by Vanessa Kier
“It’s a strong possibility, yeah.”
“He must have planned from the start to pass me the diamonds.” She sucked in air. “I dozed off a couple of times, so George could have taken advantage to slip a bag of diamonds among my things.” She met Seth’s eyes. “But if that’s the case, how did we miss them? The rebels searched my backpack and found nothing. Plus, I’ve been in and out of my pack for days and there’s nothing there that doesn’t belong.”
“I don’t know. Let’s—” Seth’s phone beeped, indicating waiting voice messages. Dammit, he wished he’d never jerry-rigged the charger for his phone. With a mental groan, he snagged the phone off the bedside table and saw that he had five new messages. All of them time stamped yesterday.
Two of the messages were from Rick Martin, repeating his earlier instructions for Seth to call him. Two were from Bureh reminding Seth that he wanted Kirra turned over to him ASAP and berating Seth for causing an incident with Sankoh’s men.
Seth played the final message.
“Listen up, Jarrod.” Seth blinked at the unfamiliar, male South African voice, then frowned. He hadn’t even told Kirra his last name. How had his caller figured it out?
“You’d better keep my sister safe and sound or you’re a dead man,” the man snarled. “Have Kirra call me immediately at this number.” He recited his phone number twice.
“Kirra, you need to listen to this.” Seth activated the speaker and played the call again.
“Oh, my, God. That’s my brother, Dev!” Kirra released her death hold on the sheet and grabbed Seth’s arm. “How’d he get your number? And why’s he calling you Jared? Sankoh called you Michael Hughes, which I assume is some kind of alias.”
“Not Jared. Jarrod,” he snapped. He spelled the name out for her. “That’s my real last name.” He pointed his phone at her. “The important question is why didn’t you tell me that your brother is here in West Africa?”
“I—”
“Don’t try to tell me that he’s still back in South Africa, because his phone number has a local prefix.”
Kirra crossed her arms over her chest.
“Dammit, Kirra. Why didn’t you have me call your brother for help that first night when I asked if there was anyone you needed to contact? He could have picked you up.” He gestured angrily at the room. “Instead of being on the run, you would have been safe.” And Seth wouldn’t have made the colossal mistake of falling in love with her.
Fuck. He stared at Kirra as the certainty filled him. It was true. He loved her. No wonder the thought of saying good-bye to her made him want to put a fist through the nearest wall. But he still didn’t see any way out of his dilemma. Even if he managed to neutralize his blackmailer, there was still the assassin to worry about. He’d never ask Kirra to go on the run with him. Despite how well she’d handled herself these past few days, she deserved stability.
But dammit, he did not want to give her up.
Kirra pushed her hair out of her face and glared at him. “I didn’t have any way to contact Dev. He’s former military, now doing some sort of ultra-secret work. I had his phone number stored in my lost phone, so I never bothered to memorize it. He never told me who he worked for.”
“Special ops?”
“Um, I think so.”
It figured. There weren’t many white special ops guys left in West Africa. At least not on the right side of the law. Those who remained either worked for highly priced, private security firms, or had joined WAR.
With his luck, he bet he knew which group her brother fell into. Yeah, her brother belonging to WAR would explain how the man knew Seth’s real name. They reportedly had excellent intelligence. Fantastic. Bad enough to have Kirra’s overprotective older brother wanting to kick his ass. The last thing Seth needed was to tangle with an entire organization filled with highly trained soldiers who’d back her brother up if he decided to wipe Seth from the face of the earth.
On the other hand…Seth rubbed the back of his neck. Maybe he could—
“Dev and I…Well…” Kirra shrugged, oblivious to his dilemma. But he couldn’t tell her about the threat—now threats, thanks to her brother—hanging over his head. She’d want to help him. And unless this new idea panned out, there was nothing she could do. It was better for her to remain ignorant. Then Seth could tell her good-bye without hurting her too deeply.
“As I said before,” Kirra continued, “Dev has always thought of me as stupid, irresponsible, and flighty.”
Seth snorted. “You’re the farthest thing from flighty. You’re strong and independent and a damn good strategic thinker.”
She inhaled sharply. Her eyes shone with such gratitude and, he hoped, love, that it took his breath away. “There you go again, saying the exact right thing.”
“What? It’s true. If your brother doesn’t understand that, then he doesn’t know you at all.”
“You’re right.” One of her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “We’ve never been close. He’s tried to be more patient with me since the attack, but he’s been away so much that he falls back into the same patterns whenever we meet. He gets all growly, tells me to grow up, and orders me around. I take offense and act out, only proving his point.”
“I think I need to have a man-to-man talk with your brother,” Seth said.
Kirra patted his chest. “Beating up on him isn’t going to solve anything. He’s as stubborn as they come. And well-trained.”
Hurt, Seth raised his brows and gave her a look. “Are you saying that I’m not highly trained?”
“Sure, as a pilot. I know you can use a gun, but Dev is also trained in hand-to-hand combat.”
“I’ll show you hand-to-hand.” He pounced on her and drove her onto her back on the bed.
Kirra laughed, smiled in that “gotcha” way, and batted her eyelashes at him.
He scowled at how she’d manipulated him, then chuckled and kissed her on the nose. “Do you win arguments by batting your eyelashes at your brother?”
“Ugh. No. I used to scream at him, then stomp away like a child.” She rolled her eyes. “Now I just wait until he’s said his piece, remind him that I’m in control of my life—not him—and leave him stewing on that.”
Seth laughed. “That’s my girl.” He kissed her on the mouth—briefly, so as not to be tempted to make love to her again—then sat up and picked up his phone. “The battery is low, but there should be enough power for you to call your brother back, as long as you keep the call short. You need to put the poor guy out of his misery.” Now Seth didn’t need to hear from Dr. LaSalle. He could hand Kirra off to her brother, instead.
She glanced at the time on the LCD display. “It’s early yet, not quite five.”
“Trust me, he won’t care. He’s desperate for reassurance that you’re alive.”
“All right.”
“Once you’re done, we’ll search for the diamonds.”
She nodded, then climbed out of bed.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, but this is my big brother. I’m not talking to him while I’m in bed naked with a man. I’m getting dressed and calling him from over here.”
Being a big brother himself, he couldn’t fault her logic. He was certain he’d know if his sister called him from the bed of her lover.
A fist of regret squeezed his heart. His sister was a single mom now. Seth had never had a chance to meet her husband. The man had been killed in Afghanistan a few months before Seth’s niece had been born. Between raising her daughter and working full-time, he doubted his sister had much time to date.
He should be there for her. Not that he knew much about kids, but he was certain he could handle one small girl for long enough to let his sister go out on a date if she wanted.
Instead of assistance, he’d brought his blackmailer’s hit man into their lives, putting them all at risk.
Kirra swore, jerking his attention back to the immediate problem. “The phone started to dial, then died.”
She handed it back to him.
“Dammit.” Now how was he supposed to hand Kirra off to her brother?
Kirra shrugged. “That’s okay. Dev would probably only lecture me anyway.”
He hated the dejected look on her face. Why couldn’t the world have left them alone for a few more hours?
“So. How about we find those diamonds?” He got out of bed and pulled on the shorts he’d been wearing earlier. He kinda liked them. Then he lit the lantern and brought in the one from the kitchen to give them extra illumination.
“I honestly don’t think the diamonds are here,” Kirra said as she set her backpack on the bed. “It’s not as if this is going to be a tiny package. Depending on the size and clarity of the stones, we’re probably looking for a bag big enough to overflow the palm of my hand.”
He raised his brows. “I thought you stole mostly finished jewelry.”
“I did. But some of the people we did business with also handled uncut gems. A few of them would talk to me while I waited for their appraisal on my jewelry.” Kirra frowned and rubbed her forearm.
“What?”
She hesitated. “Franz didn’t like it that the leader of the gang of thieves trusted me to go alone to the fence, but always sent an escort with Franz.”
“He took it out on you?”
“Not physically. But yeah, Franz always said something to make me feel stupid and out-of-place.”
“Did he try to blame you for the attack while he was beating and cutting you?” Seth asked, his voice deathly quiet.
She froze. “I don’t—” Her teeth dug into her lower lip and she stuck her hand in her pocket. “Maybe. I…I think I remember him saying how it was all my fault. But the memories of the attack are still pretty spotty. They mostly hit me out of nowhere. The doctors don’t know if I’ll ever regain full memory, and honestly, I’m not sure I want to remember.
“The few memories I do get are horrible. None of those near death experiences of white light and peace that some survivors talk about. Instead, I see Franz and the knife and—” Her voice cracked. “I remember pain. So much pain and fear.”
The fury that shot through Seth threatened to incinerate his common sense. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. Once again he was lost in a red haze of absolute hatred and the need for revenge.
Because of her asshole former boyfriend, Kirra had died. Fucking died. If she hadn’t been strong enough to hold onto life, Seth might never have met her.
His heart cracked wide open. It hurt unlike anything he’d ever felt. He might never have had a chance to know Kirra. To hear her sing. To watch her eyes light up as she teased him. To argue with her and to love her.
She’d brought light and laughter into his life and he would cling to those memories and let them warm him as he faced the assassin.
His soul howled at the injustice of finding love when he had no hope of a future.
“Shh, Seth, it’s okay,” Kirra murmured. Her hand lay warm and soothing on his forearm. “I’m alive.”
“The bastard and his friends better hope they never get out of prison,” Seth growled. “Because if they do, I’m going to kill them.”
Kirra stroked her cool hand down his face, across his neck, and over shoulder until it rested over his heart. “No, you’re not. You’re better than that. I’m better than that.” She met his eyes. “I survived. I learned that my life has value, which was a lesson a long time overdue. So no, you’re not going off on some killing spree. Because the man I love isn’t a cold-blooded killer. And because hurting Franz and the others isn’t going to change what happened. Nothing can change that except a time machine, and I don’t think even you can fly back that far.”
A growl erupted from his chest. He knew she was right, but every instinct in him told him to fight for her, to punish those who’d hurt her in order to prevent anyone else from trying a similar attack.
His muscles demanded movement. He wanted desperately to dash out of the room and run off his tension. But he didn’t want Kirra to think he was rejecting her. Worse, he didn’t want to scare her. Or—worst case—lose his shit and accidentally hurt her. So instead, he focused on calming his breathing. Then he pulled her into a tight hug and just held her.
And cherished the idea that she thought she loved him.
A long while later, Seth pulled back. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but it wouldn’t be fair to her. So instead, he brushed a kiss over her forehead and murmured, “You’re amazing.”
She grinned at him. “Damn right. Now, let’s look for the diamonds so we can go back to bed.”
While Kirra took everything out of her backpack and examined each item thoroughly, Seth examined the frame. “Nothing,” he announced.
“Seth,” Kirra said, her voice vibrating with excitement.
He glanced over. “You found them?”
She nodded.
“Where?”
She pointed to a small zippered case holding feminine hygiene products. “That’s the one item I haven’t touched since I left home, because I haven’t started my period yet.” She pushed aside a sanitary pad to reveal a black velvet bag.
Seth laughed. “No wonder the rebels didn’t find them. They wouldn’t look past the first layer of feminine products. In fact, I guarantee that the guy who opened the bag couldn’t wait to zip it closed.” He reached over and plucked out the bag. “Let’s see what all the fuss is over.”
He poured the contents onto the bed. Rough-edged rocks the color of dirty snow spilled out, forming a fist-sized pile. Seth whistled. “That’s a good stash.”
“Rather ugly aren’t they?” Kirra said. “Yet they’re more interesting to me than the glittering perfection of a polished diamond.” She stirred the pile with her finger, put them back into the bag, then jiggled it.
“Seth, who do the diamonds belong to?”
“Whatever you’re thinking, forget it. They were on their way to an arms dealer named Jonathan Morenga. He’s set himself up as the de facto leader of the more moderate rebels. I’ve worked for him and he’s not a man you want to cross.”
“But he doesn’t know we found the diamonds. Why couldn’t we use them to buy off your assassin?”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kirra had expected Seth to at least show a glimmer of excitement at her suggestion. Instead, he shook his head and paced away, coming to stop in front of the window.
“I thought about that,” he finally admitted, keeping his back to her. “But the assassin isn’t the type of guy to give up a target for monetary gain.”
“I think it’s time you told me why he’s after you. Does it have something to do with what happened in Southeast Asia?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” She perched on the bed. “Before you stomped off in a snit—”
Seth snorted.
“—you’d just told me that you’d flown back to base and been arrested.”
“Right. They finally pulled me out to interrogate me.” A gust of wind threw rain hard against the metal roof and he waited until the noise died down. “I was furious. I demanded to know why my team was shot at without warning. I couldn’t understand why the other squad hadn’t told us we were under arrest, rather than firing on us without provocation. According to the special agent in charge, they hadn’t sent any helicopters after us. In fact, the helicopters I claimed had pursued me back to base hadn’t shown up on their radar.”
“Who sent them after you, then?”
“Had to have been the general. He must have known the investigators were closing in and wanted to eliminate anyone who might not testify in his favor.”
Kirra nodded.
“As far as the CID agents were concerned,” Seth continued. “I’d only returned to the main base because of my co-pilot’s injuries. They believed I was lying about what happened in order to cover my ass.” He gave an angry shake of his head. “I told them exactly what had happened, but they didn’t want to hear the truth.” His voice was wei
ghed down with a familiar hopelessness and despair.
“They’d already made up their minds about you. It hurts, doesn’t it?”
Seth turned and met her eyes. “Your parents?”
“Yeah.”
It was hard to keep her gaze on his, but if she wanted him to be emotionally honest with her, then she needed to accord him the same level of trust. “Too often my parents and Dev refused to accept my account of things because they were blinded by their belief that I was flighty, irresponsible, and didn’t care about others. They’d already made up their mind regarding my guilt. Regardless of the facts, in the end I was blamed.” She shrugged. “I know it’s not the same as being betrayed by the military you’d devoted your life to serving.” That deep a betrayal could send a man into a dark, dark spiral.
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt you,” Seth said. He reached out as if he wanted to touch her, but didn’t move to close the distance between them.
His obvious need to distance himself from her made her heart ache.
“The account I need to settle with your brother just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”
She dredged up a crooked smile. “What makes you think I can’t fight my own battles now?”
He shrugged. “You can. Doesn’t mean the impulse is going away.”
“Thank you.”
Their eyes held a moment, then Seth once again turned his back and stared out the window. “I was still in the interrogation room, verbally fighting with the special agents, when the base came under attack. A team of shooters burst into the interrogation room, firing at my seat.”
“How did you survive?”
“The two special agents were playing good cop, bad cop. The bad cop had me pinned up against the wall while the good cop pretended to talk him down. So we weren’t in the initial line of fire.” He flattened his hand against the wall next to the window.
“A team of MPs who’d been hard on the heels of the attackers showed up and helped take down the shooters. Then mortars hit the building. We barely made it out before it collapsed.”