Danger Close (The Echo Platoon Series, Book 1) (35 page)

Dismay pegged Maddy to the bed. Where on earth had he gotten the idea that he needed to give up anything to be with her? "Look, whatever my father said—"

"I told you, it doesn't matter what he said. I knew this would happen. I'm not from your world, Maddy. I've fought for everything I have and everything that I am. I won't give that up for anyone. Not even you," he added with visible regret.

A knot formed in Maddy's throat, preventing her from saying anything as he stepped over to her bedside and dropped a cool farewell kiss on her cheek.

He straightened. "Now that your father's here, I don't need to stay."

"Sam," she croaked, helpless to stop the tears that flooded her eyes. "Why are you doing this to us? We were fine before he came."

The firm line of his mouth softened at her protest. He reached for her thigh, seeming to waver as he gave it a regret-filled squeeze. "Maybe I just need some time to think," he conceded gruffly. "I never saw myself getting involved with a rich woman."

The unexpected confession gave her pause. "Who says I'm rich?" she protested. "I'm an environmentalist!"

"You're the daughter of a billionaire who lives off her daddy's dime and under his thumb," he said.

The unkind words skewered Maddy in the heart.

"Well, I can't live like that. I've got to go," he added, turning and heading for the door.

Mouth agape, she watched him pull it open. He sent her one last inscrutable look. Was that resentment burning in his eyes, or was it regret? The door opened and he stepped out. It shut a second later with a
click
that seemed to echo the snapping of her heart in two.

Just like that, Sam was gone, possibly forever.

Maddy fell against her pillow, covering her mouth to stifle the bewildered sob that escaped her tight throat. How could it be? Only this morning they'd been on horseback, utterly wrapped up in each other and looking forward to a future together.

I meant what I said earlier.

He loved her. He'd said so himself, even if the words were softly spoken. So why was the issue of her relationship with her father such a huge deal? What in God's name had her father said to drive Sam away?

Resisting the urge to leap out of bed—she'd been told it would set off some kind of alarm—Maddy hit the call button summoning the nurse. It was either that or scream her father's name at the top of her lungs. Tears of frustration flowed freely down her crumpled face. She didn't bother to wipe them away. Her father needed to see what his controlling behavior was doing to her. She was going to lose Sam forever if her father didn't immediately address this problem.

A nurse pushed into her room and drew up short. "Is everything okay, dear?"

"Please, I need you to find my father. He went to find food. His name is Lyle Scott."

"I'll have him paged," she promised. "Is there anything I can do for you myself?"

"No, thank you. Just find him, please."

Minutes dragged by, feeling more like hours as she waited for her father to reappear. When he pushed into the room, bearing a tray of dishes for them to share, he wore a distinctly uncomfortable expression. "Where's Sam?" he asked, his gaze darting toward the bathroom.

"Gone," she said, fighting the impulse to fly into a rage. "What did you say to him?"

He kept quiet, taking extra care not to spill anything on the tray as he laid it on her raised table.

"What did you say to him, Daddy?" she repeated, her voice wobbling.

He hung his head, staring down at the food he'd brought in. "Oh, Maddy, I was out of my head with worry." He had the grace to look ashamed. "I offered to pay him if he quit his job and stayed with you."

"
What?
"

"I wasn't thinking," he admitted, raising both hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm just... exhausted with trying to keep you safe and running for the Senate while chasing down my brother-in-law who wants me and the rest of my family dead."

"Daddy!" she interrupted sharply. "This is not about
you
. Sam took off, do you understand? You insulted his pride by making him an offer like that. How could you
do
such a thing?"

"I'm sorry." He looked down at his expensive shoes.

"Not everyone can be bought," she continued, railing at him like she hadn't done since she was a teenager. "Especially not Sam. You should have realized that!"

"Yes, yes, I should have realized. That was—" He shook his head. "That was bad form on my part. I'll go find him and apologize." He moved abruptly toward the door.

Maddy let him go, though she knew in her heart that he wouldn't be able to find Sam. Not only had Sam had a ten-minute lead, but he'd probably fled the hospital like there was a fire under his feet.

In despair, she collapsed against her pillows and closed her eyes.
Mama,
she prayed.
You know Sam's the one for me. Please bring him back.

* * *

Forty minutes later, Lyle Scott slipped quietly into his daughter's hospital room. He'd involved the entire hospital staff in scouring the halls and grounds for a tall, dark-haired, good-looking young man named Sam. Finally, a witness reported seeing someone of that description catching a taxi just outside the hospital's front doors. Lyle had immediately called Sam's cell phone but, of course, the SEAL hadn't answered. He left a lengthy and heartfelt apology on Sam's voicemail. Then he called the hotel where he'd made reservations and left a message on their room phone, as well.

Except he knew Sam would never see the flashing red light. He might drop by the resort Lyle had paid for in order to pick up his bag, but then the SEAL would head straight to the forward operating base to await a military hop taking him back to Oceana Naval Air Station. He'd probably be back in Virginia Beach well before his leave ran out at noon. Maybe he would check his voicemail then. Maybe he would recognize Lyle's number and delete it.

Either way Lyle had done all he could do to rectify his mistake, and he had a sinking feeling it wouldn't be enough.

He still felt lower than whale scum as he neared Maddy's bed. To his relief, she was sleeping soundly. He was glad not to have to gaze into her pain-filled eyes and hear the accusation in her voice. It was hard enough to behold her red-rimmed eyes and accept that he was responsible for her heartbreak.

It
was
his fault. He'd gotten so accustomed to "fixing" problems with his wealth that he'd forgotten some things couldn't be bought—like a man's pride.

Ironically, he respected Sam hugely for turning him down the way he had. What had he been thinking making such a ridiculous offer anyway? He'd been too preoccupied with Maddy's welfare to think clearly. Hell, she'd nearly died today! He had every right to be concerned, especially when she insisted on fulfilling her contract with GEF, even with her crazed uncle still on the loose.

And now there wouldn't be any Navy SEALs in Mariscal Estigarribia to rescue her if she got herself into trouble again. Ah, well. With the terrorists disbanded and Paul in Switzerland, how much trouble could she possibly get into?

Knowing Maddy? Plenty.

He picked up a pastry off the tray and eased into the armchair to eat it. The treat tasted like sawdust, but he finished it anyway, licking his fingers to get the stickiness off them. With a heavy-hearted sigh, he tipped back the chair, propped up his feet and fell asleep, hoping to heaven he hadn't wrecked his daughter's love life irrevocably.

* * *

Sam's breath fogged the window on the C-123 Provider as he watched his descent into Virginia Beach. He'd been gone less than three weeks, so why did it feel like he'd left the beach a lifetime ago?

Picking out the boardwalk by the bright hotel lights, he noticed a number of cars still cruising the strip at two in the morning. He'd spent plenty of late nights there himself, mostly back when he was regular Navy. Cruising Atlantic Boulevard in his old Mustang, picking up women had been the norm back then.

But those days were long over. He was a SEAL officer now and expected to comport himself with dignity. At the age of thirty, he'd grown weary of the type of women who frequented the oceanfront looking for a cheap thrill.

He found himself comparing the shallow-minded, self-absorbed young women with Maddy, and all he could do was shake his head and collapse back into his seat. The weight on his chest made it hard to breathe.

Maddy was a one-of-a-kind woman. He'd never find another like her. The only way that could be a good thing was that many women wanted to stay home and raise a family. If only Maddy had that urge, then a future with her wouldn't look so impossible. On the other hand, she was perfect—smart, worldly, compassionate, and incredibly, incredibly brave.

Christ, he admired her so much it brought tears to his eyes.

He thought about her going back to El Chaco and a wave of homesickness rolled through him—not for Virginia Beach or Miami, but for Paraguay. He wanted to go back with her.

Maybe he should have taken her father's offer and run with it. How many times had he asked himself that in the last several hours. Double the salary, huh? Making twice the money he made now, he could buy himself and Maddy a house anywhere they desired to have a home base. He could follow her from one site to the next. Under his vigilant eye, he wouldn't have to worry so much about her safety. It sounded like fucking paradise, except for one thing: He wasn't made that way. He was his own man. He charted his own seas. His goals didn't come second to Maddy's.

I made the right decision
, he assured himself. Just then the C-123 Provider's landing gear groaned, and for a panicked second, he was back in the Cessna-182 bracing himself for a hard landing. He looked over at the empty seat next to him and pictured Maddy in it, scared to death.

If he'd asked her to live with him in Virginia Beach, would she have even considered his offer? The memory of her hand gripping his as their Cessna went down had him curling his fingers into a fist. He remembered stroking the silky hair at the back of her head.

We'll be all right, querida.

Except they weren't all right. They weren't even a couple. They were two individuals returning to their very separate lives, pretending they'd never shared a deeply satisfying connection.

Christ, I don't know if I can do this.

* * *

Maddy looked over at the driver's seat. "Thanks for doing this, Ricardo," she said, as he maneuvered the Jeep along the narrow dirt road heading toward South Chaco. "Now that you've given GEF your notice, I know you don't really have to come to work."

"You think I'd let you drive into the wilderness on your own?" he scoffed. "Oh, no. Until GEF replaces me, you'll find me right here at your side."

A sudden suspicion pricked her. "Has my father been paying you to keep an eye on me?"

He shot her an incredulous look. "What? I wish," he retorted. "I could stand to make a little extra money. But I do have a confession to make."

"What's that?" she asked as they lurched through a pot hole. The road had narrowed substantially in the last mile. Riddled with holes and strafed by gullies created in a recent downpour, the route would have been impossible in a two-wheel-drive vehicle. Even with four-wheel-drive, the rough going was making Maddy's stomach roil. She'd never been car sick before, but there was always a first for everything.

"I was instructed by someone higher up the food chain to keep you away from certain areas of the region, like the one we're headed to now."

She gasped in astonishment. "What?"

He sent her an apologetic grimace. "Scott Oil must have bribed my immediate superior, or the next person above him, to keep GEF away from a region known to be polluted. I was specifically told to keep you from collecting samples in a certain area, the one where we're headed now."

"Are you serious?" The implications distracted her from her car sickness.

"Perfectly. At first it didn't bother me to comply with those instructions, but when I realized one of my bosses had been bribed and that the environment might be truly suffering, I decided it was worth my while to help you out, even if it gets me into trouble later."

"Oh, I hope it doesn't," Maddy exclaimed. She lowered her window further, desperate for fresh air.

Ricardo shrugged. "If someone gives me a hard time, then I'll know who took the bribe and I'll blackmail him."

She had to fan her suddenly clammy face. "I never realized what a truly devious man my uncle was. He must have a friend in the CIA. Ricardo, can you stop the Jeep for a second?" she pleaded suddenly. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Startled, he brought the Jeep to a lurching halt, one that made it impossible to keep her breakfast down. In the nick of time, Maddy threw her door open, leaned out, and vomited on a beetle scuttling across the dirt track.
Sorry, buddy
.

She waited for more to come, but her queasiness had immediately abated. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sat back, and shut the door against the stench. "Sorry about that," she said. "I've never been car sick before."

Ricardo accelerated slowly, while slanting her a thoughtful look. "Maybe you ate some tainted food?"