Surviving Love: Saints Protection & Investigations

by Maryann Jordan

  Sucking in a deep breath, he watched as she made it to the other side of the creek and wrestled with the duffle to get it on her back. Damn…it’s almost bigger than she is!

  As Kendall finally hefted the bag on her shoulders, she turned to re-cross the creek. Chanting Don’t fall over and over, she managed to make it without tumbling. Unable to feel her hands or feet, she trudged under the weight of the duffle back toward the shack, staring down at her boots, internally grumbling at the stubbornness of men. Finally lifting her chin, she saw Marc standing in the doorway, face contrite, his hand stretched out. After a second of hesitation, she reached out to him, their hands grasping as he pulled her inside and slammed the door behind her.

  Dumping the duffle to the ground, she staggered into his embrace, her cheek planted against his wet coat. Her breaths came in great pants as her chest heaved before her mind slowly cleared and rational thoughts returned. As much as she wanted to stay in his arms, she knew they had to get dry and warm. As her eyes adjusted to the dark interior, she scanned the empty space.

  “I know it’s not much,” he said quickly, anticipating her disgust with their surroundings. “But it’s dry and I can get a fire going.”

  Hearing the concern in his voice, she lifted her eyes to his face, offering a small smile. “Marc, it’s fine. Honestly, it’s so much better than the tent, it’s like heaven.”

  Her teeth chattered loudly and he turned suddenly, hopping toward the stove as he pulled off his gloves. “The last inhabitants left us a present,” he proclaimed, pointing to a few pieces of cut wood stacked near the stove. Grunting in pain as he knelt, he opened the duffle to pull out the fire starter, placing it in the stove first, before adding some wood. Within a few minutes, flames were crackling and warmth snaked through the small structure.

  Pulling off his hat, he unzipped his coat and dropped it to the floor, thankful his flannel shirt was only slightly damp. With a lift of his hands, the long-sleeved, thermal shirt came over his head and was tossed to the floor as well. Turning around to check on Kendall’s progress, he found her standing statue-still, her eyes on his chest.

  Kendall gaped at the massive man in front of her, his naked chest, abs, arms—all ripped muscles—on glorious display, causing her frozen brain to short-circuit. Staring at his masculine perfection, she was not even aware he had stopped moving and was staring back until he cleared his throat. Jerking her eyes up to his, she blushed furiously, embarrassed to have been caught ogling.

  “You okay?” he asked, a smile curving his lips.

  “Uh…yes. I was just…” she stammered, unable to come up with a plausible lie. Sighing, she threw her hands to the side and admitted, “I was just staring at you. I’ve never seen a man quite so muscular as you… at least not in person.” Still blushing, she added, “But I’m sure you’ve heard that before.”

  For a second, the memory of other women coyly calling him “hot” or “sexy” flew through his mind, but now they sounded contrived. The simple words of admiration from Kendall humbled him. Shrugging, he said, “My dad is a big man. His father was too. They built their muscles working on their farm. I did too, until I left home. Now, I try to stay in shape other ways.”

  Grateful for his humility, she smiled back. “Well, it works.” Her gaze dropped to the medallion on a silver chain about his neck. She was curious, but said nothing as the cold seeped into her skin.

  “Kendall,” he said, softly. “You need to change and get out of those clothes. Do you have others to put on?”

  Nodding, she bent to open her wet tote and pulled out her jumbled belongings. “Everything’s damp,” she bemoaned, wondering how she would ever get warm.

  “Here,” he said, bending over the duffle again, this time pulling out another thermal shirt and a pair of thermal long underwear.

  Staring at the huge clothes, she raised her eyebrows, looking at the offerings suspiciously.

  “Come on,” he said. “They won’t bite.”

  “No, but they’ll swallow me all the same!”

  “Honey, they’re dry and warm…right now, that’s all that matters.”

  Nodding, she then peeked back in the bag. “Do you have anything dry to put on?”

  “Yeah,” he grinned, pulling out another shirt.

  She stood self-consciously for a moment, their eyes locked on each other until he blinked and moved away from the stove, turning his back to her.

  “You need to get close to the fire, so I’ll let you change.”

  She watched as he kept his back turned as she quickly stripped out of her outer garments, then her shirts and pants. Grateful for the warmth of the fire, she felt the prickly tingles as her frozen skin began to thaw. Her only bra was damp, so she dropped it to the pile of clothes and slid his thermal shirt on over her breasts. Her nipples poked through, but she thought that he might not notice. Pulling on the thermal pants, she bent to roll the legs up so that she would not trip.

  Looking up, she realized he had slipped out of his pants. His tight ass, covered in thermal long underwear as well, caused her breath to catch in her throat. Whirling around before she was caught ogling again, she said, “I’m decent.”

  She felt him hobble closer but was afraid to look. He moved beside her, his hands extended toward the stove. Sparing a glance sideways, she was glad to see he was dressed as she was—dry thermals.

  Marc did his own staring, grinning at first as he noticed his shirt hanging to her thighs. Then, as his gaze zeroed in on her nipples poking against the material, his mouth suddenly went dry. Swallowing deeply, he shook his head, trying to clear the image from his eyes but, with her sharing the small space, he knew that was a wasted effort. His cock jumped and he forced himself to think of the icy cold dip in the creek to keep from scaring her with a visible hard-on. This is going to be a long night!

  Chapter 14

  “Marc?”

  Jerking, he realized Kendall had asked a question. “Sorry. What did you ask?”

  “I was wondering who built this. Hunters?”

  “Probably.” Looking around, he chuckled, “But it looks like it hasn’t been used in a long time.” Bringing his gaze back to her, he added, “I wish I could offer you more, but—”

  “Oh, Marc,” she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “This is fabulous! We’ve got walls that won’t blow over in a gust of wind…a way to keep out wild animals, and a stove! What more could we ask for?”

  Cocking his eyebrow, he stared, causing her to laugh.

  “Okay, okay! I suppose we could have a hot shower or a big bathtub to soak in, room service from a five-star restaurant, and maybe a big, soft bed!”

  At the mention of a shower, tub, and bed Marc’s brain short-circuited, images of a naked Kendall flashing through his mind. Willing his cock to behave, he stared at her smiling face, acknowledging how well she was handling their situation.

  He felt each of her fingers burning into his arm, causing an electric jolt throughout him. He stared into her eyes, bright with the firelight flickering in their reflection, and her smile rivaling the flames. Unable to stop himself, he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb rubbing her smooth skin. “Amazing…you’re amazing, Kendall.”

  She leaned her head slightly into his palm, loving the feel of his touch. Drawn to him like a moth to the flame, she closed her eyes for a moment, slipping into the fantasy of a man like him being interested in a woman like her. When she opened her eyes, his face was a whisper away. His gaze held hers, as though seeking permission… she hoped seeking permission. Throwing caution to the wind, she stood on her tiptoes and closed the distance.

  Surprised as her lips moved over his, even though he had started it, Marc welcomed their silky warmth as her arms reached up to his shoulders. The light touch became deeper, more possessive. She moaned into his mouth and, taking advantage, he slipped his tongue inside, the unique taste of her intoxicating. As soon as his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth, hers thrust forward tangling with
his. Twisting heads as their noses bumped, he breathed her in, the storm outside forgotten as she became his lifeline.

  It had been a while since Kendall had been kissed—thoroughly, completely kissed. In fact, as her body reacted to the taste, texture, and touch of his mouth on hers, she no longer had any memory of any kiss before, this one rocking her to her core. Squeezing her legs together, she felt the damp at the apex as her nipples pressed against his chest. Not knowing where the kiss was leading she realized she did not care—as long as it led to the two of them together.

  Instinctively he slid his arms around her, desiring to lift her in them, but the twinge in his ankle shot a dose of reality through him. “Fuck,” he moaned against her lips as he shifted his weight back to his good foot.

  The slight jolting of their bodies seemed to bring Kendall out of her lust-filled haze. Rocking back on her heels, her chest heaved as she gulped in air, the kiss having stolen her oxygen. Her eyes pinned his, unable to read what was in their depths, but she knew hers must have shown her acceptance of whatever the kiss was leading to.

  Marc, decidedly not caring about his foot or his previous headache, recognized the desire in her eyes before his gaze dropped to her kiss-swollen lips. Licking his own, the taste of her still there, he forced his body to behave. Jesus, I can’t take advantage of her! Even as the thought crashed through his lust, he wondered if he would be able to control himself. Sucking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly, he battled the desire to tell her they needed to get naked and horizontal as fast as possible. Instead, he said, “We should…uh…eat something and then…uh…” The survivalist part of his brain, numb with the kiss, was unable to think of what else they needed to do. Staring at her, he hoped she retained more sense than he did.

  “Yeah…” she said, her breathing slowly coming under control. “Eat…that’d be good. And then, uh…” She reluctantly pulled her eyes away from him and looked around. “We need to get things in place here…for comfort.” She kept her eyes down, worried that a man like Marc would never be interested in her out in the real world. Maybe he only kissed me back because of the crazy, intense situation we’re in. Not staring at his handsome face gave her common sense the kick it needed to spring back into place.

  Stepping back, she offered him an apologetic smile, knowing she had instigated the kiss. “I’ll get a place for us to sit so you can take the pressure off your foot.” Glad for a purpose, she turned and walked over to the duffle, unzipping it and rummaging through the contents to see what she needed.

  Marc watched her for a second before lifting his face to the roof, his hands on his hips, sighing in frustration. He wanted to howl, but figured sounding like a wild and wounded animal probably was not the best idea. Although I feel wild and wounded! Chastising himself for taking advantage of her and for not being able to fully take care of her, he hobbled over to the stove, determined to make sure the fire kept going. She was not like the easy girls he picked up on his hikes or camping trips and the sooner he accepted she was an important research doctor and his mission, the sooner he would get his straining cock under control.

  *

  Jack checked his phone in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana hotel room he was staying in.

  “Mr. Bryant? Kenneth Rhodes here.”

  Glad to hear from the doctor, Jack replied, “I haven’t heard anything new about your daughter yet.”

  “I understand but, actually, I wanted to let you know of a new development. In light of what has happened, Homeland Security is asking for a contingency from my organization to meet in D.C. since Kendall won’t be there.”

  “I’ve already gotten a call from my FBI contact,” Jack confided, “telling me that he thought this would happen in a few days.”

  “I have to make those plans and decide who will go. Please keep me up on the latest about Kendall.”

  Jack hesitated for a second, having been told of Marc’s accident, but chose to keep that information to himself. Kendall’s father would do nothing but worry and there was no new information to pass on.

  “We’re still in contact with our man and everything’s under control. As soon as the snow stops we’ll be able to extract them.”

  After Jack disconnected a knock on the connecting door sounded before Patrick walked in. “Got anything new?” Discussing the upcoming meeting, they turned their conversation to the possible suspects at the NCBRT.

  “Cliff doesn’t hide his dissention in the group, does he?”

  Jack shook his head and replied, “It makes me wonder what he’d do to rise up in the organization. Or if he’d sell them out because he’s disgruntled.”

  “Estelle Barnaby?”

  “I hated like hell on our last case to think that someone from the FBI could be selling the Bureau out but, now, I have to admit, I’m more willing to take everyone at face value, as a possible suspect. So even though she’s from Homeland Security, I can’t rule out that she might have a hidden agenda.”

  “I assumed the attempt on either the elder or the younger Dr. Rhodes’ lives was due to their knowledge but then, from what we’ve learned, they have no special knowledge that the other researchers wouldn’t have.”

  “That brings me back to the meeting in D.C. and what DHS wanted from them,” Jack stated, shaking his head. I hate like hell not knowing the motive. But let’s go back and look at opportunity and means.”

  Patrick leaned back in his chair, scrubbing his hand over his face. “Marc said the hangar was supposed to be secured and yet the sabotage occurred there.”

  “I’m waiting to hear what Nick and Monty come up with from Alaska.”

  “Since everyone from the NCBRT was here and not there, none of them could have sabotaged the plane.”

  “From what Marc said, it was more than just stealing his supplies. It had to be someone with specific airplane knowledge. To drain his gas tank but tinker with the fuel gauge so that it appeared full…that takes special skill.”

  “So, no one from here?” Patrick asked.

  “No one here…but maybe someone here directing what was happening in Alaska. Someone with serious connections,” Jack surmised.

  *

  “I don’t give a shit if you’re pissed or not! You’ve had a serious security breach here, under your nose, and I want answers,” Monty growled.

  Kevin stood toe to toe with the Saint, both men’s stances unyielding. Nick stepped forward, his granite expression just as hard.

  “Look, I’m telling you I’ve looked at the security tapes from the hangar and there’s nothing. Whoever got in knew what they were doing and blanked out the cameras. I’ve got my tech people on it and a contingency of agents combing over the hangar.”

  “Who knew about the flight?” Nick asked.

  Kevin turned his gaze back to the other agent, heaving a sigh. “This did not come from the inside. I’m telling you, I know my people here and this was not an inside job.”

  “Someone knew my teammate was here with his plane—knew ahead of time. Someone knew what the mission was and someone had enough time to get an accomplice who was adept at sabotaging a plane. That had to have come from inside,” Monty argued.

  “The only people who knew about this was myself, Hank…Henry Tomlin. One other agent, Sharon Chikuk, knew as well. She works in our Fairbanks office. Those are the only three agents who knew. I can’t tell you who knew back at the Bureau’s headquarters or who knew from Homeland Security. So you see, we were hardly the only ones involved. The leak wasn’t from my team!”

  “What about the hangar? Who takes care of the planes, refueling…all of that?”

  “Airport personnel, but they’re vetted by us. We know who’s in here and they’re not allowed here without someone with them.” Kevin looked to the side, his mouth twisted in a grimace and added, “And before you ask, Hank was with them when they refueled Marc’s plane.”

  Nick stated, “I need to talk to him.”

  Shaking his head, Kevin stood with his hands on
his hips. “Fine. He’s at the hangar right now. I’ll take you over.” He pierced Nick and Monty with his glare, saying, “I know this is what you have to do, but as far as I’m concerned, I know my people.”

  “You may know your people, but what about the threat of terrorism?” Monty asked. “We have to look at everything since one of the groups the Rhodes are working with is the International Olympic Committee.”

  Shoulders sagging, Kevin admitted, “Until just the last year or so, Alaska, for whatever reason, was the only state in the U.S. that did not have an active terrorist cell. Then, in 2015, we lost that designation. It’s active…we keep an eye on it, but don’t have the resources that other states do to monitor what’s going on.”

  Nick glanced at Monty and gave a silent signal. As Nick followed Kevin to his vehicle, Monty detoured quickly. Placing a call to Luke, he said, “Start checking into the recent terrorist cells in Alaska. I’ll give more info later but, for now, see what you and Charlie can dig up.”

  “On it,” Luke assured before disconnecting.

  Monty jogged over, climbing into the back seat of Kevin’s vehicle.

  *

  “We weren’t in here that long,” Hank said, his eyes wide, Adam’s Apple bobbing as he swallowed audibly.

  Monty wasn’t sure if Hank was concerned because he was being questioned or excited because something out of the ordinary was happening.

  “Just walk us through what you did,” Nick ordered, trying unsuccessfully to hide his irritation at the over-eager rookie agent.

  Tilting his head to the side, Hank scrunched his forehead in thought. “Well, I got here about nine at night and met the two-person crew. They had badges from the airport with names matching the ones on the list I was given. I opened the door over there,” he pointed to the side door near the office. “The three of us came in and they immediately got to work.”

  “Got to work?” Monty prodded.

  “Um, yeah. You know, they started doing whatever they do.” Hank’s smile dropped slightly as he continued to stare back at them.