Adam bounced over the uneven gravel road following the directions he’d been given by Frank’s foreman. They’d arrived at the ranch to find Spencer rounding up a crew and overnight gear to head out and help Frank take down a suspected rustling ring. Trust Frank to find the action.
“How much farther? My kidneys are killing me,” Amanda muttered from the passenger seat.
He took his gaze off the road long enough to see her digging holes in the dash. “Don’t trust my driving, Amanda?” He grinned and refocused in time to dodge an armadillo wobbling down the center of the trail. “Admit it, this is fun.”
“You have a strange idea of pleasurable activities, O’Connor.”
She had no idea.
He was besieged by visions of her tantalizing body naked under his, hands held above her head, cat eyes flaring with passion, breasts painted a dusky rose under the glow of flickering candles.
He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, suddenly glad for the loose fit of the cargo pants he’d changed into before leaving the compound. They were on a mission, dammit. He didn’t have time for useless fantasizing. Guilt followed close behind. He hadn’t done anything with Amanda, but still. How could he profess to love one woman and crave another? He felt like pulling a Fight Club and beating some sense into himself.
The road took a sharp right around a hillock and the supplies in the back banged up against the side of the box. Amanda gasped, but otherwise held her silence. He liked that about her. She wasn’t one of those girly girls who yelped if a fly landed on them. She and Maggie were alike in that regard. Tough, independent females well able to care for themselves. It made the prospect of winning their love all the more appealing, maybe because they didn’t need him to survive. So if they wanted him anyway… yeah, that would be cool.
“Good thing there’s only one road. Your friend could end up chilled by morning.” Amanda’s gaze searched the darkness. “We must be close, it’s been an hour. Isn’t that what the foreman told us?”
Adam nodded. “Yeah, something like that.” His attention was fixed on a shadow darker than the rest near the top of the next rise. If he wasn’t mistaken it had moved. The location was perfect for surveillance. He’d be willing to bet that’s where they’d find Frank.
He edged to the side of the road and doused his lights before shutting off the truck’s engine. A barn owl hooted in the ensuing silence. Adam leaned out the window, cupped a hand to his mouth, and repeated the call, chuckling as he glanced at Amanda’s bemused stare.
“The chief devised a call for everyone on his team in case of emergencies. It’s come in handy more than once.” He nodded toward the hill. “That’s him there, near that outcropping.” He reached back and shut off the interior light above his head before opening his door. “C’mon, let’s hike up and see how the hunt is going.”
Amanda tilted her head. “You’re different. Frank Stein means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”
Yes.
Amanda was new to her position; she’d transferred two years ago from DC, so she had only read the reports on her team. She wasn’t there when he was pulled in from the field, seriously wounded, fighting PTSD and a giant chip on his shoulder.
“He’s my brother,” he stated, every word welling from deep inside his chest. “I’d give my life for my teammates; we all would.”
She followed him around back of the truck. “We care about our agents, O’Connor.”
She sounded like a truculent child.
He brushed his finger down her cheek. “I know you do, Amanda. I’m sorry if I led you to think otherwise. It’s just… the chief is special, you know?” It was hard to explain the depth of trust developed in the teams. SEAL Team five had been through hell and back again. They’d known each other inside and out, and Frank was the glue that sealed them together.
She smiled uncertainly. “You make him sound larger than life.” She reached up and grasped his hand, lowering it slowly between their bodies. But she retained her grip.
He returned her smile. “Wait ’til you meet him, you’ll see.” He reached into the box and withdrew the requested backpack. “And we saved the foreman the trip. This way there’s someone to watch over things at the ranch. Win-win.”
He laced their fingers together and started out; he figured it would take fifteen minutes or more to reach the top if they kept to a steady pace. Fortunately, SAC Rhinehold was fit. He glanced back—extremely fit.
“I hope you know what you’re doing. Every hour we waste is another hour Agent Holt remains in danger.”
The words ran through his back like the blade of a knife. He stopped in the middle of the path and dropped her hand.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he snapped. “Don’t worry, Amanda,” he purposely said her name rather than her rank, “my goal is the same as yours, if for a different reason. Maggie is my partner and my friend, I’m going to bring her home. All you want is your report so you can win another big case. That’s all you care about, isn’t it? How does your ego let you sleep at night?”
Hurt flashed across her expression and was gone so fast he thought he was mistaken. Maybe he’d been overly harsh, but he didn’t need a reminder of his failure to protect his partner.
“That’s not true,” Amanda said, her arms crossing defensively over her chest. “Of course, I need her statement—and so should you. But, my staff is my number one priority. I will do whatever necessary to ensure their safety.”
She stomped past him, nose in the air. “You’re not the only one who wants her back, Agent O’Connor.”
He picked up the backpack and followed behind, surprised how much she’d reminded him of the Chief just then.
18
Maggie stared out at the midnight sky and took her first easy breath since their precipitous escape that morning. She could hardly believe she was free; it didn’t seem possible. She’d already made peace with her conscience, knowing sooner or later she would be sold—most likely overseas—and would have to take her own life. It went against her upbringing to consider suicide, but it was either that or… she shuddered at the thought.
It was hard enough wondering about the women she’d already seen peddled away to the highest bidders. Her heart ached, not only for them, but for families left to hope and pray for miracles from a God who seemed to have forsaken them.
How do you like those Christian thoughts, Daddy?
She blinked rapidly until the big dipper came into view. She remembered the story her Iroquois mother told of the Great Bear who wandered freely through the sky. His massive paws helped him to hunt and fish the many rivers throughout the spring until his belly was full. He didn’t know three young braves had discovered him feeding and sought to kill him for his pelt and meat to feed their families during the long winter months.
The three braves chased the bear, trying to kill him, but he always escaped. All summer he ran, however the braves were strong and cunning. They caught up to him in the autumn, their arrows piercing his flesh until the Great Bear died.
His blood spilled from the sky, staining the foliage red and orange. The trees mourned, dropping all their leaves for their friend, the Great Bear.
As is the way of bears, the next spring Great Bear was reborn, and the three braves set out after him again.
“Look to the horizon, my child, and you will see this each year with the coming of spring; the cycle of life is never-ending. Remember this, Magdalena.” Her mother’s voice echoed in Maggie’s heart. Sometimes it felt like she was still that little girl listening with wide-eyed wonder to the stories of her heritage. Then reality would intrude and the innocence with which she’d once viewed the world evaporated.
Her mother believed in the reincarnation of her people. “We are strong,” she said, tucking a young Magdalena into her bed. “Our blood lives in the souls of the eagles; whose eyes can see into the future. The wolves; fast and cunning. And the bear; our eternal spirit brother.” She leaned over and kissed her daugh
ter’s brow. “Remember your heritage, little one, and it will guide your steps.”
For the most part, her mother was right. When her father insisted on teaching her the ways of pick-pocketing and petty theft, her nimble fingers and swift feet had kept her out of the hands of the law. Too bad he never taught her how to fight. Maybe she could have protected her younger sister when… no, there was nothing she could have done as a twelve-year-old.
But, she could now.
She’d made a pledge on her sister’s deathbed. And for the next twenty years it had ruled her every thought and action. She’d been angry and bitter and could have followed her father’s thieving ways, if not for the man who took her under his wing after she was caught stealing cough syrup for her sick mother. He’d turned her life around, proved not all men were alike, and introduced her to martial arts. He’d also taught her sex could be for pleasure, not pain. When their relationship ended she’d come away heart-sore, but healthier for the experience.
Now this.
It seemed her fate in life to fight.
“What are you doing?” Olga said as she slid down beside her and leaned against the rock.
Maggie shrugged. “Thinking. Enjoying the fresh desert air.”
Olga chuckled. “I still cannot believe we got away. It’s a good thing those soldiers are dead, Chenglei would have carved them up for being idiots, anyway.”
Yes, he would have made their last breaths torture. As he would theirs, if he caught up to them. It was her job to make sure that didn’t happen.
“Here,” Olga said, handing her a piece of dried meat and a canteen. “You need to eat.”
Maggie bumped shoulders with her friend. “And you? Did you try any of this fancy fare?”
Olga grunted. “It’s better than the crap we’ve been eating for months, that’s about all I can say for it.” She nodded to the canteen. “There’s two left. We need to find a water source, and soon.”
Maggie didn’t want to raise false hope, but she was counting on Adam to get them out of here in the next twenty-four hours. Any more than that and they would have to move before they were found by undesirables. The Humvee down there was a giant calling card to anyone who was looking. And once they found the bodies inside, all hell was going to break loose. Maggie intended to be long gone by the time that happened.
She took a small swallow, well aware of the danger that came with dehydration, then passed the jug to Olga. “Drink. We need our strength.”
Her friend hesitated, then took enough to wet her lips before replacing the lid. She stared at the stars. “I didn’t think I’d see them again.” Her voice was soft, hushed, as though she might scare them away. “How can evil reside under the same glorious blanket? It’s not right. It’s just not.”
No, it wasn’t right. And for every deviant the law took down, ten more popped up in their place. It was a battle no one could win. But, they had to try.
“Don’t think about Chenglei and his goons. Let’s just enjoy this one minute in time. You. Me. A beautiful evening with food and drink.” She held up her half-eaten beef stick. “All we need is a chick flick and tissues and we have a party.”
Olga shook her head. “Ever the optimist. Okay, I’ll play your game. Favorite movie?”
Relieved to escape the tension, Maggie grinned. “Notebook. I just about swooned when Noah kissed Allie. You?”
“You Americans,” Olga waved her hand like a movie star, “falling for a handsome face. I like my men more… versatile.” She laughed. “Daniel Craig as Bond, now there’s a hero.”
Maggie flipped her hair over her shoulder and posed like a Bond girl, getting into the spirit of their game. “I hear you,” she agreed. “But, come on. After Roger Moore, the rest just don’t score.”
Olga raised her hand for a high five. “Yeah, girlfriend.”
It was good to smile freely again. To go from almost certain death to this; it was heady.
“What are you whispering about?” Kim’s belligerent voice as she stepped between them ruined the moment.
Olga glared. “We aren’t whispering, not that it’s any of your business.”
Maggie squeezed her friend’s arm in warning and forced a welcoming smile up to Kim. “Join us. We were just chatting about things we missed from home.”
Kim crossed her arms, but remained standing. “Why bother? You should be planning our escape route, not wasting time on senseless nonsense. I thought you said your friend was coming to get us. How long are we supposed to wait on this rock?” She spat out the last word.
Olga started to rise, her stance filled with hostility, but Maggie shook her head. “We aren’t your enemy, Kim. Our goal is the same as yours; to get back to the United States and our families. Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” Maggie held her hand out to the other woman. “I promise, I’ll get you home, okay?”
Kim stared at the peace offering with angry eyes, then turned without another word and stomped back to the overhang a few feet from where the other girls were bedded down and curled into her bedroll.
The peaceful night turned oppressive.
“So, that went well,” Olga murmured.
There’d been something standoffish about the other woman ever since she was brought to the holding room. Maggie had put it down to trauma, but now she wasn’t so sure.
Kim required watching.
19
Adam would’ve enjoyed the quiet walk up the hill to meet the chief if not for the overbearing woman making the journey with him. He glared at Amanda’s stiff spine. Every time he thought there was a breakthrough in their relationship, she took two giant strides backward. He didn’t expect her to fall into his arms, but most women at least found him agreeable. Why did she act as though he carried the plague?
She tripped, creating a landslide of pebbles. He hurried forward to grasp her arm before she took a bad fall. “Careful there.”
Amanda gasped and turned an unsettled gaze on him. “That was close. Usually, I’m not so clumsy. Thanks, O’Connor.”
Frustrated, he dropped his hold on her arm. “It’s Adam. Do you think we could can the formalities for a while?”
She frowned, her eyes glinting in the moonlight. “Are you always so melodramatic, Adam? It’s no wonder no one…” She clamped her lips shut and looked out over the land below them.
Adam stared at her. What did she mean, melodramatic? He was the most easygoing guy on the unit. Or at least he had been before Maggie disappeared.
“No one what?” he asked. “Don’t pull your punches now, I like your frankness. What you say is what you mean. That’s rare in our business.”
She looked disconcerted by the compliment. “It was nothing. Some of the others voiced their concern over your state of mind in the past few months, that’s all. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
Well, what did he expect? They were simply saying the same thing he’d felt ever since he’d been forced to shoot Barnikov last fall when he’d kidnapped a couple of kids and almost killed Adam’s SEAL buddy, Jared Martin. They’d been locked in a life or death battle, but Adam had still hesitated to take the shot because he knew Barnikov carried valuable information on Maggie’s location. It had almost cost Jared the woman he loved. And that’s when Adam realized he was getting tunnel vision when it came to his partner’s case.
He’d gone in for counseling, had taken investigations no one else wanted, hell, he even went on a few dates, it didn’t matter. He still woke up in a cold sweat wondering if he’d destroyed his only chance at getting Maggie back.
“What do you want from me, Amanda? A confession? Share how I fucked up and let my partner down, and now because of me, she’s probably been beaten and raped and God knows what else,” he growled, swinging away to stare at the star-studded night. “How am I supposed to live with myself, huh? Tell me how I’m supposed to do that.” The words ended on a near-whisper, emotion tightening his chest until he could barely breathe.
A small, cool han
d rested on his back. “Quit beating yourself up, she’d hate that. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. I sent her in there without adequate measures in place.” Amanda moved to stand in front of him and lifted her hands to squeeze his shoulders. “But I swear if I’d known what would happen—that Agent Holt would be discovered and taken—I would never have risked it. You have to believe me.”
Adam looked at the pale face staring up at him with a misery that equaled his own and for the first time in a long while he wasn’t alone. Her mouth fascinated him. The moonlight was trapped in the tiny crescent-shaped scar hovering on the edge of her top lip, and pearly-white teeth caught her full lower lip. He leaned down to kiss her, his intent to give comfort, but the moment his mouth touched hers he knew he’d made a mistake.
She tasted of mint and coffee and something indefinable. Something that drew him back for more. He savored the surprised little gasp she gave before leaning against his chest and returning his kiss, her arms sneaking up and around his neck. He explored the touch and texture of her lips and she let out these little kittenish sighs that made him want to smile even as his heart performed maneuvers worthy of the Blue Angels.
Wow. He was in over his head with this woman.
He watched her beautiful eyes slowly open and refocus on his face. Instead of the—What the heck just happened? Do you realize I’m your superior?—expression he expected, she stared up at him with a mixture of hunger and wariness. He could sympathize. This was bad on so many levels.
Her arms slipped away and he was surprised by how acute the loss felt, as though he’d misplaced a piece of himself. Which was silly. He barely knew the woman, much less cared about her. She was his boss. End of story.
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