Winter Warriors

by Denise A. Agnew

  Without putting too fine a point on it, he’d felt like someone stabbed him in the heart. When she’d moaned and moved and answered him with her own brand of acerbity, profound relief had washed over him.

  Get a hold on yourself. Now is not the time to start having mushy feelings. He didn’t do over-sentimental in any way, shape, or form. Sure he wanted to take her to bed and be her friend, but it wouldn’t go beyond.

  Another few minutes passed, and she asked, “This silence is getting dull. So, Mac, tell me more about you.”

  Her request made him smile. “Why would you want to know anything about me? I thought you hated me.”

  “Hate—” She stopped, the sound coming somewhere between a gulp and pure exasperation. “I don’t hate anyone.”

  “Could have fooled me. I thought men were the scum of the earth.”

  “When did I ever say that to you?”

  “Not to me. But I’ve heard other rumors. Normally I don’t listen to gossip unless it’s about you.”

  When he realized how much his comment revealed, he waited for her response with trepidation. “Then why did you listen that time?”

  Busted. Oh, what the fuck? Let it hang out.

  “For all the reasons I listed earlier. I like you and I’m curious about you.”

  Mac glanced over at her and she looked back at him. Those expressive dark eyes held him for a long time before he couldn’t take the intimacy, the fiery sensation filling his gut and his groin with pulse-pounding need.

  “Why, Mac, you surprise me.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought you hated me.”

  He snorted. “Well, I guess we were both wrong then, weren’t we?”

  She sighed heavily. “Yes. I guess so.”

  “There are lots of things you don’t know about me. Take, for instance, that I love baseball and I used to play hockey in high school. “

  Her glance skipped over him and the intensity seared a new path through his body. He felt his cock twitch. God, even with a snowstorm screaming around his head, Destiny’s notice aroused him. Hell, when he’d taken her into his arms back at SIA he’d almost gone out of his friggin’ mind. She’d been soft and sexy and unless her reaction was faked…ready to be fucked.

  No. Her reaction to him had been genuine. Taking sex to the next level would be his priority once they completed the assignment. He grew tired of the unresolved tension. Once they screwed she wouldn’t keep popping into his head at inconvenient times, like right in the middle of one hell-bent-for-leather blizzard.

  “You have the body for athletics,” she said. “I suppose cheerleaders just loved you.”

  “I didn’t lack for dates, but my parents made sure I spent as much time studying as dating. What about you? Did you play sports?”

  “I was too busy trying to keep my little family together. I don’t talk about it.”

  He couldn’t be positive, but her tone held the unevenness of a woman fighting not to cry. His protective instincts roared into action. Anyplace and anywhere else, he would have taken her in his arms and kissed her until she couldn’t remember her unhappiness. Unfortunately, they needed to get to shelter before the sun went down and the science complex couldn’t be much farther.

  A hush enveloped them down to the last half mile.

  Destiny saw the huge science building towering above the tree line to their right. “Looks like a good climb from here.”

  “Weird place to put a research facility.”

  They took the unmarked driveway and started the steep climb to the top. Mac pulled ahead of her, his strides eating up ground. She remained grateful for the exercise because it kept her mind off their earlier conversation and her unnerving feeling someone watched them from a distance.

  Mac’s assumption that she hated him made her think.

  Was the cool, calm and bitchy reputation worth it?

  Did keeping people at arm’s length guarantee that no one, especially a man, could ever hurt her? She felt a sinking sensation. She knew the answer. This man could hurt her badly, if she let him.

  Although she’d found more to like about him in the last few hours, she didn’t know if she could trust Mac with more information about herself. She pushed her shoulders back and remembered she worked for one of the premier intelligence and special ops agencies in the world. Or, as she’d heard one of the younger, just out of college agents say not long ago, the “whoop-ass agency.”

  She smiled and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

  As they gained altitude, the snow increased. They’d almost reached the top of the driveway when she heard a slight rumble from above. A cliff edge towered over the building slightly to the right, and as she watched, she saw the snow move.

  Lightning swift, she called out to Mac. “Avalanche!”

  She hurled against his solid body to push him out of the way. His arms went around her, and seconds later they fell. The ground rushed up to meet her as the roar of the snow gathered speed. His arms tightened and he rolled, covering her body with his. She didn’t have time to squawk a protest as debris rained down on them.

  Chapter Four

  Destiny felt Mac’s dead weight pressing her down as she struggled to breath. Not only was he smashing her, but her backpack tried to press through her spine.

  She groaned, pain slithering up and down her body. As more awareness came to her, she opened her eyes. Whiteness covered them, and for a second she panicked. What if they’d been buried by tons of snow? Common sense and training kicked into gear. Now is not the time to freak. Seconds later she pushed a hand up through the snow and saw daylight. Only a few inches of the white stuff, thank goodness.

  “Mac. Mac?”

  Worry made her stomach toss when he didn’t move or make a sound. After shimmying, she managed to extricate herself from under his weight. She pulled off her backpack and dumped it to the ground. Working quickly, she brushed snow away from Mac until his entire body came free.

  His face held a pale hue, and her breath almost stopped. She found a steady, strong pulse in his neck and saw his back rise and fall with his breathing. New relief paralyzed her mind.

  She didn’t want to move him. Several large rocks lay nearby, as well as tree branches that could have hit him. Other concerns plagued her. Hypothermia would start soon if she didn’t do something. She searched his skull for signs of fracture and found a lump the size of a silver dollar on the side of his head.

  “Damn,” she muttered in worry and anger.

  He’d gotten hurt trying to protect her. Damn his he-man tactics.

  She continued her examination as best she could without removing any of his outerwear. She didn’t detect any broken arms or legs, thank God.

  A rolling and clanging noise came from the nearest side of the complex, and the large garage opened at a slow rate. Two people, dressed in snow gear, ran through the snow toward them.

  As they got close, one of the men spoke, his parka hood and full black beard obscuring most of his face. “Is he all right?”

  Although she didn’t know the true situation in the complex, she couldn’t afford to play games with Mac’s health. To her horror, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know. But we need to get him to shelter fast.”

  Bearded man nodded. “I’m surprised you weren’t pushed over the edge of the cliff. Henrick, grab his feet.”

  The blond man did as told. “Hell, what’s in this backpack? It makes him even heavier.”

  “Our provisions for emergency. We came well prepared.” She sniffed, glad tears gave her authenticity as the terrified female. She decided not to analyze why it had been so easy to cry. “Take it off of him and I’ll carry it.”

  As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she regretted them. Showing these men she could carry additional weight didn’t play with her delicate female act. Too late now.

  Henrick frowned. “You can’t carry it.”

  Instincts bristled to retort, she softened her to
ne. “I can. I’ve been doing a bit of weightlifting.”

  “But—”

  “Let her carry it and let’s get this guy inside,” the bearded man said, his tone snappish. “If she drops it, we can always get it later.”

  If I drop it my ass. She felt like snarling, but knew it came as much from concern about Mac as it did an affront to her ability to carry the extra backpack. Carrying the forty pounds in her arms in addition to the weight on her back tested her limits, but she could do it. She’d done it before, by God.

  As they walked as quickly as possible, anxiety came back full force. What if Mac suffered a far worse injury than she first thought? She wouldn’t allow him to die for the sake of a case, no way, no how. Vibrant, powerful, cocky Mac no longer on this earth? While it seemed inconceivable, she knew intellectually what she didn’t wish to acknowledge emotionally.

  Fuck it. It was too late. The pain of possibly losing him hit her square in the gut. More tears threatened but she shoved them down.

  No. Think positive. Mac is going to be all right.

  “I’m Xander Cole,” the dark-haired man said. “Senior lab assistant.”

  “Henrick Micklessen,” the tall Nordic man with the thin nose and gangling body said. “Junior lab assistant.” Before she could tell them her fictitious name, Henrick continued. “What are you people doing up here in this blizzard?”

  “We were on the way to the Snow Ridge Resort for our honeymoon.” She put on her best face, a combination of concern for Mac and innocence.

  “What happened to your vehicle?” the bearded man asked.

  “Someone ran us off the road on the way down the pass.”

  Xander and Henrick tossed each other a sideways glance. When they didn’t speak at first, she continued. “We’re Mac and Cora Tudor.” Even undercover she hated that name; tag Mac’s surname name into the picture and it made her twitch.

  She decided to play up the dramatics a bit, even if it made her ill. “This Hummer came hurdling down the road. They were driving like a maniac. People just don’t know how to drive these days.”

  The Viking grunted. “Yeah, what’s the world coming to?”

  She heard the sarcasm in his voice and knew she’d probably say the same thing to someone who whined the party line. Few people accused her of being politically correct.

  “Would you know anything about who it was?” she asked.

  Henrick nodded. “Probably Dr. LaCroix. He wheeled it outta here as fast as he could not long ago.”

  She realized this information didn’t agree with what Quinton told her back at SIA. So Dr. LaCroix hadn’t gone missing at the same time as Phyllida.

  “No kidding,” she said. “Why did he leave?”

  Again a look passed between the men.

  Destiny shrugged. “We read some rumor a long time ago that people have been disappearing for awhile up here. But that’s probably just idle chatter.”

  To her surprise Xander said, “No, not chatter. It’s the truth. It came out in the newspapers initially. Several people disappeared over a few months.”

  An icy sensation traveled up her back. She made sure she injected fear into her voice as well as hesitancy. “Why are you guys still here if things are that bad?”

  Xander laughed. “Money. That’s the only reason why I’m here. You can be a scientist in a lot of places, especially genetic engineering, and not make as much as you do at this lab.”

  When they reached the multi-car garage, she saw at least five vehicles. Right now three black Hummers stood out against the white area, and two other SUVs were located on the opposite side of the garage. No doubt about it. Money flows through this organization.

  Destiny moved ahead of the men when they gestured toward a door at the back of the garage. She opened the door and the men went inside with Mac’s limp form. A slim, gorgeous young platinum blonde rushed to their aid. She wore a navy jumpsuit that hugged full curves. The name tag over her right breast said Strasnesky.

  The woman asked Destiny, “Are you all right, ma’am?”

  “I’m great,” Destiny said, not sure whether to appreciate the ma’am or not. “He’s the one I’m not so sure about. I found a small lump on the side of his head, but nothing else that I could detect. No blood or broken bones.”

  Concern pinched the young woman’s features. “Bring him into the infirmary area and place him on the examination table.” As they walked, the woman gave Destiny a reassuring smile. “I’m Jordan Strasnesky. I’m a doctor.”

  Mild relief flowed into Destiny. “I’m Cora Tudor, Mac’s wife.”

  “We’ll take good care of your husband.”

  Husband. The word sounded more than alien to Destiny; it sent a strange, warm sensation into her. She didn’t like the idea one iota, and yet she couldn’t deny it caused her to think of Mac in a different way. Possessive, perhaps, the way a woman might feel about her spouse.

  “I’m putting him in your capable hands.” Destiny pushed back her parka hood and allowed the warmth of the room to touch her face. “We probably shouldn’t have moved him without a C-collar and back brace but with the cold—”

  Jordan waved a hand. “It’s probably all right.”

  Perturbed by Jordan’s dismissal, she momentarily gritted her teeth and then added a smile to erase whatever venom might spill. “Of course.”

  Destiny took in her surroundings as they walked. They entered a large room with lockers on both sides and passed through a laundry facility with eight commercial-sized washers and eight dryers. As they stepped into the infirmary, Destiny caught a whiff of disinfectant. The men put Mac on the exam table.

  “Man, this boy is heavy.” Henrick threw back the hood on his parka and revealed his receding hairline and fine long hair. “What’s he been eating?”

  Destiny threw the Viking a hard look. “Scientists.”

  The men gave her odd looks.

  Jordan started her examination without speaking, efficiency apparently her concern. She slipped the knit mask off Mac’s face, revealing his pale skin.

  After she’d poked and prodded Mac for several minutes, not giving much of a clue to his condition, Destiny grew impatient. “How is he?”

  Jordan glanced up, her expression easing. “I can’t find any overt sign of injury, but we need to take x-rays to make certain. We need to see if this handsome head has any damage other than this lump.”

  Mac bolted upright and jumped off the exam table.

  Wide-eyed and ready for a fight, he pinpointed Destiny with a glare. “What the hell?”

  “Whoa, cowboy.” Henrick put his hand on Mac’s shoulder.

  Mac jerked around, the movement so quick Destiny couldn’t do anything to stop him. Henrick found his arm twisted up behind his back, while Mac glowered at Henrick like an untamed beast.

  For a flash Destiny admired the primal male on display, Mac’s face all hard angles and uncompromising animal. Whoa, was right.

  “What are you fuckin’ doing?” Henrick gasped, an expression of alarm and stunned compliance on his face.

  Xander started forward, but Destiny said, “I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”

  Jordan took the two steps Xander didn’t. “Mr. Tudor, release him at once.”

  “Let him go, Mac.” Destiny reached for his arm and felt his muscles tense even more. “He’s not the enemy.”

  Her “husband” relaxed, his features easing as he realized no immediate threat existed. His eyes, once filled with the kill-or-be-killed edge, softened into understanding. Slowly, he released Henrick.

  Henrick rubbed his arm. “Why did you do that?”

  “Army training,” Destiny said before her befuddled partner could speak. “It’s one reason why I’m very careful if I wake him up at any time.”

  “Destiny.” Mac’s tone said he was still confused. “What the hell happened?”

  Cora, you big dolt. She wanted to brain him. It wasn’t like him to screw up, but maybe a clonk on the head rattled him a little too
much.

  “I thought your name was Cora?” Xander asked, his expression a tad nervous.

  Destiny nodded and patted Mac on the back. “Destiny is my nickname.” To brush off further speculation, she turned her attention to Mac. “How do you feel? How’s your head?”

  He winced. “Headache.” His gaze flicked over her, concern clear. Then he lifted her chin with his index finger. “How about you?”

  She gave him a reassuring smile and moved her head so that his finger slipped free. “I’m going to be one big bruise after today is over.”

  Jordan moved back to Mac’s side. “We still need to take those x-rays to make sure you have no further injuries.”

  Mac looked wary, his gaze sweeping the people in the room with suspicion. “Not until I know where we are and who these people are.”

  After Jordan made introductions, Destiny assured him, in her most sugary voice, that she’d be fine right here with the other two gentlemen.

  Just then Mac’s knees collapsed and he pitched forward. Destiny’s heart about stopped. Everyone jumped to catch him, and the two men got to him first. They eased him back onto the exam table.

  “Let’s get him down to X-Ray,” Jordan said briskly.

  Beyond worried now, Destiny stepped forward. “I’m going with you.”

  Jordan shook her head. “No, you’re not. I can’t work with people underfoot. Xander can help me, he’s had medical training. Your husband will be in good hands. We’ll call you as soon as we know anything.”

  Frustrated, Destiny almost told the woman she could stick it.

  Henrick sidled up to Destiny. “I’ll show you to a set of quarters.”

  Xander made an impatient grunt as they left. “Don’t go filling her head with ridiculous ideas.”

  Irritated beyond playing the innocent, Destiny moved toward the door. “You couldn’t fill my head with ideas even if you tried.” She gazed out the window at the growing blizzard. “This weather isn’t getting any better. It looks like we’re stranded for the day.”

  With a sigh, Xander started toward the opposite door. “By the looks of it, you’re going to be stranded here more than a day.”