Catch Me If You Can (Love's Command)

by Billi Jean

  They broke the surface and he quickly scanned the area, keeping her in his arms when he did. In the distance he could spot land, so they were very close, but not close enough. Kylie spluttered, and when he examined her face, his worry zeroed in on her. Her complexion was chalky pale, and her lips were tinted blue. She clung to him and he guessed she was close to hyperventilating. Water splashed all around them, wetting her even more. He pushed the masses of black, heavy hair from her eyes and kept them both above water.

  “Calm down, Ky. Try to breathe. In and out, simple, right?”

  Her eyes grew rounder at that.

  “Whatever your dad made, the knowledge of it seems to be out in the open now. We have a chance here, but you have to work with me. I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.” In his line of work, he never promised anything. But saying it now, he knew he meant it. He’d die before he let her get killed. Gladly.

  She grimaced in fear and shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can.”

  The terror in her voice sent a spike of something painful through his heart. “We’ll make it, don’t worry. Now.” He glanced at the water rising around them and spotted Tazz breaking the surface not from where they were. He swam toward them with quick, sure strokes. He’d brought a bag with him, attached to his back like they used to wear for their SEAL missions. Dare hoped it was full of everything they needed because besides himself, his wallet and his wet sidearm, he had nothing. Kylie at least still wore her backpack, but whatever was in it had to be damaged goods by now.

  “We make for the shore,” he shouted as soon as Tazz was within earshot.

  Tazz glanced at Kylie, but nodded and Dare knew that for now, Tazz would aid him in saving her life. Tazz went under and Dare turned his attention on Kylie. She clung to him still, looking so scared he wiped the water off her face and treaded water, letting her take a second to simply catch her breath. “Now we swim. Take a deep breath.”

  “Wait, wait!” She dug her nails into his arm with very real fear, freezing him in the process of trying to go under.

  “We don’t have time for waiting. There’s nothing in this ocean that’s going to hurt you. But those men? They just took down a ferry looking for you.”

  She shook her head frantically. “I can’t. I can’t swim!”

  Well, shit. He didn’t realize there were still people out there who couldn’t. He grinned and pressed a quick kiss to her wet, cold lips. “No worries, baby, I can swim for the both of us. Just don’t fight me, okay?”

  She watched his face like he might suddenly get them out of this, but feared believing him. He could sense the building panic as the water lapped between them, too, as she sucked in another breath and water hit her face. She choked and tightened her hold on his arm.

  “Don’t panic. I’m a pro, okay?”

  She recovered enough to bite her bottom lip, but tears shimmered in her eyes.

  Hell, if she cried he’d lose it. The ferry was yards away, and any second someone on that boat would think to look in the water. Their luck wouldn’t last long and he knew it. He anchored her closer and cupped the side of her face with his free hand. Her eyes were dilated, completely black, but she held his gaze.

  “You’re going to be fine. Take a deep breath.” He showed her, and she copied him. The tears receded, but the panic was still there.

  “Now, let it go.” He tugged her to his back and latched her arms around his neck. “On my back, like this, and hold on. Don’t fight me.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Good, good baby, real good. Now, take another breath and under we go.”

  She did what he had said, all silently and worse, with a look like before, like she might as well do whatever, because she didn’t care if she lived or died.

  He tucked her up closer and ducked them under. She did what she promised. She didn’t fight him, but her smaller body was tight, and he sensed her fear through the grip she had on his hands.

  Once under, he power kicked and pulled at the water trying to get them out of sight before he had to surface them for air. After forty seconds, he rose up slowly and barely broke enough for them to take in a lungful. In the distance he still heard screams and yells, but so far no gunfire. Better, no gunfire at them in the water, which was by far the worst case he could think of. They’d be sitting ducks.

  “Good. We’re doing good.”

  She was trembling against him, no doubt freezing. The water wasn’t too chilly this far south, but it wasn’t bathtub warm either.

  “Grab a breath, we’re going back under.”

  She filled her lungs and he dove. This time he waited for her to start to struggle before he brought them up. He eased out of the water and she gasped for breath, but she still held on without fighting him. He didn’t spot Tazz, but then again, Tazz was more used to holding his breath than Kylie. The shore was still a far off blur, but manageable. Kylie barely weighed him down.

  “You’re doing good. Now, another deep breath and this time let it out a little at a time as we go. Got it?”

  “Yes.”

  He waited until she breathed in deeply then sank back under. She tucked her face to his neck and that same stab to his heart occurred.

  He’d saved lives before. But he’d rarely been able to save someone he knew. Kylie did what he’d said, followed his directions completely, and even though he knew she had to be terrified, she was going to survive this ordeal.

  After several more dips and surfaces, the shore was more visible. The attackers had picked a good spot for their crazy attack. From where they’d been, the ferry was far enough out and hidden by the turn in the coast it needed to make for landing. He glanced behind them and spotted emergency vehicles already circling the boat. More would be in the air. He needed to get them to land before someone tried to help them and drew too much attention.

  “Are they gone now, do you think?” Kylie asked. “Will those people on the ferry be okay?”

  His opinion of her went up even higher. She scanned the area and him, her dark eyes focused and her body language tense, but ready for whatever else came at them. All he could picture was how easy it would have been for her to have died. One shot, one ounce less courage or luck, and his time with her could have ended.

  Not going to happen.

  He squeezed her hand, more for himself than her.

  “Not gone. They’ll have sent someone to the shore when they couldn’t find us on the ferry, but we’re ahead of them, I hope, and they still have to find us.”

  “And your friend, where is he?”

  He grinned. “He’s near, no doubt already to shore.”

  She nodded against his shoulder. The action was so unguarded his throat tightened.

  “Another deep breath and this time, kick your feet and help out, would you?”

  She stiffened on top of him, then he heard her laugh softly. “I can do that.”

  “Good, now, under.” He turned his face once and her cheek brushed his. The soft caress did odd things to him. She did odd things to him.

  And now he had her to himself. If he could only get them out of the mess she’d landed in.

  Chapter Seven

  Kylie had experienced things in her life she wished she could forget. Times she’d rather never experience again. Diving into the ocean without knowing how to swim was now top on that list.

  She’d survived, though, all because of one man. She watched the way he examined every piece of equipment he’d laid out on the table as if it would and could save his life. It probably had.

  But he’d saved her life.

  Why had he done that when his partner so obviously didn’t feel the same…?

  Tazz.

  He sat opposite Dare at the big wooden table, but he might as well have been in another room. His focus wasn’t on his surroundings, or his partner or, thankfully, her.

  She thought she recognized him, but she hadn’t been on that end of the program. Her job had been to read the results from t
he drugs and modify them as needed. She’d seen a few of the patients though, and she’d been around the facilities enough to run into more of them. She’d never met Tazz, but he looked familiar, which could mean anything. She could have read his chart and seen the tiny little picture of him at the top or she could have run into him at an elevator or hallway. Either way, she didn’t know him, know him. She had a feeling he wasn’t the kind of man you forgot.

  At the moment, he sat silently, not checking his equipment because he was the only weapon he would ever need, she supposed. No doubt he could use anything, too, to kill or survive. But for now, he was motionless. He also showed no sign of stress. There were no tremors in his hands. He didn’t look feverish and he didn’t have to pace the spacious hotel room. He looked healthy—more than healthy, as if the swim, then the run across several miles had been merely a warm up exercise.

  Dare, on the other hand, looked tired, not worn out, certainly not like he couldn’t handle anything else, but his body wasn’t enhanced by genetic tinkering like Tazz’s. He looked like a man who’d had a hard day, but could handle more if it was thrown at him.

  Dare and Tazz.

  What kind of names did Americans have? She thought they might be what they referred to as ‘call names’ or ‘nicknames’ but she didn’t want to ask Dare because she didn’t want to start asking questions in front of Tazz. If she did, she feared he might start asking questions of her.

  So far, he’d obeyed Dare’s muttered, ‘let her rest’, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they started asking questions again.

  Of the two men, Tazz scared her in a way she couldn’t shake. His hostility toward her was apparent in everything he said. She scanned his profile but quickly looked away. He’d been close to violence on the ferry, but now he was calm.

  There was no sign of the anger from earlier. No suggestion of killing her like before, but she had no idea what he’d do or not do. What held him back from simply doing what his instincts were telling him, she wondered. He’d meant what he’d said, that he wasn’t going to let her hand over her dad’s files, but that’s exactly what she was going to do—unless he stopped her.

  Then there was Daren—or Dare. He didn’t frighten her at all, not the way Tazz did. She felt safe with him, as if he’d protect her no matter what. Silliness, she knew, but she still trusted him completely. She watched him for a few seconds and realized that she didn’t want to let him out of her sight. She especially didn’t want him leaving her alone with Tazz, but it wasn’t just that. She didn’t want to lose him—Daren Scott. And that did scare her.

  What a mess you’ve landed in, Ky. And all over a kiss. But what an amazing kiss.

  “So, I guess we’d better have this out,” Dare muttered, setting his gun down to focus a hard look at Tazz.

  Tazz’s frown deepened. Clearly he didn’t like that Dare seemed to be directing his words at him. Tazz glanced at her and his expression only grew more severe.

  “Look, I can see when I’ve been kept in the dark, but before I start asking her questions, let’s start with you.”

  Tazz grunted oddly and drummed his fingers on the table. “Right. What do you want to know?”

  “Let’s start with you and this project,” Dare said.

  She watched Tazz lean back in his chair, examining the table top as if it were the most important thing in the world, and wondered if he’d answer.

  Tazz had to have been one of the men who’d first volunteered for her dad’s work. He would have had some amazing experiences, but worse—not all of them would be good.

  She’d heard stories, but she’d never read a thing to indicate a dependence on the drug.

  Had her dad kept that from her?

  She didn’t know. At the end, when she’d begun expressing more and more of her concerns, she’d wondered if he’d filtered what she’d seen. But the idea was so alien to her, so wrong, she’d pushed it aside. How could you perfect something if you kept essential data from those that worked on it?

  You couldn’t, Ky. And maybe, just maybe, that was why when you left, your dad didn’t seem as upset as you’d imagined. The thought skittered along her mind like a snake, ready to strike.

  Had he done something that horrible?

  She thought back to some of the charts she’d read and had to wonder. Someday her father would find a cure for cancer, but until then, her father worked to save as many lives as possible. The genetics experiments he’d started ten years ago had caught the eye of a whole new set of agencies. Some of which paid for the other research he did on cancer. Some men claimed to be able to climb the highest peaks in Alaska, without much more than a winter parka, and jump over glaciers that they’d never have attempted before.

  Freezing cold didn’t affect them. The blazing heat of the desert didn’t harm them. Lack of water, food and some claimed even air, didn’t do them damage. They could go for days without sleep, and miles without breaking into a sweat at a full run, loaded with packs most men couldn’t carry a mile.

  Some men had died because they’d not had a signal from their body to slow down and rest. Or drink water. Or eat. Some had suffered from fatal wounds and kept going, bleeding out instead of simply stopping. Those stories had haunted her. They’d also frightened her into breaking off from the project after arguing with her father for the first time in her life.

  She tightened her fingers together on her lap as the seconds turned into minutes. Tazz had suffered from the experimental drugs. If he were addicted and doping himself to keep the drugs working in his system, the damage could be extensive. It explained so much. His anger, the way he watched her as if he couldn’t make up his mind about her. All of it pointed toward him telling the truth. Had her dad known?

  How could he not have known? Dare didn’t seem to mind the silence stretching on between them. He adjusted his weapon, did some odd piecing together of parts and only glanced at Tazz a few times that she noticed.

  Finally, when she began to get so nervous she wanted to fill the space with the sound of her own voice, Tazz sighed heavily and placed his hands flat on the tabletop.

  “Kylie’s dad and maybe Kylie,” he began, with a quick look at her, “saved my life. The treatments, really, saved my life.”

  “Treatments?” Dare leaned forward, his weapon on the table between them now. “What treatments? This drug you can’t knock?”

  Tazz heaved another sigh and got up, pacing the length of the hotel room with quick, angry steps. “Look, Ms Chung, you’re going to stay in the room for one reason. That reason is I need answers from you. I don’t mind spilling my guts, but listen up and pay attention because while my buddy wants you alive, I’m not so certain how long you have.”

  “What? What the hell kind of—?”

  “She knows things. She knows things every Tom, Dick and fucking Harry with money to buy wants. This information is in the files, but she’s worked on it. Did you know, Ms Chung, that every other scientist, save one, has been found dead? You, your dad and one other are the only remaining team members to have touched this.”

  Shock took the energy from her and left her feeling empty, lost. “My father and I. Who else?”

  “One man, that’s it.”

  One man. Who? The doctors working with her father were limited, but they were close, at least they had been. All of them were dead? “There must be some mistake. There—”

  Tazz growled in frustration and slammed his fist down on the table hard enough to make it shudder. “There’s no mistake,” he said in such a low, harsh whisper Kylie’s fear grew. Slowly he appeared to relax and quietly continued, “When I was injured, and went officially dead—I did almost die. Let’s just say, I flat lined and my ticket got punched, but it lasted only for a few minutes. During the few minutes I was gone, a team of scientists who just so happened to be nearby, used an experimental treatment to test out what it did to a person’s DNA. They didn’t plan on me sucking in another breath. But I did. And wouldn’t you know it
? The drug they used wasn’t exactly ready to be tested on living, breathing men or women.”

  A chill settled over her, cold enough to make her shiver. She knew this man, or at least his chart. Her father had been highly involved in his situation. Tazz had been unique, but she knew her father hadn’t personally given Tazz a dose to use him merely as another way to study the results of his genetics program. He wouldn’t do that. She’d hoped and prayed he wouldn’t but had always wondered. Now she knew the truth, thanks to this man.

  “I never knew—” she began, but Dare was already talking.

  “And? You weren’t asked?” Dare demanded. “You were given some shit and what did it do—?”

  “No, I signed the ‘if I die you can use my body’ and so on. You know the drill, man. Don’t act as if you don’t.”

  Dare stared at his friend in shock, clearly not liking what he heard. He turned to look at her then swung back to Tazz. “And they did what? Brought you back from the dead?”

  Tazz shook his head and smirked. He didn’t smile because a smile, to her at least, meant happiness. Tazz didn’t seem happy. In fact he seemed very unhappy. Depression had occurred in some of the test subjects, perhaps that was partially to blame for the radical ups and downs this man suffered.

  “Nah, man, no resurrection occurred. I went flat for less than five minutes. Miracles of miracles no brain damage.” He laughed. The harsh sound sent a shiver down her spine. “Or no obvious brain damage, huh? But either way, by the time I leveled out again, on my own, the damage was done. The good Dr Chung had his guinea pig, live and somewhat kicking, to use as he saw fit.”

  She straightened her spine at the accusation in his words, even though she’d thought the same things about her father.

  “Don’t like to hear that, huh, sweet cheeks? Well, modifying a man’s DNA can’t be good, right? It doesn’t happen overnight and it doesn’t happen easily. You read my chart, what did you think? That all was peachy?”