He’d risen at dawn; anticipation strumming through him had kept him from his sleep. A new project always affected him like this. The eagerness to get started pumping excitement through his blood would keep him going for hours without needing rest.
He had just taken in his first mouthful of coffee for the day when Joseph had pounded on his door, startling him so much that he’d spewed coffee everywhere. Sarah was standing behind him at the time, and if he didn’t know her better, he could have sworn she snickered. Before answering the knock, he’d glanced at her, but she’d looked serene and lovely as always.
The news that Armando had been found tied up and barely conscious in the pool house had been shocking; learning that Wheeler and the Jennings bitch had stolen his boat and left the island had trumped everything. Why the hell had they done it?
“I’m sure they’ll be back,” Armando mumbled. “He said he just wanted to take her for a little ride … be alone with her.”
He ignored the man. The stench of alcohol permeated the air around him. Whatever Armando said meant nothing. Bottom line: Wheeler and the woman were gone. Armando knew that there were no excuses for allowing such an event and that punishment would be forthcoming.
Stanford stood on the pier, looked out into the vast ocean, and tried to comprehend why Wheeler would risk his fury. Had he fallen so hard for the teacher that they’d decided to run away together? A romantic at heart, Stanford knew that this was possible. Hadn’t he fallen for Sarah that quickly? The moment he’d seen her, he had known she had to be his. But no, that didn’t happen often, and John Wheeler didn’t have that type of personality.
Which meant they’d left the island with no intention of returning. But why? In the back of his mind, he had a niggling suspicion, but he refused to give it credence. There was no way these people had hoodwinked him. No way Wheeler could have infiltrated his tight-knit organization. And it was laughable to even consider that the dowdy Karen Jennings had come to the island for any other reason than to teach his daughter.
Whatever their reasons, they would be captured soon. For years, he’d had an agreement with several of the employees at the La Rosa marinas. Unless notified beforehand, by either him or Joseph, that someone was coming to La Rosa, the men were to take immediate action if his boat was spotted.
Wheeler and the Jennings woman would be bloody when they returned to the island, but that was fine with him. Once he got an explanation for their departure, he’d give the bitch two options: continue to teach his daughter or die. It made no difference to him.
He’d spare Wheeler’s life for as long as the man fulfilled the promise he had made. He’d gone to a lot of bother for Lance to come here for training. He refused to be denied.
Armando said they’d left just before dawn. Any minute now, his two wayward employees would be receiving an unexpected greeting from his friends on La Rosa.
Jamie sat on the bench seat of the boat, behind Dylan. Arms crossed over her body, she clenched her teeth to keep them from rattling. Though the night was chilly and the wind cut through her clothing, the cold wasn’t making her shake. Adrenaline from their escape had overloaded her bloodstream.
She inhaled slowly, evenly, hoping to calm her breathing and the surge of nervous energy rushing through her body. It was over. Thank you, God, it was over. Now all they had to do was get on dry land and call Noah. With the information they had, Stanford Reddington might be in jail by this weekend.
And then what? She had been working toward this goal for so long, she honestly couldn’t answer that question. A quiet, calm vacation in the West Virginia mountains sounded like heaven. Autumn would be coming soon, and the leaves in that area of the country were said to be spectacular. Going alone would be calming but so very lonely.
An ache developed in her chest as she gazed longingly at the man in the driver’s seat of the boat. There was only one person she wanted to be with, but she didn’t know if that would ever be possible.
Their speed slowed abruptly; Jamie got to her feet and went to stand beside Dylan. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re approaching La Rosa. And Mrs. Reddington was right. The boat’s almost out of gas.”
“What’s the plan?”
He gave her a grave, thoughtful glance. “Can you swim?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I don’t want to risk attracting attention by pulling into a marina. I doubt that Reddington’s aware of our absence yet, but just in case, I think it’ll be safer if we head to the opposite side of the island away from the marinas, abandon the boat, and then swim the rest of the way.”
“What about the flash drives? They can’t get wet.”
He held out his hand. “Give them here. I’ve got some plastic ziplock bags. I’ll double-bag them, wrap them in clothing, and put them in my backpack. They’ll be fine.”
Jamie withdrew the drives from the pouch around her waist and dropped them into Dylan’s hand.
“Hold the wheel steady while I get these ready. We’ll need to be prepared to jump within the next couple of minutes.”
Jamie stood at the wheel and watched the island come closer. Was anyone waiting for them to arrive, hoping to catch them for Reddington? They’d come this far; she refused to let anyone or anything stop them now.
The engine stuttered. “Dylan?”
He was beside her in an instant and shut off the engine. “Okay. Looks like this is it.” He glanced down at her, the darkness of his expression telling her he was worried. “I checked. The bastard has no life preservers on the boat.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“Take your shoes off and tie the laces together.”
While she did this, Dylan pulled his off and did the same thing.
“I’m going to tie a ski rope around your waist and loop it to my belt. The current shouldn’t be too strong right now, but I’m not going to take any chances. Okay?”
She nodded and then, unable to stop the impulse, leaned up and kissed his mouth. “We’re going to be fine.”
Instead of deepening the kiss, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight against his chest. Treasuring the moment, Jamie relaxed into him; she inhaled musky masculine sweat and the scent of the ocean. Of all the moments they’d shared, this was one of the most special.
Dropping his arms, he said, “Okay, sweetheart, let’s get out of here.”
She followed him to the edge, and while he tied the rope around her waist, she looked out toward the land. Was that someone walking on the beach? She stiffened as she saw two more people, each coming from a different direction.
“Dylan. Look.”
At the sound of urgency in Jamie’s voice, Dylan’s head jerked up. Unzipping his backpack, he pulled out a small pair of binoculars and focused on the beach. Hellfire. Three men armed with what looked like AK-47s stood on the shore, waiting for them.
Replacing the binoculars in the pack, Dylan quickly untied the rope around Jamie’s waist.
“What are you doing?”
Draping the backpack over her shoulders, he took one arm at a time and fastened the snaps at her chest. Then, working with amazing speed, he took the shoes she held, and looped and tied them around one strap of the backpack.
“Dylan?”
“I’ll draw their fire. You head in the other direction.” He nodded toward a small copse of trees farther down the beach. “Hide there. I’ll come for you as soon as I lose them.”
“Like hell, Dylan. I’m not going to let you—”
His grabbed the backpack’s straps and jerked her close. “We don’t have time to argue. I can swim underwater and escape them.”
“But I—”
“Please, Jamie. For once, don’t argue with me. Okay?”
The tilt of her chin didn’t bode well for her obedience, but Dylan had to trust that she’d follow his orders on this. He’d trained for this kind of escape scenario; she hadn’t.
Her eyes searched his and then, finally, thankfully, she nodded. “I’ll
see you soon.”
Using his body to block hers from the view of the men on the beach, he watched as she sat on the edge of the boat, slid down into the water, and began to swim toward the beach.
Dylan waited for a couple of minutes, until she was a good distance from the boat. Then, making as big a spectacle as possible, he went to the other side of the boat. Standing on the edge, he looked out at the men who stood on the beach waiting, apparently thinking he was going to swim right to them.
Taking a deep breath, he made a smooth, clean dive into the cool, crisp water and swam deep. It wasn’t until he leveled out that he saw the bullets zinging and scattering about him. Damn, these men meant business.
With the hope of getting out of their shooting range, Dylan swam away from the land, but his biggest concern was Jamie. Had she gotten away without them seeing her? Or were they shooting at her, too?
twenty-five
She heard the guns long before she reached land. Her strokes strong and steady, she gritted her teeth against the cool bite of the churning water and concentrated on her target: the white stretch of sand and trees in front of her. She wanted to turn around to see if she could spot Dylan. She wouldn’t. Of all the times she’d argued and disagreed with him, Jamie had recognized that this was one time when she needed to keep her mouth shut and do what she’d been told.
That didn’t mean she liked it or that she wouldn’t try to help him once she reached her destination. Dylan was so damn heroic, he’d stand in front of a firing squad and demand they shoot him before he allowed anyone else to be hurt. She loved him too much to let that happen.
The water wasn’t as choppy as she drew closer to the shore, but a strong current began to pull at her. She ground her teeth together and persevered. She and McKenna used to compete with each other when they were kids. McKenna was the faster swimmer, but Jamie was the stronger. She thanked God for that strength today.
Raising her head, she treaded water to check her distance. About forty yards and closing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement. The gunmen were running down the beach, away from her. They were chasing Dylan.
With a renewed surge of energy and strength, Jamie took off again. Once she reached shore, she needed to figure out a way to distract the men so Dylan could get onto the beach. He couldn’t stay beneath the water much longer. She refused to acknowledge that he’d already had to surface. And that when he had, bullets might have hit him. She couldn’t let herself think that.
Her foot hit something, and relief mingled with exhaustion. The water was shallow enough that she could touch the bottom. Lowering her legs, she waded toward the shore. Though every muscle in her body ached and her breath rasped painfully through her lungs, she couldn’t allow herself to rest. She had to figure out a way to help Dylan.
Her legs, shaky and weak, stumbled to find footing. She was grateful for the shoes tied around the backpack. Running barefoot would’ve been tough.
Now ankle-deep in the water, she felt her legs give out, and she fell to her knees. Crawling the last few feet, she collapsed onto the sand. Though she was exhausted and dizzy, she refused to give herself any time for recovery. Dylan’s life was in danger.
Rolling over onto her back, she sat up and pulled at the backpack. Her arms were so rubbery, it took three tries. At last able to pull the pack off, she untied her shoes. Her socks were soggy, but she couldn’t take the time to find dry ones in Dylan’s bag, if he even had any. She had to get going.
With her shoes on, Jamie stood and tested her legs. Yes, they were shaky, but they would work.
Making a note of the area where she’d last seen the men, Jamie headed straight ahead into the tree-covered area. Once inside, she veered right. As she ran, maneuvering around trees and bushes, her mind came up with and then threw away every scenario she could think of. Confronting a group of armed men was out … they’d just shoot her. Finding the police and getting help would take too long. Waiting until she knew what she faced before she made a decision was her only option.
She reached the edge of the treed area. Peeking around a tall, thin palm, she spotted the three men easily. They were the only ones on the beach, and they held wicked-looking weapons. She could hear them talking as they gestured with their guns toward the water, but she couldn’t make out their words. Their voices sounded angry. She hoped that meant good things for Dylan.
A small sand dune behind the men had concrete steps; a sign beside them indicated that they led to a parking lot. Jamie turned back into the treed area and ran up the hill toward the parking lot. She stopped at the top and looked down into the almost empty lot. Two black SUVs were parked side by side. With her heart in her throat, her feet kicking up sand, she ran down the hill. Stopping at one of the SUVs, she tugged on the driver’s door … locked. She turned to the other and found the same. Hell, these men had submachine guns and they were afraid someone would steal their cars?
Frozen in indecision, Jamie looked around for something, anything. Rapid gunfire shocked her into action. She looked down, picked up the nearest and biggest rock she could find, and smashed the side windows of both vehicles. In an almost answering rhythm, alarms blared.
With the hope that she’d bought Dylan a little time, Jamie darted under one of the vehicles and prayed with all her might that no one would look underneath. She saw big, booted feet run toward her. The men yelled and snapped at one another, gesturing with their guns as they discussed who’d broken their windows. Finally, two of the men headed back to the beach. Another man stood guard in front of the vehicles. Could she handle one man? Yes.
Sliding out on the other side of the SUV from the man, Jamie came at him from behind. She kicked him hard in the back. When he stumbled forward, she took advantage of his loss of balance, jumped onto his back, and wrapped an arm around his neck. He dropped his gun; his fingers and hands tore at her arms as he whirled around and around, trying to shake her off. Gritting her teeth, ignoring the scratches and gouges from his nails on her tender skin, she determinedly hung on as she pressed her forearm hard into his throat. At last she felt him weakening; his leg buckled beneath him and he fell forward.
Letting go, she jumped to her feet and grabbed the gun. The man lay unmoving, unconscious or dead; she didn’t know which. If he was dead, there wasn’t anything she could do. If he was unconscious, that was what she wanted.
Jamie examined the giant gun. She had never seen anything like it before. However, she knew which end to point, and, if she had to, she could damn well press a trigger and shoot. Pulling in a deep breath, she ran across the parking lot, toward the two men over the hill. She never saw the body flying toward her until it tackled her and took her to the ground. The gun skidded across the pavement.
Doing his best to lessen the impact, Dylan twisted and took the brunt of the fall. He didn’t know what he would have done if she’d managed to reach the two men. She’d been holding the AK-47 in the most awkward way he’d ever seen anyone hold a gun. He hadn’t known any way to get her attention before they saw her, other than to tackle her.
Showing him that she wasn’t going to give up without a fight, she squirmed and bucked beneath him. “Let me go, you bastard.”
“Jamie, it’s me.”
She froze. “Dylan?”
“Yeah.”
With both of them gasping so hard he could barely hear anything else, Dylan loosened his hold on her and got to his knees. “Are you hurt?”
She rolled onto her back. “No, I’m fine.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here before they come back to check on their man.”
“How?”
“Let’s see if the big lug you took out has keys. If not, I’ll hot-wire it. We’ll be out in a flash.”
She got to her knees and then her feet. Once up, she swayed slightly.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just a little tired.”
The need to hug her and tell her how damn proud he was of her was strong. He made do with a gri
n as he held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s find a place to hide, and then we’ll get some rest.”
Wrapping an arm around her, he led her back to where the man lay on the pavement.
“Is he dead?”
The tentative tone in her voice told him she didn’t really want to know. Determined to lie to her if the man was dead, Dylan bent down and pressed a finger to his neck. He was thankful to be able to reply truthfully, “No.”
A check of the man’s pockets gave him what he needed: a set of keys. He stood and pressed the unlock switch on the car key to see which vehicle it belonged to. Then he held out his hand to Jamie. “Let’s go.”
Ushering Jamie into the passenger seat, he quietly pressed the door closed. Even though time was of the essence, he took a few moments to open the hood of the other SUV and rip out the plug wires. Satisfied that this would delay any kind of chase, he ran to the driver’s side of the other vehicle and cranked up the motor, thankful that it was the quiet, purring kind. Backing out of the parking lot, he glanced over at Jamie and grinned. “I’m hungry. How about you?”
Though her laughter held the hint of a shaky sob, she nodded and said, “Anything but fish. I think I swallowed two during my swim.”
“Steak it is.”
Several thoughts hit Dylan as he headed down a narrow, two-lane road. Reddington probably had men all over the city looking for them. Every part of his body ached like a sore tooth. To make matters worse, he was lost and had no idea where he was going. One thing he knew for certain, though, was that there was absolutely no one he’d rather have at his side than the gutsiest woman he’d ever known: Jamie Kendrick.
Last Chance Rescue headquarters
Noah grabbed the phone on the first ring. He’d been on edge for a couple of days, ever since Raphael had called him. “McCall.”
“It’s me.”
The gruff, raspy voice barely sounded human, much less like Savage. “You and Jamie okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Since you know about Jamie, I’m assuming you heard from Raphael?”
Sweet Revenge Page 29