by Mighty Men
“Nate!” Colby screamed again. Kneeling beside them, Donovan looked up. “He’s all right, but he was stabbed when I approached. Get him back to the hut and stay there.”
“Nate?” Colby didn’t know who to trust. Even though he watched Donovan take out two men for the sake of saving Nate. Who drew on him? Who was close enough to stab Nate in the gut?
Only Donovan, he convinced himself. No one else was close enough.
Colby pulled Donovan off of him and glared into his eyes. “You think I’m stupid? You son of a bitch!”
Nate shook his head and swiped at his eyes, pushing himself up. “It’s a scrape,” he told them, standing. “And...” he knelt down and picked up a hunting knife covered in blood and sand. Instantly, he held his palm to his stomach. “I know who threw this one.” Looking around, he said. “You were wrong, Colby. They’ve sent in a woman, and she’s mingling with the tourists.”
Chapter Eighteen
“Tell me I have dead ISOs,” Admiral Shoemaker barked when he answered the phone the following evening.
He instantly heard the reply he waited all night to receive. “Three.”
Shoemaker smiled. “Excellent! Remind me to increase your salary next month. You completed the mission long before expectations.”
A long silence separated the distance, and Shoemaker’s mood quickly soured. “You don’t mean three targets, do you?”
“No, sir.”
“Three of ours?”
“Yes, sir.”
“What the fuck happened out there?”
The female ISO in charge said, “Sir, we had a few complications with the plan we put in place. There were too many tourists on the beach after the explosion, and we didn’t see Donovan Collier after Francisco moved into plain sight.”
“What do you mean you didn’t see him?”
“He appeared out of nowhere and yanked Francisco under his body to shield him or maybe to use him as one. Then, he took out two of our guys with combat knives.
Shoemaker rubbed his chin. Donovan Collier delivered more kills by deadly knife throws than most ISOs claimed with their guns. “You said we have three dead?”
“Yes, sir. A sniper’s rifle took out the third.”
Shoemaker swallowed hard. “You’re sure it was a sniper?” He knew who favored those more than anyone in the field.
“Yes, and Admiral Shoemaker?”
“What is it?” he snapped.
“I don’t think the shooter was Carrington. Colby was on the beach rushing for the other two when the shot fired.”
Damn it! “I see.”
“So we may, in fact, have four targets?”
Shoemaker thoughtfully considered the ISO’s question. Then, he said, “No, I don’t think so. If you have another shooter, she’s going to get in the way, maybe even in the line of fire.”
“She?” the operative questioned.
Shoemaker hung up the phone. He didn’t want to explain. He cursed himself for allowing Karen Whitaker to leave his office armed with contempt. He wouldn’t grant her the satisfaction of having a professional hit out for her. Oh no, he’d deal with her all by himself.
* * * *
Sharon looked at Darby. Her pale face flashed a hint of her confusion and her eyes burned bright with betrayal. For the last few days, they dined in the lunch hall together and enjoyed long conversations. Now, Darby had the young nurse tied and bound to a chair in a hallway closet while he quickly changed into her nurse's uniform.
Under most circumstances, he might have felt guilty.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, ripping the back out of the scrubs she typically wore. “I won’t make it past security.”
She shook her head and tried to mumble something. The gag he placed in her mouth prevented her words from forming. She continually shivered.
Darby pulled a white blanket from one of the linen shelves and tossed the cotton material over her trembling body. “Sharon,” he said coolly, “I want to thank you for all of this. You’ll never know how much I appreciate you.”
Her eyes widened, and the tears fell. He swiped them away and framed her face.
“I’m not crazy,” he began. “I’m gay. I’m a gay man with a father who is in a high-ranking position in the military. He arranged all of this.”
She closed her eyes. Poor thing probably thought he was indeed psychotic and very delusional.
“Listen to me,” he said, dropping to his knees and placing his palms on hers. “I’m really not sick. I’m in love with a man. That’s all. If love makes a person crazy, then I can only hope I remain forever insane.”
She blinked a few times.
He rose and continued to try and work her scrubs over him. They were far too short, and if anyone moved his long coat out of the way, they would instantly realize another problem, too. He wasn’t the appropriate owner of nurse’s scrubs.
Taking a deep breath, he started to turn the doorknob, but then paused and said, “I know I don’t have the right to ask you this, but if you happen to see or hear from my father, do me a favor?”
She glared at him, and he waited only a second for a grunt or mumble. When he didn’t receive either, he said, “Tell him I’ve gone to find Donovan. And tell him when I do, I plan to love him for a lifetime.”
* * * *
Darby was in touch with one of the ISO commanders within the hour. He asked to meet him privately and fully anticipated the arrival of his father. Commander Lucas showed up all alone, as he originally promised.
Meeting in a warehouse, Darby watched him for about ten minutes before he swung from the rafters and landed in front of him.
“Darby,” Commander Lucas greeted him. “I see you’re up to your usual tactics.”
“Thank you for meeting me,” he said, shaking the commander’s hand when he offered an open palm.
Commander Lucas narrowed his gaze. “What’s this about, Darby?”
“I’m not sick,” he said, quickly moving past any possible judgments.
“I never thought you were, and if I had, you would’ve met an army here today, or at least your father.”
“All right,” Darby said. “So you came here alone?”
“You already know I did, or else you wouldn’t have shown your face. What can I do for you, Darby?”
“I want to find Donovan Collier.”
“I can’t help you.”
“Commander, you know where he is.”
He shook his head. “Even if I did, Darby, I wouldn’t tell you.”
Darby flinched. Hell yeah, he knew where he was. He could lead him there. “Do I have anything I can trade you for the information?”
“I never took you for one to swap tales and favors.”
“I need to find Collier.”
“Why not call him by his first name, even with me? I know the two of you were lovers.”
Darby nodded. “Okay, so you know. I don’t care. I need to find him, and you’re my only hope.”
“What if he doesn’t want to be found?”
“I think my father has something planned for him,” he quickly stated.
“Like what?”
Darby paced, scratching his head. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.”
“I need something to go on more than your gut.”
“Why? The best ISOs out there today are those with a sixth sense no one can match.”
“You expect me to give up another ISO’s location based on your gut instinct?”
“Yes,” Darby said.
“No, Darby. I’m sorry, but your request isn’t related to business. It’s personal, and I can’t get involved.”
“My father is going to kill him,” he blurted out.
Commander Lucas tugged at his long suit sleeves. He still wore his military uniform even though he had been an independent special operative and later a commanding officer within the group for over fifteen years.
“You’re making foul accusations,” he said.
> “It’s true.”
“On what basis?” Commander Lucas demanded clarification.
“I know this sounds—”
“Insane?” he asked. “You’re damn right.”
“No, listen to me,” Darby pleaded. “Dad has a hatred for Donovan. He also has equal disgust for Colby Carrington.”
Raising a brow, he asked, “Carrington? What does Casey Carrington’s boy have to do with this?”
The son of one of the most affluent senators in the nation gained the attention Darby desired. “Colby is with Donovan isn’t he?”
Commander Lucas changed his stance. He stared at Darby and said, “I can’t help you.”
“Do you know why they’re together?”
“They’re on a mission, Darby. That’s all. They’re on a mission with—” Commander Lucas stopped. “Oh. My. God.”
“If you don’t tell me where I can find them, then you’re allowing my father to take out ISOs who’ve had millions of dollars invested in their training and salaries, never mind their weapons and equipment.”
“Darby, what do you know about Nate Francisco?”
Darby stared at him in disbelief. No one mentioned Francisco to him. “Only rumors.”
“Are the rumors true?”
“Are you kidding me? My father, queer? Commander, that’s far-fetched and a rumor without substance. Remember why my dad sent me away.”
“Nate Francisco and Colby Carrington are two seasoned operatives working on a secret mission only four commanding officers have recently uncovered. The mission lacked merit. Francisco and Carrington are with Donovan.”
Darby’s mouth fell open with his plea. “You gotta tell me where they are. My father is going to kill them.”
“And you’re basing this on what?” he demanded again.
The truth hit him square in the face. “He’s removing the obstacles in my life while doing away with the one distraction he has in his. Now, Commander Lucas, where will I find these three operatives, and what are you going to do to help save our organization from losing three of its best men?”
Chapter Nineteen
Three Days Later
“Nate,” Donovan said, joining him on the beach, “Colby’s been sitting on the porch for the last hour with his sights on you. Don’t you think you could come back to the hut and give the poor guy a break?”
“I didn’t ask him to cover me,” Nate bit out, staring at the water.
“He’s got your back anyway.”
Nate stared at the calm waters. “And what about you, Donovan? Do you have my back?” Slowly, he turned and faced the man he wanted to trust.
Raising a brow, he said, “What are you asking me?”
Nate took a deep breath. “They say a killer knows when his time is up. There’s something about death and the way it whispers for a man. I’ve heard an assassin who spills blood for a living is unable to smell the stench spilling from his victims when their own blood boils hot. Their own death scent fills their nostrils and consumes them. Some killers claim when it’s an assassin’s turn to die, death chases him straight into his grave. Assassins wait for death with honor, but because they wait, they become careless and easy targets.”
“Have you been drinking?” Donovan asked.
“No,” he said cupping Donovan’s neck. Gazing into his eyes, he said, “I want to know where you stand.”
“You know.”
Nate allowed a smile to shape his lips. “If I did, I wouldn’t ask.”
Donovan caressed his knee. God help him, the feel of Donovan’s hand squeezing his leg left him longing for more.
“I’m fighting with you, Nate.”
“And by taking my side, you stand with Colby, too,” he stated flatly.
“Yes,” he said. “And even that damnable Karen.”
Nate chuckled. “She’s growing on me.”
Donovan reached over and patted Nate's erection. “I’m growing on you.”
Nate licked his lips. “Yeah, maybe,” he said, standing.
Donovan pressed his palm to Nate’s cock. “Want me to remind you of why we make a good team?”
Nate noticed the deserted beach then. Unusual for the time of day, it made him quickly turn and look toward their island accommodations. “Where did you say Colby is?”
“On the porch,” Donovan muttered, kneeling in front of him and using his teeth to tease by taking the band of his shorts between them.
“Donovan, get up,” Nate spat before taking off in a sprint, drawing his gun in the process. The butt of the gun snagged at the back of his belt, causing the fear to spin with more certainty. Colby was in danger. They left themselves open for target practice, and Colby became the bull's-eye.
“Nate, wait!”
Nate heard Colby’s voice right as panic struck. He turned around, and spotted Donovan who pointed toward a nearby hut. There, hunched low, he saw Colby pointing toward their cabana. “They have Karen.”
“Shit!” Nate bit out, joining him with Donovan on his heels. “How’d they get inside?”
“Came through the back,” Colby said. “I didn’t have time to get in there. She yelled out something about two visitors, and then I heard a yelp.”
“Is she still alive?” Donovan asked.
“I don’t know,” Colby said. “I couldn’t get close enough to peek in the windows.”
“Hell no, you couldn’t,” Nate snapped.
Donovan shook his head. “Of course not, we have to protect the inexperienced team members.”
Colby clenched his fists. “Shut the fuck up, Collier.”
Nate quickly analyzed their current position. He looked to the left and then the right. A sniper could take all three of them out from Donovan’s bedroom window. “We have to move. Split up, now!”
Hurriedly, he rolled under the porch, kicking out the latticework around the structure. He never saw where Donovan disappeared to, but Colby soon showed up on the other side of the porch, crawling under the interlace grid and sliding under the house too.
“I said, split up.”
“Shit, Nate. We both know you’re going for the water. I can cover you better from here.”
“I’m not moving toward the sea until nightfall.”
“She’ll be dead by then.”
Nate pursed his lips. Yes, more than likely, the lovely Karen Whitaker would meet her death before they had the chance to save her. Unless, of course, the sneaking suspicion he had from the beginning held some measure of truth and accuracy.
“She’s on the inside,” he said.
Colby glared at him. “There’s no way.”
“Yes,” he whispered. “She is.”
“She took out one of Shoemaker’s guys,” Colby reminded him.
“For show,” he said. “She’s looking to make a name for herself.”
“Bullshit, Nate. You’re paranoid.”
“No,” he balked. “I think she wants to establish herself as a natural born killer, maybe even move into the position of a training commander once Shoemaker is removed.”
“Removed?”
“Hell yes,” Nate said. “And see, that’s where we come in. Karen needs us to draw out Shoemaker. When we dispose of the ISOs he’s sent in here, he’ll come to Rarotonga himself. She needs us to take him out.”
“When did you come up with such a theory?”
“About the time you said someone came through the back door. Karen had the damn thing locked and wired. The back of the hut would’ve blown to hell and back if someone triggered the door by walking inside.”
“Who rigged the device?” Colby asked cautiously.
“Karen,” Nate said. “And she didn’t know I saw her run the wire.”
“So you’re saying she had to disable it?”
“Exactly. Donovan didn’t know about the door. An outside invasion guaranteed a small explosion. I looked. No one was at risk if they opened the door from the inside, but an outsider turning the knob would’ve had less than five seco
nds.”
“So they’re not going to hurt her?”
They heard someone step out onto the porch, and Nate pressed his finger to his lips and held his palm to Colby’s mouth. When the front screen slammed and the intruder walked back inside, Nate said, “She took a damn gamble when she turned on us, but I’m willing to bet she forms an alliance with the guys upstairs.”
“What if she’s testing us? What if she wants to know where our loyalty lies as much as we’ve wanted to know whether or not we could trust her?”
“Too damn bad,” Nate growled. “She fucked up if she put us on trial. I won’t risk our necks to save hers. Not now, not ever.”
* * * *
Karen made a serious error in judgment when she released the wire on the back door. She wanted to open up the back of the house and allow the breeze to blow through the cabana. She never counted on company in the middle of the afternoon.
The ISOs holding her had cold eyes. They were young and green, and both men had something to prove. She understood the young guns and the way they thought. They wanted to take their shots, have their first assignments complete and tidy so they could earn their first paycheck and receive their well earned praise.
The two operatives secured her in a fetal position, bound by her hands and feet. Then, they left her on the floor. She looked around for anything she could later use, a hidden knife or even a razor blade. If she found anything to cut the ropes confining her, she’d run like hell and find Nate.
Oh, God, where was Nate? Why wasn’t he there to save her?
She swallowed hard. What if he still didn’t trust her? What if they were going to let her take the first fall for them simply because of a grave error, a mistake she shouldn’t have made?
She heard an operative say something about Shoemaker. Then, the other one left the room. She heard some low babbling, a conversation in progress a few rooms down the hall. Unable to make out the words, she tried to remain calm and think of a plan to put into motion, but strategies were hard to devise given her current predicament.