by Cindy Dees
Chapter 7
Aiden stared out the salon’s picture window while Sunny stared at nothing behind him. Who’d have guessed that telling her the truth would have driven her away from him so much more effectively than lying to her?
His heart was slowly cracking in two inside his chest, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it. She’d insisted on knowing everything. Of course, he should never have put her in a position to be able to ask the questions. Any chance they’d had for a relationship was history now, anyway.
Abruptly, a distinctive whumping noise came from the rear of the boat, along with a brief, bright flare of light.
“What was that?” Sunny asked sharply.
“The chaff blower,” he grunted as he took off running across the salon. No surprise, Sunny was right on his heels as he raced for the bridge.
“Chaff as in distract a bomb from hitting us?” she panted.
An explosion and flash of light rocked the Nymph. He grabbed the door frame to steady himself and then resumed running. “The ship’s sensors must have picked up something incoming and blown the chaff pods automatically.” Something like a missile or a rocket-launched grenade. Who in the hell would fire something that high-tech at a civilian yacht?
“Pirates?” she asked as they raced up the stairs and burst into the bridge.
“No idea,” he bit out. Since when did pirates have missiles? And why would pirates armed in such a manner come after the Nymph? With that kind of armament, pirates could take over a supertanker and steal millions of dollars’ worth of oil. Why bother with a single yacht? Sure, it was a nice yacht and worth a lot, but its value was a drop in the bucket compared to a big ship.
Steig was rapid-firing orders to his crew, who were all working with grim efficiency over their various consoles. Aiden didn’t interrupt. These guys were the best at what they did. The most important thing he could contribute was to stay the hell out of their way.
Finally, Steig looked across the room at him grimly and announced, “Three pirate ships at roughly our twelve-, four- and eight-o’clock positions. Our antimissile countermeasures automatically deployed. A total of three heat-seeking projectiles, one from each hostile ship, have been diverted successfully by chaff. It has been three minutes since the rocket salvo fired. My guess is they don’t plan to fire any more missiles at us.”
“Were the shots an attempt to sink us or merely scare us?” Aiden asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe a test of our defenses.”
Steig ordered men to the gun turrets, which had been retrofitted onto the yacht for this voyage. They were disguised as radar domes and held fifty-millimeter cannons with an accurate range of close to a mile. If any of those pirate boats came near, they were in for a nasty surprise.
Everyone stared at the radar screen and the three red blips that held their positions exactly three miles from the Nymph. For the next several minutes, the standoff continued with no one yielding their position. And then, as quickly as the pirate ships had appeared, they moved off and sailed away. One headed for shore, one passed behind a landmass and disappeared from sight, and the other blended into the traffic of a shipping lane some ten miles south of the Nymph.
Aiden let out a long breath of relief.
For his part, Steig demanded, “What the hell was that all about? I’ve never heard of pirates behaving that way. And those bastards never operate with such close coordination and discipline.”
Sunny piped up from behind him. “Then maybe those weren’t pirates.”
As soon as he heard the words, Aiden knew them to be exactly right. No pirate acted like that. Therefore, those hadn’t been pirates firing at them.
“Who, then?” Steig voiced for them all.
Who, indeed? Aiden studied Sunny as he spoke slowly. “We sailed around out here for three weeks with nary a nibble from pirates toward this yacht. Then you came aboard, and we were attacked immediately. Within one day of leaving port with you aboard, we were jumped again.”
The shocked expression that came over Sunny’s face looked genuine. Of course she could just be a fine actress. “Are you saying those guys are after me? That makes no sense at all. It seems a whole lot more plausible to me that they’re after you.”
A nauseating chill rippled through him. Was she right? Had someone found out about Gemma’s research? About his extraordinary skills? Was this all an elaborate attempt to destroy him and set back, or even end, Gemma’s research?
Everyone on the bridge was staring back and forth between him and Sunny.
“She knows?” Steig bit out.
Aiden nodded tersely. He winced as eyebrows shot up all around. And then the knowing looks came. He sighed. Nope, no secrets on a boat.
“She does have a point,” Steig said slowly. “Did you talk to anyone during those three days you were in
Djibouti City tracking Sunny?”
That occasioned a predictably sharp look from her. He winced again. He hadn’t exactly confessed to her that he’d followed her morning, noon and night to make sure she didn’t get in trouble or hurt. And he wasn’t about to confess it now.
“I didn’t talk to anyone,” he retorted. “I know full well that my life rides on Gemma’s work staying secret.”
Steig sighed. “I know. I had to ask, though.”
Sunny piped up. “Could there have been a leak at the other end of this operation? Didn’t you say your boss was involved? Maybe he leaked something.”
“No way. His life is on the line the same way mine is.”
“Yes, but other people work around him and with him,” she argued. “Surely some of them know about this project. The more people who know, the more likely it is that someone let something slip. Didn’t you say the government knows about Jeff’s enhancements?”
Aiden glanced down at the radar screen, which was blessedly blank at the moment. Was it possible? Had he been marked for death?
He didn’t mind the idea of dying for a good cause. But the idea of being hunted like a dog and cut down in cold blood—that did not warm the cockles of his heart.
He said heavily, “I’ll call Jeff Winston as soon as it’s a decent hour in Colorado and see if he has any indications that there might be a leak. If someone’s trying to kill him, then we’ll know it’s probably me those ships were after. If not, I think we have to entertain the possibility that they’re after you.”
The bridge felt as if its walls were closing in on him. Its dim red lighting was claustrophobic all of a sudden. He had to get out of there.
Sunny tried to say something to him as he stumbled past, but he pressed on by her. He needed to think. Try to figure out who was trying to kill him. How they would come after him. Hell, he had to figure out how to stay alive when they did come.
The last thing he needed to do was drag Sunny into the middle of this. She was in enough danger just being aboard this ship with him. And to think, he’d brought her to the Nymph to keep her safe. Chalk up yet another failure for him where she was concerned.
* * *
Although she half-expected it, Sunny was disappointed when Aiden didn’t show up for breakfast the next morning. The chef had laid out a light continental buffet of fruits and pastries in the salon that the crew was strolling in to graze on. She tarried in the salon for almost an hour in hopes of seeing him, but no dice.
She’d perched on the same sofa she’d hidden beneath before, her bare feet tucked beneath her on the cushions, a mug of coffee cradled in her hands as she stared out to sea. It was so vast and aloof this morning. So much like the man who shunned mankind and found his true home out there.
“Mind if I sit with you?”
Sunny glanced up at Gemma, surprised. She hadn’t pegged the doctor as the chatty sort. “Sure.”
“How’re you doing, Sunny?”
“What do you mean?”
That elicited a chuckle. “Don’t try to evade me. Better patients than you have tried and failed.”
That made Sunny’s gaze snap to the doctor. “Do tell.”
“Look. It’s no secret on this vessel that you and Aiden have...a thing. That can’t be easy for you.”
Curiouser and curiouser. Why was Gemma poking into her relationship with Aiden? “Why do you say it can’t be easy?” Sunny asked.
“I know him, remember? He’s the king of throwing up walls and pushing people away.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” Sunny couldn’t help grumbling. “Why is that?”
“Maybe you should ask him.”
“Have you? Do you know the answer?”
Gemma shrugged. “I have asked, but he’s never answered me. My guess is it has something to do with guilt.”
“Over what?”
“He was quite the heartless womanizer in his youth. Right up until Jeff Winston called him and recruited him for my research project. Now that he’s grown a conscience and a sense of responsibility, I think he regrets some of the things he’s done.”
“And he’s taking that guilt out on me?” Sunny blurted.
“That’s up to you to find out and deal with, now, isn’t it?”
“I’m not sure I want to deal with anything where Aiden’s concerned. He’s made his intention not to pursue a relationship with me pretty clear.”
“Has he? My impression is that he wants very badly to pursue a relationship with you. Take it from me, I’ve never seen him react to another woman the way he reacts to you. You bring him out of his shell like no one else.”
Sunny leaned back, sipping at her coffee to disguise her surprise. Really? That was interesting.
“I’ll tell you something else, Sunny. I’m worried about Aiden. He’s been pulling back more and more from meaningful interaction or even simple contact with other human beings ever since he started working with me. On top of his self-imposed guilt issues, he seems to be struggling to deal with his differences from other people.”
“How different is he? Is there more to what you’ve done to him than him holding his breath a long time and having asthma on land?”
Gemma looked startled that Sunny knew the details of his condition. “No, that’s most of it. His brain functions at a slightly higher rate than before, no doubt due to his higher blood-oxygen levels.”
“Is it true that his children may inherit his ability?”
“It’s possible they would inherit something but not necessarily the same ability as the enhanced parent. The DNA of sex cells would probably react like any other cells in his body to the stem-cell therapy he’s been getting, but I have no way of predicting exactly how they would interact. How the offspring’s DNA would change is anyone’s guess. I’ve got lab studies running on it now. The first results in my primate testing should be available in a few months.”
Sunny shuddered at the idea of an entire race of little mutant children. It just wasn’t natural. If this technology got loose in the world, how long would it be until the human race was no longer human?
Gemma leaned forward and spoke with quiet intensity. “I see from the horror on your face that the possible ramifications of breeding specifically to get mutations has occurred to you. That is exactly why we have to control this technology. To know it and know how to stop it before someone less ethical than me or Jeff Winston or Aiden gets their hands on it.”
“It’s like inventing a nuclear bomb, Doctor. Once it’s invented, it can’t be un-invented.”
“So you would have had the United States not develop the nuclear bomb and instead wait for Germany to come up with it and nuke us? Estimates at that time put the German program only a year or two behind ours.”
Sunny shivered. Gemma was right, of course, but still. The whole thing was creepy. It was a really scary technology to be messing around with. “Just promise me you’ll keep a close eye on Aiden, Doctor. Don’t let him lose himself in his enhancements.”
“Gee, and I was going to make you promise the exact same thing to me.”
Sunny stared. “Me? You think I can save him from himself?”
“I think maybe you’re his last, best hope.”
And on that note, Gemma stood up and walked out of the salon without looking back. Man, the people on this yacht made great exits. Sunny shook herself.
Aiden’s last hope? Was he that far gone? Had their lovemaking been that gigantic an anomaly for him, then? Huh. Who’d have guessed? She was by turns complimented and terrified. Their relationship was tenuous at best. She wasn’t at all sure she was strong enough to hold on to him if she had to drag him back from the abyss all by herself. If she lost her emotional grip on him, he’d be lost for good. The responsibility for another life resting heavily on her shoulders, she headed for the back of the yacht and the swim deck.
The Sea Nymph’s engines were idling at the moment and a sea anchor was deployed against the currents, which could mean only one thing. Aiden had gone swimming.
Was he insane? There were people out there trying to kill him. And he wanted to go out alone and put himself in harm’s way? What was he thinking? Unless, of course, he was thinking about sacrificing himself to save the rest of them. He’d been willing to use this boat as bait to catch pirates; why not use himself as bait to draw out the people trying to kill him? Offer himself up as a sacrificial lamb in return for the safety of the Sea Nymph and everyone aboard her.
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was she had his misguided motives pegged. And the madder she got. She was going to kill him...assuming the bad guys didn’t get him first. It was a warm morning already and well on its way to becoming a
blistering-hot day. She climbed down onto the floating swim deck resting on the water’s surface.
Knowing it could be a while before he made his way back to the yacht, she kicked off her sandals and sat down to dangle her feet in the water. The sea felt cool and welcoming against her skin. In a few hours, when the sun was beating down overhead, this water would be heavenly to slip into and cool off in. Sudden memories of darkness and cold and terror slammed into her. She no longer swam in the ocean. It had tried to kill her.
Although, in defense of the Indian Ocean, an anonymous ship had actually tried to kill her. The sea had just been there to catch her and finish off the job. It hadn’t really been any malicious action on the ocean’s part that nearly killed her. Man had taken care of that.
It dawned on her that she was thinking of the ocean as a living being, and she snorted at herself. She supposed it came from sailing around for months on end all alone. People got a little weird during periods of extended isolation like that. The ocean either became your enemy or your friend. Although, anyone who heard her thinking that way would probably label her crazy. Except maybe Aiden. He would understand. He had the same sort of relationship with the ocean.
She kicked her feet a little, splashing droplets of the cool water on herself. That felt nice. She kicked a little harder. Bent down to scoop up a little water and dribble it down the back of her neck. As the day heated up, she dipped her arms deep into the water and even splashed a few handfuls of water on her face. She might not want to immerse herself in the thing, but the ocean felt good on her skin.
* * *
Aiden headed back toward the Sea Nymph, disappointed that no bad guys had come looking for him. At least the swim itself had felt good. He’d burned off some of the terrible tension gripping him and stretched out his muscles. Not to mention a long swim had reset his respiration to a happy place. Ideally, he would swim at least once a day to keep his body working at peak efficiency.
As he approached the Nymph from below, he spotted a pair of feet splashing in the water. The slender, shapely calves attached to those feet ann
ounced that either Gemma or Sunny was waiting for him. And Gemma wasn’t the sort to sit around for more than about thirty seconds. He mentally sighed.
He had no idea what to do about Sunny. He wanted her with every fiber of his being. But as sure as the sky was blue and water was wet, he wasn’t good for her. He’d already put her in terrible danger by insisting on keeping her close to him.
Steig had the right of it. He should have dumped her in Djibouti at that American security firm’s compound. She would have been surrounded by people with the skill and will to keep her safe and who would have seen to it she got home safely. But he just couldn’t let go of her. He needed her at some deep, fundamental level he didn’t understand.
He was a selfish bastard. And she would die if he didn’t get over it. As hard as it was, he had to break off any budding relationship he might have with her and send her far, far away from him. It went against every fiber in his being to let her out of his sight where he couldn’t protect her himself. But it would be best for her.
Reluctantly, he swam for the platform.
Sunny let out a little scream when he abruptly surfaced beside her, bursting out of the water and popping out onto the teak decking. “Aiden!”
He flopped down beside her, letting the sun warm his body as it adapted to being back in atmospheric conditions. Okay, he enjoyed showing off for her. So sue him. Dammit, he was with her for two seconds and all his resolve to stay away from her evaporated. He had to be strong. If he cared about her at all, he’d keep his distance.
“You’re using yourself as bait to protect the rest of us, aren’t you?” she accused.
Wow. He wasn’t that transparent, was he? “Nah. I just went for my daily swim. Gotta do it to keep my breathing on an even keel.”
“Couldn’t you just submerge yourself in a bathtub for a while instead of heading out into the deep to invite bad guys to kill you?”
“Not enough pressure in a bathtub. I need to be six or eight feet underwater to get any benefit from the swimming. And ideally, I’ll go deeper than that for a while. Gemma says my body processes oxygen most efficiently between fifty and a hundred feet underwater.”