He cupped her jaw and gazed into her eyes. “I’ve never met another woman like you, Amber Fitz. Strong, courageous and determined? Seriously sexy.”
She laughed, remembering what he’d said the first time he asked her out. “I thought you said smart women are sexy.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve got all of that in spades. But there’s something else about you that turns me on.”
She lifted her eyebrow and leaned closer. Her lips were inches from his. “Do tell.”
“Your heart. You really care about people and fight to protect them.” He smiled. “You’re as loyal as a SEAL.”
“Is that better than a dog, because I’m more of a cat person— “
He silenced her with his lips. Oh. Wow. She loved it when he did that.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Charlie watched Amber do her thing. He’d grown comfortable with his position as the smartest computer wizard in the group; however, that wasn’t the case today. She didn’t really need him. He pretended she did. She’d already figured out the password and encryption codes and was in the final stages of decoding all the data on hard drive. Damn, she was good.
She rolled her shoulders to stretch out the kinks.
“Tired?” he asked.
“I’m beyond tired. And this is a pain in the ass without decent lighting. Maybe we should finish this once the sun comes up.”
“That’ll be in a few hours.”
“I’ll be able to work faster then. I promise.” She yawned.
He stood up and came behind her. He rubbed her shoulders. Shit, her muscles were tight.
She moaned. “Oh, wow. That feels so good.”
“Close your eyes.” Slowly, gently, he worked his fingers, going deeper, deeper. He’d like to do this naked. He’d start at the top and work his way down, hell, maybe he’d go back up again. And down…
“Charlie…?”
“Yes, sweetheart?” He loved the way she said his name.
“I found something.”
He stopped rubbing and leaned over her shoulder. “What is it?”
He felt it, the flinch, her body coiling like a live wire.
“The transmissions started about an hour before the gunfight from Director Lau, the CEO of Global Games, to the men on that boat. They’re in Cantonese. Do you want me to translate?” Her voice was one tick above a whisper. Whatever she’d read already had scared her.
He steeled himself. “Yes. Read them.”
Director Lau: SBs want a report. Have you found her?
Boat: We are closing in on the junk. Tell the hahk sum Americans we know what is at stake.
Director Lau: Black hearts, yes. It would be best for you if you don’t forget it.
Boat: We want our money. We won’t let her get away.
Director Lau: You should worry more about your lives. The SBs will kill us all if we don’t deliver the card and the girl’s body.
Boat: Understood.
Amber repeated the most important part, “’ …deliver the card and the girl’s body.’ Oh, God Charlie.”
She knew the truth. Director Lau would send more men after her. Boats were probably speeding this way now.
He wrapped his arms around her. “We’ll stop them.”
“But who are they?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of the SBs. I’ll tell Mack, see if he knows.”
She held onto his arms a moment longer. “I should never have gotten on this junk with you. I put you in danger.“
“Shit, woman. I’m a SEAL. I eat danger for snack.” He joked, but he could still feel the anxiety coming off her body in waves. “It’s going to be all right.”
“Promise?”
He kissed her cheek. “Damned straight. I’ll be right back. Don’t go any where without me.” He took one step away and then came back to whisper in her ear. “I owe you a proper massage.”
Her lips turned up. “I’ll add it to the list. Beer, Cheetos, dancing and a massage.”
Charlie returned just as the the junk slowed.
“What’s happening?” Amber’s voice had a hint of panic in it.
Charlie lifted his binoculars. Up ahead, dark hills rose out of the water.
“We’re pulling into the bay of Tai Wan. The island is up ahead.”The bay was a crescent-shaped with a nice sheltered cove. “Po Toi is a group of small rock islands. It’ll be a good place to hang out. Jenna said the only way in or out is by boat. Ferries only run on the weekends, so it will be quiet.” There weren’t any boats in the bay.
“What did Mack say?”
“He doesn’t know who the SBs are either. Our orders are to stay here and wait until the admiral comes to get us.”
“Maybe we can get off this boat and get some rest?” Amber rose and put a cool hand on his bicep. “My eyes are crossing.”
“We’ll find a safe spot for you to rest. You need it. The team will split up and take shifts. Someone will always be watching for hostiles, sweetheart. You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m not,” she said softly. But again, her tone didn’t match the words. Did she know how unconvincing she was?
“I’m going to speak to Jenna for a moment. Finish up what you are doing and then call it a night.” He couldn’t seem to make his feet walk away. Emotion clogged his throat and dread slid into his chest. He kissed her temple. “We’re going to be fine.”
That wasn’t convincing either. His gut was clenched, sending adrenaline surging throughout his nervous system. Charlie wasn’t sure what the future held, but he had a bad feeling about the Po Toi Island. His gut had never been wrong.
He pulled Amber into his arms and held on. Praying it wouldn’t be the last time. Then he walked out of the comm room.
When Charlie walked out of the room, Amber puzzled over the message from Director Lau. Who were the SBs? Obviously they were the Americans in charge of this whole thing. Military? They were scary if the triad was afraid of them. And powerful. The SBs had hired Director Lau and the Triad 14K to steal the top secret weapons. They’d killed Jacques. They’d used her against her country and she would stop them.
They’d pay for what they done, she’d make sure of it. If it took every last minute of her life, she’d figure out a way to get back at them. First she needed to ensure that Charlie and the team were safe.
“Did you hear anything come through on the radio?” Charlie leaned against the door frame.
She jumped at Charlie’s voice. “No.”
“That’s what I thought. I haven’t been able to get a signal on this thing for close to an hour. We’re too remote. Or maybe the islands are distorting the radio signals.”
Mack poked his head into the communications room. “Hey guys, join us on deck.”
The sky was lighter than Amber realized.
When Ty shut off the engine and joined the rest of the team, Mack began. “Okay, here’s the plan. Charlie and Amber remain on the junk working on the hard drive and monitoring the radio while the rest of us set up overlooks on land. We’ll need recon, traps and cover. Spots for…” Mack’s gaze went to Charlie’s raised hand. “What is it Charlie?”
“That’s not going to work.” He wrapped his arm around her. “Amber is tired and there’s not enough light to work on the hard drive. I say she gets some rest. We’ll come back and finish up the decoding after she’s had a nap.”
“You say?” Mack growled.
Willy fake coughed—Charlie’s got a girlfriend—cough.
Charlie ignored his brother. “Yes, sir. I’ve been told that there’s an old house on the island where Amber can rest.”
“I told him. Old Mo’s House. It’s also called Ghost House. Japanese soldiers stayed during World War II. It’s in ruins but it will offer some protection and will be a nice safe place to rest,” Jenna said.
Willy coughed—make-out house—cough.
Jenna gave Willy the evil eye. “By no means is it a hotel, William Handly. I mentioned it to Charlie because his satellite
signal is spotty and I thought it would be better up the hill.”
But Amber wondered. Is she trying to give us time alone? Jenna Collins, the matchmaker? Did she really know Jenna at all?
Charlie shrugged. “I haven’t been getting a good radio or sat signals for the last hour, or so.”
Mack nodded. “Good plan then, Charlie. We need to be able to monitor the jackasses.”
Willy coughed—kiss ass—cough.
“Shut the hell up.” Tavon slapped Willy’s chest.
Willy coughed for real. “Damn, Tavon. You almost made me choke on my tongue.”
“It’s not too far up the trail, a short walk from the dock. We’ll be able to get back to the junk to work on the hard drive in no time,” Charlie whispered in her ear, sending delicious tremors up her neck.
“Okay.”
“After we dock the junk, we’ll throw cammo netting over it. The idea is to make it look like some old guy’s fishing boat left behind for a few days. Got it? Then we split up and stake out different quadrants of the island.”
“Cool, I call a chick! I get a girl to go with me. Or two,” Willy said, but seeing Tavon’s big hand come up, he shook his head. “Don’t hit me, man. You don’t know your own strength.”
Tavon grinned. “Oh, I know it. And use it whenever possible to knock some sense into that puny rabbit’s brain of yours.”
“Might as well give it up, Tavon,” Charlie said. “No amount of pounding will ever knock sense into him.”
Shaking his head, Ty stepped forward. “What do you want me to do other than dock this sucker?”
“You and Willy get the lay of the land. Stake out cover. Steer clear of locals, though. We don’t want too many questions, or anyone to tip off the triad. Tavon you and I are on sniper detail,” Mack said. “We might check out the lighthouse. We’ll have to see how many clicks it is from the cove.”
Amber marveled at how energized the men were. They hadn’t slept all night but they were obviously ready to go. More than ready…they seemed excited, pumped up.
“What about me?” Jenna’s chin lifted but Amber thought you’d have to be blind not to see the fear in Jenna’s eyes.
“You, babe, have the most important job of all. You’ll talk to the monks in the temple and any official types on this island. Explain what’s going on and that we don’t mean them any harm. We’re the good guys. Make sure you tell them that. We’ll be out of their hair soon enough.”
Jenna’s smile was loaded with relief. “Perfect. I can do that, Mack.”
“I know you can, babe.” He linked his fingers with hers.
Amber was glad Mack gave Jenna a job away from any potential gunfire. Talking to the locals was perfect for Jenna. Plus, she needed to stay busy. To keep the demons at bay.
“You know, thirty years ago about a thousand people lived on this island. Now it’s down to a handful. I’ll talk to the couple who owns the mom and pop seaweed store too. Supposedly the best seaweed in Hong Kong is collected on these shores. They’re very nice people. I’m sure they’ll tell us if they hear anything suspicious.”
“Good.” Mack’s steely blue eyes scanned the group. “Any questions?”
“How long are we going to be on Po Toi Island?” Ty asked.
“That’s up to the admiral. He’s running with our latest intel to figure out who we are dealing with. As soon as we know who sent the triad after us, we’ll ask Admiral Collins to set up a bug-out plan. We’ve got to ditch the junk. The hostiles from the boat knew about it. Duncan’s jet is out of the question. They would’ve found it by now.”
Amber had a hard time focusing. The horrible words kept rolling through her brain. The SBs will kill us all if we don’t deliver the card and the girl’s body.
She looked up and saw Charlie’s green eyes studying her.
“That’s it. Roughly five minutes to dock. You all know what you have to do,” Mack said. He and Jenna walked away. Tavon and Willy started packing up their gear. Amber swallowed hard when she saw all the guns and ammunition they loaded into their packs.
“Wait, I’ll be right back,” Charlie said to her. “Find a good spot to sit.”
“Okay…” She sat on the wooden bench.
It was a surprise to everyone when he returned with a blanket and wrapped it around Amber’s shoulders. “What? She’s cold.”
Willy looked up from his packing. “Dude. You’re in serious trouble here. I’ve never seen you like this. Next, you’re going to be picking daisies and singing to her. Seriously, Amber. You don’t want him to sing.”
Charlie lifted his middle finger, but he was smiling. “I sing like a toad.” He squeezed in the bench behind Amber and cinched the blanket tight with his strong arms. “Lay back against me, I’ll get you warm.”
She didn’t tell him that worry and sadness made her shiver, more than the cold night air. Why ruin the moment? She breathed in his amazing scent and wiggled deeper into his embrace. His strength surrounded her. As the junk moved across the water toward the dock, the cool moist breeze buffeted her face but for the first time in a long while she was warm and safe. It was heaven. Or it would have been if tears weren’t filling her eyes.
That’s when she looked more closely at a tattoo on the inside of his arm. It was strange. Who gets a black bird tat and then draws a red line through it?
“What’s this mean?” she asked.
“That’s the bad supervisor story. Remember I told you that I ran with a bad group of guys for a while? They called themselves Superior BUDs-men because they scored at the top in their BUD/s training. Most guys are happy enough to complete the training, I know I was. But somehow, I did score highest in my group. Shortly after that, these assholes came to recruit me for special ops.”
He shook his head. “I’m ashamed to say I was honored to be singled out. I let them put this stupid bird on my arm and wore it proudly. Until I saw how they operated. While we were training for our assignments, we were called back a few times to demonstrate our ‘superior BUD/s skills’ to the new guys. What I didn’t know at the time was that our Commanding Officer Milton Crow…“ He pointed to the black bird tattoo. “Was a sadistic bastard. He was determined ‘to keep the SEALs pure and free of any lowlife weak links.’ His words, not mine. The idea was that anyone who couldn’t hack BUD/s training—in their opinion not-hacking meant scoring below the top—shouldn’t be a SEAL and probably shouldn’t be allowed to live. But these guys, Crow’s men, got to decide who wouldn’t be able to hack BUDs, based on their own personal assholeness. They had fun doing it.”
Charlie was angrily spitting the words out. She pulled her arm out of the blanket and gently rubbed his hand, letting him know she was there for him.
“They used whatever torture they deemed necessary to force a man to ring the bell.” He looked down at her. “That means to quit.”
She figured as much, but didn’t interrupt. Charlie seemed to need to get the festering words out. Willy leaned against the railing, obviously listening too. His dimples were gone, his forehead crinkled with concern as if he hadn’t heard this story before.
Charlie went on, “I found out later they’d attacked a good buddy of mine. No matter how hard they beat him, he refused to ring out. He still walks with a limp. But the worse thing happened before my eyes.”
She felt him shudder. “What happened?”
“They have this underwater training exercise. The candidate’s arms and ankles are bound, his eyes blindfolded before he is dropped in the deep end of the pool. He’s supposed to get himself to the surface before the allotted time is up.”
“Oh, my gosh. Without any air supply? That’s terrifying.”
“Yeah.” Much softer he added, “Especially when two of Crow’s men jump in with sticks and beat the hell out of the candidate underwater.”
“They didn’t!” Willy popped off the railing and joined the conversation.
“At first, I couldn’t figure out what they were doing. But when blood bubbled
up to the surface…” Charlie paused, as if going on was too difficult. He was also squeezing her tight. “I jumped in, surprising both of them. They thought I was there to ‘help rid the SEALs of filth.’ Actually...” His lips lifted. “I was.”
“You fought the assholes.” Willy’s face was glowing with admiration. “My little brother against two men.”
“Hell, yeah, I fought them. I broke one guy’s nose, and busted the other guy’s ribs. I hauled the unconscious candidate to the surface and began CPR. He was a bloody, broken mess. It was too late. The poor guy didn’t make it.”
No one said a word for a long minute.
“Commander Crow was very disappointed with my behavior. Two of his men had to be hospitalized—they had to completely redo the broken nose.” Charlie was smiling in earnest now. “I was ordered to never speak of this to anyone. He said he’d personally pluck out each of my eyes and cut of my fingers. Slowly. He’d enjoy hearing me scream. But if I went along with the official line the candidate had panicked all by himself and drowned, I’d be promoted. End of story. Never mind that the guy’s face looked like ground hamburger. And he had internal organ damage.”
“Sonofabitch.” Willy slammed his hand against the wooden bench. “Where is this guy?”
“Crow? Who knows? Rotting in hell, I hope.”
“You turned them in, didn’t you?” Amber asked, suddenly very frightened for Charlie. Could Crow come after him?
“Hell, yeah. I went directly to Admiral Collins and told him the whole story. Crow and his men were court martialed and booted out of the Navy. Shit. Just saying that name makes my mouth taste like dung.”
“Dude, what you did took humongous balls. Why didn’t you tell me? I never knew that’s why you were transferred to Mack’s team.” Willy was obviously impressed with his little brother.
“Now you do. But that’s why I had a red line tattooed over the black crow. I vowed I would make them pay. Getting court martialed and thrown out of the SEALs was way too good for those sadistic bastards. They beat and killed a young man who wanted to serve his country just because they could. That’s sick. And I won’t forget.”
Lock and Load (SEAL EXtreme Team) Page 16