Suspect Witness

by Ryshia Kennie

  “You’re going to make it. I promise. But it’s time to go home.”

  “Home,” she murmured as his lips met hers, and for the first time it felt as though it could be a possibility as her arms went around his neck. Her breasts pressed tight against the muscled ribbing of his chest. All of it felt so right even when the timing was so completely wrong, even when he was wrong. The wrong man. She couldn’t imagine the chances he took, the day-to-day complications of what he did for a living. It was incomprehensible. But more incomprehensible were her feelings for him. She shouldn’t have them. She didn’t know him.

  “You’re safe, baby,” he said against her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  She wanted to melt into him, and for a moment what awaited them outside this resort was forgotten. All the doubts, the possibilities of the future melted into the present. There was only this man, this moment and a relief so intense that as it shifted into passion, everything seemed to implode.

  His hand ran down the light cotton material of her blouse, slipped beneath the hem. Skin on skin, his hand warm and rough. She wanted that hand there. She wanted more. She...

  “Josh...”

  She slipped free. It wasn’t that easy. It couldn’t be. She’d been running too long. She moved a few steps away as if in distance there would be answers, salvation, something.

  His hands were on her shoulders, solid and comforting and sensual, even though it was nothing more than the touch of a hand through cloth.

  He pulled her close, her derriere cupped against his thighs.

  He ran his hand along her side, curving at her waist and settled it on her hip.

  “I haven’t wanted a woman like I want you in a long time,” he whispered, his breath hot and scintillating against her ear. She shivered against him, against the hardness that pressed against her and called for her to turn and offer him everything she had. She stayed with her back to him and let his hands go where they would.

  His hand circled her belly and slid upward. Her blouse slipped off one shoulder. The buttons of her blouse were undone. A warm hand covered her naked breast and she didn’t know how they had gotten to this point, except that she wanted to turn in to him and was held firmly against his hips, at his mercy, as his fingers toyed with her nipples and as her breathing came just a little hotter and just a little faster.

  She barely noticed as her blouse fell to the ground, landing in a puddle at her ankles. His hands dropped lower, to the curve of her waist, her hips, the V between her legs, holding her there, making her arch and want to turn and reach for him.

  “Josh.”

  Behind them a breeze lifted the canvas blind, rustling in the tight heat that seemed to settle around them.

  She hesitated as everything that had happened and that she had yet to face slipped to the background and passion threatened to consume her.

  He nuzzled her earlobe, the soft caress making her shudder even as she shook her head.

  “I want you,” she murmured as her fingers ran tentatively down the hard muscle of his broad back. Her hand dropped.

  “There can never be anything between us, Josh. This is just an illusion, a place where I should never be and a place where you always are. A dangerous place.”

  His hand stilled between her legs as she wept, wanting him.

  “You’re too risky.”

  He ran a thumb over her nipple.

  Pinpoints of pleasure ran through her. “Men like you...”

  She pulled away from him before it was too late, before passion swept reason out of reach.

  “And who or what, exactly, are men like me?”

  She picked up her blouse and pulled it on. She took her time gathering her disjointed thoughts, breathing slowly and getting her traitorous body under control.

  She did up the last button before meeting his eyes.

  “Men who thrive on adrenaline, on fast-paced lives and equally fast-paced relationships. Men who will never own a home and mow a front lawn.” She looked away, one hand working through the fingers of another and then she looked at him, seeing the truth in his eyes.

  “Erin...”

  “It’s true, isn’t it? I bet you don’t even have a pet or a neighbor you know or...”

  “An RV just outside of Tampa,” he said and walked to the window. He stood there for a long moment, his dark hair curling over his collar, his shoulders broad and tapering to slim hips.

  He was everything she wanted in a man, yet everything she didn’t. He was danger, and he was compassion. She’d never seen that in any man.

  “A camping trailer?” She smiled and shook her head. “Wouldn’t an apartment work better?”

  “It’s a little bigger than that. And as far as portability, well, I liked the allure of the open road at the time I bought it. As it is, it’s been in an RV park just outside Tampa for the last five years.” He leaned one hip against the windowsill. “I’ve gotten used to the small space and knowing that if I feel like it I can move it at any time.” He cleared his throat and pushed away from the sill. “Except I’ve never felt like it. Like moving.”

  “But you’re not a stay-at-home kind of guy?”

  “Not lately,” he admitted. “I’m not home a lot, but I am handy, if that helps. At least my friends think so.”

  “Handy?”

  “I spent the last vacation plumbing a friend’s bathroom.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Seems like years ago.”

  He smiled at her and it seemed odd, the smile and even the conversation, considering what they had just gone through and where they’d just been.

  “I know, hard to believe.”

  “It is,” she replied. The image of him raising that gun, of the man...falling and... She closed her eyes. She couldn’t think of it. It was hard, even after seeing him in action, to think that the gentle, unassuming man she had met was capable of those things or worse. And if he weren’t capable of those things, it was even harder to face the other truth, that she would now be dead.

  “It’s all been too much. I’m sorry,” he said and his voice had a gruff edge. “I would change all of this if I could.”

  “How do you do this day in and day out one assignment after another?”

  He shrugged. “I suppose I was drawn to it after spending my youth traveling the globe. I left home after two years of college and spent a couple of years traveling. And, of course, what happened to my family when they were detained.”

  She digested all of that. “I can’t even begin to imagine. Does it fulfill you?”

  “Some days,” he said honestly. “And other days I’m not sure if I shouldn’t be doing something else.”

  “But you didn’t finish college?”

  “One day I may finish. In the meantime, life has been my university.”

  “A rather tough way to get an education.” She laced her fingers together.

  “Erin.” His voice was gruff, and then she was in his arms and he was holding her and it felt so good, so safe. The scent of him was warm with the clean scent of the outdoors. His chest was solid against her, comforting.

  The chirp of a jungle insect seemed to knife through the room, and Erin shuddered, remembering who and what might be out there, maybe not nearby, not yet...but soon.

  “I’m sorry you had to see any of that,” he said.

  “Don’t be,” she replied. “You saved my life.”

  “Just part of the job,” he said as he strode across the room, putting distance between them. A whistle rather like the call of a bird had Josh opening the door. She watched as he nodded to someone she couldn’t see. He opened the door wider, and Tenuk stood a few feet back from the doorway, looking serious.

  “I’m going with Tenuk—five minutes. I won’t be out of sight of the room.”

  “Y
ou want me to stay here...alone?”

  He stepped back and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’ll be all right. We’re close to getting you the hell out of here.”

  Hell, she thought. That was what she had been through and as she met the sincerity in his eyes she realized, that hell might be what she would be facing when all this was over.

  When she went home, to Sarah, to the safe house.

  When she was home—without him.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Early evening, Wednesday, October 14

  “Just heard from Wade,” Tenuk said. “Georgetown is out of the question.”

  “Why?” Josh snapped.

  “Wade would be here in under an hour, but he’s reported a major foul up at the airport. A crash has Georgetown’s runways closed and emergency measures in place. I suspect it won’t be much longer before Wade gets around that, but he’s not going to be here as scheduled.”

  “How soon?”

  “Another couple of hours.” Tenuk shrugged and handed Josh a small slip of paper. “Here’s the numbers of the plane. Don’t ask me how Wade got them before he got on the plane. Or for that matter how he contacted me. Only thing you need to know is that’s our plane. Be sure to destroy this in the usual manner.” Josh nodded. He’d chewed and swallowed more than his share of paper.

  * * *

  IT WAS NEAR nine o’clock before they heard the buzz of a small plane, an Otter, similar to the ones the resort used. Josh went outside, and Erin could see from the window as he looked upward.

  “It’s time to get out,” he said, leaving the door open behind him.

  Erin hesitated.

  It was the moment of truth, when she gave him her trust not just in this moment but all of it going forward. It was a lot to ask considering everything that had gone before, how long she’d depended solely on herself. She hesitated, taking in his sun-burnished good looks, the cap and tourist T-shirt gone. The plain black T-shirt defined his flat belly, defined his muscle—reminded her that he was all man.

  Too much man.

  Too much risk.

  “Erin.” His voice broke into her thoughts, his hand warm yet oddly commanding on her forearm. “This is it. The plane is here. Stay close. It should be clear but...”

  His hand slid from her forearm as he held out his hand. “We’re going to have to hurry.”

  Despite her thoughts she hesitated only briefly, and as she did the impact of it all whirled through her mind. This was life changing, epic, and it would affect both her and Sarah. What if she were wrong?

  “Move,” he said, and his tone suggested that there was no possibility of hesitation.

  His grip went back to her arm as he propelled her forward. “The next man destined to try to take you out is on his way. He was seen up river not that long ago. Remember what I told you earlier? More deadly than anyone who has tracked you before.”

  She swallowed heavily, digesting that information, trying to stay calm.

  Outside, they hurried along the wooden pathway. She could sense Josh’s tension in the tight grip he had on her hand. He nodded at a maid who moved lightly along the boardwalk, a bag of cleaning supplies over her arm. She was the only person they met on their walk to the tarmac. As they left the wooden walk it almost seemed like the verdant green jungle had taken on an ugliness that was foreign, where once, or maybe in another time and place, it had been beautiful.

  Her imagination was in overdrive.

  She took a breath. The jungle seemed to be the same, rich and thick, full of the calls of the birds. But the rustling in the brush no longer signified something amazing, possibly camera worthy like wildlife. Instead, it felt as if it was a trap that housed a game of life and death.

  The grip on her hand was so tight she could feel the bones shift.

  “Josh,” she protested.

  The jungle seemed to breathe around them, the darkness providing another layer, one of danger. There was nothing to see but thick shadows. Something shrieked deep in the jungle’s depths and she jumped as a shiver ran across her spine. Whoever the next tracker was he could be in the jungle, and they would never know until it was too late.

  They stepped off the walkway heading for the tarmac.

  They were out in the open, exposed. Her palms were damp, and a knot in the pit of her stomach that combined with the sour taste in her mouth made her fight against the urge to throw up.

  She looked ahead. The plane was on the runway, the shadow of the pilot in the cockpit and the propellers going. The plane was ready to take off.

  Time was running out. She could feel it in the short gasps of breath, in the pounding of her heart, in the sweat that slicked her palm against his.

  It had been so few hours since they’d made a run for their lives through the cave and now it threatened to begin again.

  Erin gasped for breath and saw the door to the plane open, a weathered-looking, blond-haired man flagging them in a one-armed wave.

  “Hurry.” Josh’s command was overlaid with urgency as he moved faster and for a second she was unable to keep up and then she stumbled.

  Josh pulled her to her feet, quickly, easily and with no words of concern. There was no time.

  The pilot was out of the plane, opening the door and waiting for them to get in.

  “Josh. King of the grand exit,” he said. “Good to see you, man.”

  “Wade. Good to get the hell out of here,” Josh said as he helped Erin in.

  The interior of the plane had a heavy, musty odor as if it had been in the jungle too long. She pushed a canvas tarp aside and crawled into the farthest seat from the door. She looked out the window, but there was little to see as it was smeared and streaked with what looked like dirt. She clenched her hand, her nails biting into her palm and held back the urge to ask questions.

  Josh and Wade were settling themselves in and before long the plane was taxiing down the runway, and they were off.

  “Where to after Georgetown?” she asked.

  “Georgetown? Not in this plane, sweetheart.” Wade turned around and smiled at her.

  He looked at Josh. “You heard?”

  “Tenuk told me. Anything else?”

  “What?” Erin’s heart thumped and her mouth went dry. They had agreed to Georgetown. Not quite agreed, she admitted to herself, but she’d been comfortable with that option. Josh had made her comfortable with it and now he was changing it. She looked at Josh, demanding an answer as her eyes clashed with his. What else had Tenuk told him that she hadn’t heard?

  “Plane crash on the main runway. Officials are all over the area and the city is crawling with overhyped media. We’ve got to take you to a safe zone for now.” Josh looked back, his concern evident as his eyes searched hers. “I’m sorry, Erin. Things are moving too fast, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

  But even as he apologized her mind was going back to that one word. Safe, the word that kept coming up, but looking at Josh and hearing the diversion, she was beginning to feel less than safe.

  “What’s the change? Tenuk didn’t know what you had in mind,” Josh asked with confidence in his tone that eased Erin’s mind at the thought of a diversion.

  “Pulau, Langkawi,” Wade said. “Honeymooners island. Trite but effective.”

  Josh nodded. “How long?”

  “We’ll get another plane in by tomorrow afternoon to get you out.”

  “Have you been in contact with Vern?”

  Erin pushed her hands against her belly as the plane lifted into the air. Her stomach seemed to drop with the increase in altitude. She didn’t feel comfortable. She didn’t like this, not knowing Wade, not knowing about the conversation with Tenuk and realizing that there was a lot that Josh might be doing that she wasn’t aware of. Suddenly trust s
eemed like a shaky position to be in. She was running blind—trusting that he would save her. She didn’t like it.

  He looked back at her with a reassuring smile. “Vern is who I report to. The one who got me into this. Wade here...”

  “Private contractor,” Wade said as the plane banked into a turn.

  “Give or take. A wild card who works for the CIA.”

  “You blew my cover,” Wade complained.

  It was a brief moment of lightheartedness in the midst of a black unreality.

  “It’ll be okay, babe,” Josh murmured under his breath.

  In her heart that was all she wanted, to rewind the mess that her life had become and to have it all boil down to a word so simple.

  Babe.

  * * *

  BRIEFLY SHE CLOSED her eyes as if that would return her equilibrium and establish a more normal reality. She was on the run and this time she was no longer in control. Truthfully, she hadn’t been in control for a while, maybe since she’d first laid eyes on Josh. She shivered as Josh turned and his hand settled on her lower arm.

  “Despite how this looks, it will be okay.” But his voice was grim.

  “How can you be so sure that I couldn’t have carried on without you?” She looked straight ahead, her eyes averted, her body almost vibrating with tension.

  It was an outrageous thing to say considering everything that had happened. She would have been dead in Clearwater Cave or even before. She shuddered, not knowing what had pushed her to say such a thing.

  He had rescued her. They both knew that.

  “For one, you can’t stay on the run anymore. It’s only a matter of time before they’d take you to ground. And two, the FBI will protect you. You’ll be safe with them.”

  She shifted back, against the wall of the plane as if that would offer any protection. Despite everything that had happened, somehow she still harbored doubt.

  Fear ran through her. No matter what had come before, she’d made the wrong decision. Despite what she had said, despite trust, despite everything, she couldn’t go home. Ever.

  “You’ll be safe. We’ll keep you safe,” Josh said.