry, no handkerchief.”
She tried to smile but failed. The burning in her eyes made her blink. “Shit, you can take Tony. He’s been behind a desk for two years.”
“Most of your life has been behind a desk and you just sent a man twice your size flying. Pretty impressive.” He pulled her closer, pressed his hands tight to her back. “I like you in my lap,” he whispered. “A lot.”
She didn’t say anything. Just held her breath, closed her eyes. She’d wanted this man for so long and had never thought either of them could get past the humiliation of her ill-conceived advance that night.
He rubbed his hands up and down her back, tucked his face in her neck and inhaled. “You smell like bug spray and strawberries. Hot. And that move? Where you made him fly? Also hot.”
“Aikido,” she whispered, turning her face, then resting her lips against the stubbly skin of his chin. He went still when she kissed his jaw. “Tony insisted I learn self-defence.”
“About your brother,” he murmured. “He saved my life once, when we went out together on our first mission – before he left to join the Feds. I made a stupid mistake, ended up losing a prisoner and gaining a wicked knife wound in the leg. Tony caught the guy, saved my ass before I could bleed out. He called me tonight. Asked me to return the favour. But Erica—” he paused, looked at her “—I didn’t come out here just because he asked.”
She smiled.
“So how do you think he’ll feel about you dating a US Marshal? He once told me he’d rather see you alone than with someone who carries a gun.”
“I don’t care.” She rubbed her hands over his shoulders, down his chest – nearly groaning over the muscles she felt under that damp T-shirt. They both needed a shower. And maybe a place away from all the dead bodies. “Am I going to be dating a US Marshal?”
He slid his hands up her back, under her hair, and cupped the back of her head. He stared into her eyes for what felt like for ever. She saw the same glittering need she’d witnessed so many years ago and this time he didn’t hold anything back. He let her see the strength of that need, let it flow into her body through his touch.