by Blue Davis
Look at me, James.
He didn’t look up. Instead, he glanced back and forth between the men, frowning.
She studied Noah again.
He too was glaring at Carl and Andrew, his eyes nearly burning holes into their skin. He flared his nostrils as his fist clenched hard around his medallion. What was it that had him all riled up?
Carl and Andrew discussed something quietly. They could still be heard if she stopped moving and strained her neck to listen.
Carl straightened his shirt and sniffed. “No, Andrew. Slow your roll. We’re not doing it here.” He shook his head. “Too messy. Wait until we get to the boat. We’ll shoot ‘em and feed ‘em to the sharks. It’ll be a much easier clean-up and no trace of evidence.”
Chapter 12
James
These people are crazy. They’re even more dangerous than the Haitian underworld itself. He recalled the boat following them a few days ago. But where were they? He had scrutinized the island’s coastline when they had reached the top of the volcano. Was it possible they had been hiding in the one point where he couldn’t see, behind the rocks? Why the hell hadn’t he been more careful? He blamed no one but himself. He knew the dangers better than Lexi did.
Sure, he was irritated with her for not telling him that she worked with nutcases like Carl. It would’ve been nice to have that little tidbit of information before arriving to Port-au-Prince. But he didn’t fault her for it. He understood her more in spite of it. She was an independent woman. It meant everything to her to get the boat and come to the island alone. When that didn’t pan out, she called him, the only one she could trust. She needed him, even if she didn’t admit it yet.
And she’d chosen him over Carl. Maybe she kept info from her ex because she really was going to cut him out of the deal. He would’ve been fine with that. The ‘more the merrier’ scenario didn’t work here.
He faulted himself for not being careful enough. And worse, he’d put her in danger. It had driven him insane hearing that Andrew animal talking about her that way. Tasty? Yeah, she’s tasty. She’s mine. If he even so much as glanced at her the wrong way, he would slice him in two. These people were animals. He vowed not to let them anywhere near her.
He made an extreme effort to conceal his anger. If they saw him becoming too emotional, they would use it to their advantage. They probably weren’t the brightest at a game of chess, but idiots like that used primal instinct. He didn’t want them smelling fear or rage anywhere on him. The more he pretended not to care, the less attention he would draw to himself. Invisibility was good. There had to be a way to outsmart them. It’s not over yet.
Andrew walked in front, trimming leaves.
At least I don’t have that job.
Andrew panted and became drenched in sweat while Noah trailed behind them. Carl wavered throughout, supervising his workers and prisoners.
What the hell was she thinking, hooking up with a buffoon like that? It’s not as if his girlfriends were superstars. He had a few less-than-wonderful women in his bed and that’s why he preferred sleeping alone. But a murderer? Jesus. She has a lot of explaining to do if we make it out alive.
“Hold up,” Andrew exerted. “I gotta take a piss.”
“All right. We might as well all take a piss. Anybody else gotta go?” Carl glared at everyone.
James eyed Lexi. No, I don’t need to go potty. I want to talk to you about your poor decisions and boyfriend choices.
“Well I don’t know about y’all, but I gotta go.” Carl followed Andrew, then veered to the left.
James waited until they were out of sight.
Noah stayed behind, but appeared lost in a world of his own. He stared at some kind of medallion in his hand and grimaced.
James leaned over to Lexi.
She looked pissed.
“Your ex is a real winner,” he scorned, motioning to Carl.
Lexi curled her upper lip and flared her nostrils. “I don’t want to talk about that jackass. We only have a limited amount of time. Have you seen Noah?” Lexi kept her voice to an inaudible whisper.
Noah shook his head and turned the shiny object in his hand.
She flared her nostrils and leaned over to James again. “That thing in his hands, it’s the Purple Heart. I might be wrong, but he’s not on board with the other two. He acts nothing like them. Doesn’t he look like a nice guy?”
Adrenaline charged through James’ veins, as he rubbed his neck. Hearing her talk about other guys bothered him, but the guy did look more normal than the other two. How normal, he wasn’t sure, since had a gun hoisted at them. “True and he looks to have the upper hand over Andrew. What do you think?”
Carl and Andrew had now finished peeing and maintained a shouting match. They were loud, but misty-eyed Noah didn’t seem to notice. And if he could hear he and Lexi talking, he sure as shit didn’t care about that either. What was he thinking about? He seemed lost in another world and he looked downright conflicted.
“I think he’s got a problem with this entire situation and that’s our way in. Or shall I say, our way out,” James noted.
Lexi pursed her lips. “I’m with you. He’s different from the others and I think deep down he knows this is all messed up. But he’s a man and I doubt he’ll take anything I say seriously. Do you want to talk to him?”
James’ chest tightened. He had no idea what to say to the wild man. He considered himself a skilled speaker, but trying to make conversation with a common thief was stretching it. He pushed the subject back to her. “I’m a man. When have I not taken you seriously?”
She lifted her chin. “Can you talk to him or not?”
James didn’t like the idea of having to convince anyone of anything. And when he did, he liked to have money in his pocket as a safety measure. Unfortunately, he’d only taken out enough bribing money for the fisherman. He promised to himself to wire Bernardo the money, but for now, he needed to figure out how to convince Noah. Problem was, $5000 was nothing compared to the seven bags of gold they lugged. “Can you part with a third of the gold?”
She jumped. “What?”
He wrestled with the idea. “We’re running out of time. Do you trust me?”
Her mouth gaped open, but no words came out.
Carl and Andrew threw playful punches and had found a vine to swing on.
Sloths. They had no business being in the same game as he and Lexi.
She bobbed her head, her eyes as big as quarters.
James slipped over to Noah.
Noah stepped forward immediately, his eyes widening as if somebody had thrusted him from deep sleep. He tightened his grip around his gun and aimed it at James. “Watch yourself, prisoner,” he warned, a toothpick moving to the side of his mouth.
James raised his palms up. Okay, Noah was different than the others, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t ready to shoot. James’ heart thudded against his shirt. He forced his lips to smile and kept his voice low. “You served in the war?”
Noah opened his chest and lifted his head. “Yep.”
“What branch?”
Noah’s eyes lighted. “Marines.”
This was going to be a tough battle. Keep the questions coming, but don’t ask too damn many. “Well, what do you know? My cousin served in the army. He did two tours in Iraq a few years ago. Fallujah.”
Noah froze before his mouth fell open. He thumbed into his chest. “I served two tours in Iraq. Bagdad. Everybody in my squad died and I should have too. If I’d died for my country, I wouldn’t be serving assholes like that.” He motioned over to Carl, who was still talking to Andrew.
“Speaking of assholes, why are you serving him?” Had he gone too far? It was an obvious question anybody was bound to ask. He didn’t belong with them. He would be surprised if nobody had ever questioned his intentions. James’ objective became clear. If he could get Noah to see that he was in the wrong place, then he could get him to agree to help and do the right thing.
&n
bsp; He and Lexi were no angels, but they were a hell of a lot more innocent than Carl and his goon. Andrew looked as though he had killed a dozen more people than Noah, the war vet. He got the feeling Andrew thought he was in the war and enjoyed killing.
He and Lexi were outnumbered. He needed to convince this honorable fallen soldier to fight for the correct team. If he could do that, then it would be three against two and they stood a very good chance of getting rid of these guys and making it back to America with the gold in their hands.
“Nowhere else to go. Military taught us to kill. I’m doing what I know how to do and doing what I’m best at. Been a mercenary for the past six years, but I never figured we’d be killing innocent people. This’ll be a first for me.”
James’ pulse spiked. “Does it have to be a first?”
Noah said nothing, yet he looked like he had plenty to say. “If I had known the girl would be here, I never would’ve agreed to this shit. Why’d you bring her along?”
James blinked. “She brought me along.”
“Ah,” he said, raising one eyebrow as he checked her out. “How long do you have before she slips through your fingers?”
What? James’ cranium began to ache. “She’s not going to slip through my fingers.”
Noah looked amused. “Haven’t you seen the way Andrew looks her up and down? And Carl? Hell, he might even throw you overboard and keep her around for company.”
James’ pulse raged. He balled his hand into a fist. The man infuriated him. He drew in a shallow breath. It was not time to lose his cool. Maybe this guy was playing him or testing him, and he sure as shit didn’t like it, but he needed to keep his shirt on and be likable.
Noah’s dark eyes pinned him. “What, are you in love with her?”
James shook his head. “Absolutely not. I barely even know her. We just, you know, messed around last night, but other than that… no.”
“You are so fucking in love, man.” Noah smiled.
It was the first smile James had seen from him. James lifted his chin. The man didn’t know what he was talking about. And why the fuck were they discussing love right now? It was stupid to address love when their lives were endangered. In a few hours he and Lexi might be begging for dear mercy. He had done a lousy job of protecting her and now he needed a way out. He needed an exit strategy, not love advice from the bearded news columnist.
Noah tilted his head. “And you know what else?”
James waited for the rest.
He added a lopsided grin. “You’re screwed.”
Heat exploded into his skull. “I’m not in love.”
Lexi eyed him from a few feet away. She leaned toward them and motioned to Carl and Andrew.
They had stopped their horseplay and were now approaching.
Fuck. James’ heartbeat quickened as heat rose to his tense chest. How am I going to do this? James resolved to get straight to the point. He whispered loudly. “You think your buddies back in Iraq would approve of this shit?”
Noah looked pained, his mouth gaping open into a gut-wrenching grimace.
James motioned to the Purple Heart in Noah’s hand. “Preserve your honor, man. What’s the point in having that thing from yesterday if you have no dignity today?”
Noah flared his nostrils. “If I do something, there’s bound to be a fight. I know these guys. They’re not gonna let this go down without putting up a gunfight.”
A lump crept up James’ throat. He swallowed. “Help us out, man. That’s all we’re asking.”
He chuckled and relaxed his shoulders. “That’s a hell of a lot.”
“How’s everybody doing over here? Lexi, you good? You lookin’ mighty good,” Carl thundered behind him.
James drew in a breath and leaned over to Noah. “Do it for a third of the gold?”
Noah pursed his lips and raised one eyebrow, but said nothing.
What the hell does that mean?
Footsteps rustled through the leaves from behind.
Fuck. He had to drop it. He didn’t need Carl to be suspicious of his own guy on top of everything else. James faced forward.
Carl glared at him from two inches away from his face. “Let’s get moving, prisoner.”
James’ stomach launched into growl as dryness swelled his tongue. He was hungry, but he didn’t want to risk asking for food. Things could always get worse.
Lexi continued to eye him, but he couldn’t have a conversation with her without any of the three hearing. It’s not like he had an answer for her anyway. He himself didn’t even know what Noah was going to do. Was he in or out? The thought scrambled his mind into a panic. He couldn’t get a straight answer from Noah and that bothered the hell out of him. Please just tell me he’s going to help us. Please dear God.
“How’d you even manage to get a boat?” Carl swayed his head from Lexi to James. He talked slow, almost mockingly. “Didn’t they give you hell at the harbor?”
“You did that? You bastard.” Lexi snapped at him while she clenched her fist.
He offered a thin smile. “It was the least I could do.” He talked slow and deliberate.
Lexi shook her head. “I was going to bring the gold back up there. Why couldn’t your greedy ass wait? I guess I’m the idiot for having trusted you once again.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” James whispered to her. He hated that she’d trusted him too, but there was no point in her bashing herself over the head with her mistakes.
No point in him being hard on her either. Especially not now in moments where they faced certain death. If anything were to happen to this girl, I don’t know what I would do with myself. It wasn’t just the sex. She was different from every single girl that came into his life. And he couldn’t bear to think of anybody else’s hands on her besides his. If they throw me overboard, I’m dragging these three fuckers with me.
After trial and tribulation, they reached the boat. Their boat was far more modern than Bernardo’s and was under a cove. Probably the same cove he’d worried about.
The old fisherman’s boat was nowhere to be seen. James brushed off feelings of guilt for not having given Bernardo the last half of his money. He had other things to worry about.
They climbed on boat and Carl thundered the engine and drove out to sea.
Nausea set in James’ stomach, as he watched Carl’s speed and determination.
His mind flooded with panic for a solution. Lexi was so beautiful. Would he get a chance to tell her he was sorry for having fucked up? He lowered his head and prayed that Noah had taken the conversation to heart.
“Look at this guy,” Andrew heckled Noah, a wild grin on his face. His eyes dimmed as he reached for a buck knife on his lower pant leg. He continued to laugh as he pointed the knife at the Marine.
Noah’s eyes narrowed on the man.
“Do you trust this guy to take care of business? He’s a wuss. Look at him!” Andrew stretched his arm out, knife in hand.
In an instant, Noah grabbed his hand and twisted it with one swift motion, dragging his hand down in a contorted spiral.
“Come on, man. Stop,” Andrew squealed, squirming underneath the powerful hand lock. “I was just kidding, man. Stop!” His knife fell to the deck and bounced on a rubber mat. “I’m sorry, all right?”
Carl grimaced. “Time to stop messing around boys. We got the gold, now let’s dump these two love birds and get back home. I’ve got a whole slew of buyers lined up to buy this pretty stuff.”
Noah picked up the knife, twirled it around in his hand, and gave it back to Andrew. “You do something like that again, I’ll kill you.”
Andrew ambled away, massaging his own wrist while scowling back at Noah.
Idiot. He was obviously no match for Noah. He wasn’t nearly as cunning or strategic. Andrew was the type of guy that shot straight from the hip and checked the target afterward.
An empty pit sat at the bottom of James’ stomach. He hadn’t consumed anything all day, yet he had no des
ire to eat. He had far, far more important things on his mind. Was Noah going to help or not? He hadn’t changed his composure much since they had spoken on the island. Had his persuasion tactic affected him at all? And how the hell am I going to prepare Lexi for the fight that may or may not occur? Rising heat produced beads of sweat on his forehead. His heart quickened as the boat slowed. Was Carl serious on his threat? He didn’t want to find out. His mind scrambled to figure out how to attack him without getting shot.
Carl threw down a crate and headed towards them.
Lexi eyed James, then turned her attention to Carl. She licked her lips and straightened her blouse, then pulled her hair back and let it cascade onto her shoulders. Her lips trembled into a smile. She arched her back, jutted out her chest and let a few strands of her long hair slide across her shoulder. “I’ve missed you,” she said, her voice icy.
Carl’s head tipped back, his eyes floating down to her lips.
Is she seriously trying to coax him into freeing us?
“The sexy and suave Lexi. You’re taking good care of yourself. How long has it been since we’ve seen each other? Six, seven months?” He lifted a well-manicured hand to touch the side of her face.
Her shoulders trembled, but she maintained her eye contact.
James forced down a sick feeling to his stomach. Her plan was half-ass. She obviously had no idea where to take it. Further, he couldn’t handle her being touched by someone other than himself. His nostrils radiated heat. Was he stupid for hoping it didn’t work?
Carl relaxed his hands at his sides. “Come back to me Lexi. It’ll be me and you, just like old times. I’ve missed you too, baby. Should we get rid of these guys, and bring the gold back for you and I?”
No. Her plan B could get him killed. Why hadn’t she waited for word from him on plan A? Had she grown impatient?
“Carl,” Noah interjected from across the deck. “Don’t believe a word she says. That bitch is a temptress. Don’t fall for her. They’re hatching an escape plan right under your nose.”
Chapter 13